Rick Barnes knows what he wants Tennessee Basketball to become ahead of the 20226-27 season.
As Tennessee moves closer to the start of the season, Barnes said there has been little separation throughout a roster featuring several new pieces. For the Vols’ 12th-year head coach, that makes the remaining preseason work particularly important.
“Coach-wise, this is not a good thing,” Barnes said of the lack of separation. “You like to have guys that you knew had separated themselves, and you can start thinking about a rotation.”
Part of the uncertainty comes from Tennessee rarely having its entire roster available together. Tyler Lundblade has been working his way back from injury, while Troy Henderson also missed time.
But Barnes also believes the Vols legitimately have several players capable of earning minutes.
How they separate themselves might have less to do with scoring than everything else. Barnes repeatedly pointed toward defense, rebounding, and shot selection as areas that will determine who stays on the floor.
“The easiest and best way to get on the floor for younger players is to play defense, rebound,” Barnes said.
VFL Ron Slay Believes Tennessee’s New-Look Offense Could Take the Vols to Another Level
“The non-negotiable is still defense,” Slay said. “Coach Barnes ain’t changing that.”
That message carries additional weight after Barnes characterized last season’s group as one of Tennessee’s worst defensive teams in recent years. Tennessee averaged 26.6 defensive rebounds per game last season, up from 24.9 in 2024-25.
He believes this roster has the ability to be better. However, the Vols will look different while doing it.
Tennessee is more guard-oriented and not as bulky as last season, particularly on the wings. Barnes wants that personnel to help the Vols play faster offensively, but not at the expense of their identity on the other end.
“We like to score as quickly as we can,” Barnes said. “But on the other end, we don’t want people to do that to us.”
Rebounding remains another concern. Barnes said Tennessee is “nowhere near” where it needs to be in that area after last year’s team was among the nation’s best on the glass.
There are also individual players beginning to emerge.
Barnes called Dwayne Brown a “totally different player” from the one who arrived a year ago. Brown has taken on a larger leadership role, with Barnes praising his maturity, work ethic and willingness to compete every day.
Freshman Marquis Clark has also caught Barnes’ attention.
“He’s gonna find a way to play,” Barnes said if Clark continues progressing.
He added the players will ultimately decide who gets on the court this season.
“The bottom line is they will make that decision for us,” Barnes said. “How we go with it will be based on their consistency.”
For a Tennessee roster still trying to establish exactly what it will become, that may be the biggest question remaining before the games begin.
