With every star player on a championship-caliber roster, there is a supporting cast of role players that do things the right way.
That’s the mission Tennessee basketball is seeking to find with conference play around the corner. The No. 20 Vols (8-3) know their offense runs through Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Nate Ament — but it is the contribution from those around them that stands out.
Tennessee saw that in its 83-62 win over No. 11 Louisville. Troy Henderson and Amari Evans played a combined 13 minutes on Tuesday, but their impacts went beyond the limited time on the court.
Both of the freshmen were entrusted to the court for the final four minutes of the first half when Tennessee went deep into foul trouble. Gillespie and Ament earned seats beside Rick Barnes on the bench, and that left Evans and Henderson to play in a closing situation that they hadn’t been in at the end of the first half.
The Vols carried the battle through those remaining minutes with a makeshift lineup, carrying a 33-27 lead into the break. Barnes credited it to being the ‘most important’ stretch of the game.
But it’s the efforts of those like Evans, who went for seven points and five fouls in just seven minutes of action, that stand out.
“He’s starting to get on that court because if you watch when that ball goes up on for a shot, he going to try to get it every time and he’s flying in there like it’s the last thing he wants to do,” assistant coach Steve McClain said. “And that’s what we need out of him.
“And that’s another great example of a young player finding what coach wants, and that’ll get me on the court and he’s doing it now.”
Henderson falls into that same category. The reserve guard, and former AAU teammate of Ament, has played sparingly this season. But he’s learning the adjustment of what it takes to get on the court, too.
“I’ve been learning every day,” Henderson said. “Every day in practice, I’ve been taking a step towards that, like trying to affect the game without scoring because like I’ve been scoring all my life, so it’s been a big adjustment. But I’ve been adjusting well, trying to just find my role on this team and just do whatever it takes to win the game.”
It is borderline coachspeak for the freshman guard. He claims his role is being a 94-foot guard who takes on the competition of defending the opposing team’s best guard.
Defense comes first because Barnes sets the expectation that a seat on the bench is open for those who don’t play it his way. It’s why Henderson was effective without scoring a point against Louisville. In fact, the only stat that went into the scorebook was two personal fouls.
“Just playing my role,” Henderson said. “Coach Barnes asked me to play my role, so I just came in with the mindset of play defense and just take advantage of my opportunities when they come.”
As conference play rolls around with the new year, it’s those role players that matter most. Tennessee got a glimpse of each man playing its role against Louisville. It’ll need to see more of that with the nonconference slate wrapping up against Gardner-Webb and South Carolina State.
The first of which comes against the Runnin’ Bulldogs on Dec. 21 at 3 p.m. ET.
“You saw a group that was really connected,” McClain said. “The bigs, the guards, everyone doing their job. It’s a pretty simple thing when you really look at it, when everybody’s doing their job. And coaches use that term, but it’s the truth. You’ve got to do your job.”
