Senior guard Santiago Vescovi was an All-SEC first-team selection last season.
-- Photos Procided By Tennessee Athletics/Utsports.ComCan deeper rosters lead to deeper runs in the postseason? The University of Tennessee men’s and women’s basketball teams are hoping that’s the case this season.
Not only do the Vols and Lady Vols share high expectations, they share an ability to spread the minutes around and keep bodies fresher.
Both squads began their seasons this week with eyes on winning titles.
The Lady Vols are ranked No. 5 in the Associated Press preseason Top 25 poll. It’s the best season-opening ranking for the program since being slotted No. 4 in 2015-16.
The Vols are ranked No. 11 in the AP poll, the highest preseason ranking since starting at No. 6 in 2018-19.
Plenty of good options
Last season, the Vols finished second in the SEC in the regular season and won the SEC tournament title for the first time since 1979. They lost to 11th-seeded Michigan in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
The Vols bring back three key seniors in guards Santiago Vescovi and Josiah-Jordan James and forward Uros Plavsic. Vescovi, a first-team All-SEC selection, is one of only two players in program history to make 100 3-pointers in a single season.
Fan favorite Zakai Zeigler became an unexpected high-energy spark last season. The sophomore guard from Long Island, New York, is expected to play an increased role this season.
The Vols added graduate transfer Tyreke Key (Indiana State), and a four-man freshman class highlighted by five-star forward Julian Phillips.
Vols head coach Rick Barnes will have a plethora of options to work into his rotation.
“There is no challenge to having depth. We’re going to play the guys that need to play,” says Barnes, who led the Vols to an undefeated home record (16-0) last season. “Consistency will determine how much depth we use.”
Lady Vols add depth
Already returning four full-time starters, including seniors Jordan Horston and Tamari Key, the Lady Vols have been boosted by an infusion of talent. They have welcomed four transfers to the team, including Rickea Jackson (Mississippi State) and Jasmine Powell (Minnesota).
Jordan Horston was an AP All-America honorable mention selection despite a season-ending elbow injury suffered in mid February. She led the team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals.
Jackson, a 6-foot-2 senior forward, averaged an SEC-leading 20.3 points as well as 6.8 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.1 steals while starting all 15 games she played before deciding to enter the transfer portal in January.
The Lady Vols are happy to be scheming ways to include Jackson in their game plan instead of trying to game plan against her.
“Rickea Jackson is super talented,” Lady Vols head coach Kellie Harper says. “She has great athleticism, great size, ability to handle the basketball, shoot the basketball, get to the rim, defend, rebound. She’s very skilled in that athletic package. She’s also very competitive and she’s been very coachable.”
The Lady Vols began last season 18-1 and finished third in the SEC before reaching the Sweet 16. They were hindered down the stretch by an injury to Horston, who suffered a season-ending fractured dislocation of her left elbow in mid-February. The 6-foot-2 guard was averaging 16.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game in 23 starts.
Although it was emotionally taxing to watch from the sideline, Horston believes her absence could become a benefit this season.
“We went through a lot of adversity last year and showed that we still can persevere through it,” Horston says. “We had some young players step up when people went down that allowed them to get their feet wet early. Now they’re even better. It helped us all, tremendously.”
Harper wants the Lady Vols to increase their offensive pace and physicality to take advantage of their added depth. While Barnes might not see it as a challenge during games, Harper takes a bit of a different view in terms of how she will divide minutes.
“I keep saying, you cannot win a petition to play a fifth quarter. It would be nice if we could,” Harper says. “It may be how we are playing in the first half will determine second half minutes, or practices leading up to. We have utilized practice stats more this year than ever for that reason to try and help us, because we have so many players that can be productive when they step out onto the court.”
Players push potential
The practice sessions for both programs have been more competitive because of the increased number of talented players. They all want to contribute and push everyone around them to elevate their level of play.
“Everybody hates to lose,” James says about what excites him about the Vols. “Everybody’s will to win. It doesn’t matter if it’s a four-on-four drill, a three-on-three drill, one-on-one or just live scrimmages. Everybody hates to lose. Everybody’s upset. That’s always something good to see out of a team.”
Camaraderie will be an important factor for both programs this season. Keeping everyone happy and accepting of their roles when playing time is limited can be tricky.
The Vols and Lady Vols feel strong about their chemistry and hope the support can last throughout the season.
Although both teams have championship aspirations, Harper doesn’t want to focus so much on the bigger picture that she loses sight of the journey.
“I think you get so caught up in where you are going sometimes that you forget to enjoy the moments you are in,” she says. “They are special because I love walking into that practice every single day with them. I think there’s so much more to it than their potential and what might happen. It is the day-to-day excitement that they bring that is really special and fun.”