Donnie Tyndall thought the message had been firmly delivered.
But after having his Tennessee team give up 49 rebounds — 23 on the offensive end— in its 85-69 loss to No. 15 VCU, the Volunteers first-year head coach is revisiting his teaching method on boxing out.
“I’ve emphasized I felt since day one, but obviously I haven’t done a good enough job,” Tyndall said. “So we’ll continue to emphasize in the film room, on the practice floor, add a couple more rebounding drills that we do. We don’t have a team that likes a lot of contact, that comes with youthfulness and inexperience and guys that kind of shy away from getting hit or wanting to hit somebody.”
Luckily for UT, the Volunteers welcome in a team averaging just 15 offensive rebounds per game on the young 2014 season. UT hosts Texas Southern (0-2) in its home opener, beginning at 7 p.m. tonight inside Thompson-Boling Arena.
For five of Tennessee’s nine newcomers, Friday’s hiccup was their first collegiate loss.
A disappointing start, yes, but nobody’s too up in arms after just one defeat.
“You’ve just got to keep growing,” junior guard Kevin Punter said. “You can’t get too wrapped up in wins and losses and especially our first loss with us being a new team. You have to use that to make you a better team and grow and connect more as a brotherhood and as a team.”
Meanwhile, Texas Southern, fresh off an NCAA tournament appearance a season ago, enters tonight having already faced an early treacherous slate. The Tigers made road trips to Eastern Washington — a game that started at 8 a.m. local time — and college basketball powerhouse Indiana within the last week.
A familiar face exists in Marshall transfer Chris Thomas, who Tyndall faced off against last season while coaching at Southern Mississippi.
“They’re one of those teams that kind of every year has a new group, but they’re talented,” Tyndall said. “They’re athletic. The score against Eastern Washington wasn’t indicative of the game when you watch the game. Eastern Washington made 15 threes, so if they just make half of those, it takes seven away. That game’s on with two minutes to play.
“… So they’re very athletic. They’re a team that a year ago went to the NCAA tournament, and they return two really good players from that team. They had three or four transfers sitting out (that are back now).”
Texas Southern, however, may not be the only squad inside Thompson-Boling implementing starting lineup alternations. On Monday, Tyndall indicated that freshmen Willie Carmichael and Jabari McGhee ran with the first team, replacing Friday starters Derek Reese and Robert Hubbs.
In McGhee’s case, his season debut (seven points, six rebounds) was a surprise to many.
But don’t stick Punter on that list.
“Jabari, like how you’ve seen him play that night, he plays like that all the time in practice,” Punter said. “He goes hard. He’s going to rebound, and when he’s under the basket, he’s going to go up with two (hands), power finish. He does that all the time, so that’s nothing new.
“Expect to see that all year from him.”
A modification in the starting lineup may not be the only roster move for Tyndall as the Vols head coach is expecting to have junior guard Devon Baulkman (shoulder) back active for tonight’s home opener.
A 6-foot-5, 200-pound guard from Bainbridge Ga., Baulkman missed both of UT’s exhibition contests and didn’t travel for the Vols’ season opener either.
“We hope to (have him active),” Tyndall said. “He practiced (Sunday) probably about three fourths of the practice. Looked pretty good. He said he was pretty sore (Monday) morning, but we do hope and anticipate he’ll play on Thursday.”
