Rick Barnes talks NIL, preparation for No. 11 Tennessee's game vs. Colorado

Everything Rick Barnes said before practice Friday afternoon at Pratt Pavilion, as No. 11 Tennessee (1-0) prepares to face Colorado (1-0) on Sunday (2 p.m. Eastern Time; TV: ESPN) at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville:

HIS TAKEAWAYS FROM THE TENNESSEE TECH FILM

“I thought we were rushed. I did. The first half, we shot the ball obviously a lot. But it’s hard to turn those down with our guys. I mean, we know how good of a shooter Zakai (Zeigler) is. And he couldn’t make one. I think it was a good learning opportunity for us to show him that, as competitive as he is, sometimes you’re going to have to go away from it and come back to it. I thought once he made the layup in the second half, actually, that’s where he really calmed back down. But it’s hard to turn down shots, especially as much time as we spend on shooting it. But again, details. For some reason we really played aggressive on the defensive end. I thought we did what we wanted to do there. We were just rushed on the offensive end for whatever reason. But it was good for us because I keep talking to the guys about what we are going to do on those days where we’re not making threes. The first half, we didn’t do a great job of getting to the offensive boards. The second half, we did a much better job going to get some of those misses.”

TENNESSEE BALANCING OF PLAYING FAST BUT NOT PLAYING RUSHED

“That’s a great question, because I think when we talk about playing fast and quick, it’s really with your eyes. It’s really with seeing what you need to see early, advancing the ball. We spent a lot of time working on it the other day and we’re going to continue to do that, where we can really understand the difference in fast and being in a hurry. And quick, opposed to being a hurry. But it gets back to being able to know more and more what you’re looking for at the different things we might be doing. Some guys have it a little more than others, but that’s expected, the older guys you expect to know it more. The fact is, we need to play with pace and that’s not all the time, just full throttle. Sometimes you have to throttle it back. I talked to them about some days you’re driving on the interstate, some days you have to slow down and drive in the city. Especially with the point guard. He’s got to be able to do that. Know when to pass and know when to hold it. But it’s just part of the process we’re getting through. I think, again, as Zakai continues to understand he’s in a different role than he was a year ago, he’ll figure out, he will.”

THE BENEFIT OF THE THREE-YEAR DEAL DATING BACK TO THE COVID SEASON

“I just have great respect for Tad Boyle. I mean, the way he does things. I think anytime you’re playing against his team and associated with his program, it’s a compliment. And the fact is, it did come about during the COVID, because we had both been pushed back against the wall that year. It just so happened that they could get here at the time, easier than we could get there. Then we agreed to a home-and-home, then Nashville. I mean, his teams, he’s done an incredible job building that program. I know he’s well liked and loved there. His teams are going to be fundamentally sound. They’re going to compete. They’re going to challenge you in every area. His staff does a great job. They’re going to know as much about us as we know about them. When you play a three-game series, you do start to get to know each other fairly well. It will get down to we have to execute, because there’s not going to be any secrets. They’re going to know what we’re trying to get done.”

THE SUCCESS RECRUITING LINK ACADEMY IN MISSOURI

“Well, I think you go back, it is a compliment to our coaches that they are looking at the kind of players that at place like Link Academy would like to have. If you have ever been there, the school there at the camp is just phenomenal. They go there and they learn so much more than just basketball. There is so much going on there at the camp, it is terrific. When you go back to Julian (Phillips), we recruited him prior to him going to Link. Obviously, when Cade (Phillips) committed and he was looking for a place, that was one of the places they visited. They knew our thoughts about it and how much we appreciated what they do there. With Cam (Carr) being there, it has worked out that way. What you get, you are going to get someone that understands because they work. It is a place where they are going to be exposed to a culture, the way they are expected to represent Link Academy on and off the court. The way they go about their weight room, the conditioning there, what they do on the court. It is a terrific situation to get someone from because you know it is pretty much advanced in terms of what you could be looking for. The players you get there, you do know they come out with a pretty good idea of what they are getting ready to step into here.”

NIL AND SPYRE SPORTS RELATIONSHIP WITH TENNESSEE

“I can only brag about Spyre and what they’ve done. I know our players that have been connected with them, it’s been helpful like you couldn’t believe. I know this, that NIL is here to stay. The fact that we have an NIL like Spyre, that is willing to help our players, and certainly it’s an opportunity for our fanbase to really understand what’s going on in college athletics and know that the NIL is here to stay. What I love about our players is their willingness to connect with the community. I think through Spyre and the opportunities that they can bring to the table. And I think by doing that, I think in so many way it’s going to encourage guys to want to stay in school longer. I really do. I think they’re going to look around, they’re going to find that being at the University of Tennessee is a great option. And not only with our terrific fanbase, but what the University, the partnership with Spyre, what’s going on there. We need to support it in every way that we can. Because I know what it has done for the players that have been involved and how much they appreciate it. The longer we can keep the guys here, the more they’re going to be able to connect with the community, the more they’re going going to one day want to get back to the University the way we want all our players to do when they graduate and move on to their next profession, whatever that might be. We want them to be Volunteers for life. I think Spyre being a part of that is going to ring true to that.”

TENNESSEE FACING COLORADO

“They are different, a little bit different, obviously. They are playing, I think, faster. Tad does a lot of good stuff. They move well without the ball and do a lot of what they do off their stagger action. Again, them playing with more speed, I could imagine it could be a fast game we can be part of. We will have to guard them because they have players that have the ability to score points and if you are not ready earlier, they are going to exploit that.”

TYREKE KEY AT POINT GUARD AND WHAT HE NEEDS FOR PACE

“I think a good point is what he said and he knows that. That is the first step. I am not sure he has ever thought of himself as being a point guard, facilitator because as we know he is a terrific scorer. He has learned to play really well without the ball. I think he is starting to understand it more. I think he is one of the players that is starting to understand the pace at the point that you have to see so much. When you drop back like a drop back passer, you have different options you have to read. Same thing is true once we put the ball in the point guard’s hands. He has to read the floor quickly and he has to see what he might have early or what he might. If not, he has got to settle us into a flow. That is where he is getting better. He is starting to understand it opposed to trying to keep trying to hit the home-run pass, just learning that the A-to-B simple pass is the one that makes it all go.”

TENNESSEE CONTINUING TO RECRUIT WELL DESPITE STAFF TURNOVER

“It’s the fact that our staff is connected. We don’t ever put one guy recruiting one person. They spread it out, we try to recruit as a staff. We feel once we get players here on campus, the athletic department and the university as a whole does a great job of whatever we need, whatever direction we might be going to meet somebody academically, whatever. We feel like the support we get from the entire university is second to none. Then you throw in the fact that our staff has no egos, like ‘that’s my guy’ or ‘that’s your guy.’ They have made it about Tennessee and they crossover. They’re are certainly lead people on each player, but again, the simple fact is that since I’ve been here, we want everybody involved because we really truly know that we have coaches here that can leave and become a head coach. There’s not an assistant coach in the country for the most part that doesn’t want to be a head coach. With that in mind, if one guy is recruiting one player and he leaves, you’re starting all over again. That’s why it’s important than while we work through the recruiting process, everybody is touching that recruit someway, somehow. 

“And our players have done a great job to help us. We think that once we get them here on campus, we tell them to spend time with the players, ask them what it’s going to be like. We’re going to be extremely transparent, we’re going to tell you how it is. When you come, you live it, you feel it and you know what we’re about.”

ZAKAI ZEIGLER STARTING FOR TENNESSEE DESPITE HIS PREFERENCE TO COME OFF THE BENCH

“Well, he’s okay. Zakai is such a team player. He’s a Tennessee type guard that is all about the program and will do whatever. I do think he’s still adjusting to that. I think he’s still figuring out that he’s going to be looked at different this year through a scouting report. Most coaches when they go through a scouting report, they’re going to put an emphasis on guys that start, but there’s always going to talk about guys that come off the bench as well. As the year went on last season, he got talked about a lot more, too. There is a totally different role if he’s coming off the bench.

“Again, I’m not sure what lineup we’ll stay with all the time. We can change it at different times based off what we think, but he would be good with it. Tyreke Key, if I told him he was going to start tomorrow and Zakai is coming off the bench, I don’t think they’d flinch. Like, ‘okay, that’s what you think we need to do.’ Or when Josiah gets healthy, we may move it around. These guys are so into each other, putting for each other and they know that they are going to get their minutes. I’ve said it before, if you ask most of them whether they would like to start or finish, most of them would tell you they’d rather finish than start.”

THE DEFINITION OF ‘A TENNESSEE GUARD”

“A guy that does a couple of different things. One, when you think about the kind of guy that we want, it would be a guy that people wouldn’t want to play against. A guy, when they look at him, they say that ‘man, that guy does whatever he has to do to help his team win.’ If he needs to score, he scores. If he needs to be a lockdown defender, he’s a lockdown defender. I think he’s sees the game in a way that is all about winning and willing to sacrifice scoring or whatever it may be. But also, it’s the kind of player everybody wants to play with. Everybody. You look at that guy and say, ‘man, I would really like to play with him’ because you can see he’s putting it all out there, he’s giving it everything he’s got and he’s never made it about himself. If you have guards like that, you’ll have a chance.”