Nichols: Vescovi 2.0 and Vols’ versatility lead Tennessee past A&M and into two-tilt week with Vandy
Have you ever used Apple Maps before a long trip?
When you type in the destination, there are typically several different blue lines that appear — different routes to take while driving.
Either way, there are multiple options for reaching the destination. You simply have the luxury of deciding which one to use.
The same goes for Tennessee basketball.
Rick Barnes has mentioned time and time again that he’ll continue tinkering with his starting lineup.
Why?
Because he can.
Because this team is that deep, that good, that it’s worth experimenting with, even well into SEC play.
We’ve seen prime examples of Barnes’ mad scientist work this week.
After remaining constant through the first eight games, No. 9 Tennessee’s starting lineup has taken a sharp left turn through the last two games.
On Wednesday, freshman Keon Johnson took the floor for tipoff, his first starting appearance this season.
Saturday, it was the same for fellow youngster Jaden Springer.
Both have lived up to their 5-star ratings time and time again, and when they’re both clicking, it’s fun to watch.
Such was the case in College Station on Saturday.
Johnson chipped in seven points, two of which came from a jaw-dropping reverse layup that evoked images of Julius Erving in his prime.
Springer added 10 points and six assists. One came off a bounce pass to John Fulkerson, but only after Springer drove baseline, went airborne underneath the hoop, and skipped the ball off the floor and right to Tennessee’s big man for a layup.
Each freshman was excellent.
But neither one propelled the Vols over the Aggies.
Instead, Santiago Vescovi snapped out of his shooting slump (3-for-12 from deep in the last two games) and shot right into the limelight for a career-high 23 points.
18 of those arrived from beyond the arc, as Vescovi found his stroke for four 3-pointers in the first eight minutes of action, with two more added later in the night.
In his shooting, Vescovi’s outing against A&M was eerily similar to his very first game at Tennessee.
On January 4 of last year, he nailed six 3-pointers for 18 points against LSU, albeit with nine turnovers, after arriving on campus just a few days prior.
On Saturday, though?
He only had one turnover, and he leads the SEC in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.2).
That’s quite a leap in one calendar year, especially considering that Vescovi was the last to arrive back on campus after the COVID-19 shutdown sent players home.
“That’s something I’ve been working on a lot,” Vescovi said. “I knew since last season that I was struggling with that and I needed to fix that. I think coach has done a pretty good job with all of us in terms of taking care of the ball. He makes sure every time down the floor that we take care of the ball and get a good shot. I think that’s the way we have to play and it’s been working for us.”
“The big thing is that he’s gotten himself in shape,” added Rick Barnes. “He’s in so much better shape. What he did a year ago, I’ve said it many times, it’s unbelievable how he walked out of the NBA Academy, gets here with two or three days of practice and then goes out onto the floor...As soon as Covid hit, he went home. He was one of the last players to get back, but we appreciate the fact that we told him what he had to do and he came back in the best condition that we’ve ever seen him in.”
A Vescovi 2.0, if you will.
“He continues to do that,” Barnes said of Vescovi, who does what’s asked of him and shows incredible poise in shot selection. “He’s a smart player, crafty, anything you want to put on it. He’s competitive. He’s a very deceptive defender. I know for a fact his teammates love what he’s about.”
And how could they not? Vescovi discussed during preseason how much he had tightened and honed his craft during pick-up games in Uruguay, where COVID-19 hasn’t been nearly as rampant.
Saturday’s game laid bare the effects of that work — and that love from his teammates, too.
This team loves Vescovi when his shots are falling. More importantly, though, the team and Tennessee’s coaches still encourage him when he isn’t connecting, or even when he feels out of sync.
Ironically, both were the case against A&M, as Vescovi struggled in adjusting to a new arena.
“It was hard to be honest,” he said. (Saturday) I was not feeling that good in terms of rhythm on my shot. I really do not know what happened today. I was shooting in the warm up and couldn’t make shots, but I got in the game and they started falling so I just started taking opportunities.”
“The first couple shots going in also helped me in terms of confidence, and also my teammates helped me just knowing they have my back no matter what happens,” Vescovi continued. “That helps a lot. Also the coaches have done a really good job giving me confidence and just letting me know that at some point my shots will start falling.”
And when they did, it was fun to watch — whether Vescovi felt in-sync or not.
But as much as they love him, those teammates have to take some of the load off Vescovi, even against his own desires.
“We still have to help him more,” said Barnes. “We’re putting too much on him. We’ve got too many guards that can bring the ball up the floor. He’s very good off the ball.
Some of that is his pride that he wants to handle it all of the time. I get that, because that’s a part of who he is. We’ve got to continue to teach him that he has to conserve some energy along the way.”
The other Vols did help some, as Tennessee’s 23 assists leaped off the box score.
“That’s the way every team should play,” said Springer. “When everyone is out there eating, the ball is moving, the game is easier and it’s so much fun. You’re scoring, you can see your teammates score and everyone is out there having a good time.”
John Fulkerson quietly built an 11-point, five-rebound outing, with three blocks for the second straight game. Yves Pons added eight more points, with four boards and two blocks.
Even Olivier Nkamhoua, who can be sneakily good, got in on the action, as did Victor Bailey and Josiah-Jordan James.
They rounded out the scoring with four, three and two points apiece, respectively.
But Saturday, at its core, was the Santiago Vescovi show — whether he meant it to be or not.
Will Tuesday’s matchup at Vanderbilt (which Tennessee confirmed on Saturday night) be the same? What about the Vols-Commodores matchup in Knoxville next Saturday?
I doubt it.
We’ve seen so far that literally anyone can start on any given night, with any combination taking the floor together after the first whistle.
And that’s the way Barnes likes it.
“I thought we showed versatility,” Barnes said after the A&M win. “We put a team out there that we have never played with, or practiced with.”
“We don't have to be a one-man team and that's what we've tried to talk to our team about,” he added. “We could really start a different lineup every game, it wouldn't bother anybody in our room, and I see scoring being different every game too.”
So pick your poison, Vanderbilt.
Because Rick Barnes is creating a 17-headed monster, and he’s having too much fun to stop experimenting anytime soon.
