Darlinstone Dubar did not take long Tuesday to make a splash.
The Tennessee basketball guard slipped off a screen, rolled to the rim and dunked a well-placed Zakai Zeigler bounce pass. Dubar was rolling again for the Vols for a second straight game as he advances his role.
“I am a confident person,” Dubar said. “I am just going to continue doing what I am doing. Playing hard and being there for my teammates and having fun.”
Dubar had a season-high 13 points in No. 1 Tennessee’s 84-36 win against Western Carolina (3-7) at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. He had his best game this season against Illinois on Saturday, then was even better Tuesday.
That is pleasing to Vols coach Rick Barnes, but what’s still to come for Dubar was on Barnes’ mind after the Vols improved to 11-0.
Darlinstone Dubar buckling down on defense
Dubar ran down the court after his dunk Tuesday and pointed to WCU’s Marcus Kell. He made sure Igor Milicic Jr. was picking up Kell and the defense would be aligned.
“I thought he tried really hard defensively,” Barnes said. “I think he was really locked in there.”
The 6-foot-6, 220-pound Dubar came to Tennessee with a reputation for scoring. He delivered that against Illinois with two key shots. He also provided a massive block, a welcome play and development.
He came back Tuesday with a season-high 17 minutes and 5-for-8 shooting with a 3-pointer.
ILLINOIS: How Darlinstone Dubar was the unsung hero of Tennessee basketball’s win at Illinois
Dubar is a key component of Tennessee’s defensive versatility. He is a smaller, more powerful player at the 4-spot than Milicic, who is 6-10 and long. He stretches the floor offensively but can also provide the small-ball lineups that Tennessee used in the past with players like Josiah-Jordan James.
“That’s the big thing we’ve been talking to him about,” Barnes said. “Trying to be more consistent on that end.”
Rick Barnes challenging Darlinstone Dubar to improve his conditioning
Barnes’ other challenge to Dubar is to get into better shape, a need stemming from how much time Dubar missed this season.
The Hofstra transfer did not play in Tennessee’s first four games while attending to a personal matter. He did not practice for almost two weeks in that stretch, leaving him catching up during the season.
“My conditioning is still getting up there,” Dubar said.
It hasn’t been a smooth path, with multiple stints in and out of the lineup. Dubar also did not play against Miami on Dec. 10 while in concussion protocol, which limited him in practice.
Barnes expects that as Dubar strings together more practices, everything will fall into place for him. He has played his role wonderfully in his most extensive playing time of the season in the past two games. Conditioning is part of that, which will only lead to more minutes and more success.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson or Bluesky @bymikewilson.bsky.social. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Darlinstone Dubar has conditioning, defense on mind for Tennessee role
