University of Tennessee Athletics
Insider's Look at the 2017-18 Vol Hoops Squad
November 01, 2017 | Men's Basketball
In early October, we sat down with veteran associate head coach Rob Lanier for an in-depth, position-by-position breakdown of the 2017-18 Tennessee roster.
POINT GUARD
 "We have a lot of depth at the point guard position. We have four legitimate guys who we can put it on the floor and play the point. Experience-wise, inside the program, (returners) Jordan Bone and Lamonté Turner have played point the most for us. Chris Darrington and James Daniel III joined the program (this past summer) and bring a lot of experience. We have a lot of options, versatility and different kinds of players who bring different things to the table at that position.
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 "Jordan is much improved. He has shown a lot of significant improvements during the preseason. First, he has gotten in much better shape. He has developed an ability to play harder for longer periods of time, and that was a real challenge that Coach Barnes issued toward him last year and during the offseason.
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 "Lamonté is also more familiar with the way we do things, and he has shown a level of maturity and progress. He has more of a scoring mindset than Jordan, but he is very capable of shooting the ball at a high level. Lamonté has always been one of our hardest workers. He has improved as a ball handler, and his general understanding of what we are doing has gotten better.
Â
 "The two new guys are both highly skilled and want to score first. Chris is one of those guys who what you see is what you get from him. You can pretty much go into the season and expect a certain level of production from him. He has an unflappable nature about him. He has thick skin and will be able to play through the peaks and valleys with a level of consistency. There is reliability in his personality. Whether he starts or comes off the bench, you are going to get the same player.
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 "With James, the big thing for him is to get accustomed to the program, since he has gotten such a late start (due to the injury that caused him to miss last season and this summer). Everyone knows he scored a lot of points at Howard. He missed the majority of summer and didn't play when we went to Europe, so however long we have been practicing, that is the extent of his experience in the program. The skill level, ability and toughness are there. He is just on a different learning curve because the other guys have more experience picking up the things we are doing. He is playing catch-up in that regard, but there is plenty of time for him to do it. We anticipate that he will, and he will be a major contributor once we get going."
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WINGS
 "Right away, Jordan Bowden is the one who stands out. He spent some time out (with an injury) this summer, but he's back to 100 percent and is looking good. He looks like a guy who has a good year of experience under his belt and has come back with a level of confidence and a grasp of everything consistent with what a second-year player taking the next step in his career would look like. We expect good things from him.
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 "(Redshirt freshman) Jalen Johnson had surgery (in the summer) and is rebounding from that. Even though we mentioned the four guys at point guard, they are capable of playing off the ball as well. You can look at Lamonté Turner and Chris Darrington as guys who would be two-guards first, even though they are capable of giving us quality minutes at the point.
Â
 "With our depth at the guard, sometimes we are going to play three guards. It won't make one of those guards a true three, but sometimes, there will be a third guard on the floor. With our depth, that can be a number of guys, because we have a multitude of combinations we can put out on the floor. Because of that versatility, you also have to look at Jordan Bowden as one of those wings. Jalen Johnson as well when he gets back to full speed. We have two bigger guys who can play in those spots also in Yves Pons and Admiral Schofield.
Â
 "Yves is starting to show signs of improvement and comfort. Everything is so new to him from the language, the style and just acclimation into this particular community and society. He is facing so many new things. He is such a humble kid. He will do things in an organic way. He won't impose himself. The big thing for him is learning the system and learning to use his athleticism and physical gifts in a way that he can be consistent and allow himself to grow from there.
Â
 "Admiral has established himself as possibly the hardest worker in the group to this point. Although he has great deal of growth ahead of him as a player, it is a pretty good starting point to establish yourself as a worker. Turning that into production will require some other things that he is still learning, but we are proud of his development and drive. He can shoot the ball around the perimeter, score in the paint and make free throws. He will give us some quality minutes there."
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FRONTCOURT
 "With versatility being the theme, we talk about Yves Pons and Admiral Schofield as wings, but they can also move up a spot on the floor and give us minutes at the four.
Â
 "Obviously, Grant Williams can play both front-court positions, but John Fulkerson and Derrick Walker can also play both positions as well. With each position, we have multiple guys who can play, which gives us a lot of flexibility. The challenge will be finding the lineups that work. It's one thing to have a lot depth and possibilities, but sometimes, all the possibilities can become more of a problem than a solution because you don't settle on a group. The challenge for us coaches is finding the right pieces that fit together to be the best team that we are capable of becoming.
Â
 "John Fulkerson has to get healthy. He (had a season-ending elbow injury last year) and also had shoulder surgery (in the summer). He plays a very physical, high-motor, dynamic style of play. When you have those injuries, it creates a dilemma. We have to be deliberate with his return, but we miss him. He brings a great deal of energy to our team and represents our culture as well as anyone in our program. We can't wait to get him back.
Â
 "Derrick is an outstanding rebounder. He can be one of the best young rebounders in the conference. When he is on the floor, he is physically tough and aggressive. He is extremely vocal. He's one of our loudest guys on the defensive end. He's very competitive, and we expect him to be a contributor right away.
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 "For Grant, this is a great opportunity for him. Personally, I think Grant is a guy who came into college with a chip on his shoulder and wanted to prove that he belonged. Any time you're an undersized guy, people doubt if you can do the things that he is able to do at this level, and he proved that he can produce. Now, he has to maintain that chip on his shoulder and approach every day like he still has to show people that he belongs. As long as he plays with that chip, he will continue to do great things. He's an extremely talented kid who can do a lot of things that we can't teach, and we need that as coaches at this level. He has to maintain an approach that suggests he is playing with a chip on his shoulder.
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 "Derrick, Grant and Admiral are all possibilities to move over to center. Zach Kent, who most would peg as a five-man, could slide to the four because the best thing he does on offense is shoot the ball from the perimeter.
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 "Zach came into the program with a pretty accurate perspective of where he's at as a player. He knew that he would need time to adapt to this level, and we knew that, too. His expectations and our expectations for him are perfectly in line. We have always looked at him as someone who is a long-term contributor and has a chance to be very good at this level. Everything is new to him, from the conditioning to the physicality. He has met everything head on, and since the time we started back in June, he is probably the most improved player on our team.
Â
 "Kyle Alexander is really starting to grow and beginning to develop as a premier rebounder on our team. That is one of the dynamics that Derrick has brought. He's raised the temperature in the paint a little bit, and when the ball is up on the glass, he goes after it like the ball belongs to him. That has become contagious, and that's why we can't wait for John Fulkerson to get back. John has that same approach. I think that's had an impact on Kyle. He has the instincts, the hands and the athleticism to be an effective rebounder. Although he's always been a pretty good rebounder, I think he has been exposed to a guy in Derrick who is a really hungry rebounder, and he's fed off that a little."
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WALK-ONS
 "I think this is the best group of walk-ons I have ever been around. They work so hard at becoming better players. I haven't been around a group of walk-ons that work as hard at being good players as Brad Woodson, Lucas Campbell and Jacob Fleschman. They all want to be really good individuals. Most of the time, you're happy if you can get guys who are team-oriented, get good grades and stay out of trouble. These guys have all that and can play. They spend just as much time working to get better as the scholarship players. We have reached a point where we don't feel like there is a drop off when those guys are in practice. It's a credit to those guys. From year to year, those guys have continued to get better. It's a reflection of our culture, but they have held themselves to a higher standard than most walk-ons do, and we have benefitted from it."
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TEAM'S MOST IMPORTANT INTANGIBLE
 "It is going to have to be toughness, but that remains to be seen. I can sit here and say that I like where we are in that regard. I think you go into every year expecting that to be the identity of your team, but we have yet to truly make that our identity. We have shown signs, and there have been moments throughout the course of a season where people saw that in us, but it hasn't been consistent or become the brand of our program, which we aspire for it to be. I think we are ahead of where we were this time the last two seasons. Back during the spring, we asked our guys, 'Who is the toughest team is in our league?' Until everyone on our team says that it's us, and they believe it and is true, we have a long way to go."
POINT GUARD
 "We have a lot of depth at the point guard position. We have four legitimate guys who we can put it on the floor and play the point. Experience-wise, inside the program, (returners) Jordan Bone and Lamonté Turner have played point the most for us. Chris Darrington and James Daniel III joined the program (this past summer) and bring a lot of experience. We have a lot of options, versatility and different kinds of players who bring different things to the table at that position.
Â
 "Jordan is much improved. He has shown a lot of significant improvements during the preseason. First, he has gotten in much better shape. He has developed an ability to play harder for longer periods of time, and that was a real challenge that Coach Barnes issued toward him last year and during the offseason.
Â
 "Lamonté is also more familiar with the way we do things, and he has shown a level of maturity and progress. He has more of a scoring mindset than Jordan, but he is very capable of shooting the ball at a high level. Lamonté has always been one of our hardest workers. He has improved as a ball handler, and his general understanding of what we are doing has gotten better.
Â
 "The two new guys are both highly skilled and want to score first. Chris is one of those guys who what you see is what you get from him. You can pretty much go into the season and expect a certain level of production from him. He has an unflappable nature about him. He has thick skin and will be able to play through the peaks and valleys with a level of consistency. There is reliability in his personality. Whether he starts or comes off the bench, you are going to get the same player.
Â
 "With James, the big thing for him is to get accustomed to the program, since he has gotten such a late start (due to the injury that caused him to miss last season and this summer). Everyone knows he scored a lot of points at Howard. He missed the majority of summer and didn't play when we went to Europe, so however long we have been practicing, that is the extent of his experience in the program. The skill level, ability and toughness are there. He is just on a different learning curve because the other guys have more experience picking up the things we are doing. He is playing catch-up in that regard, but there is plenty of time for him to do it. We anticipate that he will, and he will be a major contributor once we get going."
Â
WINGS
 "Right away, Jordan Bowden is the one who stands out. He spent some time out (with an injury) this summer, but he's back to 100 percent and is looking good. He looks like a guy who has a good year of experience under his belt and has come back with a level of confidence and a grasp of everything consistent with what a second-year player taking the next step in his career would look like. We expect good things from him.
Â
 "(Redshirt freshman) Jalen Johnson had surgery (in the summer) and is rebounding from that. Even though we mentioned the four guys at point guard, they are capable of playing off the ball as well. You can look at Lamonté Turner and Chris Darrington as guys who would be two-guards first, even though they are capable of giving us quality minutes at the point.
Â
 "With our depth at the guard, sometimes we are going to play three guards. It won't make one of those guards a true three, but sometimes, there will be a third guard on the floor. With our depth, that can be a number of guys, because we have a multitude of combinations we can put out on the floor. Because of that versatility, you also have to look at Jordan Bowden as one of those wings. Jalen Johnson as well when he gets back to full speed. We have two bigger guys who can play in those spots also in Yves Pons and Admiral Schofield.
Â
 "Yves is starting to show signs of improvement and comfort. Everything is so new to him from the language, the style and just acclimation into this particular community and society. He is facing so many new things. He is such a humble kid. He will do things in an organic way. He won't impose himself. The big thing for him is learning the system and learning to use his athleticism and physical gifts in a way that he can be consistent and allow himself to grow from there.
Â
 "Admiral has established himself as possibly the hardest worker in the group to this point. Although he has great deal of growth ahead of him as a player, it is a pretty good starting point to establish yourself as a worker. Turning that into production will require some other things that he is still learning, but we are proud of his development and drive. He can shoot the ball around the perimeter, score in the paint and make free throws. He will give us some quality minutes there."
Â
FRONTCOURT
 "With versatility being the theme, we talk about Yves Pons and Admiral Schofield as wings, but they can also move up a spot on the floor and give us minutes at the four.
Â
 "Obviously, Grant Williams can play both front-court positions, but John Fulkerson and Derrick Walker can also play both positions as well. With each position, we have multiple guys who can play, which gives us a lot of flexibility. The challenge will be finding the lineups that work. It's one thing to have a lot depth and possibilities, but sometimes, all the possibilities can become more of a problem than a solution because you don't settle on a group. The challenge for us coaches is finding the right pieces that fit together to be the best team that we are capable of becoming.
Â
 "John Fulkerson has to get healthy. He (had a season-ending elbow injury last year) and also had shoulder surgery (in the summer). He plays a very physical, high-motor, dynamic style of play. When you have those injuries, it creates a dilemma. We have to be deliberate with his return, but we miss him. He brings a great deal of energy to our team and represents our culture as well as anyone in our program. We can't wait to get him back.
Â
 "Derrick is an outstanding rebounder. He can be one of the best young rebounders in the conference. When he is on the floor, he is physically tough and aggressive. He is extremely vocal. He's one of our loudest guys on the defensive end. He's very competitive, and we expect him to be a contributor right away.
Â
 "For Grant, this is a great opportunity for him. Personally, I think Grant is a guy who came into college with a chip on his shoulder and wanted to prove that he belonged. Any time you're an undersized guy, people doubt if you can do the things that he is able to do at this level, and he proved that he can produce. Now, he has to maintain that chip on his shoulder and approach every day like he still has to show people that he belongs. As long as he plays with that chip, he will continue to do great things. He's an extremely talented kid who can do a lot of things that we can't teach, and we need that as coaches at this level. He has to maintain an approach that suggests he is playing with a chip on his shoulder.
Â
 "Derrick, Grant and Admiral are all possibilities to move over to center. Zach Kent, who most would peg as a five-man, could slide to the four because the best thing he does on offense is shoot the ball from the perimeter.
Â
 "Zach came into the program with a pretty accurate perspective of where he's at as a player. He knew that he would need time to adapt to this level, and we knew that, too. His expectations and our expectations for him are perfectly in line. We have always looked at him as someone who is a long-term contributor and has a chance to be very good at this level. Everything is new to him, from the conditioning to the physicality. He has met everything head on, and since the time we started back in June, he is probably the most improved player on our team.
Â
 "Kyle Alexander is really starting to grow and beginning to develop as a premier rebounder on our team. That is one of the dynamics that Derrick has brought. He's raised the temperature in the paint a little bit, and when the ball is up on the glass, he goes after it like the ball belongs to him. That has become contagious, and that's why we can't wait for John Fulkerson to get back. John has that same approach. I think that's had an impact on Kyle. He has the instincts, the hands and the athleticism to be an effective rebounder. Although he's always been a pretty good rebounder, I think he has been exposed to a guy in Derrick who is a really hungry rebounder, and he's fed off that a little."
Â
WALK-ONS
 "I think this is the best group of walk-ons I have ever been around. They work so hard at becoming better players. I haven't been around a group of walk-ons that work as hard at being good players as Brad Woodson, Lucas Campbell and Jacob Fleschman. They all want to be really good individuals. Most of the time, you're happy if you can get guys who are team-oriented, get good grades and stay out of trouble. These guys have all that and can play. They spend just as much time working to get better as the scholarship players. We have reached a point where we don't feel like there is a drop off when those guys are in practice. It's a credit to those guys. From year to year, those guys have continued to get better. It's a reflection of our culture, but they have held themselves to a higher standard than most walk-ons do, and we have benefitted from it."
Â
TEAM'S MOST IMPORTANT INTANGIBLE
 "It is going to have to be toughness, but that remains to be seen. I can sit here and say that I like where we are in that regard. I think you go into every year expecting that to be the identity of your team, but we have yet to truly make that our identity. We have shown signs, and there have been moments throughout the course of a season where people saw that in us, but it hasn't been consistent or become the brand of our program, which we aspire for it to be. I think we are ahead of where we were this time the last two seasons. Back during the spring, we asked our guys, 'Who is the toughest team is in our league?' Until everyone on our team says that it's us, and they believe it and is true, we have a long way to go."
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