Across all sports at the University of Tennessee, the standard is spoken of often. In Thursday’s media availability, men’s basketball assistant coach Amorrow Morgan talked about the team’s effort throughout the summer and how each player is committed to the standard and culture of the program.
“I think we have a lot of depth,” Morgan said. “We have some guys who are really committed to our standards and our culture. I was really impressed with our group as a unit, just their focus every single day. There was no one we had to struggle with for effort, attitude or focus. Their approach has always been to come here and try to become the best version of themselves.”
Of course, it all starts at the top with head coach Rick Barnes. He knows how to foster a culture of great class and hard work. Barnes is one coach who never has to be questioned if things are being done the right way.
“And hats off to Coach Barnes, he’s as direct as anyone I’ve ever worked with,” Morgan said. “He was very honest in the recruiting process with each of them, saying this might be the hardest thing they’ve ever done in their lives.
“And for this reason they showed up with immense concentration, gratitude to be at Tennessee, excited about the standard that the guys before them have set. And they’re just trying to take this program to the next level. So I would just say as a unit I was very, very impressed with them overall.”
Morgan spoke on DeWayne Brown II as a player carrying that standard. Brown is one of the few Vols who have logged significant minutes in the NCAA Tournament, and Morgan said he has gone from keeping to himself as a newcomer to pushing the guys around him.
“DeWayne last year kept to himself for a bit without worrying about others, but now he has understood that he must encourage his teammates, understanding that we will not be able to get where we want to go alone,” Morgan said.
The freshmen are buying in as well. Morgan called Manny Green a pleasant surprise, a young guard who studies film of former Vols like Jahmai Mashack and Zakai Zeigler. He has taken to the defensive end that has kept Tennessee among the best in the country year after year.
None of that is a finished product in August. But the effort was there all summer, and for a program that leans on its standard as much as this one does, that is the part Barnes and his staff wanted to see first.
