The start of the 2026-27 regular season is rapidly approaching for Tennessee basketball and coach Rick Barnes. Now final preparations are underway.
The Vols, who brought in 13 new players during a busy offseason, held their first official practice at Pratt Pavilion on Sept. 22. They added plenty of talent via the transfer portal, but the task is now to get all the fresh faces to mesh on the court.
Here are five takeaways from the first official day of practice for UT.
How is Jalen Washington integrating into Tennessee lineup?
Jalen Washington, the 6-foot-10 Vanderbilt transfer center who is suing the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility, looks like a player who's been away from college basketball for a while. And that is understandable, because he didn't join UT's roster and begin workouts with the Vols
until early August.
Barnes said Washington has been a tremendous asset for the Vols with his knowledge and attitude so far. And on the court, there are flashes of the high-level rebounding and interior defense he showed last season. But he will need to learn the UT system better and get back into game shape before those traits are demonstrated more regularly.
Competition for minutes among backup centers
Barnes himself admitted that "really no one knows" if Washington will win his lawsuit and play this season. If he is able to play, Washington will start. But for now, the Vols have to prepare as if he won't, and develop the players behind him.
DeWayne Brown II is smart and and physical defensively, but undersized at 6-8. Myles Rubin gives UT length and experience. And Christian Fermin has explosive upside as a high-level shot-blocker. It's a crowded position and the minutes Washington doesn't take will go to the most consistent player and mistake-free player.
UT has built this roster around star players in the backcourt and the best option at center will be whoever can complement them the best will play.
Can Jalen Haralson play to full potential at Tennessee?
Jalen Haralson, a 6-7 transfer from Notre Dame, is a gifted offensive player who averaged 16.2 points per game last season. But in his lone season with the Irish, Haralson could be prone to turnovers and, especially after co-star Markus Burton went down with an injury, inefficient shooting.
The idea was that, in coming to UT, Haralson would be able to unlock a new, more efficient version of himself when surrounded with more talent. But even now, he continues to struggle with turnovers in practice and the tantalizing defensive potential Barnes sees in Haralson hasn't materialized yet.
"We think he should be one of the elite defenders in the country with his length, his athleticism, his strength," Barnes said. "Some of that's all new to him. I think he'll tell you that no one's asked him to defend the way we think he can. He still is learning how to use his length, use angles to do his job."
There is so much potential for Haralson, who is still young, but the Vols are counting on him to be an impact player right away.
"I don't think Jalen ... knows how good he can be," Barnes said. "But everything he wants is on the other side of hard."
Terrence Hill Jr., Dai Dai Ames fill flexible roles in Tennessee backcourt
Guards Terrence Hill Jr. and Dai Dai Ames have proven they can score in bunches. Hill averaged 15 points per game at VCU last season and Ames paced Cal in scoring with 16.9 points per game. But they might be most valuable for UT as creators.
The Vols are counting on Haralson and Wake Forest transfer Juke Harris to rebound, defend and score at a high level. Adding ball-handling and shot creating responsibilities could overextend them.
Hill and Ames are capable of making tough shots to bail out a bad possession, but the Vols will be at their best offensively when they are looking first to set others up for open shots, instead of forcing shots for themselves.
Expect Tennessee to push the pace with talented backcourt
UT is exploring a stylistic change this season. In team drills, the Vols played five-on-five with the shot clock often limited to 10 seconds, forcing players at every position to get up the floor fast and make quick decisions.
UT has ranked among the top-100 teams in Division I in tempo only twice since Barnes took over as coach in 2015 and never ranked higher than 80th, according to KenPom. Barnes feels he's assembled a deep team and, to best use that depth, he wants the Vols to play fast. Doing it without rushing is not an easy task.
"Everybody talks about wanting to run but very few of them understand how to do it right," Barnes said. "Hopefully they're starting to figure that out. We're not there yet. ... We've got a ways to go."
Stephen Thompson covers Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball. Email him at stephen.thompson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @stephenethom.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: What we learned from Tennessee basketball's first practice of 2026-27 season
