Tennessee senior guard/forward Rae Burrell is among 15 players named to the 2021 USA TODAY Preseason All-America Team. The 6-1 product of Las Vegas was named to the third team.
The recognition is the latest in a string of preseason accolades for the Lady Vol standout. Previously, Burrell was named to the Cheryl Miller Award Preseason Watch List and the Coaches All-SEC Preseason First Team.
Rae Burrell – Lady Vols / Credit: UT Athletics
The three-year letterwinner is a big reason why the Lady Vols are ranked No. 18 in USA TODAY’s Preseason Poll released today (not to be confused with the USA TODAY Coaches Poll that comes out on Nov. 3). UT was previously announced at No. 15 in the AP Preseason Poll and was picked second by the media and third by the coaches in the SEC Preseason Polls.
An All-SEC Second Team performer in 2020-21, Burrell averaged 16.8 ppg. and 4.6 rpg. and hit double figures in 22 of 25 contests. She shot 45.8 percent on field goals, 40.2 on three-pointers and 82.5 percent from the free-throw line, all easily career bests. The 6-foot-1 Las Vegas native fired in 15 or more points 17 times and hit 20+ on seven occasions, leading UT in the first two categories and ranking second in the third a year ago.
Burrell is the fifth-best returning scorer in the SEC and is No. 1 in free throw percentage, No. 2 in three-point field goal percentage and No. 7 in field goal percentage. Her 861 career points leave her 139 away from becoming the 47th Lady Vol to score 1,000 points during her time on Rocky Top.
Tennessee junior center Tamari Key is among 20 players named as preseason watch list candidates for the 2022 Lisa Leslie Award, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced on Friday.
Key becomes the fourth Lady Vol in 2021 to garner watch list status from those organizations. Jordan Horston (Ann Meyers-Drysdale Award), Rae Burrell (Cheryl Miller Award) and Alexus Dye (Katrina McClain Award) also were among the nation’s top-20 projected players at their respective positions of shooting guard, small forward and power forward.
Named after three-time All-American,1994 National Player of the Year and Class of 2015 Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie, the annual award in its fifth year recognizes the top centers in women’s NCAA Division I college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.
Tamari Key – Lady Vols / Credit: UT Athletics
“Lisa Leslie is one of the most decorated basketball players of all time, men or women, at the collegiate, international and professional levels, said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “The student-athletes that have been named to the watch list for this award are unquestionably among the best our game has to offer, and we’re excited to watch them take the court and do what they do best this season. We thank Lisa for her involvement in this selection process, as well as our esteemed committee members and Dell Technologies who makes our fan voting component possible.”
A 6-foot-6 native of Cary, N.C., Key finished her sophomore year with averages of 8.9 ppg., 5.6 rpg. and 2.9 bpg., shooting 62.8 percent from the field and earning a spot on the SEC All-Defensive Team. She led the team in field goal percentage at 62.8 and was tops for UT and second in the league in blocks averaged (2.9). She would have led the SEC in field goal percentage, but she didn’t have enough attempts to qualify.
Key, who was named to the 2021-22 SEC Coaches Preseason All-SEC Second Team, ranked No. 11 in the NCAA in blocks (72) and blocks per game (2.9) a year ago. Her 72 blocks ranked as the No. 8 all-time Lady Vol season total, while her career tally (158) ranks No. 8 as well. Her 59.2 career field goal percentage stacks up No. 4 all-time at Tennessee.
Setting career highs of 23 points and 10 blocks while adding a season-high 10 rebounds against Florida last season, Key became just the fourth Lady Vol to ever record a triple-double, joining the ranks of Jordan Reynolds (14 rebounds, 11 points, 10 assists vs. UNCW on Dec. 29, 2016), Shekinna Stricklen (17 points, 13 rebounds, 12 assists vs. Oklahoma on Jan. 3, 2010) and Shelia Collins (18 points, 10 rebounds, 10 steals vs. Florida State on Feb. 8, 1985).
Basketball fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies in each of the three rounds. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2022 Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award will be narrowed to 10 and then in late February to just five. In March the five finalists will be presented to Ms. Leslie and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee where a winner will be selected.
The winner of the 2022 Lisa Leslie Award will be presented on a to be determined date, along with the other four members of the Women’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard Award, the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard Award, the Cheryl Miller Small Forward Award and the Katrina McClain Power Forward Award, in addition to the Men’s Starting Five.
Previous winners of the Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award include Aliyah Boston, South Carolina (2020-21), Megan Gustafson, Iowa (2019) and A’ja Wilson, South Carolina (2018).
For more information on the 2022 Lisa Leslie Award and the latest updates, log onto www.hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #LeslieAward on Twitter and Instagram. Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies goes live today, October 29.
*Playerscanplaytheirwayontoandoffthelistatanypointinthe 2021-22 season
About Lisa Leslie: Widely regarded as the best player in the country during her senior year of high school, Leslie decided to play basketball close to home at University of Southern California. While at USC, she set Pac-10 records for scoring, rebounding and blocked shots, earning All-Pac-10 honors each of her four seasons. In 1991, she was named national freshman of the year and went on to earn All-American Honors the following three seasons. In her senior season, she won multiple national player of the year awards, including the Naismith College Player of the Year and the WBCA Player of the Year. In the summer of 1997, the Women’s National Basketball Association was launched and with it, Lisa Leslie became a household name. The Los Angeles Sparks landed the hometown star, who would go on to help them win two world championships. As an eight-time All-Star and three-time MVP, Leslie became the face of the WNBA. In 2002, she became the first player to dunk in a WNBA game. Leslie retired as the all-time leading rebounder in WNBA history and was an eight-time First Team All-WNBA performer. Internationally, Leslie won four gold medals in Olympic competition. Since retiring from professional play, Leslie has worked as a sports commentator and analyst for several networks, while exploring fashion modeling and acting as well.
Opening statement… “First off, I am so glad to see you guys. This feels real. It’s basketball season; it’s upon us now. We are really excited about this year, and we are really excited about opening up next week with our exhibition game. I always look at our exhibition games as being able to play with a uniform on with fans in the stands and the lights on. I think we need that. When you have the atmosphere that you have at the University of Tennessee for women’s basketball games, I think our players, especially our young ones, need to get that under their belt. We are really excited about that.
“On a personal note. When Georgia College comes in, the opposing coach and I might resemble each other because that is my brother (Ross Jolly). It’s a really special opportunity for us to get to compete against each other that may not ever happen again. It’s a pretty unique opportunity.
“Our team has practiced really hard. We have great chemistry and really play for each other. I think we are really progressing and moving in the right direction. I think we are probably a little further along defensively at this point than we were last year. We still have a lot of work to do on both ends of the court, but the prospects of this year are really exciting and the style of play that I think we can put on the court. I’m really looking forward to getting going.
“We do have a few players, who may or may not be on the court today, banged up. Nothing serious, with the exception of Marta Suárez, who does have a foot injury. She will not be playing this year. It’s unfortunate for her, unfortunate for our team because I think she brings great talent, size and competitiveness to the court. We will be there to support her throughout her rehab, and we look forward to getting her on the court in the future.”
Kellie Harper – Lady Vols HC / Credit: UT Athletics
On looking forward to returning to a normal season… “We have talked about that. I am excited about this feeling more normal, and in addition to that, when your players walk out there and they know the drills and can repeat your words verbatim and know what you want, it feels good. It feels really good to be established with this team and with the program. I am looking forward to some normalcy. I am looking forward to some fans in the stands and the excitement that we can generate and our fans can generate. I think sports was a much-needed thing during 2020. Hopefully, we can get back to some normalcy in 2021.”
On Alexus Dye being able to fill the gap left by Marta Suárez being out… “When I look at our team, one of our strengths is depth, which is really good in this situation. We have players that we feel like can step in and make plays. Obviously, Alexus Dye is very experienced. She brings a unique skill-set in that she is very athletic, plays with great aggressiveness on both ends of the court, runs the floor well and she’s competitive. That experience and competitiveness alone will help us immediately. We also have some other players that can step in and hopefully provide some depth in that spot. Some of the young ones: Sara Puckett, Keyen Green is back, Karoline Striplin. We have players that will be able to fill that role.”
On the tough non-conference schedule this season… “Regardless of where I have coached, my philosophy has always been to challenge our team in the non-conference schedule. We understand what the SEC is going to be. We understand it’s going to be a huge challenge. You’re talking about the best conference in the country. Our non-conference schedule needs to help push us to be the best team that we can be but also prepare us for our SEC schedule as well. You come to Tennessee to play the best. You come here to compete at an elite level. When we put our schedule together, that is what we are planning on doing.”
On being ahead on defense this year… “Honestly, I think we are ahead this year defensively because of our personalities really mesh. We are very aggressive right now, and we are a little more risk taking. Maybe a little more ball pressure. Our personalities are more in line with where I want to be defensively. I think because of that, we have been able to assess where they are at, give them a little bit more and really push them on the defensive end.”
On whether anyone has surprised her this offseason… “I am pretty positive, so I will never be surprised. That is because my expectations are so high. When I look at a player, I am always thinking about what they can do and about where they can go. It is really hard to surprise me because I’m already there. I have been proud of a lot of players, but those players that have excelled are right there where I think they should be.”
On the versatility of the team and how it helps the team going this season… “We are very versatile. We have a lot of players that can do a lot of different things. We have players that we can slide in multiple positions, whether that be ones and twos, threes and fours, fours and fives. We can really move people around and change the look of our team. We can go smaller and quick, or we can go really big. We can put in a pretty good motion team that can spread the floor and shoot it. We can put in a quick-hit team. We can put a lot of different looks on the court because of that versatility. I do think that could be a really good strength of ours this year.”
On the freshman class making an impact early and getting in the rotation… “Based on how our young players have performed this summer and this fall, Sara Puckett has really stood out with her ability to put the ball in the hole, pass, dribble and rebound. She’s very intelligent. She has a great skill-set with great size. Kaiya Wynn is very athletic and very aggressive. I think she will be one of our better perimeter defenders right off the bat, and she’s a very good rebounder. Her high motor is infectious, and we will take on a lot of that personality. Brooklynn Miles is not as tall as some of our other players, but she has a big motor and can really affect the ball handler with her defense. She handles the ball well. Karoline Striplin also has a big motor. She’s physical on the block. One of the most determined young women that I have ever coached. She is going to figure it out. I think they bring a lot of want to. They have been in the gym a lot this summer and fall. They are all about the team first. They have been great additions, both on and off the court.”
On Jordan Horston and Rae Burrell embracing the leadership role left behind by Rennia Davis… “When you have a player like Rennia Davis leave, you’re not going to bring in anyone that is going to be that. Not immediately. She was an experienced veteran, and she could put the ball in the hole. We saw that for years and years with big play after big play. Our team has to look a little different to be successful because we don’t have Rennia to throw it to and then sit back and watch. That’s where Jordan Horston has to be a little more aggressive offensively. Rae just needs to be Rae. Rae Burrell can put the ball in hole. She has a big motor and plays downhill. She is versatile in her ability to score. Right now, we just need Rae to be Rae, and Jordan’s game has matured a lot over the course of her career here. Experience is an unbelievable teacher, and she carries herself in a different way now with even more confidence. Because of both of their big-game experience, their teammates look to them as natural leadership positions.”
On Tamari Key’s growth heading into the season… “She is continuing to grow. The sky is the limit for her projection. For her, a lot of her growth this year and summer was the mental side. The understanding and wanting the basketball. Understanding how to work to get the basketball. Walking on the court with a presence and confidence. That’s where we will see big leaps from her this year. I am excited for her. We obviously had assistant coaching changes. I think Joy McCorvey has been great for Tamari. We were actually talking about this yesterday. Joy has come in with new and fresh ideas, and it’s really pushing Tamari. I think it’s really good for her game to expand that. Now, she can be a little more savvy veteran. I’m excited for her, and I’m excited to continue watching her grow.”
On not having to rely on freshmen in the starting lineup… “I think when you look at consistent teams, I think that you see veterans. And they don’t have to be the biggest super star veterans, but veterans make a difference. They’ve been there done that, they understand the system, they can make changes on the fly and they play with a little bit more poise at times. I am excited about all of our returners and I know we talk about Rae and Jordan and Tamari, but Jordan Walker, Keyen Green and Tess Darby, Jessie and Emily are players that have been here. They know drills, they know plays, they know philosophy and they know the opponents. There is just a confidence and a poise that a veteran team has. I think this year is a really good example of a nice mixture. The freshness and newness of young players with the confidence and poise of veterans. I am excited about that blend.”
On the additions to the coaching staff… “I think our staff has come in and hit the ground running. Both on the court with our current team and in the recruiting area. They are bringing experience at an elite level. Samantha Williams has obviously coached in the Final Four, she understands what it looks like to put together a championship team. And she understands what a championship team looks like in practice every single day and in particular the number of WNBA players she has coached has been really beneficial for our current team. They can really trust that her knowledge and experience is going to help them.
“Joy McCorvey comes in with a lot of fire. She is pushing our players. She is challenging them every day. I think she comes in with some fresh ideas that are really taking our players another step forward. The staff has meshed tremendously. We love working together and we have a lot of fun and really, really enjoy this team.”
On the benefit of the team’s experience… “I think you rely on your experience in a lot of ways. You can’t skip that step. One of the things I am excited about in November is getting some of these young players, these freshmen some big minutes. When we get to SEC play, I need them to be a little bit more like sophomores than freshmen. One thing that is going to help them are our upper classmen who have been there. They are going to be able to share those experiences with them but also walk on the court confident in a lot of situations.”
On Candace Parker winning the WNBA Championship… “We talked about it as a team, both Candace and Diamond DeShields being able to win a championship. They made it easy because the two Lady Vols were on the same team so you didn’t have to pick and choose. I was cheering. I know at one point I was fist pumping pretty heavily. The games were terrific, competitive and I think great for women’s basketball. But also great for Lady Vol nation. I think it’s inspiring to our players to see what they can be someday.”
On how Head Coach Kellie Harper‘s ‘Trust the Process’ mantra is going… “I feel like trusting the process is pretty easy when you have a coach that has kind of been there and done that, especially since she’s played under the best coach in college history (Tennessee legend Pat Summitt). It’s pretty easy to trust what she’s saying.”
On how some of the preseason honors speak to the team’s competitiveness… “I think it’s just a good testament that shows how hard everybody’s worked. People worked hard for it. We compete in practice. We push each other every single day. I think it’s a good honor but we’re still focused on the actual season and getting better every day.”
On if she feels pressure to step up into some of the roles Rennia Davis held last season… “There’s a little bit of pressure, but I feel like I just need to play my game. I’m not looking to force anything, just letting it come to me. I feel like I need to really focus on being a good leader for this team, too, whether that’s scoring of just vocally showing how to be a good leader. Theirs is pressure, but I trust in myself and my teammates to keep me level-headed to be a good leader.”
On how important it will be to lead the team’s younger players through a season that will be more like the 2019-20 season in terms of having fans in attendance… “I’m excited for them. Our fans are amazing, so for them to be able to experience Thompson-Boling Arena when it’s filled, I’m excited for them. I think it will be good, and I’ll just lead through my play.”
On something she’s been working on this offseason… “For me personally, I think just being a vocal leader. Before, I think it was just more by showing. I think I really want to talk to the younger ones and show them that I can lead the team. I also want to get my assists up and also continue to crash the boards and get rebounds.”
On whether her first three season at Tennessee went by quickly and what she would go back and tell her freshman self if she could… “It did go pretty quickly. It’s crazy to think I’m already a senior. If I could go back and tell my freshman self anything, just taking advantage of all the opportunities we get here, the help that we get with food and getting treatment. As a freshman, you think you’re untouchable so you don’t ice after practice. But now as I’m older, it’s crucial for me to get an ice bath after practice. Just taking opportunities to use everything that we have here.”
On how well the players are meshing with the coaching staff… “I would say we’re meshing really well. They came in and I feel like we got comfortable pretty easily. They really help us when we’re playing by telling us little comments or trying to help with anything individually that we need help on. They’re also just really fun people to be around. I think we meshed really well when they came in.”
On whether there is a newcomer or returning player that has stood out as having taken a jump this offseason… “For me, I’ve really seen Jordy (Jordan Horston) mature over this offseason and become a lot more confident and comfortable in her game. It’s been really fun to see her mature and grow into those upperclassman shoes, with her being a veteran. I think it’s really helped us as a team… I want to add Keyen (Green) to that list as well, especially coming off an ACL tear, having to sit out and watch everything. She’s really come in and made an impact just as much, if not more than she did last year.”
On her excitement about playing in front of fans again this season, especially for some of the bigger home games such as Stanford… “I’m excited. That’s what you come to Tennessee for is those types of games. It’s also great competition for us, just to see where we are as a team. I think no matter what the outcome is, we’ll get better as a team in every single one of those games.”
On how Head Coach Kellie Harper‘s ‘Trust the Process’ mantra is going… “Coming from the point guard perspective, being coached by a point guard who won a national championship three times is an amazing thing in itself. To be able to learn from her and just trust that she knows what she’s talking about because she’s done this makes it easy to trust the process.”
On how some of the preseason honors speak to the team’s competitiveness… “I’ll second that in saying that 1-14, we’re going to compete every single day in practice. It’s just been an exciting group to be around. From day one, we’ve gelled and had great chemistry. To see all of these awards is a testament to how hard we’ve been working in practice and how hard they’ve been working on their own. It’s great and we’re excited to get this season started.”
On how they’ve approached building team chemistry as veterans this year… “Honestly, this season has been one for me that’s a little bit different. It’s gotten me out of my comfort zone. Usually my leading style is to lead by example. It kind of goes with my personality. But this year, coaches have pushed me. I’ve pushed myself to be more vocal. It’s not like ‘Rah, rah, rah” like Coach Kellie always says, but it’s guiding them and if there’s something I can help them go through because I’ve been in their position, just to help them out and try to lead them through different things. I know that when I talk, they listen and when they talk I listen. I feel like we’ve built that trust with each other to be able to say certain things to each other. We know it’s coming out of love and coming out of wanting each other to be better and be the best player that we can be.”
On something she’s been working on this offseason… “For me individually, one thing I’ve been trying to work on is my shooting, just being able to catch and shoot, as well as the confidence when I catch the ball knowing what I want to do with it and knowing whether I’m going to make a pass, shot or make a play for somebody else. My decision-making and shooting have been some of the things I’ve been working on.”
On how nice it was for her to get to go home and graduate with her sister… “That was an awesome experience. With COVID, they did the virtual ceremonies and everything. First, they did the virtual ceremony and my mom was sitting there, so excited and ready for my name to pop up. Then it popped up but it was the wrong picture. She was super bummed about that. They made some arrangements and it was pretty special for my mom and my family to be able to see me walk across. It worked out perfectly with our fall break, so that was amazing.”
On how well the players are meshing with the coaching staff… “In the spring when they came in, obviously they were still newer, but the group of girls that we’re with, we meshed with them off the bat. It was pretty cool how close we got in such a short time. They’re great. Coach Sam (Samantha Williams) is so funny, on and off the court. Coach Joy (McCorvey), I love her. It’s just really been nice to have them around and whatever they say, we take to it. They’re just really special people and I’m glad that they’re here with us.”
On whether there is a newcomer or returning player that has stood out as having taken a jump this offseason… “Jordy (Jordan Horston) has matured and just watching her these past couple of practices, I was on the side with someone and I said, ‘Wow, Jordy is really doing it right now.’ She’s been looking really good. As far as a transfer or freshman, I would say Snoop (Alexus Dye) has really come in and she’s made the transition, too, as well as Sara (Puckett). She’s a playmaker. If you give her the ball, you know she’s going to make a play with it. I would say her as well. I may go through the whole list but Kaiya (Wynn), since she’s gotten here, I’ve seen her game transition, as well as BK (Brooklynn Miles). She’s pretty vocal just as a freshman. Seeing her and projecting it four years from now is like, ‘Wow’. That’s going to be really great for her. Really all of our newcomers have come in and made strides. It’s actually been really cool to watch them do that.”
On her excitement about playing in front of fans again this season, especially for some of the bigger home games such as Stanford… “I’m excited. I’m excited just to go against the competition and compete. I know that our team is going to go out and compete every single night. Just to be able to play against teams like that is amazing. I will say, though, last season when we weren’t full capacity, coming from where I came from, 100 people a night would be a great night, a big night. I’m coming out and it’s not full capacity but it’s over 100 and I was like, ‘Ok, this is a lot of people.’ I’m really just excited to see it at full capacity and see how that feels as well.”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The 18th-ranked Tennessee basketball team hits the hardwood for the first time in 2021-22 on Saturday, taking on Lenoir-Rhyne in an exhibition game at Thompson-Boling Arena. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. ET on SEC Network+.
Saturday’s game can streamed online through SEC Network+/WatchESPN. Visit espn.com/watch or download the WatchESPN app to view the game on a computer or mobile device. Roger Hoover (play-by-play), Steve Hamer (analyst) and Kasey Funderburg (reporter) will have the call.
Fans can also listen live on their local Vol Network affiliate to catch Bob Kesling and Bert Bertelkamp describing the action.
Vols F-G Josiah-Jordan James / Credit: UT Athletics
Tennessee is coming off of a season in which it finished 18-9, recorded a fourth-place SEC finish and earned a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The new-look Vols are set to add the nation’s second-ranked recruiting class as well as return a group of experienced veterans to this year’s squad, led by super senior forward John Fulkerson and guards Victor Bailey Jr., Josiah-Jordan James and Santiago Vescovi.
The 112th season of Tennessee Basketball officially begins on Tuesday, Nov. 9, when the Vols host UT Martin (7 p.m. ET on SEC Network).
THE SERIES • Lenoir-Rhyne University is located in Rick Barnes‘ hometown of Hickory, North Carolina. An NCAA Division II member, Lenoir-Rhyne competes alongside local schools Carson-Newman, Lincoln Memorial and Tusculum in the South Atlantic Conference. • Barnes attended Lenoir-Rhyne (then Lenoir-Rhyne College) as a basketball student-athlete, and he earned his degree in Health and Physical Education in 1977. • Barnes was named the college’s Distinguished Alumnus in 1997, was inducted into the Lenoir-Rhyne College Hall of Fame in 2002 and received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree in 2005. • Tennessee hosted the Bears for a regular-season game on Nov. 6, 2018, with the sixth-ranked Vols winning by a score of 86-41.
LAST SEASON • Tennessee finished last season with an 18-9 (10-7 SEC) record and made its third consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. • Senior forward John Fulkerson sustained a season-ending facial fracture and concussion in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals. In April, he announced that he would run it back one last time as a super senior. • The phenomenal freshman duo of Jaden Springer and Keon Johnson were UT’s top scorers last season, and both were selected in the first round of July’s NBA Draft. • Departed senior Yves Pons finished his four-year career ranked eighth in program history with 137 blocks. He then signed a free-agent contract with the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies after an impressive NBA Summer League performance. • Due to the pandemic, attendance at Thompson-Boling Arena was capped at 4,191. The venue’s full capacity is 21,678.
LAYUP LINES • Tennessee enters Saturday’s game with a 79-18 all-time record in exhibition contests, including a 62-10 mark on the U.S. mainland. • The 2021-22 campaign is Tennessee’s 35th season in Thompson-Boling Arena. UT owns a 409-138 record in 547 games at TBA (exhibition results do not count toward official win totals). • With sales of 13,525 to date, this marks the third straight full-capacity year that UT has exceeded 13,000 in season-ticket sales.
A WIN WOULD… • Give the Volunteers a 10-0 record in exhibition games under head coach Rick Barnes. • Extend Tennessee’s exhibition win streak to 21 games.
ABOUT LENOIR-RHYNE • Located three hours from Knoxville in Hickory, North Carolina, Lenoir-Rhyne University has an enrollment of just over 2,000 students. • Lenoir-Rhyne competes in Division II’s South Atlantic Conference, which includes East Tennessee schools Carson-Newman, Lincoln Memorial and Tusculum. • The Bears played 16 games during the 2020-21 COVID season, posting a 9-7 (8-6 SAC) record. • Lenoir-Rhyne is replacing its top five scorers from last season’s roster. Overall, the Bears return just 19.6 percent of last season’s scoring production. • Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes is a Lenoir-Rhyne alumnus. Barnes is a Hickory native who played for the Bears from 1974-77. During those same years, Ernie Grunfeld and Bernard King were starring at Tennessee. • Barnes earned a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education from Lenoir-Rhyne in 1977 and was named the college’s Distinguished Alumnus in 1997. He was inducted into the Lenoir-Rhyne College Hall of Fame on Oct. 5, 2002, and received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Lenoir-Rhyne on May 7, 2005. • Tennessee Director of Player Development Bryan Lentz began his coaching career at Lenoir-Rhyne, working for nine years alongside his father, legendary Lenoir-Rhyne head coach John Lentz. During that stretch, the Bears won five South Atlantic Conference regular-season titles, one SAC Tournament title and made to five NCAA Division II Tournament appearances. In his final two seasons at Lenoir-Rhyne, Bryan served as the Bears’ associate head coach. • John Lentz was the head coach at Lenoir-Rhyne for 29 years and was college roommates at L-R with Barnes.
VOLS A PRESEASON TOP-20 TEAM • Tennessee earned top-20 status in both of the only major 2021-22 preseason polls. The Vols were ranked 18th in the Associated Press poll and tied for 17th in the preseason Coaches Poll. • Since the start of the 2017-18 season, the Vols have been ranked for 54 weeks, including 26 weeks in the top 10 and four weeks at No. 1. • Tennessee’s position in other preseason polls: Matt Norlander/CBS (No. 16), Sports Illustrated (No. 20), Dick Vitale/ESPN (No. 22). • During his stellar career as a head coach, Rick Barnes‘ teams have spent 271 total weeks in the Associated Press Top 25 rankings.
ROSTER BREAKDOWN • The Vols’ 2021-22 roster features 18 players (14 scholarship student-athletes) representing eight states as well as Democratic Republic of the Congo, Finland, France, Serbia and Uruguay. • There are six Vols who hail from the state of Tennessee, two from North Carolina and one each from California, Georgia, Kentucky, New York, South Carolina and Texas. • UT has three seniors, five juniors, three sophomores and seven freshmen. • Eight Vols stand 6-5 or shorter, and 10 players are 6-6 or taller. For the first time in program history, the Vols have six players who are 6-9 or taller. • Tennessee’s 14 scholarship players combine to boast 426 games played (32.8 per man) and 178 starts (13.7 per man). Removing freshmen from that group boosts those averages to 60.9 games played and 25.4 starts per man.
FULKERSON, AIDOO OUT SATURDAY • Tennessee will be without two scholarship players for Saturday’s exhibition. • Super senior forward John Fulkerson is out with a fractured thumb on his left (shooting) hand. The injury happened during an intrasquad scrimmage on Oct. 16. • True freshman forward Jonas Aidoo recently returned to limited practice activity following an illness that sidelined him for a couple weeks, but he will not be cleared to play Saturday.
TENNESSEE WELCOMES ELITE CROP OF NEWCOMERS • For the second year in a row, Tennessee welcomes a consensus top-five recruiting class to Rocky Top. • UT’s Class of 2021 was rated No. 2 nationally by 247Sports.com, No. 3 nationally by Rivals and No. 4 by ESPN. • This talented class of newcomers includes five-star prospects Kennedy Chandler (Rivals No. 7, 247Sports No. 8, ESPN No. 8), Jonas Aidoo (Rivals No. 21, 247Sports No. 40, ESPN No. 50) and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (Rivals No. 32, 247Sports No. 19, ESPN No. 19) as well as Jahmai Mashack, Quentin Diboundje, Handje Tamba and Zakai Zeigler. • The incoming crop was bolstered this past summer when 6-6 guard Justin Powell—an ESPN top-100 recruit from the Class of 2020—joined the Vols as an intraconference transfer from Auburn.
BARNES ADDS TWO NEW ASSISTANTS • With former assistant coaches Desmond Oliver and Kim English landing head coaching jobs at ETSU and George Mason, respectively, this past spring, Rick Barnes has welcomed two new assistants to his Tennessee staff. • Barnes first hired veteran coach Justin Gainey, who most recently was the associate head coach at Marquette. A former star point guard at NC State (1996-2000), Gainey boasts 15 years of Division I coaching and administrative experience in the ACC, Pac-12, Big East and beyond. • Shortly after securing Gainey, Barnes handpicked Rod Clark to round out his coaching staff. A young and energetic rising star in the profession, Clark, 28, is entering just his third season as a collegiate assistant. He spent last season at Austin Peay in Clarksville.
Tennessee graduate forward Alexus Dye is among 20 players named as preseason watch list candidates for the 2022 Katrina McClain Award, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced on Thursday.
Named after the two-time All-American and 1987 National Player of the Year, the annual award in its fifth year recognizes the top power forwards in women’s NCAA Division I college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.
“From the University of Georgia to Team USA, Katrina McClain was a standout power forward,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “To be named to the McClain Award watch list is a tremendous honor and we’re proud to recognize these tremendous student-athletes. As we launch our fan voting component tomorrow, we encourage fans to cast their votes alongside our distinguished selection committee.”
Alexus Dye – Lady Vols / Credit: UT Athletics
A 6-foot graduate transfer from Troy University, Dye was the 2021 Sun Belt Player of the Year, All-Sun Belt First Team and Sun Belt Tournament MVP with the Trojans. She started all 28 contests a year ago and led the team with 16.6 ppg. and 12.6 rpg. while shooting a team-best 49.5 percent from the field and 73.7 from the free-throw line.
The NCAA leader in double-doubles (23) and total rebounds (352), Dye also was seventh in rebounds per game (12.6) and 16th in field goals made (204). She scored in double digits in 26 games and fired in at least 15 points in 17 of them in 2020-21, averaging 23 points and 11 rebounds per game vs. Power 5 opponents/SEC teams Texas A&M and Mississippi State. In the NCAA Tournament vs. A&M, she tallied a game-high 26 points and pulled down 11 boards in Troy’s near upset of the Aggies.
Basketball fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies in each of the three rounds. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2022 Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year Award will be narrowed to 10 and then in late February to just five. In March the five finalists will be presented to Ms. McClain and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee where a winner will be selected.
The winner of the 2022 Katrina McClain Award will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the other four members of the Women’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard Award, the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard Award, the Cheryl Miller Small Forward Award and the Lisa Leslie Center Award, in addition to the Men’s Starting Five.
Previous winners of the Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year Award include NaLyssa Smith, Baylor (2021), Ruthy Hebard, Oregon (2018, 2020) and Napheesa Collier, Connecticut (2019).
For more information on the 2022 Katrina McClain Award and the latest updates, log onto www.hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #McClainAward on Twitter and Instagram. Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live on Friday, October 29.
*Playerscanplaytheirwayontoandoffthelistatanypointinthe 2021-22 season
About Katrina McClain-Pittman: Katrina McClain-Pittman was a prolific rebounder and terrific scorer in a career that spanned three Olympic Games and three continents. Before she earned her stripes for USA Basketball, McClain-Pittman starred at the University of Georgia where she was a two-time Kodak All-American and the WBCA National Player of the Year her senior season. She left Georgia as the school’s second all-time leading scorer and rebounder, averaging a double-double her final two seasons in Athens. The Lady Bulldogs reached the 1985 NCAA Final Four and national championship game with McClain-Pittman controlling the paint and Teresa Edwards running the offense. The two-time USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year finished her international career with two Olympic gold medals and one bronze, three FIBA World Championships medals, and five medals at the Goodwill Games, Pan Am Games, and World University Games. In all, McClain-Pittman appeared on eleven USA Basketball rosters becoming one of the most decorated athletes in USA Basketball history. She has been inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame, the Georgia State Hall of Fame, and the National High School Hall of Fame, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Are you a huge fan of Halloween? What was your favorite costume? Do you have a favorite candy?
Country music stars share some of their Halloween memories…
Jason Aldean
Photo Courtesy of Jason Aldean
Jason Aldean and his wife Brittany always make sure to have a great Halloween to remember…and this year is no different as they went all out as Kenny and Dolly Aldean…
Credit: Justin Mrusek
Russell Dickerson
Photo Credit: Spencer Combs
Russell Dickerson shares one of his favorite Halloween costumes that was completed by his wife, Kailey, “One of my favorite Halloween memories was when my wife and I dressed up as Southwest flight attendants. We were flying Southwest so much that year we had to do it. Shout out to Southwest for giving us all of the pretzels, peanuts, napkins and cocktail stirrers to help make it happen!”
Photo Courtesy of Russell Dickerson
When he’s not handing out snacks, what is the candy that Russell would like dropped in his trick-or-treat bag, “Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups. Hands down, best ever!”
Luke Combs
Photo Courtesy of Luke Combs
Luke Combs shares his favorite Halloween candy, “Man, you know what I love…and I can’t believe I thought of this, I love those caramel apple suckers, man. Those things are great and, they get all stuck in your teeth and everything. I don’t know why I like ’em so much but I always loved those as a kid. You don’t see those too often.”
One Halloween, Luke had a plan to hand out those caramel apple suckers…that didn’t end as he planned, or did it? “I lived in an apartment complex at the time, and I’m like ‘y’know I’m gonna get a bag of these because the trick-or-treaters are gonna love these.’ I had one trick-or-treater, and I gave him like five, and then I had this whole bag (laugh), and I think I knew when I bought’em, no ones gonna come trick-or-treating in my apartment. (laugh) So, I think I was a little bit guilty of subconsciously of buying those and knowing I’d get to eat all of them if I bought them. (laugh)”
Carly Pearce
Photo Credit: Allister Ann
Carly Pearce is a big fan of the Trick-Or-Treating holiday, “Halloween is always a great excuse to indulge a little. I’ve always loved candy corn and of course, you can never go wrong with any kind of chocolate!”
Carly might have been handed down her love it it from her mom, “When I was growing, my mom always threw the most amazing Halloween parties. She would go all out, from the decorations all the way to the food, to make the parties such a fun and memorable time for my friends and me.”
When it comes to her favorite costume, all Carly has to do is click her heels and say “There’s no place like home” – “Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz is hands down one of my favorite costumes, I was really proud of how that whole look came together. I love trying to one up my costumes and a few years back I even enlisted a friend’s dog to be the Toto to my Dorothy!”
Photo Courtesy of Carly Pearce
Kane Brown
Photo Credit: Matthew Berinato
Kane Brown shared a frightfully good time he recently had with his daughter, with the message, “Happy Halloween I hope Kingsley doesn’t scare you as bad as she did me”
Jordana Bryant
Photo Courtesy Jordana Bryant
Jordana Bryant is all about decorating for the trick-or-treat holiday, “My favorite Halloween memory is probably carving pumpkins with my family. I’ve always loved getting ready for holidays and decorating, so carving pumpkins was something I looked forward to for months as a kid! Even when I could barely hold the pumpkins up, I remember my dad would hold my hand and help me carve them into whatever crazy designs I came up with! Even now, I still love carving pumpkins with my dad and painting pumpkins with my mom!“
After the pumpkins were all carved, it was costume time – so, what was Jordana’s favorite one growing up, “Oh wow, that’s tough! I think my favorite Halloween costume was probably from when I was twelve. My school was doing a homemade costume contest, and I was determined to be super creative and win, so I decided to be a makeup desk (super random, right?!) I went to Michael’s and got all the supplies, and it took so much time, but it was super fun! Sadly I didn’t win the costume contest though.”
Photo Courtesy Jordana Bryant
Kelsea Ballerini & Morgan Evans
Photo Courtesy of Kelsea Ballerini & Morgan Evans
This year Morgan Evans and his band managed to Frankenstein together some Halloween cheer.
Photo Courtesy of Morgan Evans
But Morgan shares what happened when a couples costume with wife Kelsea Ballerini didn’t go as planned, “Literally ran out of time to blow up the number of balloons it took for 2 costumes, so here we are…a bunch of grapes and the dude that picked ‘em. Happy Halloween.”
Photo Courtesy of Morgan Evans and Kelsea Ballerini
Morgan recalls an improvised Halloween costume that he put together when he was first learning what the holiday was all about, “My most memorable Halloween costume was probably the first…and it was memorable because I didn’t realize that it was a thing that grown ups actually dressed up until I moved to America. So, I think I was on my way to a party and I stopped at a CVS and I wrapped my entire body in bandages and I went as a mummy.”
Georgia Webster
Photo Courtesy of Georgia Webster
Georgia Webster loves family time and Halloween attractions, “My favorite Halloween memory is going to haunted hayrides with my family / friends and getting Carmel apples.”
Photo Courtesy of Georgia Webster
When it comes to dressing up for Halloween, Georgia shares her favorite, “Favorite costume is pictured above. My mom did my sister’s and my makeup” and the treat she was hoping to get, “My favorite candy is anything chocolate. Hershey’s especially.”
Lady A
Photo Courtesy of Lady A
Charles Kelley from Lady A shares his family costume plans for Halloween, “My son’s gonna be Velociraptor Blue. He’s really into dinosaurs, so he’s this Jurassic Park character. And I’m Owen the trainer. And Cassie is Claire, the park manager. So, we have our family costumes. They’re ready.”
Dave Haywood from Lady A says his Halloween costume is one that compliments his daughter’s costume. “I’m joining in with my three-year-old, Lillie. She’s gonna be Belle and I’m gonna be The Beast. So, I’ve got my costume, my little Disney Beast costume, and she’s got her Belle dress and jewelry ready to go, and we’re excited about it. My son wants to do like a Minecraft thing. I know a lot of his buddies are playing it too, but he’s doin’ a Minecraft sort of costume.”
While she might have something planned by now, a couple of days ago Hillary Scott from Lady A was like most moms around this time of year when it comes to Halloween and costumes for kids, “So, I am gonna be a total transparent mom and say that we don’t know yet. And it’s getting so close to Halloween but we don’t know. It might be homemade costumes this year. We’ll just have to see.”
While they’re working on family costumes these days, the trio recalls a time when they did a band costume of Brooks & Dunn and Reba McEntire.
Photo Courtesy of Lady A
Lauren Alaina
Photo Courtesy of Lauren Alaina
Lauren Alaina took to social media to share with her fans that she was trying out a few costumes for this Halloween
When I Dolly Parton I don’t play, boy. I NINE to THRIVE. Swipe to see the original pic! Also. Shoutout to @glitterandlightning for the best balloon backdrop of all time. 🎈 @DollyPartonpic.twitter.com/1bAyKejBAB
Josh Turner recalls a time when his facial hair really helped out at Halloween, “My favorite family costume was from a couple of years ago when I had my six-and-a-half-month-old beard going, and me and the whole family dressed up as Star Wars characters. So, I was a young Obi Wan Kenobi, Jennifer was Princess Leia, Colby and Marion were Storm Troopers, Hampton was Darth Vadar and Hawk was, I guess, pretty much still a baby, and he dressed up as Yoda. It was pretty classic.”
Photo Courtesy of Josh Turner
Liddy Clark
Photo Courtesy of Liddy Clark
Liddy Clark shares one of her favorite Halloween memories, “I remember when I was younger when my Dad would take me & my brothers to pick out pumpkins & we’d spend the entire day trying to carve them on our front porch. It was incredibly wholesome, and so difficult.”
After the pumpkins are done – it was costume time, Liddy says “I have so many good ones! I really loved Kim Possible costume & my Guy Fieri costume!”
Photo Courtesy of Liddy Clark
What’s Liddy favorite choice from flavortown, “Twix! Best candy by far!”
Reba McEntire
Photo Courtesy of Reba McEntire
Reba McEntire shares a prank that her Halloween-loving boyfriend,Rex Linn, pulled on her last year, “Rex’s favorite holiday is Halloween. Last year he ordered from Costco a 7-foot werewolf with a motion sensor in it and he put it in my bathroom. And then when I walked in there, it moved and growled at me. I was very upset. I said, ‘Everybody who had anything to do with it, you’re all fired!’ Then I started giggling. Then I was pretty flattered that he went to all that trouble to scare me, and then we took it to every place we could to scare everybody else. We had a blast with it. We love Halloween. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to have a Halloween party last year because of COVID, but I have no idea what he’s got planned this year, but I’m sure it’s gonna be a lot of fun.”
Ashley McBryde
Photo Credit: Daniel Meigs
Ashley McBryde loves Halloween, and she recalls not only her favorite Halloween costume, but her favorite memory of Halloween as well, “My friends and I take Halloween really seriously, and we try to have a themed party every year. One year we did superheroes only. We did it in East Nashville where there was super likely there would be children stopping by for candy. We had Thor, and we had the Green Arrow, we had two different versions of Batman…we had 1960s Batman, we had the Dark Knight Batman, we had Penguin, we had the Hulk. I got to be Wonder Woman…this was back when I was the size and shape, this was a few years ago, when I was the size and shape that I could wear a spandex thing all night if I wanted to and look decent. My favorite part of it was, we’d sit on the porch and kids would come by and they would see super heroes, and they would tell their parents ‘Mom! It’s Batman!’ and they would run up on the porch and we’d give them candy, and some of them were dressed as superheroes too! Of course, it’s Halloween. And we would say ‘We’ve been fighting crime all night, where have you been!’ and they were like ‘We’ve been getting candy!’ That was, hands down, my favorite Halloween, so that gets to be my favorite costume.”
Walker County
Photo Credit: Shea Flynn
Walker County‘s Ivy recalls that Halloween wasn’t just trick-or-treating for her and sister Sophie, the holiday also meant working, “When we were younger for about 3 Halloween’s, Sophie and I worked at a Haunted trail! I would play the guitar and sing by the campfire to grab the people’s attention, and then Sophie would run out from behind the trees dressed as a tiny scary grandma! Needless to say we scared a lot of people!”
When they weren’t working, Ivy and Sophie recall dressing up for Halloween.
Ivy: “My favorite costume was when I dressed up as ‘bad Girl Sandy’ in 5th grade! I had been obsessed with the movie Grease, and I could wait to pretend to be Sandy!”
Sophie: “And while Ivy was dressing up as something usually very girlie, I would like to think a little outside of the box! One of my favorite Halloween costumes was when I dressed up as Laura Ingalls! It’s funny, but my mom and I loved Little House on the Prairie so I was inspired!”
While they didn’t share those costumes, they did dig up this gem from their Halloween past.
Photo Courtesy of Walker County
Tenille Arts
Photo Courtesy of Tenille Arts
Rut-Roh! Tenille Arts decided on a group Halloween costume this year thanks to her boyfriend, and a couple of other friends.
Congrats to Jason Aldean and Carrie Underwood – they are number-one on the country music airplay chart with “If I Didn’t Love You.”
At 14 weeks from the time he released it, to when it hit Number-One, Jason says “I Didn’t Love You” definitely rose up the chart quick, “You know, I think to date, this is probably my fastest moving song of my career. I think before this, it was ‘Burnin’ It Down'” He adds, “So, it’s been a really special one, these don’t come along very often”
Something else that made the track special, was the woman who joined Jason on the song…Carrie Underwood.
Jason shares, “Carrie was the first one we sent it to, and so when she bit on and it was like ‘Man this is phenomenal.'”
Jason admits that he’s wanted to work on a project with Carrie for a while, and it just worked out that the timing was right for them to both sing on “I Didn’t Love You.” “We finally have a window here to do something with her, and when she comes into sing, it’s like you can have somebody that’s great at what they do and somebody over here that’s what they do and sometimes together it doesn’t really mesh. So, that was another thing we didn’t know how that was going to sound, and she came in, and as soon as she started singing you can kind of tell that our voices blended really well together and it was going to be pretty cool, and so she came in and just took that song to a new level.”
Carrie says that she also wanted to work with Aldean for a while now too, “Jason asked if I would sing ‘If I Didn’t Love You’ with him. I knew I liked the song, and Jason and I have actually been kind of trying to do things together over the years…and this just seemed like, the stars were aligning and it just seemed like it was going to be the perfect fit.”
Congrats to Jason and Carrie on their number-one song “If I Didn’t Love You”
Congratulations to Travis Denning and his girlfriend…now fiancé Madison Montgomery.
On a trip to New York this weekend Travis popped the question in NYC’s Central Park, and Madison said “Yes!”
The happy couple has been dating for more than 2 years, and Madison, who is the daughter of country singer John Michael Montgomery, made a guest appearance in Travis’ music video for “ABBY” early this year.
In honor of First Responders Day this past week (October 28th), George Strait released a very powerful new video for his song “The Weight Of The Badge” – which was one of the 13-tracks included on his 2019 album Honky Tonk Time Machine.
George says “The men and women in this music video are our friends and neighbors who carry the weight of the badge each day,” and he adds, “Thank you. We appreciate you and the sacrifices you and your families make.”
Watch the video for “The Weight Of The Badge” here…
