ATHENS, Ga. - Tennessee let a six-point lead slip away in the final four minutes of regulation, and for a moment, it looked like the Vols might let one get away. But when they needed a spark, JP Estrella brought the fire.
The sophomore big man didn’t just talk the talk in the huddle before overtime - he walked it, too. With Tennessee’s offense sputtering late in regulation - just four points in the final four minutes - Estrella stepped up and delivered on both of the Vols’ first two possessions in OT, helping them grind out a gritty 86-85 win over Georgia.
“He loves to play,” head coach Rick Barnes said. “You should’ve heard him in the huddle before overtime.
He was fired up - let’s go, let’s play all night. That’s the kind of energy he brings.”
And that energy was contagious.
“Really just trying to build the energy and get the guys going,” Estrella said. “And it worked great.”
Estrella’s performance wasn’t just emotional lift - it was production, plain and simple. He scored five of his 17 points in overtime and added nine rebounds, putting together what was easily the most impactful game of his career against meaningful competition. He was efficient, too, knocking down 8-of-12 shots from the field and showing a newfound physical edge, especially on the offensive glass.
That physicality has been a point of emphasis from Tennessee’s coaching staff all season. Estrella’s not the quickest big on the floor, and that can show up defensively. But if he brings toughness and crashes the boards with purpose, the Vols can live with the trade-off - especially when he’s giving them that kind of offensive punch.
“When he starts rebounding, he does a good job talking,” Barnes said. “And he did - he came up big.
When he goes up and gets it with two hands, he’s really a force. The more he’s out there, the better he’s going to get.
He missed a lot of basketball, but I’m really happy with him because he’s doing the things we need.”
Estrella echoed that sentiment, crediting the coaching staff for pushing him to embrace the physical side of the game.
“Coach pretty much told me, keep being you, but the biggest thing is you’ve got to be physical,” Estrella said. “You’ve got to have a little bit of that Uros (Plavsic) mentality.
I’ve been trying to really do that on the glass, and I feel like tonight was a night where I proved I can do that. Now I’ve just got to be consistent and keep doing it every night.”
This was just Estrella’s second game in the starting lineup. He didn’t light it up against Alabama, but he did pull down two critical rebounds late - a sign that the trust Barnes is showing in him isn’t misplaced.
In fact, Barnes mentioned that Estrella was always part of their preseason vision for the starting five. Now, he’s finally getting the chance to grow into that role.
And that growth couldn’t come at a better time. Tennessee’s frontcourt has been searching for answers early in SEC play.
A team built to be strong inside hasn’t consistently played like it. Estrella’s breakout in Athens is a glimpse of what this team needs - and what he might be able to provide moving forward.
It’s been an up-and-down season for Estrella, but that’s been the story across Tennessee’s front line. What makes Estrella’s emergence so important is that he brings something the others haven’t consistently delivered: upside. He’s still raw, still learning, but the flashes are real - and the Vols are giving him the runway to figure it out.
“I’m happy for him,” Barnes said. “We’ve always loved him, we’ve always believed in him.
And we just know - and he knows - there’s still more. He’s raised the bar to where he’s doing what we know he can do.
But now, we expect him to raise it even more.”
For Tennessee, that’s the kind of challenge they’ll gladly put on Estrella’s shoulders - especially if he keeps responding like this.