Rick Barnes excited for Tobe Awaka's emergence in wake of Jonas Aidoo injury

Injuries and health left Tennessee short-handed in their 56-53 win over Maryland on Sunday. They arrived in the Barclays Center already without the services of Josiah-Jordan James and Jonas Aidoo. However, those absences allowed freshman Tobe Awaka to earn a spot in the rotation that Rick Barnes says he may not be losing again.

Barnes sang Awaka’s praises following the Volunteer’s victory in Brooklyn. He said his young big man just put the rest of the rotation on notice that he’s coming for a spot with the performance he had against the Terps that gave the coaching staff nothing but trust in him.

“I don’t know if I’m surprised by it because sometimes players just need an opportunity. He has put himself in position now where, if I were those other guys, I would be concerned,” said Barnes. “I would because you can’t play them all. You can, but that gives us a terrific front line when Jonas gets right. Uros (Plavsic), Tobe, and Olivier (Nkamhoua)? That’s what we want. We want depth in there and we expect those guys to rebound and play defense.”

“I’m excited for (Awaka) because, if Jonas hadn’t gotten sick, who knows how much he would’ve played today? But, I’m telling you, he earned everybody’s confidence today and he’ll continue to have those opportunities.”

Awaka came to Knoxville this offseason as the least heralded freshman in their 2022 class. He’d seen action in seven of Tennessee’s games and posted eight points and 20 rebounds total in 36 minutes so far this season. This weekend’s win over Maryland, though, was his breakout moment with seven points, eight rebounds, and an assist, block, and steal in 17 minutes during the victory.

If you’re willing to fight inside and be physical, Barnes will find a place for you in his rotation. Aidoo will have a spot when he feels better alongside Plavsic and Nkamhoua but, after this weekend, Awaka has made a case for minutes too heading into conference play after a performance like this.