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Everything Rick Barnes Said After Tennessee Dominated Arkansas | Rocky Top Insider

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Everything Rick Barnes Said After Tennessee Dominated Arkansas | Rocky Top Insider


Photo By Andrew Ferguson/Tennessee Athletics

Tennessee basketball earned its first win at Bud Walton Arena in 15 years on Wednesday night and it came in dominating fashion as the Vols outpaced the Razorbacks 92-63.

The victory marked the Vols second biggest road victory of this century and came just days after their biggest loss of the season at Texas A&M.

After the win, Tennessee coach Rick Barnes discussed Jonas Aidoo’s big night, the Vols keeping their poise and more. Here’s everything Barnes said.

More From RTI: Three Quick Takeaways From Tennessee’s Win Over Arkansas

On postgame press conference

On what it means for to win so convincingly

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“One, we had a lot of respect for Arkansas coming in. We knew that they were capable of beating anyone in this building because we have so much respect for their fans in this building here. I thought really after our game the other night our guys did a good job preparing, getting ready to come here. I thought all around we played a really good all around basketball game. Shot the ball well, didn’t make as many threes as we normally take or shoot but just got a really good all around performance from everyone who was in the game.”

On what Arkansas did in the first half that kept Tennessee from running away with the game

“They’re so good at getting fouled and so good at getting into the lane area. They’re so good with their ball screen where they hit the roll and they can spread out of there but we just felt like we had to get them shooting threes as much as we could and try to keep them from getting in the lane, getting us in foul trouble and in rotation. Then on the other end really trying to take care of the ball because they do a great job of turning you over and getting out (in transition). They made shots in the first half. They started making them and last time out against A&M they made them and we got away from our gap defense. Tonight we stayed with it. We showed some discipline there but they obviously didn’t make as many shots in the second half as they did in the first half.”

On why he felt Arkansas didn’t shoot the ball as well in the second half

“The game is a game that, the one thing coaches can’t coach is making shots. We know our guys. We know what we see in practice everyday. Eric’s a terrific coach. He knows his teams. He knows his players better than anybody. There’s some nights where we get great looks and they don’t go in. It’s those nights when you hope you can find other ways to facilitate some offense. And that’s where I thought Jonas was really — Jonas played a heck of a game for us tonight. Tobe did some things in there, but I just think, again, in a game when you get behind and you gotta start making those three’s, or making those plays, it gets more difficult. But, again, we just felt like we had to force them into as many jump shots as we could.”

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On what led to Jonas Aidoo playing so well and what the ceiling is for the team when he plays like that

“Well, when he plays like that, when he plays with force to the rim like he did tonight, he played quicker. Because they do a very good job. They will block shots on you and if you mess with it, they will come get it. The guy on the ball can block it. I thought he played much quicker. I think they blocked one of his shots where he did take too much time. They got one of Tobe’s too and we had talked about that coming in here that we wanted those guys to play quicker once we got the ball there. But Jonas, I thought he looked relaxed shooting his little 15-footers. What he did at the rim and his rebounding in the second half was really big. He came up with a lot of plays in there. His length affects things around the rim when he gets himself in position.”

On how big it was that Arkansas didn’t play in any ball-screens tonight

“Well, it was big because we didn’t want them to hit the roll. They do a great job of passing it there and they do a great job of doing that as well as anybody that we’ve played against, and we felt like it was important that we tried to take away the roll man as much as possible and try to keep them on the perimeter and keep them out of the high-percentage areas. Because his (Musselman) teams always have done a great job of exploiting that.”

On Vol Network postgame

Opening Statement

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“The real good part about it was that we had a game plan and we stuck to it. I thought that defensively especially, we were pretty consistent throughout the game. We said, hey, we’re not going to jump out there if they make the threes early, which we expect them to be a little jacked up. And we’re going to stick with it. And they hit something early. Second half, I don’t think, maybe (they) hit one or two there at the very end. But just really proud of the mental concentration on the defensive end. And thought Jonas Aidoo was really (good), responded extremely well. But, overall, I mean, everybody. Jordan Gainey came in and gave us a big spark too. But everyone that played had a big contribution.”

On Tennessee’s gap integrity on defense

“We were watching (film) last night, the one thing that we showed the team was how much (Arkansas) counts on hitting that roll man out of that ball screen. I don’t think they got it one time tonight. I don’t think they were able to get it to it. Again, it goes back to what you said, being so effective and disciplined to stay in a gap. And with that, we knew that they would get a little more breathing room from the perimeter, but at least say those threes were on our terms as opposed to the other way. We kept them off the free-throw line, which we thought was important. First half, I think they had six points off of turnovers. And they forced them, we trying to over dribble.

“ … But again, I thought Jonas came up big. I was really pleased with Cade. I thought Cade Phillips came in and he’s gotten back to what we thought he would do. He was active. But overall really good defensive effort by everyone.”

On Jonas Aidoo playing well

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“I thought he played to the rim. That was a big thing. He played with some force in there. The last couple days we told him he’s got to play quicker. And I thought he did that. I thought he mixed in a few stationary jump shots that we know he’s capable of making and rebounded. He had a major presence on that (defensive) end down there, too.”

On Barnes saying that Jonas Aidoo can be a player that has a double-double player every game

“He is. He just played with more force. That’s what it was all about. And he’s got continue to do it.”

On Jordan Gainey giving Tennessee a spark off the bench

“Think about it, you go to the bench, get a guy like that coming in and I think him doing that really helped Santi (Vescovi) too, where Santi doesn’t feel like he has to do as much as he’s had to do in the past. I think that’s important but Tobe (Awaka) we got to talk about some of his post ups, they’re really important. But Jordan, what he gives us is again, another guy that people have to game plan against.”

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Arkansas driver’s licenses and state IDs now available in Apple Wallet

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Arkansas driver’s licenses and state IDs now available in Apple Wallet


Arkansans can now present their driver’s licenses and state identification cards on mobile devices using Apple Wallet, state finance officials announced Wednesday.

The Department of Finance and Administration said Arkansans can use Apple Wallet to present their license or ID in person, online and in apps at select organizations, including at more than 250 Transportation Security



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Your Arkansas Driver’s License Can Now Live on Your iPhone

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Your Arkansas Driver’s License Can Now Live on Your iPhone


IDEMIA Public Security North America and the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration’s Division of Driver Services and Motor Vehicles have launched Arkansas driver’s licenses and state IDs in Apple Wallet, allowing residents to securely store and use their credentials on an iPhone or Apple Watch.

The new feature gives Arkansans the ability to present their identification at participating businesses and venues, at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints in more than 250 airports, and online or within apps when age or identity verification is required.

The launch builds on Arkansas’ ongoing efforts to expand digital identification options. In March 2025, the state introduced the Arkansas Mobile ID app, and officials say adding IDs to Apple Wallet offers residents another secure and convenient way to access their credentials.

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“We’re proud to build on our partnership with the Arkansas DFA’s Division of Driver Services and Motor Vehicles, expanding on the launch of the Arkansas Mobile ID app in March 2025. The launch of ID in Apple Wallet in the state provides Arkansas residents a new, secure way to store and present their digital credentials, with transparency and control over how their information is shared at the forefront,” said Rob Gardner, CEO, IDEMIA Civil Identity.

To add an Arkansas driver’s license or state ID to Apple Wallet, users can tap the plus sign at the top of the Wallet app on their iPhone, select “Driver’s License or State ID,” and follow the verification process.

Officials say privacy and security were central considerations in the rollout. Information stored in Apple Wallet is encrypted on a user’s device, and users control when and how their information is shared. When presenting an ID, only the information necessary to verify age or identity is provided.

Apple and the Arkansas Division of Driver Services and Motor Vehicles also do not receive information about when or where residents use their digital IDs.

The technology is also designed to make verification easier for businesses. Participating businesses can use IDEMIA’s Mobile ID Verify app to accept and verify mobile IDs directly from an iPhone without requiring customers to hand over their devices or use additional hardware.

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The launch marks another step toward broader adoption of digital credentials in Arkansas, giving residents a secure alternative to carrying a physical driver’s license or state ID while maintaining control over their personal information.

For information on the launch of IDs in Apple Wallet in Arkansas, click here.

READ ALSO: Adam O’Neal Stepping into Chancellor Role at UA-EACC



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Arkansas gymnatics coach Chris Brooks completes staff with hiring of Zan Jones | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

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Arkansas gymnatics coach Chris Brooks completes staff with hiring of Zan Jones | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette


New Arkansas gymnastics coach Chris Brooks announced Monday the hiring of Zan Jones to complete his first staff, as well as the promotion of assistants Kyla Ross and Catelyn Branson.

Brooks succeeded his wife, Jordyn Wieber, on April 28 after Wieber stepped down.

Jones joins the Razorback after two seasons as an assistant coach at Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas. The Pioneers won back-to-back Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics National Invitational Championship titles in 2025 and 2026 with Jones on staff. He has been named a Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association Division II assistant coach of the year three times, including this spring.

Jones also earned Midwest Independent Conference assistant coach of the year in both of his seasons at Texas Woman’s.

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Jones served as the Pioneers’ primary vault and uneven bars coach, and the team set a program record of 49.35 on the bars in March.

An Alabama alumnus, Jones served as a student manager for the Crimson Tide gymnastics team. He served a year at Talladega (Ala.) College in its inaugural season of gymnastics and spent time as a recreational and team coach at Trussville (Ala.) Academy of Gymnastics.

Brooks also promoted both Ross and Branson to the title of associate head coach. Ross, a former UCLA gymnast and Olympic gold medalist as part of Team USA in 2012, started at Arkansas as a volunteer assistant in 2022. Ross helped Arkansas produce program records on the balance beam in back-to-back years before taking over the vault squad, which set a program high 49.675 in 2026. 

The Razorbacks ranked as high as No. 2 on the vault last season and were never lower than No. 7. Senior transfer Morgan Price landed the first 10 in school history on the vault in February.

Branson returned to the Arkansas staff ahead of the 2025 season, helping lead the floor squad. In that time, Branson has led the Gymbacks to two of their top five best floor scores ever and Arkansas has been ranked as high as No. 2 in the country on floor in the last two seasons. In 2026, over 60% of the team’s scores on floor were 9.85 or better.

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Branson served as Lindenwood’s head coach from 2022-24, where she was named 2024 Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association South Central Region Coach of the Year and the Midwest Independent Conference Coach of the Year. She led the Lions to their second consecutive and fifth overall USAG national championship and seventh MIC title in 2024.

Branson had a prior stint at Arkansas from 2020 to 2022, in which time the Gymbacks ranked as high as third on beam and second on floor.



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