COMMENTARY: Now is the time to ‘re-wire’ players?

Imagine having the Harlem Globetrotters playing basketball for the fictional Hickory High and coach Norman Dale in the movie “Hoosiers.”

That’s kinda what you’ve got at Tennessee right now.

Advertisement

After Monday night’s 70-47 win over Radford, Volunteers coach Rick Barnes talked about having to re-wire many of his players to have them fit into his system.

Heck, these are college players. Re-wire?

Look at Juke Harris. After averaging 21 points and 7 rebounds a game last season as a sophomore at Wake Forest, He chose between Tennessee and the NBA Draft. Reports are that at least $4 million in NIL money convinced him to play for Barnes.

He hit 1 of 9 shots against Radford, a 3-pointer in one of his six tries beyond the arc, and finished with six points and one rebound in 24 minutes.

He appeared to be somewhere between paralyzed by the movement necessitated in the offense and completely lost. There’s no fluidity on the floor — with anyone. There’s no leader that is completely focused on making everyone else better.

Advertisement

Barnes called the offense “too hyper.” That means guys were too anxious to get their shots off. There were even a couple times when two guys, running the motion offense, ran into each other.

The Vols shot 24% from 3-point (4 of 17).

Terrence Hill, Jr., and Dai Dai Ames, who were supposed to be the playmakers, combined to have just four assists.

Role players are imperative to a team’s success and it seems that Tennessee got eight players out of the transfer portal who all played the same role.

And … don’t get me started on defense and rebounding.

At halftime against Radford, the Highlanders led Tennessee on the boards, 18-17. That’s terrible.

Advertisement

Barnes and his staff forgot to get anyone who can physically dominate down low. DeWayne Brown II is close, he’s had 29 boards in the two games that have counted, but he’s just 6-foot-8.

Jalen Washington, an answer to that down-low prayer, still has his eligibility case in the limbo of the courts.

Defensively,…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/commentary-now-time-wire-players-171542523.html

Author :

Publish date : 2026-11-10 17:15:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.