More than 5,000 patrons attended the sixth annual Light the Night Walk and Light the Late Night Concert in Nashville on Nov. 2 to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
After the two-mile walk at Nissan Stadium, Charles Esten hosted the Light the Late Night Concert that featured performances by Chris Janson, Kellie Pickler, Taylor Puskar and duo Reverie Lane. Held simultaneously in more than 200 cities across the country, the Light the Night Walk funds treatment and research for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
“My wife Patty and I walk in honor of our daughter, Addie, who survived leukemia when she was two-and-a-half years old,” says Charles. “She has been healthy and cancer-free for over 16 beautiful years. This year, she is playing Division I soccer in college. That is why I am honored to serve once again as the 2018 Light the Night Honorary chair. We raise money for this amazing organization, so that others might have the chance at the cancer-free life that our Addie has been blessed with.”
Charles’ Fundraising Page raised more than $130,000 this year, bringing his six-year total to more than $1.1 million for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Luke’s current single, “She Got the Best of Me,” is No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart for the third consecutive week. Only two other songs have accomplished that feat in 2018: Brett Young’s “Like I Loved You” and Luke Bryan’s “Most People Are Good.”
“She Got the Best of Me” is Luke’s fourth consecutive No. 1 single on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, following previous No. 1 tunes “Hurricane,” “When It Rains It Pours” and “One Number Away.”
The four No. 1 singles are featured on Luke’s 2017 debut album, This One’s For You, and the 2018 deluxe follow-up, This One’s For You Too.
Luke is now the only solo country artist in history to score four consecutive No. 1 singles on the Billboard Country Airplay chart with his first four singles.
While Luke is the first solo country artist to achieve the four-for-four feat, two duos have accomplished the coup: Florida Georgia Line and Brooks & Dunn.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No. 11/12-ranked Tennessee cruised past Carson-Newman, 128-59, in its season-opening exhibition game Monday night at Thompson-Boling Arena.
The Lady Vols, who now have beaten the Lady Eagles 15 years in a row in preseason affairs, had eight players register double-digit points in the win. The true freshman duo of Mimi Collins (16 points, 10 rebounds) and Zaay Green (28 points, 10 rebounds) each posted double-doubles, combining for 44 points and 20 rebounds in their college debuts.
Sophomore Rennia Davis (17 points, nine rebounds) and freshman Jazmine Massengill (12 points, nine rebounds) were each a rebound shy of double-doubles. Redshirt senior Cheridene Green (16 points), sophomore Kasiyahna Kushkituah(12 points), sophomore Evina Westbrook (11 points) and freshman Rae Burrell (11 points) rounded out the Big Orange players scoring 10 or more points.
The Lady Vols’ dominant first quarter began with a 21-2 run, as Tennessee held Carson-Newman without a field goal until the three-minute mark of the first quarter. All five Lady Vol starters scored within the first four minutes of the game, with eight total Tennessee players scoring by the end of the first quarter. Massengill led the Lady Vols with a team-high six points after ten minutes of play, and Tennessee held the Lady Eagles to 13-percent shooting in the first quarter on 2-of-16 shooting.
The Lady Vols’ scoring slowed to start the second quarter, but their dominance on the boards helped propel them to an 18-0 run. This time Tennessee held Carson-Newman for nearly five minutes without a point. Green and Collins each eclipsed the 10-point mark with three minutes remaining in the half. Overall, three Lady Vols tallied double-digit points in the first half, as Carson-Newman shot 8-for-33 from the floor. All ten active players on Tennessee’s roster put points on the board, as the Lady Vols took a 66-27 lead into the locker room at the half.
Six different Tennessee players scored in the first three minutes of the second half, as a bucket from Meme Jackson at the 5:46 mark put the Lady Vols up, 82-42. The Lady Vols shot over 60 percent from the field, and Green took over once again for a team-high eight third-quarter points. The Lady Eagles failed to score in the final 4:41 of the third quarter, as Tennessee held them to 22 percent shooting.
A Davis three-pointer kicked off the Lady Vols’ final quarter of play, as it put Tennessee over the 100-point mark early. Davis tallied nine of Tennessee’s 20 points halfway through the fourth quarter and notched 13 second-half points to round out the game. The Lady Vols finished out the contest on a 15-6 run and outscored Carson-Newman 27-7 in the fourth quarter.
Tennessee out-rebounded the Lady Eagles by a 72-31 margin and forced 25 turnovers on the night. The Lady Vols had an impressive 68 points come from the bench en route to head coach Holly Warlick‘s eighth career exhibition win at Tennessee.
The Lady Vols are back at Thompson-Boling Arena on Sunday, as they open the regular season with a 2 p.m. contest vs. Presbyterian. The game is part of the Salute to Service Weekend.
Fans can join in, as UT honors all who have served their country. Current military members and veterans may present their Military ID or DD 214 at Gate C, Gate E or the ticket tent located on Phillip Fulmer Way prior to entering Thompson-Boling Arena for complimentary admission for themselves and immediate
Balanced Attack
All five starters were on the score sheet less than four minutes into the game, and every Lady Vol logged at least one point before the end of the first half. Tennessee finished the night with eight of 10 active players in double figures.
Freshmen By The Numbers
In their rookie debuts, Tennessee’s freshmen combined for 67 points, 33 rebounds, eight steals and nine assists against Carson-Newman. All four freshmen logged at least two points by the 4:07 mark of the second quarter and went on to reach double figures by the end of the game. Zaay Green and Mimi Collins were the first Lady Vols in double digits, finishing as the game’s highest and third-highest scorers, respectively.
Fourth Most Points Scored In An Exhibition Win
Tennessee’s 128 points against Carson-Newman is the fourth-most points scored by any Lady Vol team in an exhibition game. The highest point total Tennessee has posted in an exhibition game was 144 against Dynamo Kiev on Nov. 5, 2000. The two other 130+ point efforts were 135-55 against Carson-Newman (Nov. 6, 2008) and 131-40 vs Dalhousie (Nov. 6, 2005).
Tennessee In Exhibition Games
The Lady Vols are 48-4 all-time in preseason exhibition games with the only losses coming to the Soviet National Team (1979), Athletes in Action (1992), and the USA National Team (1995, 2007). Tennessee is 8-0 in preseason exhibition games during the Holly Warlick era.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The preseason recognition continues to roll in for Tennessee’s Grant Williams as the junior was named Monday to the watch list for the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division I Player of the Year Presented by ShotTracker.
Williams is one of 20 players nationwide recognized on the list. Earlier on Monday, Williams joined teammate Admiral Schofield on the preseason watch list for the 2019 Citizen Naismith Trophy—another award recognizing the national player of the year.
The reigning SEC Player of the Year—bestowed by both the league’s head coached and the Associated Press—Williams last season led the SEC Champion Volunteers in scoring (15.2 ppg), was second in blocks (44) and rebounding (6.0 rpg) and finished fourth in assists (66).
The Charlotte, North Carolina, native ranked ninth in the SEC in scoring (16.1 ppg) and ninth in shooting percentage (.463) during league play despite being regularly double-teamed.
Through two seasons with the Vols, Williams is only 67 points (933) shy of joining Tennessee’s 48-member 1,000-Point Club and currently ranks just outside the top 10 on UT’s all-time career lists for offensive rebounds (14th with 175) and blocks (15th with 105).
Throughout the preseason Williams has been named to preseason All-SEC teams by every major sports publication, while also earning the SEC’s Preseason Player of the Year honors from the league’s media back in October. He was named to the watch list for the Karl Malone Award, which recognizes the top power forward in college basketball, and was selected via fan vote as the NCAA March Madness Preseason Player of the Year.
The 2019 NABC Player of the Year Award will be announced on Sunday, April 7 at the NABC Guardians of the Game Awards Show in Minneapolis.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee football head coach Jeremy Pruitt is looking for his team to improve every day on every play and every snap over the next three weeks.
The Vols returned to practice at Haslam Field on Monday following Saturday’s 14-3 victory over Charlotte.
Improvement will be key for the offense after the unit accounted for only one touchdown against the 49ers, but also for the defense with No. 12 Kentucky coming to Neyland Stadium for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff this weekend.
“I think the message to our entire team is we want to go out there every day and improve every snap,” Pruitt said. “Take it one snap at a time. Our guys have worked really hard to do that, but again like I’ve said to the team, how you play on Saturdays is how you’re remembered. It’s not how you play on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. But, to play good on Saturdays you need to practice well and prepare well. We had too many mistakes Saturday, which went back to earlier in the year, guys blocking the wrong folks. It’s hard to have success when you do that.”
Tennessee’s defense held its third opponent without a touchdown for the first time since 2008. The Vols have now held three opponents to three points or less for the first time since 2002, as well.
“We limited explosive plays, probably tackled a little better, but we still have a lot of ways that we need to improve,” Pruitt said. “I think our guys will work hard this week to do that.”
Senior defensive end Kyle Phillips has improved as much as any Vol this season. The Nashville, Tenn., native had another big game against Charlotte in a season full of them. He set a career high with two pass breakups and tied his career bests in tackles for loss (2.0) and sacks (1.0), while having four total tackles.
Phillips, who graduated with a degree in sports management in three years, has started all nine games this season and tallied 37 tackles, three sacks and five TFLs – eclipsing his previous season-best totals in each category.
“Kyle has worked really hard,” Pruitt said. “He’s a guy that practices hard every day. He’s got some good toughness to him and instincts. He plays with a good motor, so he’s doing a good job for us.”
Kelly Proves Valuable in Return
Having already earned his degree coupled with a new coaching staff and arduous process of returning from a knee injury, redshirt senior safety Todd Kelly, Jr. could have easily wrapped up his collegiate football career this summer. Instead, the Knoxville native has started the last two games and been a valuable asset to a young defensive back unit.
“It wasn’t a tough decision at all,” Kelly, Jr. said. “When you speak about the program, the University of Tennessee, that’s my pride and joy. My blood runs orange. I grew up here. I’m a Knoxville native, so when I had the decision to come back again, why would I not try to extend my career for this ball team, for this community and for this city? I wanted to play for coach Pruitt. He’s a great coach and a great defensive mind. You have seen all the things he’s done for us. We all believe in him and take pride in what he’s teaching us, and I wanted to have the experience for playing for him for one year. There was no doubt in my mind I wanted to come back.”
Kelly has played in five games this season and made 14 tackles, including seven against Charlotte. His starts against the 49ers and South Carolina gave him 19 career starts and 45 career games. With at least three games remaining in his career, Kelly has 172 career stops to go along with eight interceptions.
“Just coming from knee surgery and now being back playing with my teammates in Neyland Stadium, nothing gets better than that,” Kellly, Jr. said. “For me, being here for a fifth year – I’m a redshirt senior – I pictured if I would be out there or not, and now I am back out there with my teammates playing in front of all of those fans. That is definitely a blessing. It shows how well the rehab process went and with the new training staff. Everything went according to God’s plan. I’m thankful to be out there and get even one snap with my teammates.”
Kelly has been around the Tennessee football program his whole life as his father, Todd Kelly, Sr., was an All-SEC defensive end for the Vols and a first round pick by the San Francisco 49ers in the 1993 NFL Draft.
Salute to Service Weekend
Tennessee will welcome several military initiatives on Saturday during “Salute to Service Weekend.” Among the several initiatives includes a halftime performance from the Marine Drill Team, veteran Jim Cundall being honored as Volunteer of the Game and a recognition of Gold Star families pregame.
Tennessee also had a POW/MIA Chair of Honor installed this season. It is a single black chair which will remain unoccupied in honor of service member declared as prisoners of war or those missing in action. The Chair of Honor symbolizes that there will be a place saved in Neyland Stadium awaiting their return. The POW/MIA Chair of Honor was unveiled earlier this season for the Florida game on the heels of National POW/MIA Recognition Day. The Chair of Honor is located in the north upper endzone, to provide an expansive view of the gameday and pageantry in Neyland Stadium.
For more information on Salute to Service Weekend visit UTSports.com.
Injury Updates
Pruitt said freshman safety Trevon Flowers will likely be a game time decision on Saturday, while senior safety Micah Abernathy will start back practicing this week and his availability will be determined. Flowers (collarbone) and Abernathy (ankle) have both missed the last four games.
Redshirt Senior DB Todd Kelly Jr.
On his health:
“I was back out there playing. Everyone saw me back out there playing. Just coming from knee surgery and now being back playing with my teammates in Neyland Stadium, nothing gets better than that. For me, being here for a fifth year – I’m a redshirt senior – I pictured if I would be out there or not, and now I am back out there with my teammates playing in front of all of those fans. That is definitely a blessing. It shows how well the rehab process went and with the new training staff. Everything went according to God’s plan. I’m thankful to be out there and get even one snap with my teammates.”
On his decision to come back this year:
“It wasn’t a tough decision at all. When you speak about the program, the University of Tennessee, that’s my pride and joy. My blood runs orange. I grew up here. I’m a Knoxville native, so when I had the decision to come back again, why would I not try to extend my career for this ball team, for this community and for this city? I wanted to play for coach Pruitt. He’s a great coach and a great defensive mind. You have seen all the things he’s done for us. We all believe in him and take pride in what he’s teaching us, and I wanted to have the experience for playing for him for one year. There was no doubt in my mind I wanted to come back.”
On the advice he gives to UT’s younger players:
“First off it starts with academics. We are all student-athletes, so I tell them you take care of your academics before you take care of your stuff on the football field. I came into this season as a graduate in biological sciences, and I told them getting your degree is the upmost importance when you come to the University of Tennessee. Next, I talk about the alumni and tradition. There are a lot of good people who have come and played before you. Cornerback for example: Jason Allen, Terry Fair, who coaches for the team. I think those two things really stick out for me. And just playing ball and having fun is important. Coach Pruitt brought you because he knows what you can do. Having that confidence going out there as young freshman and believing in yourself as well as your teammates is important.”
Senior DE Kyle Phillips
On John Mincey’s growth this season:
“Mincey has grown a lot, probably the most since fall camp. He has done a great job coming in and contributing. We are going to need him these next couple of games.”
On the defensive line rotation:
“It is important because the defensive line is very physical, and each play is very physical, so we need as many guys to get in there and play as possible. It is going to be big this upcoming week for those guys to produce like they did last week.”
On having to play less defensive snaps:
“I think we have definitely improved a lot on defense this year. But it definitely helps when we limit our snaps as well.”
Redshirt Junior TE Eli Wolf
On issues with the offensive line and where they need to get better:
“All of us need to get better. It starts with me too. I didn’t play my best game and as an offense, we didn’t play well. We need to be better. Charlotte, they’re a great defense and they proved that on Saturday. We just need to sharpen things up, prepare and go to the next week.”
On the problems Charlotte’s defense posed on Saturday:
“Schematically wise, they gave us some issues of adding a little confusion, and also, they’re a physical defense. They’re ranked in the top 10 run defense in the country, so you’ve got to give them credit.”
On Kentucky’s defense:
“Kentucky, they’re a great football team and their record shows it this year. They’re coming into Knoxville and we’ve got to prepare really hard to move the ball against them.”
On what it would mean to make a bowl game:
“It would mean a lot and we’re taking it week by week at this point, just trying to be 1-0. Making a bowl would be exciting, especially for everyone that’s going out this year. We want to send them off on that note. I think everybody is striving to win the next three, so we’ll start this week trying to get 1-0.”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee basketball program begins its 109th season Tuesday night when it welcomes Lenoir-Rhyne to Thompson-Boling Arena for a 7:01 p.m. ET tip.
Tuesday’s game will be televised on SEC Network and can also be streamed online through WatchESPN. Visit espn.com/watch or download the WatchESPN app to view the game on a computer or mobile device. Tom Hart (play-by-play) and Jon Sundvold (analyst) will have the call.
Fans can also listen live on their local Vol Network affiliate to catch Bob Kesling and Bert Bertelkamp describing the action.
In support of local teachers and education, fans may donate two new school supply items at the gates and receive one complimentary admission to the game. All supplies collected benefit the Knox County School Supply depot.
Tennessee, ranked 6th in the preseason AP Poll, defeated Tusculum, 87-48, in its lone exhibition before beginning the regular season. The Vols return 14 players—including all five starters—from a squad that appeared in the title game of the SEC Tournament before advancing to its first NCAA Tournament since the 2013-14 season. UT and Lenoir-Rhyne have never faced on the hardwood.
Head coach Rick Barnes is an alumnus of L-R and lettered three years during his playing days with the Bears. He is also a native of Hickory, N.C., which is the home of Lenoir-Rhyne University.
Up next, the Vols host Louisiana on Friday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m. for the second contest of a three-game homestand to begin the season. That game will be broadcasted by SEC Network+ and can be streamed online through WatchESPN.
ABOUT LENOIR-RHYNE
• Lenoir–Rhyne is a private, co-ed liberal arts university founded in 1891 and located in Hickory, N.C.
• The Bears compete in South Atlantic Conference, which also features East Tennessee schools Carson-Newman University, Lincoln Memorial University and Tusculum College.
• Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes is a Lenoir-Rhyne alumnus. Barnes is a Hickory native who played for the Bears from 1974-77. During those same years, Ernie Grunfeld and Bernard King were starring at Tennessee.
• Barnes earned a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education from Lenoir-Rhyne in 1977 and was named the college’s Distinguished Alumnus in 1997. He was inducted into the Lenoir-Rhyne College Hall of Fame on Oct. 5, 2002, and received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Lenoir-Rhyne on May 7, 2005.
• Tennessee Director of Player Development/Video Coorindator Bryan Lentz began his career working for nine years coaching alongside his father, legendary Lenoir-Rhyne head coach John Lentz. During that stretch, the Bears won five South Atlantic Conference regular-season titles, one SAC Tournament title and made to five NCAA Division II Tournament appearances. In his final two seasons at L-R, Bryan served as the Bears’ associate head coach.
• John Lentz was the head coach at Lenoir-Rhyne for 29 years and was college roommates at L-R with Barnes.
• Honorable mention 2017-18 All-South Atlantic Conference honoree Djibril Diallo was the best player for the Bears in 2017-18 and will be a senior this year. The guard led the team with 15.1 ppg, 4.1 apg and 1.6 spg last season, while finishing second in rebounding with 4.2 rpg. Diallo was the only Bear to start all 27 games last year.
TENNESSEE RETURNS 90 PERCENT OF ITS SCORING, SIXTH-MOST AMONG “POWER FIVE” PROGRAMS
• After returning all five starters from last year’s squad and losing only two players, the Vols have gone from one of the youngest rosters in college basketball to one of the most experienced.
• Of its 2,584 total points scored last season, Tennessee returns 2,325—or 90 percent—which ranks as the highest percentage in the SEC and the sixth-highest amongst Power Five teams.
• UT’s top five from scorers from a year ago will suit up in orange and white once again this year, including all three Vols who averaged double-digit scoring in Grant Williams (15.2 ppg), Admiral Schofield (13.9 ppg) and Lamonté Turner (10.9 ppg).
• In addition to scoring, Tennessee also returns a staggering amount of its production from last season in field goals made (91.2%), rebounding (94.8%) and blocks (96.8%).
RANK POWER-FIVE TEAM % OF SCORING RETURNING
1 Washington 95.9
T-2 Iowa 94.9
T-2 Wisconsin 94.9
4 Syracuse 93.8
5 Kansas State 93.2 6 Tennessee 90.0
7 Mississippi State 87.3
*list compiled by Pete Moore of Syracuse Athletic Communications
VOLS EARN HIGHEST-EVER PRESEASON AP RANKING
• With a roster that returns nearly every major contributor from last season, including all five starters, UT received its highest ranking ever in the Associated Press preseason poll, coming in at No. 6.
• Tennessee has been listed in the top 10 of every major preseason poll. ESPN’s Basketball Power Index (BPI) and analyst Dick Vitale tabbed the Vols as the No. 3 team in the country, while CBS and Andy Katz of the NCAA each ranked the Vols as the fourth best team in the nation.
• UT has been ranked in the preseason AP poll 14 times, with the previous high of No. 7 coming during the 2007-08 campaign. That year, the Big Orange eventually made their way to No. 1 for the first time ever and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen.
• This is the sixth time Tennessee has started the season ranked in the top 10 of the preseason AP poll (see chart below). It also marks the first time UT enters the season ranked since 2010-11, when the Vols landed at No. 23 heading into the season-opener.
SEASON AP PRESEASON RANK POSTSEASON RESULT
1975-76 9th NCAA First Round
1998-99 9th NCAA Second Round
2000-01 9th NCAA First Round
2007-08 7th NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2009-10 10th NCAA Elite Eight 2018-19 6th TBD
LEAGUE MEDIA PICKS VOLS SECOND; WILLIAMS IS PRESEASON POY PICK
• In mid-October, a panel of league media picked Tennessee to finish second in the SEC regular-season race, behind Kentucky.
• The media predicted forward Grant Williams to repeat as SEC Player of the Year (and to be a first-team All-SEC performer), while wing Admiral Schofield was tabbed as a preseason All-SEC second-teamer.
TENNESSEE ROSTER BOASTS MORE THAN 4,000 DIVISION I POINTS
• Entering the 2018-19 season, only four “Power Five” rosters have accounted for more career Division I points than Tennessee’s total of 4,094.
RANK POWER-FIVE TEAM TOTAL CAREER DI POINTS
1 Kansas State 4,650
2 Virginia Tech 4,351
3 Iowa 4,246
4 Auburn 4,182 5 Tennessee 4,094
SCHOFIELD, WILLIAMS APPROACHING 1,000-POINT MILESTONE
• Senior wing Admiral Schofield and junior forward Grant Williams enter the season less than 100 points away from eclipsing the 1,000-point mark for their careers.
• A total of 48 Vols have accomplished that feat during their time on Rocky Top, with Robert Hubbs III being the most recent addition to the 1K Club in 2016-17.
• Schofield (960 points) and Williams (933 points) could both reach the milestone within the first month of the season. The last time a UT duo achieved the feat in the same season was during the 2013-14 campaign, as eventual NBA Draft picks Jordan McRae (1,521 points) and Jarnell Stokes (1,129 points) joined the club while helping lead Tennessee to a Sweet Sixteen appearance.
• All-time, UT has had 10 duos reach 1,000 points in the same season, including Ernie Grunfeld and Bernard King in 1975-76.
• Along with this year’s All-SEC duo, junior guard Lamonté Turner also could surpass 1,000 career points this season. At 644 career points, the 2018 SEC Co-Sixth Man of the Year needs just 356 points to reach 1,000. Last year, Turner finished the season with 381 points. If all three were to eclipse the mark, it would mark the first time a Tennessee trio has done so in the same year.
VOL FANS EAGER TO PACK THOMPSON-BOLING ARENA
• So far this season, two Tennessee home games have sold out already before the end of October. Single game tickets went on sale on Oct. 9, and since then, the Vols’ home games against West Virginia (Jan. 26) and Kentucky (March 2) have sold out.
• Tickets are extremely limited for Tennessee’s Feb. 9 home game against Florida, with other games also expected to be sellouts.
• Last season, three of the Vols’ home games were sellouts: North Carolina (Dec. 17), Kentucky (Jan. 6) and Georgia (March 3).
ATLANTA – With the season set to begin Tuesday night, Tennessee’s All-SEC duo of Admiral Schofield and Grant Williams continued garnering preseason recognition Monday, as the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced its watch list for the 2019 Citizen Naismith Trophy Men’s Player of the Year.
Schofield and Williams are two of 50 players across the country selected as potential recipients of the player of the year honor. So far this offseason, Schofield was named to the Julius Erving Award watch list, while Williams earned a spot on the Karl Malone Award watch list.
Williams, the reigning SEC Player of the Year, led the SEC Champion Volunteers in scoring (15.2 ppg), was second in blocks (44) and rebounding (6.0 rpg) and finished fourth in assists (66) last season.
Schofield enjoyed a breakout junior campaign last season after moving from the post to the wing. A second-team All-SEC honoree, he led the Vols in rebounding (6.3 rpg) and ranked second in scoring (13.9 ppg) and 3-pointers made (64).
Tennessee was one of 11 schools to have multiple players on the list, including Duke, Gonzaga, Indiana, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Nevada, North Carolina, Villanova and Virginia. The Vols could also potentially face 13 players named to the list during the regular season.
A list of the midseason 30 team will be released on Feb. 13, 2019, followed by the 10 national semifinalists and four finalists on March 4, 2019 and March 19, 2019 respectively. The 2019 Citizen Naismith Trophy will be awarded on at the Naismith Awards Brunch on April 7, 2019, during the Final Four in Minneapolis.
The Naismith Trophy is awarded annually to the women’s and men’s college basketball players of the year. First awarded in 1969 to UCLA’s Lew Alcindor, later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the Naismith Trophy has become one of the most prestigious national honors awarded each year to the top players in the nation.
Named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, the founder of the sport, Tennessee has never had a player win the award. Jordan McRae and Jarnell Stokes were the last UT players to be tabbed to the preseason watch list.
