Rick Barnes on Santiago Vescovi: 'I'm not worrying about Santi, he'll figure it out'

Since Santiago Vescovi came back from the sprained left shooting shoulder that kept him out for two games, Tennessee’s senior shooting guard is just 4-for-23 from the field and just 2-for-16 from the 3-point line.

Vescovi had nine points in No. 9 Tennessee’s loss at No. 5 Arizona on Saturday night, going 2-for-12 from the field and 1-for-7 from the 3-point line. He was 2-for-11 against Maryland in Brooklyn on December 11, going 1-for-9 from three while scoring seven points.

“He missed a good week, right in the heart of this,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said of Vescovi’s injury Monday night on Vol Calls, “where he didn’t get to shoot at all.”

Vescovi suffered the injury late in the win over McNeese State on November 30, when he had 16 points, shooting 5-for-13 from the field and 4-for-12 from deep. 

Santiago Vescovi shooting career-low 27.8 percent from 3-point line through 11 games

He was named the MVP of the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas, scoring 43 points over three games against Butler, Southern Cal and Kansas, shooting 33.3 percent from the floor and 31.0 percent from three.

Through 11 games, he’s shooting a career-low 27.8 percent from the 3-point line. Last season he shot 40.2 percent from three, making 102 of 253.

Still, Barnes isn’t concerned with the numbers for Vescovi over the last two games. 

“I’m not worrying about Santi,” Barnes said, “he’ll figure it out.”

Vescovi had nine rebounds, eight assists and four steals against Maryland and Arizona, despite not scoring or shooting like he has during his career. 

He assisted on Tyreke Key’s three to start the Arizona game Saturday night, then hit a three of his own on the next Tennessee possession off an Olivier Nkamhoua assist. Later in the first half he assisted on a Nkamhoua three.

“He was responsible the other day, the first play of the game, the three that Tyreke got, that was off (Vescovi),” Barnes said. “The way he’s guarded, he made the right read, then he came down.

“The three that (Nkamhoua) made, Santi made the play because of the way he’s being guarded.”

Vescovi guarding the way he does has something to do with it too, according to Barnes. 

“I showed the team (on Monday), watch how hard he, Zakai (Zeigler), Tyreke, those three guys, Jahmai (Mashack),” Barnes said, “those guys, they give everything they’ve got on the defensive end. 

“They’re getting after it. Every possession. Then you take two of those guys, or three of those guys, and we count on them offensively. And they’re working on the other end really, really hard.”

Up Next: No. 9 Tennessee vs. Austin Peay, Wednesday, 6 p.m. ET, SEC Network+

That defensive intensity from the guards has kept Tennessee at No. 1 in KenPom.com‘s adjusted defensive efficiency rating in recent weeks. 

Offensively, though, Key and Vescovi combined to go 5-for-22 from the field and 3-for-14 from the 3-point line. Zeigler, who scored a career-high 21 points, went 8-for-11 from the field and 3-for-6 from three. 

“I can assure you when teams put together (a scouting report),” Barnes said, “(they’re saying) ‘we’ve got to put an eye on these three guys,’ whatever team. I can assure you those three guys are at the top of the list.”

To adjust, Barnes does believe Vescovi will have to change certain aspects of his game to adjust to how he’s being defended. 

“Most people don’t leave him,” Barnes said. “They run him off cuts. He’s gotten so used to setting his man up coming off, but he wants to turn it up. Now they’re saying well now we know you’re going to turn it up, we’re going to jump into that gap real quickly. 

“But I do think he’s going to have to come off screens sometimes and be ready to raise up and shoot it. Because he works so hard on both ends.”