Vols redshirt junior defensive back Rashaan Gaulden announced on Twitter Wednesday that he is declaring for the NFL Draft, ending his Tennessee football career.
Gaulden (6’1, 193 from Spring Hill, TN) played in 36 games with 18 starts in his career. He totaled 140 tackles and 1 interception in his time in a Vols uniform. He was a part of arguably the best signing class of Butch Jones’ tenure at Tennessee in 2014. He entered UT as a 3-star prospect in three major recruiting services and a 4-star in one other.
Gaulden joins John Kelly (Instagram announcement below) as recent Vols players opting for the NFL rather than return to school for their senior seasons.
Kelly (5’9, 205 from Detroit, MI was a part of the 2015 signing class as a consensus 3-star recruit. Kelly rushed for 1,573 yards and 15 TDs in three seasons at UT. He also caught 43 passes for 350 yards in his career.
Lady Vols HC Holly Warlick & team / Credit: UT Athletics
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Freshman Evina Westbrookand Head Coach Holly Warlick met with members of the media prior to No. 7/7 Tennessee’s practice on Wednesday. The Lady Vols (13-0, 1-0 SEC) are preparing for their SEC home opener against Auburn (10-3, 1-0 SEC) on Thursday.
Answering questions from the media, Westbrook shared her thoughts on what has prompted her recent increase in scoring and how she has adjusted to college basketball. Warlick’s answers included discussion on how the team is preparing for Auburn’s press and what returning player she feels has elevated her game the most this season.
Tennessee will host Auburn at 7 p.m. in Thompson-Boling Arena. The game is available for viewing online via SECN+.
On what she expects from Auburn based on last year’s game:
“Auburn is a pressing, active-zone team. They’re difficult to play. (Last year) we got up by 20, and then we relaxed, and then they made a swing and beat us by 20. It’s a four-quarter game, and we played great one quarter and held on the second quarter down there, and then in the third and the fourth we were not very good. I don’t think any lead against Auburn is comfortable. We’ve got to turn people over, we’ve got to take care of the ball, and we’ve got to move the ball and attack their press. (Those are) things we’ve been working on, so I think we’re going to be ready for them.”
On if the team will go over what went wrong in last year’s game against Auburn:
“Absolutely. That’s Auburn, that’s their style. We’ll talk about their style and how they disrupted us. They said we got tired down there, so we’re going to bring that up. We’re going to have to be in good condition because when you get pressed for 40 minutes, it takes a toll on you. We’re going to have to be ready and have everyone ready, and I think the biggest thing for us is taking care of the basketball.”
On addressing the turnovers from Kentucky:
“I thought we made some passes that were more difficult than we needed. We can’t make soft passes against Auburn, that’s going to be a steal as well. It has to be a deliberate, on-the-money pass. We did some things in Kentucky that we haven’t been doing, and we’ve watched it. We’ll correct it, and we’ll have a better outcome against Auburn.”
On how freshmen guards will handle the press:
“Our guards have handled the pressure (thus far). They’ve handled the pressure, so we’ve got the ability to dribble through a press. We’ve got the ability to pass. I think they’re intelligent. We’ve worked on it, we’ve worked on it all year. They’re prepared, and the great thing is they don’t have to break it on their own. We’re trying to get people in spots where we can break it and attack.”
On Auburn’s style of play:
“I think they score a lot out of their defense. For us, we want to get them to play in a half-court offense. They’ve got a freshman inside who is really doing well and rebounding the ball well. (They have) guards that can attack. If we can get them in a half-court game, I think that would be great for us.”
On how much fun the team is having:
“They’ve had a lot of fun. Winning is fun. They’re playing hard, and they’re playing together. Any time you have a great feel for each other on the court, it is fun. They’re college students – sometimes they want to practice, sometimes they don’t. But they’re extremely competitive, and that’s what I love about them. When game time comes they’re ready to play, and they’re focused. The freshmen are in tune, and that’s a tribute to the upperclassmen. They love to play, and I know they’re going to be extremely excited to get back in here and play in front of the home crowd.”
On who she feels is the most improved returning player:
“Probably Meme Jackson (is the most improved returning player). Meme was used sparingly last year and was inconsistent. I think Meme has elevated her game. She’s elevated her confidence; she’s elevated her leadership. I think we play a lot off her energy, so I’ve just been really proud of what Meme has done and the consistency she’s had. That’s from being consistent in practice. She has played really, really hard in practice, and that’s carried over into her game.”
On recent increase in scoring:
“It’s really just looking for my shot. If the defense is going to leave me open, I’m going to look for my shot as well. My primary focus as a point guard is to get the team started, but at the same time I have to look for my own shot, so it’s just a combination of both.”
On her biggest adjustment from high school to college:
“I would say (the biggest difference is) the pace of the game and the intensity and really just the IQ of basketball players all around. My team has a great IQ, and we’re all learning so well how to play together. It’s been amazing so far.”
On figuring out her role was on this team:
“I think I kind of knew, honestly, from the first practice what my role was going to be, so I really just had to adjust from there. It really makes the games a lot easier.”
On if she’s surprised to be undefeated this far into the season:
“(I’m) not really (surprised). We’ve worked really hard to get to where we are, and we just have to continue working.”
On finding areas to improve upon even at 13-0:
“Our coaches put it into our head every day that we have to stay humble and hungry. We have to work even harder than before because we have a huge target on our back being 13-0. We just have to keep up the intensity and maintain being humble at all times.”
On her first SEC game:
“I loved it. How many fans we had – the fans that we have are amazingly crazy. Over the break we’ve had so many fans come out and support us, and I love it. It really does impact us.”
On preparation for Auburn:
“We worked a lot on their pressing yesterday and all their trapping and those sorts of things that they do. We’re definitely getting prepared, and I think we’ll be fine… Teams are going to have their ups and downs, but at the same time, we just have to remain level headed.”
On the camaraderie on the team:
“I think we all really enjoy playing with each other. You can just kind of tell with how we interact with each other on the bench or on the court. The chemistry is just there.”
On how much fun the season has been thus far:
“Personally, I’m having so much fun. Right now, I just love coming to practice and then in a couple days, playing a game. I think everyone else feels the same. We’re around each other 24/7, and I love it… This is my favorite part of the year. We come in and just hoop, and that’s it.”
On how Tennessee attracted three Oregon players:
“I don’t know what it is (about Tennessee), but obviously it’s something because there are three of us on the team. Honestly, I think the fan base has a lot to do with it, just showing how much the fans care for us and how they show their love for women’s basketball. Looking back in the past years, there have been a lot of players coming from Oregon, but I think that just comes back to the history of this school.”
Tennessee’s men’s basketball game against SEC rival and 17th-ranked Kentucky on Saturday (9 p.m. ET, SEC Network) has been announced as a sellout. It is Tennessee’s second sellout in eight games this season at Thompson-Boling Arena. UT currently ranks 11th in the country with an average home attendance of 14,944.
Vol Pass holders will have access to select their seats for Saturday night’s game 48 hours prior to tipoff.
While spring classes will not have begun by Saturday, all residence halls on campus are opening Saturday at 3 p.m. so that UT students can make plans to arrive back in Knoxville in time to cheer on the Volunteers as they seek to record their third consecutive home win over the rival Wildcats. Student ticket requests for the game have already exceeded 3,400.
For the convenience of fans, free parking is provided on the Ag Campus off Neyland Drive for all men’s basketball games. The Ag Campus is served by a free shuttle service to Thompson-Boling Arena, which begins two hours prior to tipoff and runs one hour postgame. The shuttle loading and unloading area is on Joe Johnson Drive directly in front of the Pendergrass Library. Postgame, the shuttle loading area is on Phillip FulmerWay, on street level outside of Arena Dining. All shuttles are fully accessible for persons with disabilities.
The G16 garage and Staff 9 Lot will be available for paid parking.
The Vols have defeated the Wildcats in Knoxville in each of the last two seasons, with UK ranked 20th in 2016 and fourth last year.
Tennessee (9-4, 0-2 SEC) enters Saturday’s showdown ranked 23rd in the country and looking to rebound from Tuesday’s home loss to Auburn, while Kentucky (11-2, 1-0 SEC) visits LSU Wednesday night in pursuit of a third straight win before coming to Knoxville.
No program in college basketball has logged more all-time wins over Kentucky than Tennessee (69).
Sugarland is back . . . and they may be coming to a city near you.
After dropping a new single, “Still the Same,” and performing as part of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve in December, the duo has announced plans for a new 40-plus-city tour.
And now for the moment we’ve certainly been waiting for… we are headed to a city near you this summer!!!
Sugarland’s Still the Same 2018 Tour will visit more than 40 cities, including Atlanta, Nashville, Chicago, Dallas, L.A., Las Vegas, Seattle and more. Although dates for the cities have not been revealed, ticket pre-sale begins on Jan. 9.
TJ and John Osborne of Brothers Osborne are giving fans a taste of their upcoming sophomore album with the release of a new single, “Shoot Me Straight,” which will be available for download and stream on Jan. 5.
The reigning CMA and ACM Duo of the Year says the song bridges the gap between their debut album, Pawn Shop, and their new project.
“We thought this lead single off of our new record would be a really great representation of just kind of what’s to come on this new record, but also was kind of a good little second story to ‘It Ain’t My Fault,’” says TJ. “The song really being about the double entendre of just the saying, ‘shoot me straight,’ ‘give it to me straight,’ but also make it burn like a shot of whiskey and shoot me straight. It’s one of the songs that kind of ties the last record into this one.”
“Huntin’, fishin’, and lovin’ every day / That’s the prayer that a country boy prays,” sings Luke Bryan in his 2016 No. 1 hit.
Just don’t own kangaroos.
Colleen O’Brien, the vice president for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), released a statement that calls for Luke to relinquish ownership of two baby kangaroos that he gave his wife, Caroline, for Christmas.
PETA’s official statement is below.
“Baby kangaroos belong in their mothers’ pouches, not in gift bags. These joeys have complex needs, including specialized diets and room to roam—they are not toys and will only become more difficult to care for as they grow older. PETA is calling for an investigation into where these kangaroos came from and stands ready to help Luke Bryan right this wrong and move these vulnerable marsupials to a reputable sanctuary.”
In an Instagram video that was posted on Christmas morning, Luke surprised Caroline with two kangaroos for their animal rescue project, Brett’s Barn.
Brett’s Barn, which is named in honor of Luke and Caroline’s infant niece, Sadie Brett, who died in 2017, houses several animals, including miniature horses, pigs and goats. The Bryans named the kangaroos Margo and Todd and said in a subsequent Instagram post that “they are adjusting perfectly.”
Tennessee forward Grant Williams discusses the 94-84 home loss to Bruce Pearl and the Auburn Tigers as well as the harsh criticism from Rick Barnes in the postgame.
Tennessee guard Lamonte Turner discusses the 94-84 home loss to Bruce Pearl and the Auburn Tigers as well as the harsh criticism from Rick Barnes in the postgame.
Tennessee coach Rick Barnes didn’t mince words in expressing his disappointment in the Vols after the 94-84 home loss to Bruce Pearl and the Auburn Tigers.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Sophomore Lamonte Turner scored a career-high 25 points, but the No. 23 Tennessee Volunteers lost to Auburn, 94-84, Tuesday in UT’s SEC home opener at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Turner scored 20 of his 25 points in the second half for Tennessee (9-4, 0-2 SEC) — including a perfect 13 of 13 from the free throw line — but Auburn made five 3-pointers in the final six minutes to pull away for the victory.
Auburn (13-1, 2-0) extended its winning streak to 11 games, recording its first win in Knoxville since 1998.
Two big momentum swings defined the first half, the first for the Vols and the second for Auburn.
The Vols jumped on a 14-2 run early. Admiral Schofield completed a three-point play to cap the run and give the Vols a 23-9 lead with 11:52 remaining.
Auburn dug in and turned the tide. Down 28-14, the Tigers went on a 19-3 run to take a 33-31 lead on a 3-pointer by Bryce Brown. The Tigers closed out the half leading 42-36, the first time Tennessee has trailed at half all season.
Sophomore Jordan Bone led the Vols with 12 points scored in the first half, making all three 3-pointer attempts.
The Vols retook the lead in the second half and led by as many as five points at 59-54 on a pair of free throws by Turner with 9:07 left.
Auburn took the lead for good on an 8-0 run, capped by a steal and a dunk by Mustapha Heron, putting the Tigers ahead 64-61 with 7:10 left. Auburn eventually led by as many as 12 points.
Sophomore Grant Williams matched his season high with 22 points for the Vols, his fourth 20-point game of the year. Bone added 18 points for the Vols on 6-of-10 shooting, including three 3-pointers.
UP NEXT: The Vols stay at home to face No. 17 Kentucky on Saturday before hitting the road to play in-state rival Vanderbilt on Jan. 9 at Memorial Gymnasium.
TURNER CARRYING THE LOAD: Turner led all scorers with a career-high 25 points, including 20 second-half points. The redshirt sophomore also was a perfect 13-for-13 at the free-throw line. Turner has now scored in double figures in two straight games after failing to do so the previous four contests.
FIRST-HALF LEAD STREAK SNAPPED: Tennessee went into the locker room at the break trailing for the first time this season, 42-36. A major contributing factor to Auburn’s halftime lead was its offensive rebounding (13-3 advantage), which resulted in the Tigers attempting 20 more shots than the Vols in the opening 20 minutes.
![Brothers Osborne Give Fans First Taste of Upcoming Album With New Single, “Shoot Me Straight” [Listen]](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/1446/2018/01/03122402/Brothers-Osborne.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
