The offseason work is over. Tennessee basketball has officially moved into preseason practice Tuesday with Rick Barnes beginning to get a clearer picture of his new-look roster.
The Vols spent the summer integrating a group filled with new faces while trying to establish the conditioning, pace, and habits Barnes expects.
So far, he likes the direction.
“We like these guys,” Barnes said. “They work hard.”
Barnes said his team has improved individually throughout the offseason and believes the roster might collectively be in the best shape of their lives. More importantly, he has watched a new group begin to come together.
“They care about each other,” Barnes said. “They’ve worked hard. They’ve all had their good days and their bad days. They stuck together.”
That progress hasn’t stopped a few players from separating themselves.
Barnes praised sophomore DeWayne Brown’s leadership and his ability to help teammates understand what Tennessee wants on the floor. With Troy Henderson also returning to practice, Barnes now has multiple players with experience in his system helping a roster learning it for the first time.
Jalen Haralson has also caught Barnes’ attention.
The Tennessee coach pointed to Haralson’s work on his jump shot and believes his combination of length, strength and athleticism gives him the potential to become one of the country’s elite defenders.
But Tuesday also marked the beginning of Tennessee’s next phase.
Barnes wants his team to become more comfortable playing at the speed he expects without sacrificing organization or execution.
“Everybody talks about wanting to run and play in transition, but very few guys understand how hard that is to do it right,” Barnes said.
That also extends to what Barnes calls “cardio toughness.” In other words, maintaining maximum effort on both ends of the floor and learning to push through fatigue.
Tennessee has depth. How much Barnes ultimately uses it will depend on which players consistently meet those demands.
And despite the progress made since summer workouts began, Barnes knows the Vols still have considerable ground to cover before the season arrives.
“We’re nowhere near where we need to be,” Barnes said. “And we need to get there quick.”
