Watch: Pair of Tennessee Hoops Stars Talk to Media
Tennessee basketball begins its seventh season under Rick Barnes next month, kicking it off with a November 9 date with UT Martin in Thompson Bowling Arena.
The Vols' roster will look a bit different from last year, with Jaden Springer, Yves Pons and Keon Johnson all leaving for the NBA. John Fulkerson will return, however, joining Josiah Jordan-James and Santiago Vescovi as some of the top veteran Vols for the upcoming season.
Ahead of practice on Thursday, Jordan-James and Vescovi held press conferences in which they fielded questions from the media on the teams new look and thoughts on the upcoming season.
When 'Triple J' was questioned on his thoughts regarding how this offseason has been different from last offseason, the Charleston, South Carolina product enjoys the bond he and his teammates have built.
"Last year with COVID, [it] was hard to get the camaraderie that we wanted throughout the season, but this year with the restrictions kind of loosening up a little bit, the camaraderie has been there since day one. I’d definitely say that this is the closest team that I’ve been on since being here, and that’s not a knock on any of the other teams. This unit is definitely close. We’ve done a lot of activities outside of basketball and we really just like each other. We have a genuine love and care for each other outside of the game. So I’d say this team is a close knit group and we really like each other.”
The junior Tennessee hoops star also has high praise for the multiple newcomers for this season.
"I think they’ve picked it up really quickly. We still have a long way to go as a team, not just the eight newcomers. But they definitely have hit the ground running and they’ve picked up a lot of the new stuff quickly and easily, especially on the defensive end. They’re still learning. Freshmen go through their lumps and bruises and things like that, they’re still learning the system. They’ve definitely learned it a lot quicker than I did, I’ll say that.”
As Jordan-James mentioned, Rick Barnes welcomes eight newcomers for this season, highlighted by five-star point-guard Kennedy Chandler and five-star power forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield.
The Porter-Gaud High School product also had high praise for teammate and fellow junior Santiago Vescovi, saying the Uruguay native has stood out the most over the offseason.
“Definitely (Santiago Vescovi). He’s gotten his body in shape, his game is the best that I’ve ever seen it offensively and defensively. I think that he’s definitely in for a big season this year. Just the effort he plays with. He plays hard 24/7. He leads his team when we got four on four or five on five and the leadership he shows on the defensive end and the pride he takes in defense has really improved."
The full video from Jordan-James' availability is below:
When Vescovi had his time with the media, the international star made sure to note that the team is more important than the individual when asked about his thoughts on his performance over the offseason.
"“I don’t like to talk about me, but I think the whole team has made a really big improvement from last year. It’s a much stronger team in terms of everybody has each other’s back. Speaking about me personally, I think quickness was one of the things that I struggles with last season and I feel that I’m a lot better in that aspect this year. Just creating offense for me and other people will be a lot better as well this year.”
Like Jordan-James, Vescovi shared his candidate(s) for most improved player over the offseason.
“There are a lot of guys. Not counting the new guys, I think Olivier (Nkamhoua) has made a huge improvement. Fulky, we know we can count on him. Uros (Plavsic) has been a lot better than last year. Josiah after his wrist surgery has recovered really well and he’s doing a really good job too. VJ (Bailey) is very focused. I think everybody is doing a good job, a lot better than last year.”
With the aforementioned eight newcomers joining the Vols in 2021, Vescovi looks forward to what the future holds as they grow under Rick Barnes' system.
“I think [adjusting and fitting in] was pretty easy, especially with the type of guys we had coming in. I think all of them are super good guys, they all have good intentions, they’re pretty good listeners. In terms of building the team, I think it was pretty easy this year. I think we have a really unique team that has each other’s backs, and I think we’re super close to each other now. Josiah has also done a really good job in terms of leadership. I think that also has played a pretty big role in terms of building a family this year.”
As far as on the court logistics, Vescovi shares what Vol Nation can expect to see from his involvement and role this season.
“It’s pretty similar to last year, but I’m playing a little bit more of the two now, especially having Zakai (Zeigler) and Kennedy (Chandler) playing the one, which they’re smaller than I am, so they play the point and they’re really good at it. I’m feeling really comfortable playing either way, either playing the point guard or the two, I think it feels natural.”
The full Thursday availability video for the junior guard is below:
Tennessee basketball will host open practices to the fans for both the men's and women's teams on Saturday, October 16 starting with the men's at 11:30 a.m. ET. The Lady Vols will take the court at 2 p.m. ET.
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