Rick Barnes explains why Santiago Vescovi took over the Tennessee huddle late at Alabama

No. 4 Tennessee was leading No. 14 Alabama by five points with three minutes, 18 seconds left Saturday night at Coleman Coliseum. The Vols were doing everything they could to leave Tuscaloosa with the biggest win of the season. 

During the game’s final media timeout, Rick Barnes sat silent, facing his team with his hands clasped. 

He didn’t have to do the work in the moment. Instead, he watched fifth-year senior guard Santiago Vescovi take over.

“We had called a play,” Barnes said Monday night during his weekly appearance on The Vol Network’s Vol Calls, “or Santi said, Coach, let’s do this.”

But both Vescovi and Barnes knew the play wouldn’t work unless sophomore power forward Tobe Awaka knew exactly where to be, when to be there and how long to stay there. 

“And that’s when Tobe looked at him and said, well what do you mean?” Barnes continued. “Because Santi said to him, Tobe, you must do this. Which he’s been told a lot, right? And Santi, he looked at him and, Tobe, you could tell wasn’t sure.” 

Vescovi grabbed a clipboard, grabbed a marker and made sure Awaka understood.

“He took the pen and said right here,” Barnes said, “(and) put it on the dot. You stay right here until I come and screen for you. Don’t move. That’s what it was.”

That was it. And Barnes loved every second of it. 

“I’ve often said, and you guys know it, if you want a great team, you get leadership from those guys,” Barnes said. “Tobe, sometimes, takes a little bit longer because he’s learning the game in a way he never has.”

‘Josiah and Santi, they’ve forgotten more about our system than our (assistant) coaches know’

But both Vescovi and Josiah-Jordan James, Tennessee’s two veterans, have been students of the system since 2019.  

“I’ve told people before,” Barnes said, “Josiah and Santi, they’ve forgotten more about our system than our coaches now know, assistant coaches, because they’ve been with me longer.” 

It’s no exaggeration. Both associate head coach Justin Gainey and assistant coach Rod Clark were hired in April 2021. Gregg Polinksy was promoted to assistant coach in March 2022, after spending the previous season as a volunteer analyst. 

Vescovi and James have the freedom to speak up because they have a mental Rolodex that dates back a half decade.

“Like we’ll be doing some things and I’ll tweak some things,” Barnes said, “and Santi will say, yeah, we did this two years ago or three years ago. Josiah is the same way. They have great memories.”

Up Next: No. 4 Tennessee at No. 17 South Carolina, Wednesday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2

Vescovi finished the 81-74 win at Alabama with eight points, three rebounds and two assists. James had a double-double, with 11 points and a team-high 13 rebounds, playing a crucial role on the glass after both Awaka and junior center Jonas Aidoo picked up two fouls each in the opening eight minutes. 

But it’s the moments in the huddle, the moments on the practice floor or even the moments in the middle of a possession that will be missed most when James and Vescovi are gone. 

“Because you’re always making those little tweaks,” Barnes said, “that’s what you’ll miss with those guys, because you can do that. And that’s when it’s fun when you can. 

“Sometimes going down the floor everybody says coach (has) got to a call timeout. When you’ve got guys like that, you don’t need a timeout. When you got guys like that, you just say, hey, hit this.”

That’s why Barnes could sit back Saturday night and let Vescovi lead the way.

“You like it when you have players that are that invested,” Barnes said. “… I think it’s awesome and I love it when they (do that). And the other night in the timeout, all of them were talking. I loved it when they did that.”