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Vol Club Confidential: Jahmai Mashack

On3 imageby:Austin Price•01/29/24•

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Tennessee junior guard Jahmai Mashack has become one of Tennessee’s most complete players. The growth in his game under Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes is easy for anyone to see, including him.

“I definitely see it,” Mashack said. “It’s definitely something I took a lot of focus on, especially going into this year. But going into college I knew it was something I was going to have to get a hold of with my jump shot. In high school I was a good player. I played up against older competition ever since I was younger. I always had to fit into a role already. When you do that, you have to play defense, playing hard and rebounding. The offense didn’t develop as much as it should have. I got hurt when it was my time to be the star then COVID happened so I didn’t get the development I needed.”

He literally does whatever it takes for the team. When Zakai Zeigler went down last year, he played the point. This year he has been the key piece coming off the bench.

“I just took it upon myself to go get the ball but it did feel a bit more natural because I played point guard in high school as well as the five,” Mashack said. “I had to play the one through the five. When I think of myself, especially on the defensive end, it’s like you are in a band and you have to play multiple instruments. You don’t know what instrument you are going to play game to game but you are prepared to play multiple instruments. That’s how I kind of thought of it. I’m working on all the instruments so I can make an impact on the game.”

He grew up in a house full of athletes with multiple siblings that have played college sports. For him it was basketball at an early age.

“I think basketball was my first love because my dad played,” Mashack said. “Just seeing him, and I didn’t get to see him at his best but at the tail end. Just seeing how much joy he had and how it brought him to so many areas in life and let him learn a lot of great situations just like I’m doing now. I think my parents did a great job of just letting me be a kid.”

Watch the full episode of Vol Club Confidential above.

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