Julian Phillips 'trying to do what he has to do' to return for Tennessee

Five-star freshman Julian Phillips was dressed and went through pregame with No. 11 Tennessee Tuesday at Texas A&M. He returned to practice with the Vols on Thursday and was back out on the practice floor Friday afternoon at Pratt Pavilion.

Then again Saturday night he was back at Thompson-Boling Arena going through pregame against before Tennessee hosted South Carolina. But Phillips for a fourth straight game was a scratch due to a hip flexor injury.

The Vols were without both Phillips and graduate-transfer shooting guard Tyreke Key in the 85-45 win over the Gamecocks. Senior wing Josiah-Jordan James made his return after missing four straight games with a sprained left ankle, leading Tennessee (21-8, 10-6 SEC) with 18 points. 

Barnes before practice on Friday said Phillips had not gone through as much work in Thursday’s practice as James, but was still a possibility to play Saturday night.

“I know our team admires them for them trying to push through,” Barnes said on Friday. “They’ve got injuries. They want to help their team win. There is no doubt about that.”

Rick Barnes says timeline for players returning from injury is ‘their decision’

There’s also no doubt that Phillips will return when he feels he’s capable of doing so. He injured the hip in practice on February 10, attempted to play the next day in a home loss to Missouri, but made it just 10 minutes and did not play in the second half.

“That is their decision,” Barnes said of when Phillips will be back on the game floor. “When we left yesterday, we weren’t sure.”

James left no uncertainty, telling Barnes after the 68-63 loss at Texas A&M on Tuesday that he would return Saturday night against South Carolina.  

“He said I am going to play something even if it is only five minutes,” Barnes said. “Whatever I have to do to help these guys, I am willing to do it … he said that doesn’t matter. If you need me for five minutes or two minutes or three minutes, I will be ready.”

Phillips averages 4.7 points and 4.9 rebounds in 24.9 minutes per game this season, starting all 25 games he’s played in so far.  He had four points and two rebounds in his 10 minutes against Missouri, after scoring 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting in the loss at Vanderbilt on February 8, his last game before sustaining the injury in practice.

“A hip flexor is a problem,” Barnes said. “He is trying to do what he has to do with it, certainly.”

Up Next: No. 11 Tennessee vs. Arkansas, Tuesday, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN2

James, who has battled injuries throughout his four years at Tennessee, has tried to help Phillips through the recovery process. 

“I’ve had my fair share year after year,” James said. “It’s been devastating in some aspects, but it’s also taught me a lot. I just try to let him know that nobody knows how he feels. It’s ultimately up to him. Not coaches, not us, his teammates, not his parents. It’s all on him. 

“So (it’s) whenever he’s ready to come back, whenever he feels like he can go out there and compete at a high level and not be worried about re-injuring or making something worse.”

There’s a lot of basketball ahead, James emphasized.

“We’ve always got to think big picture,” he said. “It’s not always about the now. We’ve got to put yourself first in a lot of aspects. But it’s always up to the athlete, especially Julian’s case. He knows his body. It’s not the first time he’s been injured, but hopefully it’s the last. I always tell him it’s up to him.”