Kevin Punter was a junior college all-American who averaged 20.3 points per game as a sophomore.
He was a prolific scorer in high school, averaging over 24 points his final two seasons.
So when he was asked to change his shot his senior year of Division I basketball by a coach he’d known for a matter of weeks, Punter wasn’t sure what to think.
But then logic took over.
That coach was Rick Barnes, who had won almost 600 games, taken Texas to a Final Four, produced several lottery picks and tutored Kevin Durant.
That was enough to sway Punter.
“His track record,’’ Punter said of the reason he bought in to Barnes changing his shot. “I used to watch Texas play with Kevin Durant. The lottery and NBA guys he had.
“For me, it wasn’t hard to buy in. When a guy of his stature comes into your program, you know how much he has had success in the past.
“I felt like me and him were a great combination. A guy just full of knowledge and wisdom, he’s been coaching for so long. And me, I just love to be in the gym, I love to work on my craft.’’
But that work didn’t come without frustration.
Punter had an unorthodox jump shot with the ball placed behind his head on jump shots. Many went in, as evidenced by his high school and junior college numbers and his 10.3 points per game average as a Tennessee junior.
In one of their first meetings, Barnes asked Punter if he wanted to be a pro.
“Of course,’’ Punter said. “Then the first thing he did was change my shot.
“Nobody ever told me that before. Imagine you’re an All-American junior college player and you get to Division I and a new coach says, I’m not going to be a pro if I don’t change my shot.
“All these different ideas were going through my mind.’’
But he kept coming back to this: Barnes has a proven track record.
“I took it as a challenge,’’ Punter said while in Italy during an interview on WNML Radio. “I fell in love with how (the new jump shot) looked. It looked so pretty and if felt so effortless.’’
But it wasn’t always successful.
“I went days without making a jump shots,’’ said the native of the Bronx, N.Y. “It was quite difficult.’’
Yet it was smooth, effortless. And, finally, after taking 2,000 shots a day, it started falling – and falling with great consistency.
Suddenly a guy who barely averaged double figures as a junior was scoring at a 22.2-point clip in the SEC. It was the second largest jump from one season to the next in Tennessee men’s basketball history, behind only Terry Crosby.
When Tennessee ascended to the No. 1 spot in the both the AP and coaches’ polls last week, Barnes was asked about the journey from having a rocky start on Rocky Top – the Vols were 31-35 after Barnes’ first two seasons with not so much as an NIT bid – to the top of the college hoops world.
Barnes complimented Punter.
“I’ll always be thankful for and blessed to have coached Kevin Punter,’’ Barnes said. “He did buy in and he was the very first one to buy in.’’
When Barnes suggested Punter needed to change his shot, Barnes recalls Punter saying: “I’ll do whatever I need to do.’’
Barnes: “He literally would go 2,000 shots a day, starting from ground zero. He got frustrated at times. I said, `Hey I told him it wouldn’t be easy.’’’
When Barnes comments were relayed to Punter, who is in Italy playing pro ball, Punter was flattered.
“It’s just an honor,’’ Punter said. “He’s a Hall of Fame coach. For him to have those words to say about me is an honor. I put a lot of work in, so for coach to really take a note of that and understand how hard I worked, that’s nice.’’
Punter said he’s not only more accurate with his Barnes-instructed shot, but he’s got better range. At Tennessee, Punter not only added over 11 points per game, he went from shooting 41.9 percent from the field to 46 percent and from 68.5 percent at the free throw line to 81.7 percent.
Punter also said he thinks his new shot has added 10 points per game to his average. Considering he is averaging 15.4 points in Italy, that’s quite a statement.
Punter said he’s thrilled that the Vols are ranked No. 1.
“Amazing, amazing, amazing,’’ he said. “My senior year, those guys were freshmen. The growth they’ve had makes me happy, makes me proud. Those guys used to get chewed out at practice as freshman. I actually witnessed that.
“Now those guys are leaders of the team and playing well. The work really works. I’m glad those guys bought in.’’
Tennessee has never been to a Final Four in men’s basketball. But Punter has bigger goals for some of his former teammates.
Asked who will win the national championship this season, Punter didn’t hesitate.
“Tennessee Vols, baby,’’ he said. “Tennessee Vols. No doubt about it. No doubt about it.’’
Biggest single-season scoring jumps in UT men’s basketball history
NAME, YEARS AVERAGES INCREASE
Terry Crosby (1976-77 to 1977-78) 3.9 to 19.0 (15.1)
Kevin Punter (2014-15 to 2015-16) 10.3 to 22.2 (11.9)
Lang Wiseman (1989-90 to 1990-91) 2.8 to 13.2 (10.4)
Dale Ellis (1979-80 to 1980-81) 7.1 to 17.7 (10.6)
Reggie Johnson (1976-77 to 1977-78) 11.0 to 21.2 (10.2)
After topping the charts with “You Make It Easy” and “Drowns the Whiskey” from his 2018 album, Rearview Town, Jason Aldean has scored his third No. 1 single from the album with “Girl Like You.”
The tune ascended to No. 1 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart this week. Penned by Jaron Boyer, Josh Mirenda and Michael Tyler, “Girl Like You” is Jason’s 22nd career No. 1 single—and his 20th on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, which ties him for seventh all-time.
“Our fans have always been along for the ride when we mess around with different sounds,” said Jason. “I’ve always loved big guitars and a good groove, but we’ve never really done it like this before.”
Jason will embark on a headlining tour, dubbed the Ride All Night Tour, in May. Kicking off on May 3 in Uncasville, Conn., the tour will also make stops in Denver, Boston, Chicago, Detroit and more.
Joe Diffie celebrated his 25th anniversary as a member of the Grand Ole Opry with a performance—and cake—during the Opry at the Ryman showcase on Jan. 25. The showcase also included performances by Vince Gill, Michael Ray, Ricky Skaggs and more.
Joe, who was inducted into the Opry on Nov. 27, 1993, was a mainstay of ’90s country with his blue-collar hits, including “Home,” “John Deere Green,” Pickup Man,” “Prop Me Up Beside the Jukebox (If I Die)” and more.
“25 years at the @opry!!” said Joe via Instagram. “What a great night!!!! Had a bunch of family to celebrate with and cake!!!!”
On if Lamonte Turner will be starting on a regular basis:
“I really haven’t given it a lot of thought to be honest with you. I would think now, yes, but I haven’t given it a lot of thought. A lot of it is based on matchups with other teams. Now, I’ll probably stay with it, but I really haven’t given a lot of thought to it. I thought he handled it well. I think Yves Pons has handled it well. I think Jordan Bowden’s handled it well. Like I said, I consider us having seven starters, and whatever we need to do from game to game, we’ll do that.”
On the environment when on the road as the No. 1 ranked team:
“We know it’s different. We know it is what it is. Teams have a chance to continue to build their resume, but I can tell you going to south Carolina tomorrow wouldn’t matter if we were ranked or unranked. Frank Martin’s teams are going to get after it and play hard. We were there a year ago, and I thought the atmosphere was tremendous. Every year we’ve been there it’s been a great atmosphere. Obviously, with the ranking that we have, it’ll add something to it, certainly. His guys are going to play hard, and they’re going to battle. I respect him so much, it wouldn’t matter if there is a ranking or not, his teams come to play.”
On the amount of turnovers on Saturday:
“Being sloppy with the ball and being too careless. Those turnovers are the plays that make your defensive numbers go up, because you’re basically just giving teams points. If teams are going to score on you, you want them to have to earn it, but when you take the ball out and throw it away or go in sloppy with the ball, those kind of plays are going to lead to baskets for the other team. During our first timeout, I talked to them. I thought we were way too casual on the offensive end, and we weren’t protecting the ball the way we needed to. We had to fix it. South Carolina, like any basketball team, they’re going to thrive on your turnovers. They do a great job of their defense creating offense, so taking care of the ball is a must.”
On Frank Martin’s coaching and preseason rankings:
“I’ve known Frank Martin for a long time, and his teams are as tough, hard-nosed as anybody. I don’t care what his record is. There’s certain things that he’s not going to tolerate, and if you don’t play hard and do your job, he’s going to set you down. His guys go on the floor understanding how valuable those minutes are. Coaches really don’t care about preseason rankings. We all know that we do what we do, and we’ve all been around long enough to know that we look at our problems, but we also know that other teams have problems too. They’ve got things that they’re dealing with. The preseason rankings don’t really mean anything. I just know he’s got some guys on his team that were on that final four team, and it was just a matter of time before you felt like they would get things going. There’s other games, if you go back and look at, that they easily could’ve won, too. If you ask me if I’m surprised, I’m not surprised. If you ask me if they’re like our team a year ago, I don’t think there’s a any team in the country that plays any harder, works harder at trying to rebound the ball, play good defense, and will fight you for everything that you have. I think that when you do that consistently, you’re going to find a way to win games, and they do that. His teams have always done that.”
On how much of a problem Chris Silva is for the team going into tomorrow:
“He’s a problem for everybody. He posts up really hard, and he’s going to work really hard defensively. They work really hard at denying every pass. They want to make plays off the bounce, and they do a good job of helping, recovering and working early in the post. He posts up as hard and tries to get as deep as post ups as anybody that we’ll play against. We run very similar breaks, and it’s not going to be a surprise. He plays with a lot of tenacity, a lot of effort, a lot of energy, and he’s tough. It’s going to be tough to guard him. Both teams try to do a lot of the same things, and we’ll get down to how things go. Officials will be a big part of it, and I think we both know that.”
On how important Derrick Walker is behind Kyle:
“Probably the most important thing, because in this game, it’s going to be important. I thought Kyle really played hard on Saturday. He just didn’t get the best whistle, but he played hard and worked hard. We need John Fulkerson and Derrick to come in and really help. That may be as important as anything we do with our team right now. Yves is going to continue to do what he does, and I think Jalen Johnson will be ready to play. But we need Fulky and Derrick a lot. Kyle needs them, Grant needs them, we all need them. What we need them to do is defend, rebound, set screens, and bring the energy that we need to come off the bench.”
On Admiral’s performance against West Virginia:
“We all know that you are going to go through stretches where you don’t shoot the ball well, and the more pressure that you put on yourself trying to shoot it well. It just snowballs on you, and all we have asked him to do is get lost in the game defensively, let the offense work for itself and take shots when he’s open. He’s going to make shots; there’s no doubt that he is going to make shots. I think he has had two double-double games, where he hasn’t shot the ball well, but he has impacted the game in other ways. I think he can take a lot of pressure off himself by doing that, and when he starts making his shots and continue to rebound like he is capable of. There’s no question he is at his best when he is rebounding the ball on both ends. There is no question about that, but again, he works so hard at it. He wants to do well, he doesn’t want let anybody down, and he went through some games where he was letting the fact he wasn’t making shots affect him.”
On his team’s performance on the road so far this season:
“I’m good with the formula we have so far. It works. I don’t think I’ve ever had a team that has led from start to finish. It’s part of basketball, and it speaks to our league that this is a very competitive league. On any given night, anybody can win, and we know that. I think you go back to having a ranking, you expect to bring out the best in people. I think you are probably surprised when that doesn’t happen. It’s a 40-minute game, we have to stay locked in and just worry about what we need to do to execute and stay together and continue to understand as a group that we have one goal. That’s obviously to win the game but also to play the best basketball we can play.”
On his team’s rebounding the last two games: “I think when you go back to these last two games, West Virginia is an extremely difficult team to outrebound. They are great at that. We had our hands on a couple balls that went out of bounds that should have been rebounds, so we probably would have been closer to being even. We are getting ready to play another team that’s puts a premium on rebounding. Everybody does, and we should be a team that wants to do that. We are too inconsistent getting to the offensive boards, defensively. Our guards stand around and watch too much. There’s a lot of balls that are going to be batted around, tipped around that your guards need to come and clean up and help you with. We still had some possessions where guys just stood and watched, expecting Kyle, Grant or somebody else to come up with it. Grant has to get back to rebounding. If you go back and look, he has had a couple games where he hasn’t had five rebounds combined, and that’s an issue. That’s something that he is going to have to look at himself and know that’s him doing his job, and I would say the same thing about him that I said about Admiral. When you are doing those things, normally the offensive side of the ball takes care of itself, so we need to be more focused and have more consistency on that as a group. The one thing about starting Lamonte is that we lose what Yves brings early in the game. Yves does a great job of doing that, but what we need there now would be Admiral, Grant and Kyle doing a great job there. When Bowden comes in the game, he is a guy we expect to attack the boards like Yves would. We expect Lamonte and Bone to rebound the elbows. We expect them to help us, and we need them to do that.”
On Kyle fouling out early: “It was tough, and again, West Virginia ran some of those inside screens that are tough. In the post, when a guy starts moving, you have to get your hands off. On one of the fouls, I though he got fouled first and then tried to fight back around. That happens sometimes where the first one is missed then the second guy gets caught. I thought he actually had two of those where he was fighting for post up then got around then pushed back, and when he did it, he pulled an arm down. Another one across the lane where he definitely was in great position, and he put two hands on the guy coming across the top of the screens, which you can’t do that. Kyle’s going to keep battling, but he did he had a tough whistle Saturday.”
On South Carolina and the difference between conference and non-conference games:
“I think they do a really good job. They turn you over, get down and shoot it quick. They turn you over, and like any good team, they are capitalizing there. I think they are doing that well. It goes back to teams. We start out in different spots, and you think about it. We started out with a group that was pretty much intact. Frank Martin had some things to do to get them going, but he has done it. That is what you respect about an experienced coach being around, because they realize that it is a long season. They realize that the second part, and we are all down with non-league now and in conference play. We will have another conference tournament and postseason. I just think that it is getting everybody together, and it takes that sometimes when you are adding pieces to it. You rebuild every year whether people want to hear that number. No team is ever the same. This team we have is not the same team we had a year ago. We all had to go through some of those growing pains at times, but they certainly pick the right time to start playing well. They had a tough one this weekend playing against a good team in a very emotional arena. I think he has done a great job with his guys and getting them to understand to know what is needed to win.”
On having a number of teams being three point happy and if they are going to start playing the percentage and limit them:
“We are still trying to play our principles We are still going to try and guard the 3-point line, but we cannot really keep people from shooting the ball all the time. We can turn them over some. They are going to get shots up, and sometimes you sit there and look at the percentages and guys that do not normally make them, make them. As long as we are trying to play good sound defense, and contest shots. What we do not want to do is give the wide open shots, and we gave two that I can think of right here on Saturday where we gave up. We were in a four-man rotation and one guy did not rotate and they get wide open shots. It goes back to our defense. We still know we got to improve there with everyone being engaged the entire time. We have been putting people deep into the shot clock where the drive starts and we do not stand in front of the ball, or we get split on ball screens, forced into a rotation when the clock’s come down. Don’t particularly shoot the ball well without a conscious. Anybody that plays at this level is capable of making a shot, and we are always going to try and defend the line. Each game, our game plan is going to change a little bit by we are always going to try and take away what the other team does best which is hard to do.”
On the opponent shooting over 50 percent in the second half:
“Some of it is those turnovers. You get turnovers, and they dunk the ball. When you go back, we were shooting over 50 percent because we were getting out and getting those layups. You give up layups off turnovers and miss rotations, they are going to shoot a high percentage. We do not even get a chance to give our defense set, and that has something to do with it too when you get sloppy with the ball. Then game comes out, and when you are up big at halftime, you build a lead and teams start putting their heads down. You know you do not want to foul. You do not play defense the way you should. Teams that get to the rim because you are not on edge the way you should be, but there is a lot that goes into it at different times in the game. I would say one of the biggest reasons looking at it. I know we gave West Virginia 12 points, give them credit because they took it, we gave it two them and they scored. That is six baskets. You take those six away and it would bring that percentage down, but you cannot take them away because we made the mistake. They capitalized on it.
On his Super Bowl prediction:
“Who is in in it? Patriots and the Rams. Who is favored? I do not know anything about the Rams. I know it is hard to go against that New England team.”
After a big year in 2018 in which he made his Grand Ole Opry debut and helped open the CMA Awards, Mason Ramsey will try to continue his meteoric rise with a new set of tour dates this spring.
Mason’s How’s Your Girl & How’s Your Family Tour will kick off on March 22 in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and make additional stops in Austin, Nashville, Milwaukee and more. Mason’s 2019 tour announcement arrives after wrapping his special guest appearance at Florida Georgia Line’s Las Vegas residency. He also recently concluded his first nationwide tour as the opener on Chris Lane’s Laps Around the Sun Tour.
March 22 | Tuscaloosa, AL | Druid City Music Hall
March 23 | Starkville, MS | Rick’s Café
March 27 | Austin, TX | Scoot Inn
March 28 | Waco, TX | Baylor University (Waco Hall)
March 29 | Nacogdoches, TX | Banita Creek Hall
March 30 | Baton Rouge, LA | Texas Club
April 12 | Iowa City, IA | Blue Moose Tap House
April 13 | Lincoln, NE | The Bourbon Theatre
April 24 | Nashville, TN | Exit/In
April 25 | Oxford, OH | Brick Street Bar
April 26 | Milwaukee, WI | The Rave II
After releasing his first solo single in more that two years with “Neon Church” in October 2018, Tim McGraw is ready to ship another song to country radio.
Tim will send his new single, “Thought About You,” to country radio on Feb. 4. The anthemic tune, which was penned by Brad Warren, Brett Warren and Lee Thomas Miller, is expected to be featured on Tim’s upcoming 15th studio album due later this year.
“‘Thought About You’ just makes me think about where I grew up and the small town that I grew up in,” says Tim. “Also it sort of makes you put together this bibliography of your life in your mind and this sort of photo album of your life in your mind. And it also . . . leaves it open to where you’re gonna go in the future. I think there’s a bit of remembrance in it. There’s also a bit of foresight in it as well. Those songs are hard to find when they can strike you emotionally that way. And another thing about this song is it’s really hard-charging when it gets to the chorus. It’s really anthemic. It sounds like a big uptempo song live, but to have a lyric that so poignant with an uptempo song is pretty rare to find.”
The nostalgic new video for “Thought About You,” which was directed by JP Robinson, highlights the song’s theme of love and friendship through a series of photographs.
After hitting the road as part of Brantley Gilbert’s The Devil Don’t Sleep Tour in 2017 and Jason Alean’s High Noon Neon Tour in 2018, Luke Combs will embark on his first headlining arena tour in 2019.
Luke’s Beer Never Broke My Heart Tour will kick off on Jan. 31 in Birmingham, Ala., with more than 25 stops through May 12. As Luke told Kix Brooks of American Country Countdown, headlining his first arena tour is “gonna be a big change” from supporting artists like Jason or Brantley.
“It’s different than anything that we’ve ever done,” says Luke. “You know, we’ve played the arenas, and I compared it to . . . I guess, it’s kind of like playing baseball where if we were up to bat and if we missed or struck out, you know, we had a Brantley Gilbert or a Jason Aldean over the last couple of years to come in and bat cleanup for us if we couldn’t get it done. We don’t have that luxury coming up, so I think it’s gonna be a big change. We’re adding a lot of guys to our crew. We’re adding a keyboard player to the band, which will be really interesting. We’re gonna have all the staging and all that crazy stuff, so I’m anxious to see how that turns out, and I think it’ll be really great.”
Lanco and Jameson Rodgers will serve as support on Luke’s tour.
Beer Never Broke My Heart Tour
Jan. 31 / Birmingham, AL / Legacy Arena at the BJCC*
Feb. 1 / Huntington, WV / Big Sandy Superstore Arena*
Feb. 2 / Greensboro, NC / Greensboro Coliseum Complex*
Feb. 7 / Wichita, KS / INTRUST Bank Arena*
Feb. 8 / North Little Rock, AR / Verizon Arena*
Feb. 9 / Baton Rouge, LA / Raising Cane’s River Center*
Feb. 14 / Greenville, SC / Bon Secours Wellness Arena*
Feb. 15 / Knoxville, TN / Thompson-Boling Arena*
Feb. 16 / Evansville, IN / Ford Center*
Feb. 21 / Hershey, PA / Giant Center*
Feb. 22 / Columbus, OH / Schottenstein Center*
Feb. 23 / Charlottesville, VA / John Paul Jones Arena*
Feb. 28 / New York, NY / Manhattan Center Hammerstein Ballroom†
March 1 / Bangor, ME / Cross Insurance Center*
March 2 / Worcester, MA / DCU Center*
March 8 / Tupelo, MS / BancorpSouth Arena*
March 9 / Orange Beach, AL / Amphitheatre at The Wharf*
March 28 / London, Ontario / Budweiser Garden*
March 29 / Oshawa, Ontario / Tribute Communities Centre*
March 30 / Kingston, Ontario / Leon’s Centre*
April 11 / Duluth, MN / AMSOIL Arena*
April 12 / Moline, IL / TaxSlayer Center*
April 13 / Saginaw, MI / Dow Event Center*
April 25 / Green Bay, WI / Resch Center*
April 26 / La Crosse, WI / La Crosse Center*
May 10 / Tulsa, OK / BOK Center*
May 11 / Omaha, NE / CHI Health Center Omaha*
May 12 / Morrison, CO / Red Rocks Amphitheater*
*with LANCO and Jameson Rodgers
†with Jameson Rodgers
Dierks Bentley scored the 18th No. 1 single of his career as “Burning Man” ascended to the top spot on the Mediabase chart this week.
The tune is the second single from Dierks’ 2018 album, The Mountain, to reach No. 1, following lead single, “Woman, Amen.” Penned by Bobby Pinson and Luke Dick, “Burning Man” features the Brothers Osborne.
“I felt an authentic connection to this song the first time I heard and my attachment to it has only strengthened night after night as I watch our fans connect with it,” says Dierks. “It is as much their song as it is mine . . . we all face that push and pull of who we are as people. As always, I’m very grateful to country radio for continuing to help share this journey.”
Currently, Dierks is headlining his Burning Man Tour with Jon Pardi, Tenille Townes and the Hot Country Knights.
Burning Man Tour
Jan. 28 | Kelowna, BC | Prospera Place
Jan. 29 | Vancouver, BC | Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena
Feb. 14 | Ontario, CA | Citizens Business Bank Arena
Feb. 15 | Fresno, CA | Save Mart Center
Feb. 16 | Reno, NV | Reno Events Center
Feb. 21 | Lexington, KY | Rupp Arena
Feb. 22 | Nashville, TN | Bridgestone Arena
Feb. 23 | Columbia, MO | Mizzou Arena
Feb. 28 | Sioux Falls, SD | Denny Sanford PREMIER Center
INDIANAPOLIS – University of Tennessee head football coach Jeremy Pruitt will address more than 1,500 high school and youth football coaches and administrators from across the country at the USA Football 2019 National Conference in Orlando, Florida, Feb. 22-24, Pruitt joins Ret. Navy SEAL Cdr. Mark Divine and University of Minnesota head football coach P.J. Fleck as keynote speakers.
Pruitt became the University of Tennessee’s 26th head football coach in December 2017 and led the Volunteers to two wins over top 25 teams in 2018 (No. 21 Auburn and No. 11 Kentucky). Prior to his arrival in Rocky Top, Pruitt served as Alabama’s defensive coordinator, helping the Crimson Tide win the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship.
Recognized as one of the nation’s top defensive coordinators, Pruitt has five national championships to his credit. During his initial tenure with Alabama, Pruitt worked as the director of player of development (2007-2009) and defensive backs coach (2010-2012) and was a part of three national championships (2009, 2011, 2012). In 2013 he was Florida State’s defensive coordinator, helping lead the Seminoles to an undefeated National Championship.
In between Florida State and his return to Alabama, Pruitt was the University of Georgia’s defensive coordinator from 2014-2015. He owns a 96-13 (.881) record as an assistant coach and was twice a Broyles Award Finalist, given annually to the nation’s top assistant. As the coach of 44 NFL draft picks, including 13 first rounders and 18 All-Americans, Pruitt’s defenses consistently ranked in the top 10 nationally in total defense. His defense ranked No. 1 nationally in 2013, 2016 and 2017.
“Coach Pruitt’s ability to teach, lead and inspire is extraordinary and lifts everyone around him,” USA Football CEO Scott Hallenbeck said. “We’re excited to have him address leaders across America’s football family at our National Conference in Orlando.”
“Beyond capturing imaginations, USA Football opens minds to forward thinking across our game,” Pruitt said. “I’m humbled by every youth and high school coach – every mom and dad – at the National Conference. These men and women enrich the lives of our sons and daughters through the fun and joy of the ultimate team sport. I can’t wait to be with them, sharing our love for our kids and our game.”
February marks the sixth annual USA Football National Conference, an education and networking opportunity for high school and youth football administrators and coaches to gain insight on best practices, innovation and smarter play. The conference drew more than 1,500 leaders across the sport in 2018, including international participants from Canada, Mexico, Scotland and Sweden. A member of the U.S. Olympic Committee and the sport’s national governing body, USA Football trains more high school and youth coaches combined than any organization in the United States.
Past USA Football National Conference speakers include Pro Football Hall of Famers Tony Dungy, Bill Polian, Cris Carter and Mike Singletary as well as Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden, Green Bay Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy, and others.
The latest news about USA Football’s 2019 National Conference may be found on Twitter by following @USAFootball and #USAFootball19.
After a record-breaking week, the Southeastern Conference tabbed Tennessee men’s basketball player Grant Williams as the SEC Player of the Week on Monday.
The Charlotte, N.C., native averaged 31 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.5 blocks and 2.0 steals per game last week to keep the top-ranked Vols (18-1, 6-0 SEC) perfect in league play and defeat their opponent in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
The National Player of the Year candidate posted one of the most dominant performances in program history to lift No. 1 Tennessee to an 88-83 victory in overtime against Vanderbilt, finishing with a career-high 43 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the floor, eight rebounds, four blocks, two assists and a key steal. It was the most points scored in a game by a Vol since all-time leading scorer Allan Houston also dropped 43 against LSU on Feb. 10, 1990. Williams’ effort also tied for the fifth-most points in a single game in school history.
The junior forward was a program-record 23-of-23 from the free-throw line, breaking the Tennessee records for most free throws in a game and consecutive free throws in a single game, surpassing Bill Justus’ 22 total makes and 18 consecutive free throw makes vs. Ohio on March 17, 1969. It also marked the most free throws made without a miss by any player in Division I in the last 60 years and ranked second all-time behind a 24-of-24 performance by Oklahoma State’s Arlen Clark vs. Colorado (3/7/1959).
Williams excels at drawing contact and getting to the free-throw line. No junior in Division I has made (423) or attempted (562) more career free throws than him. For the season, 35 percent (135 of 384) of his scoring has come at the charity stripe.
Against West Virginia, Williams had 19 points, four assists and three steals to improve Tennessee to 4-1 all time in the cross-conference showdown.
For the year, Williams stands as the only player in the SEC to rank in the league’s top 10 in scoring (1st/20.2 ppg), rebounding (9th/7.3 rpg) and assists (10th/3.6 apg). He also checks in at second in field-goal percentage (.571) and fifth in free-throw percentage (.839).
This is the third SEC Player of the Week honor for Williams. Previously, he was recognized as player of the week on Nov. 26, 2018, for his play in the NIT Season Tip-Off and Jan. 15, 2018, after a 37-point performance against Vanderbilt. He was also named the SEC co-Freshman of the Week on Feb. 13, 2017.
![Tim McGraw to Release Hard-Charging New Single, “Thought About You,” on Feb. 4 [Listen]](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/1446/2018/11/29085213/Tim-McGraw-CH.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
