DETROIT — With Santiago Vescovi unable to play due to the flu, Jahmai Mashack was asked to enter the starting lineup for the first time since a November trip to Hawaii to play Kansas.
Mashack wasn't effected by this change. Despite a trip to the team's second-ever Elite Eight on the line, he took his re-entrance to the starting lineup in stride.
He had the feeling early in the day his name would be called, and once it was, he took advantage of his opportunity.
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"I didn't know until I think probably shoot around earlier today," said Mashack. "I kind of had a feeling, but I just wasn't sure. I've been raised to prosper in tough situations, and when my name is called to rise up to that occasion. I wouldn't be doing my job right now as a Christian if I didn't thank God for everything that He's done for me individually and with this team."
In the win over Creighton, Mashack was everywhere. He fell into early foul trouble, but still racked up 25 minutes on the floor while recording a +/- of +12.
Despite only scoring four points, it was his effort in every other area of the game that made the difference. He was consistently there for offensive rebounds, was a menace on defense and helped move the ball on offense.
This doesn't go unnoticed by his teammates.
"Jahmai is huge," said Josiah-Jordan James. "He's the cornerstone of this team. The effort he brings to the floor, it doesn't show up in the stat sheet all the time, but we know, the guys in the locker room know what he brings, not many in the country could do."
Dealing with a player who can impact the game in so many ways is a headache for other teams. Greg McDermott, head coach of the Bluejays, knows what a player of Mashack's caliber brings to the table.
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Recording eight rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals is the type of role player every team in the country wants.
"He's talented," said McDermott. "He impacts the game so much by not really scoring that much. He doesn't have to shoot. He rebounds it. He was at the receiving end of some of those offensive rebounds during that stretch. I think we're up 39-37. We got our first shot defense was pretty good, and he goes and knocks out a couple rebounds, kicks it out, they hit threes. He forced a few turnovers. He's really talented. Rick (Barnes) does a great job of using him and putting him in spots where he can be successful."
This performance accumulated in helping his team make program history. Mashack was a key cog in the Vols win that sends them to their second-ever Elite Eight. Getting over the Sweet 16 hump has been a goal after Tennessee fell in the round a season ago.
All that matters to Mashack is the team's success, and he was vital in this category on Friday.
"Ever since last year, I've been fighting to try to get past the Sweet 16, not just for me, but for my teammates, for Coach Barnes, just to see how much he puts into the team, and he doesn't want the publicity for it," said Mashack. "That's something that I just love about our program, about my coach and my teammates. God has gotten me here. God has given me the ability to just go into any situation and try to make the best out of it. My whole goal on this team is to impact winning. If that means I've got to start, I haven't started in a minute, but if that means I've got to start and come in and do what I've got to do, that's what I'm going to do."
Next, Mashack and Tennessee will look to make even more history by being the first team in school history to reach a Final Four. Vescovi is currently day-to-day with his illness and could be back for the showdown with 1-seed Purdue.
Either way, Mashack will be expected to play his part as he has all season.
"I'm hurting," said Mashack. "My back hurts. I'm tired. But it's anything to win, man. It's anything to win. I just love this team, and I love how much we fought and how much we came together in times of adversity through that game. It just shows how much our character is going into play in this tournament."
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