Nichols: Rick Barnes has created a juggernaut on court and in culture for Tennessee basketball

Rick Barnes has led the Vols to a 6-0 record on the court. But it’s the Vols’ culture that makes this team truly special.

If you read through the transcript of No. 8 Tennessee’s postgame press conference after Wednesday night’s second-half shellacking against USC Upstate, you can quickly determine how the Vols have become so successful so quickly.

Yes, we knew this team would be good, with two 5-star freshmen, several experienced sophomores and a veteran core led by the quirky duo of John Fulkerson and Yves Pons.

Yes, the depth is more than appealing, as three Vols scored in double figures against the Spartans, three more Vols added nine points apiece and two were three to four more plays from double-doubles.

But it is not the stats, the offensive efficiency (22 assists on 28 baskets) or the defensive effort (seven blocks, nine steals and a 32-18 rebound advantage) that give this team its juice, although those aspects are beneficial.

It is the love, grit, and expectation with which Rick Barnes coaches, mixed with this team’s relentless effort, sacrifice and appreciation for one another, that really set these guys apart.

Take, for example, the now viral video of sophomore Josiah-Jordan James hitting the deck in chase of a loose ball, then sliding from the free throw line, across The Summitt’s polished floor and into the padding underneath the basket.

Or the image of Santiago Vescovi, his arms and torso outstretched, snapping a ball back into play when it was in mid-air outside the baseline.

Those are effort plays that have become synonymous with Rick Barnes teams, especially this one.

“I mentioned this to the team; we have really high expectations for our guys,” said Barnes, whose flickering orange Christmas sweater, complete with a Power T, provided a hilarious juxtaposition to his rock-hard standards. 

“And we are demanding because I do not want any of those guys to look back and think, ‘Man I could have done more, I could have done this, I could have done that,’” Barnes continued. “But we also learned tonight that different teams can play different ways.”

Straining through the first stretch of this season and facing different combinations every night will certainly help this team. But it is that initial effort that gets the Vols excited.

“So much, when guys lay out and show our team that we’re willing to do that,” Victor Bailey said of what James’ effort meant. “Willing to get on the floor and do the dirty work, it brings the energy and you can feel it through the whole bench. When guys are doing that, we’re going to be successful.”

Granted, Upstate gave the Vols all they could handle.

And this 80-60 win wasn’t a pretty one, as the Spartans stayed within single digits through most of the first half.

But after four games in the last eight days, and especially with 14th-ranked Missouri waiting on the other side of a three-day Christmas break, this game was a grind-it-out win that Tennessee needed.

“Our legs were a little heavy,” Bailey said. “Having a lot of practices and squeezing these games in is hard, but we’re prepared for it, so when the challenge comes, we’re ready to take it.”

“They have never gone through a grind like this,” Barnes added. “There is no doubt they want to play hard and they are going to play hard and take pride in it, but it’s just a mental side that’s right before Christmas and probably thinking we have been in a couple games ahead 30-40 points and you think they are all like that, but they’re not. USC Upstate had a terrific game plan and for us it’s probably what we needed more than beating someone by 30 or 40 points.”

But that grind, that strain, that push through the finish line?

It all goes back to the culture Barnes has developed in Knoxville, a culture that starts with love and appreciation for each other.

When Olivier Nkamhoua took the floor Wednesday night, he was “the most comfortable he’s looked in his time here,” according to Barnes.

That comfort showed, as Nkamhoua was a perfect 4-for-4 with nine points.

But when the Finland native isn’t on the court, he’s standing at the baseline with Uros Plavsic. Together, they encourage their teammates in a manner that, on Wednesday, stood out enough to become a question during the press conference.

“We love our team,” Nkamhoua said when asked about their standing in unison. “We love our teammates and when we see them out there we love it. We love seeing our teammates play and I feel like it keeps us more engaged and more ready for when we go in the games.”

“We’re yelling the coverage and making sure everyone knows what’s going on, because this year people can hear us unlike last year,” he continued. “So, it’s almost like we’re in the game while we’re on the bench, so when you actually do go in the game, not a lot changes. That’s the feeling we’re trying to create. We’re trying to have our bench and the guys on the court all on the same page at all times. I also feel like since they don’t have so many fans, us giving our brothers more energy is very important. They do it for us when we play, so we have to do it for them.”

They do it for us, so we do it for them.

That’s a give-and-take that will pay huge dividends on the floor. But the willingness to share doesn’t stop at the baseline.

For Barnes, that generosity extends well into this Christmas season.

“God has blessed me with so many wonderful blessings,” Barnes said. “This time of year, it is about Jesus Christ and about what he gave and wanting to emulate that. We have so many people since I have been in Knoxville that do so much for people here in Knoxville who do not want it, but they need it. And it has been fun to be a part of different organizations that have taken care of a lot of families in Knoxville this time of year. And that is what I am most thankful for and most proud to be a part of.”

This Christmas, the Vols will all be together so that they can keep playing without risk after the break.

It isn’t the way things would normally work, but in 2020, what is?

According to Barnes, the team will have three days off, starting today.

Most of the players’ parents will be able to come visit, but there will not be anyone traveling home to be with their families.

Or, will there?

“I won’t be able to see my parents for Christmas, but I’ll still see my family,” said Nkamhoua. “These guys are my family. I won’t be alone on Christmas. I’ll be with family.”

“We’re a close group,” Bailey added. “We’re brothers. We love each other. This is probably the closest team I’ve ever been on, from the starters down to every guy at the bench.”

But even with some players not being able to unite with their biological families, Barnes and the Vols are keeping things in perspective after such a difficult year.

“People have lost a lot, but when I look at it, there’s just so much to be joyful for, too,” Barnes said. “It’s hard this time of year, because I’ve always believed that families should be at home at Christmas.”

“I just think it is the greatest day in our country, the day that Jesus was born,” he continued. “I think it is the most important day. I really do appreciate our administration working out a way to get the parents that can be here, to be here to be with each other. And I also appreciate the parents saying, ‘Hey we know our sons want to play basketball, and whatever we have to do to protect them during this time of year we have to do that.’”

And there it is again — the relentless effort, not just on the floor but in making sure players can see their families for the holidays.

The sacrifice, not just in chasing basketballs but in hunkering down together to play a game they all love.

And finally, the appreciation for one another. That appreciation stretches across different continents, between different cultures, and, as far as hoops are concerned, could lead right to the Final Four.

No matter what their final record is, though, this team has certainly been a bright spot for 2020.

It should be fun to see that continue after Christmas and into 2021.