On January 24, the Tennessee basketball team confirmed its permanent starting lineup at Alabama.
Now it’s a bench rotation.
The Vols (18-7, 8-4 SEC) beat LSU 73-63 on Feb. 14 at Food City Center for their winning streak. Reserve guard Ethan Burg had his best game in months, finishing with eight points and two rebounds in 18 minutes. He hasn’t played more than 10 minutes in a game since playing 14 minutes on Dec. 30 against South Carolina State.
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Berg has played more minutes than both freshmen guards Amari Evans and Troy Henderson. Tennessee coach Rick Barnes explains why they sat out most of the second half against LSU.
“We’re trying to get these guys to understand the importance of every possession,” Barnes said after LSU’s win. “The reason Ethan (Berger) played more minutes tonight than Amari usually does is because Ethan played well. He deserves it and I’m sure Amari is happy for him because he knows what he’s been through for a month.
“We have a team that cares about each other. They have each other’s backs and on any given night, things could go the other way.”
Tennessee assistant coach Greg Polinski believes the freshmen need to play with intensity in every game to stay on the field.
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“One thing I’ve learned in my basketball career is: Great players and great teams don’t compete for possession of the ball,” he said on February 17. “You can’t say, ‘I’m going to be great in this sequence, this possession, and then I think I’m going to take a break.'” We’ve got some guys here who have proven that the first tip works, and they compete every possession. I think it’s a really difficult thing for young people to do, especially when you’re doing cardio. “
Of the two freshmen, Evans earned the more consistent backup role. He started in 23 of 25 games, including every SEC game. Evan played seven minutes against Louisville State, his lowest total since the Dec. 16 win over Louisville.
More: Why Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes demands more from the bench
On January 13, Henderson played 22 minutes in a double overtime win over Texas A&M and appeared to be on track for more playing time. A left shoulder injury hampered his progress, forcing him to miss several games.
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Second-year Bishop Boswell knows better than anyone how difficult it is to stay consistent as a freshman guard in the SEC.
“I think coach said we need everybody, you know, whether I’m in foul trouble or Jakobi (Gillespie) isn’t playing well, it’s going to take everybody,” he said. “We need different guys every night. Every game is a different matchup and we try to attack different things. If we get the best out of everyone on our team, we’re going to be successful.”
Polinsky recognized the team’s emerging depth. He also knows it can be difficult to get everyone to take enough action.
“I think it’s hard to be fair with three guys playing minutes on any given night,” he said. “But what we ask of these guys is really hard, to be a good enough teammate to be able to say, ‘This is Ethan’s night, this is Troy’s night, this is Amalie Abram’s night.’ “We have depth. Do you believe this? Can you be selfless enough to cheer for your teammates one night? “
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Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. e-mail: wynton.jackson@knoxnews.com
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This article originally appeared in the Knoxville News-Sentinel: Why guard depth is a good issue for Tennessee basketball