Oliver returns to Knoxville, but on a different bench

In his first six seasons as Tennessee’s basketball coach, Rick Barnes was always able to turn to assistant Desmond Oliver for advice or second opinions.

The friends will be foes for two hours Sunday, when the No. 18 Volunteers host Oliver’s East Tennessee State Buccaneers at noon. This is the first head-coaching role for Oliver, whose debut Friday night resulted in a 69-67 loss at Appalachian State.

“From the time I got to know him, his goal was to be a Division I head basketball coach,” Barnes said, “and he had the opportunity to interview for a number of different positions and ended up with a terrific job in East Tennessee. I think he would tell you he is really excited about his team. They have players coming back who had great success, and there are certainly some things he will do that we do here, but he has also added some things he likes himself.

“From a personal standpoint, I am really excited for Des and his family that he has finally gotten the opportunity he has worked long and hard for.”

Oliver helped Barnes rack up 123 wins and three trips to the NCAA tournament. The Vols went 31-6 during the 2018-19 season, which included an 11-0 record in games when Oliver scouted the opponent.

On the recruiting front, Oliver helped Tennessee land the nation’s No. 5 class in the 2020 cycle, a crop headlined by Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer.

“He’s just a great coach,” Vols fifth-year senior guard Victor Bailey said. “He always used to say I looked like Blade, and he texted me the other day saying he was watching the movie and thought about me. I’m excited to see him again.”

Tennessee opened this past Tuesday with a 90-62 trouncing of UT Martin in which the Vols set a school record with 17 made 3-pointers, with Kennedy Chandler, Santiago Vescovi and Justin Powell combining on 13-of-20 shooting from long range. The Vols also racked up 23 offensive rebounds and forced 21 turnovers.

“We have to be better defensively, and it starts with guarding the ball,” Barnes said. “We did not do a good job there the other night, and we’re normally pretty good in that area. After watching the tape, it wasn’t because of a lack of effort. It was just being overly anxious.”