KNOXVILLE – The preparation of the Tennessee men’s basketball coaches has paid off in the short term.
An injury to guard Lamonte Turner has stripped the team of one of its top guards, as the 6-foot-1 junior averaged over 10 points and two assists per game last season and was the Southeastern Conference’s sixth man of the year. The injury has forced coach Rick Barnes to be more creative with his rotations, with starting shooting guard Jordan Bowden sliding over to play the point some when starter Jordan Bone needs a rest.
Forward Grant Williams and the versatile Admiral Schofield also have helped facilitate the offense at times while Turner is recovering from an ankle injury.
“I think it’s valuable because it’s something we worked on in the offseason just for this situation,” Barnes said at his Monday news conference. “That’s paid off, but we need Lamonte back. Not only for what he does offensively, but defensively to maintain the kind of pressure we would like to maintain throughout the game.”
Bowden has maintained his scoring average (10.5 points while shooting 60 percent from 3-point range) but also has averaged five assists in the Volunteers’ two games, wins over Lenoir-Rhyne and Louisiana.