What associate head coach Justin Gainey said about Tennessee's loss at Vanderbilt

What associate head coach Justin Gainey said before practice Monday morning about Tennessee’s 76-75 loss at Vanderbilt on Saturday, how the Vols responded to the loss and how they’re moving on to the Mississippi State game on Tuesday (7 p.m. Eastern Time, ESPN2):

Tennessee’s defensive communication issues at Vanderbilt

“Yeah, it was an issue. Just simple communication. Just calling the coverage, calling the direction soon enough for our guards to be able to react. And so as we went back and watched it, and they did a great job of mixing up the screens, sometimes they would set them, sometimes they wouldn’t. They would just kind of slip out of them. And I think the hesitation a little bit is what caused the slowness in the communication.”

If Tennessee team has struggled more on the road than past teams

 “No, I wouldn’t say that. I wouldn’t say that. I think in both instances (at Florida and Vanderbilt), both teams played really well. And it’s always tougher on the road. I think you’re going to get a more juiced-up crowd, a more juiced-up team. And that’s regardless of who is coming to town in this league because it is so tough. And so I think for our team, it’s a great learning experience, a great opportunity for us to kind of reflect on where we need to be better. And to do what we are trying to ultimately do, we’re going to face a lot of tough environments, a lot of tough situations that we got to be better in. And I think this is great preparation for it. But no, I don’t think just comparing this team to previous teams on the road, I don’t think it’s fair to this team.”

How difficult it can be to fix communication issues, versus other issues like rebounding 

“I don’t know, you would have to ask the guys from their standpoint how much easier it is. Obviously from a coaching standpoint, we feel like it’s an easy fix. But I wouldn’t say necessarily the communication, it’s just the recognizing what’s going on and being able to process it first. And then after that, then you can communicate what’s going on. And so I think that’s something that can be fixed with more film and more reps in those particular situations.” 

How Tennessee players reacted to the Vanderbilt loss and watching film of the loss on Sunday

“Yeah, the great thing about our guys is they hate to lose. This is the most competitive group of guys that I’ve been around. And so even before the film starts, right after the game, they’re crushed. Because they put so much into it, they want to win every game. It was good for them to see it. I know they wanted to see it, but they know what happened sooner than we know, they can feel it. They’re out there and they see it themselves. And so what is great about this group is the communication amongst each other in film. It’s not just the coaching staff telling them what they did wrong. They see it, they’re talking to each other. ‘Hey, right here, you got to call this out early. Hey, you box out here and then I’ll help you on this side.’ And so that’s the great thing about this group of guys. Film was great. It was great for all of us to kind of sit in there and have that open dialogue, those conversations about what it’s going to take for us to move forward. We got another big game coming up tomorrow. And so we got to be better in that game tomorrow than we were on Saturday.”

What he remembers about Tennessee’s two games against Mississippi State last season

“No. 12 (Josh Hubbard) is really talented. Can really score the basketball. A big-time shooter. No. 4 (Cameron Matthews), he is just kind does everything. He can score it. He facilitates. He defends. Big-time motor. Those two guys in particular are difference-makers. Then they have a great group around them that buys into their role. I know they added a couple new faces, but it is going to be a tough game. It is going to be a hard-fought game. Just like every game in this league, it is going to be won in the paint. It is going to be who can control the backboards, who can protect the paint and then take care of the basketball.”

Tennessee center Felix Okpara playing well in recent weeks

“Felix is playing really well. He is playing really well. He is competing at a high, high level defensively first off. His effort on that side of the ball has been great. He is making plays outside of his area. He is rebounding the basketball. He is starting to understand that he has to be dominant on that side. Anything else that comes is gravy. But cleaning stuff up on that side of the ball, he is really locking into it. Offensively, it is going to come. I think we do a great job of spacing the floor. I think he does a good job of moving without the ball and finding those sweet spots and being able to play with Zakai on that penetration. I am excited where Felix is right now. He has more in the tank.”

Tennessee’s message to Chaz Lanier after missing the game tying free throw

“I know he was probably, heard about it, not even just being in front of his home crowd, he had opportunity to tie the game up and send it to overtime. But the message was clear, like that’s not what lost the game force. And by no means. There were plays throughout the entire game that we could have been better, that played as big of a part as that did. So we were clear to make sure he understood that his teammates understood that and they did. Like this is a group that’s been in a lot of high level games and that understand that one, two possessions in the first half can determine the outcome of a game. And so I think Chaz is a resilient guy. He’s tough. He understands it. I mean, he probably wishes he could have that moment back, but it is what it is and we move on and let it make us all better.”

Zakai Zeigler balancing aggressive defense without fouling

“I mean it’s tough because that’s what makes him great, right? He’s aggressive and he’s really disruptive and that’s what makes him who he is. That’s what makes him one of the, probably the, best defensive point guard in the country. And so I think just being mindful of when you do have one foul, don’t— maybe you pull back a little bit and just understand when you close it out to shooters, in those situations maybe flying by more so than contest high. But it’s tough to say and each foul has been kind of different a little bit for him when he picks up that second one. But, again, it is hard to tell him to not be who he is. And so I think when it does happen, the guys around him gotta be ready to pick it up and fill in for him, which we are, we’re capable of doing.”

How hard the decision to sit a player with two fouls in the first half

“We have our philosophy of what we do in those situations. So it is not really, you know, in the moment really hard to debate. Like we feel confident in every guy that’s on that bench. All nine guys. And so if somebody gets in foul trouble, somebody gets hurt, next guy’s ready to step up and that’s the role of the team to lift each other up. And so when one guy is out, the next guy and the team’s got to feel in that void.”

If there’s more scoreboard watching this year due to how competitive the SEC is 

“It is a great league this year, man. And probably the best league I’ve ever been a part of. And every game is competitive. Every game is unique and it’s so many different styles in this league that it is, it’s fun to kind of sit back as a fan sometimes and just watch it when you’re not preparing for your next game. But for us, our total focus is in our locker room and how we are playing at the moment. Did we take care of business? Obviously after the game you kind of scroll the scores and all of that, but it doesn’t really have an effect on or an impact on how we approach things or how we do things. It is our goal to win the league, but we know you got to live in day tight compartments and go game-by-game. day-by-day and win, lose or draw that particular game, you got to move on to your next opponent and try to get better. But it’s an unbelievable league with great players, great coaches, and it’s exciting and I’m sure as a fan, like just being able to sit back and watch that, night in and night out, having great games, is probably fun.”

What areas Jordan Gainey can improve while playing point guard

“I would say with Jordan, just the more reps he can get at it and just understanding the pace, when to go fast, when to go slow. And I think the more he does it the more comfortable he’ll get. But I think more than anything, just the pace and bringing your own pace and not having to play at Zakai’s pace is probably the biggest thing with him on that.”