Assistant coach Justin Gainey talks Nate Ament, new-look Tennessee Basketball roster

What Tennessee Basketball associate head coach Justin Gainey said during his press conference Wednesday afternoon, updating the offseason progress of the new-look Vols:

Tennessee’s returning players stepping into leadership roles

“You know, we did lose a lot and also, in particular, like, when you look at Zakai and Jahmai, both here for four years, seen a lot, been through a lot, and really embodied everything about the culture, Coach Barnes, INAM and everything. And so, like, losing those two guys in particular, from a leadership standpoint, from a trust in the locker room standpoint, is a lot. And so I think it’s a lot to ask those guys, anybody to step into that role. And so I think it’s going to be different. I think it’ll feel different. I think guys that are returning, Bishop, Cade, J.P., those guys understand what we lost and where we got to get to. They all have their own way of leading. And so I think it’s up to them to try to fill in those voids and us to help them and coach them up in that area, as well. But I think every guy is, they’re trying in their own way to. And, you know, again, you got to be authentic with it, too. You can’t try to beat Jahmai. You can’t try to be Z. You got to do it in your own way. And it’ll take some adjustments, especially us as a staff, getting used to the different type of leadership that it’ll be. But those guys know what it’s about. They’ve been through it, and so I think game experience is some of the things they’re lacking. But they’ve been in those practices, they’ve been in those film sessions. They know what it feels like to be in an Elite Eight game, and so they know what we’re trying to get to. And so they’re trying, they’re trying. And I think they’ve done a great job this summer. They just got to continue with it.”

Clarence Massamba and Ethan Burg missing summer practice, getting up to speed

“Yeah, no, both of those guys, we feel like are high-IQ guys. And so I think they’ll be able to pick some things up quicker. Our entire staff, support staff included, do a great job of not only teaching on the court, but off the court. So there’ll be film sessions, there’ll be individual workout sessions where it’s not emphasized as much on shooting technique, but more so ‘Okay, here are our offensive concepts. Here’s this play we’ve been working on this summer. Here’s some film on it. You gotta watch it on video.’ And just kind of getting those guys up to speed as quick as we possibly can. And then, it also helps now you can practice earlier with your whole team. So, hey, next week, we’ll get going. We’ll get going with it, and then when Ethan gets in, then we’ll have to continue to pick it up with him, as well. But it will be, it’ll be a challenge. You know, it’ll be different for them because it is new terminology. Also, the language barrier part. You don’t know how that’ll play a part into it, as well.”

If Ethan Burg being older will help his transition

“We’ll see. I think the age factor will help from an experience standpoint and being in different moments. But the learning curve, just different terminology, different styles of play. He’s been in Europe his entire career, so it’s a different game when you come here. Where as Clarence, he has been in the States. He was in the States for a couple years before going back, so he may be able to adjust a little bit quicker, although he is younger. So, we’ll see. I think his feel for the game and IQ, some natural things, should be able to take over once he gets in certain moments. But it still will be an adjustment.”

If Cade Phillips can play the three

“I think he’s still growing. I think he’s still growing in that space. I’m not going to sit here and say, like, he’s all of a sudden a straight three-man just after a few weeks in practice, right? But it has shown us some different things defensively we can do. Like, we always know he can guard one through five defensively. And so I think the offensive piece is, again, where he would have to make the biggest jump. It’s been good to see him do some things this summer. And he did hurt his shoulder and missed a few weeks, so I think that slowed down that development as well. But it’ll be an ongoing process, ongoing development with him there. But having him being able to play that wing position will give us a little more depth there, but allow us to experiment with some jumbo-sized lineups if you talk about moving Nate to the two and him to the three and then playing with two bigs inside and just different things we can do. And gives coach a lot of different versatility in things we can do.”

What is bringing this Tennessee team together

“Everybody came to Tennessee for a reason, and that was to win at a high, high level. And in all the recruitment that we talk to these guys about, I guess it’s about achieving where we haven’t gone before, going where we haven’t gone before, and that’s the Final Four. So I would say that the connecting factor with everybody is to win. Like, how can we go further than the last two teams have gone, right? And that’s it. So as these guys are training and they’re in practice and the dog days of practice, we make sure it’s on the forefront of their mind that, ‘Hey, you got to see the big picture.’ And that’s why they all came, because they all could have went different places, right? And whether it made more money or guaranteed more playing time, but they all understand how special a place Tennessee is, how good we’ve been, how great Coach Barnes is and continue wanting to add to that legacy of everything of Tennessee, of Coach Barnes.”

What has impressed him most about Nate Ament so far

“Man, he’s an impressive young man. I think the biggest things that impressed me is how cerebral, how smart he is, how quickly he picks things up and how inquisitive he is. He asks a lot of questions. Or say, hey, that’s why we’re doing this because of this. He’s impressive. Like, he’s very humble. Not a braggadocious. Not a rah rah in your face type of guy. But I knew that as we recruited him, and that’s why we felt like he’d be a great fit here for us. But the biggest thing that jumps off is just kind of the IQ, is his mental capacity and like to never really get rattled. So he’s impressive in that way, for sure.”

If there has been anything about Ja’Kobi Gillespie the player or person that’s surprised him

“It’s funny because during the year you don’t really get to watch a lot of other teams. But I did get to see him in some flashes and a couple games here and there and I thought, man, he’s good. But when we got him, I was like, man, he’s better than I thought he was going to be from a basketball standpoint. From just a person as a teammate, the one thing I’d say and that, that we talk to him a lot about is being more vocal. Getting outside of yourself in that capacity because he’s as good of a point guard as there is in the country. And the next step for him is going to be the communication piece, the talking piece, the leading putting guys where they’re supposed to be. And so that’s next for him. But as far as his game goes, he’s dynamic. He’s a big time player and a great person. Kind of like Nate— humble and not a rah rah type of in your face guy, but just appreciative of everything. He grew up a Tennessee guy, and he understands what it means to wear the jersey and it’s something he’s always dreamt of and that is, it’s just fun to see him living his dream and being here.”

If it’s hard to get new guys to understand the standard at Tennessee

“Not really hard to get them to that understanding because that’s what they said they wanted. I think the tough part is understanding what it takes to get there. Not that they fight back, but it’s a lot harder than maybe anticipated, a lot harder than they thought initially. And so that’s probably the biggest adjustment I would say, that they have to make. We’re not going to lower our standards. Coach Barnes isn’t going to lower his standards. And look, you say this is what you want, this is what it takes, but the great thing about this group is they’re willing to do whatever it takes to get there. So there’s no pushback. There’s no, ‘oh it’s an easier way to do it.’ Like, no, this is what it takes. All right, let’s do it. And I might not have gotten there today. Now, that’s motivation for me to try to get there tomorrow, next week, next month to get to those standards.”

What the Tennessee coaching staff needs to find out about the team this fall

“I think we’re still just trying— I think we got a good feel for who everybody is now. I think Coach has a great feel for who everybody is and what they do. Strengths, weaknesses. I just think we got to continue to, from a defensive standpoint, keep growing there, and we want to try different things, different lineups. With some injuries late summer, we weren’t able to probably do as much as we wanted. And so just getting that continuity with having everybody back and understanding defensive concepts to a deeper level, that’s going to be huge. 

“And then offensively, just continuing to develop that inside game. And Coach, we are excited about JP (Estrella) being back because we feel like he’s a guy that has got a lot of upside. And Jaylen (Carey) in there, and it kind of gives us a different look, more depth inside. We got two guys in there now that we feel along with Felix, who’s, man, he’s really had a great summer. Three guys in there. We feel like man can get some stuff done, and so just continue to develop in that. And then getting our transition game where we want to continue to get up and down and play really fast and just let guys be who they are.”

What about Clarence Massamba made Tennessee want to add him

“I felt like he was versatile. He was different. He could play multiple positions. Length, athleticism. He’s kind of different than I would say any of the other guards that we have size wise. With length. And then he can guard. And then he’s a great, great kid. He’s a great kid and he’s hungry and he’s determined to become a good basketball player. I don’t know how long it takes with the transition and him missing this summer, but he’s about the right things. I think he’s going to do whatever this team needs him to do to help us win. But I think, you know, to answer your question, he was different. I’d say he’s more athletic than any of the guards that we have. He brings a little more size at 6’6 and length, and then just a versatile defender at the guard position.”