Schofield Named Julius Erving Award Finalist

Schofield Named Julius Erving Award Finalist

Posted on February 6, 2019
Credit: UT Athletics

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Tennessee senior Admiral Schofield is one of 10 players who has been named a 2019 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award finalist, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Wednesday.

Named after Hall of Famer and former UMass standout Julius Erving, the annual honor now in its fifth year recognizes the top small forward in Division I basketball. Previous winners include Mikal Bridges of Villanova (2018), Josh Hart of Villanova (2017), Denzel Valentine of Michigan State (2016) and Stanley Johnson of Arizona (2015).

Schofield has been a major contributor to the Vols’ success this season. He is averaging 16.6 points per game, which ranks second on the team and sixth in the SEC, while also averaging 6.3 rebounds.

The Zion, Ill., native leads the team in shooting from beyond the arc with 42 3-pointers one the year. While being a high-volume shooter, he has shot 50 percent or better from the field in 13 games this season, including seven times during SEC play.

The senior recorded key performances for Tennessee in wins over No. 1 Gonzaga, in which he scored 30 points and made six three-pointers. Schofield followed up that performance with a 29-point game at Memphis.

For his effort against the Bulldogs and the Tigers, Schofield was named the 2018 Jerry Colangelo Classic Most Valuable Player. He was also named SEC Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks (Dec. 10 and Dec. 17) and the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week on Dec. 11.

Schofield is one of just two SEC players included amongst the finalists, along with Kentucky’s Keldon Johnson. This list of finalists will be narrowed down to five in March. The winner of the award will be presented at the ESPN College Basketball Awards Show live from The Novo by Microsoft in Los Angeles, Calif. on Friday, April 12.

For more information on the 2019 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award and the latest updates, log onto www.hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall on Twitter and Instagram.

2019 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award Candidates
Dylan Windler, Belmont
Rui Hachimura, Gonzaga
Marial Shayok, Iowa St.
Keldon Johnson, Kentucky
Charles Matthews, Michigan
Caleb Martin, Nevada
Tres Tinkle, Oregon St.
KZ Okpala, Stanford
Admiral Schofield, Tennessee
De’Andre Hunter, Virginia
UT Athetics

Trisha Yearwood to Celebrate 20th Opry Anniversary With a Show on March 12

Trisha Yearwood to Celebrate 20th Opry Anniversary With a Show on March 12

Posted on February 6, 2019

Trisha Yearwood will celebrate the 20th anniversary of her Grand Ole Opry induction with an appearance on the Opry on March 12.

Trisha, who was inducted into the Opry on March 13, 1999, by Porter Wagoner, cites the occasion as one of the seminal moments in her storied career.

“My mother came [to the Opry] on her senior class trip from south Georgia,” said Trisha. “She wrote in her diary about seeing Hank Snow, Hawkshaw Hawkins, and all those people. When I was inducted as a member of the Opry in 1999, she brought her diary and got Hank Snow to sign it. So it’s not only about me, it’s also about my whole family.”

Other artists scheduled to appear on the Opry on March 12 include Rodney Atkins, Trace Adkins, Terri Clark and Mark Wills.

Trisha’s first full-length studio album in more than 10 years, Let’s Be Frank, a collection of tune made famous by Frank Sinatra, will be available everywhere on Feb. 14.

photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com

New Johnny Cash Restaurant to Take the Place of Planned Merle Haggard Museum & Restaurant in Nashville

New Johnny Cash Restaurant to Take the Place of Planned Merle Haggard Museum & Restaurant in Nashville

Posted on February 6, 2019

Nashville will be getting an extra helping of Johnny Cash this spring, without a side of Merle Haggard.

Icon Entertainment announced it will open Johnny Cash’s Kitchen and Saloon in downtown Nashville in the coming months. The two-story, 15,000-square-foot venue will feature traditional Southern meat-and-three fare, including fried chicken, barbecue and more. Stages and bars will be located on both floors.

Icon Entertainment, the group behind the Johnny Cash Museum and Patsy Cline Museum, announced plans for the Merle Haggard Museum and Merle’s Meat + 3 Saloon in October 2017, but the plans fell through and the new Johnny Cash restaurant will fill the space at 121 Third Ave. South, next to the Johnny Cash Museum.

The restaurant will be operated by the Swett family, which has run Swett’s Restaurant in Nashville for more than 60 years.

No. 1 Tennessee Tops Missouri, 72-60, to Extend Winning Streak

No. 1 Tennessee Tops Missouri, 72-60, to Extend Winning Streak

Posted on February 6, 2019
Vols Jordan Bowden & Kyle Alexander / Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Holding Missouri to just 35 percent shooting from the field, No. 1 Tennessee topped the Tigers for the second time this season, 72-60, extending its winning streak to a program-best 17 games.

The Vols (21-1, 9-0 SEC) remain the only undefeated team in SEC play and push their conference regular-season winning streak to 13, which ties a program record set in the 1979-80 season. This win also is the 21st consecutive victory inside of Thompson-Boling Arena, making it the fifth-longest home win streak in school history.

Four Tennessee players finished in double figures with Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield leading the way with a game-high 13 points apiece. Jordan Bowden had 12 points, while Jordan Bone (11 points) and Lamonte Turner (nine points) helped close out the game in the second half.

Nine of Bone’s 11 points came in the second half as the SEC assists leader added a game-high seven assists and four boards.

Trailing by six at halftime, the Tigers (11-10, 2-7 SEC) came out in the second half and cut the Tennessee lead to two possessions. It wouldn’t last for long, as the Vols went on an 11-0 burst to push their lead to 50-35 with 14:58 left in the game.

Tennessee continued its staunch defensive effort in the second half, holding Missouri to just 32 percent shooting from the field and 27 percent from behind the arc. Despite their shooting woes, the Tigers trailed by only eight with less than seven minutes remaining in the game.

UT finally put Missouri away when it went on a 7-0 spurt, capped off by a Turner three from the left wing to make it 67-52 with 4:26 on the clock.

Kyle Alexander led the Vols with eight rebounds and four blocks to go along with six points. Five UT players had a block in the game, as the team finished with nine in total, marking the fourth time this season the Vols have had nine or more blocks.

With Missouri holding its largest lead of the game at 17-13 in the first half, Schofield knocked down a 3-pointer to help ignite an 18-2 run that gave the Tennessee the lead for good.

The run was highlighted by a fast-break alley-oop slam by Yves Pons off a lob from Alexander. Alexander stole the ball and led the 2-on-1 fast break before throwing it up to Pons for the two-handed jam.

Over the final 6:53 minutes of that run, Tennessee clamped down defensively, holding Missouri without a field goal. The run helped extend the Vols’ lead out to as much as 12 points as an Alexander bucket at the 5:13 mark made it a 31-19 game.

The Tigers would bounce back late in the half as back-to-back 3-pointers by Missouri cut the lead down to five. After a pair of buckets late in the opening half, UT took a 37-31 edge into the halftime interval.

Tennessee had balanced scoring throughout the first half as eight of the nine players who saw the court for the Vols in the first half scored. Williams had a team-high nine points at the break while Schofield chipped in eight points while knocking down both of UT’s 3-pointers.

No-No-No: Tennessee recorded nine blocks during the win over Missouri, exceeding its season average of 5.8 per game. The Vols had six blocks in the first half alone. For the game, Kyle Alexander led the team with four blocks, which brings his career total to 163. Grant Williams(2), Admiral Schofield (1), Jalen Johnson (1) and Yves Pons (1) also blocked shots for the Vols.

The Vols came into the game ranked fourth in the country in blocks, as Tuesday’s win marked the fourth time this season they have had nine or more in a game.

Locking Up the Tigers: Tuesday’s win over Missouri completed Tennessee’s season sweep over the Tigers, as the Vols put together impressive defensive performances in each win.

During Tuesday night’s win, the Vols held Missouri to a 35 percent accuracy rate on 23-for-65 shooting. In Columbia on Jan. 8, Tennessee held the Tigers to 37 percent from the field on 21-for-57 shooting.

SEC Win Streak: With the win over the Tigers, Tennessee has now won 13 regular-season SEC games in a row, dating to last season’s home win over Florida on Feb. 21, 2018.
The Vols have also won 12 SEC home games in a row.

Up Next: Tennessee continues its homestand Saturday when the Vols welcome the Florida Gators to Thompson-Boling Arena. Saturday’s tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET on ESPN.

-UT Athletics

 

UT’S O&W Game Set For April 13

UT’S O&W Game Set For April 13

Posted on February 5, 2019
Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee football team will hold its annual Orange and White Game presented by Chevrolet on April 13 at 6 p.m. inside Neyland Stadium.

The intrasquad scrimmage will be televised live on the SEC Network.

Admission is FREE for the Orange and White Game presented by Chevrolet and gates will open at 4:30 p.m.

Tennessee’s family-friendly pregame tailgate at Vol Village will open at 3 p.m. in Lot 9 (directly west of Neyland Stadium) and will feature music, face painting, photo opportunities with Smokey and the Spirit Squad, food vendors, inflatables, giveaways, interactive areas, autographs with VFLs and other activities.

The Tennessee football team will begin spring practice on March 7.

Tennessee Athletics Hosting Several Events on April 13 
April 13 will serve as a showcase for several Tennessee Athletics events with track and field, softball and baseball also hosting competitions earlier in the day.

The Tennessee track and field team will wrap up the final day of the 52nd Tennessee Relays beginning in the morning (start time TBD) at the Tom Black Track at LaPorte Stadium.

The eighth-ranked Lady Vol softball program will host Mississippi State at 1 p.m. at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium, while the Tennessee baseball team welcomes Georgia for a 3 p.m. game at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

Tickets are available for softball and baseball at AllVols.com, while the Tennessee Relays will have free admission.

Tennessee Athletics Event Schedule – April 13

Track and Field
52nd Tennessee Relays, All Day

Softball 
vs. Mississippi State, 1 p.m.

Baseball 
vs. Georgia, 3 p.m.

Orange and White Game presented by Chevrolet
Vol Village opens at 3 p.m.
Gates open at 4:30 p.m.
Kickoff at 6 p.m.

 

UT Athletics

Watch New “UglyDolls” Movie Trailer Starring Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson & More

Watch New “UglyDolls” Movie Trailer Starring Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson & More

Posted on February 5, 2019

Blake Shelton will voice and perform original songs as the character Ox in the animated Uglydolls movie, which is scheduled for release on May 3.

Blake, who voiced Earl in the 2016 animated Angry Birds Movie, joins co-stars Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, Pitbull, Wanda Sykes and Gabriel Iglesias in the Uglydolls movie, which is based on the Uglydolls toy brand that features “characters who are distinct for their endearing ‘ugliness’ in a wonderful ‘uglyverse’ where differences are celebrated and embraced.”

According to the movie’s press release, “Unconventionality rules in Uglydolls, the new animated family adventure based on the beloved toy brand. In the adorably different town of Uglyville, the free-spirited Moxy and her friends confront what it means to be different, struggle with their desire to be loved, and ultimately discover that you don’t have to be perfect to be amazing because who you truly are is what matters most.”

Blake’s character, Ox, fancies himself the defacto mayor of the Uglydolls.

Blake shared the movie’s new trailer via Twitter, which you can watch below.

photo by Jason Simanek

1990s Country Star Doug Supernaw Battling Stage IV Cancer With No Medical Insurance [Donations Needed]

1990s Country Star Doug Supernaw Battling Stage IV Cancer With No Medical Insurance [Donations Needed]

Posted on February 5, 2019

Doug Supernaw is battling Stage IV lung and bladder cancer, according to a post on his official Facebook page on Feb. 2.

Doug was a mainstay on the country charts in the early 1990s with Top 5 hits like “I Don’t Call Him Daddy,” “Enough Hours in the Night” and “Reno.”

According to the Facebook post, Doug was admitted to the hospital after struggling with a prolonged cough. After a battery of tests, a suspicious mass was found in Doug’s lung and his medical team confirmed additional masses in his lymph nodes, bones and bladder. The official diagnoses is “advanced, Stage IV lung and bladder cancer.”

Doug remains in a Houston hospital at this time. A GoFundMe Page has been set up with a goal of raising $10,000. According to the page, Doug has no medical insurance and no income, after canceling a number of shows.

photo by Curtis Hilbun

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