With a fresh, new season quickly approaching on the horizon, the Tennessee men’s basketball team has already gone to work.

Just 14 days stand between the Vols and a long journey across the Atlantic, and head coach Rick Barnes and crew already appear to be in midseason form. 

“I don’t think there’s any question that this fall we’re going to have the best practices we’ve ever had,” Barnes said. “We’re going to have a full roster of guys who are competitive, who work hard and have done everything we’ve asked them to do.”

For Barnes, the upcoming exhibition tour of Spain and France not only offers the chance to kick the preseason off with a bang; it gives the players a chance to tour the world and grow closer as a unit.

“Some of these guys have never been out of the country,” Barnes said. “So I think this trip will be a great, educational opportunity for them. In terms of the chemistry with our guys, it’s as good as it’s ever been. This trip can take that a step further.” 

Boasting a relatively young core, the Vols are coming off of a season in which they finished 16-16 overall and managed to pull off an upset over the Kentucky Wildcats at Thompson Boling Arena on January 24.

A close-knit group, they have all remained close over the summer, spending a truckload of time on campus. They even watched the NBA Finals together.

Junior guard and Toledo, Ohio native Chris Darrington says his teammates have fully embraced each other over the past two months and looks forward to experiencing different cultures alongside this group.

“Even before the trip, we’re here in the summer time, we’re all together,” Darrington said. “We’re all together, and will be over there as well. I think it will be great.”

While regular season play doesn’t officially tip off until November 10, Tennessee is clearly wasting no time to prepare. Although the Vols have several key contributors nursing and rehabilitating various injuries, including guards Lamote Turner and Jordan Bowden, the team has hit the ground running.

With a loaded roster full of promising talent, this could turn out to be one of the program’s more competitive groups in recent memory. 

“I told a couple of them that for the first time in their lives, they’re really going to have to compete for minutes.” Barnes chuckled. “I believe our team is going to be a very competitive group of guys, and they’re going to have to earn every minute they get.”