Admiral Schofield Named to Julius Erving Award Watch List

Posted on October 17, 2018
Vols F Admiral Schofield / Credit: UT Athletics

Tennessee senior Admiral Schofield is one of 20 players who has been named to the 2019 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award watch list, 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 joins Kentucky’s Keldon Johnson as the only SEC players on the initial 20-man watch list (complete list below). The list will be narrowed to 10 in mid-February, and five finalists will be selected in March. The winner will be announced at the ESPN College Basketball Awards Show after the Final Four in April.

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).

The Zion, Illinois, native scored in double digits in 31 of UT’s 35 games, including 13 performances with at least 15 points. His 486 points in 35 games were more than the total number of points he scored during his first two seasons as a Vol (474 points in 61 games).

In addition to his All-SEC laurels, he also earned two SEC Player of the Week awards and was named to the 2018 SEC Tournament All-Tournament Team.

Following Tennessee’s 2018 NCAA Tournament run, Schofield went through the 2018 NBA Draft evaluation process (without hiring an agent) and took part in workouts for several NBA teams. He announced in May that he planned to return to UT for his senior season.

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 Watch List
Dylan Windler, Belmont
Cam Reddish, Duke
Elijah Minnie, Eastern Michigan
Rui Hachimura, Gonzaga
Keldon Johnson, Kentucky
Sam Hauser, Marquette
Aaron Wiggins, Maryland
Caleb Martin, Nevada
Nassir Little, North Carolina
Louis King, Oregon
Tres Tinkle, Oregon State
Lamar Stevens   Penn State
O’Shea Brissett, Syracuse
Admiral Schofield, Tennessee
Jordon Varnado, Troy
Kris Wilkes, UCLA
De’Andre Hunter, Virginia
Jaylen Hoard, Wake Forest
Matisse Thybulle, Washington
Robert Franks Jr., Washington State

Candidates can play their way onto and off of the list at any point during the season

-UT Athletics

 

Media Picks Kentucky To Win 2019 SEC Men’s Basketball Championship; Grant Williams POTY

Media Picks Kentucky To Win 2019 SEC Men’s Basketball Championship; Grant Williams POTY

Posted on October 17, 2018
UT Men’s Basketball Team / Credit: UT Athletics

Birmingham, Ala. – Kentucky was predicted to win the 2019 Southeastern Conference men’s basketball championship in voting by a select panel of both SEC and national media members.

The Wildcats are the overall preseason favorite for the 14th time since the 1998-99 season.

Tennessee junior forward Grant Williams was the choice of the media for SEC Men’s Basketball Player of the Year. Auburn’s Bryce Brown; Florida’s Jalen Hudson; Kentucky’s Keldon Johnson, Reid Travis & PJ Washington; LSU’s Tremont Waters, Mississippi State’s Quinndary Weatherspoon; South Carolina’s Chris Silva and Tennessee’s Admiral Schofield also received votes in the Player of the Year voting.

Travis, Waters, Silva, Williams and Arkansas’ Daniel Gafford were each All-SEC First Team selections. Brown, Hudson, Washington, Weatherspoon and Schofield were second team picks along with Auburn’s Jared Harper and Missouri’s Jontay Porter.

Points were compiled on a 14-13-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. Each media member also voted for a five-player All-SEC Team. Ties were not broken.

The 2018-19 campaign begins November 6, with conference play set to begin January 5. The 2019 SEC Tournament will be March 13-17 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.

First Team All-SEC

Daniel Gafford – Arkansas

Reid Travis – Kentucky

Tremont Waters – LSU

Chris Silva – South Carolina

Grant Williams – Tennessee

Second Team All-SEC

Bryce Brown – Auburn

Jared Harper – Auburn

Jalen Hudson – Florida

PJ Washington – Kentucky

Quinndary Weatherspoon – Mississippi State

Jontay Porter – Missouri

Admiral Schofield – Tennessee

SEC Player of the Year

Grant Williams – Tennessee

Preseason Media Poll

  1. Kentucky
  2. Tennessee
  3. Auburn
  4. Mississippi State
  5. Florida
  6. LSU
  7. Alabama
  8. Vanderbilt
  9. Missouri
  10. Arkansas
  11. South Carolina
  12. Texas A&M
  13. Georgia
  14. Ole Miss

-SEC

New Study Reveals Luke Bryan, Garth Brooks & Kenny Chesney Are Viewed “Favorably,” Especially Among Republicans

New Study Reveals Luke Bryan, Garth Brooks & Kenny Chesney Are Viewed “Favorably,” Especially Among Republicans

Posted on October 17, 2018

Morning Consult, a technology company that collects, organizes and shares research data, conducted a Favorable/Unfavorable Survey based on Forbes’ list of the 100 Highest-Paid Celebrities.

Forbes’ 2018 list includes three country stars:

  • No. 45: Luke Bryan, $52 million
  • No. 59: Garth Brooks, $45.5 million
  • No. 87: Kenny Chesney, $37 million

According to Morning Consult’s study, which polled more than 6,000 American adults to find out what they think about the 100 celebrities on the list, the three country stars have high “favorability.”

  • No. 14: Garth Brooks (64% Favorable, 25% No Opinion, 11% Unfavorable)
  • No. 20: Luke Bryan (58% Favorable, 34% No Opinion, 8% Unfavorable)
  • No. 28: Kenny Chesney (51% Favorable, 38% No Opinion, 11% Unfavorable)

Morning Consult also asked its survey takers whether they would be More/Less Likely to use a product endorsed by the celebrities. Again, the three country stars scored well.

  • No. 20: Garth Brooks (25% More Likely, 15% No Opinion, 53% No Impact, 7% Less Likely)
  • No. 21: Luke Bryan (24% More Likely, 15% No Opinion, 55% No Impact, 6% Less Likely
  • No. 43: Kenny Chesney (19% More Likely, 17% No Opinion, 55% No Impact, 9% Less Likely

In addition, of the 100 names on the list, only 10 figures were statistically more favored by Republicans than by Democrats. Three of the 10 happened to be Garth, Luke and Kenny.

  • No. 1: Garth Brooks (+69 net favorability)
  • No. 2: Luke Bryan (+61 net favorability)
  • No. 4: Kenny Chesney (+56 net favorability)

photo by Jason Simanek

CBS Television Special Will Capture Garth Brooks’ Notre Dame Stadium Concert

CBS Television Special Will Capture Garth Brooks’ Notre Dame Stadium Concert

Posted on October 17, 2018

If you’re not one of the more than 84,000 fans who purchased a ticket to watch Garth Brooks’ concert at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana, on Oct. 20, you can still be a part of the experience.

Garth revealed that CBS will premiere a new two-hour television special that captures his performance. Garth: Live at Notre Dame will air on Dec. 2 at 8 p.m. ET.

“After the sellout, I thought it could not get any more exciting than this,” said Garth. “Then, CBS calls, and in an instant, the show becomes bigger. This changes everything.”

In July, Garth was joined by revered members of the University of Notre Dame family and former head football coach Lou Holtz during the concert announcement in Nashville.

photo by Jason Simanek

Everything You Need to Know About Tonight’s “CMT Artists of the Year” Special

Everything You Need to Know About Tonight’s “CMT Artists of the Year” Special

Posted on October 17, 2018

From honorees and awards to performers and presenters, here’s everything a country music fan needs to know about CMT’s Artists of the Year television special.

Date: Oct. 17

Time: 8 p.m. ET

Location: Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center

Television Station: CMT

Honorees: CarrieUnderwood, Miranda Lambert, Kelsea Ballerini, Maren Morris, Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman, and Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott

Artist of a Lifetime Award: Loretta Lynn, presented by Sissy Spacek

Performers: Carrie Underwood with Maddie & Tae and Runaway June; The Pistol Annies; Kelsea Ballerini with Alison Krauss; Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman with Gladys Knight; Hillary Scott with Tori Kelly and Kirk Franklin; Maren Morris with Brandi Carlile; Dierks Bentley and Martina McBride with Sheryl Crow

Presenters: Keith Urban, Smokey Robinson, Elle King, Little Big Town’s Jimi Westbrook and Phillip Sweet, Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood, Trisha Yearwood and Sheryl Crow

photos by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com

Kenny Chesney, Jason Aldean & Thomas Rhett to Headline 2019 Tortuga Festival [+ Full Lineup]

Kenny Chesney, Jason Aldean & Thomas Rhett to Headline 2019 Tortuga Festival [+ Full Lineup]

Posted on October 17, 2018

More than 100,000 people are expected to hit the beach in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., on April 12–14 for the seventh annual Rock the Ocean’s Tortuga Music Festival.

The 3-day festival will feature headliners Kenny Chesney, Jason Aldean and Thomas Rhett, with additional performers that include Danielle Bradbery, Kane Brown, Sheryl Crow, Delta Rae, Lindsay Ell, Morgan Evans, Flo Rida, Chris Janson, Jillian Jacqueline, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Cody Johnson, Elle King, Dustin Lynch, Maddie & Tae, Midland, Maren Morris, David Lee Murphy, Carly Pearce, Cassadee Pope, RaeLynn, Michael Ray, Trombone Shorty, Mitchell Tenpenny and The Wailers.

The festival will feature three stages this year. In addition to the Main Stage and Sunset Stage, the Next From Nashville Stage will serve as a platform for emerging artists. Tortuga Music Festival also raises funds to support marine conservation and research via proceeds from tickets.

Tickets go on sale on Oct. 26 at 10 a.m. ET, with passes that range from $199 (three-day general attendance alumni) to $1,100 (three-day VIP).

photo by AFF-USA.com

Williams, Schofield Garner Preseason SEC Honors

Williams, Schofield Garner Preseason SEC Honors

Posted on October 17, 2018
Credit: UT Athletics

A voting panel of SEC and national media members included Tennessee’s Admiral Schofield and Grant Williams on its listing of preseason honorees, the league announced Wednesday.

Schofield, a senior wing from Zion, Illinois, was a preseason All-SEC second-team selection and was among 10 players who received at least one vote for SEC Player of the Year.

Williams, a junior forward from Charlotte, North Carolina, landed on the preseason All-SEC first team and also was picked to repeat as the SEC Player of the Year.

Williams received the league’s top individual honor from both the coaches and the Associated Press back in March. He could be the first player to repeat since Arkansas’ Corliss Williamson won the award in 1994 and 1995.

After winning the regular-season championship last year, the Volunteers were picked to finish second in this year’s SEC race. Kentucky was projected to claim the 2019 league crown.

Tennessee returns 14 players from last year’s SEC Championship team that finished 26-9 and 13-5 in SEC play. Reigning SEC Coach of the Year Rick Barnes enters his fourth year with the Vols needing only four wins to ascend past the legendary John Wooden into 26th place on the all-time Division I wins list.

Season tickets remain available, and single-game tickets are moving fast. Tennessee’s home games against West Virginia (Jan. 26) and Kentucky (March 2) are already sold out, and fewer than 400 tickets remain available for the home game against Florida on Feb. 9.

 

UT Athletics

Davis Named Preseason All-SEC

Davis Named Preseason All-SEC

Posted on October 16, 2018
Rennia Davis – Lady Vols Guard / Credit: UT Athletics

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Tennessee women’s basketball team has been picked to finish third in the Southeastern Conference this year, and sophomore Rennia Davis has been chosen to the seven-member Preseason All-SEC Team, in voting by a select panel of SEC and national media members.

Mississippi State, the reigning SEC regular-season champion and national runner-up, was projected to finish first. Defending SEC Tournament champion South Carolina was picked to finish second, followed by UT, Georgia and Missouri to round out the top five.

The Lady Vols finished 25-8 overall and tied for fourth in the SEC a year ago with an 11-5 mark. They return a pair of SEC All-Freshman Team members (Davis and classmate Evina Westbrook) as well as senior wing Meme Jackson who started every game of the 2017-18 campaign. Seventh-year head coach Holly Warlick also welcomes her second straight top-5 recruiting class as well as graduate transfer Lou Brown who started 23 games and led Washington State University in rebounding last season.

Davis, a 6-foot-2 guard/forward from Jacksonville, Fla., was one of seven players named to the Preseason All-SEC squad.  Other members include Caliya Robinson (Georgia), Anriel Howard (Mississippi State), Teaira McCowan (Mississippi State), Sophie Cunningham (Missouri), Alexis Jennings (South Carolina), and Chennedy Carter (Texas A&M).  Mississippi State’s Teaira McCowan was tabbed for SEC Women’s Basketball Player of the Year.

As a freshman Davis averaged 12.0 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, starting in 32 of 33 contests and tallying nine double-doubles. Twice named SEC Freshman of the week, she finished the season ranked No. 11 in rebounding in the SEC.

The Lady Vols play their lone exhibition game on Nov. 5 vs. Carson-Newman (7 p.m. ET) and open the 2018-19 regular season vs. Presbyterian at 2 p.m. on Nov. 11. Both games will be played at Thompson-Boling Arena.

Order of Finish

1. Mississippi State
2. South Carolina
3. Tennessee
4. Georgia
5. Missouri
6. Texas A&M
7. Kentucky
8. Auburn
9. LSU
10. Alabama
11. Arkansas
12. Florida
13. Vanderbilt
14. Ole Miss

 

Player of the Year
Teaira McCowan, Mississippi State

 

Preseason All-SEC
Caliya Robinson, Georgia
Anriel Howard, Mississippi State
Teaira McCowan, Mississippi State
Sophie Cunningham, Missouri
Alexis Jennings, South Carolina
Rennia Davis, Tennessee
Chennedy Carter, Texas A&M
UT Athletics

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