J.P. Estrella has lost count of how many times he's gone back and watched it.

Foul trouble thrust then-freshman Tennessee forward onto the Vols' biggest stage last March in the program's second-ever Elite Eight appearance against 1-seed Purdue and its 7-foot-4, 305-pound center Zach Edey.

TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM

Once a limited role player, Estrella played the most minutes among Tennessee's bigs and held his own against Edey, giving the Vols glimpse of the future and a chance in their ultimate 72-66 season-ending loss at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

It was also the moment that the 6-11 Estrella realized he needed to get stronger.

"I probably watched that game a million times on my phone," Estrella said. "Just watching it, seeing what I could have done better, what we could have done better in general…I really just wanted to get stronger, so I didn’t have to worry about that aspect of that game this season.”

When Tennessee arrived in Knoxville the following day, Estrella went straight to the team facility at Pratt Pavilion and got in the weight room, beginning an intense offseason training program that has led to a full-body transformation on the eve of the Vols' 2024-25 season and a campaign that Estrella is expected to be a key part of.

"I really think I took my body to the next level. I put on a lot of muscle," Estrella said. "Working on my vertical, my overall strength and just my game overall. Just working on every aspect. I’m just super excited, pumped about this season.”

JP Estrella approached Tennessee's director of sports performance Garrett Medenwald in a locker room inside Little Caesars Arena.

In the moments after the Vols' season ended, Estrella wanted to talk about the offseason. He wanted to get a plan together.

“It’s a testament to them for having the mindset and excitement to want to get back in there. Immediately, (Estrella) was like, ‘G, we can’t wait to get going,'" Medenwald said. "So we just created a play systematically to what he needed to improve in and put that plan into practice.

"He stuck to it and it’s been fun to watch the energy that he's been able to put into it and what he's been able to get from it.”

Estrella arrived at Tennessee with little expectation to play a major role early. He was rated as one of the top players in the country and a four-star prospect coming out of Brewster Academy in New Hampshire, but the Vols roster included veteran forward Jonas Aidoo and Tobe Awaka, who was coming off of an impressive freshman campaign himself.

MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Tennessee isn't first defensive-focused stop in Igor Milicic Jr.'s career

By the time Tennessee had reached the Elite Eight, Estrella had played in 25 games and turned in more than 100 minutes on the floor, but his biggest moment was about to come.

Aidoo got into foul trouble early against Edey and Awaka wasn't faring much better. Rick Barnes turned to Estrella for an answer. It wasn't enough to keep the Vols season and its hopes of a Final Four berth alive, but it provided optimism for the following season.

Estrella wasn't content, though. He spent hours in the weight room and changed his sleeping and eating habits. The results have included 10 more pounds added to the weight he had when he joined the team a year ago and a more physical player.

“(I did) Everything. Squats, bench press, curls, sprints," Estrella said. "Anything you can think of. I was doing everything with Coach G. Multiple times a week, I would just be texting him, ‘Hey, let’s get in the facility.’ And he’d be like, ‘Yeah, I got you.’ Every single day, just working on the body, because that was my main focus this off season.”

Mendenwald has seen that transformation, too.

Estrella took the first step and those conversations in the aftermath of a crushing defeat have yielded results, positive for both Estrella and Tennessee as it looks to build off of the success of a historic run.

“(Estrella) took those opportunities as a springboard to transform his mindset on what he needed to accomplish and from there, put a plan into action and do it," Mendenwald said. "So those conversations were unbelievably valuable, not only for him but for me as well. I really enjoyed it.”

JP Estrella knew Cade Phillips was around, even if he couldn't see him.

There wasn't a day over the summer where Estrella and Phillips weren't in the gym together. They were used to it.

Immediately following home games at Food City Center last season, the two then-freshmen along with freshman Cam Carr would walk next door to Pratt Pavilion and start lifting weights. It hardly mattered if they played a few minutes or none at all.

"(Phillips) was right with me right after the game. We were both in the gym this summer," Estrella said. "Everytime that I would go in, I knew he would be there somewhere. Honestly, I can’t pick a part of his game where he hasn’t gotten better at. He’s gotten quicker, he’s gotten stronger. His jump shot has gotten better.

"He’s been handling the ball a little bit, he’s been attacking the rim. He’s just been an overall player and been doing his thing and hooping.”

A 6-9 forward, Phillips had a steeper hill to climb to playing time this time last season. Like Estrella, he was a highly touted recruit in the same class but injuries hindered his progress in the offseason.

Phillips got on the court in nine of Tennessee's first 13 games and showed flashes of promise. After the season ended, he had the same conversations with Garrett Medenwald that Estrella had. He wanted to get bigger. Now he had the health to do it.

MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Everything Rick Barnes said at Tennessee basketball media day

"(Getting bigger) was really my idea the first day I stepped foot on campus," Phillips said. "I was hurt, so I was even lower on weight than I usually am. That’s something that’s really important in this sport. And some people on the outside might not realize how physical of a sport this is. But if you’re not strong enough and your body can’t handle it. After the Purdue game, it was the same mindset. We got back and got straight to it.”

For Phillips, eating was the hardest part. He downed protein shakes and followed a meal plan to add weight that would help him better prepare for the wear and tare of playing in the paint in the SEC.

He stayed on campus through May to give himself a head-start, based on the recommendation of Medenwald.

"(Medenwald) is as good as they get and if you’re willing to get better, he’s going to put in as many extra hours as he can," Phillips said. "He’s adamant about that. It was less of anything specific that we did and more of just stacking days and getting ahead. What G talked about with me was getting weeks ahead. Getting to be here and getting to be 6-7 weeks ahead of other guys was something that we’ve talked about and discussed on multiple occasions.”

Estrella and Phillips were already bound for bigger roles, especially after the departures of Aidoo and Awaka, who transferred out of the program following the end of last season. But the changes that underwent have been evident in the weeks leading up to the season and the coaching staff has reason to feel confident.

“I think one of the things that (the coaching staff) was impressed with was how strong Cade Phillips is and how hard JP will hit you on the court," Medenwald said. "It’s been fun to watch.”

– TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM.

– ENJOY VOLREPORT WITH A PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION.

– SUBSCRIBE TO THE VOLREPORT YOUTUBE CHANNEL.

– FOLLOW VOLREPORT ON TWITTER: @TennesseeRivals, @ByNoahTaylor, @RyanTSylvia, @Dale_Dowden, @ShayneP_Media.