Start Mashack.....

#26
#26
All Vol! said:
To be fair Triple J has poured in some outstanding performances this season. 27 at Rupp comes to mind and others. But yeah some consistency would be nice.
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He's had a handful of good games on offense out of over 30. Not good at all!
 
#27
#27
Johnnyreb#VFL said:
I think the ideal lineup yesterday should have been ZZ DK Mashack Awaka Aidoo, even though they all played like trash for most of the game. Barnes went offensive to get a spark but it never happened. When you’re struggling to make shots, you have to make up for it on defense.

It’s too late in the season to be messing with the starting lineup. But def be quicker to pull starters when they look off. Santi role this year has always been effort and defense. Don’t expect that to suddenly change in the dance. His role is what it is at this point.
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You read my mind. This was the lineup I would like to see in the more physical and taller teams. Need some muscle on the floor sometimes rather than finesse.
 
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#28
#28
FeelVol said:
This should be ZZ,Mashack,Aidoo,Awakas’ team now….give them the bulk of minutes along with DK.We have to play with defense and physicality and I believe these guys give us the best chance.JJJ rebounds but is not a physical defender.I appreciate his and Vescovi contributions throughout the years but it’s time to pass the torch on.My only concern with Coach Barnes is that he seems to be too loyal to his upperclassmen even to a fault.
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I 100% agree with starting the 5 you mention along with the rest of your post. It's been painful to watch Santi and JJJ consistently play 20 - 25+ minutes per game without contributing the corresponding production that would warrant that many minutes. As most have said, they are very streaky, but there have been far too many games where they're on the bad streaky side than the good one.
 
#29
#29
Mashack's first shot yesterday was entirely wide of the rim and bounced off the bottom of the backboard. It reminded me of last year when I went to the tournament game at Madison Square Garden. Y'all saw that he show poorly during the game, but even before the game in his warm up shots he was having trouble finding the rim. I don't know that we should look to him for energy going into the game. He seems to excel bringing the energy from the bench.
 
#33
#33
All Vol! said:
To be fair Triple J has poured in some outstanding performances this season. 27 at Rupp comes to mind and others. But yeah some consistency would be nice.
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JJJ and Vescovi have had chances to hit huge shots and have choked! And when they do, the opponent always capitalizes and then seals the game based on JJJ/Santi’s inability to seize the moment.

I really thought these guys would get it together. I thought Knecht would get Vescovi open looks and he’d become a sniper—- guaranteed 3. And I thought James would see what Knecht could do, and feel motivated to do the same thing considering they’re almost identical frame and speed—what 1 man can do—another can do type ****.

Instead, I hold my breath any time either of them have the ball.
 
#35
#35
I think Barnes should order Santi to shoot the ball. Right now every time he gets it on the 3 point line he looks to Aidoo inside either low in the post or playing the 2 man game off the screen. Aidoo can't get open in the low position most of the time and its also low percentage out of the screen. I think it would yield more points if Aidoo stays low and Santi shoots the 3. Play the the 2 man game with DK instead, drive and pass back.
 
#36
#36
i don’t think Barnes will change the lineup. He will roll with SV & JJJ. Sweet 16 is our ceiling in my opinion. Don’t see us scoring enough in a physical match up. Please prove me wrong Rick, SV, JJJ, JG, JA, & TA. Let’s see if Barnes can shake the regular season Rick tag that’s weighing him down. Most of vol nation will not be satisfied unless we get that elite 8 appearance. Remember, this is a tournament sport. So Vols let’s perform at a high level in the tournament. Hopefully, the NCAA’s will show us peaking for 4 straight games. Go Vols!
 
#38
#38
Starting all upperclassmen is perfectly fine. They might be missing shots, but they’re far less likely to make the mistakes that create points for opponents.

The distribution of minutes is much more relevant. But even with that the staff is going to attempt to exploit opponents with matchups. Going small to attempt to counter an opponent going big is a valid approach. It’s up to the players that are put on the court to execute.
 
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#39
#39
vols1071 said:
Now is not the time to continue to sit and wait for Vescovi to be relevant.. Mashack gives better defense even tho Vescovi is solid defensively... Mashack has better abilities to drive and has prolly shot it better than Vescovi... Vescovi may thrive better coming off the bench...Barnes has to get beyond his hard head and actually do what's needed offensively
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Couldn’t agree more.
 
#40
#40
vols1071 said:
Now is not the time to continue to sit and wait for Vescovi to be relevant.. Mashack gives better defense even tho Vescovi is solid defensively... Mashack has better abilities to drive and has prolly shot it better than Vescovi... Vescovi may thrive better coming off the bench...Barnes has to get beyond his hard head and actually do what's needed offensively
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I would not mind seeing Gainey and Vescovi come off the bench in the upcoming NCAA Tournament while Mashack slides into the starting lineup.
 
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#41
#41
100% agree.
vols1071 said:
Now is not the time to continue to sit and wait for Vescovi to be relevant.. Mashack gives better defense even tho Vescovi is solid defensively... Mashack has better abilities to drive and has prolly shot it better than Vescovi... Vescovi may thrive better coming off the bench...Barnes has to get beyond his hard head and actually do what's needed offensively
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#43
#43
SV still has one of the best +\- ratios on the team. He does not dribble “the air outta the damn ball” like some do. He’s an effective passer to the post. His man continues to guard him which keeps double teams off DK.

Insert Mashack in the starting lineup & you’ll see his defender cheat off him to double DK. We may see that even with SV in the lineup in the NCAA. At that point SV will have to hit shots or RB will have to make a decision. Remember, each year we’ve seen teams defend Tennessee differently in the tournament than SEC coaches have defended them in regular season.
 
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#44
#44
CAVPUT said:
Barnes has had over 30 games to play youth and DEVELOP depth, but he's ridden the Vescovi and JJJ horses into the ground. Yeah, I know baseball and basketball are different, but look at how Vitello develops his younger players and pitchers. If an injury comes, he plugs in the next guy. Look at what Garner does on the DL. He plays kids and grows them. Barnes, come hell or high water, is going to play the same folks over and over again. Can anyone offer a semi-reasonable explanation on why our starters go so many minutes against MSU? Was he trying to spare the kids from being associated with that embarrassment? Is he trying to drive some on the bench into the portal? Saving redshirts? Yeah, I know....the kids aren't "practicing" the way Barnes wants them to so they don't get the "reward" of playing. Instead, he let's Vescovi and JJJ cook in their own juices until they're rendered down into something unrecognizable. Thought he loved those two guys? Maybe start someone else and bring 'em off the bench? Let 'em reset a bit? Hey, he's a HOF coach so I can't pretend to know more, but to do the same things over and over and over....definition of insanity. I really hope this team finds itself during their time off. It would be a shame for this group to go down in flames given the great guys we've got on this roster. It would be nice to see them end on a high note. At least the sweet 16. Surely they can find something in themselves to get that far?
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It's moot at this point because drastic changes aren't going to be made now, but I was an advocate of a bigger rotation early-mid season, to save the core for the stretch tun and to get these kids some serious run to see what we had. It's one part of Barnes' way of doing things I've never agreed with.

Regarding starting Mashack over Vescovi, it's not a horrible idea because it provides more balance in the bench unit and running the second unit might get SV going. I like JJJ starting because of his versatility defensively, being able to switch and guard every position on the floor.

Gainey has definitely been a disappointment, as he was going to be that instant offense off the bench, and it just didn't happen. Hoping he can get it going a bit next week.
 
#45
#45
wmcovol said:
SV still has one of the best +\- ratios on the team. He does not dribble “the air outta the damn ball” like some do. He’s an effective passer to the post. His man continues to guard him which keeps double teams off DK.

Insert Mashack in the starting lineup & you’ll see his defender cheat off him to double DK. We may see that even with SV in the lineup in the NCAA. At that point SV will have to hit shots or RB will have to make a decision. Remember, each year we’ve seen teams defend Tennessee differently in the tournament than SEC coaches have defended them in regular season.
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Good point regarding spacing with SV. Funny thing is, if SV and JJJ can be willing shooters and even hit 30% of their 3's we would be in a better spot, simply because the defense can't cheat off of them. A few made 3's solves a world of problems.
 
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#46
#46
Mashack off of the bench changes things up. If the bench is Santi and Gainey as reserves it’s really 2 of the same guy as backups. Although SV is a better defender than JG.
 
#47
#47
WhenUrVolUrVFL said:
JJJ and Vescovi have had chances to hit huge shots and have choked! And when they do, the opponent always capitalizes and then seals the game based on JJJ/Santi’s inability to seize the moment.

I really thought these guys would get it together. I thought Knecht would get Vescovi open looks and he’d become a sniper—- guaranteed 3. And I thought James would see what Knecht could do, and feel motivated to do the same thing considering they’re almost identical frame and speed—what 1 man can do—another can do type ****.

Instead, I hold my breath any time either of them have the ball.
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Vescovi has had many open shot opportunities. He is at his best on catch and shoot, but he hesitates many times and then no longer open.
 
#48
#48
cgrish said:
Vescovi has had many open shot opportunities. He is at his best on catch and shoot, but he hesitates many times and then no longer open.
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He misses the screens Uros & ON Sat last couple yrs. Aidoo isn’t that physical & DK & JJJ aren’t that kinda player.
 
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#49
#49
Thunder Good-Oil said:
Mashack off of the bench changes things up. If the bench is Santi and Gainey as reserves it’s really 2 of the same guy as backups. Although SV is a better defender than JG.
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Agree. Santi is the better defender but I'd rather see Gainey taking shots at this point. Mashack gives a million % and comes in to lock someone down so there is your substitution for defense. I don't think the defense as a whole takes that much of a hit with Gainey swapping with Vescovi. We sure need something.
 
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