Santiago Vescovi looks back at his five years at Tennessee, talks Senior Day vs. Kentucky
What fifth-year senior Santiago Vescovi said on Friday before No. 4 Tennessee hosts No. 15 Kentucky on Senior Day at Thompson-Boling Arena on Saturday (4 p.m. Eastern Time, CBS):
What it meant for Tennessee to win the SEC regular-season championship
“Oh, it felt great. You know, that’s a real reason we came to Tennessee for not like you know, some stuff in the past. No, but it felt great being all this time here, see it paid off with all the guys. I think we had. so far we’ve been having a hell of a season. I think all the guys have been doing a great job staying together and we’ve still got a lot of greater things ahead of us, so can’t get distracted with that.”
What he’s gotten out of his five years at Tennessee
“So many countless things to be honest. From relationships with the guys, bonds that we’ve created that are going to be there forever, I think I’ve grown as a person and as a basketball player, which were the main two things that I wanted to get out of the University of Tennessee. Most importantly, I created a home here. Really Knoxville’s gonna be in my heart forever. Love the city, love the people around, love everything about it. And on top of that, all the people that in their own way, they’ve encountered or helped me to become the person I am right now. I’m really grateful for (it). Really love everything about it.”
What memories stand out to him from his time at Tennessee
“I got plenty of them, but of course celebrating is always nice. Definitely the SEC Tournament that we won. That day was, personally, the first thing that comes out to my mind and just all the hours that we spent together. All the ground we put with the guys in here that most of the times people don’t see it. I think that’s the main takeaway. All the hours that we put together and all the relationships that are going to carry over over the time of the years.”
What he learned about Kentucky in the first game in Lexington in February
“They’re a really good team. They’re a talented team. The last couple games, I think it was the last four games, they put over a hundred points offensively. They’re really, really good. They got some freshmen that are really explosive and really good. We just got to be us. Do what we do every single day, stick together and just have fun.”
What Josiah-Jordan James has meant to him on and off the court
“Oh, the world. He’s been my partner, my best friend, brother, however you want to call it since day one. Like I mentioned before, we also had other guys be that same role like Uros and Olivier. I think that was the main core of guys that we’ve stayed together until this last year. We all stayed together and we’re like a family, the main core and especially with Jo. I think it’s like he’s my brother and I couldn’t have gotten to where I’m at right now if it wasn’t for him. And yeah, we just got to enjoy whatever we have left and I know we’re going be brothers for the rest of our lives, whatever we end up at.”
His hug with Grant Williams after the South Carolina game on Wednesday
“Oh, it meant a lot to me and I know it meant a lot to him. Seeing those kind of situations where people come back to watch us play, people that have been in the program, it means a lot to us showing that support and that love and it’s been different people throughout the season in some way. Showing their support and their love. And it’s been different people throughout the season that have in some way shown their support. I love Grant and seeing him after the game was great. We got to share that moment and I know he’s another person even though we didn’t play together, that we’re gonna have a lot of memories and we’re going to share a lot of stuff in the future. Just the person he is andlike I was saying, all the guys that in their own way, they either showed up or by contacting us at some point, they’ve showed their support. It just means a lot to us.”
The hug he had with his dad at South Carolina
“That was just a beautiful moment, to be honest. I know how much my family supports me, how much they love me and how much they’re grateful for everything that has happened to me here at Tennessee. All the people that have helped me, but being able to see them be here I think is one of the biggest things. I think it gets overlooked most of the time. Being a long time, last time I saw him was when I went home, it was like five or six months ago. Knowing how tight I am with my family, it’s kind of a hard time to stay away from them. Not being able to see them on a daily basis and just see them be here. It just really fills my heart. And then on top of that, winning that championship at South Carolina and then seeing him after, it just meant a lot to me.”
Rick Barnes saying he and Josiah-Jordan James were cornerstones of the program
“I don’t know where a cornerstone is, first of all, but I guess it’s a good thing. But no, it really means a lot. I know Jo and I have spent a lot of years here, dedicated a lot of our time of our lives to be a Tennessee Volunteer. I wouldn’t take anything back. I’m really proud of what we’ve done, all the time we’ve been here. I think we’ve helped a lot of people and a lot of people have helped us the same way. But yeah, like we talked about before with Jo, I think the culture that coaches have created here is great. We have no problem with not one of our teammates ever being five years here that talks about how good coaches are recruiting and how much they know about the guys they recruit. They kind of want a certain profile player and it’s been great for us. We’ve had, I think the teams have been tighter and tighter with the years and we know they’re going to carry on same way. Grant, Admiral and all those guys passed us the torch. We’re going to pass it along and I know the guys that are coming and Shack, Zakai, Jonas and other guys that are still going to be here, they’re going to carry on and keep that culture in. I think that’s what makes Tennessee a special place.”
His competitiveness, if he learned it or it was always there
“No, that’s definitely (something) I got from my family, if I had to say. Definitely from my dad and then both on my uncles, mom and dad’s side. I know that if they hear this they’re going to be proud. But they always like since I was a kid they wouldn’t let me win anything. Same with my dad. He’s really, really, really competitive and I think just growing up with that, always trying to beat him, trying to beat him. It didn’t take me long. Now I beat him easily in whatever we play at. But now I think that I actually developed like character and then just kind of finding my way in life through basketball, whatever I went to. Just develops that competitiveness that I think it’s a talent to be honest.”
How vivid his memories are from joining Tennessee in the middle of the 2019-20 season, starting his first game against LSU
“That first game, I could still remember like it was yesterday, to be honest. Coming in and playing against LSU, still remember the first play of the game felt slow motion, of course turned it over. But that was kind of a welcome to reality moment. But yeah, it was big moments really making those first couple threes, seeing the stadium go off and it was an environment that I wasn’t used to playing in and it really meant a lot to me. It felt nice, it felt great and pretty much remember everything that’s happened since.”
If there’s anything about the offense and defense that they don’t understand, Rick Barnes saying that they could run practice
“I heard an interview that Coach was talking about it and we really feel that way. We’ve been here for five years, so if you look at our playbook for the past five years, there’s more plays that you can count and there’s something that we don’t run anymore. Some that we still do or some that we bring back. And I think that’s what me and Joe come into, sometimes coach will ask us like how do we used to run this play, whatever. And we still remember that from so many years and repetition and just being a part of the program. I think we’ve gotten to that point where we pretty much know all the plays that we run in the past and it’s great. It’s great from the perspective of we can direct from the court to telling guys where they’re supposed to be, what not to, and if we gotta change something, of course Coach is the one that’s gonna come up with something and we’re gonna talk through it and it’s just great to be in that position.”
If he would ever want to become a basketball coach
“What a question. I haven’t thought that far yet, but I probably think that at some point in my life I’m probably gonna be wanting to be a coach just from the love of basketball and just the way we see basketball. I think Joe will feel the same way, but I think it’ll be a great, great place to be at in the future, being a coach.”
His favorite Rick Barnes sayings or memories
“Oh, I got countless. I just, from coach regardless of like saying some stuff, just the main messages that he has given, either if you don’t play defense, you’re not gonna play or just like the main message that he always gives that he wants people to give effort and then give all they have on the court. I think that’s the biggest takeaway for me. Coach is a great motivator. I think he makes the guys play as hard as they can and yeah, if you play as hard as you can, you give your all, you can do right or wrong things, but as long as you play your hardest, you’re always gonna be in a good space.”
His favorite memories from Tennessee that aren’t basketball related:
“I have a couple of ’em, yeah. Throwing first pitch at the baseball game was definitely fun. Football definitely was. I have two games in mind. The one against Ole Miss that was a crazy game. I remember being in the stadium, couldn’t even walk. So many people we had around. And then of course the Alabama game is hard to beat, had the chance to be a part of that one. Ended up on the field as much. As much as I thought I wasn’t gonna rush it, found myself on the field and watching that goal post go by.
“Then I have plenty from other sports. Soccer of course, main one too, just going daily, like Sundays and sit on that mound. My girlfriend played on the soccer team, so really enjoyed watching them along this season. It was really, really fun to watch them play and yeah, I mean many different sports, too. Tennis or whatever sport you wanna bring up. At some point in my time here, definitely watched them and supported them and it’s been a great journey.
If there’s any chance the arm bite celebration could come back one last time
“It depends on the mood, definitely. Yeah, it’s something I’ll be thinking about. I have it in the back of my mind, but yeah, I mean there’s still time to do it so it might come out, it might not, I really don’t know.”
If he knew what a cracker jack box was before Coach Barnes mentioned it to him
“No idea. I had to go ask one of the coaches. I was like, yo, he just said a box of Cracker Jacks, I don’t know what that is. Is it good, is it bad? And then they explained it to me what it was, still had no idea what it was.”
