Jahmai Mashack doing 'whatever is needed' in Vols' offense
Jahmai Mashack can't pin down exactly what his role is in Tennessee's offense.
On a team that features a balance of experienced veterans and talented newcomers, Mashack, the Vols' 6-foot-4 junior guard is fine being wherever his team needs him.
"I think it's a difficult question because I think I just do whatever is needed for the team," Mashack said. "That can go for a game-to-game basis. Whether we need more assists, whether we need more rebounding, we need defense, we need shooting, we need scoring–I just want to be able to be that guy that no matter what lineup you put me in, I can do whatever you need on the court."
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That was what Mashack's role was last season.
Tennessee had a number of key players out for stretches during its 2022-23 campaign, including Josiah-Jordan James and then Zakai Zeigler, who suffered a season-ending ACL tear late in the regular season.
Enter Mashack, who played sparingly as a freshman but carved out a niche as a utility type player that could play any position 1-5 on the offensive end while serving as an elite defender on the other.
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Mashack appeared in all 36 of Tennessee's games during its NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 run with 13 starts. He averaged 4.7 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game and scored in double figures six times.
Mashack's emphasis in the offseason has been improving his jump shot and becoming a more consistent scorer to match what he does defensively with the hopes of not giving the coaching staff any reason to take him out of a game.
"I'm definitely progressing a lot (on jump shot)," Mashack said. "It's definitely something that I've worked on a ton. Just being able to use that so I can keep the defense honest, is just going to make it to where there is no reason to take me out of the game, so it's not going to drop off from scoring, there's not going to be a drop off from defense.
"So if I can just do something on both ends, that's just, for me, a good way to help this team."
WATCH ON VOLREPORT: Tennessee basketball guard Jahmai Mashack meets with media
Mashack flashed his ability to help the offense in the Vols' 89-88 exhibition win over Michigan State last Sunday, turning a scoreless first half into 11 points down the stretch along with five rebounds and four assists.
He helped spearhead the Vols' offense which was without out leading scorer Santiago Vescovi and Zeigler and handled the Spartans' full-court press late in the game.
"Jahmai Mashack really did a good job when you think about what he had to do," Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said. "And he carried a big load today with those guys constantly coming at him. But again, what they did is what I hope we can work ourselves into because it is effective.
Mashack compares his game to Jrue Holiday–the Boston Celtics guard that has the ability to plug in anywhere on the floor at a time and change a game on defense.
If he can continue to bring that to Tennessee's lineup, which now has a plethora of proven scorers at its disposal, the Vols may be competing for more than a SEC title.
"Whenever you see (Holiday) play, he's a defensive menace," Mashack said. "He know how to guard 1-5. He figures out angles. Even on the offensive end, he doesn't need to score 30-40 points in order to be effective. He'll do anything that's in the stat sheet in order to win. I think that's important coming in, having that mentality.
"With us being around the same height, same wingspan, I think it's important for me to try and key into that. That's going to help me try and piece things together for the team so we can win."
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