Associate head coach Justin Gainey talks Tennessee basketball

Everything Tennessee basketball coach Justin Gainey said before practice Friday afternoon at Pratt Pavilion, looking back at the 81-50 win over Florida Gulf Coast on Wednesday and previewing the Battle 4 Atlantis next week in the Bahamas:

HIS TAKEAWAYS FROM TENNESSEE’S TWO DAYS BETWEEN THE COLORADO LOSS AND THE FLORIDA GULF COAST WIN

“I think from a defensive standpoint, we really took a huge step against Florida Gulf Coast. Guys came out with a defensive mindset. Obviously, the thing about the Colorado game, and probably the first half of the Tennessee Tech game, we didn’t shoot the ball like we’re capable of shooting it. That can shake you a little bit. So to see our guys not allowing that to affect what we do on the defensive end was refreshing to see and it was great to see. That’s what we talk about in the days leading up to it. Regardless of what happens on offense, make or miss, that can’t change who we are on defense. At the end of the day, that’s what we hang our hat on. That’s what our program hangs our hat on. We can guard with the best of them. We have some guys, some versatile guys, that can guard multiple positions. I think we have everything from a defensive standpoint. So just making sure we are on the same page as far as that is concerned.”

JULIAN PHILLIPS LOOKING MORE COMFORTABLE FOR TENNESSEE IN THE FLORIDA GULF COAST GAME

“A little bit. You think about the games he has played in as a freshman. He’s played against some veteran guys. You look at Michigan State, you look at Gonzaga. Those are two high-level teams. Tennessee Tech had an older guy at the wing position. Colorado he matched up with an older guy as well. So I think he’s gradually starting to feel a lot more comfortable in his role and what he can do. Obviously I think there are still a lot more levels he’s going to be able to reach, that he’s going to be able to get to. Pleased with where he is, pleased with the direction he’s heading. As always, you can point at some things defensively that everybody can do (better). So as a freshman for the first time going through this, there is always going to be a few things here and there that he has to get better at. The biggest thing with Julian is his mindset is always right. He’s always about winning. He’s always about team.”

WHEN JAHMAI MASHACK STARTED TO MAKE NOTICEABLE PROGRESS DURING TENNESSEE’S OFFSEASON

“I would say probably like Week 3 in preseason is when you kind of started to feel it. Because I would say when we got back in the fall, everybody is still trying to carve out their niche and what they think their niche should be. It’s not until practice starts that, ok, coach starts identifying roles. Shack is a coachable kid. He’s worked really hard on this game. Coach Barnes has been great in identifying his role. And now he’s doing a great job of accepting it.”

Uros Plavsic (ankle) ‘moving in the right direction’

THE OPPORTUNITY FOR JONAS AIDOO WITH UROS PLAVSIC (ANKLE) OUT

“I think with Jonas, it starts on the defensive side of the basketball. Everybody we play will be heavy ball-screen. So it might involve him getting switched off on smaller players. It might involve him having to drop and get back. Read and get back, whatever, track and get back. He’s got to be able to do what he’s supposed to do on the defensive side of the basketball. Offense is going to take care of itself. We have a lot of confidence in him on that side of the ball. He’s a high IQ guy. He’s very skilled. He brings a different element to us from that position with his ability to stretch the floor. So for him, it’s going to be defending and then rebounding. Making multiple efforts on the offensive glass. Trying to keep balls alive, trying to get as many of those as he can. And then on the defensive glass, securing rebounds.”

ON THE HEALTH OF UROS PLAVSIC

“Yeah, I think he’s moving in the right direction. His spirits are up always. I’ve learned to trust Uros. Whether it’s how you feel about the game or how you feel about your health. So he says he’s feeling better, don’t worry about me coach. I trust Uros.”

EMPHASIS TO ATTACK THE BASKET AGAINST FGCU

“We put a big emphasis on it leading up to the game. And more so, just as a basketball team and player, you never want to be one-dimensional. And you felt like, I would say, Tennessee Tech and Colorado, maybe they baited us into some threes and maybe some earlier threes (in possessions). We wanted to make sure we weren’t abandoning our inside game. That’s the one thing I like about this team is the versatility. We can play inside out. So, not forgetting about those guys in there, getting them touches, putting pressure on the paint.”

THAD MATTA’S BUTLER BASKETBALL PROGRAM

“I’m not really familiar with the Thad Matta footprint. They’re a good team. They have some really good guards that are aggressive, they’re downhill, they’re in attack-mode, they’re older, so they’ve been through the fire. They’ve seen a couple of transfers. They have the (Manny) Bates kid inside who is a load. He’s 6-foot-10, 6-foot-11. He was — I wanna say — top five NC State in blocks before he left and he was only there two years. He’s a rim protecting big with touch around the basket. Then they have the stretch-four kid that is really aggressive shooting the three. Essentially playing four guards around one big and playing with good pace. It’s a good basketball team and I feel like they have an identity of who they are and everybody has bought in that role. They came close at Penn State, they were right there in the game. They’ve been banged up a little bit, but they haven’t stopped fighting. It’s a good basketball team.”

IF THIS TENNESSEE TEAM HAS AN IDENTITY

“I do. I think at the end of the day and in every game we’ve been in, we’ve defended. We’re a team full of defenders. That’s who we are. We’re going to guard. I don’t think we’ve ever lost track of that. I think we have had a few possessions where maybe we hung our head or were worried with what happened on the other end. Our identity at the of the day is a tough-minded defensive unit and unselfish group.”

JAHMAI MASHACK DOING THE LITTLE THINGS IN PRACTICE AND GAMES

“You see it often. Shack is a really good athlete, but he does possess a good level of basketball IQ as well. The thing I would compliment him on too is he’s always wanting to learn. He’s always watching other guys and learning from them. He watches Santi, Josiah, how those guys move without the ball and screen and get other people open. He incorporates that into his game, so it doesn’t shock me because he’s such a quick learner. He picks things up quickly and he’s competitive, so it was nice to see that and I’m excited for Shack.”

Up Next: Vols vs. Butler, Battle 4 Atlantis, Wednesday, Bahamas

IF FRESHMAN POINT GUARD BJ EDWARDS CAN HELP THIS TENNESSEE TEAM THIS SEASON

“I do. I think so. With this team, we have a mature group. We have a lot of older guys. We have a lot of guys returning in his position. The opportunity has presented itself yet to where he can make major contributions, but I’ll tell you this, and a lot of you guys have seen, too, you’ve been at practice. You’ve seen his contributions in practice. You see how hard he’s been working, how much better he’s getting every single day. I feel comfortable in saying, yeah, there will be a time where he helps us and to be quite honest, we’re going to need him. We’re going to need him ready to play.”

COMFORT LEVEL WITH TENNESSEE USING THE FIVE-GUARD LINEUP

“We feel comfortable running that. I think that’s something that — a group that again, you talk about versatility, being a versatile team. That’s one way we can play because of Josiah’s ability to guard anybody and everybody on the court, and Julian (Phillips) is kind of figuring it out. But when you got Josiah and Santi anchoring that thing, you feel good about those other things and getting them into position. It’s a lineup I think we have to get more comfortable with. As the season goes, we’ll continue to try it out in different situations, but it is something I know Coach (Barnes) is looking at and exciting back.”

HOW MUCH PLAYING THREE GAMES IN THREE DAYS IN THE BATTLE 4 ATLANTIS, AND A WEEK ON THE ROAD TOGETHER, CAN HELP A TEAM ESTABLISH RHYTHM

“I think it will a lot. It’s funny, I was just thinking about our current schedule. It’s kind of play, off a week, play, off a little period of time, so I feel like it’ll allow us to catch some type of rhythm out there. Back-to-back games, you’re able to make your adjustments and all that good stuff. I think it’s good in that sense and then I also think just for our guys being around each other for that length of time, and getting to send time with each other. I think that’s going to be huge for the team’s growth.”