KNOXVILLE - At times during Admiral Schofield's first two basketball seasons at Tennessee, coach Rick Barnes had little choice but to play him as a power forward, even though Schofield is just 6-foot-5.
This year the junior's versatility is not a necessity. Barnes described it Monday as a luxury.
The No. 21 Volunteers (12-4, 3-2 SEC) tip off at 9 EST Wednesday night at Missouri (12-5, 2-2) with Schofield sliding seamlessly between the small forward and power forward positions as dictated by teammates' performances and the matchups presented by opponents.
"How much we play him at the three really depends on if there's a post guy playing well other than Grant (Williams)," Barnes said. "Or if one of the wings aren't doing what they need to do, he gives us the luxury to put him where we need some help that night."
Schofield knew entering this season that his role would change, and he planned accordingly. He attempted 1,000 shots a day during the offseason as he tried to refine his outside stroke in anticipation of being used more on the perimeter.
The offseason work translated, first in nonconference action and now through the first five games of Southeastern Conference play.
After shooting 30.1 percent from 3-point range as a freshman and 38.9 percent as a sophomore, Schofield is shooting 44.3 percent from beyond the arc this season. And his 3-point attempts per game have nearly doubled over his first two years. In Tennessee's first five SEC games, Schofield made 46.4 percent of his 3-point tries.
Tennessee got post player John Fulkerson back from injury early in the season and added freshman Derrick Walker to the frontcourt, giving Barnes more options inside along with returning center Kyle Alexander and star power forward Williams.
But even with Schofield playing fewer minutes in the frontcourt and spending more time on the wing, Barnes has stayed on him about rebounding. With a player of Schofield's physical prowess at small forward, the Vols should be able to rebound better, Barnes said.
Schofield is averaging six rebounds per game after averaging 4.4 last season. His minutes have increased, which partially accounts for that uptick, but Schofield has made it clear that he's embracing the physical, defense-first persona that has propelled the Vols into the Associated Press Top 25 for seven straight weeks.
"After losing to Arkansas and Auburn, especially Auburn, we felt like they out-toughed us," Schofield told the SEC Network. "That's one of the goals we set this year, was that we wanted to be the toughest team in the country. So we had to readjust our attitude."
Barnes particularly has seen a difference during the Vols' three-game winning streak after they started 0-2 in conference play. After averaging 6.5 rebounds per game in those first two and snagging just one steal in the two contests, Schofield has averaged 8.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals during the winning streak.
"The last couple games, he's gone back in and been a rebounder," Barnes said. "He's been a physical presence on both ends of the floor. We need that from him.
"We look at him as playing pretty much anywhere."
Contact David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com.