Tennessee basketball: Rick Barnes magic

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 12: Head coach Rick Barnes of the Tennessee basketball Volunteers talks to Armani Moore
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 12: Head coach Rick Barnes of the Tennessee basketball Volunteers talks to Armani Moore
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Rick Barnes magic

It all started a year ago.

“We came back from the SEC Tournament last year and we knew we had to make some changes in the program,” Barnes said.

Barnes first tactical move was a high risk position change.

Scholfield goes from post to wing

While Volunteer sophomores Grant Williams, Lamonte Turner and Jordan Bowden stepped up to produce a little more than last year,  the big difference came from Schofield.

When Barnes changed Schofield from undersized post to over-sized small forward in the off-season, he risked turning an effective post-player into a fish out of water.  Schofield battled through some defensive mismatches, but gained an offensive advantage playing on the wing. His production improved from a career average of 7.9 points per game to 13.5 points per game. His rebounding also improved from 4.2 per game to 6.1, tops on the team.

Barnes’ bet on Schofield ’s position change paid off big.