What Juke Harris said about his start with Tennessee basketball

What Tennessee basketball transfer Juke Harris said during his media availability on Thursday about the progress he’s made this summer since transferring from Wake Forest to join the Vols: How he’s seen his game improve since arriving at Tennessee “I’ve seen it (improve) tremendously. Definitely on the defensive end and playing more into the ball, getting off different type of ball screens, getting through them. So I really seen a lot of improvement on the defensive end.” Balancing being aggressive and getting other players involved “I feel like that’s just been me— especially coming into college— I like to fill out some of the guys during the summertime to see a lot of stuff, a lot of stuff that they can do, and just building trust with them knowing that I can get to the ball at any time, any point of the game. So I feel like I really turned on my offensive side as soon as we get into season. So I feel like it just helps me a whole lot because whenever you get everybody else involved, it makes the game so much easier.” How the team’s on court chemistry looks now compared to the start of summer “It looks great. I feel like every single guy has a chance to even start, you know what I’m saying? We got a great group of guys. I love playing with them already, and I feel like chemistry it is jus going to keep getting better.” What positions he is primarily playing right now “I say mostly the two and three. Coach wants me to get in some at the one. Get some experience playing at the one, but I feel like mostly two and three.” If it’s unique how many Tennessee players have practiced at point guard this summer “Yeah, it’s very unique. This is the first time I’ve seen at least like four or five guys play that one position. So when you’re in a situation like that, the one’s got to know where everybody else is supposed to be on the floor. So I just feel like it just helps everybody at once.” What has been the best part of Tennessee’s summer workouts “Just getting coached by Rick Barnes. I feel like you come here, you unlock something that you probably wouldn’t unlock if you didn’t come here. So I feel like I unlocked being mentally, mentally strong, being able to play through contact, being able to be a dog on a defense end. Like, I never thought I’d be type decent on defense, but I feel like I’ve seen develop and I feel like it’s going to show this year.” What he likes about Tennessee’s schedule “I feel like we got a lot of good non-conference games that’s coming out, especially the other teams, like Coastal Carolina. I know a few guys, one of my old teammates go there, so I know they got a good squad coming in, too. But just being, I like the schedule we have.” If the physicality in Tennessee practice has been different then what he’s previously experienced “I wouldn’t say so. I know this practice is super physical, but I’ve been a lot of places where no fouls were called. The ball go out of bounds and you got to go out there and go get it. But I feel like this has been one of the toughest places to practice in physicality wise.” How he would describe Tennessee guard Terrence Hill’s skillset “Super nice. I feel like he’s going to have great season too. Just him being able to make the right passes and being able to score the ball at three levels is hard to really find that in a college basketball. So I know I’m really going to enjoy playing with him.” How he would describe Rick Barnes’ coaching style “It’s super hard. I know this is what I signed up for. I heard the stories of how hard he coached, but getting the experience of it. Like I said, it unlocks something. If I didn’t come here, I feel like I wouldn’t unlock what I did unlock.” If there’s something he’s learned about Barnes that he didn’t previously know “He’s going to be the same regardless of what’s going on. He’s going to coach hard. He’s going to make sure everything he’s going o let you know if something’s not going right, he’s going to let you know. He’s not going to sugar coat nothing with you. So I really do appreciate that. I feel like that’s something I needed, so that’s a reason why I chose to come here.” How he would describe the Tennessee’s style of play “I would say more freely. I don’t think we will run a lot of set plays. I feel like coach wanted us to get out in transition, score early in the clock, but also taking great shots. So that’s why we condition ourselves to get out and run. So if we in transition and we a transition team, it’s going to be hard to stop us in them. Of course, we got a lot of guys that can score the ball. So, you know, even if we go into a set offense, it’s still going to be hard to stop that too.” How hard it is to stop Tennessee’s Jalen Haralson in transition “Yeah, it’s super hard to stop him, especially getting downhill. Strong body, about 6’7, getting to the paint, being able to shoot over top of anybody. He knows how to use his pump fake to get everybody in the air, draw contact, so he’s going to have a great season also.” Barnes saying Harris is stronger than he thinks, how he’s been emphasizing that “I feel like he’s seeing that when the ball goes up and I’m going to go box somebody out, is always going to be a hard contact and then finishing through contact, getting into the paint. Playing off two (feet), pump fakes and finishing through contact. So I think that’s where you’re getting it from.” What Rick Barnes has unlocked in him “I don’t want to say what it is, but I feel like as the game goes on, we get deeper into the games where everybody’s tired, everybody clocking out, and we still need to push through four more minutes left in a close game. Then you will see it unlocked then. You will see it.” How Tennessee freshman Ralph Scott has improved over the course of the summer “Ralph is one of the best freshmen that I’ve seen. Like, me personally, from being going into my third year in college, I think Ralph is one of the best freshmen that I’ve seen. He’s super long, lanky, able to shoot over the top. He knows how to get his body turned to the rim and use his explosiveness to jump up and shoot the ball over the top and able to make the shots. And he’s super disciplined. He’s super coachable, so he’s going to have a great freshman year too.” Tennessee’s team bonding off the court “I think with a lot of teams, you have different people that hang out with each other, but I feel like with us, we’re all together, especially at the end of practices, we’re all in the locker room, just sitting there talking, going over practices. What can we do better? What we need to improve on and definitely our mindset coming into the practices and then knowing and if we have a hard practice Tuesday, we got a Wednesday y’all. Make sure everybody is locked in that Wednesday to be ready to practice Thursday.”