Jonas Aidoo impressed coach Rick Barnes in Tennessee win over Kentucky

Tennessee freshman forward Jonas Aidoo played 18 productive minutes off the bench for the No. 16 Volunteers, scoring five points, blocking three shots and hauling in seven rebounds in UT’s 76-63 win over No. 4 Kentucky Tuesday night. His performance has earned him more time on the floor, according to head coach Rick Barnes.

“He’s earned his chance to be out there, but early in the year, you guys know he missed a lot of preseason,” Barnes said of Aidoo. “But in just the last couple of weeks … you could just feel it starting to click a little bit for him. He still needs to be a little bit sharper on some of the things that we need from him on the offensive end, but he did what he does around the rim. He does have a good feel, he’s got great hands. He’s long, and he can block shots, we watch him do it in practice.”

Aidoo has only appeared in 11 of Tennessee’s 25 games this season, but has seen the floor more in February than any time this season. His 18 minutes against Kentucky was a career high, breaking his previous mark of 12 that he logged during the Volunteers’ Feb. 9 victory over Mississippi State 72-63.

Not only was his minute total a career high, so was every other stat he logged. The Kentucky win was the first time he notched more than one bucket in any game this season as well as the first time the 6-foot-11 center blocked a shot in his collegiate career.

He’s developing on a rate that Barnes had expected out of the former top-50 overall recruit. With the litany of talent in Knoxville this season, Aidoo has been patient and is coming into his own gearing up toward the postseason. It’s a mindset Barnes wants the rest of his role players to have as well.

“We always talk about with all our guys, all of them, that holding on to that rope — not just holding on, but to keep climbing, and we’ve had a team of guys this year who kept working, and with what we do within our program day to day, and the contact, and how much we’re together, we keep telling [the players], you never know — you’re gonna have to earn it,” Barnes said.

If Tennessee can consistently play the dominant style they did against the No. 4 Wildcats Tuesday night, the rest of college basketball has to be weary of Barnes’ squad. They still have to get through the rest of the regular season, though as they’re set to travel to Fayetteville to take on No. 23 Arkansas Saturday afternoon.