Tennessee men’s basketball: four returning faces to watch

The Vols have a loaded roster full of young, exciting stars. But returning players’ talent and experience will render even more useful in a year that’s been so unpredictable.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. 

Technically, Christmas has not arrived — yet. 

But with five cancelations to start the men’s basketball season and discontentment among fans during football, Rick Barnes might as well don a red suit and beard when his team takes the floor against Colorado Tuesday night to mark the first matchup in a three-year series against the Buffaloes. 

And make no mistake about it: expectations are high on Rocky Top.   

They’re as high as when Grant Williams, Admiral Schofield and Jordan Bone led Tennessee to the Sweet Sixteen two years ago, if not more.

Granted, the furthest Tennessee has ever gotten in the NCAA Tournament is the Elite Eight, as then-coach Bruce Pearl led Wayne Chism and co. to St. Louis in 2010. 

But with the current roster, Barnes may be expected to coach this team to its first-ever Final Four berth, and he could even deliver a belated Christmas gift with the first national title in program history.

Monday, VR2 on SI’s Brandon Martin delivered a preview on the new faces to know within this team. 

He also detailed the impact from John Fulkerson and Yves Pons in their Wooden Award Watch List report.

Now, it’s time to take a look at four returning faces that could shine early this season for Tennessee.

Santiago Vescovi — sophomore guard 

Vescovi made a major splash when he arrived on campus. After enrolling and moving in only days before Tennessee’s January 4, 2019, matchup against LSU, the Uruguay native was in the starting five against the Tigers and dropped 18 points in his debut. Those 18 points all came off three-pointers, too, as Vescovi hit six shots from deep to secure the most amount of makes by a Tennessee player in his first game in orange. He also had nine turnovers that night, though, providing some foreshadowing for later in the year.

Now, the sophomore has undergone his first preseason under Rick Barnes, and another splash should be fun to watch.

Vescovi is a point guard in the greatest meaning of the position, meaning his passing attack rejuvenated a Tennessee offense that had lost some of its luster after Lamonté Turner’s decision to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery. Vescovi’s ability to slash into the lane and fire no-look passes across the floor is truly otherworldly. That calculated speed and aim allowed Vescovi to lead the team in assists last season, with 70 overall and 3.7 per night. As mentioned, though, that quickness also led to nine turnovers against LSU, 67 in total last season. That’s 3.53 turnovers per game — good for 30th in the nation. 

Granted, Turner was even more turnover-prone, as he came in at 18th with 3.82 turnovers per contest. But it was Vescovi’s quick movement and rapid-fire style of play that both drove and doomed Tennessee at times last year, and for that to have its proper effect, the 6-foot-3, 188-pound sophomore will have to match intensity with communication and ball control. 

The good news for Tennessee is that, unlike most players on the roster, Vescovi was able to get in plenty of practice time when he traveled home to Uruguay this summer. When the COVID-19 shutdown forced players home in March, that removed any chance of a normal offseason for the sophomore. But the return home actually proved a blessing in disguise. 

“In Uruguay it was way easier because COVID was a smaller thing,” Vescovi said. “We really had a few cases. By the time I was there we had like 60 active cases in the country. That made us be available to play five-on-five, have practice and do whatever we wanted in groups.”

Vescovi said he also worked out by himself and with a strength and conditioning coach he knew, slimming the NBA Global Academy alum prior to his return to Tennessee. Evidently, the physical change is paying off in dividends. 

Freshman Keon Johnson called Vescovi “the hardest player to guard,” and Tennessee assistant coach Michael Schwartz echoed that sentiment. 

“Santiago plays with great speed,” Schwartz said. “He has an incredible feel and I.Q. and he’s one of the craftier players with the ball. Whether it’s off the bounce, whether it’s passing the basketball, he’s got a great ability — even if he may not be looked at as a dynamic athlete — to get where he needs to go with the ball. He uses his own strengths and other people’s strengths against them when he’s got the ball.”

That craftiness played a large role in Vescovi’s game in 2019, but it should be even more interesting to watch this season now that he’s more used to Rick Barnes’ system. Vescovi said he improved his man defense over the summer and that he’s already feeling smoother than last year in the Tennessee offense. 

“I think my game has improved a lot,” Vescovi said. “I feel better physical wise and I’m starting to learn more about the pace of the game, and as Coach Barnes asks us, I’m trying to play faster, and every time I get the ball I’m trying to run the court, and I feel like I’m doing a really good job doing that, but I think I still have a lot of room to improve, and that’s what I’m working on every day.”

Monday, Barnes also reiterated the difference in Vescovi’s shape from last season to now. 

“Santi is in great shape,” Barnes said. “He was never even in good shape last year, even at the end of the season.”

We’ve seen in the past how hard Barnes pushes his point guards, and with several on the roster, it could be Vescovi’s defensive improvements that truly determine how many minutes he gets each night.  

But with a physically-improved body and a deeper understanding of what Barnes wants from him, Vescovi should certainly be one of Tennessee’s more exciting and dynamic returning players to watch when the Vols take the floor. 

Josiah-Jordan James — sophomore guard

Rated as one of the top prospects in the country coming out of Porter-Gaud School in Charleston, South Carolina, Josiah-Jordan James quietly established himself as a consistent presence during his freshman season. 

While it took him a few games to adjust, the 6-foot-6 James notched in at second on the team and 19th in the SEC in rebounding to end the season, with 5.5 boards per game. He also led the team’s 3-point percentage at .367 and ranked second to Vescovi in assists with 2.9 per game. 

In perhaps his most impressive performance of the year, the McDonald’s All-American poured in 16 second-half points with seven rebounds and five assists at Kentucky last January. He also put together a 12-point, eight-rebound, six-assist, two-block game with a steal against Florida at home in February. 

Put those stats with his 10 games in double figures, and it’s easy to see why James will be an essential piece on this roster and a go-to sixth man for Barnes. 

“Josiah-Jordan James has added a lot to his game and he is trying to develop a new identity as a player where he uses his size more and his versatility to play multiple positions on both ends of the floor,” said assistant coach Michael Schwartz in November. 

Schwartz also reiterated that James’ rebounding ability has continued this offseason, even after putting up solid numbers his freshman season. 

“Someone who’s done a really good job of (rebounding)— and his numbers showed it a little bit last year— but he’s been really effective this preseason particularly in offensive rebounding has been Josiah,” Schwartz said. “Josiah-Jordan James has done a really nice job offensive rebounding… he has a knack to rebound the basketball and on the defensive side where that can really help us is if he rebounds the ball, he can lead the break, because Santiago or any one of our guards can run the wings. Whether he’s at the two, the three, the four, or the point guard spot, if he rebounds and he can lead the beak, that puts in a really good position with our transition offense.”

Schwartz reiterated that James is one of four options — James, Vescovi, Jaden Springer and Victor Bailey, Jr. — to run the point for Tennessee this season. 

Considering that Schwartz also said James could play any other spot on the floor, though, the sophomore’s tenacity and versatility should give him an exciting second year in Knoxville.

Victor Bailey, Jr. — redshirt junior guard

Thirdly comes Victor Bailey, Jr. Known around the team as “V.J.,” Bailey sat out last season after transferring from Oregon.

Ironically, he walked past several Tennessee players when Oregon faced Virginia in the aforementioned Sweet Sixteen in Louisville. 

Tennessee had just lost to Purdue, and Bailey and the Ducks were taking the floor to face the Cavaliers.

When asked which Tennessee player was the most emotional, Bailey was quick to answer during media availability earlier this year.

"(Admiral) Schofield looked pretty upset, I would probably go with Schofield,” Bailey said with a chuckle. “Barnes didn't look very happy either."

Bailey’s sitting out last season meant he got to learn from younger players like Santiago Vescovi, but he also took plenty from Jordan Bone and Lamonté Turner. 

"I learned so much, I watched so much film on him and he was great at talking with me and giving me so much information,” Bailey said of Turner. “I think that was one of the big things, he never hid anything from me or kept anything from me. Anytime I asked a question he gave it to me. I really thank him for it because he really helped me a lot."

Bailey is originally from Austin, Texas, and his mother’s background as a coach meant he got to know Rick Barnes at a much younger age than most of Tennessee’s players. 

With the Ducks, Bailey finished as Oregon’s fifth-leading scorer his sophomore season. He was also one of two Duck freshmen to appear in every game his first year.

For Tennessee, Bailey brings an older presence to complement guys like John Fulkerson and Yves Pons. With this still being a relatively young team, that experience will pay off. 

“I have a couple of college games under my belt,” Bailey said. “know how it feels. I know there's ups and downs and I know being one of the older guys I can help the younger guys out because they're so talented. I think being one of the older guys is just going to help me a lot."

Bailey is one of four to five players who will see time at point guard this season, but he can also rotate to a shooting guard spot as well. His versatility and experience add another intriguing factor to a team that most expect to make a deep postseason run.

Uros Plavsic — redshirt sophomore

For Tennessee basketball, perhaps the greatest “X-factor” lies in its tallest player. At exactly 7 feet, Serbia native Uros Plavsic provides a large presence in the lane for Tennessee. 

The only problems with that? Confidence and valuable playing time. 

Plavsic received NCAA eligibility approval midway through the 2019-20 season, making his debut against the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens. After not practicing much through the first half of the year, Plavsic was suddenly thrust into the lineup, and his performance showed. 

Plavsic tallied five points and three rebounds off the bench in Athens, and he averaged 2.8 points and one rebound through the Vols’ SEC schedule. His best performance came against Mississippi State, as he poured in a season-high 16 points. 

For this team to reach its potential, Plavsic will have to be a constant threat inside. 

Granted, Tennessee may not need him to do a lot in scoring — that’s why guards (like the ones Rick Barnes loves to recruit) exist. But dump-in baskets and an extremely large frame will do wonders if Plavsic is able to find his footing and assert his dominance in the paint. 

He’s certainly leading the way vocally, as Barnes noted that “the loudest guy on our team is Uros.”

“He talks the way we want him to talk on the court,” Barnes said. 

While that likely adds to Plavsic’s confidence, vocal leadership alone won’t cut it. 

The average height of this team, with or without Plavsic, is small. 

But if the Serbian can inflict damage inside and allow other large, agile presences like John Fulkerson and Yves Pons to move across the floor more on defense, any point guard in the country would be quaking in his high-tops dribbling down the floor.

These faces and more will finally take the floor Tuesday night.

Tip-off against the Buffaloes is slated for 6 p.m. ET, and the game can be seen on SEC Network+.