Tennessee freshman Manny Green is already settling into life with the Volunteers, and on August 27 he laid out exactly what this offseason has looked like as Rick Barnes continues bringing the new pieces along with the 2026-2027 season still two months away.
Green, a former 4-star recruit in the 2026 class, said the summer has been a grind of ups and downs, but his focus has stayed on daily improvement.
"The summer was very high and low. Just staying focused and knowing that every day you just have to get one percent better and that everybody is just here for the best, to push you and be better," Green said.
A big part of his adjustment has come from watching how Tennessee’s older players go about their work. Green said the film sessions have been valuable because he’s been able to study the details that make the system click.
"Learning from them and watching what they were doing, it's the little things, the details of how they were playing and the aggression they played with in certain ways. The movement they had and the things that coach liked. So just watching the film on them, it will help me out on the court a lot," Green said.
For Green, the defensive end is where the early emphasis has landed. He made it clear that coming in as a freshman, that part of the game has to be a priority.
"Yes sir, especially on the defensive end, you know, coming in as a freshman, that's one of the things I find the most important, is defense and, you know, just learning that role early, you know, come out for the best for me. Just make sure you're more attentive to details and knowing where to be in the right place at the right time and just playing hard and being aggressive," Green said.
He’s also leaned on teammates for help, especially in practice. Green pointed to Dewayne and Troy as players he already knew from last year through his visit, then added that Tyler and Juke have also been especially helpful this season.
"Yes sir, you know, a couple guys helped me out. I'd say Dewayne, Troy, you know, I'm kinda familiar with them from last year, being on my visit and being very familiar with the school.
This year, I'd say Tyler and Juke. they have been with me, very good, and helped me out a lot. I asked them a lot of questions, especially in practice, you know, just to get the feedback," Green said.
That work environment has even included some lighter moments. Green had praise for a teammate’s personality and said those moments matter when the team is spending so much time together.
"He's very funny. He's a good dude, you know.
It can brighten us up, you know, cause we work so hard, you know, just being able to, you know, play around and enjoy the free time we have with each other. It means a lot," Green said.
Green also talked about the upcoming exhibition game at Duke, calling it a moment he’s dreamed about for a long time.
"It's very cool. You know, I always had a dream to play in that arena.
You know, it's just I can't wait. It's going to be electrical," Green said.
As the offseason has gone on, Green said the coaching staff has made it clear that he’s improving, even if the pace of work makes it hard to notice day to day.
"Honestly I would say a lot, but it's like I don't realize how much I have grown until the coaches tell me because we are going so hard every day, just trying to keep up to the standard. You don't realize how good you are getting, but the coaches tell me I was doing pretty good, but I still got more work to do," Green said.
And when Green summed up what Tennessee wants from him, the message was simple: attack the rim, rebound, and defend.
"Being aggressive to the play, you know, getting downhill, rebounding, you know, guarding, you know, they want me to guard real good and things like that and more," Green said.
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