Tennessee

Cade Phillips is a star role player for Tennessee basketball. How he’s affecting the Vols

Published

1 year ago

December 4, 2024

Cade Phillips is a star role player for Tennessee basketball. How he’s affecting the Vols

Cade Phillips was 40 feet away from the rim when he pointed at it Tuesday.

The Tennessee basketball forward saw what was going to happen when he was still a long ways off. Guard Zakai Zeigler had the ball on the opposite wing when Phillips pointed. He held his left arm high as Zeigler then tossed a lob from the elbow.

Phillips sailed, snared it with two hands and slammed it. The sophomore played it perfectly — just as he has been doing often this season in his increasingly essential role.

“When Cade checks in, it is just like a boost of energy,” senior guard Chaz Lanier said. “He is super athletic — probably one of the most athletic people I have played with. Just a boost of energy and intensity.”

Phillips is a star as a role player for Tennessee, which was on full display again for No. 3 Tennessee (8-0) as it smashed Syracuse (4-3) by a score of 96-70 on Tuesday at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center.

How Cade Phillips is starring in his role for Tennessee

Phillips can define the core of his role well.

“I think is is to be as versatile on both ends of the floor as possible,” Phillips said.

There is something to be said for a player who knows his role. There is even more to be said for a player who does it well. Phillips deserves recognition for both during Tennessee’s torrid eight-game start to the season.

“The more and more he is out there … he is feeling more and more at ease doing some things,” Vols coach Rick Barnes said.

Offensively, Phillips maximizes who he is as a 6-foot-9 forward. He runs and cuts hard. He is strong enough now to bump defenders with a hard dribble and score through contact — he did both in his 10-point first half Tuesday. He’s a solid floor-spacer.

On the other end, the Alabama native is a potentially diabolical defender. Barnes has voiced the Vols view Phillips as a Jahmai Mashack-caliber player. In other words, Phillips can guard all five positions on the court but as a forward. That ability comes from athleticism and length.

He rebounds ferociously on both ends and it is an innate skill for him.

But it all comes back to versatility.

“As the season is progressing, I am getting more and more comfortable I feel like,” Phillips said.

What is next for Cade Phillips?

Phillips wasn’t supposed to play last season. He was going to redshirt then the senior pair of Santiago Vescovi and Josiah-Jordan James insisted Phillips would help the Vols. He did early as a freshman then his role diminished later in the season.

Vescovi’s reasoning was Phillips was so active he could play immediately. That is what earned Phillips trust. That remains part of the process.

“It gets down to the more consistency you get doing certain things, you earn trust,” Barnes said. “Not only I think with your coaches and your teammates, but most importantly with yourself. You realize I have this down now and I can take another step.

“We have watched Cade do that.”

Phillips is averaging 7.4 points and 4.8 rebounds in 18.3 minutes per game, a stellar stat line as he splits time between UT’s two forward positions. He is tied for the team lead with 20 offensive rebounds, which is more than his 18 defensive rebounds. He has nine blocks and only nine fouls, a great ratio to possess.

Barnes expects that an expanded offensive game is out there for Phillips. That’ll be a process. The immediate focus is handling success well as it keeps coming.

“Cade is going to do everything he can,” Barnes said. “He has got a little bit of a stubborn streak where when he messes up, he wants to come back and fix it right away.”

On second thought, it’s something else — and something central to Phillips perfecting his role as he develops.

“It is probably more of a competitive spirit,” Barnes.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson or Bluesky @bymikewilson.bsky.social. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.

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Tennessee

Deputies perform ‘life-saving measures’ after 5-year-old falls into swimming pool in Tennessee

Published

5 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Deputies perform ‘life-saving measures’ after 5-year-old falls into swimming pool in Tennessee

FAYETTEVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – A Tennessee sheriff’s office is asking the community to pray for a family whose 5-year-old was hospitalized after falling into a swimming pool.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said deputies and family members were “administering life-saving measures” Thursday afternoon after pulling the child out of the water.

The child was then transferred to a hospital, where they are still being treated.

“The child was subsequently transported to the hospital, where they are currently receiving medical care‚” said a Facebook post from the sheriff’s office. “Out of respect for the family’s privacy, no further details will be released at this time.”

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Tennessee

Why first quarter was ‘crucial’ in Mississippi State’s loss to Tennessee

Published

17 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Why first quarter was ‘crucial’ in Mississippi State’s loss to Tennessee

Sam Purcell felt good about the game plan for Mississippi State women’s basketball’s matchup with Tennessee.

But the Bulldogs gave up 26 points in the first quarter and trailed by seven points. It was a deficit they never recovered from in a 90-80 loss to the Lady Vols at Humphrey Coliseum on Jan. 8.

“You look at that that first quarter, I thought it was crucial. We had a great scout, a great game plan, but we didn’t talk on ball screens,” Purcell said. “Their largest quarter was that first quarter, and we’re going to watch back and go, dang it, we need to be more vocal. And you got to give them credit – top to bottom, they’re probably as good as anybody in the country with athleticism. So you can’t let those athletic kids turn the corner for wide open layups, and we did.”

Kharyssa Richardson and Madison Francis led the Bulldogs with 22 points each, but MSU didn’t have enough defense to pull off the upset.

Had Mississippi State been able to slow down Tennessee’s drivers in the first quarter, it may have been a different result. But once the Bulldogs started slowing that down, the Lady Vols were “phenomenal hitting some big-time shots,” Purcell said.

Tennessee only had the edge in points in the paint, 42-40, but it also went 10-for-27 on 3-pointers, which was an area Mississippi State couldn’t match. The Bulldogs shot 2-for-13 from deep.

MSU also couldn’t stop Tennessee freshman point guard Mia Pauldo, who scored a game-high 26 points on 8-for-12 shooting. The Bulldogs sent her to the foul line time and time again, and she went 8-for-9 on free throws.

“I thought (Pauldo) was poised, she was clutch,” Purcell said. “Obviously, that’s what you need in games like this that are gonna come down the to the wire. You need players to step up, and I thought she was the X factor for them.”

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Former Tennessee Football Legend Accepts SEC Coaching Gig

Published

1 day ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Former Tennessee Football Legend Accepts SEC Coaching Gig

The Tennessee Volunteers have been one of the main teams when it comes to producing talent and sending talent to the NFL, which is something that has often been discovered as a standard for the football program. This is something that has been going on for quite some time and isn’t anything new to the news cycle, as the Vols have been able to produce plenty of talented prospects.

Tennessee is the home of many stars, including some of the best defensive players in SEC history. Guys like Eric Berry have found their way through the Tennessee program and onto the NFL, where they would have legendary careers. However, the defensive side of the football is the only side that has produced plenty of talent, as Tennessee has produced a lot of offensive talent as well. With the likes of Peyton Manning and company, the Vols have shown a great track record in getting talent drafted.

The Vols have produced someone who could be considered as one of the best players to play the Tide end position, as the Knoxville, Tennessee program is the home to Dallas Cowboys legend, Jason Witten. Witten is someone who made the most of his career and has been viewed as a top player at the Tide in position, and someone who is often referred to as a legend for the Cowboys, along with being a legend in the game of football as a whole.

Jason Witten Accepts TE Coach Position For Oklahoma

Oct 10, 2010; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten (82) on the phone in the bench area in the fourth quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Cowboys Stadium. The Titans beat the Cowboys 34-27. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images | Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images

Witten is now taking a new gig, which has him in a huge role inside the Southeastern Conference. The Vols legend is now the tight end coach for the Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners have had some success out of their tight ends in the past, but the sky is the limit with a guy like Witten coaching up the players. Witten has the opportunity to do really well, as coaching tight ends won’t be an issue, and you have to imagine that he will be able to recruit very well, considering he has a huge name around him, as this is something that we have seen from positional coaches as well as head coaches who have done great work in the league. You have to imagine that the Vols will now have stiff competition for his son, Cooper, who is a five-star recruit for the upcoming 2027 class at the linebacker position.