2024-2025 Tennessee Basketball Team Discussion

[volbound1700]

Looks like we may have another great team this year but I am not sure if we will be as good as last year (then again, I thought last year would be a step back but we improved).

 

[BigorangeBoy]

From Ben McKee at. 247

Tennessee basketball hosted Davidson in a secret scrimmage on Sunday that it won 81-63.

In talking to some people, Chaz Lanier had a great day. He scored 27 points on 7-of-12 shooting from three. Felix Okpara also had a strong outing with 20 points. He just fits so well in UT's system and really benefits from the guards. Zakai Zeigler was Zakai Zeigler.

Jahmai Mashack was playing well until he got banged up. It's not anything serious, but they did shut him down in order to be cautious. Sounds like Jordan Gainey and Cameron Carr each had positive moments, though Tennessee would like for them to be more consistent. Carr continues to flash on the defensive side of the ball.

JP Estrella had an okay day. Mostly because he is in the process of getting back into the flow of things after he was limited over the summer due to a stress fracture in his foot.

Cade Phillips played really well. He had a strong offseason and appears positioned to be a key role player in Tennessee's rotation this season as an energy guy that comes in, plays great defense and rebounds the basketball.

Sounds like Igor Milicic Jr. and Darlinstone Dubar struggled in the scrimmage. The two are still adjusting to the system and what Rick Barnes wants from them. That is probably one of the bigger question marks for Tennessee right now: figuring out how Milicic and Dubar fit best at the four.

I don't think UT's defense was really tested all that much. Think it would have liked for Davidson to dribble the ball more and put pressure on the defense so that UT could learn more about themselves. This Sunday's exhibition against Indiana will be a really nice test for Tennessee. Hoosiers were picked to finish second in the Big 10 and will have more size than the Vols.

On the recruiting front, sounds like five-star Nate Ament had a great official visit this weekend. He has a great relationship with Rick Barnes and enjoyed the time spent together.

Four-star guard Isaiah Denis was also in town for the second consecutive weekend. He was here on an unofficial visit following his OV last week for the Florida game. Still work to get that one across the finish line, but I would think it's a great sign that he returned to Tennessee for the second week in a row instead of taking his Kansas OV.

Lastly, Tennessee continues to be in a great position for five-star guard Brayden Burries despite a recent article some of you asked about because UT wasn't mentioned. He's just not very talkative, so if you don't ask him something directly, he's not going to offer it on his own. But Tennessee has a great relationship with Burries and his parents. UT assistant coach Rod Clark travelled to see him play on Friday night in Vegas, which is why Burries had to reschedule his previously scheduled OV to Tennessee for the Alabama game. I reported last week that Burries was moving the OV to December, but the family is trying to finalize his OV for Nov. 12-14, which would allow him to watch them play Montana on a Wednesday night.

 

[Stoerner Fumbles]

From Ben McKee at. 247

Tennessee basketball hosted Davidson in a secret scrimmage on Sunday that it won 81-63.

In talking to some people, Chaz Lanier had a great day. He scored 27 points on 7-of-12 shooting from three. Felix Okpara also had a strong outing with 20 points. He just fits so well in UT's system and really benefits from the guards. Zakai Zeigler was Zakai Zeigler.

Jahmai Mashack was playing well until he got banged up. It's not anything serious, but they did shut him down in order to be cautious. Sounds like Jordan Gainey and Cameron Carr each had positive moments, though Tennessee would like for them to be more consistent. Carr continues to flash on the defensive side of the ball.

JP Estrella had an okay day. Mostly because he is in the process of getting back into the flow of things after he was limited over the summer due to a stress fracture in his foot.

Cade Phillips played really well. He had a strong offseason and appears positioned to be a key role player in Tennessee's rotation this season as an energy guy that comes in, plays great defense and rebounds the basketball.

Sounds like Igor Milicic Jr. and Darlinstone Dubar struggled in the scrimmage. The two are still adjusting to the system and what Rick Barnes wants from them. That is probably one of the bigger question marks for Tennessee right now: figuring out how Milicic and Dubar fit best at the four.

I don't think UT's defense was really tested all that much. Think it would have liked for Davidson to dribble the ball more and put pressure on the defense so that UT could learn more about themselves. This Sunday's exhibition against Indiana will be a really nice test for Tennessee. Hoosiers were picked to finish second in the Big 10 and will have more size than the Vols.

On the recruiting front, sounds like five-star Nate Ament had a great official visit this weekend. He has a great relationship with Rick Barnes and enjoyed the time spent together.

Four-star guard Isaiah Denis was also in town for the second consecutive weekend. He was here on an unofficial visit following his OV last week for the Florida game. Still work to get that one across the finish line, but I would think it's a great sign that he returned to Tennessee for the second week in a row instead of taking his Kansas OV.

Lastly, Tennessee continues to be in a great position for five-star guard Brayden Burries despite a recent article some of you asked about because UT wasn't mentioned. He's just not very talkative, so if you don't ask him something directly, he's not going to offer it on his own. But Tennessee has a great relationship with Burries and his parents. UT assistant coach Rod Clark travelled to see him play on Friday night in Vegas, which is why Burries had to reschedule his previously scheduled OV to Tennessee for the Alabama game. I reported last week that Burries was moving the OV to December, but the family is trying to finalize his OV for Nov. 12-14, which would allow him to watch them play Montana on a Wednesday night.

Just going to add/counter a couple of things. I’ve been saying often that Cade will have an impact. He doesn’t have some of the finesse that JP has, but he’s been relentless on the glass and defense. I personally don’t agree with McKee that Igor is struggling to fit. That is true for Bubar (promised Nighthawk if misspell it every time). If Igor is struggling, it’s only because they use him very differently in different lineups, but he will be good. As for recruiting, we seem to be clicking in a way that we haven’t before. There’s a very structured way we address the player, the system, development, NBA, NIL and it seems to be working well. We’re in a great place with everyone on McKee’s list. As for chemistry, ZZ has something going with Okpara and really reads him well. We’ll see a lot of single passes into a dunk or easy layup. Gainey is much more comfortable on both ends. Mashack has been much more comfortable shooting and driving. He had a hard fall in the scrimmage, but is ok. I think this team will have offensive answers to getting must have points. That is an improvement over last year. I still think we’ll miss our ability to cover guards off switches. ZZ and Mashack are killers, but Chaz and Gainey aren’t going to shut down shooters the way Josiah or SV could. We really have some interesting offense down low. Between Igor and Felix there’s an amazing complementary skill set, but we are missing some instinctive ball sharing that will come with awareness and playing together. I’m simultaneously very excited about Cade’s progress, but worried about how they’ll distribute minutes as JP gets into game shape. We still have rough spots, but many good things developing.

 

[Chaz-Vol]

Just going to add/counter a couple of things. I’ve been saying often that Cade will have an impact. He doesn’t have some of the finesse that JP has, but he’s been relentless on the glass and defense. I personally don’t agree with McKee that Igor is struggling to fit. That is true for Bubar (promised Nighthawk if misspell it every time). If Igor is struggling, it’s only because they use him very differently in different lineups, but he will be good. As for recruiting, we seem to be clicking in a way that we haven’t before. There’s a very structured way we address the player, the system, development, NBA, NIL and it seems to be working well. We’re in a great place with everyone on McKee’s list. As for chemistry, ZZ has something going with Okpara and really reads him well. We’ll see a lot of single passes into a dunk or easy layup. Gainey is much more comfortable on both ends. Mashack has been much more comfortable shooting and driving. He had a hard fall in the scrimmage, but is ok. I think this team will have offensive answers to getting must have points. That is an improvement over last year. I still think we’ll miss our ability to cover guards off switches. ZZ and Mashack are killers, but Chaz and Gainey aren’t going to shut down shooters the way Josiah or SV could. We really have some interesting offense down low. Between Igor and Felix there’s an amazing complementary skill set, but we are missing some instinctive ball sharing that will come with awareness and playing together. I’m simultaneously very excited about Cade’s progress, but worried about how they’ll distribute minutes as JP gets into game shape. We still have rough spots, but many good things developing.

If Cade could turn into Fulky 2.0 that'd be nice. Seems light turning on for Gainey which is promising and he'll have minutes both at 2 and backing up ZZ.

5 and 4 rotations will be interesting and a lot of variations that Barnes hopefully can find right combos going into the season.

 

[BernardKingGOAT]

It’s gonna take a while for this team to gel.

Nice take.We have a difficult early tournament, but out of conference schedule should help with it. Not as difficult as the past few years. IMO, a great scheduling strategy.

 

[BernardKingGOAT]

Just going to add/counter a couple of things. I’ve been saying often that Cade will have an impact. He doesn’t have some of the finesse that JP has, but he’s been relentless on the glass and defense. I personally don’t agree with McKee that Igor is struggling to fit. That is true for Bubar (promised Nighthawk if misspell it every time). If Igor is struggling, it’s only because they use him very differently in different lineups, but he will be good. As for recruiting, we seem to be clicking in a way that we haven’t before. There’s a very structured way we address the player, the system, development, NBA, NIL and it seems to be working well. We’re in a great place with everyone on McKee’s list. As for chemistry, ZZ has something going with Okpara and really reads him well. We’ll see a lot of single passes into a dunk or easy layup. Gainey is much more comfortable on both ends. Mashack has been much more comfortable shooting and driving. He had a hard fall in the scrimmage, but is ok. I think this team will have offensive answers to getting must have points. That is an improvement over last year. I still think we’ll miss our ability to cover guards off switches. ZZ and Mashack are killers, but Chaz and Gainey aren’t going to shut down shooters the way Josiah or SV could. We really have some interesting offense down low. Between Igor and Felix there’s an amazing complementary skill set, but we are missing some instinctive ball sharing that will come with awareness and playing together. I’m simultaneously very excited about Cade’s progress, but worried about how they’ll distribute minutes as JP gets into game shape. We still have rough spots, but many good things developing.

Great summary, but disappointed not to see anything on Carr. Thanks

 

[MinisterofDef#92]

Just going to add/counter a couple of things. I’ve been saying often that Cade will have an impact. He doesn’t have some of the finesse that JP has, but he’s been relentless on the glass and defense. I personally don’t agree with McKee that Igor is struggling to fit. That is true for Bubar (promised Nighthawk if misspell it every time). If Igor is struggling, it’s only because they use him very differently in different lineups, but he will be good. As for recruiting, we seem to be clicking in a way that we haven’t before. There’s a very structured way we address the player, the system, development, NBA, NIL and it seems to be working well. We’re in a great place with everyone on McKee’s list. As for chemistry, ZZ has something going with Okpara and really reads him well. We’ll see a lot of single passes into a dunk or easy layup. Gainey is much more comfortable on both ends. Mashack has been much more comfortable shooting and driving. He had a hard fall in the scrimmage, but is ok. I think this team will have offensive answers to getting must have points. That is an improvement over last year. I still think we’ll miss our ability to cover guards off switches. ZZ and Mashack are killers, but Chaz and Gainey aren’t going to shut down shooters the way Josiah or SV could. We really have some interesting offense down low. Between Igor and Felix there’s an amazing complementary skill set, but we are missing some instinctive ball sharing that will come with awareness and playing together. I’m simultaneously very excited about Cade’s progress, but worried about how they’ll distribute minutes as JP gets into game shape. We still have rough spots, but many good things developing.

Great to hear Okpara and ZZ already have a special connection...that's exactly what we all hoped for once Okpara joined the team. How Igor plays may very well determine whether we are a Top 10 team or just a Top 25 team imo so good to hear your clarification on his "struggles".

 

[NighthawkVol]

“Carr continues to flash on the defensive side of the ball.”

Love hearing this. He’ll play a lot if he’s playing good D.

 

[Stoked]

Great summary, but disappointed not to see anything on Carr. Thanks

"Carr continues to flash on the defensive side of the ball"

Did you see this? This is super promising because we know how much CRB values defense... especially from the guard/wing position. We are losing JJJ and SV who were pretty much elite defenders. His best path to minutes is playing stellar defense imo.

 

[BernardKingGOAT]

"Carr continues to flash on the defensive side of the ball"

Did you see this? This is super promising because we know how much CRB values defense... especially from the guard/wing position. We are losing JJJ and SV who were pretty much elite defenders. His best path to minutes is playing stellar defense imo.

No, I didn't. Thanks. Glad to hear it

 

[chuckiepoo]

"Carr continues to flash on the defensive side of the ball"

Did you see this? This is super promising because we know how much CRB values defense... especially from the guard/wing position. We are losing JJJ and SV who were pretty much elite defenders. His best path to minutes is playing stellar defense imo.

That quote on Carr’s defensive flash was in McKee’s write up. BKG’s note that a Carr mention was lacking was a reference to SF’s summary.

 

[Special Ed]

I'm predicting Doobie by December.

Surely, some will call him Double D.

Not in the same sense as Dolly Parton though.

 

[MoB_MoVols]

Fans can get their first glimpse of the current team this Sunday when the Vols host Indiana in an exhibition game.

Look for Rick Barnes to treat this like a game that he wants to win. You might see Tennessee be a little lower with the rotation than the might be in the regular season, I doubt you’ll see Barnes empty the bench early in the contest.

We don’t have a lot to add to the notes we’ve been dropping here during the offseason as far as personnel goes.

Chaz Lanier shoots it as well as advertised, but you had better not get involved in any drinking games where you drink every time Barnes mentions the need for him to play better defense.

Lanier is probably a little more of a ‘quick twitch’ guy than the staff anticipated when they landed him in the spring.

It’s going to be interesting (at least to me) to see how minutes shake out in the post. Felix Okpara and Igor Milicic are a unique combo for sure with Okpara’s rim protection and Milicic’s ability to bang in the paint and also stretch the floor.

But Cade Phillips and JP Estrella both have had nice offseasons and will push for minutes. Not sure where Darlinstone Dubar is going to fit in that. Tennessee isn’t going to have to take Milicic off the court to space the floor on offense as they did with Josiah-Jordan James in the past.

No doubt about the fact that this is Zakai Zeigler’s team. Jahmai Mashack is a great teammate and a leader in his own right, but it’s been awhile since I can remember one guy so clearly being the leader of a team in either basketball or football. Z runs the show for this group.

-VQ

 

[Panthro]

I was with ZZ for a while yesterday for a NIL deal. I talked with him about this year’s team and he was really high on Chaz and Igor. I reminded him that this time last year, I asked him the same question, and he never mentioned DK. He laughed and emphasized how nobody saw that coming until it just happened.

 

[omghulkhands]

I was with ZZ for a while yesterday for a NIL deal. I talked with him about this year’s team and he was really high on Chaz and Igor. I reminded him that this time last year, I asked him the same question, and he never mentioned DK. He laughed and emphasized how nobody saw that coming until it just happened.

Awesome! I can’t wait for the season to start!

 

[NighthawkVol]

“Lanier is probably a little more of a ‘quick twitch’ guy than the staff anticipated when they landed him in the spring.”

That’s an interesting comment. One of the offseason concerns on Lanier has been that of his ability to create his own shot off the dribble or drive. Being “quick twitch” lends itself to shot creation. It also lends itself to defense.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

“Lanier is probably a little more of a ‘quick twitch’ guy than the staff anticipated when they landed him in the spring.”

That’s an interesting comment. One of the offseason concerns on Lanier has been that of his ability to create his own shot off the dribble or drive. Being “quick twitch” lends itself to shot creation. It also lends itself to defense.

I thought it was that he was lazy and out of shape, can’t keep up with all these takes!

 

[GoodTimeVol]

I thought it was that he was lazy and out of shape, can’t keep up with all these takes!

Trilly practice nuggets are to blame I bet…lol

 

[tev.sm]

-VQ

I'm curious how our defense holds up against Indiana. Looking at their roster, they got a lot of offensive firepower between the returning guys and the transfers.

3 of their returning guys averaged double-digit PPG last season and 4 of their transfers averaged double-digit PPG as well.

I think this will be a great test of how well we can hold them defensively. I'm not surprised that CRB is holding a tight rotation for this exhibition game.

 

[NighthawkVol]

I thought it was that he was lazy and out of shape, can’t keep up with all these takes!

You’re confused. The lazy and out of shape reports were about @Stoerner Fumbles.

They are accurate.

 

[FeelVol]

-VQ

I’m really curious how Cade Phillips will push Darlington Dubar for minutes.It seems obvious that Dubars’ minutes will be at the 3 or 4 and Phillips’ would be either the 4 or 5. I’m also interested in how Cameron Carr will push for minutes,does he take minutes away from Gainey at the 2? Ready for an eye test for sure tomorrow.

 

[TrippieRedd]

I’m really curious how Cade Phillips will push Darlington Dubar for minutes.It seems obvious that Dubars’ minutes will be at the 3 or 4 and Phillips’ would be either the 4 or 5. I’m also interested in how Cameron Carr will push for minutes,does he take minutes away from Gainey at the 2? Ready for an eye test for sure tomorrow.

If Phillips can extend his game and be a true stretch 4, he would be so dangerous.


Maybe he has this off season.

 

[Stoerner Fumbles]

Not sure how this will show up in the scrimmage, but we’ve been running a three forward lineup this week quite a bit. Igor, Cade, JP/Felix with ZZ and Mashack. Separately, Boswell has really made some leaps and is getting more consideration for backing up ZZ. Again, hard to know what of this makes it to games, but interesting.

 

[The Dog]

If Phillips can extend his game and be a true stretch 4, he would be so dangerous.


Maybe he has this off season.

Man, I don't think Phillips is ever going to be a stretch 4, he is an around the basket, high energy, rebounder that will have several follow up dunks, imo. Hell, Barnes has already ran an inbounds play, where Phillips crashes the paint for an alley-oop, last year. I'm not saying he can't extend his range, but I think it will be limited, with very few 3's

 

[TrippieRedd]

Man, I don't think Phillips is ever going to be a stretch 4, he is an around the basket, high energy, rebounder that will have several follow up dunks, imo. Hell, Barnes has already ran an inbounds play, where Phillips crashes the paint for an alley-oop, last year. I'm not saying he can't extend his range, but I think it will be limited, with very few 3's

Has the athleticism, but you’re probably right.