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Julian Phillips taking over as Tennessee's leading scorer, rebounder in the Bahamas

IMG_3593by:Grant Ramey•11/25/22•

GrantRamey

Tennessee freshman Julian Phillips scores against USC in the Battle 4 Atlantis (Tennessee Athletics)
Tennessee freshman Julian Phillips scores against USC in the Battle 4 Atlantis (Tennessee Athletics)

No. 22 Tennessee hasn’t had its leading scorer and leading rebounder, senior wing Josiah-Jordan James, for its first two games in the Battle 4 Atlantis. It’s still unclear if he’ll be available for the third game in three days, when the Vols face No. 3 Kansas Friday night for the tournament championship.

By the time the Vols leave Paradise Island in the Bahamas, though, they may have a new leader in both categories.

Julian Phillips is up to second on the team, averaging 12.0 points through five games, just behind James at 13.7, and 5.2 rebounds per game, behind 6.0 from James.

Phillips, the five-star freshman wing, has averaged 18.0 points per game in the Bahamas, scoring 11 in the 71-45 win over Butler on Wednesday and erupting for a career-high 25 in the overtime win over USC on Thursday.

Tennessee (4-1) faces Kansas (6-0) at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time Friday on ESPN, looking for its first holiday tournament title since winning the NIT Season Tip-Off in 2010.

With or without James, Phillips will have to play a big, versatile role if the Vols are going to leave with the trophy.

Vols looking for first holiday tournament title since 2010

Phillips is not only Tennessee’s leading scorer over two games in the Bahamas, with 36 points, he also leads the Vols in rebounds (14). He has four blocks, three steals and two assists, too.

“That’s one thing during the recruiting process we loved about him, his versatility,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said. “He was always very good in that midrange area. And we believe in the midrange area. Some people don’t. We do.”

After finding the soft spot in the USC zone, Phillips went 7-for-13 from the field, 1-for-1 from the 3-point line and made 10 of 12 free-throw attempts.

“He is staying aggressive,” Tennessee senior forward Olivier Nkamhoua said. “He is seeing his opportunity every day to get better and better. Every game, he is getting more experience. 

“He is doing a great job getting downhill and get to the line. His jump shot is starting to open up because he is seeing the court better. The game is slowing down for him.”

Phillips played a team-high 38 minutes in the overtime win over USC on Thursday, on the heels of playing 27 minutes against Butler on Wednesday. That’s where Barnes said the next challenge lies for his prized freshman. 

Up Next: No. 22 Tennessee vs. No. 3 Kansas, Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

“What he’s learning to do right now,” Barnes said, “I think his biggest improvement, is just his cardio toughness. Because he was tired (against USC). We were looking at him thinking we needed to get him out. 

“We asked him. How do you feel? We were maybe more concerned with him breaking down on the defensive end. That’s where he’s improved the most.”

In practice, Barnes added, Phillips has had a tendency to break down on the defensive end when he gets tired. 

After the win over USC, he had an inbound play in mind, where Phillips wasn’t ready. Still, Barnes admitted, that was on him, not the player.

“That’s where, again, understanding the game is not going to be waiting on you,” Barnes said. “You’ve got to be ready to play. But that’s fatigue. When it gets like that, those kind of plays really should be on me for not getting him out sooner.”

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