Bishop Boswell, JP Estrella did more than just return from injury for Tennessee Basketball

LAS VEGAS — When Bishop Boswell checked in for Tennessee Basketball against Rutgers on Monday, it took the sophomore guard needed just 11 seconds to dive on the floor a loose ball, force a held ball and give possession back to the Vols.

When Rutgers called a timeout with 39 seconds left in the first half in the opening game of the Players Era Festival, it took 19 seconds for Boswell to force a shot-clock violation with his smothering defense deep in the backcourt. Sophomore forward J.P. Estrella met him at midcourt to celebrate the forced turnover.

On the other end of the floor, 20 seconds later, it was Estrella tipping in a Nate Ament miss just before the clock expired on the first half, sending No. 17 Tennessee into halftime ahead 56-30, with the Vols on their way to an 85-60 romp over Rutgers.

Boswell and Estrella, Tennessee’s two injured players, didn’t just return to the court on Monday. They made a difference.

“Coming out here,” head coach Rick Barnes said during his postgame press conference, “we didn’t know if they were gonna play. We really didn’t.”

Up Next: No. 17 Tennessee vs. No. 3 Houston

No. 17 Tennessee (6-0) is back at the MGM Grand Garden Arena to face No. 3 Houston (6-0) on Tuesday (6 p.m. Eastern Time, TNT) in Day 2 at the Players Era Festival.

Both Estrella and Bishop were considered day to day but were back at Tennessee’s Sunday practice in Las Vegas. Estrella suffered a bone bruise in his left knee last week against Rice and Boswell had missed three games, first with a foot injury, then a hamstring injury.

“They both have done a great job of the rehab,” Barnes said, “spending time with Chad (Newman) and ‘G’ (GarrettMedenwald) and just really working at trying to get back. But when we walked into practice yesterday, they were both saying they were going to try a little bit … today we knew we had just a few minutes.”

Both made the most of their time. Estrella had 10 points and two rebounds in 14 minutes. Boswell had two points, three rebounds, five assists and three steals in 18 minutes.

“I thought both of them, for the fact they haven’t had much practice, came in and did a good job for us,” Barnes said. 

Barnes said Boswell’s hamstring issue would require patience, needing to make sure it healed before he returned. He said last week the timeline for return for Estrella could be a short as “a couple weeks,” but added that it would ultimately be up to how Estrella felt.

Estrella crumpled to the court in considerable pain when he suffered the knee injury against Rice, before having to be helped off the floor.

“We were all definitely nervous for him scared for him,” Ament said Monday. “He worked so hard to get back and he puts so much work in off the court. So I was definitely nervous.”

Estrella, who missed all but three games last season after under-going season-ending foot surgery last November, starred in Tennessee’s first three games, averaging 17.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 19.7 minutes per game off the bench.

“It feels great to have him back on the court,” Ament said. “He’s such a joy to play with.”

Nate Ament: ‘We’re a whole different team with (Bishop Boswell) on the floor’

Boswell has quickly become anything but a joy for opposing teams, matching his energy and effort on defense — he’s up to four steals on the season and has one block — to go with efficiency on offense, with 13 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists while shooting 57.1% from the floor and 60.0% from the 3-point line.

“You can see sometimes we’re a whole different team with him on the floor,” Ament said. “His defense and energy is just so contagious. I know I feel more confident and more enthusiastic when he’s on the floor in a defensive way. Having him there and to be an anchor on defense builds our confidence through the roof.”

What Boswell has built and is continuing to build started last season.

“Bishop has had the good fortune to get to play against Jahmai Mashack for a year,” Barnes said. “He understands the importance of that role and can be better at it in terms of, he was able to learn from a guy that could really impact the game on that end.

“Bishop’s got himself in really terrific cardio shape where he can play even when he’s tired, which is, I mean, you’ve got to be able to do that and really sustain that kind of effort. But he’s got great feet, but it’s an identity that he really wants to create for himself … he’s got a chance to be as good as he wants to be.”