Angela (Angie) Gentry, the widow of Montgomery Gentry’s Troy Gentry, has filed a lawsuit against Sikorsky Aircraft Co. and Keystone Helicopter Co., the manufacturers of the helicopter Troy was in when he was killed in a crash on Sept. 8, 2017.
The lawsuit claims there were multiple defects in the aircraft, including, “The dangers from the lack of crashworthiness and defects in the engine, transmission and sprag clutch, throttle cables, engine attachments and absence of crashworthy features were unknown to the average user and consumer of this helicopter but well known to these defendants who made it a point to hide and deny and problems that could and did cause serious personal injury and death.”
Troy Gentry’s wife, Angie, and daughter, Kaylee, attend the 2017 CMA Awards. photo by AFF-USA.com
Counts against the defendants include negligence, liability and breach of warranty. The plaintiffs have requested a jury trial.
Troy, who was 50 years old at the time of his death, left behind his wife of 17 years, Angie, and two daughters, Taylor, 24, and Kaylee, 15.
Carrie Underwood donated $10,000 to the GoFundMe account of Justin Durrett, an assistant police chief in her hometown of Checotah, Okla., who was injured in an automobile crash on Feb. 11.
Carrie donated the money under her married name, Carrie Fisher.
Justin’s family members told Oklahoma City affiliate KOCO New 5 that Justin and Carrie “were childhood friends and that they grew up in the same church in Checotah.”
Justin’s GoFundMe campaign has raised almost $13,000 of its $20,000 goal.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — With the regular season nearing its end, No. 19 Tennessee is set to face the Florida Gators in a huge matchup on Wednesday night. The game tips at 9 p.m. and will be televised live on ESPN2 and streamed online via WatchESPN.
The Volunteers (19-7, 9-5 SEC) have just four games left and each one is equally as important when it comes to a top-four seeding for the SEC Tournament in two weeks. UT currently sits in second place, one game ahead of a four-way tie for third place, including the Gators. While its toughest games are out of the way, the league is as deep as it has ever been, so Tennessee will have its hands full down the final stretch to secure the valauble double-bye.
Head coach Rick Barnes has challenged Grant Williams to step up when it matters most. The sophomore forward is UT’s leading scorer on the season with 15.7 ppg and is also averaging 5.9 rpg, 1.8 apg and 1.4 spg. Junior Admiral Schofield is another player that the Vols will need to rely on for both ends of the floor. Schofield leads the team in rebounding (6.1 rpg) and steals (29) and is second in scoring (12.2 ppg).
Florida (17-10, 8-6 SEC) boasts wins away from home against Cincinnati, Gonzaga, Kentucky, Missouri, Stanford and Texas A&M this year. Junior guard Jalen Hudson is the Gators’ top scorer, averaging 14.9 ppg on 45 percent shooting to go along with 4.1 rpg. Florida picked up a huge addition in the offseason with graduate transfer Egor Koulechov from Rice. He’s the only player to start all 27 games for UF this season and is posting 14.2 ppg and a team-leading 6.9 rpg. The Gators enter Wednesday’s contest on a two-game skid, most recently falling at Vanderbilt, 71-68, on Saturday.
After Wednesday’s matchup, UT has back-to-back road games against Ole Miss (Feb. 24) and Mississippi State (Feb. 27) before returning home for a rematch with Georgia to conclude the regular season. Saturday’s game in Oxford will tip at 1 p.m. ET and will be televised on SEC Network.
THE SERIES
• Overall: UT leads, 73-57
• In Knoxville: UT leads, 45-18
• In Gainesville: UF leads, 35-25
• Neutral Sites: UF leads, 4-3
• Current Streak: UF has won one
• Last Meeting: Florida won, 83-70, in Gainesville, 1/7/2017
• Rick Barnes vs. Florida: 1-1
• Rick Barnes vs. Mike White: Tied, 1-1
RIGHT NOW
• The Vols are rated No. 15 in the NCAA RPI. Florida is No. 63.
• Jordan Bone has 31 assists against only three turnovers over UT’s last six games. His 2.94 assist/turnover ratio on the year ranks 17th in Division I.
• Per KenPom, Tennessee rates ninth nationally in defensive efficiency.
• Tennessee ranks 31st nationally with 4.8 blocked shots per game.
• Tennessee ranks ninth nationally in average home attendance, having drawn 15,761 fans through 13 home games at Thompson-Boling Arena. Arkansas ranks just ahead of Tennessee with an average home attendance of 16,085.
A WIN WOULD…
• Enable Tennessee to avoid its first losing streak since the first two games of SEC play (Jan. 2-6).
• Give Tennessee its 25th 20-win season and its first since 2013-14, when the Vols finished with 24 victories and advanced to their seventh Sweet Sixteen.
• Give Tennessee 20 regular-season victories for the first time since 2009-10 (23).
ABOUT FLORIDA
• In his third season at the helm, Mike White continues to keep Florida (17-10, 8-6 SEC) at a strong level on the court, as the Gators are tied for third in the SEC and sit at No. 63 in the latest RPI rankings.
• In its non-conference slate, Florida boasts wins over Stanford and Gonzaga during the Phil Knight Invitational and a huge 66-60 win over Cincinnati, who is currently 11th in the RPI. UF opened league play by winning six of its first seven games, including road wins at Kentucky, Missouri and Texas A&M.
• Junior guard Jalen Hudson is the Gators’ top scorer, averaging 14.9 ppg on 45 percent shooting to go along with 4.1 rpg. Florida picked up a huge addition in the offseason with graduate transfer Egor Koulechov from Rice. He’s the only player to start all 27 games for UF this season and is posting 14.2 ppg and a team-leading 6.9 rpg.
• Florida’s emotional leader and do-it-all guy is senior guard Chris Chiozza. The Memphis native averages 11.4 ppg, an SEC-leading 5.9 apg, 4.3 rpg and 1.9 spg, which ranks second in the SEC. His assist/turnover ratio (3.4) is the best in the league and ranks just ahead of UT’s Jordan Bone.
• Junior guard KeVaughn Allen (11.1 ppg) rounds out the double-digit scorers for UF and is one of the team’s top 3-point shooters. Florida, which thrives off its 3-point shooting, is similar to Tennessee’s team this year, as multiple players have the capability to go off on any given night.
• The Gators enter Wednesday’s contest on a two-game skid, most recently falling at Vanderbilt, 71-68, on Saturday. Despite a 20-point performance from forward Keith Stone, UF couldn’t keep up with Vandy’s 22-of-24 shooting from the charity stripe.
LAST MEETING WITH FLORIDA
• Strong efforts from Admiral Schofield and Jordan Bowden weren’t enough for Tennessee, as the Volunteers lost to 24th-ranked Florida, 83-70, in Gainesville on Jan. 7, 2017.
• Schofield turned in his most complete performance of the season for Tennessee, finishing with 18 points and 10 rebounds for his first career double-double. He was joined in double figures by Bowden, who hit three 3-pointers en route to 15 points.
• A back-and-forth contest for much of the way, Tennessee grabbed a 33-32 halftime lead after shooting 48 percent in a first half that featured eight lead changes. The Vols were boosted over the opening stanza by a strong defensive effort. UT held Florida to just 37.5 percent shooting while forcing nine Gator turnovers. Those takeaways translated into 15 points for Tennessee and the Vols also owned a 12-2 edge in fast-break points through the opening 20 minutes, contributing to the slim halftime lead.
• The script flipped in the second half, however, as defensive stops became difficult to come by for the Vols. Florida shot 16-of-24 from the field after halftime, including a key second-half stretch that featured nine consecutive made field goals.
• During a key, six-minute stretch in the second half, UF made nine straight field goals and grabbed a 56-52 lead with 11:20 remaining.
• A couple free throws and a jumper from Schofield leveled things at 56-56, but a quick 10-3 spurt gave Florida some breathing room with just under seven minutes to play. UT whittled that deficit to three, 66-63, but timely 3-pointers from KeVaughn Allen (23 points) and efficient free-throw shooting allowed Florida to secure the win.
MEMORABLE VOL PERFORMANCES AGAINST FLORIDA
• Austin “Red” Robbins had what may have been the best performance in UT history at the time with 35 points and 20 rebounds on Feb. 7, 1966, as UT routed Georgia 100-71 at old Armory-Fieldhouse in Knoxville.
• Bernard King made 18 field goals at Georgia on Feb. 1, 1975. King had 42 points and 18 rebounds in that 105-69 Vol victory.
• The 12,666 paying customers who packed UT’s Stokely Athletics Center on Feb. 10, 1979, got their money’s worth, as Ellenwood, Ga., native Reggie Johnson totaled 36 points and 13 rebounds, playing every minute of a three-overtime thriller as UT topped Georgia 87-81. Terry Crosby also played all 55 minutes, adding 21 points.
• Future NBA Lottery Pick Marcus Haislip paced the Vols with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Vincent Yarbrough added 17 points as UT outscored the 16th-ranked Dawgs 11-3 in overtime to take a 71-63 win in Knoxville on March 2, 2002.
• Kevin Punter Jr. scored 26 points to lead Tennessee to its first signature win of the Rick Barnes era, as the Vols defeated Florida, 83-69, on Jan. 6, 2016, at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville. Despite a significant size disadvantage, the Vols won the rebounding battle, 49-40, and outscored the Gators in the paint, 32-24. The UT win halted UF’s four-game win streak in the series.
CURRENT VOLS’ CAREER STATS VS. FLORIDA
• In his two career games against Florida, Admiral Schofield averages 17.5 points and 9.0 rebounds while shooting .609 from the field.
• In his lone previous game against Florida, Grant Williams was limited to just six points and one rebound before fouling out after just 24 minutes of action. That six-point showing ties for the third-lowest scoring output against an SEC opponent in his career.
• Jordan Bowden, meanwhile, scored 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting (three 3-pointers) in 24 productive minutes during his lone previous appearance vs. the Gators.
LANIER HAS GATOR CONNECTIONS
• Tennessee associate head coach Rob Lanier was an assistant coach under Billy Donovan at Florida from 2007-11.
• Lanier helped the Gators advance to postseason play every year while posting a 99-44 (.692) cumulative record.
• In 2010-11, Florida won the SEC regular-season championship (13-3 record) and advanced all the way to the NCAA Elite Eight.
• Notable Gators recruited and/or coached by Lanier include Marreese Speights, Chandler Parsons, Vernon Macklin and Bradley Beal.
TURNER PREPPED AT IMG IN FLORIDA
• Tennessee redshirt sophomore Lamonté Turner graduated from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
• Turner signed with UT out of IMG, which he attended in 2014-15.
• Another IMG product connected to Wednesday’s game is Florida freshman Isaiah Stokes (see note below).
FLORIDA’S STOKES NO STRANGER TO THOMPSON-BOLING ARENA
• Florida true freshman forward Isaiah Stokes (injured) is quite familiar with Thompson-Boling Arena, as his older brother, Jarnell Stokes, enjoyed a stellar three-year career with the Vols from 2011-14.
• One of the most prolific offensive rebounders in UT history, Jarnell Stokes earned first-team All-SEC honors while helping lead Tennessee to the 2014 Sweet Sixteen. He was selected by the Utah Jazz in the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft and appeared in 28 career NBA games with the Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets.
• Jarnell Stokes is currently playing for the Zheziang Golden Bulls in China, averaging 25.0 points and 13.9 rebounds. One of his teammates is former Arkansas standout Sonny Weems.
TRENDING NOW
• In SEC play, Tennessee leads the league in assists per game (14.9) while ranking second in rebounding defense (33.6 rapg) and assist/turnover (1.3).
• Sophomore point guard Jordan Bone leads the SEC with a 4.7 assist/turnover ratio during SEC play. He has a positive or even assist/turnover ratio in 13 of 14 conference games.
• Over UT’s last six games, Bone owns an 10.3 assist/turnover ratio (31 assists, three turnovers).
• Sophomore guard Lamonté Turner has made 16 3-pointers over UT’s last five games.
• Turner leads the SEC with a .932 (41-of-44) free-throw percentage during league play.
• A testament to its depth, Tennessee does not have a single player ranked in the top 20 in the SEC in minutes played this season (overall or during league play).
SCHOFIELD’S TRANSITION TO THE WING HAS BEEN A HUGE SUCCESS
• After playing a frontcourt role his first two years at Tennessee, junior Admiral Schofield transitioned to the wing this season.
• One of the team’s hardest workers who is constantly in the gym, the All-SEC candidate estimates that he takes an average of 350 shots daily.
• Schofield is the team’s leading rebounder and second-leading scorer (overall and in SEC play). He has led the Vols in rebounding 11 times on the year.
• Schofield’s 45 made 3-pointers are the second-most on the team, and he’s made multiple 3-pointers in 17 of UT’s 26 games this season.
• With his next 3-pointer, Schofield will have matched his total number of long range makes from his first two years as a Vol (46).
• He has a team-high 29 steals this season after totaling 21 in his two years as an underclassman.
BARNES’ TEAM POST SOLID RPIs
• One reason that Rick Barnes‘ teams have reached the NCAA Tournament with such regularity is his ability to post outstanding year-end RPIs.
• In his 17 seasons at Texas, Barnes’ teams posted an average year-end RPI of 31.1 That includes five years in the top 10 and eight years in the top 20.
• In Barnes’ 30 previous seasons as a Division I head coach, his teams’ average year-end RPI is 43.2. His club has finished with a sub-100 RPI just twice in the last 25 years.
• Tennessee’s current RPI is No. 15.
Blake Shelton launched his 14-date Country Music Freaks Tour with openers Carly Pearce and Brett Eldredge on Feb. 15.
Between his gig as a coach on The Voice, releasing new single “I Lived It” (currently No. 27 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart after five weeks) and making the media rounds, Blake says touring is still his favorite part of the game and he’s excited that Carly and Brett are along for the ride.
“Look man, touring is still what I have the most fun with in this business,” says Blake to Nash Country Daily. “And I try to limit myself to not burn out on it because it’s too important to me, so when I put together a tour, it’s always important to me who’s on it and where we go. This lineup, I can’t believe this lineup actually worked out, because Brett, his career is blowing up. He’s the new dude in country music that’s taken off, and I couldn’t be happier for him. And man, it’s tough, you know, we wanted a female artist for the tour to represent the girls in country music . . . and we’re so lucky to get Carly, and I can’t thank her enough for signing on for this tour. She’s going to make us look good.”
Blake has 11 more dates left on his Country Music Freaks Tour, including stops in St. Louis, Dallas, Atlanta, Philadelphia and more.
Country Music Freaks Tour
2/22/18 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena
2/23/18 Moline, IL TaxSlayer Center
2/24/18 St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center
3/2/18 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center
3/3/18 Bossier City, LA CenturyLink Center
3/8/18 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena
3/9/18 Greenville, SC Bon Secours Wellness Arena
3/10/18 Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum
3/15/18 Columbus, OH Nationwide Arena
3/16/18 Baltimore, MD Royal Farms Arena
3/17/18 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center
Tennessee lost its leading scorer from a 16-16 team that couldn’t even make the NIT last year and didn’t sign any blue-chip recruits to bolster the roster.
That’s why the SEC media picked Tennessee 13th in a 14 team league. That’s why many local media thought the Vols were a borderline NIT team before the season.
Tennessee was supposed to finish ahead of only LSU. Instead, the Vols are ahead of every team in the SEC except Auburn. Surprisingly, they’re ahead of Kentucky and Texas A&M and Florida and Missouri in the SEC standings and in the NCAA RPI.
And even though the Vols have faltered by losing two of their last three league games, UT has an NCAA RPI of 15 with a projected NCAA Tournament seed of 3 or 4.
“I’d have to say I’m very surprised for them to turn it around this quickly,’’ said Mike DeCourcey, senior basketball writer for The Sporting News and one of the foremost authorities on college hoops.
“Rick Barnes does a great job.’’
In a recent interview on SportsTalk radio WNML, DeCourcey said he wasn’t sure Barnes, now 63, would do a great job at Tennessee. His last few Texas teams weren’t world beaters and the Longhorns decided it was time for a change.
“I think it’s fair to wonder if he had lost his fastball a little bit,’’ DeCourcey said, echoing the thoughts of others as well. “I never doubted that he was an excellent coach. But he’s at a point now where he could be playing golf or sitting on the beach if he wished.
“It takes a lot of effort and time and concentration and focus and did he still want the life that goes with being a coach at this level. I think he has answered that question with a million exclamation points and he has not left anything undone in the transformation of the program.
“It’s been outstanding to watch. And Rick is one of the really fun people in college basketball. I’m really excited to see how well he is doing.’’
Tennessee hasn’t done so well lately, losing by double digits to Alabama and Georgia within a week’s span to fall to 9-5 in the SEC, 19-7 overall. The Vols have games remaining against Florida, Ole Miss Mississippi State and Georgia before playing in the SEC Tournament March 7-11. Chances of a double bye remain if UT can finish in the top four of the SEC standings.
What’s the strength of this Tennessee team?
“Toughness,’’ DeCourcey said. “For Rick, that has always been a hallmark of his program and it’s possible that those final few teams at Texas didn’t (have toughness) and he wasn’t able to get that out of them. ‘’
DeCourcey said Barnes’ best teams have always been tough, physical and guarded hard in the lane and at the rim.
“Those have always been his best teams,’’ DeCourcey said, “and I think you see that reflected in this Tennessee team most of the time. It’s not been universal, but most of the time, opponents have to really work hard to score.’’
UT did have a stretch where nine consecutive opponents scored fewer than 65 points.
For Tennessee to take that next step this season, do the Vols need better guard play or a complement inside to Grant Williams?
“That is a great question,’’ DeCourcey said. “I don’t know if they can take a step beyond what they’ve done. …
“I don’t know if there is a next step in this team. I don’t think this is a team that is all the sudden going to change its personality. They are not super dynamic. … They have to make 3s to be successful in the biggest games.
“The trick is to try to sustain something close to this over the course of the next (few) weeks and then you take your shot in March.’’
And that shot in March – to the surprise of many – will be in the NCAA Tournament, not the NIT.
Kelsea Ballerini is once again in familiar territory.
The Tennessee native scored her fourth career No. 1 single as “Legends” ascended to the top spot on the Mediabase chart, following previous No. 1 singles “Love Me Like You Mean It,” “Dibs” and “Peter Pan.”
“Legends” is the lead single from Kelsea’s sophomore album, Unapologetically, which dropped in November 2017. Kelsea co-penned the tune with Hillary Lindsey and Forest Glen Whitehead.
“It’s the first single from the second record, so it’s super intimidating,” says Kelsea to NCD. “It’s definitely a song that isn’t like Dibs and isn’t like “Yeah Boy.’ It’s a little different for me and a little more grown-up. And it’s a mid-tempo story-song. It was just important for us to put out something that was a little bit different, a little more mature, so I’m really proud of it.”
As far as Kelsea’s next single, she’s got 11 more songs on Unapologetically to pick from.
“I think it’s just reassuring [getting the No. 1],” says Kelsea. “And it also gives us confidence looking forward to whatever is next—we can take a risk, we can try different things and see what works.”
Jaime Nared – Lady Vols Forward / Credit: UT Athletics
COLUMBIA, Mo. – No. 11/11 Tennessee dropped a hard-fought thriller at No. 13/13 Missouri Sunday, falling to the Tigers by a score of 77-73 in front of a record crowd of 11,092 at Mizzou Arena.
Senior Jaime Nared led the Lady Vols (21-6, 9-5 SEC) with 25 points, while Mercedes Russell added 10 points and nine rebounds.
UT overcame a 13-point second-quarter deficit and worked the game into a 62-62 tie with 5:18 remaining. However, the Tigers (22-5, 10-4 SEC) used clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch to pull ahead late, including two from Sophie Cunningham with one second remaining that put them ahead by four. Cunningham netted 32 points on 9-of-14 shooting to lead Missouri.
Mizzou hit eight of its first 10 shots in first quarter and used a 19-5 run over the last 6:35 of the frame to give itself a 25-13 lead. UT was led offensively by a freshman trio during the quarter, as Evina Westbrook and Rennia Davis scored five points apiece, and Anastasia Hayes added three more.
Nared got it going in the second period, netting 14 points, including two 3-pointers to help bring Tennessee back to within single digits. Cheridene Green added four points and three rebounds and hit two free throws with 1:09 left in the half to cut it down to four. With 10 seconds remaining, Cunningham stole a pass and converted a reverse layup on the other end to give the Tigers a 42-36 lead at the intermission. Cunningham finished the half with 18 points.
The Lady Vols shot out of the gate in the second half, going on an early 10-0 run highlighted by a Russell layup that put them ahead for the first time in more than 20 minutes. Missouri was able to reclaim the lead with just more than a minute remaining thanks to a Lauren Aldridge 3-pointer and took a 58-56 edge into the final 10 minutes.
The teams traded points throughout the fourth quarter, but Tennessee was never able to pull in front during the period. Although UT held Mizzou to just three field goals, the Tigers went 12-for-14 from the free-throw line, including five in the last minute. With 10 seconds remaining, Tennessee had one final chance to draw up a play down by three. Mizzou fouled Davis with a second left on the clock, and her free throw that cut it to 75-73 proved to be too little, too late.
UP NEXT: Tennessee, which has won four of its last six games, returns to the road this week, visiting Florida for a 7 p.m. ET tipoff in Gainesville. The game can be heard on the Lady Vol Network and viewed on SEC Network+ (WatchESPN).
ATHENS, Ga. — Despite a double-double from Kyle Alexander, No. 18 Tennessee fell on the road to Georgia, 73-62, at Stegeman Coliseum on Saturday night.
Alexander finished the game with 10 points and a career-high-tying 13 rebounds, marking the second double-double of his career. He was joined by Jordan Bowden (13), Admiral Schofield (11) and Lamonté Turner (14) as the Vols’ (19-7, 9-5 SEC) double-digit scorers.
After UGA (15-11, 6-8 SEC) started second half on 10-2 run, Tennessee fought back to make it a two-point game with 7:57 left. That would be as close as UT could get, as the Bulldogs used an 8-2 run to make it a 59-51 game with less than five minutes to play.
After a pair of missed free throws by the Bulldogs with 1:20 left in the game, Turner drained a three to make it a two-possession game at 63-58 with 1:11 remaining, but Tennesseee was unable to complete the comeback.
SEC Player of the Year candidate Yante Maten fueled UGA on both ends of the floor, posting 19 points and five rebounds in 31 minutes of action. Derek Ogbeide dominated the paint, finishing with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
After starting the game shooting 5-of-20 from the field, Tennessee ended the half with the hot hand, knocking down six of its final nine shots in the frame to draw within one possession, 28-26, heading into the break.
Tennessee used a 14-7 run to end the half while holding the Bulldogs without a field goal in the final 2:48 of play. Schofield led the team in scoring during the period with six points, while Maten posted 11 points to pace Georgia.
During the first half, the Bulldogs earned 13 trips to the free throw line, where they converted on 10 of the attempts compared to UT’s 2-of-4 shooting from the charity stripe. Georgia finished with 17 (27-of-38 overall) more free throws made in the game, which was a major key in the game.
UP NEXT: The Vols return home to host the Florida Gators, who Tennessee (2nd) is currently one game ahead of in the SEC standings, on Feb. 21 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2. After that, UT has back-to-back road games against Ole Miss (Feb. 24) and Mississippi State (Feb. 27).
Carrie donated the money under her married name, Carrie Fisher.
ATHENS, Ga. — Despite a double-double from 
