Igor Milicic's recent production for Tennessee comes down to 'waiting patiently'
Igor Milicic Jr. had plenty of stats to pick from. Maybe it was the 21 points he scored or the 10 rebounds he grabbed. Or the five assists, the four blocks or even the two steals.
In No. 4 Tennessee’s 85-81 rally to beat No. 15 Missouri Wednesday night, which one was his favorite?
“Assists,” Milicic said before practice Friday morning. “I was involving my teammates, getting them open shots. I feel like it came from me waiting patiently and not rushing something to happen.”
Milicic’s patience has paid off in his last two games. Against Missouri on Wednesday and Kentucky last week — he missed the 64-44 win over Florida last Saturday due to an illness — the 6-foot-10 senior stretch forward has combined for 40 points, 19 rebounds, nine assists, four blocks and two steals.
“I’m growing a little bit every day,” Milicic said.
Up Next: No. 4 Tennessee at Oklahoma
When Tennessee (19-4, 6-4 SEC) faces Oklahoma (16-6, 3-6) on Saturday (Noon Eastern Time, ESPN) at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Milicic will keep the focus on his pace, the area he’s focused on the most.
Trying not to rush is easier said than done.
“It’s hard because you’re used to your pace and how you play your whole life,” he said, “then you got to change it in let’s say a couple months. It’s not easy to change your whole play style.
“I’m working on it. Coaches are working on it. I’m watching film. We’re practicing every day. I feel like I’m getting better every day.”
The better Milicic gets, and the more consistently he can play at a high level, the easier life gets for every Tennessee player around him.
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“I think when Igor plays well,” Rick Barnes said Friday, “it takes pressure off everybody. I don’t think it’s just him.”
It’s the other forwards, too, like Darlinstone Dubar, Felix Okpara and Cade Phillips.
“Igor hopefully can continue to build and (do) what he does,” Barnes said, “but we need D-Stone to do what we know he’s capable of consistently. Those guys, and Cade, and really Felix, I think when they’re playing well, doing what we need them to do, I think it takes pressure off all the perimeter players.”
‘When the lights come on, you’ve got to be ready to go’
Finding that consistency doesn’t happen on game day. And Milicic knows it.
“Practice, practice and practice,” Milicic said. “That’s what we got to do to stay consistent. That’s what we do every day. That’s communication with the coaches. They tell me what to do, what not to do, what to look out for.
“I feel like that really helped the last two games. That just has to keep going moving forward.”
Moving forward in the right direction comes down to focus, according to Barnes. He describes Milicic as “a high motor” player, but has to add sustained focus to go with it.
“To do that at the highest level is really, really, really hard,” Barnes said. “And it’s something that has to be worked on every day. Every time you go out on a practice court, you got to be able to say, ‘I got to go right now. I’m going to win it or lose it right here.’ And it’s a habit that you try to form, which is really hard to form.
“And then when the lights come on, you’ve got to be ready to go knowing that the guy on the other side wants it just as badly as you do. Let’s see whose habits win out right now.”
