Assistant coach Rod Clark previews No. 1 Tennessee's game at Illinois

What assistant coach Rod Clark said Thursday afternoon about No. 1 Tennessee’s game at Illinois on Saturday (5:30 p.m. Eastern Time, FOX):

Jahmai Mashack’s versatility increasing his value when Tennessee is playing shorthanded

“If you have 15 guys, he’s valuable. But Jahmai is one of , obviously, he can go all day. He’s one of those basketball players that can be exhausted but still can think, can still make plays, can still read the offense, can tip-off what they’re running and what actions we’re in. So his effort obviously was huge the other night. If he didn’t do what he did defensively down the stretch, that game would have been a lot closer than it was. Just, I mean, him guarding their five man at the end of the game and actually getting stops is what makes him so valuable and what makes it to where we feel like he’s the best defender in the country because of it.”

Jahmai Mashack constantly moving around on the defensive end

“I don’t think people realize how smart he is and how much he really understands the game. People just see him going hard and making hustle plays and making stops and just guarding his guy one-on-one. But Jahmai Mashack is one of those guys that puts a lot of time in to understand the game of basketball and watches a lot of basketball. It’s interesting. I don’t know that people know this. When we were at Baha Mar, I was coming out of my hotel room and going to the elevator to go downstairs so we could walk to the convention room to go play. And they have those benches right before you get to the elevator. And this is a few hours before the game. It’s right before we go down to leave, and he’s laying on that bench, stomach down, watching his phone. I’m like, man, what you doing watching YouTube? He’s like I’m just watching Jeremy Roach highlights. So the dude, he’s about to go guard in two hours, he’s watching highlights of him on his own. This is completely (on his own), no one asked him to do this. But that’s how much time and effort he puts into the game and how much pride he takes into being the best defender in the country. Because I don’t care at the end of the year how many guys are up for national defensive player a year. I know none of them would do that. I know they’re not. I don’t even know who it is or who it will be, but I don’t think they put the time in like that.”

How much pride he takes as a coach seeing a player’s hard work payoff

“Oh, it’s great. Especially, you know, his freshman year here was my first year here at Tennessee. So I’ve been able to see the maturation process and all the growth that he’s had over the years. I mean, obviously, it’s paying off for him and it’s extremely rewarding. So I’m really happy for him. And I just want the success to kind continue for him, honestly.”

What’s this Illinois team does well, how different it is compared to the one Tennessee faced last season in Knoxville 

“You know what? Different. Very much different. Stylistically, some things are similar. Last year, they were older. Obviously a lot of guys that have played a lot of college basketball games. You had somebody like Terrence Shannon, who was just a bull in a China shop driving a basketball. He was one of the toughest guys in the country to guard year after year. Obviously, he’s an All American. So replacing him, obviously, is different. They were extremely big across the board in their lineup. But that’s something that obviously is the same with this team. They have the kid, Kasparas (Jakucionis). The other kid, Tomi (Tomisalv Ivisic), or Tommy, I should say, No.13, the big fella. They lean on those two guys. They shoot the ball, I think, better than they did last year. They shot the ball well last year, but they shoot it better. They have some guys that that can really fill it up from the outside. They still play fast. But KJ (Kasparas Jakucionis), the kid, he plays with a little bit better pace. He plays in a lot of drags. Really creative off the bounce, extremely skilled, but shoots the ball really, really well, especially off the bounce. I think, I’ve been saying it all week, He’s like the closest thing college basketball has ever seen to Luka Doncic. And that’s not not a slight to Luka at all. And that’s not to go crazy on the on the young fella, but he’s he’s really good. He’s one of the better freshmen in the country. So it’s going to be a big challenge for us.”

Tennessee’s Zakai Zeigler having to defend a 6-foot-6 point in Kasparas Jakucionis

“Yeah, last year, their starting lineup, they actually Kylan Boswell, he’s about 6-2 in their lineup. Whereas last year, they started Domask at 6-5, 6-6. Then they had Terrence Shannon, who was you know, they listed him at 6-6, but there’s no way he was 6-6. He had to be 6-7.5, something like that. Then Ty Rogers who was 6-6, 6-7. So they were bigger last year across the board than they are than they are this year. But Kylan Boswell is the only difference. Obviously, Kasparas at 6-6. You’ve got Trey White who is 6-7. And Ben (Humrichous), the kid that transferred from Evansville, is about 6-8, 6-9. So a lot of size, a lot of skill, a lot of shooting, a lot of versatility. A lot of guys that can handle and play in ball screen. So they’ll ball screen more than any team that we play this entire year. We played Miami the other night, and I believe in the game they set 75 ball screens, whereas Illinois in their last game set, I think, 93. So this this will be the most ball-screen heavy team that we’ve played to this point. And a big emphasis for us all year has been perfect ball-screen defense, right? So it’s going to be a great test for us to to go out here and see if the work is paying off.” 

Zakai Zeigler saying Tennessee wouldn’t be ‘ducking any smoke’ with the No. 1 ranking, how he has seen the Vols handle it this week

“To be honest, man, like, even talking about it when we go in and watch film here, the excitement that we have to play, it’s honestly infectious amongst the whole group. And everybody kind of carries on the the the same, I think we all have the same approach to where No. 1 is great, but it doesn’t mean anything if we don’t consistently prove it, right? We talked about that before our last game. Like, man, listen. Be excited. Be happy. Wear this pride that you’re the No. 1 team in the country. But the same time, the chip on our shoulder is that every time we step on the floor, you have to show everyone that’s watching, if we are the No. 1 team in the country, show them why we are. Right? And then amongst each other, as teammates, hold each other accountable to be the No. 1 team in the country on a daily basis. And I think that our guys do a really good job at that. We have a championship culture. We really do. But a championship culture doesn’t mean anything if you don’t win championships, to be honest.” 

How much the standard of the program, as well as getting right back out on the road to play, helps them handle the pressure of playing as the No. 1 team in the country

“Yeah, It’s who we are. The standard means everything around here in this program. Whether it’s the culture, and that’s the standard between the coaches, the players. Everyone is held to a standard of excellence. Everyone is held to a championship standard. And when you have guys like Zakai Ziegler and Jahmai Mashack and Jordan Gainey, and honestly, you highlight Zakai and Jahmai. Like, if you had to make a four-year basketball career, outside of a national championship, would you not lay it out like their careers have been? Like, I mean, they’ve been able to put their year on three different banners. They won two championship rings. They’ve been to the Round of 32, Sweet 16, and the Elite Eight. Right? So the thing that’s missing obviously is the big one, and every day, you’re just stacking bricks to kinda get to that, you know, get to that last game on Monday night. So I think that for us, it’s one game at a time, making sure that we hold each other to the same standard every single day. Regardless if it’s the days that we’re tired and we’re trying to pull it up out of each other. That’s what we’re here for. That’s why we’re a team. That’s why we’re a family.”

The status of fifth-year guard Darlinstone Dubar (concussion) and sophomore guard Cameron Carr (left thumb)

“Haven’t got word on it yet. I know both of those guys are working, progressing back. Cam has been really good in his rehab process and doing some court stuff, and D-Stone has been present for everything and he’s been locked in just as much as anybody. I’m sure they’ll be back here soon. I kinda let (trainer) Chad (Newman) and G (strength coach Garrett Medenwald) handle a lot of that stuff.”

What Jahmai Mashack does defensively off the ball that makes a difference

“I remember coming to him after the under-12 timeout, and I was like, ‘Hey, man. We gotta hear your voice more. Like, you’re not active enough. Like, we don’t hear you. You’re not coaching guys up on the floor, and, like, we need it.’ And that’s when we made that push. Right? And we started getting those stops stringing together, and he came to the under-four (timeout), and I’m like, ‘Man, it’s just that easy for you, but we need it consistently.’ That goes back to that championship standard that we have. It’s like, you have to be that guy. Otherwise, we’re a different team, and it’s great to see that his voice has grown that much as he’s become a senior to where he’s a guy that, we go over scout, he’s extremely locked in, he knows the actions, he knows how to read some of their tendencies. He understands a lot of that stuff. And so guys lean up on him to be that defensive catalyst while he’s on the floor.”

How much confidence he believes the first month of the season has given sophomore forward Cade Phillips

“Yeah, I mean, Cade has  gained a lot of confidence, man. Cade is a tough dude. He always has been. I remember when we, in the process of recruiting him, like, going out and watching him in high school, you could just tell that everything in front of him was gonna be his best basketball. And you were excited about what he was at the moment because he was a tough dude that just fought through everything, whether it be injuries, adversity, even the fact that Cade saying when he first got here, like, look, I don’t really know how to play yet, but once I figure this thing out, I’m gonna be pretty good. And, obviously, he’s been able to do that. I mean, the fact that he’s shooting, like, 72% from the field in games, and I’ve never been around a guy that everybody in the gym knows he’s gonna dunk, and he just keeps dunking the ball. That’s kinda crazy. It’s not an insult to the teams we’re playing, but I think if I was a player, I probably wouldn’t let them dunk.

“He’s obviously laid his mark on our games, on every one of them. He’s been a spark plug off the bench. And, you know, every game that he continues to play, his role for us and his energy gets more and more important. So for him, it’s just making sure that he keeps staying the course and continues to be that spark plug we need off the bench.”

What Phillps adds to the preparation offensively while preparing for Illinois

“Yeah, it makes it different because you have a guy that can play vertically over the defense. You know, you’re able to throw lobs with him on that back line. He works really well. He’s gotten really smart with his cutting. He’s versatile, so he can do some things on the perimeter. You know, I remember, you know, everybody’s comment when he was a young player, was how raw he was, and out of short rolls and pick-and-roles, he was actually really good, which means he has really good feel for the game, which is why he can continue to get these dunks and cut on the backside. He has a feel for that because he just knows how to play basketball, honestly. Now does he know exactly what he’s trying to do all the time? Yeah, probably not. He’s learning that. But as an athlete, he uses it in the right form, whether it’s defensively or offensively. I think things are really starting to come together for him now. There’s still a lot of meat on the bone, so he’s got a lot more work to do, and a lot more to strive for. But like I said, he’s been huge for us, and we need him and his efforts to continue.”