Rick Barnes has watched Tennessee basketball continue to work but the veteran coach continues to chase consistency from the Vols with their exhibition against Duke on Oct. 26.
The Vols held their annual media day on Oct. 9.
Here are five notable things Barnes shared:
Nate Ament is bigger and stronger
Nate Ament has bulked up before his freshman season, adding almost 20 pounds to his 6-foot-10 frame. The change is noticeable as Ament is visibly stronger.
“He’s put it on in the right way, muscle weight,” Barnes said. “He’ll continue to do that. That’s just the process he’s going to go through.”
Ament worked heavily with strength and conditioning coach Garrett Medenwald and associate director of sports nutrition Amanda Fernandez since he arrived on campus in May.
Tennessee is imploring Ja’Kobi Gillespie to be more vocal
Ja’Kobi Gillespie says he is ready to do whatever the Vols need him to do on the court. That includes learning to be more vocal.
“Some guys need to work on shooting or passing,” Barnes said. “He needs to work on that part of it from his position and he will.”
Gillespie is being prodded to break out of his usually quiet demeanor, which is how he is both on and off the court. He said he is quieter on the court but coaches are challenging him to change that a little bit daily.
The Maryland transfer and Greeneville native is more comfortable leading with actions more than words.
“He’s had enough people − not just us, but people outside of our program that we’ve had talk to him − talk about he’s gonna have to be more boisterous and let his voice be heard, especially on the court,” Barnes said.
The way Tennessee’s offense operates could be different
Barnes watched game tape from the 2024-25 season as he flew back from a recruiting trip on Oct. 8.
“We went games on games where we really didn’t even try to post the ball,” Barnes said.
While Ament and Gillespie will likely be the leading scorers, how Tennessee plays offensively will look different. The Vols added Jaylen Carey from Vanderbilt as a potential post scorer, while Felix Okpara is capable of more offensively. Sophomore forward J.P. Estrella has major offensive potential and likely will be Tennessee’s best scorer inside.
Expect more inside-out basketball than in the past two seasons with Dalton Knecht and Chaz Lanier spearheading a guard-heavy attack.
Tennessee is getting healthier before the season
Tennessee is getting everyone back to health as the season approaches.
Estrella dealt with an ankle injury at the start of the preseason. Junior forward Cade Phillips continues to deal with a left shoulder injury that occurred during the 2024-25 season.
“They’re going at it,” Barnes said. “They’re there. There are certain things we’ll continue to monitor with both J.P. and Cade. But they’re doing fine.”
Freshman guard Amari Evans said the lower-body injury that kept him sidelined late in the summer and early in the preseason has passed.
Ethan Burg’s next adjustment? Learning the lingo
Barnes and Ethan Burg are learning to understand each other. Mostly, Burg is learning to understand Barnes’ terminology.
Recently, Barnes told Burg to “play above the block” but Burg had a different understanding of where the block was from his professional experience overseas.
” I said, ‘Well, you figure that out. I’m not changing,’ ” Barnes said.
Burg has been at Tennessee for a month and is little more than two weeks into practices. The 23-year-old guard is expected to have an important role for the Vols after he was the final player to arrive at UT.
“We told him, we’re not waiting,” Barnes said. “You know, this train started rolling back in the summer and said, you’re going to have to jump on board and we’re not going to be able to slow down and go back and try to teach you everything.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Five notable things Rick Barnes said at Tennessee basketball media day
