Everything Rick Barnes said before final stop of Big Orange Caravan
The fourth and final stop of the Big Orange Caravan was in the Tri-Cities on Wednesday night – here’s what Tennessee head basketball coach Rick Barnes said beforehand.
Barnes talked about his interactions with Caldwell as they’ve come to know each other, the game he recalls most from last season, the significance of former Vol forward John Fulkerson to the program, and how the Vols are going about filling the remaining positions on their roster.
Here is what Barnes had to say about the current status of his basketball program on Wednesday during his media availability to wrap up the Big Orange Caravan this year.
On Tennessee having three open scholarship spots and if he ever gets concerned with how quickly the Vols need to fill them:
“Not really. I think the key is being deliberate and in terms of knowing what you want do when you’re really trying to construct a roster. And I think probably the worst thing you can do is feel like you got to do something quickly without really thinking it through. But we are really happy with where we are right now. We’re going to be really selective with what we have left.”
If they’re selling Tennessee’s defensive work to prospects in the portal:
“Well, obviously people talk about it because a year ago this time, no one who knew who Dalton Knecht really was on the national level. And so obviously when we’re talking to people, his name comes up. But not just his, I all the guys on our team, that is. The two boys that everyone wants to play with, Zachai Zeigler and Joshi Mashack, are the talk of the town. And the truth is that we’re searching for someone to make the same type of leap that (Knecht) did, whether that someone is currently enrolled in your program, someone we’ve recruited, or someone we’ve had. And none of us anticipated that he would be able to perform the feat that he achieved. And maybe someone else will be able to take the same leap that he did.”
What John Fulkerson meant to the Tennessee program during:
“Well, (he) was important to us when we first got here. He was one of the first guys that we targeted, when we knew the foundation that we wanted to build our program on. And John, it seemed like he was here forever. Now it seems like he’s been gone a long time. But he made an incredible impact with our program in more ways than what he saw on the basketball court. And we’re extremely proud of him. I know that he’s playing professional ball now. I think he had a tough year this year with an injury, but he’ll be back because he’s a fighter. But again, he, he’s a VFL and always will be special to us because he was part of really laying the foundation of where we are today.”
On what kind of skillset Tennessee is targeting in the portal:
“Well, I think what we’re looking for now is the best player we can find. And someone that … you’re always looking to add some scoring if you can. And that’s something we look at, whether it’s up front or in the back court. But right now it’s whatever we do, it’s got to be something that we think that we don’t have and something that we know can benefit us.”
On Tennessee having success finding high school kids late in the process, what the market is like:
“I think now you think about how many guys are still in the portal and we come every day and not just the guys that are are coming in, but the guys that are there because I think we have put together a really nice analytical program to help us sort through it, trying to find out the things that we think that has in the past proven to be successful when you make a jump from certain levels to this level. But I always think there’s somebody out there and I’ve said my whole career, there’s enough players for everybody. You just need to find the ones that fit you and we still think there’s a couple guys out there that will fit us.”
If there’s still high school guys out there that fit them:
“I do think the portal right now is probably where high school players are probably overlooked a little bit more. There’s some schools now that are strictly going to go forward (using the portal) and because of that, that means there’s high school players that are going to be overlooked and we’re not gonna do that. We’ll keep our eye there and we always will, but we’re in a different era. I mean like, we knew we were going to lose some guys. We obviously lost two that we didn’t think we would lose, but that happens and we’re no different than anybody else. I think probably most teams were surprised at something, maybe some guys leaving. But we feel like we’ve been able to— you have to have the attitude that when you lose guys, whether it’s through graduation, whatever, this gives us an opportunity to try to get better and we feel like we’ve done that.”
On the importance of fan support in the changing landscape:
“Our fans, they’re really important. When you come to a football game, basketball game, baseball game, softball game, volleyball game, you go down the line. I was at Tennis Sunday and you just feel the love that our fan base has for the University of Tennessee and its athletic department. You can’t come in this state without feeling the impact of the power team. And with that said, when you bring a recruit into a basketball game or any of those They sense something unique about Rocky Top compared to other events. We had a conversation with some guys the other day, and I always enjoy it when they tell me they’re excited to go to Rocky Top. We therefore know that it’s a well-known national brand, and I believe that we will keep growing it as a result of the success that the university—led by the outstanding leadership of Randy Boyd, Donde Plowman, and Danny White—as well as the athletic department are experiencing. It’s exciting to be involved with what they’ve accomplished, which is quite amazing.”
On Lady Vols coach Kim Caldwell saying that she’s enjoyed being around Rick Barnes during the Big Orange Caravan, how much he enjoys being able to help young coaches:
“Well, I’ve really enjoyed time with Kim. One, she’s gonna be successful and I can learn from her as much as talk about wisdom. I think you can feel her passion. You can. I’ve seen what she’s done in a short time with what she’s got going right now, the way that they spent the spring here. But I’ve really enjoyed time with her and I think She’s all — obviously, this is all new to her — but her handling of everything has been truly amazing.
“It just goes to show that Danny White knew exactly what he wanted when he went out there and made that excellent hiring decision. It’s evident from our most recent trip that she loves hoops. Together, we watched a short movie and had a discussion about it. Her intelligence is obvious; she is knowledgeable in her field. As I mentioned earlier, I enjoy discussing basketball with coaches, so I anticipate that we will have plenty of conversations about the sport and that I will be able to pick up tips from her.”
On the game this past season that stands out to him when he reflects on the season:
“Probably the North Carolina game because we hadn’t played totally up to what we were capable of to that point. And I thought the second half Zakai (Zeigler) found himself. Dalton, obviously that was a time when he really, you knew that, hey, this guy is not gonna shy away from the bright lights. But that was the game where again, I thought Zakai got it back and from that point it was just a matter of now we know what we’ve got at this point.
“It’s a matter of just putting it together. But there’s so many games throughout the year, so many ups and downs you go through emotionally and physically, but anytime you get to the NCAA tournament, you can advance and get close and just makes you want more the next year. And hopefully our guys, and I know they want more. I can tell by the way they’ve approached the spring workouts and so it’ll be here before you start next week. We’ll have guys starting to trickle in here, so we’re really back into swing for next year.”
On getting away from Knoxville for a couple of days to spend time with Tennessee fans:
“Well, you know, you’re part of something special. You know, your whole life, when you do what we do, you want to be valued. You want proof that it’s well-liked. You can’t be a Tennessee Volunteer and leave like this without thinking, “Hey, you’re lucky to have the job that I have,” and realizing that there are a lot of people who genuinely care about you and that there are those true Volunteers who will always be by your side. And it actually dates back to when I moved here nine years ago. ‘Hey, you’re gonna be amazed by the Volunteer basketball base,’ said my close friend Kevin Felton. He’s correct, too. Now though, I’m not shocked. Since our fan base is, in my opinion, the best in the world, I’m not astonished by anything that occurs inside it.
