Shembari Phillips Breaking Through Freshman Wall

#1
SJAVol32

SJAVol32

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#1
Tennessee Vols' Shembari Phillips breaking through freshman wall

Before the final few minutes turned a big win into a hugely disappointing loss, several things went well for the Tennessee basketball team on Saturday.

Shembari Phillips was one of those things.

Phillips, a freshman guard from Atlanta, scored a career-high 15 points for the Vols in their 92-88 loss to 17th-ranked Texas A&M in Thompson-Boling Arena.

Beyond the point production, though, Phillips generally did what he was asked to do. That’s what pleased first-year Tennessee coach Rick Barnes the most.

Phillips, who spells Kevin Punter at point guard and also plays minutes at the 2-guard spot, had only one turnover in 18 minutes, and he did his job. He was asked to get the ball on the wing and drive into the heart of A&M’s zone and make plays, and that’s exactly what he did, finishing 3-of-6 from the floor and 9-of-10 from the free-throw line.

“I thought Shembari Phillips played his best game of the year. He was terrific,” Barnes said. “He’s a great cutter. In the first half, he was cutting. He did a great job.

“Without question, I thought it was Shembari’s best effort.”

Phillips, who made headlines for getting benched in Tennessee’s first exhibition game because he was late to shoot-around, hasn’t come into any problems off the court or anything of the sort. He’s just been a work in progress on the court, with fellow freshman Lamonte Turner’s NCAA eligibility issues (he can’t play until next season) causing the Vols a desperate need for help on the ball.

Having the ball in his hands has been nothing new for Phillips, but having the ball in his hands as a point guard has been an understandable issue for a kid who rarely played the point until moving to Knoxville. And he’s had to do all that while trying to adjust to life at the college level and playing against a much tougher level of competition on a daily basis.

“I really had to step it up,” Phillips said. “At my high school, we really put in a lot of work, but this was that times two or three. Guys now are bigger, smarter and faster, so I have had to adjust. I think I’m doing OK now.

“Really I just thought I was a little bit more confident tonight. I just did what (Barnes) told me to do. In the past I was maybe a little not confident, I guess you could say. Today I took that confidence up and just tried to do the best I could.”
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#3
#3
I've been very proud of Shembari and Admiral, as well as Detrick. Both Ray and Kyle have shown some flashes and I certainly hope they can develop well for next year. Add in hubbs and the incoming freshmen class and I think we can do some major damage in the SEC next year.
 
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#4
#4
SP took a step forward, but he's a freshman. He'll almost certainly struggle at times. It's great that he's getting to the free throw line AND making the shots. If he keeps the turn overs to a minimum he'll be making a solid contribution even if he doesn't score a ton of points. Lots of upside if he works hard and stays focused on making the team better.
 
#7
#7
I know it's not what everyone wants to here, but this team will be tournament caliber by the end of the season. Unfortunately, it will be too late.
 
#8
#8
This is going to turn out to be a really good class in a couple years. 3 of the 4 have massive potential. We'll see about Ray.

In the first half on Saturday, Phillips was running through the lane on with reckless abandon, bouncing off defenders trying to draw fouls. Drew a foul after cutting into the lane off the ball after the third attempt on the same possession. Was a flop, but got the call. I laughed.
 
#10
#10
And for the record, I called it on admiral. I didn't think it'd be this early, but I Did call that by mid sec play he'd be a beast.i think I even said for somebody to screenshot it.
 
#11
#11
i think barnes is still finding right combo. i think we will get better as the season goes along
 
#12
#12
Dallasbowlin said:
And for the record, I called it on admiral. I didn't think it'd be this early, but I Did call that by mid sec play he'd be a beast.i think I even said for somebody to screenshot it.
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Forgive us, but it's kind of hard to take your word on much big Dal lol.
 
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#13
#13
rickyb712 said:
i think barnes is still finding right combo. i think we will get better as the season goes along
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We have improved tremendously already since the start of the season. But I do agree that they'll keep getting better. I hope the next freshman that takes a jump is Alexander.
 
#17
#17
Dallasbowlin said:
Lol. I tried finding the post, but all i can find is bto and k-town trashing him. Lol
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It was k-town and vol30. Not really trashing, just said they didn't expect him to be more than a role player.
Way back in November. Things change.
 
#18
#18
calban said:
It was k-town and vol30. Not really trashing, just said they didn't expect him to be more than a role player.
Way back in November. Things change.
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Bto said some sarcastic things, but no need to rehash it
 
#19
#19
Dallasbowlin said:
And for the record, I called it on admiral. I didn't think it'd be this early, but I Did call that by mid sec play he'd be a beast.i think I even said for somebody to screenshot it.
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You must be feeling really good right now, being the only person on the planet to have predicted AS to do this well. Good call
 
#20
#20
Dallasbowlin said:
Bto said some sarcastic things, but no need to rehash it
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BTO's remarks were no doubt jaded by his intense hatred for Tyndall. If Schofield had been a Martin or Barnes recruit, BTO would have exhausted every effort to find his positive attributes.

Me personally, I didn't expect this type of early production from Schofield, but I also expected him to primarily be a post player based on offseason/preseason comments about his position, even though I disagreed with them and thought his best position was at the 3/SF position. His HS tape showed a good enough handle and perimeter shot to give him a chance to make it as an all-around player capable of playing inside and out and crashing the boards from the SF position.

He is certainly showing an Armani-type game at a very early stage in his career, and I think he is even further ahead of of Armani at a similar stage in their careers. I'm excited.
 
#22
#22
Dallasbowlin said:
And for the record, I called it on admiral. I didn't think it'd be this early, but I Did call that by mid sec play he'd be a beast.i think I even said for somebody to screenshot it.
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I scanned through the first 20 or so pages of his thread the other day, just to see what people said. The only guy really defending him was Sparty. That being said you say some weird stuff (Start DJ over Russ) so it's very possible that you said that about Admiral. Lol
 
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#23
#23
BadJerry20 said:
I scanned through the first 20 or so pages of his thread the other day, just to see what people said. The only guy really defending him was Sparty. That being said you say some weird stuff (Start DJ over Russ) so it's very possible that you said that about Admiral. Lol
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Speaking of Sparty, what'd you do with him? I haven't saw him on here in a minute.
 
#24
#24
Lefteye said:
Speaking of Sparty, what'd you do with him? I haven't saw him on here in a minute.
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I was wondering the same thing a while back and forgot to ask. I wonder how he feels about CRB? We all knew what he thought about CCM.
 
#25
#25
BadJerry20 said:
I scanned through the first 20 or so pages of his thread the other day, just to see what people said. The only guy really defending him was Sparty. That being said you say some weird stuff (Start DJ over Russ) so it's very possible that you said that about Admiral. Lol
Click to expand...

My defense started around page 23-24.
 
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