Young Vols the story in hoops exhibition win

In their first competitive games inside Thompson-Boling Arena the moment did not seem too big for freshmen Kwe Parker and John Fulkerson, showing flashes of what they can contribute in Tennessee’s 83-48 exhibition victory over Slippery Rock on Thursday.

Parker pestered SRU guards and showed some nice passing skill while playing point guard. Fulkerson played solid post defense and put on a one-man highlight reel with five dunks.

While it was the first time the Vols played with anybody in the stands watching, the duo’s performance was similar to the one they put forth in Saturday’s closed scrimmage against Davidson.

“This is now two games in a row when those two have come in and really brought some energy,” UT head coach Rick Barnes said. “Just playing all out, somewhat with reckless abandon, and that’s what we want them to do.”

Friday was the Vols final tune-up before they kick off the regular season against Chattanooga, a NCAA tournament team from a year ago, at 7 p.m. on Nov. 11 inside TBA.

In their final opportunity to grasp more playing time in the games that count, Parker and Fulkerson shined.

Parker, a 6-foot, 180-pound guard, was the first to come off the bench for the Vols, entering for fellow freshman Jordan Bone, who got the start at point guard and finished with 11 points — one of three players to score in double figures for UT.

Parker recorded an assist on his first possession of the game, getting the ball following a Kyle Alexander steal and finding sophomore guard Detrick Mostella for a fast-break layup. It was the first of his team high-tying four assists.

Defensively, though, is where the Fayetteville, N.C., native impressed the most, putting pressure on Slippery Rock’s backcourt while also coming up with two steals and deflecting a couple of other passes, playing a part in a defensive effort that saw the Vols force 30 SRU turnovers.

“He’s a guy that we believe is a game-changing type of player, a guy that can come in bring some energy,” Barnes said. “… We looked at him as being a guy who could eventually become a real gnat on defense, just bothering people and letting them feel him.”

Fulkerson entered one minute, 15 seconds after Parker and immediately made his presence felt, taking a Parker pass and finishing above the rim.

It would become a theme.

Four minutes later, the 6-foot-7, 203-pound forward stole a pass from The Rock’s Vinny Lasley near the three-point line and took the ball all the way down court for another dunk.

With the clock under two minutes before halftime, sophomore guard Shembari Phillips tallied a steal on back-to-back SRU possessions and found a streaking Fulkerson on both fast breaks to push the freshman’s point total to eight.

The Kingsport, Tenn., native added one final dunk with 16:22 left in the second half off a pass from Parker to complete a 10-point night on 5-for-5 shooting. He also finished with three rebounds and a block.

“He’s a really good finisher around the rim, especially with him being a left-hander, he can definitely get around guys,” Alexander said. “He can do things and it doesn’t faze him. He has his head locked into the game.

“Coach (Barnes) implements 150 seconds, go out there for two-and-a-half minutes and give it everything you got. I think John is the poster boy for that. He gives it everything he has and you can see when he asks for that sub, he can barely get up and down the floor.”

Had this game happened a week ago, though, Fulkerson likely would not have seen the same amount of floor time, but a change in mentality fixed that.

“A week ago, I told him he was the fifth post player, and he responded with two good days at practice and was the most energized guy on Saturday,” Barnes said. “Tonight, he was the first sub we put in on the post, and he earned that. I’ve never coached a guy that sprints to the scorer’s table as fast he does because he wants to play. He’s just getting started to become how good a player he can be.”

The same can be said for Parker and the rest of the Vols’ six freshmen. It may take some time to complete the process, but Friday proved UT is growing toward what it wants to become.