The NCAA denied an appeal to grant Tennessee center Uros Plavsic immediate eligibility.
Considering at the time that 54 of 62 men’s college basketball players had been declared eligible right away – including Kentucky transfer Quade Green (a Philadelphia native) to Washington after he’d played the first half of last season in Lexington – it’s head-scratching to rule against Plavsic.
A 7-foot transfer from Arizona State, Plavsic is from Serbia, played high school ball at Hamilton Heights in Chattanooga, went to Arizona State with his high school coach, redshirted, then left the Sun Devils when his coaching friend (also from Serbia) was not retained.
Seemed like a simple case.
Apparently, it wasn’t.
So why did the NCAA say no to Plavsic?
We don’t know for sure, other than to say he didn’t meet the criteria.
That prompted Tennessee athletic director Phillip Fulmer to fire off a strongly worded statement questioning the NCAA’s decision and saying UT would continue its appeal.
In a recent interview on WNML’s Sports Talk show, Fulmer was asked if he would like more transparency from the NCAA over its transfer rulings.
“Yeah, I would,” Fulmer said. “I was not very happy as to what happened to Uros. I said that. And we are still working on a couple of things.
“You know, the NCAA has absolutely created a mess and they cannot win.
“They are not going to win whenever they deny a young person that probably deserves an opportunity to go on and play.’’
Fulmer said there are cases when a transfer probably needs to sit out, “but to try and be the judge and jury there in Indianapolis and to farm it out to committees that aren’t even your peers often times, I don’t think it is the right way to go.
“Surely they will address this and get a handle on it. If we are going to do this, let’s get it better.’’
Fulmer had another concern about the NCAA’s handling of transfers.
“I’m okay as long as there is consistency,’’ Fulmer said. “There hasn’t been a lot of consistency. My struggle is, I’m looking at it as a coach … roster management is very important.’’
Fulmer isn’t a fan of allowing a one-time transfer for immediate eligibility.
“Maybe there is a good player that is a redshirt freshman or sophomore,’’ Fulmer said, “but between him and his parents or other outside influences or other schools kind of talking to him, if he makes a decision to leave that early, that doesn’t sit well with me.’’
Fulmer said he is in favor of the graduate transfer rule but not what some coaches are referring to as free agency in the college ranks, with freshmen and sophomores routinely leaving the school with which they signed.
“This kind of `leave when you want to,’ I don’t like that, really,’’ he said.
The Plavsic case is now in the hands of the Division I Committee for Legislative Relief.
It is considered a “body of your peers.’’
It includes an assistant athletic director for compliance from Rutgers, an associate commissioner of the Pac-12, a female a senior associate athletic director for compliance at Virginia Tech, a faculty representative at UTEP, director of compliance at James Madison, a senior women’s administrator at Monmouth University and a senior associate commissioner of the Atlantic-Sun Conference.
They will examine the Plavsic appeal and decide if Plavsic has to sit a year at Tennessee.
Vols’ signing class currently ranked No. 4 nationally
Wednesday was an historic day for the Tennessee basketball program, as the Volunteers received signed National Letters of Intent from three elite prospects who compose one of the most outstanding recruiting classes in program history.
Five-star prospects Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer and four-star prospect Corey Walker Jr. give Tennessee a signing class that is ranked as high as No. 4 nationally by ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports. All three of those services also list Tennessee’s three signees among the top 40 prospects in the Class of 2020.
“The combined talent and potential of Keon, Corey and Jaden is really exciting,” Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said. “All three of them fit the culture of this program and come from incredible families who have provided wonderful support and guidance to get them to this point. It’s our responsibility now to help each of them take the next steps in their individual development—not only athletically but also as men.”
All three signees are expected to enroll in the summer of 2020 and will be freshmen next season.
Including current Vols freshman Josiah-Jordan James, Tennessee has now signed four top-40 prospects during the Barnes era (2015-present).
KEON JOHNSON Guard | 6-5 | 180 | Shelbyville, Tenn.
An explosive shooting guard who attends The Webb School in Bell Buckle, Tennessee, Keon Johnson is rated as the No. 1 overall prospect in the state of Tennessee and is the state’s two-time reigning Division II-A Mr. Basketball.
Johnson is rated as a top-35 prospect nationally (Rivals No. 18, 247Sports No. 23, ESPN No. 33).
As a junior last season, the slashing guard helped lead The Webb School to the TSSAA Div. II-A state semifinals and a 29-7 record while averaging 24.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 3.0 steals and 2.4 blocks per game. He is coached at Webb by Jeff Mitchell.
Johnson’s stock rose dramatically following stellar play at the 2018 Rocky Top Classic AAU tournament, during which he starred for the Elite Amateur Basketball (EAB) program. Tennessee basketball VFL Mark Griffin (1984-89) served as an EAB assistant coach.
During the summer of 2019, Johnson averaged 21.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game and shot an impressive .490 from the field in seven games during the 2019 Adidas Gauntlet. He was also named MVP of USA Basketball’s annual summer mini-camp in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in July, where he competed against many of the best high school basketball players from across the country.
His quickness off the dribble allows Johnson to get to the rim at will, while his elite vision and passing make him a threat to always find an open teammate on offense. On the defensive side of the ball, Johnson has a rare mix of agility and size that make him capable of defending smaller, quicker guards, along with matching up with bigger, athletic forwards.
“Keon is truly an elite athlete—one of the most explosive, two-way players in the country at the high school level,” Barnes said. “We’re excited about what he brings on both ends of the floor and expect that he’ll make an immediate impact.”
ESPN projects Johnson as the 13th overall pick in its most recent 2021 NBA mock draft.
Johnson is the son of former Auburn women’s basketball standout Conswella Sparrow Johnson, who was a two-time All-SEC performer for the Tigers.
A versatile shooting guard who currently attends IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, Jaden Springer is rated as a top-20 prospect nationally (Rivals No. 15, ESPN No. 16, 247Sports No. 16).
As a junior at IMG—where he is coached by Sean McAloon—Springer helped lead the Ascenders to the 2019 Geico High School National Championship while averaging 18.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.
Before his time at IMG, he was a two-year starter at Rocky River High School in Mint Hill, North Carolina. There, he averaged 23.1 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists, while also showing prowess on the defensive side of the ball, tallying more than one steal and one block per game.
The physically gifted wing is an excellent athlete with a high motor who can make and finish plays above the rim. He also is a consistent threat to score via his pull-up game. His length and quickness make him an asset on the defensive side of the court, where he can effectively defend multiple positions.
“Jaden will provide outstanding ball-handling and scoring ability,” Barnes said. “Much like Keon, Jaden is someone who will immediately make us better on both ends of the floor. I love his competitiveness. He’s a winner.”
NBAdraftroom.com projects Springer as the 19th overall pick in its most recent 2021 NBA mock draft.
His father, Gary Springer Sr., was an honorable mention All-American in basketball at Iona College and was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1984. Jaden Springer’s older brother, Jordan, played basketball at Army (West Point) and is currently serving in the U.S. Army.
Considered a top-40 prospect nationally (Rivals No. 33, 247Sports No. 36, ESPN No. 39), Walker currently attends Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Virginia, though he is originally from Hastings, Florida.
Walker attended Bishop Snyder High School in Jacksonville, Florida, as a junior in 2018-19 and was a first-team Class 4A All-State selection by the Florida Association of Basketball Coaches (FABC) and Source Hoops. He was a third-team selection as a sophomore in 2017-18.
He is coached at Hargrave by Lee Martin, and his coaches at Bishop Snyder were Vince Martin and Russell Powell.
A high-level athlete with excellent length, Walker boasts great positional versatility. He can play on the wing while also taking advantage of mismatches in the post. He rebounds at a high level and can absorb contact. His versatility may be his most significant asset, and he projects to be an extremely productive player who can stuff a stat sheet.
“Corey is one of the most naturally gifted offensive players in this class nationwide,” Barnes said. “We’re very optimistic about his potential and expect that his game will rise to a different level once he becomes immersed in our daily culture and work ethic. He certainly has the capacity to make big contributions to our team success as a freshman.”
Murray State men’s basketball coach Matt McMahon, who is from Oak Ridge and a one-time UT grad assistant, spoke a lot about the Vols after Tennessee’s 82-63 win.
Murray St HC Matt McMahon / Credit: 99.1 The Sports Animal
“The bye week came at a really good time for us. We kind of limped into the last couple of games at certain positions with injuries, so it’s a great opportunity for our players and our team to get healed up, refocused and reenergized. We spent the last two days, in the time that we would normally practice from two to six, just doing extra academics. It’s that time of the semester where it’s getting prepped for finals and kind of getting some extra work done, so we’ll go out today and tomorrow and focus on fundamentals and things that we need to work on as far as situations for the next two weeks and focus a little bit on our opponents. But really, we want to get down to how we can improve fundamentally as a football team. I’ve said this numerous times, we have a long ways to go and we have not come close to playing our best game. We’re finding out why we made some mistakes in previous games and things that we can do to correct it. We’re continuing to grow as a football team offensively and defensively and on special teams. So, it’s something that we’re going to be focused on for the next couple of days.”
Credit: UT Athletics
On if he believes Jarrett Guarantano is better coming off of the bench:
“I think Jarrett, when he plays within himself and goes through the progressions, he has a great opportunity to have success. He’s a smart guy, tough guy, the game comes easy to him and he can make all the throws, he’s an instinctive guy. I do think the last couple of weeks, based off the scenario that we’ve had as far as how many reps he can take in practice with his hand, it has given us the best opportunity to kind of do the things that we’ve done in the way that we’ve done it at the quarterback position. I do think he’s probably more suited to come off the bench maybe than the other guys. There’s a lot of emotion and anxiety that goes into the preparation and getting ready for a game, and I think the fact that he has a little age on him and some maturity, he can handle coming off of the bench. I think he can see and process and take some of the things that have happened previously in the game and can take advantage of it. It’s something that we felt like gave us the best opportunity to win and to have success, so that’s why we’ve done it. I think he can play just as well starting the game, so it all goes back to those intangibles and those details. So that’s the way it’s kind of played out.”
On last year’s team also having a 5-5 record entering the final two games of the season:
“Last year’s team has had really no impact on this year’s team; this is a totally new team. I do think that the people that were on this team can learn lessons from last year and can draw upon experiences. We’re focusing on the things that we need to, to have success for the remainder of the year. We have to clean up a lot of things on both sides of the ball and special teams. It’s a great opportunity for our guys to continue to improve as players and for us to improve as a football team.”
On when the coaches decided how to handle the off week:
“You plan your season out from a quality control standpoint in how you want to handle off weeks in the preseason, no different than how you would plan out a game, or how you want to face certain situations. There are times where you have to take into account where you are right now as a football team, whether that’s now with in-game adjustments or decisions or where you are on an off week, so we took all of that into account and really decided Sunday after the game just kind of based on where we are and what we needed to do to give us the best opportunity to heal up. We have some guys that have been really banged up that have really pushed through and we have guys that have been close to getting to be able to play that weren’t ready, so to give them an opportunity. And how do you do that and still continue to develop as a football team? So, we tried to take all of that into account and that’s why we decided to do it the way we have.”
On if they are still redshirting Elijah Simmons after playing him at Kentucky:
“Well you can play in four games and he has played in two. He will have an opportunity to play in two more. But he won’t play in more than two (more).”
On why the team has been more of a second half team:
“Probably experience. If you just go back and look offensively, besides Jarrett (Guarantano) at quarterback, the wide receivers had really little returning experience on the offensive side. I know Trey (Smith) has played a lot of ball, but he only practiced once during fall camp. Brandon Kennedy is a fifth-year guy but he has not played a whole lot of ball. So, I think that part, with these guys playing together, has helped us out offensively. Defensively, there had been very few guys up front that had played any ball that really mattered here in the past.
“Then we have kind of been beat up in the secondary for most of the year. We probably haven’t had one game where our entire secondary is healthy. So, we have had to piece together pieces throughout the entire year. Probably just experience guys that hadn’t played a lot gathering experience and some of it may be attitude, too. I feel like your mind controls a lot of things, your thoughts and your actions. Sometimes if you just kind of set your mind to doing something, you can figure out a way to get it done. I am not going to be denied attitude. I think we have grown in that regard as the season has went. We have showed a little bit more mental toughness. Probably all of those things have a little something to do with it.”
On an update on Henry To’o To’o, Bryce Thompson and Darnell Wright:
“There are certain guys on our team that won’t be able to practice today that they may be better off resting. I am not going into specifics on who that would be. There are other guys that need to take some reps because they have not taken some in quite some time. We will handle it on an individual basis and what we feel like is best for the individual player.”
On what would Jarrett Guarantano need to show him to reclaim being the starting quarterback:
“I guess the starting job is not as important to me as it is who is playing effectively, efficiently and who is giving us the best chance to win. It is kind of like basketball. You have five guys out there, but you may have two guys who come off the bench that give you 35 points. So, we play a lot of players. I know the quarterback position in itself is a little unusual to play multiple guys this day in time.
“I have belief that Jarrett gives us a great opportunity to win us football games. I believe that Brian Maurer, I believe that J.T. Shrout gives us opportunities to win football games. Jarrett has an advantage over our guys because he has a lot more experience. But we will see how things go. The players on our team trust us. They believe in what we are doing. And whoever we send out first is because we feel like that is the best plan that works for us in that game. I don’t know who that will be as we move forward, but the players dictate that, not me. They control who plays. We play the guy that gives us the best opportunity to win football games.”
On the run game struggling over the last couple of weeks:
“We have to play cleaner up front, we have to tie things together from perimeter blocks to our offensive front. We need to make more guys miss at the running back position. We have to give our offense an opportunity to run the football too. Some of that goes into it. I think that the last game was a little unusual when you look at the time of possession versus the offensive snaps that we had. If you are going to throw RPOs you have to do a nice job at quarterback making the right reads. If it’s supposed to be a handoff, hand it off and if it’s not you have to throw the ball, because you are obviously not blocking on the perimeter. We have to do a better job in that scenario.”
On Trey Smith being named a semifinalist for Collegiate Man of the Year:
“Take the football out of it, you won’t find a better representative, number one, of his family. When you look at Henry (father) and Ashley (sister), you see the type of people that Trey has come from. They are a wonderful family. He is a great representative on not only his family, but also the University of Tennessee. He loves the University of Tennessee. He puts others first. In this day in time, that is unusual, especially with the circumstances that he has been put under. You talk about poise and awareness and awareness of other people’s feelings. I can’t say enough about Trey and the type of person and the individual that he is. He does a fantastic job with anything that he touches. Whether it is on the field, off the field or in the classroom, he is what college football is all about. It’s not surprising. I would like to meet the people that are more deserving of this award than Trey Smith.”
On the lessons learned during the bye week so far and looking ahead to the remainder of the season:
“You want to figure out offensively, how did we create explosive plays? How did we consistently run the football? How did we protect the quarterback? How did we eliminate turnovers? How did we score touchdowns in the red area? Can we win short yardage? Can we win coming out? Can we win the four-minute drill at the end of the game? How effective are we in the two-minute situations before the half? Defensively, to me it starts with turnovers. How do you eliminate explosive plays? How do you eliminate touchdowns in the red area and hold people to field goals? Can you get off the field on third down, which we struggled with the last game. Special teams, how do you create explosive plays? Can you create some turnovers? Can you steal possessions? Can you generate something in the return game? It all goes back to fundamentals. There are obviously some philosophical things that we probably need to look at as a coaching staff that will give us an opportunity to have more success. We have to go back to the ABCs this week and this is what we are going to do to try to improve as a football team.”
On his teams’ tendencies and how that has contributed to overall play:
“It can be, are you giving up explosive plays in five-man pressures with man to man coverage? Are you giving up explosive plays in a four-man rush playing zone defense? So, you go back and look at all the analytics there, and see what you can do, see if something sticks out that might be an issue, or even something that you might do well. So, it works both ways, but yes that is something we are working on this week.”
On how important it has been to build relationships with his players:
“I’ve said this numerous times, the reason I got in this business was to have a positive impact on young people. I watched my father do it for 40-plus years. Some of the most influential people in my life were my coaches. So, it’s something for me that when you come to work every day, that it’s not work for me. I enjoy being around our team. The last two days I’ve been recruiting, which I enjoy doing. But, I haven’t gotten a chance to see our football team for two days, so immediately this morning when I got in I wanted to go to the weight room and speak to some of them since I hadn’t gotten a chance to see them. So, I’m excited for today, as we get into meetings and start cleaning up the last game and get into today’s practice. This 2019 team, which I believe that we are a really good team. I’ve said this before, I think we are a really good team as far as coming together and being for each other and caring about our teammates. Our guys have really focused on that, and to me that’s definitely showed the last several weeks. I’m excited about the opportunities that we have to finish this season. But, the one thing about it is that time’s ticking. There’s not a whole lot of time left, we still have a lot to prove, and everybody associated with our program knows that.”
On if he feels this team is more equipped to deal with their last two games then they were last year:
“I don’t like to compare this year to last year because it’s not the same team, it’s not the same individuals. There’s some that are the same but as a whole it is different. Our team this year, we started off not the way we wanted to, but one thing that we did do is we stuck together, our players have really bought in to what we are trying to get accomplished. They want to finish, we want to finish. We want to do it the right way, prepare, and todays another opportunity to do that. So, I really like where this group is headed, but the thing about it is that you are judged about what you do on Saturdays, so we got two more Saturdays to kind of pass the test. So, we are focused on improving today, and finishing out the semester in the classroom the right way, and if we do that…what else can we do.”
Tennessee Player Quotes
Brandon Kennedy, R-Sr. OL
On the keys to getting a more consistent running game:
“I think the keys are the offensive line being on the same page and we need to be fundamentally sound. I think those two things are keys.”
On the team being on the same page better earlier or later in the season:
“I think over the course of the season you learn the different things that you need to improve on. As the season has gone on, I think we have gotten better in those areas of communication and being on the same page.”
On what the coaching staff said to get this season turned around:
“They told us that we need to stick together. When you go through times like that it is easy to blame each other and to put the blame on one person. They told us to stick together and I think we did that. I think it has been evident throughout the season.”
On the bye week and getting a couple of days off:
“This bye week has been a great time for us to get our feet back under us and look at the things that we didn’t do as well over the course of the season and to improve on those things in the practices we have this week.”
Daniel Bituli, Sr. LB
On earning SEC Defensive Player of the Week:
“It also means great d-line play. You know I say it every week, I can’t do anything without my d-linemen. All credit to them for the work they are doing to keep those o-linemen off me. Because of them, I am able to have the opportunity to make those tackles in order to better the team.”
On playing against a run-heavy team:
“I love it. I love it when a team decides to run the ball because I get to get more tackles. I’m a linebacker, that’s what I’m here for; that’s what I’m made for; that’s what all those workouts we do with Coach Fitz (Craig Fitzgerald) are for. I definitely love a team that thinks they can come in and run the ball on us.”
On if he can improve on a game with 19 tackles:
“Oh definitely. Coach Pruitt says it all the time, ‘with a loss, there’s a lot more things that you can look over and see that you messed up on. But with a win, we tend to try to overlook the negative things we did, but there are still those negative things we did during the football game because nobody really plays a perfect football game.’ I just got to look at those things. This last game, I feel like I overran some tackles that I could have stopped from that point on when I hit the running back, but definitely a lot of things I can clean up.”
On riding a three-game win streak:
“It helps a lot. It just reminds us that if we continue to work the way we have been each and every day, if we win each and every practice that we are going into, then things like this are going to happen. We just have to keep that same mindset because we know that if we don’t come out with our A-game each and every game any team can beat us.”
Matthew Butler, Jr. DL
On Ja’Quain Blakely getting in on the game winning tackle:
“I was excited. In the moment, I was pretty lost in the moment. I was just excited that we had essentially clinched the game, but as soon as I saw the replay and saw that Blakely got in there and was the first one there to essentially choke slam him behind the line of scrimmage, that really excited me. That’s my boy and it’s good to see a fellow d-lineman make a play like that.”
On if the Kentucky win gives them confidence on the road:
“Last week we played a tough game and we’ve been able to have a couple of days off. Today, we’re going to focus on today. We’re going to make sure our bodies are prepped for this upcoming practice. Hopefully we can get some techniques right, look at some film and learn from what happened at Kentucky.”
On importance of Darrell Taylor’s PAT block:
“It was definitely big. On special teams, every inch matters and every point counts and blocking that extra point really changed the course of the game. It changed how the opposing offense is able to work off of that.”
On battles with K’Rojhn Calbert:
“I was about three feet from him, his freshman year when he had his initial injury. So, seeing that and seeing how he’s bounced back and turned himself into a special player in the SEC has been really inspiring. I’m close with him; he’s stayed level headed through everything and as you can see it’s paying off.”
Jauan Jennings, R-Sr. WR
On the defense’s goal-line stand at Kentucky:
“It was a lot of excitement, a lot of emotion flowing. I saw Ja’Quain Blakely tackle him and then saw (Daniel) Bituli get him down and finish the game. It was just a lot of excitement just knowing the game was over, we just had to go out there and perform as an offense, which we did. JG (Jarrett Guarantano) did a great job. Just coming out with a W means a whole lot.”
On Marquez Callaway and Josh Palmer both having big games against Kentucky:
“Marquez and Palmer have great abilities and I wasn’t surprised to see them step up the way they did. They do it all the time in practice, so to see them go out there and do it in a game it means a little bit more. Just knowing that they have the skill set to do so, it wasn’t that surprising.”
On Jarrett Guarantano’s play lately:
“He’s worked his tail off since he lost the job and come back, and for him to come back in and come out in the second half and perform the way he did just shows a lot about a person that is built around perseverance. JG has shown a lot of leadership through all of this and he’s grown as a person and grown as a quarterback for this team and is going to be an important part of us winning.”
K’Rojhn Calbert, R-So. OL
On how he feels the offensive line has played recently:
“I feel like we have improved every week, we go in there with the mindset that we are going to get better, everything we do we try to get better at, so as long as we keep doing that.”
On if he feels they’ve built up some chemistry:
“Yeah, I feel like we have built some chemistry, but then again everybody has to be ready to go at some point. So, whether this person isn’t playing or that person isn’t playing, we all have to be able to step up to the plate and contribute.”
On how good it felt to for him to be able to be healthy again and play multiple games:
“It’s definitely an amazing feeling, being out there on the field is like no other. When I first got here, I tore my ACL; I’ve kind of put that in the past and behind me. I try not to really think about that as much, I just want to go out there and play. But just playing with the guys, is what I really enjoy doing the most, just being able to build up some chemistry, playing with different guys, it just feels great.”
On how much it took to get over his past injury issues:
“It took a little bit, it was always in the back of my brain whenever I first got cleared to play. But at some point, you have to say, ‘Hey, I’ve got to let loose and go.’ You can’t be afraid, you can’t be scared. But, it definitely took a little bit for me to get over that stuff.”
Darrell Taylor, R-Sr. LB
On what it means for him to be invited to the Senior Bowl:
“It means a lot to me. It is a great opportunity and I think I will do great out there. I think I will get a great opportunity. There are (going to be) some great players and coaches (there).”
On what the team learned from last year going against Missouri at 5-5 overall:
“I think we are playing our best ball at the end of the season. I think we are not really worried about last year, we can’t really think about it and it is in the past. So, we are worried about getting healthy this weekend and getting ready for Missouri next weekend.”
On how big it was to win on the road and how it gave the team confidence:
“It was big. It was a lot of confidence for us and a big confidence booster for us. I think we played well in the second half. We didn’t come out well in the first half. It showed and I think it was a big confidence booster to get that win on the road because we haven’t won on the road this season yet. It was big for us.”
On what the key adjustments were in the second half:
“The second-half adjustment was just keep the quarterback bottled up and stop the run. We didn’t stop the run in the first half and that was something we tried to do in the second half. I thought we did a good job at keeping them out of the end zone and shutting them out in the second half. I think we did an awesome job with that.”
On why he thinks they have been doing so well in the second half:
“I think it is because Coach Jeremy Pruitt has been getting on our tails. I think it is also because we have become a second-half team. We have always talked about being a four-quarter team, but I think we have been getting our money in the second half. As the game goes on, we have gotten stronger as a defense and we play a lot better in the second half than we did in the first half of the game.”
Henry To’o To’o, Fr. LB
On riding a three-game win streak:
“It feels good, nobody likes losing. Everybody likes winning. It shows the hard work and the dedication we have put in as a team. It has all been paying off as you have seen the past few weeks.”
On winning out and making a bowl game:
“We don’t want to focus on that right now. We don’t want to look ahead, we are focused on this week and the fundamentals because we have a lot of things to work on as a team. Getting healthy is one, just focusing on the little things because the little things can cost you big time.”
On the importance of staying focused:
“Coach Pruitt told us that after the win on Saturday. Just being able to finish. Take every day as serious as you can, take every week as serious as you can and not really look ahead. Stay focused on this week and focused on the fundamentals and the little things.”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Lady Vols (3-0), who are receiving votes in both the AP and USA Today Coaches Polls, welcome in-state foe Tennessee State (1-0) to Thompson-Boling Arena on Thursday night for a 7 p.m. ET match-up.
After opening with two of its first three games on the road, Tennessee takes up residence on Rocky Top for a six-game home stand. After facing TSU, the Lady Vols welcome Stetson (Nov. 19), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Nov. 26), Air Force (Dec. 1), No. 22/15 Texas (Dec. 8) and Colorado State (Dec. 11) to The Summitt. The Air Force game is UT’s Salute to Service game, while the Texas match-up is part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
The meeting with Tennessee State is the sixth between the programs, with the first occasion occurring in 1986 but the last three match-ups happening between 2013 and 2016. The Lady Vols hold a 5-0 advantage in the series.
Tennessee enters on the heels of a 74-63 road victory over No. 15/14 Notre Dame that was televised by ESPN2 on Monday night. UT had previously toppled ETSU and Central Arkansas.
The Lady Tigers, meanwhile, opened their season with an 83-65 home win vs. Wilberforce University last Friday night.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Thursday night’s game will be streamed live on SECN+ with Roger Hoover (PxP), Madison Blevins (Analyst) and Kasey Funderburg (Report) on the call.
The contest also can be heard on Lady Vol Network radio stations and by audio stream, with Mickey Dearstone calling the action for the 21st season.
A link to the live audio stream can be found on each game’s Hoops Central page or the Lady Vol schedule on UTSports.com.
For a list of Lady Vol Network affiliates, please click on the Fans tab at the top of UTSports.com, select Vol Network and then click on Vol Network Affiliates in the black bar at the top of the page.
Air time for games on the Lady Vol Radio Network generally occurs 30 minutes prior to tip-off.
SECN+ games are online broadcasts and are available only on WatchESPN via computers, smartphones and tablets.
All of the games included in the ESPN package (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU) and the SEC Network will be available through WatchESPN, accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app, and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 or Xbox One to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.
Gates open at 6:00 p.m., and fans can enter at Gates A, C and E.
It’s Dollar Dog Night on Thursday. Hot dogs are just $1 from the time gates open until tip-off with a voucher.
Participate in “High-5 the Lady Vols.” Kids 12 & younger can pick up a wristband at the Fan HQ table on the concourse to participate in the pregame High-5 tunnel. Wristbands are limited. To purchase discounted group tickets and reserve wristbands for your team, please call 865-946-7000.
Free parking & shuttle service is available from UT’s Ag Campus. Shuttles begin two hours prior to tip.
RECAPPING OUR LAST GAME
Rennia Davis tied her career high of 33 points to lead Tennessee (3-0) to victory at No. 15/14 Notre Dame on Monday night, 74-63. It was the Lady Vols’ first victory on the road in the series since 2008.
Davis, a 6-foot-2 junior from Jacksonville, Fla., also pulled down 10 boards to record her second double-double of the season and the 20th of her career.
Freshmen Jordan Horston and Tamari Key were also in double digits for UT with 12 and 11 points, respectively, while Jazmine Massengill narrowly missed a double-double, pulling down a team-high 13 rebounds and dishing out nine assists to set new career highs in both categories.
Notre Dame (2-1) was led by Destinee Walker, who finished with 18 points. Sam Brunelle pitched in 16.
NOTES FROM THE BIG WIN
Setting The Record Straight on Beating Ranked Opponents: The win over Notre Dame was the first ranked opponent Tennessee had beaten since Dec. 9 of last year when UT, then ranked No. 9, knocked off No. 12 Texas on the road. The last time an unranked UT team beat a ranked opponent was during the 2016-17 season, when the Lady Vols defeated No. 3/2 Mississippi State in Starkville in the regular season finale, 82-64. In that same season, unranked UT toppled a sixth-ranked Notre Dame squad in Knoxville, 71-69, Jan. 16, 2017.
Jaz Doing Work: Sophomore Jazmine Massengill dished out a career-high nine assists on offense while also leading UT in rebounds with a team-high 13. While not setting another career high, she also led the team in blocked shots with four.
“Re” Making It Rain: Junior Rennia Davis poured in a career-high five 3-pointers en route to tying her career high of 33 points. She shot a scorching 60 percent from the floor, including 55.6 percent from behind the arc.
Davis Moving On Up: With 33 points and 10 rebounds, David recorded her 20th career double-double to tie for 16th all-time at UT. Other Lady Vols with 20 include Dana Johnson, Debbie Groover and Cindy Noble.
Cleaning The Glass: UT dominated the boards at Notre Dame, out-rebounding the Fighting Irish 55-28. UT is averaging 52.7 rebounds per game through three contests while holding opponents to an average of 35.0 for a margin of +17.7.
Big-Time Blockers: Tennessee combined for 12 blocked shots against Notre Dame, tying for fourth all-time in shots blocked in a single game. UT is averaging 9.7 per contest..
TENNESSEE TOPICS
Tennessee has opened a season 3-0 for the seventh straight season and will try to go 4-0 for the third year in a row.
UT’s highest total point quarters have been the first (60) and third (63), while the second (36) and fourth (38) have been the team’s best defensively.
The Lady Vols have won the rebounding battle in all three games and have a +17.7 margin vs. opponents.
Six players currently are averaging at least five rebounds per game, led by Rennia Davis at 8.3 and Tamari Key at 7.3, and six different players have led the squad in rebounds during the first three games.
The Big Orange have been big on swatting shots, averaging 9.7 blocks per contest. Tamari Key averages 3.7 per game.
Rennia Davis (6-14, .429) and Jordan Horston (5-8, .625) have accounted for 11 of UT’s 15 three-pointers this season.
UT is allowing only 55.7 points per game and 31 percent shooting from the field.
There have been three different leading scorers thus far, including Zaay Green vs. ETSU (17), Jordan Horston vs. Central Arkansas (17) and Rennia Davis vs. Notre Dame (33).
UT-TSU SERIES NOTES
Tennessee owns a 5-0 record vs. Tennessee State, with all of those contests taking place in Knoxville.
This will mark the first time that neither team is ranked in the series.
The Lady Tigers are members of the Ohio Valley Conference, and UT has a 56-21 all-time record vs. that league.
These two teams met in Knoxville on Nov. 30, 2016, with #22/25 Tennessee posting an 86-36 victory in UT’s most recent game against the OVC squad.
UT has averaged 99.0 points in the series vs. the Lady Tigers, tallying a low total of 86 in the most recent meeting between these in-state foes in 2016.
The Lady Vols have allowed Tennessee State to score an average of 47.8 points per game in five meetings, including a low total of 36 the last time these schools faced off.
That’s an average victory margin of +51.2 for the Lady Vols.
There are six players from the Volunteer State on the rosters of the teams, including Knoxville product Jaiden McCoy and Chattanooga native Jazmine Massengill for Tennessee.
Tennessee State has four in-state players on its roster, including Takya Bennett and Andreana Wrister (Memphis), and Amber Appiah-Kubi and Akiya Harris (Nashville).
Teresa Phillips, mother of former Tennessee football player and current member of the NFL’s New York Jets Kyle Phillips, is the athletics director at Tennessee State. She has held that position since April of 2002.
ABOUT TENNESSEE STATE
Tennessee State returned two starters and five other letterwinners from a year ago, when the Lady Tigers were 5-25 overall and 5-13 in the Ohio Valley Conference, good for 11th place.
Taylor Roberts, a 5-foot-11 junior guard is TSU’s top statistical returnee, averaging 12.5 ppg. and 3.6 rpg. a year ago. She came off the bench as a sophomore and was the team’s second-leading scorer.
TSU is led by third-year coach Jessica Kern, who is 6-25 with the Lady Tigers and 73-131 in her eight-year coaching career. She is a 2002 graduate of Penn State.
RECAPPING TSU’S LAST GAME
The Tennessee State University women’s basketball team opened the 2019-20 slate with an 83-65 victory over Wilberforce on Nov. 8 in the Gentry Center in Nashville.
Tennessee State opened its season with a win for the first time since the 2012-13 season.
Junior Taylor Roberts led TSU in scoring with 19 points, while junior Jaden Wrightsell pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds. Jazmine Young also scored in double digits, registering 11 points and six steals.
The Lady Tiger offense featured a balanced attack, as nine players scored five points or more.
TSU out-rebounded WU, 48-37, and forced the Bulldogs into 30 turnovers.
THE LAST TIME WE MET
Junior Jaime Nared recorded her third consecutive double-double, as No. 22/25 Tennessee defeated Tennessee State, 86-36, on Nov. 30, 2016, at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Nared scored 16 points to go along with 10 rebounds, three steals and two assists on the night. Redshirt junior Diamond DeShields posted her second double-double of the season, totaling 15 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals.
A strong defensive outing by Tennessee (4-2) helped the Lady Vols roll past the Lady Tigers (1-5) in front of a home crowd of 7,845. TSU was held to 20 percent (13-of-65) shooting on the night and no Tiger reached double digits in scoring. UT finished with 14 steals and 10 blocks in the game.
Several Lady Vols posted notable performances on the night. Redshirt junior Mercedes Russell dropped 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting to go along with four blocks and four rebounds.
Senior Schaquilla Nunn (15/9 rebs.) and juniors Alexa Middleton (9/11 assts.) and Kortney Dunbar (13/9 rebs.) narrowly missed double-doubles.
Miami Lakes, Fla. – Tennessee’s Trey Smith is this week’s nominee for the 2019 Capital One Orange Bowl-FWAA Courage Award. Smith, a junior offensive lineman, has started the last nine games for the Volunteers after dealing with blood clots throughout much of the past year.
“I knew I was gonna be back. It’s hard to explain,” Smith told The Athletic in September.
Smith lost his mother, Dorsetta, to heart complications when he was just 15 as well.
In 2017, Smith entered college as ESPN’s No. 1 overall high school prospect from that class. He made good on that ranking by becoming the first Tennessee true freshman to start at left tackle in more than 30 years. He started all 12 games, earned freshman All-America honors, earned SEC all-freshman honors and even was named second-team All-SEC. His 55 knockdowns were a team-high.
But doctors found blood clots in Smith’s lungs in February of 2018. He was limited during the offseason and then played in only seven games in 2018 before being shut down for the season. The blood clots returned in the offseason, jeopardizing Smith’s 2019 campaign and his football career.
The 6-foot-6, 325-pounder stayed in shape all offseason, in the event that he would be cleared. That breakthrough finally came just ahead of the 2019 season. Vols coaches eased Smith back into the action, as he did not start the first game and was on a snap-count limit early on.
Smith began the season at left tackle before sliding inside to left guard, where he has started the last eight games. The Jackson, Tenn., native recorded 11 knockdown blocks in an Oct. 12 win against Mississippi State, earning SEC co-offensive lineman of the week honors.
The Courage Award was first presented by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) in 2002. A select group of writers from the FWAA vote on the winner each year. The requirements for nomination include displaying courage on or off the field, including overcoming an injury or physical handicap, preventing a disaster or living through hardship. The winner of the award will be included in festivities during Capital One Orange Bowl week and receive his trophy at an on-field presentation.
