Rick Barnes gives heartfelt statement on Victor Bailey Jr.'s improvement

Victor Bailey Jr. has had his fair share of struggles this season. The veteran guard who’s in his second season at Tennessee after transferring from Oregon is only averaging 3.2 points per game on 34.4% shooting, but he put together one of his best performance of the season on Tuesday night in the Volunteers’ 80-61 win at Missouri with 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor.

Although his production has significantly dropped off from the 10.9 points per game he averaged last season, Bailey Jr. is still an important part of Tennessee’s team – and head coach Rick Barnes will be the first to say that. Following Tuesday’s win at Mizzou, Barnes met with the media for his postgame press conference and had plenty of good to say about his player.

“I think that when you work, and I think that what he’s done – and what he’s done in practice – just simplified,” Barnes said of Bailey Jr. “I really think that some of it is getting back to what he’s good at. He’s a really good mid-range player, he’s good around the rim. When he keeps his game compact and tight – I thought his three that he shot tonight was just the kind of rhythm you’d want him to shoot it with. It just came to him in the flow of the game and he shot it the way he practices.

“I’ve said it before that I think that anybody close to our program would tell you how much respect they have for him and how hard he’s continued to work. Just a great example for everybody that you just don’t ever let go of that rope and only just hold on and keep working and keep climbing. He earned it. He’s stayed with it and deserves good things to happen.”

With six wins in its last seven outings, Tennessee – which is ranked No. 17 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll with a 20-7 overall record and 11-4 mark in SEC play – returns to action Saturday at home against No. 3 Auburn. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville.