What Tennessee Guard Ethan Burg Had To Say To The Media During His Preseason Availability

Another big pickup for the Volunteers was Ethan Burg from Israell who comes in with four years of pro level experience. He hopes to be a key contributor to the team this year and have a big impact not only with his play but also for his teammates in 2025. Here is everything he had to say.

On the difference between playing in the NCAA and Tennessee compared to Europe…

“I feel like the pace is much different. I think over there, meaning Europe, basketball is much slower. You mostly play with your head instead of your legs and arms. I feel like over here, we've been running, I'll tell you that. We've been running, I'm still trying to get used to it, get my cardio up. Obviously, I'm a little bit older, so coming in here at the age of 23, like I got a lot to learn, but at the same time, you know, it's easier for me to, you know, just make sure that I get everything right by the time we need to play. I feel like mostly the pace, the style here specifically, is much different from what I'm used to. But it's good. Overall, it's good. I feel like it's a good learning experience. It's one of the main reasons I chose to come play at the NCAA, like college level, especially at Tennessee. Looking forward to it.”

On the strengths of his game….

“I feel like I can get downhill quickly. I feel like I'm a good passer. I can also score the ball. I'm a good defender. Obviously, going to need to prove it this year at this level. I have a lot of experience. You know, just came from the Eurobasket play, a tough competition out there, you know, Giannis, Luka, a lot of talented teams as well. So, you know, coming in here mostly to give some of my experience back to the team, you know, if I could help the guys and hope that translates to the game.”

On how the experience helps him, even though he arrived late…

“It helps because, first of all, I feel like I don't take anything personally, you know. I didn't really know Coach before I got here, but I got to know him over the past couple of weeks. I thought my first practice I ain't going to get yelled at, but I understood real quick that it's different around here. We talked about experience. So, you know, I don't take anything personally, like I'm coming here to learn to be better, make everybody else better, and feel like that gives me a little edge. I think I'm gonna be fine. Got a great group of guys here, everybody really makes me feel comfortable, wants me to be myself, and I'm really, really looking forward to starting the season.”

On his favorite thing about Knoxville…

“I feel like it's a beautiful city, honestly. Great weather, great food. I live in Stockyard, so I got this restaurant, Stir, right under my apartment. I love it. I love it, man. Great food. Downtown has been amazing. My girlfriend here takes me hiking every Sunday. I don't like that part much, but it is beautiful views out there, man. I'll tell you, I really love this city, man. It's just amazing.”

On the cultural shift/adjustment…

“My dad's American. That's where I got the accent from. I mean, my English is not 100% because I was born and raised in Israel. My dad's American. I'm really familiar with the States. I think it's probably my most, like my preferred vacation destination. You know, Miami, New York, L.A. Like, yeah, I'm a tourist when it comes to that., I've been in the States multiple times. I've been in the States multiple times. I think it's the fifth year in a row I've come to the United States in the summertime. This time I'm playing here.”  

On whether he had been to Knoxville before he stepped on Campus…

“I've been on a visit, but it was like super low key cause I didn't really have my eligibility yet. So it was kind of an unofficial visit. I was here for three days, and it's been the only college I visited, but I knew right away like this is where I want to be. My entire recruiting process was with GP with Gregg Polinsky. He was just a great guy. It's been easy to communicate with him. I really felt at home even before I got here. He made me feel super comfortable. When I got here and met Coach Barnes and Coach Gainey, it was just amazing. I knew, like, right away that this is a spot for me.”

On what has been the biggest surprise he didn’t expect from Knoxville…

“Fan base, honestly, I didn't really get to know some of our fans. I think I'm here for like a week and a half. So I haven't really had too many interactions with fans or whatever.  I went to the football game against Georgia. I've seen a lot of people out there, man. Yeah, it's a lot of people, so hopefully we get some of the love the football gets. I heard it gets pretty noisy here, especially at home games and rivalry games. I just think it's a different experience than what I’m used to. I've been playing professional basketball for the past four years now. Coming into college is a different route. It's a weird route, right? You usually go to college and then pros. I already played pro, so now I'm coming into college. Honestly, just looking forward to it. I think it's a beautiful city, amazing people, just happy to be here.”

On the experience of the FIBA tournament….

“I feel like I learned a lot from this tournament. It was a short time, like two weeks, but I still learned a lot. Coming into the roster, I was the youngest player on the team. 20 people were invited to the camp. I really didn't know if I'm gonna make the cut, like the final roster, but each practice I made progress, felt more comfortable, played better. So the coach and Steph decided to keep me and let me go with 11 other players to represent Israel in the Eurobasket. This experience overall was just amazing. I mean, getting to guard NBA, like probably Hall of Famers, you know, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, just that level of competition and the rest of them, you know, and the rest of them, EuroLeague players, EuroCup players, high-level competition. I think I learned a lot from it, just being out there, gaining more experience. “It was important to me.”

On what it means to represent his country in a tournament like that…

“Yeah, it means a lot, you know, especially everything that's going on in Israel right now. The situation is not the best. I really hope it will all end soon and we'll eventually have peace, but this is the situation. It is what it is. So just being out there, representing my country, it was amazing. It was probably the best experience that I've ever had in my entire life. Beating France, which won the silver medal, the Olympics for a small country like ours, is a hell of an achievement. Probably one of the best moments of my life.

Here is the full interview from Ethan Burg