How Tennessee assistant coach Rod Clark called his shot with Tobe Awaka in the win over Texas

CHARLOTTE — The timeframe, according to Rod Clark’s estimate, was roughly six weeks ago. Tennessee sophomore power forward Tobe Awaka was at Clark’s house and he was sulking. His play on the floor was struggling and so was his confidence.

“We were sitting there talking,” Clark, the third-year Tennessee assistant coach, told Volquest Saturday night, “and his head was down a little bit because he had been struggling. And I just told him you’re about to win a game for us. You’re about to have a game where if you don’t come through like we need you to, we don’t win.”

Clark had no way of knowing it at the time, but he was describing the second round of the NCAA Tournament. No. 2 Tennessee against No. 7 Texas in the Midwest Region at the Spectrum Center.

This was going to be a Tobe Awaka game.  

“I looked at him after the game,” Clark said after Tennessee’s 62-58 win to advance to a second straight Sweet Sixteen, “and we were just laughing.”

Awaka played just 11 minutes after battling foul trouble, but he finished with 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting from the floor and grabbed five rebounds, including four of Tennessee’s 14 on the offensive glass. 

“I told him after the game,” Clark said, “if he doesn’t come off the bench and do what he does and give us that lift, we don’t win that game.”

Without Awaka’s production, Tennessee’s season would be over. Instead, the Vols (26-8) advance to the third round to face No. 3-seed Creighton on Friday at Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit.  

“I think my mindset going into the game was just play aggressive but composed,” Awaka said. “I obviously picked up a few wild fouls, but still I just wanted to maintain my aggressiveness.”

Tobe Awaka this season: 5.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 61.1% FG, 12.9 minutes per game

Awaka, the 6-foot-8, 250-pound big man out of Hyde Park, N.Y., got another pep talk from Clark before the Texas game. Clark told him he had to bring the physicality. He had to have an edge. His team was going to need him.

“And he came in and he was unbelievable,” Clark said.

“Rod has been a great crutch for me mentally throughout the whole season,” Awaka said. “He’s always been there when I needed it.”

Awaka led Tennessee in the first half with eight points and four rebounds, despite playing just six minutes, helping the Vols lead 28-19 at halftime.

“I think I was aggressive, picked my spots well,” Awaka said, “and I think our guards did a great job of feeding me at the right time, just making it easy to score.”

Awaka made two free throws off of an offensive rebound with 14:18 left in the first half, then scored at the rim on the next possession. 

He had another layup after an offensive rebound a little less than two minutes later and scored in the paint with 6:21 left to get Tennessee’s lead to three. He scored to make it an 11-point lead with 14:49 left in the second half. 

It was a version of Awaka that isn’t unfamiliar to his teammates.

“We see this in practice all the time,” Tennessee junior center Jonas Aidoo said, “but he definitely came out with a force. I feel like he had an edge to him for sure. It was great to see that.”

Up Next: No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 3 Creighton, Sweet 16, Friday, Detroit

Awaka scored a career-high 18 points to help Tennessee win at Missouri in February. He had 12 in his next outing, against Texas A&M, and scored 11 against George Mason and 10 against Norfolk State during the non-conference schedule. 

For the season he’s up to 5.1 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 61.1% from the field in 12.9 minutes per game. 

“He’s just so strong,” Aidoo said. “He moves people out the way. He doesn’t even realize it. Just like that force from him, little things just makes a huge difference for us winning the game. 

“Like, you can’t really do nothing about it,” Aidoo continued. “If you got the ball and you go to the paint, I mean you’re going to have to foul him or you just going to have to let him make it.” 

Now Aidoo and Awaka will face a Creighton front court that features 7-foot-1, 270-pound senior center Ryan Kalkbrenner. The Bluejays gave up 40 points in the paint in the 86-73 double-overtime win over Oregon Saturday night, with Oregon’s N’Faly Dante finishing with 28 points and 20 rebounds. 

Tennessee will need more of the Awaka they saw in the second round against Texas, when he played the best basketball of his young career. When the Vols won a game they wouldn’t have won without him.

“Especially in March,” Awaka said, “when everything’s on the line.”

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