Mental toughness is Tennessee basketball’s No. 1 improvement through Vanderbilt win – The Daily Beacon

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A month ago, Tennessee basketball would not have won.
That has been the case for a young Vols squad that has now pieced together eight wins in the last nine contests. The latest comes by way of a tight, gritty four-point win at Memorial Gymnasium, downing Vanderbilt 69-65.
The contributions were wide. They were a sign of growth — including moments where Tennessee (20-7, 10-4 SEC) ran with three freshmen on the court at once.
“When you talk about toughness, it’s not just the physicality part of it,” head coach Rick Barnes said. “It’s the mental toughness part. That’s where we’ve improved the most.”
Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Nate Ament have been the key sources of Tennessee’s electrocardiogram. When the two are off, Tennessee has been off.
They combined to score an inefficient 30 points (9-for-27 shooting) to lead statistically, but they were uprooted by guys who played their roles at high levels.
Ethan Burg exemplified that when he took a tough drive to the rim for the tying layup with 10:01 remaining, then caused an offensive foul on the defensive end. Burg, a reserve who has been absent from the rotation for most of SEC play, let off a roar as he walked back to the offensive end against the Commodores (21-6, 8-6).
“I think the biggest part was just his intensity on defense and being able to stay in front of the ball, cause some turnovers,” Bishop Boswell said. “And just the energy he brings, really picked us up, especially when I’m not playing the best, or some of the other guys aren’t playing the best.”
His efforts were joined by Boswell, who made two heavily contested baskets in the final two minutes. They were aided in force by DeWayne Brown II, who gave 30 minutes with eight points and four boards off the bench. In addition to freshman Amari Evans, whose five points and three rebounds were minimal in impact compared to the defensive value he adds as a breather for Gillespie.
“Those guys were the key to the game today,” Barnes said.
Barnes credits Vanderbilt’s defense for the struggles that his two leading scorers had. Ament consistently needed help off the ground after taking tough, physical blows in the post.
That required additional contributions to pick up where Vanderbilt slacked off. Evans and Brown, two freshmen thrust into prominent roles, produced 49 total minutes. Evans’ plus-eight plus/minus were the second-highest on the team behind Gillespie — showing the impact he provides beyond the baseline stats.
With six minutes to go in a two-point game, Tennessee rolled with a lineup of Gillespie, Burg, Evans, Ament and Brown. That put Ament at the four — a small-ball look — and spaced out the offensive looks for the guards to have more space to operate.
The grouping consisted of three freshmen, a first-year college player and a skilled senior.
“I’m like, ‘You know, these guys, they’re fighting, they’re competing,’” Barnes said.
Most of all, the communication has spiked. Barnes wished for the transformation to happen in December, but it’s all about peaking at the right time.
With the regular season wrapping up soon, Tennessee’s players are controlling the huddles — identifying exactly what is needed to coach themselves on the court.
“They know what they’re doing at a high level,” Barnes said. “And they set the ball screen, back screen, and got guys that’ll make the pass where it needs to be. And just hearing them talk about it say, ‘Hey, I Bishop, I don’t need help here, but I need help here,’ that’s when you know you feel like you’re on to something good.”
“I feel like the communication has been great, I mean, we stay talking to each other. We know we have each other’s back,” Brown said. “We talk in the locker room about things we need to improve personally and as a team.”
Tennessee’s remaining stretch consists of two new faces and two familiar. The Vols will get a rematch with Vanderbilt in two weeks, but will first have Missouri on deck Tuesday.
Continuing the four-game win streak requires the same unlikely contributions they have been receiving nightly.
“We need everybody,” Boswell said. “Everybody might not have their best night every game, but you know, I think we have 15 guys that can come in and make an impact.”
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