Rick Barnes explains how Tennessee prepared for stretch without Ja’Kobi Gillespie
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Tennessee’s 77-69 win over Auburn on Saturday night may have looked fairly dominant on paper, but the Volunteers did have to work through some adversity during the game.
With starting center Felix Okpara already out due to a calf injury, star guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie got into some foul trouble and eventually had to sit for an extended period of time during the second half.
That could have been a prime opportunity for the Tigers to take the lead for the first time, but Rick Barnes’ squad was able to hold off a rally with its leader on the bench.
The legendary head coach explained after the game that his team has begun preparing for life without Gillespie in the weeks leading up to this matchup, and he believes the group learned a lot from it.
“It was good for us because I think when Ja’Kobi is out there sometimes he’s got to stop fouling in situations he’s in. But in practice, I think a week ago, we wouldn’t let him practice. We said we’re going to learn to play without him,” Barnes explained. “He was tired, and we went two days where he didn’t do hardly anything, because we can play without him. And the ball moves a little bit more, and that’s what we’re trying to get him to understand. He’s got to let it get off of him some and get back to him.”
Barnes added that he was proud of the poise that his guys displayed during the stretch, emphasizing that their communication was what stood out to him.
“But I thought it was great for those guys and I thought they were confident. And they should be because they work hard together and they know they need each other.” Barnes said. “And I didn’t think any at any point in time, that stretch was going on, that anybody left anyone on an island by themselves. They were trying to help each other, talking.”
Gillespie finished with 11 points, 2 rebounds and 5 assists to go along with his 4 fouls.
Tennessee will face Ole Miss on Tuesday night in Knoxville.
Parker is currently the sports editor for the Enterprise-Journal in McComb, Mississippi. He's a graduate from Mizzou who has experience covering the Tiger football and basketball beats for SB Nation, and he's worked for a variety of sports news outlets in the past.
