KNOXVILLE – Tennessee men’s basketball coach Rick Barnes was never really concerned about Yves Pons.
The athletic 6-foot-6 sophomore had struggled for about a month. Scared to shoot. Not comfortable with the basketball in his hands. That started to bleed into his defense as he began to lose focus on that end of the court as well.
So while Pons’ performance Tuesday night may not have been dominant, scoring six points in seven minutes in the top-ranked Volunteers’ 72-60 win over Missouri was definitely a step in the right direction.
Pons had a combined 11 points in his previous nine games, all in the new calendar year. He had only 13 shots in that stretch – even though teams were basically content to leave him open – and made just four, so Barnes was pleased to see Pons make both of of his field-goal attempts against the Tigers. Despite entering the game 4-for-13 on free throws this season, Pons made both of his shots at the line, too.
When asked about Pons during his slump, Barnes had repeatedly said he wasn’t worried. Now Pons has given a sign the rough stretch could be behind him.