Tennessee will tipoff the 2020-21 men’s basketball season Nov. 25.
The Vols will host Charlotte in the Volunteer Classic at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Tennessee finished the 2019-20 campaign 17-14 (9-9 SEC) before the coronavirus pandemic prematurely ended the season. The season came to an end before the Vols’ first game in the Southeastern Conference Tournament.
With Tennessee days away from tipping off the upcoming campaign, associate head coach Michael Schwartz met with media via Zoom Thursday to discuss the 2020-21 Vols.
The University of Tennessee provided the following transcript.
On playing against Gonzaga in Indianapolis:
“Well it’s a great opportunity, a really good opportunity. We know the kind of reputation Gonzaga has as a program, even more so this year as the number one ranked team in the country, so it will be a great test for our guys. We’ve had some good matchups with them in the past, Coach Barnes and Coach Few have a great relationship and we remember the game a few years ago in Phoenix. We’ve played in Nashville, we’ve played out in Seattle and it’s turned into a great series. I think our guys are just excited to be playing. They’re equally excited about next Wednesday as they are that game and any game on our schedule, but to be able to play in the Jimmy V and make that thing happen, with all the adversities that have happened in New York, Orlando, and now up in Indianapolis, it’s going to be a great event and I think our guys are really excited and it will be a great challenge for our team.”
On the scheduling conflicts:
“I think it’s been crazy for anybody, every coach, anybody involved with scheduling trying to get something nailed down for this kind of season. It’s been a challenge. The first challenge was when they moved the date. You obviously had games that were between November 10th and November 25th, and that was the first piece of the challenge was that you had games that were scheduled and so what do you do with those games? For example, Wisconsin still wanted to figure out a way we could play but we would have to move the dates. There were the challenges of the games that were prior to the new start date that you had to figure out. Then after that you had to look at what’s going to fit and probably the biggest challenge, as you eluded to Grant, was the MTE’s (Multiple Team Events). When they started moving the MTE’s, changing the dates, teams started being able to add teams, teams started dropping out because of all the different medical protocols, that’s when it really got complicated to be honest with you. Our approach the whole time was we were going to stick with ESPN, stick with Orlando, regardless of what it was, and we were pretty close to it going out there, and if everything had gone the same way there would have been one other team in the event, with VCU and Charlotte, we would have done it in Orlando, and we were planning on playing Gonzaga in Orlando, but when everything fell apart in Orlando, obviously we had to readjust. So, what our approach was Grant, was just to stay with the teams we were going to play with in Orlando, and that was VCU, Charlotte, and potentially Penn State. Those were the teams and we decided to create our own event, we’re very thankful and appreciative of the University and the Administration and our Athletic Department to allow us to do that here, and it didn’t quite work out for Penn State for other reasons, but to be able to get VCU and Charlotte to be able to come to Thompson-Boling is really exciting and we’re looking forward to the Vol classic.”
On Jaden Springer and Keon Johnson:
“You’re absolutely right about the expectations, that’s the nature of recruiting, that’s the nature of the labels that get put on guys in terms of the stars as you mentioned, and McDonald’s All-American status and things like that. The best two things both of those guys have done since the minute they stepped on campus is, they take defense personally, they play with an aggression and an attack mindset on the defensive side of the ball, and they are both extremely talented on offense. They’re going to have great seasons, they’re going to help us in a ton of different ways, but what they did from the minute they stepped on campus—which is not always the case, particularly with as you mentioned a 5-star player, someone that has great accolades coming in and expectations on them—is they came in with grittiness, and a defensive mindset that fits right into our DNA and right into our culture. I don’t want to use the word surprised by that, but they’ve stepped right in and from that standpoint they are not Freshman.”