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Tennessee's Cade Phillips on dealing with shoulder injury: 'It doesn't matter, I'm playing'

IMG_3593by:Grant Ramey•01/17/25•

GrantRamey

Cade Phillips, Tennessee Basketball | Randy Sartin-Imagn Images
(Randy Sartin-Imagn Images) Jan 15, 2025; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers forward Cade Phillips (12) reacts after a play against the Georgia Bulldogs during the first half at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center.

In a perfect world for Tennessee Basketball, Cade Phillips would likely be sidelined right now, resting and rehabbing the left shoulder injury that he continues to deal with. The one that has him playing one-handed while still hesitant to lift his left arm over his head.

But the sophomore forward wasn’t going to let that happen, not when his team needs him on the floor. 

“I asked him one day,” head coach Rick Barnes said Wednesday night, after Tennessee 74-56 win over Georgia, “I said, ‘How’s your shoulder?” He said, ‘It doesn’t matter, I’m playing.’ And he was visibly (hurt), you could see it. 

“He didn’t want to pick it (his arm) up. I watched him in practice, obviously trying to protect him there and you could tell he was trying to do things with one hand.”

Up Next: No. 6 Tennessee at Vanderbilt, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET

Phillips on Friday night was once again not listed on the SEC injury report for No. 6 Tennessee (16-1, 3-1 SEC) ahead of the game at Vanderbilt (14-3, 2-2) on Saturday afternoon (3:30 p.m. Eastern Time, SEC Network) at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville. 

Vanderbilt’s injury report listed Alex Hemenway as out and Grant Huffman as probable.

Phillips dislocated his left shoulder in the second half of the win over Arkansas on January 4. He played just three minutes in the loss at Florida, then 10 at Texas and 15 against Georgia. 

He had four points and four rebounds in the 74-70 win at Texas, then 10 points and four boards against Georgia. He’s averaging 6.2 points and 4.1 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per game, despite the injury.

“You listen to your players and there was no way he wasn’t going to play,” Barnes said. “And again, it goes back to DNA. Cade’s a farm strong, country strong, highly competitive, comes from a very highly competitive family that’s got a pretty good pedigree obviously.”

Barnes said senior guard Jahmai Mashack continues to be affected by the finger injury on his left hand, playing the last six games with two pinky and ring finger taped together.  

“Shack was the same way,” Barnes said. “There wasn’t anything you were going to do to keep him off the court.” 

Rick Barnes: ‘We’re going to go with what we got’

Freshman guard Bishop Boswell is also dealing with a shoulder injury that he suffered against Western Carolina on December 17.

“When you get hit like that,” Barnes said before practice Friday morning, “it can take some time. But Bishop’s tough. He’ll figure it out. We’re going to need him.”

Tennessee needs everyone on roster. The Vols started the season with 11 scholarship players, out of a possible 13, and have lost two players since late November.

Sophomore forward JP Estrella is out after undergoing season-ending foot surgery and sophomore wing Cameron Carr left the program on December 23.

“You know what,” Barnes said Wednesday, “I don’t worry about much of it anyways. We’re going to go with whatever we got.”

And he knows that will include Phillips.

“I knew he was in pain,” Barnes said, “but when he said, ‘It doesn’t matter, I’m playing,’ I honestly would have probably wondered if he didn’t (say it), because that’s who he is.”

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