TENNESSEE - 2015-16 Blue Ribbon's Preview

BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS

BACKCOURT B 

FRONTCOURT C 

BENCH/DEPTH C 

INTANGIBLES B

LOCATION   Knoxville, TN 

CONFERENCE Southeastern

LAST SEASON 16-16 (.500) 

CONFERENCE RECORD 7-11 (10th) 

STARTERS RETURNING/LOST 4/1 

NICKNAME Volunteers 

COLORS Orange & White

HOMECOURT Thompson-Boling Arena (21,678) 

COACH Rick Barnes (Lenoir-Rhyne ’77) 

RECORD AT SCHOOL First year 

CAREER RECORD 604-313 (28 years) 

ASSISTANTS

Rob Lanier (St. Bonaventure ’90) Chris Ogden (Texas ’04) Desmond Oliver (Dominican College ’92)

WINS (LAST 5 YRS.) 19-19-20-24-16

RPI (LAST 5 YRS.) 41-90-66-37-102

2014-15 FINISH Lost in SEC quarter finals.

HART-ATTACK

Late last March, just as Tennessee basketball fans were steeling themselves for yet another protracted search for a basketball coach, the unthinkable happened. Rick Barnes became available.

What do you do if you’re Tennessee athletics director Dave Hart and a coach who has won 70% of his career games, has made more NCAA tournament appearances (22) than the Vols have in their history (20) and has won everywhere he’s been (George Mason, Providence, Clemson, Texas) drops into your lap? You hire him, that’s what you do.

Forget the reasons that Barnes and Texas, his employer for the previous 17 seasons, parted ways. Something about AD Steve Patterson wanting Barnes to fire one of the smartest and best-connected assistant coaches (Rob Lanier) and most successful strength coaches (Todd Wright) in the business, just to save money, and Barnes’ refusal to do so. And when word of that got out, Barnes’ entire staff  offered to step down, so their boss could keep his job. Barnes, loyal to the core, wouldn’t hear of that, so the decision was made for him.

Barnes left Texas with fond memories, including a 2003 Final Four appearance, but he wasn’t unemployed long. Two days after his departure in Austin, he was in Knoxville accepting the Tennessee job, surely the last in the 61-year-old coach’s career that has seen him win more than 600 games.

CROSSED PATHS

That career came full circle when Tennessee athletics director Dave Hart made the call. In 1987, Hart, then an associate AD at East Carolina, and Barnes, then an assistant coach at Ohio State, crossed paths when Rick Barnes was interviewing to be the Pirates’ head coach. Dave Hart picked up Rick Barnes at the airport and even let him stay in his home while he was in town. East Carolina didn’t hire Barnes—it was his first interview for a head-coaching job—but Hart was left with the distinct impression that Barnes would make a great head coach some day.

Last March, Dave Hart needed a great head coach after having to cut ties with one-and-done Donnie Tyndall, who coaxed 16 victories out of a hastily thrown together team in his only season but stood accused of major violations committed while he was the head coach at Southern Miss the previous two seasons. In late July, the NCAA charged Southern Miss with seven Level I violations — considered the most serious — that occurred during Tyndall’s tenure.

LIKE A YO-YO

Tyndall’s ring continued the travails of a basketball program that had been up and down like a yo-yo for a decade, from the highs of six straight NCAA tournaments, a brief No. 1 ranking and a trip to the Elite Eight of the Bruce Pearl-era; Bruce Pearl’s subsequent ring for his attempt to mislead an NCAA investigation into a minor rules violation; coach Cuonzo Martin’s lackluster two-and-a-half seasons and great closing kick to the Sweet 16 before bolting for Cal; and the promise of coach Tyndall as an X-and-O wizard but those major violations hanging over his head.

Rick Barnes’ track record would suggest he could level off  things, and quickly. His critics might nitpick at his postseason record — only one conference tournament title (Providence, Big East, 1994) and a 20-20 record in the NCAAs — but at least Barnes gets to the Big Dance. He’s coached an NCAA tournament team 19 of the last 20 years.

That streak could continue if a couple of young Canadian big men can quickly acclimate to Division I basketball, and 6-4, 217-pound senior Armani MOORE (10.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.4 spg, 1.2 bpg) can play the point. If Moore does play that position, it would be a case of going back to the future. He was recruited as a point guard by Martin’s staff, but it soon became apparent Moore couldn’t handle the job, at least not in the SEC.

For two years under coach Cuonzo Martin, Armani Moore was used sporadically, if not erratically, as a wing, but he showed signs of being able to make plays. Tyndall installed Moore as an undersized power forward, and he wound up starting all 32 games and becoming a stat sheet stu er who led the Vols in rebounding, o ensive rebounds and blocked shots. Moore’s problem as it relates to being moved back to the perimeter is he’s a woeful perimeter shooter (.182 3PT, 6 of 33). But he’s a capable passer who should be able to post any opposing guard he faces and will rebound his position. If Moore can keep quicker point guards in front of him on defense, he’ll be more than competent at his third position in as many years.

“Armani is a big, strong guard,” Barnes said. “He was impressive in our [o season] workouts, but you would expect him to be. He’s older. And he’s a great leader.”

ARMANI MOORE could get some help from 6-2 senior Kevin PUNTER (10.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.6 spg, .352 3PT) who was all set to play point last season until Josh Richardson (16.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.6 apg, 2.1 spg) stepped into the spot near the end of fall practice. at was more than likely a huge factor in Richardson becoming a second-round draft choice of the Miami Heat.

"BUCKET-MAKER"
Like Armani Moore, Kevin Punter, who transferred from junior college before last season, isn’t going to wow anyone at the point, but he too is a willing passer who can handle a limited offensive package. What he really does best is score. Tennessee assistant coach Desmond Oliver calls him a “bucket maker,” which Kevin Punter proved over the summer in the Knoxville Rocky Top League, which he led in scoring (43.7 ppg) and capped off  with a league-record 76 points in the season finale.

"NO BLOOD, NO FOUL"
Point guard Kevin Punter has an old-school game developed while growing up in the Bronx. Playground games are physical there, especially for a guy who packed just 160 pounds on a 6-2 frame. So Punter instinctively learned how to counter.

“I couldn’t always get to the rim,” said Punter, who now is listed at 190 pounds. “So I would have no choice but to just pull up. I can’t get to the basket, so let me start pulling up. I started really working on that area, the 12- to 15-footers. That’s when I started the one-dribble pull-up, stop on a dime, things like that.”

Punter showed that midrange game last season and also shot better from 3 (43 of 122) than had been expected. Barnes has some options at the third guard position.

Tennessee fans are hoping 6-4 junior Robert Hubbs (7.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg, .333 3PT) continues the progress he made last season while starting 20 games. e former ve-star recruit hasn’t quite lived up to that billing, but coach Rick Barnes thinks that isn’t Robert Hubbs’ fault.

“Everybody talked about how he has to get his motor going,” coach Rick Barnes said. “Some guys look like they’re not playing hard when they are.”

The Tennessee staff is impressed with Hubbs’ skills — “Every shot he takes, it looks like it’s going in,” Oliver said — and it could be that once Hubbs begins to see a few more shots fall, it will ignite his entire game. If he starts along with Kevin Punter and Armani Moore, the Vols will put a good-sized backcourt on the floor. Barnes can do a lot with that.

Another guard with decent size is 6-4 senior Devon Baulkman (4.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg, .382 3PT), who, despite being plagued by shoulder issues last season, shot decently from 3 (26 of 68) and the free-throw line, (.795, 31 of 39). Tyndall’s sta wasn’t always thrilled with Baulkman’s defensive e ort, but Barnes and his sta were impressed with him in o season workouts. Baulkman is another guy who could take a turn at the point if needed.

Like guard Devon Baulkman, 6-1 sophomore Detrick Mostella (3.4 ppg, 0.9 rpg) incurred the wrath of the previous sta for perceived defensive limitations, but the former four-star recruit is a big-time athlete who can leap over seven-footers or knock down a 3. Last season Mostella didn’t shoot a great percentage from behind the arc (.272), but he hit some timely 3s. He played just 11.7 minutes a game, so it was hard for him to gain confidence or get in a rhythm. Coach Rick Barnes thinks Detrick Mostella — who impressed teammates and coaches alike in off season workouts and pickup games — can do both.

“If you put him in the right role, he can score the ball,” coach Rick Barnes said. “He’s got to get stronger, but he should be able to. He’ll get there. And he wants to do it.”

If Tennessee is to begin building back toward the program that made 9 consecutive postseason tournament trips, it’s imperative those two young big men from Canada — 6-8, 245-pound sophomore Ray Kasongo, and 6-9 freshman Kyle Alexander — make significant contributions.

Both recruits are in Knoxville because of assistant coach Rob Lanier, who’s well connected in Canada.

“I was at St. Bonaventure [from 1992-97] and recruited some kids from Canada who had great careers,” Lanier said. “So I got to know people up there from the beginning of the growth of the game. This was a time when kids were just trying to get down here to play ball. Now, we’re all rushing up there.”

Kasongo, who’s from Toronto, played last season at the College of Southern Idaho, where his scoring and rebounding numbers were modest (5.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg), but his 68 blocked shots in 15.2 minutes a game playing time translates to a 5.4 average over 40 minutes. Several other SEC schools — Alabama, LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss — tried to get involved with Kasongo, who has a 7-4 wingspan and 42-inch vertical leap, but Lanier helped seal the deal for Tennessee.

During preseason workouts and the Rocky Top League, Ray Kasongo proved he could rebound and block shots.

“He’s a great shot blocker,” Tennessee assistant Chris Ogden said. “If he can bring that and rebounding, the rest of his game will come.”

CREW ALEXANDER
Alexander played last season at Orangeville Prep in Ontario. Like Kasongo, he’s got a 7-4 wingspan and can get off the floor in a hurry. He hasn’t played basketball all that long, but it’s in his blood; his father Joseph played at Niagara and scored more than 1,200 points in his career, and his older sister Kayla nished a four-year career at Syracuse in 2013 as the program’s all-time leading scorer and shot blocker and was a first-round WNBA Draft choice.

“He played soccer his whole life,” coach Rick Barnes said. “He moves pretty easily, and it looks like he never gets tired. He’s young and raw, and doesn’t know how good he can be.”

Competing in the Rocky Top League helped Alexander’s development.

“He’s a different player today than he was a month ago,” Oliver said at the conclusion of RTL play in late June.

Depth up front will come from 6-5 redshirt freshman Jabari McGhee (4.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg), who was shaping up last season to be the most productive of a trio of freshmen bigs — the others, Willie Carmichael and Tariq Owens, transferred to Western Kentucky and St. Johns, respectively, after Tyndall was fired — before he broke his foot against NC State, just 8 games into the season. at allowed him to take a medical redshirt.

Jabari McGhee showed some ashes in his brief time on the court. He produced 7 points and 6 boards in just 12 minutes against VCU and came up with eight points, nine rebounds and two steals in 19 minutes against Santa Clara. At the time of his injury, McGhee was second on the team in o ensive rebounds per game (2.3) though he was averaging just 12.9 minutes. He was also shooting .700 from the eld (14 of 20).

“He’s another guy that goes and gets it,” coach Rick Barnes said. “And he can score around the rim.”

Like Armani Moore and Hubbs, Derek Reese (6.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg), a 6-7, 230-pound senior, is playing for his third coach. Reese has been moved from backcourt to frontcourt and back again during his three seasons, but a year ago he seemed to nd a home as a face-up four man.

Reese ranked second on the team in rebounding and put together some of his best games against SEC competition: 12 points, eight rebounds and two assists in a win at Vanderbilt; 11 points, ve rebounds and two steals in a win over LSU; 11 points and six boards against Auburn; and nine rebounds against LSU’s big front line in another victory over the Tigers in Baton Rouge.

Derek Reese also shot 33.3% and made the occasional timely shot from three. His 3-pointer in the second half helped Tennessee pull away for a solid win against then-15th-ranked Butler.

FRESHMEN AIR
Two freshmen signed by former TU head coach Tyndall held firm after his departure and will compete for minutes. Shembari Phillips, 6-2, was overshadowed a bit by his Wheeler High School (Marietta, Ga.) teammate Jaylen Brown, who was rated the No. 4 prospect in the 2015 class and eventually signed with Cal, but he’s a good player in his own right who can score and elevate. He and Brown helped Wheeler to a 30-2 record and the 2015 Georgia Class AAAAAA championship.

“Talent wise, he’s got what it takes,” coach Rick Barnes said.

At 6-5 and 240 pounds, Admiral Schofield is a burly combo forward. Admiral Schofield, from Zion-Benton Township High School in Zion, Ill., played AAU ball for Dickey Simpkins, who played for Barnes at Providence. Coach Rick Barnes got all the intel he needed on Schofield, and vice versa.

“Skill wise, and basketball IQ, he’s got all that,” coach Rick Barnes said. “He’s just got to get himself in great shape.”

THE THIRD EYE
Tennessee could add a third freshman to the mix and get some needed help at point guard if 6-1 freshman Lamonte’ Turner is declared eligible by the NCAA Clearinghouse. The Alabama native reclassified from the class of 2016 to sign with the Vols, but because he attended three high schools, including Arlington Country Day in Jacksonville, Fla., the NCAA gave his transcript intense scrutiny.

Turner was on campus and attending class at the start of fall semester as he awaited his fate. If he’s eligible, Turner will be a scoring point, with an emphasis on scoring. He’s a great jump shooter and has a pull-up game to match, but he’s also un appable and a good decision maker.

Coach Rick Barnes’ track record would suggest he’ll get Tennessee basketball off  the crazy roller coaster ride it’s been on since the last days of the Pearl-era and level it off into a perennial NCAA tournament program.

This might not be the year the Vols return to the NCAAs, but with experienced guards to run coach Rick Barnes’ fast-paced system, they’ll be competitive and a lot more fun to watch than in recent seasons. The lack of a true point guard could limit Tennessee’s ceiling, but the NIT would represent progress and the hope of better things to come a season or two down the road.

Chris Dortch, Blue Ribbon

LINE-UP

  4 MOORE, Armani f

23 REESE, Derek f

  0 PUNTER, Kevin g

  3 HUBBS III, Robert g

34 BAULKMAN, Devon g

BENCH

  2 KASONGO, Ray

  5 SCHOFIELD, Admiral

11 ALEXANDER, Kyle

15 MOSTELLA, Detrick

21 McGHEE, Jabari
25 PHILLIPS, Shembari