Tennessee Basketball: An in-depth look at Volunteers 2020-21 roster
Key Newcomers
Jaden Springer – 6’5″ Freshman Combo guard
Springer was a 5-star high school recruit, and a McDonald’s All-American (but wasn’t able to compete in the game, due to COVID-19), who graduated from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. He is one of three incoming freshmen, that I got a chance to study on film a little bit last week. He is a player that Tennessee fans should be excited about because he can have his way on the offensive end.
No matter how elite of a defender you are, you will have a hard time causing him to lose the ball, as he is wrapping the ball behind his back, going between his legs, or completing a basic crossover. If you decide to go for the ball, because you see a golden opportunity for a steal, he takes his time and makes sure that he has full control of the ball, before making his next move.
I think that his timing of moves allows him to avoid unnecessary turnovers. He doesn’t make them before his defenders go for the ball, because he doesn’t want to dribble it right into their hands for an easy steal. Springer understands that his laid back demeanor and playing style will cause defenders to take more risks, in order to make him uncomfortable, but he doesn’t let that stop him from making moves at the speed that works best for him.
He also does a great job of using his body when he drives and getting defenders on his back as he is getting deep into the paint, before drawing attention and making the right pass. He is also a player that is willing to wait to allow plays to develop so that his team can get the best shot available. For example, if he is coming off a screen, and sees that the big hasn’t rolled hard to the rim yet, he remains patient and waits until they are open for an easy layup or dunk, before delivering a pass to them.
Staying on the topic of patience, Springer is a good passer in transition, who gives his teammates a chance to sprint down the floor, and fill the lanes correctly, so that he doesn’t have to try to execute a one-man fast break. On the defensive end, he has the potential to be a really good defender when he is alert and devoted to working hard in order to keep his man out of the paint.
Corey Walker Jr. – 6’8″ Freshman Small Forward/Power Forward
Walker was a 4-star high school recruit, who graduated from Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Virginia. Last season, Hargrave Military Academy liked to run their offense with four players out on the perimeter, and one in the post.
This caused Walker to play out on the perimeter a lot, and showcase that he could be an adequate ball-handler, which he did quite well. He is at his best when he is able to make one crossover, and take one or two dribbles and use his body to overpower defenders at the rim. He also likes to execute an in and out crossover and refuse screens, which isn’t a great decision if you aren’t terribly quick and the defender that is defending you has great hands and feet, but he normally is able to pull it off.
Additionally, Walker is a terrific rebounder who has a knack for the ball and has the ability to predict which side of the rim the ball will come off of on a missed shot. He does have a tendency to put the ball on the floor too quickly after gathering rebounds, and because defenders love to reach immediately when that occurs, he sometimes gets the ball stolen from him.
His length causes major problems for players when they are preparing to lay the ball up, and because he has great footwork defensively, and doesn’t fall for long-elusive crossovers, he is able to get a lot of easy blocks. It is also worth noting that he comprehends when it is a good idea for him to jump vertically with his hands straight up so that he doesn’t get whistled for a foul.
Keon Johnson – 6’5″ Freshman Shooting Guard
Johnson was a 5-star high school recruit, who graduated from The Webb School in Bell Buckle, Tennessee. I believe that Johnson will have a legitimate opportunity to come in, and make an impact for the Vols right out of the gate.
Johnson is a guard that covers a lot of ground when he puts the ball on the deck and avoids taking baby dribbles that will allow defenders to stay with him, which allows him to get to his spots quicker. This makes it easier for him to simply jab to his right, push the ball out in front of him and extend/finish at the rim.
The thing that I really like about Johnson’s game is the fact that he is always looking around when he is dribbling, so he doesn’t give his opponents the chance to poke the ball away from him from behind. In addition to that, he doesn’t immediately take off when he gets into the paint, because he knows how important it is for him to slow down, size up the big who is waiting for him to make up his mind, and then attack him.
I also like the fact he is a good decision-maker, who is effortlessly able to escape double teams. This is because he doesn’t’ try to split them right away, and instead protects the ball as defenders swat at it, and waits for the perfect time to slice through them. When he doesn’t have the ball in his hands, he does a good job of moving without it and making himself available to his teammates who are on the move, by finding the soft spots in defenses.
EJ Anosike – 6’7″ Senior Small Forward/Power Forward
Anosike transferred to Tennessee when the 2019-2020 season concluded, after playing at Sacred Heart from 2017-2019. Last season, he averaged 15.7 points and 11.6 rebounds per game while shooting 48.4% from the floor. It may not be as obvious to some people, but I can clearly see why he was the 6th ranked grad transfer (per ESPN) on the market this off-season. (started school in 2017, but graduated a year early)
He certainly has the ability to play the Small Forward position if needed, but to me, he is better served as a Power Forward. He is a player who loves to play with power, and use his big body to forcefully move defenders out of the way. For his size (245 pounds) Anosike moves extremely well, and has no issue running the floor, and getting high-quality shots at the basket.
He can certainly handle the ball outside of the post and loves to operate on the right and left elbow. He also has no problem knocking down a 14-15 foot jump shot if defenders give it to him, but what makes him so challenging to neutralize is the fact that he doesn’t always shoot the ball right away.
He takes a few seconds to test out his defender’s defense, by seeing if a pump fake or exaggerated jab step or two will cause them to retreat a bit, and when it does, he then decides to fire the shot. His strength allows him to drop step to either side and instantly explode up, without feeling the need to try to get his defenders in the air first (like Fulkerson sometimes does). Similar to Pons, Anosike is comfortable shooting post fades, if he feels his post moves have been too predictable the last few possessions.
He is certainly a player that is really good when high low basketball is being played, because he can use his body to keep his defender on his backside and get high percentage looks at the basket if his teammates give him a decent pass. If his defender somehow manages to front him successfully, but the help side is nonexistent, he has the explosiveness to be able to elevate, snag in out of the air with two hands, and go straight up when he is on-balance.
If you think it is going to be easy to limit Anosike to one shot every possession, you truly need to think again, because he loves to battle for offensive rebounds on a consistent basis. If you don’t put a body on him immediately after a shot goes up, he will feast on the offensive boards, and give himself multiple opportunities to convert at the basket.
He recorded 105 offensive rebounds in 2018-2019 (which ranked 1st in the NEC), and 138 offensive rebounds in 2019-2020 (which ranked 1st in the NEC, and 2nd in the NCAA), so if you didn’t believe me before, those numbers alone should tell you just how much of a workhorse he really is.
Last season, he struggled to hit shots from deep at a high clip, shooting just 25% from three, and only draining 20 threes in 80 attempts. However, the previous season he shot 35% from three, knocking down 19 threes in 53 attempts, which shows that if defenders leave him open, they shouldn’t be surprised if he occasionally knocks a few of them down.
Victor Bailey Jr. – 6’4″ Redshirt Junior Shooting Guard
Bailey joined the Vols in 2019 (but had to sit out last season), after playing two seasons at Oregon under Dana Altman. In 2018-2019 he appeared in 37 games and averaged 7.4 points and 19.1 minutes per game while shooting 39.8% from three. He scored 10 points or more 13 times last season, and had 26 games where he made at least one three-point field goal.
I think that getting the chance to play with a guard like Payton Pritchard for two seasons, helped Bailey understand what he needed to do, in order to get the looks he wanted.
Pritchard is a guard that essentially lived in the paint during his time at Oregon, which caused Bailey to relocate from the wing to the corner several times so that Pritchard could deliver a more accurate pass to him.
I think that Vols fans should understand that Bailey is more than just a shooter, and when defenders try to run him off the three-point line, he can rip through, put his head down, and use his deceptive athleticism to rise up, and give shot-blockers a hard time at the rim. He can have problems at times, when he elects to plunge into defenders, that have their feet set outside of the restricted area, which resulted in a few charges every now and then at Oregon.