Jordan Bowden, #23, during the game against Kentucky at Thompson-Boling Arena on Jan. 6, 2018. Adrien Terricabras / The Daily Beacon
How sacks are helping the basketball team succeed Damichael Cole
Asst. Sports Editor When the Tennessee football team collided with the LSU Tigers on the gridiron last October, they were able to come away with one sack in the game. When the Vols men’s basketball team took the court against the Tigers in January, they were able to collect seven sacks. Yes, you read that right. The football team isn’t the only team on UT’s campus that’s trying to record sacks to slow down an opponent’s offensive attack. But the basketball team isn’t doing it by tackling opposing players — that would be an intentional foul and would cause someone to get a mouthful from head coach Rick Barnes. Instead, they’re getting sacks in their own special way on the hardwood, which has helped lead to an improved defensive effort this season. During their summer trip to Europe, assistant coach Michael Schwartz came up with the idea to help improve their defense,
Volume 135 Issue 10
and it took off from there. So, how is a sack recorded on the basketball court? One sack is generated when the Vols defense is able to get stops on three consecutive possessions — they aim to do this seven times a game. If it were football, seven sacks a game would easily be an NCAA record. “When you’re tracking that, you see how much of a difference in the game it makes,” Grant Williams said. “I think that’s why we are a really efficient defensive team.” This strategy has continued to drive the Vols’ defensive effort all season. They’re always aware of how many sacks they have. In fact, even during games, they’re constantly reminded by coaches when they’re closing in on seven sacks, and this has created a competitive urge to seal the deal before it’s too late. “Especially when we have our sixth one and it’s a close game, we want to get that last one,” Jordan Bowden said. “It really motivates the whole team and the coaches.” When the Vols are able to create seven sacks, it usually leads to a stellar night defensively. Tennessee opponents are averaging about 55
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shot attempts per game. Creating at least seven sacks a game leads to 21 stops and inches the Vols closer to their goal of holding teams under 39% shooting. That doesn’t even take into account the possessions where the Vols are able to record one or two stops before allowing a score — something that wouldn’t count as a sack. “Think about it, if you’re getting three, six, nine possessions stops in a row, they’re going nine possessions without scoring,” Williams said. “Teams are stifled.” This season the Vols have even managed to reach double digits in sacks on a couple of occasions, but they’re usually battling to reach seven. The football players haven’t exactly been made aware of the sacks occurring on the hardwood, but Williams plans on bragging to them about it in the future. “I might say it to Trey (Smith) ... I’m going to say that I got more sacks than the whole defensive line last year or something like that,” Williams said. “Next thing you know, Shy (Tuttle) is going to walk up to me and I’m going to be like, ‘I’m sorry. Never mind.’”
Thursday, February 15, 2018