Tennessee assistant coach Rod Clark previews Saturday's road game at Louisville

Tennessee Basketball assistant coach Rod Clark on Friday morning met with reporters to preview the seventh-ranked Vols going on the road to face Louisville on Saturday, a Noon Eastern Time start on ACC Network at the KFC Yum! Center:

How hard it is to prepare for a Louisville team with a completely new roster

“It’s different for sure. I think early in the year, because film is so much more limited than it is after you play six or seven games, it’s always tough. It’s not even the fact that it’s early in the season and game planning of less games, it’s a planning for a team that has a completely new roster, where you’re either having clips from one or two games that they play, or you’re pulling clips from the previous school that they played at. So we’ve had to do that these first three outings that we’ve had. But the the guys have done a great job. They’ve adjusted well. And it’s something that we’ve done a pretty decent job of trying to pick up on and get what we can from this scout.” 

What a Pat Kelsey-coached team is known for

“Play hard. They play really fast. They’re going to take their shots for sure. I think at Charleston he did a really good job of playing an up tempo style that was tough for his opponents. And he always played really well against the high-major teams. And obviously I think they beat a few of them as well. But I’ve known Coach Kelsey for a while now, and he’s always been a high energy guy. His teams resemble that. Obviously I think he shows that a lot on social media. So definitely respect him. We respect him. We think it’s going to be a great game for us. We’re happy we were able to get this home at home on the schedule, especially with a prestigious program like Louisville. So we’re looking forward to it.”

What it means for Tennessee to have an early-season road test like this, against a prestigious basketball program like Louisville

“I think us as coaches, we’re basketball coaches, but a lot of times we grew up fans of the game as well. So Louisville is a program that’s always been a proud program. I was in college in 2013 and I went to school in Kentucky at Lindsey Wilson and (Louisville) won a national championship in 2013. Russ Smith has been up here doing his work with the Vol Club and his bourbon company and he’s been in the gym and working out. And Russ Smith was a legend in Louisville. So Louisville is a proud basketball program. We’re excited to have that home at home. I think it’s going to be a great opportunity for us. I think it’s great for the sport, honestly, having a home at home with two programs like this. And it’s something that we look forward to being a a really good outing for us. Obviously, hope we come out on top. But it’s going to be a good game for the sport, all in all.”

Facing Chucky Hepburn last season at Wisconsin and this season at Louisville

“Well, you respect what he’s done over his college career. You respect who he is as a player. Chucky has always been productive. I think 2 years ago when we were at Battle for Atlantis, Chucky was obviously at Wisconsin and they were in Battle for Atlantis. And we got to watch him there. And I remember talking about how good I thought he was and and how productive he was. And then, obviously, to play him last year, now to play him in a different jersey this year, regardless if he’s in a new system or not, we still know the player. And as a player, he’s a really good player. He’s seasoned. He’s a veteran. He knows how to run the team. He knows how to get the ball where it’s supposed to be. He makes big shots. He’s a strong, sturdy guard. So we’ll definitely have our hands full with Chucky. He’s a good player.” 

The points of emphasis for Tennessee after watching film of the Gardner-Webb game

“Honestly, you really want to get better at everything. As far as our Gam 1, we definitely want to rebound the ball better. We feel like we have a team that should be a good good rebounding team. And we’ve been able to resemble that. But it just goes to your mindset and your want to. I think when you go into games like this, especially on the road, the message has just kind of been like, look, we are who we are. We’re going to be a team that’s banded together. We’re going to take our culture on the road as we’ve always done, but the message to them always is we go on the road, and we said for years, you got to have your brother’s back. And how you have his back is you do your job every single possession. Because the possessions where we don’t do our job, it could be costly for us, and it could be the reason that we win or lose a game. I think that the point of emphasis as we move forward each game is to get better. And, obviously, not just at the things that we didn’t do well at the game before, but to get better at everything that we work on every day in practice.”

Cade Phillips performance against Gardner-Webb

“I think Cade is kind of like that Swiss army knife of energy that we bring off the bench, that can guard multiple guys. They can do a lot of different things offensively. The game just needs to keep slowing down for him offensively, him making the right reads, and playing out of short rolls and playing his DHO (dribble handoff) game. He’s got to keep on getting better at that. But defensively, man, he changes the game. He adds some athleticism around the rim that’s obviously hard to cover. Like the lob he caught, it looks pretty regular for him, but that’s probably a play that I think the 1% of college basketball can make. He makes it look simple, but that’s how athletic and quick twitch he is. And, obviously, his wingspan and length is huge for us.”

If there’s an update on Darlinstone Dubar and Bishop Boswell

“I think the same update as before. Still kinda trying to work through things, get them guys back, but trying to let them do it at their own speed. I know that both of them are really trying to get back as soon as possible. But we are just trying to be supportive of them getting back in a timely manner.”

Where Tennessee forwards Felix Okpara and JP Estrella are at from a health standpoint compared to Monday

“Banged up but getting through it. They had a really good practice. Both of them, really good practice yesterday. The day off definitely helped them. Honestly, man, like those two guys, it’s kind of a blessing and a curse that they go against each other every day because, I mean, they’re physical. They both go at each other. They both compete really hard. And some days, you’re just kinda like watching two big strong men in the cage just going after each other, and it’s great. We’re helping them for the next game, but kinda hope that they can dial it down some, but that’s just not how they play. So they’re both getting back to feel a little bit regular. Like, I just talked to JP. He’s like, yeah, I’m a little sore, but I’m feeling good. I’m ready to go. So they’re both really excited, ready to play this weekend.”

How much Tennessee transfer Igor Milicic has grown in recent weeks

“He’s grown a lot. His processing has definitely slowed down a little bit, which is good. He’s still showing that versatility. I think the biggest thing you know, he took one three(-pointer) last game, and I think all of us as a staff would love for him to take a few more because we definitely think he’s a big time shooter. That’s one of the best things that I think he brings at that position for us with his size. His rebounding was pretty good. I think that he’s definitely starting to figure out what he needs to do for his team. I think the biggest thing is, like, our guards are figuring out how to play with him as well. How to help him be more effective, how he can help them be more effective. And then, defensively, it’s something that he’s continually working on every day, but he’s actually gotten better. I thought last game, he did a lot better of a job defensively. And he’s gonna have to carry it over this weekend for sure.”

If Felix Okpara (hip) and JP Estrella (foot) can get back to 100% health while playing every game:

“I think so. You know, I think as basketball players, man, I tell guys all the time, especially when they’re freshmen, the days of you feeling good before every game are over. That just never happens again. That’s whether you’re in college, the NBA, whatever level of basketball. You never feel 100% before every single game. Do you feel like you’re at a rate where you’re extremely functional, and you feel like you can pop up and go dunk and jump and run? Yeah, you feel like that. But do you just feel like your body (has) no bumps, no bruises, I feel completely fine like I’m fresh out of bed? No. You don’t ever feel like that. And with those guys and how hard they play and the physical demand that we ask for and what they ask for themselves, it’s just tough. Like, they’re not gonna do that. But, yeah, I think with all of the guys, we talk about them taking care of their bodies, coming back at night, getting in the cold tub. Chaz Lanier before our last game just started getting in the steam room before the game. He’s like, ‘I feel really good. I feel loose.’ So just kinda helping them with the resources that we have, to teach them how to take care of their bodies, especially for the long run.”

The difference in Jordan Gainey’s game this year compared to last year

“I think that he knows what he wants to do. You know, I think last year, he was just trying to figure it out. He was so reliant on making three’s and making shots. Whereas now, I think that he understands how good his driving ability is, how he can break down the defense off the dribble and catch it on the run and get downhill, playing off of two feet. He’s a lot more sure of himself offensively, which is great. 

“Defensively, he’s still, you know, a ball hawk. He still gets after the ball, gets a lot of deflections. He’s been doing a really good job of that. But I just think that it’s just growth, him growing another year, playing at this level, understanding what he does, what he’s good at and then just taking advantage of it, honestly.”

If having three transfers in Tennessee’s starting lineup helps the team grow chemistry faster

“It’s different, but at the same time, it’s like when you bring in freshman, you bring in new guys to the program, it’s probably a little bit better, as I’m sure a lot of coaches around the country would say, because they’re older, a little bit more mature, they’re used to being coached, they’re used to the college game. There’s certain things that they know off the rip already. But it’s still an adjustment.

“Igor (Milicic) has been at the high-major level. Felix (Okpara) has been at the high-major level. Chaz has not. (Darlinstone Dubar) has. But Chaz has not. A lot of these things that Chaz is learning, he’s never really been exposed to, which is kinda like the thing that excites you about it, because you’re like, man, you’ve never even been exposed to these things, you don’t even know anything about this at this level. And it’s all kind of a breath of fresh air for him to learn and get better. With guys like Igor or Felix, again, they’ve came from high major, but it’s still an adjustment of how we do things in our program.

So it’s been different for us, just as far as trying to get guys caught up to speed that are used to other systems. But at the same time, it’s no different than bringing in a freshman that has to learn what you do and how you play. It’s just they come from another system. So it’s kind of a transitional period they go through.”