Rick Barnes talks roster management, transfer portal at Big Orange Caravan in Chattanooga

Everything Tennessee Basketball coach Rick Barnes said Monday night during the Big Orange Caravan stop in Chattanooga, discussing his team’s scholarship situation, the recruiting calendar and the NCAA Transfer Portal and more:

The importance of Tennessee having a roster nucleus in this era of college basketball

“We always believe that the real improvement comes from within our team and the culture we’ve tried to create. But we also believe at the end of every year you’ve got reset that culture by almost having the attitude that this is your first day on the job, with the new team you’re getting ready to start with, even though you’ve got guys that are familiar with it. But the fact that Santi has announced that he’s coming back, with these other guys — Zakai certainly will be out, we’ll not sure when he’ll be back but he will be back — but we’ve always started there and tried to build around those guys and put together the best roster that we can.”

If he’s amazed at how much the game has changed (NIL, transfer portal, etc) in the time that he’s been at Tennessee

“I’ve been in coaching for over 45 years now and it’s always changed. There’s always been something. Every year I could go back to when I first started, you could recruit every day of the year. You could do whatever you wanted to do, 365 days a year. Then they came in with different recruiting calendars, and that has changed forever. But I don’t have a problem at all with the NIL. I think if someone can do well with their name, image and likeness, they should be able to do that. Where we are right now, I’m not sure the way it is right now if it can sustain itself. I do think the ADs and administrators around the country are trying to figure out what is the right way to do it. And I think they will come up with something. But I do think that everyone wants to see athletes be able to capitalize on what they can.”

His favorite place to play in the SEC and the hardest road games to win the SEC

“Well my favorite place is where I live. It’s funny, we talk about that. Being in Tennessee, obviously my favorite place would be to be in Nashville, because we feel like that has to be another home away from home situation. You know when you go through conference play, and I’m not trying to dodge your question, every place is hard. Everybody has a little different vibe to it. But it’s really hard to win basketball games. Not only at home, because you do obviously think teams feel added pressure, they’ve got to hold serve at home, but when you go on the road, I don’t think any coach would ever tell you they think is easier to play with. Games are normally, obviously, determined by the players. But our league has grown so much with the improvements of facilities in this league. It’s really amazing what’s going on with our league. My first year in the league, when Greg Sankey took over, the one thing he said is basketball is lagging behind all the other sports in the league. He said I’m going to do my part to make sure that we build everything from an infrastructure point of view. Now it’s up to you guys to do your jobs. It’s really, truly terrific in the way the league has grown over the last couple years.”

 Tennessee’s scholarship spots on the roster when it comes to the seniors and Julian Phillips going through the NBA Draft process

“You know, those guys are all still pursuing their dream of being a professional basketball player. And all I can say is that I believe it will all work out. When it’s all said and done, how it’s going to work out I don’t know, because they (in the draft) have a month really to decide what they want to do. But we’ve had to go and certainly we have to build a roster. I do think it all works out over time.”

On Tennessee players in the NBA Draft process, Josiah-Jordan James, Olivier Nkamhoua and Julian Phillips 

“They’re all three in the draft. All their intentions are to be professional athletes.”

If it’s difficult to provide guidance to those players in those situations

“Well, the fact that two of them have been in school four years. There’s no doubt I think their dream is to chase the big dream. And with Julian’s situation, certainly he’ll get the feedback. I think all three of them have really good representation. And that’s who they’re going to listen to. They’re the ones out there working for them, really trying to give them every bit of informations and advice they can find for them. But it’s a process that really you can’t rush. You really can’t. But it’s something they have to go through. We’re not ever going to hold anyone back from having a chance to do that.”

If there are changes that need to be made to the basketball recruiting calendar, with the transfer portal being open and NBA pre-draft process going through late May 

“It’s hard. It may be one of the hardest things now because all we’ve asked them to do — again, we can’t rush them, that’s not what we can do — we want them to get out and go through the process as quickly as they can and try to get as much information as they can. For some, it’s easier. Santi went through it. He felt like he was able to find out what he needed to find out. And decided he wanted to come back to school. I think every guy is an individual case that they have to look at. But from a coach’s standpoint, where it’s difficult is we know that portal can empty real quick. You never know who is going to keep coming int it. But early, when you see guys that you think can really help your program, you’ve got to make up your mind that you’re trying to go on them.”

If portal and pre-draft calendars could be changed to make the process easier for college programs 

“I think we all wish we could. But you look at the NBA, they can’t do untying. They’re still going to be playing another month or so. That’s a good six weeks after our season is over with, where our guys decide they’re going to do that. Get hooked up with their agent, go to different places to workout with their agent, trying to get themselves as prepped as they can for the NBA. Even though I think that all that, we could do that for them. We’ve worked them hard over the four years (at Tennessee). You could also look at the portal and say you could shrink the time there, but I just don’t think the NCAA is going to do anything that stye feel could hurt student-athletes and give them more time to see how it shakes out.”

How Tennessee freshman guard Freddie Dilione handled the redshirt season 

“It’s big. I think anytime you can get a jump start like he did, within three weeks on campus he put on 15 pounds. Starting to see his body change. Again, if he hadn’t have done that, he would still be a couple weeks away from being able to get on campus. So him getting there and getting a chance to work and actually being able to travel with us and see the environments that you go through will probably help him some. But nothing helps like being in a game and going through it. He’s certainly taken advantage of everything he could within our program, getting here early.”

If the portal is something he checks on everyday 

“I don’t. I’ve got assistant coaches. The portal, I don’t know, there are dates when it’s opened and when it’s closed. I think as coaches, we think it’s probably open all the time. Because you start hearing about players going in the portal before Christmas. And you hear this guy is not happy because he’s not playing. Then it can change because he might start playing. So it’s never ending. But as coaches, it’s part of where we are in the game today and we have to be aware of what’s going on in every aspect of college basketball.”