Tennessee assistant coach Earl Grant met with the media Thursday ahead of the Vols’ in-state matchup with Tennessee State. Grant discussed the defensive strides Tennessee has made over the past few weeks, as the Vols are holding opponents to 28.5% shooting from the field and 21.6% from 3-point range. 

He also talked about what it takes to get a largely new roster up to Rick Barnes’ standard. Here’s everything Grant said.

Where do you feel like this team has made the most strides defensively since the Duke exhibition?

“I mean, obviously just time. You know, we've had time. We've been able to get in some games, exhibitions and even real games, where we have trial and error. You know, we can go out and try to execute a plan. And early on, we had breakdowns. We still have breakdowns, but we started to close that gap. Coach Barnes has a standard, and that he set over the last, how many years? Ten years. And I don't think he's going to lower that standard. So just every day trying to get the guys to understand how hard you got to play at this level to be successful. And they’re starting to pick it up.” 

Is better defensive communication the thing that would give you the most optimism that things are heading in the right direction? 

“I mean, that's a part of it. You know, trusting each other's voice, talking, being vocal, being loud. You know, some of it, just to be honest with you, is positioning, toughness and execution and trusting the people around you. But anytime you start communicating and talking more, that helps with the trust level. So there is some progress with our communication, and we still got another level we can get to.” 

Where have you seen Miles Rubin increase more in his role defensively? 

“Well, I mean, Miles has always been a great rim protector. I mean, he is 6-foot-11. He's got a great wingspan. He's a good athlete. He is agile. You know, he moves well. He rebounds at 12 feet. So he's an above-the-rim athlete. And so he's always been a great rim protector. But now he's getting better in the ball screen coverages, being a little bit more aggressive there. 

“And he's communicating well. I mean, obviously, anytime [you're] the big man, you may guard three ball screens in one possession. So he's got to talk to the guards. The guards gotta trust his voice. And he's starting to get to where he's being vocal. But he's always been a great rim protector. And so he's a big anchor to our defense.” 

How’s Tyler Lundblade’s communication has helped defensively since returning?

“Yeah, Tyler's been great. I mean, obviously, he's been in college for six years. That's priceless. You can't teach six years. You know, that's a lot of experience. Kind of like the Celtics. They had Al Horford. He's kind of like our Al Horford. That experienced voice that's just been around the block. And he's a good leader. He's got a good eye for the game. So he's been, he's made a major impact.”

What does more look like for this group defensively?

“More is every guy you put on the floor. We put nine or 10 guys on the floor every night. Every guy that goes on the floor understanding the game plan, understanding our defensive schemes, our terminology, how tough you have to be to play here, how well you have to communicate. So it's a lot of layers to it. So you put 10 different guys on the floor, that's 10 individuals trying to be one great group, right? 

“And so I think as you go through the games, you only can get better because we haven't had any experiences together. We haven't been through adversity together. We haven't been through a lot of wins together. So as you go through the season, you're going to just continue to build that trust and build that faith and belief in what we're doing. And hopefully, ultimately, at some point, we'll be at our highest potential.” 

What's your message to those such as Juke Harris who’s not seen that wow game yet after being the guy in their previous stop?

“I think, you know, for Juke, this is a new experience. You know, he played 32 minutes a game last year. He averaged 20 points a game. He took the most attempts on this team, played the most minutes. And his team depended on him to be their leading scorer all the time. I think now he's on a team with a lot of guys who can do a lot of things. 

“So he's trying to carve out what he has to do for Tennessee basketball, for Tennessee basketball to win. And I think scoring is a big part of that. And he's got to defend. He's got to rebound, he's got to lead, he's got to talk, and he['ll] have more people around him that can score as well. So he may have to facilitate at times.” 

How is it getting new players to play the Rick Barnes system at a high level and buy in?

“I mean, they got to remember why they came to Tennessee. They came to Tennessee to be a part of a winning program. They came to Tennessee to play for a legendary coach. They came to Tennessee to get tougher but learn to become a better defender. They came to Tennessee to help their reputation as a player overall because of the respect that Coach Barnes has.

“And obviously, if you can play for him and be successful, I think you can put a stamp on your name. So they just got to remember why they came here. It's going to require some sacrifices of each player in order for us to be the best team that we could be.” 

How would you assess where the team's on-ball defense is right now?

“Better than it was three weeks ago.” 

Is that because communication and understanding that the mind is not tying up the feet as much? 

“Some of that. Some of it’s just practice, just practice every day, watching the film, seeing when you're breaking down, seeing which guys are having great success, learning from your teammates. And then Coach Barnes just pushing them, you know. And so it's just that process that you gotta go through to become a good team because it's so many new guys. So you gotta go through that process together to become a team because we have great individual talent.” 

Where do you assess Jalen Haralson defensively?

“Defensively, you know, Jalen has been really good. You know, he's played the three. He's played the four. He's actually played some point guard. He's improved tremendously, his positioning, you know, over the last three weeks, because when you come here and you are coming from a different program, you have to unlearn before you can learn. You know, everybody has been taught different ways to guard the ball screen or what side are you influencing the offensive guy when you close out to him?

“How was our transition D? What do we do here compared to what you did there? So a lot of guys are unlearning some things and now they're starting to pick up on how do you master the system at Tennessee. And that's just going to take some time because we're looking for mastery: offensive system, defensive system. And that's just going to take some time.” 

Tennessee State plays a pretty high tempo. What challenges do they present? 

“Well, number one, the coach is doing a great job. They went to the NCAA tournament last year. That's number one. Number two, they have at least four players that have played in the SEC, ACC, Big 12. So they do have high level guys. Number three, they’re fast and athletic. 

“And so they present a lot of challenges. But it's the next game. And each game presents its own different challenge. And so that's why we practice, come up with a great game plan and then try to go execute that plan. But they do have a lot of firepower.” 

Does the learning process apply to you as well? Working for Rick with a new staff and a new roster?

“It does. I mean, terminology. Obviously, he's the head coach. He's the leader. So we got to try to make sure as a staff, we are enforcing his message. You know, I've been a head coach for 12 years, so I know if you have a staff behind you, the most important thing is that they are enforcing your message. Because it is your program and it is your team and it’s what you built.

“So I think it's been a process, but it's been a very refreshing, enjoyable process because I understand what he's going through with so many new guys. I understand what he's trying to continue to build. And I know what he needs. So it's been a very refreshing, enjoyable process to kind of just be a servant to everybody: managers, coaches, players.

“You gotta be a good teammate. You know, you got to be a good teammate. So that's been enjoyable. And also just building the relationships with the players and all the staff and everybody I run into. So it's been, again, the word I use is refreshing, enjoyable. But I am learning a lot too.

“So I, you know, as a man and a woman, you want to learn, right? When you stop learning, you stop growing. So I do come to work every day feeling like I can learn from him, and then try to figure out how to help him. So it's been unbelievable.”

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