Tennessee basketball is rolling to start the year. The Vols are 11-0 as they begin approaching the halfway point in the season. Tennessee has two non-conference games remaining before the end of the calendar year and the start of conference play.
Rick Barnes and the coaching staff have assembled one of the country's most talented and efficient teams by meticulously crafting Tennessee's roster through the transfer portal and traditional recruiting methods.
One of Tennessee's biggest contributors isn't one of the elite portal players Barnes has brought to Rocky Top in the past couple of years. Instead, it's a former four-star recruit from Rancho Cucamonga, California, and a member of the 2021 recruiting class — Jahmai Mashack.
He has proven to be one of the best defenders on the court over the past couple of seasons, improving year over year. But he's taken a big step towards becoming the best defender in the country this season, and some people at the national level are starting to take notice.
CBS Sports Insider Jon Rothstein said Mashack is the best overall defender when he's on the court. "Capable of guarding all five positions on the floor, Mashack is separating himself as college basketball's best overall defender. You can't measure what this guy does in a box score."
we tend to agree pic.twitter.com/arxqwBJTMv
— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) December 16, 2024
That's a huge compliment for Mashack. It's hard to measure his production in the box score because effort and toughness aren't statistics, but Mashack has a lot of them.
Mashack continued his streak of dominance on Tuesday night against Western Carolina. He finished the night with three rebounds and five steals on the defensive side of the ball.
Tennessee will look to pick up where it left off next Monday when it welcomes MTSU to Rocky Top for another in-state battle. The Blue Raiders have had a successful run to start the year, starting 8-3, so this could be another good battle for the Vols in final preparations for SEC play.