A traffic stop in Union County results in the arrest of three people on various charges including drugs, driving on a revoked license and criminal impersonation.
The drug unit with the Union County Sheriff’s Office made the traffic stop on Main Street yesterday (Wednesday) in Maynardville. While searching the car, officers found substancs believed to be methamphetamine and heroin.
Jesse Hubbs was arrested for driving on a revoked license, failure to maintain lane, and possession with intent to sell.
Two passengers were also arrested. Cody Kitts, who had an active arrest warrant out of Knox County and Dean McPherson for criminal impersonation and violation of parole.
Hendon Hooker sat in a chair next to the locker of Joe Milton at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
Hooker’s surgically repaired knee was extended, encased in a brace, protecting the torn ACL that he suffered in late November.
As the media descended upon Milton to inquire about his MVP performance in Tennessee’s 31-14 victory over Clemson in the Orange Bowl, Hooker grinned from ear to ear.
His roommate, his teammate, his soulmate, his “pupil’’ had just delivered a solid performance against the No. 7 team in the country. And Hooker was delighted.
The only thing missing was a victory cigar.
“Extremely proud of my brothers,’’ Hooker said less than an hour after the Vols posted their first 11-win season in 21 years.
“They prepared at high level through bowl prep season. They were getting tired of competing against themselves. They were eager to get out here and attack and give their all and play for their brothers beside them.’’
Hooker’s brother from another mother, Milton, had just grabbed the game ball that had been presented to him. Milton caressed it like a new born baby.
“I thought he did great job managing the game,’’ said Hooker, who was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Year for helping guide UT to a No. 6 national ranking. “He made some great plays with his throws and feet as well.
“To see him work on things in a game-like situation, it was a beautiful thing.’’
Hooker noted that some UT drives stalled after going three-and-out – the Vols have five during the game — “but he didn’t change his demeanor. He took some constructive criticism.’’
Some of that criticism came from Hooker.
“I didn’t let him slide,’’ Hooker said. “He wouldn’t have let me slide, either.’’
What was Hooker’s critique?
“Couple of times I asked him about his form and his feet and his decision making,’’ Hooker said. “Sometimes we might not agree. His view might be different than mine. His view is on the field. I’m on the sideline.
“If we disagree, we agree to disagree. There’s never any type conflict.’’
That Hooker remained engaged with the team says a lot about the former transfer from Virginia Tech.
While some UT players opted out or entered the transfer portal and we hardly seen again, Hooker, after his Dec. 13 surgery, went to practice, went to staff meetings, went to film sessions.
Why stick around?
“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,’’ Hooker said. “It’s bigger than me. It’s about the team. It’s about the University. It’s about the fans. It’s about the community of Knoxville.
“Any time I can be around them and show them love and share knowledge and lead, that’s what I want to do.’’
When Hooker transferred to Tennessee, the Vols were coming off a 3-7 record, Jeremy Pruitt was getting fired and almost 40 players entered the transfer portal.
Tennessee’s program was a hot mess.
Soon, Hooker would become a hot quarterback.
And, more than anyone, Hooker led the Vols from the abyss, helping Tennessee to its first 11-win season since 2001.
“It’s been great,’’ Hooker said of his UT journey.
“I remember the first day getting here (Knoxville) and the structure of it. We didn’t know who our coach would be. Coach Heup (Josh Heupel) came in, the whole demeanor of the whole building just changed. Nothing but positive energy and positive reinforce from him. Positive coaching. He’s a great teacher and he brought great teachers throughout the building. We’re in debt to them.’’
And they’re indebted to Hooker.
At a time when a season-ending injury could have left Hooker despondent and isolated, he chose to be with his teammates during their bowl journey.
He chose to encourage them.
He chose to encourage Milton.
And when he chose Tennessee in January of 2021, it changed the fortunes of the program.
The White House announced Wednesday that President Biden has been briefed on the massive FAA outage, though asserting that there’s no evidence it was caused by any cyberattack.
“The President has been briefed by the Secretary of Transportation this morning on the FAA system outage,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tweeted before 7:40 a.m. ET. “There is no evidence of a cyberattack at this point, but the President directed DOT [Department of Transportation] to conduct a full investigation into the causes. The FAA will provide regular updates.”
An FAA system failure prompted massive flight delays Wednesday morning. All domestic departures were grounded until 9 a.m. ET, though the Federal Aviation Administration said some departures were resuming at Newark Liberty and Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson airports “due to air traffic congestion in those areas.”
The FAA said it is still working to fully restore the Notice to Air Missions system following an outage. The FAA ordered airlines to pause all domestic departures until 9 a.m. ET “to allow the agency to validate the integrity of flight and safety information,”. McGhee Tyson Airport delaying departures until 9:30 a.m.
At 8 a.m. Eastern, there were more than 2,500 delayed flights within, into or out of the United States, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware, exceeding the number of all delayed flights on the previous day. More than 150 have been canceled. Those numbers are likely to grow.
More than 21,000 flights were scheduled to take off in the U.S. today, mostly domestic trips, and about 1,840 international flights expected to fly to the U.S., according to aviation data firm Cirium.
A message board shows departures at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va., on Wednesday, Jan. 11. 2023. (AP Photo/Nathan Ellgren)
Biden addressed the FAA issue Wednesday before leaving the White House. He said he had just been briefed by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who told him they still had not identified what went wrong.
“I just spoke to Buttigieg. They don’t know what the cause is. But I was on the phone with him about 10 minutes,” Biden said. “I told him to report directly to me when they find out. Air traffic can still land safely, just not take off right now. We don’t know what the cause of it is.”
A Southwest plane lands at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va., Friday, Dec. 30, 2022. A computer outage at the Federal Aviation Administration brought flights to a standstill across the U.S. on Wednesday, with hundreds of delays quickly cascading through the system at airports nationwide. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
Buttigieg said in a tweet that he is in touch with the FAA and monitoring the situation.
Most delays were concentrated along the East Coast, but were beginning to spread west. Inbound international flights into Miami International Airport continued to land, but all departures have been delayed since 6:30 a.m., said airport spokesman Greg Chin.
Updated story courtesy of Fox News
Original story: The Federal Aviation Administration says some functions are beginning to come back on-line, National Airspace System operations remain limited.
The FAA has now ordered airlines to pause all domestic departures until 9 a.m. Eastern Time to allow the agency to validate the integrity of flight and safety information.
They are still working to fully restore the Notice to Air Missions system which alerts pilots and other personnel about airborne issues and other delays at airports across the country following an earlier outage.
While the FAA has not enforced a grounding of aircraft due to the outage, most airlines have chosen to ground their own craft due to the system’s failure. The failure has so far resulted in some 400 canceled flights across the U.S., according to FlightAware.
President Biden has been briefed by the Secretary of Transportation this morning on the FAA system outage. There is no evidence of a cyberattack at this point, but the President directed DOT to conduct a full investigation into the causes.
United Airlines announcing its decision to ground all of its aircraft until 10 a.m. ET due to the outage.
The incident comes roughly a week after an air traffic issue prompted the FAA to slow all flight traffic in Florida earlier this month.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Notching its 25th consecutive home victory, the fifth-ranked Tennessee Volunteers defeated in-state foe Vanderbilt, 77-68, Tuesday night at Thompson-Boling Arena.
The Vols (14-2, 4-0 SEC) now have the third-longest home win streak in the country.
Tennessee has now won 11 consecutive games against Vanderbilt (8-8, 1-2 SEC), matching UT’s longest win-streak in series history (1943-49).
UT dominated in the second half to secure the win. The offensive charge was led by Santiago Vescovi, who finished tied for the team-high in scoring with 15 points. The senior recorded 12 of those points in the second half, making 5-of-6 from the field and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc in the final 20 minutes. Vescovi has been in a groove of late, averaging 16.2 points and shooting 29-of-48 from the floor in the last five games.
The offense was largely facilitated by SEC Sixth Man of the Year candidate Zakai Zeigler, who has distributed the rock with precision in the last three games. He dished out nine assists Tuesday and is averaging 9.0 per game since the victory over Mississippi State on Jan. 3.
Vols freshman Julian Phillips also played a major roll in the scoring Tuesday night, dropping 15 points and pulling down six boards. Uros Plavsic was a force in the post, also carding a double-figure scoring total with 11. The 7-foot-1 big man also had himself a night on the defensive end, poking away a career-high three steals on the night, which led the Vol defense.
Vanderbilt (8-8, 1-2 SEC) hung around for much of the game and was propelled by Liam Robbins, who finished with 18 points and seven rebounds, both team-highs. Robbins went to the free-throw line a total of 12 times in the game, knocking down 10 of those shots.
Defense ruled early as Tennessee amassed three blocks before the first media timeout and did not allow a Commodore basket for the first 5:12 of play. But the battle was only beginning, as the two sides traded blows and clawed for momentum throughout the half. Tennessee built a lead as large as nine, but a scrappy Vandy team continued to chip away and earned its first lead of the game at the horn as Jordan Wright raced down the floor and rolled in a layup. The Dores held a 39-37 lead going into halftime, just the second time this year the Vols trailed at the break.
The Vols responded out of the half with urgency. Tennessee broke off a quick nine-point run, capped by a Tyreke Key 3-pointer, and never looked back. Each time during the second half that Vandy attempted to get back in the game, it was abruptly met by a UT answer, be it a trey from Vescovi at the 10:26 mark to counter a Commodore 3-pointer or an Olivier Nkhamhoua fadeaway jumper at the eight-minute mark to continue building a lead that grew for the remainder of the game, topping out at a 17-point margin with 3:16 left on the clock.
UP NEXT: Tennessee looks to keep up its strong start to Southeastern Conference play as the Vols welcome Kentucky to Thompson-Boling Arena on Saturday at noon ET on ESPN. VFL Chris Lofton’s jersey will be retired at halftime.
HOME WIN STREAK GROWS: Tennessee extended its home win streak to 25 games with Tuesday’s victory—a streak that dates to March 7, 2021. The Vols’ current home win streak is the sixth-longest in program history. Tennessee has also won 12 straight home games against conference opponents.
IN-STATE DOMINANCE: With Tuesday’s win, Tennessee notched its 11th straight win in the series against in-state rival Vanderbilt—tied for the longest winning streak by either team in the rivalry’s 101-year history.
Tennessee and Vanderbilt meet for a second time during the regular season in Nashville on Feb. 8.
NR/RV Tennessee (12-6, 4-0 SEC) and Texas A&M (5-9, 0-4 SEC) will meet in a late Thursday evening contest at Reed Arena in College Station, tipping off at 8:02 p.m. Central Time (9:02 p.m. Eastern).
The Lady Vols and the Aggies will meet for the 17th time in a series that dates back to 1997, with UT holding a 9-7 advantage after winning in Knoxville last season by a 73-45 count.
Through four games, UT remains tied atop the SEC standings along with South Carolina, LSU and Ole Miss, while A&M currently is slotted in 11th place along with three other teams. Kellie Harper‘s squad enters on a five-game winning streak and has been victorious in 10 of its past 12 contests, with its only two losses coming vs. (then) No. 9/9 Virginia Tech (59-56) on Dec. 4 and at No. 2/2 Stanford on Dec. 18 (77-70).
On Sunday in Nashville, Tennessee stayed unbeaten in league play by taking care of Vanderbilt (9-9, 0-4), 84-71, with Rickea Jackson firing in 23 points in 27 minutes of duty, while Jordan Horston chipped in 13 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, and Karoline Striplin contributed a career-best 13 points in the victory. With her eighth dime of the game, Horston became only the fourth Lady Vol to record at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 400 assists in a career.
Tennessee evened its record on the road at 2-2 this season, including 2-0 in league play, after dropping its first two away games of the year at top-three ranked teams Ohio State and Stanford.
Following a 4-1 start this season, Texas A&M has dropped eight of its last nine contests as injuries have taken their toll on the roster. On Sunday in College Station, the Aggies suffered through a 1-for-13 day beyond the arc and turned the ball over 24 times en route to a 57-38 defeat at the hands of Ole Miss (15-2, 4-0) with only seven A&M players seeing action.
Broadcast Information
Thursday night’s game will be televised on SEC Network, with Courtney Lyle (PxP) and Carolyn Peck (Analyst) on the call.
All of the games included in the ESPN package (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU) will be available through WatchESPN, accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app, and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 or Xbox One to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.
The contest also can be heard on Lady Vol Network stations and by audio stream, with Brian Rice on the call and Andy Brock serving as studio host.
A link to the live audio stream can be found on the Hoops Central page or the schedule on UTSports.com.
For a list of Lady Vol Network affiliates, please click on the Fans tab at the top of UTSports.com, select Vol Network and then click on the Vol Network Affiliates tab.
Air time for games on the Lady Vol Radio Network generally occurs 30 minutes prior to tip-off.
The Lady Vol Network broadcast also can be heard frequently on satellite radio via SiriusXM and the SXM App. but will not be available this game.
What’s Next?
After back-to-back games on the road, Tennessee returns to the friendly confines of Thompson-Boling Arena to host two contests where it is 9-2 this season.
Tennessee and Georgia will meet on Sunday and have been notified that their game will air on the SEC Network. Tip-off for that contest is slated for 1:02 p.m. ET.
That game will feature Kids’ Day Out with the Lady Vols presented by KOC. For more info., go to AllVols.com.
Florida comes to town for the annual “We Back Pat” game on Jan. 19. Tip-off is set for 6:32 p.m. ET.
Tennessee Putting The Ball In The Hole
Tennessee is averaging 79.5 points per game this season to rank No. 23 nationally and No. 3 in the SEC after putting up 70.1 a year ago (72nd/8th).
That average currently stands as the best at UT since the 2002-03 squad finished the year at 79.9 ppg.
The Lady Vols are producing 84.0 ppg. over the past nine contests.
In four SEC games, Tennessee is putting up a league-leading 82.5 points per contest.
They have scored at least 80 points in their last three games.
Of note, Texas A&M allows only 58.4 ppg. and has not allowed any opponent to score more than 76 this season. South Carolina tallied 76 on Dec. 29.
High Scoring Tandem
The Lady Vols have two standouts scoring in double figures and seven other active players averaging at least 4.4 ppg. and double-digit minutes per contest.
In a role that she has embraced and in which she is excelling, Rickea Jackson is coming off the bench and leading Tennessee in scoring (17.8 ppg.) and standing second in rebounding (5.8 rpg.).
Jackson is No. 4 in the SEC in scoring in all games (17.8) and No. 2 in league play (22.8).
She has recorded a team-leading six 20+ scoring efforts. She also has tallied double figures in points in 14 of her 16 games.
In a starting role, Jordan Horston is UT’s second-leading scorer (15.8) and leading rebounder (6.8).
Horston ranks seventh in scoring in the SEC for all games (15.8) and is 12th in league games only (16.0).
Horston has four games of 20+ points and four double-doubles, while firing in 10 or more points in 15 of 16 of the games she has completed this season.
UT Knocking Down Shots
UT is shooting 48.0 percent from the field in league games to rank first through four contests.
The Lady Vols are fourth in all games among SEC teams at 45.9 percent, a mark that ranks 30th nationally for field goal percentage.
Rickea Jackson (57.8) and Jordan Horston (47.4) are Tennessee’s top shooters in league play, with Jackson and Horston ranking fifth and 10th in the SEC.
In all games, Jackson (55.1) and Horston (46.2) are fourth and ninth among conference players.
Karoline Striplin (61.1) and Jasmine Franklin (60.0) shoot with high success rates but don’t have enough attempts to qualify for being ranked.
A 59.4 percent shooting effort vs. Wright State was Tennessee’s best since hitting at a 61.7 clip vs. Liberty on 3/16/18 in the NCAA First Round.
UT recorded a school-record 84.6 shooting percentage for a quarter in the third frame vs. Wright State.
Scoring Depth & Range
Tess Darby and Sara Puckett have upped their offense over the last nine games, averaging 8.7 ppg. and 7.3 ppg., respectively, to rank third and fourth for UT.
Darby has scored in double figures in three of her past five games and just missed against Vandy with nine.
That spurt has pushed Darby’s scoring average in SEC play to 10.8 ppg., ranking her third on the team.
Puckett (10-21, 47.6 pct.) and Tess Darby (21-46, 45.7 pct.) have been sharpshooters from beyond the three-point arc over the past nine contests.
Darby leads UT from beyond the arc at 43.0 percent (34-70) in all games and at 42.9 (12-28) in the SEC.
Cleaning The Glass
Through three contests in 2022-23, UT was barely out-rebounding opponents (39.3-38.0). They’ve now opened that margin up to +11.5 (43.7-32.2), out-boarding foes in 14 of 18 games, including 12 of the past 13.
Tennessee is averaging 45.1 rebounds per game over the past nine contests.
UT now ranks No. 17 nationally and No. 3 in the SEC in rebounds per game (43.7).
In rebound margin, UT is No. 7 nationally and No. 3 in the SEC at +11.5.
The Big Orange women are No. 20 in the NCAA and No. 4 in the SEC for offensive boards per game (15.6).
Tennessee has tallied 20 or more offensive rebounds in the past two games, tying a season high with 25 vs. Mississippi State and grabbing 20 more vs. Vandy for their first back-to back 20 o-board efforts of the year.
UT’s 50 rebounds vs. Mississippi State on Jan. 5 marked the fourth time it corralled 50+ this season.
Tennessee allowed only 15 rebounds to Wright State on Dec. 11, which is second in UT history only to the 13 grabbed by Puerto Rico-Mayaguez on 11/29/02 and tied with the 15 by Ole Miss on 2/24/11.
Looking Back At The Vandy Game
Tennessee remained perfect in SEC play, defeating Vanderbilt in Memorial Gymnasium on Sunday afternoon, 84-71.
Three players were in double figures for the Lady Vols (12-6, 4-0 SEC). Senior small forward Rickea Jackson was the top scorer for UT with 23 points, while sophomore power forward Karoline Striplin posted a career-high 13 and senior guard Jordan Horston turned in 13 points to go along with eight assists and eight rebounds.
The Big Orange built its win streak to five games and claimed victory for the 10th time in the past 12 contests. Tennessee, which beat VU for the 15th time in the past 16 meetings in the series, remains tied atop the SEC standings along with South Carolina, LSU, Arkansas and Ole Miss.
The Commodores (9-9, 0-4 SEC), who fell to their in-state rivals at Memorial Gymnasium for the eighth-straight occasion, were led by Ciaja Harbison who had a game-high 27 points. Marnelle Garraud and Sacha Washington were also in double figures with 19 and 13, respectively.
Elite Company For Horston
With eight assists against Vandy, Jordan Horston added her name to the short list of Lady Vols who have recorded at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, and 400 assists.
Horston is just the fourth player in program history to do so, joining Kara Lawson (1,950/621/456 from 1999-2003), Dena Head (1,483/640/439 from 1988-92) and Alexis Hornbuckle (1,333/503/740 from 2004-2008).
Horston’s dish to Rickea Jackson for a fastbreak bucket with 57 seconds remaining in the game was the 400th dime.
She currently sits at 1,142 points, 585 rebounds and 400 assists through 96 career games.
UT/A&M Notes
UT is 4-2 in Knoxville, 1-4 in College Station and 4-1 at neutral sites vs. the Aggies.
The Big Orange women are 7-7 vs. A&M since the Aggies joined the SEC.
A&M is 2-0 in overtime games vs. UT, with both of those taking place in College Station.
In the initial meeting in Knoxville between these teams on Feb. 28, 2013, Tennessee defeated A&M, 82-72, on Senior Day to give UT an SEC regular-season championship on the Lady Vols’ home court.
UT’s first two contests vs. Texas A&M came in tournaments, including one regular-season event in 1997-98 and one postseason event during the 2007-08 campaign.
In the first meeting, the #1/1 Lady Vols rolled to a 105-81 victory over the Aggies at the Northern Lights Invitational in Alaska in game two of a three-game stay.
The famed “Three Meeks” dazzled #8/9 A&M on Dec. 19, 1997, as Chamique Holdsclaw tallied 29, Semeka Randall tossed in 23 and Tamika Catchings added a double-double of 21 points and 12 rebounds for #1/1 UT in the high-scoring affair.
Kellie (Jolly) Harper was UT’s point guard in that game, and she was the Lady Vols’ fourth player in double figures with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including a pair of three-pointers.
In 2008, Candace Parker scored 26 points and Alexis Hornbuckle chipped in 14, as the Lady Vols defeated Texas A&M, 53-45, in the Oklahoma City Regional Final to advance to the Final Four in Tampa.
After both of those tourney wins over the Aggies, the Lady Vols would advance to, and win, the NCAA Final Four in 1998 and 2008.
A Look At The Aggies
Joni Taylor is in her first season after leading the Georgia program the previous seven seasons. She replaced retired coaching legend Gary Blair.
Texas A&M has been plagued by injuries and played only seven Aggies in Sunday’s loss to Ole Miss.
Freshman and leading scorer Janiah Barker (12.1 ppg.) is sidelined by a fractured right wrist and hasn’t played since Nov. 30 vs. Kansas.
With only eight seeing action in SEC play, the Aggies are averaging only 38.5 points per game on offense and shooting 29.0 percent from the field, 15.2 percent on threes and 61.5 percent on free throws.
TAMU is getting out-rebounded, 45.0 to 31.0 (-14.0).
Texas A&M’s Last Game
Texas A&M dropped Sunday’s game against Ole Miss, 57-38, inside Reed Arena.
Playing with just seven players available for the fourth time this season, the Aggies once again got the job done on the defensive end but were unable to convert on offensive opportunities.
The Maroon & White held Ole Miss 16 points below its season scoring average. For the 2022-23 campaign, Texas A&M has held every opponent under their average scoring output. The Aggies limited the Rebels to 35.1% (20-of-57) shooting from the field, their second-lowest percentage of the season.
Aaliyah Patty registered her second double-double of the season and the 13th of her career, pacing the Aggies with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Jada Malone chipped in 10 points.
Last Meeting Between UT/TAMU
No. 7/8 Tennessee rolled to a decisive victory over No. 25/23 Texas A&M on Jan. 6, 2022, posting a 73-45 win in Thompson-Boling Arena.
The Lady Vols (14-1, 3-0 SEC) were led by junior Jordan Horston, who posted a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Junior Tamari Key narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and a career-high 11 blocked shots.
Destiny Pitts led the Aggies (10-4, 0-2 SEC) with 12 points, while Kayla Wells and Qadashah Hoppie were also in double figures with 11 and 10, respectively.
INDIANAPOLIS – Tennessee VFL and Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning will be formally presented with the 2023 NCAA Silver Anniversary Award at the NCAA Honors Celebration on Wednesday night.
The celebration airs live from San Antonio, Texas, beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET Wednesday on the NCAA’s YouTube channel.
The Silver Anniversary Award recognizes six individuals on the 25th anniversary of the conclusion of their collegiate athletics careers. The individuals honored are nominated by administrators and are selected by a panel of former student-athletes and representatives from NCAA member institutions and conferences.
Manning, a 1997 graduate of the University of Tennessee with a degree in speech communication, finished his career on Rocky Top with a resume as impressive as any in the collegiate ranks. Many of his records still stand today in the Volunteer history books, including being the only student-athlete in program history with over 10,000 yards passing, holding 11,201. He threw 89 touchdown passes, including 36 in his final season of action with the Vols. At the time of his graduation from UT, Manning held 42 NCAA, SEC or school records.
His illustrious career at Tennessee landed him a myriad of honors, both while in college and as a postgraduate. Manning was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2017 and the CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame in 2018. The New Orleans, Louisiana, native was a two-time All-American and a First Team All-America recipient in 1997. That year he also won SEC Athlete of the Year and SEC Player of the Year while winning multiple college football awards like the Maxwell Award, honoring the nation’s most outstanding player, the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.
Manning becomes the fifth Tennessee Volunteer to earn the NCAA Silver Anniversry Award in the history of the program, joining Andy Kozar in 1977, Bob Johnson in 1993, John Trembley in 2000 and Heath Shuler in 2019.
Joining Manning as 2023 Silver Anniversary Award recipients are Phil Dawson, a former kicker at Texas, Allison Feaster, a former women’s basketball player at Harvard, Dr. Marsha Harris, a former women’s basketball player at NYU, Lenny Krayzelburg, a former men’s swimmer at Southern Cal, and Kate Markgraf, a former soccer player at Notre Dame.
KNOXVILLE – A record-setting season that culminated with a Capital One Orange Bowl victory has catapulted the Tennessee Volunteers to their highest poll finish in 21 years. The Vols were tabbed No. 6 in the final Associated Press Top 25 and AFCA Coaches poll released on Tuesday.
That represents the highest poll finish for Tennessee (11-2) since it concluded 2001 at No. 4 in both polls. The Vols were one of six SEC teams in the final polls, joining top-ranked Georgia, No. 5/5 Alabama, No. 16/15 LSU, No. 20/19 Mississippi State and No. 23/23 South Carolina.
Tennessee defeated four foes in the final AP Top 25, which was the second-highest total among teams in the final poll behind only Georgia’s seven. The Vols beat No. 5 Alabama, trounced No. 13 Clemson by 17 points in Miami, recorded their largest margin of victory (27 points) over No. 16 LSU since 1940 and toppled No. 22 Pitt on the road in overtime.
It’s the 24th time that UT has finished in the top 10 of the AP poll and the 19th such time in the Coaches rankings. The Vols, under the direction of National Coach of the Year finalist Josh Heupel, concluded the year ranked in the top 10 for 12 consecutive weeks, representing the program’s longest streak in the same season since all 17 weeks of the 1999 campaign. It’s also the 45th time that Tennessee has finished in the AP Top 25, which ranks ninth nationally and second in SEC history.
The climb to the top 10 was further remarkably illustrated by the fact that the Vols entered the season unranked in both polls. While receiving votes in August, it took UT four weeks to enter the top 10, including the No. 1 spot in the initial College Football Playoff rankings on Nov. 1. It’s the ninth time in AP poll history that the Vols began a season unranked and finished ranked. It was the best finish from a preseason unranked UT team since the 1989 team went from unranked to No. 5 after winning the SEC championship and Cotton Bowl.
In six years as a head coach, Heupel has now led his teams to a final ranking three times. His 2018 UCF team finished No. 11/12, while his 2019 squad was No. 24 in both final polls.
University of Tennessee senior Jordan Horston was named the Tennessee Sports Writers Association Women’s Basketball Player of the Week on Tuesday. She follows teammate Rickea Jackson, who earned the honor last week.
Horston averaged a scoring/rebounding double-double on the week and added a half dozen assists per contest in keeping Tennessee unbeaten in SEC play (12-6, 4-0), and she became only the fourth player in Lady Vol history to produce at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 400 assists in a career.
The 6-foot-2 guard from Columbus, Ohio, produced 20.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.5 blocks as the Lady Vols beat Mississippi State and Vanderbilt to run their win streak to five games. They now have recorded victories in eight of their last nine games and in 10 of the past 12, with the only losses coming at No. 2 Stanford and vs. No. 9 Virginia Tech.
On Sunday, Horston had 13 points, eight rebounds and eight assists at Vandy, with her eight dimes bringing her to 400 for her career (along with 1,169 points and 599 rebounds). She joined Kara Lawson, Alexis Hornbuckle and Dena Head as the only UT players in the 1000/500/400 club, as the Big Orange collected an 84-71 triumph at Memorial Gymnasium for their eighth straight victory in the venue.
Last Thursday, the Tennessee backcourt star posted season highs of 27 points and 14 rebounds to go along with five assists, two blocks and a steal in an 80-69 home win over a much-improved Mississippi State squad.
With the Bulldogs attempting to fight their way back into the contest in the fourth quarter, Horston simply took over. She nearly produced a double-double in the final frame alone, hitting five of eight field goal attempts and all three tries at the charity stripe to tally 13 points and nine boards, including six on the offensive end, as UT outscored MSU 19-15 in the period to secure the “W.”
ESPN’s College GameDay Covered by State Farm travels to Knoxville on Thurs., Jan. 26, for its first of three women’s college basketball shows this season. The one-hour program will air at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, preceding the storied rivalry of No. 5 UConn and Tennessee that tips at 8 ET. The game is part of ESPN’s annual We Back Pat initiative honoring late women’s basketball coaching legend and Tennessee head coach Pat Summitt.
Elle Duncan will host the show from inside Thompson-Boling Arena, alongside women’s college basketball commentators Andraya Carter, Rebecca Lobo, Carolyn Peck and Holly Rowe. Lobo and Rowe will join play-by-play voice Ryan Ruocco on the call for the game. Carter played for the Lady Vols from 2012-16, Lobo starred at UConn from 1991-95 and Peck was an assistant coach under Summitt from 1993-95.
We Back Pat brings awareness to the Pat Summitt Foundation, which is dedicated to finding a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Summitt and her son Tyler launched the foundation in 2011 after her diagnosis of early onset dementia, Alzheimer’s type, at the age of 59. UConn head coach Geno Auriemma was the first to donate to the organization when he contributed $10,000 in 2012.
“We are thrilled to continue integrating women’s college basketball into the College GameDay brand with additional shows this season,” said Patricia Lowry, ESPN vice president of production. “UConn-Tennessee is one of the preeminent rivalries in women’s college basketball and Pat Summitt remains the sport’s north star, while Geno Auriemma continues his historic run with the Huskies. Having the first show of 2023 at Tennessee for this matchup while supporting We Back Pat, with one of Summitt’s former players, Kellie (Jolly) Harper, now leading the Lady Vol program, it couldn’t be more fitting.”
“We are excited to welcome ESPN’s College GameDay back to the University of Tennessee and make our third all-time women’s appearance as we host UConn,” Harper said. “It just feels right to have College GameDay here to showcase one of the most historic rivalries in sports, and I know the atmosphere inside Thompson-Boling Arena and the energy of our fans will be incredible.”
“State Farm has a long history of elevating women in sports, and we will continue to provide our support,” said Kristyn Cook, State Farm Chief Agency, Sales & Marketing Officer. “It’s an honor to sponsor College GameDay while recognizing Coach Summitt and providing a venue for these two iconic college basketball programs to compete.”
This will mark the third consecutive time Tennessee has been involved in the four occasions where ESPN’s College GameDay Covered by State Farm has been on site for a women’s basketball game and the second time the show has visited The Summitt for a Lady Vol contest. Both of those occurrences are the most of any school.
On Feb. 20, 2022, College GameDay visited Columbia, S.C., as South Carolina hosted the Big Orange. The previous visit to a campus for women’s hoops came on Jan. 15, 2011, when Rocky Top was the site for GameDay as Tennessee hosted Vanderbilt on a day in which the Vols and Lady Vols played at noon and 8 p.m., respectively. It marked the first men’s and women’s doubleheader show for the network. The year before, ESPN was on hand for the Notre Dame at UConn game in Storrs, Conn., for the inaugural women’s GameDay on Jan. 16, 2010.
Details regarding the remaining women’s college basketball shows will be released by ESPN in the coming months.
