When you think about Tennessee basketball, the first things that come to mind are toughness and physicality, and Bishop Boswell embodies both. In Tuesday night’s win over Ole Miss, Boswell grabbed eight rebounds and added three steals. It wasn’t the first time he’s stepped up; this is quickly becoming the norm for the young shooting guard.
The emergence of Boswell has come all over the court, but it's especially been on the defensive end. Boswell does all the little things for the Vols, averaging 5.1 rebounds, a great feat for a guard, and 1.5 steals a game, making life hard for any ball handler in front of him. He’s exactly what this team needs. Tennessee has its scorers in Nate Ament and Ja’Kobi Gillespie, but he’s the glue guy who holds everything together.
Boswell's rise wasn't always easy. Last season, he struggled, but that didn't stop him from working hard. Barnes said, “When we recruited him, we knew what we were losing—tough, hard-nosed guys on defense. We wanted him to get minutes as a freshman, and it didn’t come as quickly as hoped, but to his credit, he kept working.”
Barnes also took time to praise Boswell for his relentless work ethic and commitment behind the scenes. He said, “No one worked harder than Bishop. I can’t imagine anyone putting in more time—he watches film every day, studies every practice clip, and competes at a high level on both defense and offense.”
Bishop Boswell has emerged as a defensive star with his blue collar attitude
Rick Barnes has really been giving Boswell the praise he deserves in the post-game pressers. With Felix Okpara out for the last two games, Boswell has managed to grab eight rebounds in both contests. He's stepped up, taking a role that not everyone is built for, but he is.
Not to mention, it's no wonder he's so good defensively, as Barnes has praised his effort of non-stop film watching, learning tendencies of his opponents. Right now, Boswell has 1.5 steals a game, which is 13th in the conference
Basketball isn’t just about scoring, and that’s why Barnes doesn’t recruit only shooters. Players like Boswell and DeWayne Brown II are exactly what every team needs, and they’ll play a huge role in how far this team goes in March.