KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee softball team took part in the annual MLK Memorial Parade today organized by the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Commission to honor the life and legacy of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on what would have been his 89th birthday.
The parade offers the Knoxville community a visual and audible display in tribute to the life and works of Dr. King. Groups, organizations and individuals assembled at Chilhowee Park and marched to Harriet Tubman Street, where a Memorial Tribute Service took place at the Overcoming Believers Church.
The Memorial Tribute Service closed out a week of MLK Activities that included prayer services, a leadership symposium and awards luncheon, a community forum, a youth symposium and the memorial parade with the tribute service being a premier highlight event. Community awards were presented, and the Celebration Choir set the tone for the commemoration. The keynote speaker Rev., Dr. Otis Moss, Jr., whom served as a staff member along with Dr. Martin Luther King gave a dynamic and inspirational message that was encouraging, uplifting and it challenged participants.
Rev. Moss ministered alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Sr. at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. He is also the father of Otis Moss III, the current pastor of the famous Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago.
“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Southeastern Conference announced Monday that Tennessee men’s basketball player Grant Williams was named SEC Player of the Week after averaging 23.0 points and 6.0 rebounds while powering the 24th-ranked Volunteers to a pair of wins.
It is the first SEC Player of the Week honor for the sophomore forward. He was named the SEC co-Freshman of the Week last season on Feb. 13, 2017.
The Charlotte, North Carolina, native had a historic scoring effort during UT’s win at Vanderbilt last Tuesday, dropping a career-high 37 points on 12-of-20 shooting in 33 minutes.
Williams’ 37 points against the Commodores were:
The most by any SEC player in a league game this season.
The most in a game by a Vol since 2003 SEC Player of the Year Ron Slay scored 38 vs. New Mexico on Jan. 4, 2003.
The most by a Vol in a road game since All-American guard Allan Houston scored 37 at Oregon State on Dec. 22, 1990.
The most by a Vol without making a 3-pointer since All-American guard Tony White scored 49 at Florida State on Dec. 30, 1986.
Williams leads the Vols in scoring (16.7 ppg) and rebounding (6.7 rpg) this season. In SEC play, his 19.6 points per game lead the league.
Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said he doesn’t know Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin all that well.
But that didn’t stop Barnes from heaping praise on the former Tennessee head coach (2011-14).
“I think he did a great job here, I really do,’’ Barnes said at his Monday morning press conference. “I like to think people appreciated the job he did here because I think he did a terrific job.’’
Martin was 63-41 and took his last UT team to the Sweet 16, winning three NCAA tournament games as it played in the “First Four’’ in Dayton, O.
His first UT team was picked 11th in 12-team league and placed 2nd.
“I’m not sure how he was embraced,’’ Barnes said. “If he wasn’t truly embraced, people should be ashamed because the guy is a heckuva person, he’s a heckuva basketball coach. … I think anybody that knows him well will tell you he’s a really class guy.’’
Martin took the Vols to the Sweet 16 and barely missed out on the Elite Eight after losing to No. 2 seed Michigan, 73-71.
After that season, Martin said he was offered a job at Marquette but turned it down to stay at Tennessee. It was announced by UT in a press release.
However, a few weeks later, Martin left for California. He told some in the media that the reduced buyout in his contract offered by then-athletic director Dave Hart was setting him up to be fired.
So he bolted for California, where he coached three years before taking the Missouri job.
In truth, many UT fans didn’t embrace Martin because they were upset Bruce Pearl had been fired after committing a minor NCAA violation, then lying to the NCAA during a probe. Pearl a highly successful six-year run at Tennessee.
This season, Missouri is 12-5, 2-2 SEC. It hosts Tennessee Wednesday at 9 p.m.
If you’re a Kroger shopper and love their Ice Cream Bars, you might want to check your package.
A number of items are being recalled for fear of listeria. It includes the Arctic Blasters Ice Cream Bars and Mary B’s Frozen Biscuits.
The ice cream bars include the original and no sugar added varieties.
The second recall is for a variety of Mary B’s frozen biscuits. They all have a plant designation of “M” following the use-by date of anytime before Sept. 23, 2018.
Consumers can contact Hom/Ade Foods, Inc. with any questions about the biscuits, 1-855-562-7773.
Both items can be returned to Kroger for a full refund. Listeria can cause severe illness for people who are pregnant or have a weakened immune system. More details on the recalls can be found on Kroger’s website.
Mercedes Russell – Lady Vols C / Credit: UT Athletics
Columbia, S.C. — Senior Mercedes Russell recorded a 16-point, 12-rebound double-double to lead No. 6/6 Tennessee to an 86-70 victory over No. 9/8 South Carolina on Sunday at Colonial Life Arena.
Jaime Nared added 19 points as the Lady Vols (16-1, 4-1 SEC) bounced back from their first loss of the season with a win over the defending national champions and their second consecutive victory in Columbia. UT was fueled by a balanced attack, with five different players reaching double figures.
Tyasha Harris put on an offensive display for South Carolina (14-3, 3-2 SEC) with a game-high 28 points and four assists. The Gamecocks were able to cut the deficit to four with under six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but Tennessee relied on strong defense and timely scoring to end the game on a 16-4 run.
UT’s freshman trio of Evina Westbrook, Rennia Davis, and Anastasia Hayes had a strong showing in the second half, combining for 29 points over the final 20 minutes. Westbrook finished with 16 points, including 2-for-2 shooting from behind the arc, as well as a game-high five assists, while Davis and Hayes netted 11 points apiece.
Both teams were ready from the tip, with four players on each roster getting on the board in the first quarter. After going through a scoring drought for more than three minutes, UT finished the quarter on a 14-4 run that was sparked by five consecutive free throws from Nared. The 6-foot-2 senior forward led the way offensively with seven points and Meme Jackson added a pair of 3-pointers as Tennessee took a 21-14 lead into the second period.
The Gamecocks’ offense started to click in the second quarter, led by nine points from Harris. With 2:42 left in the half, Doniyah Cliney worked through the lane and converted on a layup to cut the Lady Vol lead to three. As momentum began to swing back to the home team, Holly Warlick turned to the bench for an answer and subbed in Kortney Dunbar for the first time of the game. The senior forward did not wait long to make an impact, knocking down two 3-pointers just 26 seconds apart to give UT a 43-35 advantage at the intermission. Russell finished the half with 14 points on 6-for-8 shooting to lead the Big Orange.
Tennessee continued to rely on a balanced effort in the early stages of the second half, with three players reaching the 10-point mark by the end of the period. South Carolina was able to keep pace early, but a Davis jumper with 8:37 remaining in the quarter put UT ahead by double digits for the first time of the afternoon. Westbrook stepped up offensively with seven points, as the Lady Vols went into the game’s final stanza holding an 11-point edge.
The fourth quarter proved to be the up-and-down affair that many expected in this top-10 matchup. South Carolina upped the pressure quickly, and went on a 7-0 run highlighted by an Alexis Jennings and-one put-back to bring USC back to within four. However, it would prove to be the closest the Gamecocks could get to the Lady Vols, who were able to close out the final five six minutes with a 16-4 run. Westbrook continued her strong play through the late stages of the fourth quarter, scoring nine points during the run.
Jennings finished with 12 points and seven rebounds for the Gamecocks, while LeLe Grissett added 10 points with eight boards.
Next Up: The Lady Vols travel to #2 Notre Dame on Thursday for their final leg of a three-game road swing. The game is scheduled to tip at 7 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN.
Three For The Money: Tennessee went 6-of-12 to shoot 50% from behind the arc against South Carolina. Evina Westbrook and Kortney Dunbar were a perfect 2-of-2 from three, while Meme Jackson contributed another two on the day. Dunbar hit two key treys during a 3:00 appearance just before halftime.
Sharp Shooting: The Lady Vols posted a sizzling .564 field goal percentage at South Carolina, their second-best of the season. Tennessee came into the game averaging .471 on the year.
Who You Gonna Guard?: Tennessee had five players in double figures and eight of the nine Lady Vols that saw action scored at least six points. This marks the fourth time this season Tennessee has had five players in double digits and keeps its streak of having at least three players score 10+ points perfect thus far this season.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Kyle Alexander scored a career-high 14 points and No. 24 Tennessee held off Texas A&M on Saturday at Thompson-Boling Arena, 75-62.
The Vols (12-4, 3-2 SEC) forced 17 Texas A&M turnovers, the second-most of the season for the Aggies, on their way to a third-straight SEC win. The win was also Tennessee’s first over Texas A&M in Knoxville since the Aggies joined the SEC in 2012, and the first time the Vols had strung together three straight SEC wins since January 21-31, 2017 (Mississippi State, Kentucky, Kansas State).
Tennessee led by as many as 14 at 65-51 with 6:27 remaining, but Texas A&M (11-6, 0-5 SEC) put together a quick 8-0 run to cut the lead to six with 3:41 to go. From there, the Vols finished strong, ending the game on a 10-3 run.
In addition to Alexander’s performance, Jordan Bowden turned in a stellar outing, leading Tennessee in scoring with 15 points and grabbing six rebounds. Admiral Schofield and Jordan Bone also scored in double figures, with 12 and 10 points respectively.
Admon Gilder paced Texas A&M with 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting, while DJ Hogg added 13. The Vols held Tyler Davis, the Aggies’ leading scorer who came in averaging 14.6 points per game, to just nine points.
Trailing 12-11 midway through the first half, Tennessee used a 13-3 run to take a 24-17 lead with 8:02 before halftime, a lead it would never relinquish.
The Vols battled their way to a 36-28 halftime advantage, with seven different Vols scoring in the opening period. The lead at the break came thanks in part to Texas A&M’s 13 turnovers, which Tennessee converted into 15 points.
Despite their turnovers, the Aggies managed to stay in the game in the first half due to their 3-point shooting, as they connected on five of eight treys in the opening 20 minutes. Texas A&M finished the game with eight made 3-pointers.
UP NEXT: The Vols will hit the road as they head to Missouri for a 9 p.m. ET tip against the Tigers and former Tennessee head coach Cuonzo Martin on Wednesday, Jan. 17. Then with will head to Columbia, S.C., to face last year’s Final Four participant South Carolina Saturday, Jan. 20 for a 6 p.m. ET tip.
FIRST HALF DOMINANCE: Tennessee has scored 25 or more points in the first half of each game this season, scoring 36 in the first half tonight.
POINTS OFF TURNOVERS: The Vols made it their 11th game this season with 15 or more points off turnovers, scoring 22 points off the Aggies’ 17 turnovers.
TAKEAWAYS: The Vols set a season-high in steals with 10 tonight against Texas A&M.
1000 FOR BARNES: Rick Barnes coached his 1000th career game as a Division I head coach tonight in a win over Texas A&M.
If you’re a Kroger shopper and love their Ice Cream Bars, you might want to check your package.
