Jarrett Guarantano did so many things so well for so long.
The much maligned Tennessee senior quarterback scored on a 9-yard run to put the Vols up 7-0.
He helped convert third downs.
He engineered scoring drives to give the Vols a 10-0 lead and led another drive that resulted in a missed field goal.
He checked to the right running plays.
He was doing so many things well.
And then, disaster struck with a capital D.
After Auburn took a 13-10 lead on the first possession of the second half, Tennessee drove to the Auburn 12, within striking range of re-taking the lead.
Guarantano took the snap from the shotgun, stared down his receiver, fired into coverage, then watched Auburn’s Smoke Monday snatch the ball 1-yard deep in the end zone, then streak up the sideline 101 yards for a momentum-swinging, gut-wrenching, are-you-kidding-me touchdown that pretty much sealed the deal.
There was still more than 17 minutes to be played, but the Vols (2-5) were never able to wrestle the momentum away from No. 23 Auburn (5-2) as the Tigers prevailed 30-17.
Guarantano has now thrown a nation’s worst four pick sixes since the start of the 2019 season.
And the bad news keeps coming for this once-proud program.
Tennessee has lost five in a row for the first time since 1988.
And it has lost five in a row by double digits for the first time in program history.
“Just frustrating,’’ said Tennessee senior offensive lineman Trey Smith. “No one goes out and does all that work just to lose. We fought hard tonight. It comes down to executing at clutch time in the game.’’
Tennessee has not been able to do that, especially in the second half.
During this record-breaking five-game losing skid, the Vols have been outscored 71-7 in the third quarter and 108-14 in the second half.
Ouch!
How does Smith explain the second-half slide?
“Quite frankly,’’ he said, “I don’t even know what to tell you. Just got to get better at it.’’
Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt pretty much echoed Smith’s sentiments.
“It’s frustrating for our players,’’ Pruitt said. “It’s frustrating for our fans. It’s frustrating for everybody.
“We played hard. We played together. But we didn’t finish some drives and we left some points on the board.’’
There were some bright spots.
The Vols led 10-0 and had sustained drives of nine, nine and eight plays to start the game.
The Vols also ran the ball effectively, rolling up 222 yards as Eric Gray rushed for 173 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. He also had 49 yards on three receptions.
And UT was efficient – finally – on third downs, converting 9 of 15.
But two missed field goals and the pick six thwarted any chance the Vols had of pulling an upset against an 11-point favorite.
“If we keep making mistakes,’’ Smith said, “these are the results we’re getting.’’
Pruitt bemoaned the wasted opportunities.
“I was proud of way the guys played hard,’’ he said. “We’ve got to play cleaner football to win in this league.’’
Defensive tackle Matthew Butler, who had six tackles, took the defeat hard.
“It’s not a case of not wanting to do it or not preparing,’’ Butler said. “It’s a mistake here, lack of execution there.’’
He felt UT had a “fantastic’’ defensive scheme against Auburn and put the Tigers’ offensive line “on its heels.’’
But “we didn’t execute well enough to win. … I don’t think we’ve been outplayed by an offense this year. We’ve beat ourselves.’’
Butler must not remember the Alabama game. Or the second half against Arkansas, Georgia and Kentucky.
Now, a Tennessee team that was riding an eight-game winning streak in early October has fallen out of favor with an impatient fan base that expects more.
Much of the angst is aimed at Pruitt.
But Smith defended his coach.
“I think it’s an easy thing to look down and say we’ve lost four or five in a row now and we’re not playing well,’’ Smith said.
“It’s a culture change and it’s not going to be immediate. The mentality has to shift. You have to give him time.
“Coach Pruitt is a great man. It’s something to be around a guy like that, an honest guy. … He’s not going to sugar coat things. He has our best interest at heart. You don’t find a lot of that in this industry.’’
Despite unique and challenging circumstances related to the global coronavirus pandemic, the Vols and Lady Vols have continued to achieve in the classroom and on the field. Tennessee Athletics celebrates its nearly 30 fall graduates who have completed their degree requirements.
The university will host 10 in-person commencement ceremonies Nov. 19-22 at Thompson-Boling Arena for spring, summer and fall 2020 graduates. The socially-distanced ceremonies will have additional health and safety protocols in place so graduates and their families can safely gather to celebrate their momentous accomplishments. More information on the dates and times of all ceremonies and the university’s safety measures are available at www.commencement.utk.edu.
In total, 28 student-athletes will graduate during the fall 2020 ceremonies, which includes a pair earning master’s degrees.
“Throughout the recruiting process, we talk to prospects and their families about the meaning of graduation day,” Associate Provost & Senior Associate Athletic Director Joe Scogin said. “We focus on the significance of a Tennessee education and anchor ourselves in a specific mindset – the question isn’t if you will graduate from Tennessee, the question is when and how many degrees you want to earn when your time at Tennessee is over.
“Walking across the stage this week completes the most important commitment they make as a student-athlete. I am especially proud of the resilience shown by this group during a challenging and difficult time in higher education. It is a joy to see so many student-athletes on this list graduate with eligibility remaining – bringing those initial conversations during the recruiting process full circle.”
Also among this newest collection of graduates is former swimming & diving student manager Jackie Bussard-Bertucci (1988-89), who re-enrolled in the SouthEast Bank Renewing Academic Commitment (RAC) Program to complete her bachelor’s degree in Child & Family Studies and Community Outreach. Bussard-Bertucci is the daughter of University of Tennessee Athletics Hall of Fame men’s swimming & diving head coach Ray Bussard (1968-88), who guided the Vols to the 1978 national championship and eight SEC titles.
The list of degree programs earned by student-athletes this semester is diverse, with Vols and Lady Vols earning diplomas in Advertising, Business Analytics, Chemical Engineering, Environmental and Soil Sciences, Finance, Forestry, Mechanical Engineering, Psychology and many other fields of study.
Tennessee men’s basketball associate head coach Michael Schwartz spoke to the media recently video Zoom video call to discuss the team and the upcoming season opener.
Vols Associate HC Michael Schwartz / Credit: UT Athletics
Tennessee men’s basketball associate head coach Michael Schwartz sat down with the media via Zoom on Thursday afternoon to discuss the Vols upcoming campaign.
On playing against Gonzaga in Indianapolis:
“Well it’s a great opportunity, a really good opportunity. We know the kind of reputation Gonzaga has as a program, even more so this year as the number one ranked team in the country, so it will be a great test for our guys. We’ve had some good matchups with them in the past, Coach Barnes and Coach Few have a great relationship and we remember the game a few years ago in Phoenix. We’ve played in Nashville, we’ve played out in Seattle and it’s turned into a great series. I think our guys are just excited to be playing. They’re equally excited about next Wednesday as they are that game and any game on our schedule, but to be able to play in the Jimmy V and make that thing happen, with all the adversities that have happened in New York, Orlando, and now up in Indianapolis, it’s going to be a great event and I think our guys are really excited and it will be a great challenge for our team.”
On the scheduling conflicts:
“I think it’s been crazy for anybody, every coach, anybody involved with scheduling trying to get something nailed down for this kind of season. It’s been a challenge. The first challenge was when they moved the date. You obviously had games that were between November 10th and November 25th, and that was the first piece of the challenge was that you had games that were scheduled and so what do you do with those games? For example, Wisconsin still wanted to figure out a way we could play but we would have to move the dates. There were the challenges of the games that were prior to the new start date that you had to figure out. Then after that you had to look at what’s going to fit and probably the biggest challenge, as you eluded to Grant, was the MTE’s (Multiple Team Events). When they started moving the MTE’s, changing the dates, teams started being able to add teams, teams started dropping out because of all the different medical protocols, that’s when it really got complicated to be honest with you. Our approach the whole time was we were going to stick with ESPN, stick with Orlando, regardless of what it was, and we were pretty close to it going out there, and if everything had gone the same way there would have been one other team in the event, with VCU and Charlotte, we would have done it in Orlando, and we were planning on playing Gonzaga in Orlando, but when everything fell apart in Orlando, obviously we had to readjust. So, what our approach was Grant, was just to stay with the teams we were going to play with in Orlando, and that was VCU, Charlotte, and potentially Penn State. Those were the teams and we decided to create our own event, we’re very thankful and appreciative of the University and the Administration and our Athletic Department to allow us to do that here, and it didn’t quite work out for Penn State for other reasons, but to be able to get VCU and Charlotte to be able to come to Thompson-Boling is really exciting and we’re looking forward to the Vol classic.”
On Jaden Springer and Keon Johnson:
“You’re absolutely right about the expectations, that’s the nature of recruiting, that’s the nature of the labels that get put on guys in terms of the stars as you mentioned, and McDonald’s All-American status and things like that. The best two things both of those guys have done since the minute they stepped on campus is, they take defense personally, they play with an aggression and an attack mindset on the defensive side of the ball, and they are both extremely talented on offense. They’re going to have great seasons, they’re going to help us in a ton of different ways, but what they did from the minute they stepped on campus—which is not always the case, particularly with as you mentioned a 5-star player, someone that has great accolades coming in and expectations on them—is they came in with grittiness, and a defensive mindset that fits right into our DNA and right into our culture. I don’t want to use the word surprised by that, but they’ve stepped right in and from that standpoint they are not Freshman.”
On how ready the team is to start the season:
“I think we’ll know more Wednesday night when that game ends, and the reason I say that is this; we have not had the opportunity to have 13 guys on one bench yet. We’ve scrimmaged within ourselves four different times, pretty officially with officials and everything. Bottom line is you have seven guys on one bench, six on the other, and there’s a lot of things you have to maneuver to be able to make that happen and get a real feel, but it’s a totally different story when you have all 13 guys, 15 guys on one bench, and rotation comes into play, fatigue comes into play, scouting report comes into play, so those are things we have not had a chance to really feel yet with this ball club. Normally by this time of the year we’ve had one exhibition game versus a Non-Division I, and we have one scrimmage versus a Division I opponent, and those are two big opportunities that nobody in the country is getting. I think if you ask that across the country, everyone would say we’re waiting until November 25th or whenever the first game is to really get a feel on where we are as a ball club, and we’ll know more after Wednesday and Friday next week.”
On how strong and talented the SEC is as a conference:
“That is a really strong stat pertaining to the number one pick. I think this league is as strong as any conference in the country. It is as talented as any conference in the country. It is not just the number one pick to me. If you look at it and it is either three or four I believe lottery picks came out of the SEC. Aaron Nesmith was one of them and obviously Anthony Edwards was another one. I think there was four or five in that range, so it’s an extremely strong conference with NBA talent, with teams and with coaches, so you know you could look at it that way and you could look it over the last 10 years the uptick that the conference is on from the standpoint of talent and teams. So, there is no doubt about that, and I think those things just show it—Okoro from Auburn. Obviously, another lottery pick, so yeah I think that’s a good way of looking at it in NBA talent.”
On most improved player during the offseason:
“I think it would be unfair honestly to categorize one player in that because of what you just said. These guys did not get a true offseason. Everybody had to do it in their own way, in their locale wherever they were. Then when we got here, we were limited in a number of ways in terms of time that we could be with them and that we could all be in the gym together. Then, we were limited in terms of competition and physicality. So, I think it’s hard to give it to one guy because I think we’ll know more as we get into the season as we were talking about earlier. But just in general, you think about John Fulkerson and he’s added a lot to his game on offense and as great as he was second half of last season, he’s added a lot to his game. Josiah-Jordan James has added a lot to his game and he is trying to develop a new identity as a player where he uses his size more and his versatility to play multiple positions on both ends of the floor. Drew Pember has worked really hard this offseason. You know he was hit as it’s well-known by now and been talked about, he was hit with a lot of contact tracing and he missed a lot of days but the progress he has made—but as you know Rob as well as anyone the player development piece whether there’s someone that that plays 30 or 40 minutes a game or someone that doesn’t ever touch the floor the player development piece is happening every day in a Coach Barnes program and we’re really excited about all the guys the way they’ve grown in what they’ve added to the game. VJ Bailey who no one’s really saw last year he has had a great offseason. The big thing, as Gustavo was talking about earlier, is going to be how we react when we get 13 guys on one bench and how when happens that’s when we’re really going to be able to start to decipher some of these questions.
On development of Yves Pons:
“Yeah it’s awesome for him and this is what coaching is about. This is what any Coach Barnes program is about. It has always been that way ever since I was fortunate to be a player for him and a young assistant for him. That is everything. These guys having a chance to reach their goals get where they want to go, have success on the court, have success off the court and he’s a great example of it and you know what, he deserves all the credit because of his work ethic and his approach every day. He has got an incredible attitude. He has been a team first player from the minute I stepped on campus. Rob you and I have talked about this before, the day he stepped on campus, the first thing he said is, ‘I just want to be the defensive player of the year in this conference’ and that’s where his goals always have been weighted. He wanted to be a dominant defensive player and he knows he still needs to be better in that area, but he takes a lot of pride in how he works. He takes a lot of pride in the team and he trusted the process and that’s probably as rewarding as anything to see someone who really trusted their own process, was diligent about it and you know it’s paying off in front of all of our eyes.”
On Jaden Springer and Keon Johnson’s defensive ability:
“It is a really good question. Absolutely you saw it because they play with the fierceness and a tenacity on both sides of the ball. They are very strong, athletic wing guards that play the game above what a typical freshman or high school senior would play, but anytime somebody is that highly regarded—and both of them were highly regarded on offense as well—and they come in, but their focus and their mindset that they take it very serious on that side of the ball? Both have a long way to go, so I do not want to set any expectations. They both have a long way to go. Learning defense, off ball defense in particular, scouting reports which we talked about is going to be a big thing for both of them that we’ve tried to introduce to them in the best way possible within our own team. On ball and a mindset of defense, both guys are ahead of where typical freshmen are and we did see that in the recruiting process. You could see that because of the tenacity they both played with.”
On dealing with the pandemic and having senior leadership on the squad this year:
“The first part is—I’m going to be honest with you, we as coaches are doing our best to guide them through that process, but we haven’t been through it either. None of us have been in a situation where we’ve walked into an arena and you’re just on the court playing. So, we haven’t spent a whole lot of time talking about it, other than when you’re in between the lines, whether there’s 50,000 people or no one there, you have to do your job an execute. And I think that’s our approach. Again, so much will be felt next week when we’re in TBA and there’s whatever the fan attendance is, or when we go to Indianapolis and play in Bankers Life Arena and if there’s no fans in there, we’re all going to be going through it for the first time. So, we’ve really kept the focus in between the lines.
“The other part of it with the pandemic is things normally are very organized. You’re talking about month-to-month, we have calendars, week-to-week you have calendars and especially day-to-day. But, things can change at the drop of a minute right now. That’s just what it is. If something comes up, you may have to suspend something. If something changes, you may have to delay something, and we saw that with scheduling. We’ve had practices scheduled and we’ve had to take a break just to be smart and come back the next day. Our guys are very cognizant of it. They watch the NBA, they watch the NFL, they see college football, we saw what happened with our own football team last week, so they realize this. We’re just trying to do everything we can to be prepared for the unknown. That’s really what sports is this year and that’s to be prepared for the unknown and be prepared for surprises as best as possible. So, toughness and the ability to adapt are going to be just as important as preparation is when it comes to a successful season for every team this year.
“As far as the seniors and having John Fulkerson and Yves Pons—you can even throw EJ Anosike in there, because he’s been in college for three years. We were talking as a staff this morning about how Victor Bailey Jr. has played two years of high-level college basketball and that it’s really exciting to have that veteran leadership on the team. However, here’s the one thing this team doesn’t have yet. Last year at this time, all of these guys—including John Fulkerson and Yves Pons—were looking to Lamonte Turner and Jordan Bowden. Those two were the seniors who had been through the start of a training camp, the end of a training camp and the beginning of a season. What John Fulkerson and Yves Pons did last year, we all felt they could do it, but they weren’t the guys that people were looking to at the beginning of last season. It was all Jordan Bowden and Lamonte Turner, because they had been in it from the previous years. So, John and Yves are still in relatively new positions right now. Yes, they did it at the end of last year and yes, they know what to expect, but they have never been in September, October, November, getting younger guys ready for a season, knowing the difference between what the last six or eight weeks held and what next Wednesday night will hold. They haven’t been in that position where they’ve had younger guys looking to them asking ‘What’s next Wednesday going to be like?’
“So, we’re still going through it and if you think about it, a year ago, no one really knew who Santiago was. So, we look at him as a veteran on this team, because he is the starting point guard and has been, but he hasn’t been through the beginning of a season yet. This is the first beginning of the season that Santiago Vescovi has been through at the University of Tennessee. This is exciting though Rick, because there’s still a lot of growth for this team to have, and we’re going to see that happening.”
On what he’s learned about this team through the preseason:
“We’ve learned a lot of things, but probably the two biggest things would be, on the defensive side is we have the ability to pressure the ball for as long as we want, as much as we want and we’re going to do it. We’re going to be a high tempo aggressive and attack minded defensive team, because we have the depth and the athleticism to do that. On the other side of the ball, what we’ve been able to learn is that we really feel like we have four guys and maybe five guys that can go and get their own shot. Coach has made adjustments to our offense to be able to put them in positions to be able to do that. In terms of spacing and tempo we have four or five guys that can really go and get their own shot and we haven’t had that in the past. So, those would probably be the two biggest things”
On if his more excited than before about the defensive potential of this year’s group of Vols:
“Yeah, because we’ve been able to implement our system. It’s one thing to know you have the physical tools too do it, it’s another thing to know you have the depth to do it, which we’ve really felt like that since March. We’re always excited about our team defensively, but to be able to see it over the last eight weeks with our system, with the buy-in, with the defensive I.Q., with the guys understanding what we’re trying to accomplish has definitely gotten us more excited.”
On if it surprises him that Keon Johnson said that Santiago Vescovi is the toughest guy to guard on the team:
“No, it doesn’t, because Santiago plays with great speed, he has an incredible feel and I.Q and he’s one of the craftiest players with the ball. Whether it’s off the bounce, whether it’s passing the basketball, he’s got a great ability—even if he may not be looked at as a dynamic athlete—to get to where he needs to go with the ball. He uses his own strengths and other people’s strengths against them when he’s got the ball. So, for example he knows how to use Keon’s aggressiveness and athleticism as a positive for him when he has the ball, even though he’s not as physically strong and fast as Keon. But, he knows how to use Keon’s strength—because his athleticism and speed are huge strengths for him—and Santiago with his ability, feel and ball skills, uses that against Keon and it’s been great. It’s been great for Keon and you know what? It’s been equally good for Santiago, because we know teams are going to try to pressure with him. We know teams are going to try and be physical with him. We know teams are going to try and be physical with him. We know teams are going to try and sit on his left hand and make him use his right hand. So when he gets an elite athlete like Keon Johnson, or VJ Bailey, or the size of Josiah James guarding him, he continues to improve his skill level and craft in terms of being difficult to guard like Keon talked about.”
On if he’s had conversations with their seniors about the possibility of coming back next year:
“They’ve occurred a little bit. More in passing than they have in any kind of seriousness at this point. I think it’s one thing for football to have that conversation five or six games into a season. We haven’t even stepped onto the court yet for our first game yet. So, I think those conversations will happen, but I think the season will tell a lot for anyone who has that opportunity.”
On if this team has the potential to be a good rebounding team:
“That’s a really great point and we know it needs to be. We can’t be the team we want to be if we don’t rebound the way we’re capable of. Adding E.J. was a big piece of that, but as you mentioned, Olivier and Uros have done a really nice job in the preseason with rebounding and we need it to carry over. When those guys get their opportunity on the court it has to carry over. It has to carry over with defensive rebounding and it has to carry over with an identity that we want to have, which is as a great offensive rebounding team. There’s been a great emphasis on that in the preseason, in our film sessions and in practice.
“Just as important for that though is the guys who need to improve their rebounding is Yves Pons. Yves Pons should be in the class with those guys as a rebounder and he needs to take a lot of pride in doing that and needs to make a concerted effort to go beyond the glass on both sides of the ball. Someone who’s done a really good job of it—and his numbers showed it a little bit last year—but he’s been really effective this preseason particularly in offensive rebounding has been Josiah. Josiah-Jordan James has done a really nice job offensive rebounding. We had a scrimmage yesterday and he probably kept four or five balls alive while crashing the offensive glass. He has a knack to rebound the basketball and on the defensive side where that can really help us is if he rebounds the ball, he can lead the break, because Santiago or any one of our guards can run the wings. Whether he’s at the two, the three, the four, or the point guard spot, if he rebounds and he can lead the break, that puts in a really good position with our transition offense.”
On what E.J. brings to the table:
“Extreme blue-collar toughness, rebounding, energy and a guy Rob that has played for what’s on the front of his jersey from the minute he stepped foot in the gym. Because of the unique situation with his sister Nicky being a Lady Vol, he stepped in right away with the mentality that he is playing for Tennessee and he is all about the team and the right things. A grad transfer is a unique thing. You’ve got someone coming for one year. They may have been somewhere else for four years, developed a lot of pride at whatever other university they were at and they come in looking for something specific for one year. E.J. is different. E.J. deep down inside has always been a Vol. And we wish we had a chance to have him for four years, but the fact is that he’s come in with the mentality of this team’s DNA and culture from day one. That’s as big as anything and is really important. He plays that way, we love him for it, he’s an extremely high energy and high motor player and he has been very impressive on the glass and that’s what this team needs. He plays the game within our culture and he gets it.”
On how many players can play the point:
“Well, Santiago for sure. Josiah for sure. Keon Johnson has gotten great reps at it this preseason. Jaden Springer has gotten not quite as many as Keon at it this preseason, but he is working on it. And, VJ Bailey as well. So, I would say that we have five guys who can be the primary ball handler on the floor. The difference is knowing that position, knowing what coach wants, knowing how to run the ball club and doing that at the level that we need our point guards to do it. I wouldn’t say we have five guys who are ready to do it right now—I would say we have two or three who could get that accomplished—but I really believe we have four or five guys that are capable of playing that spot from a ball handling perspective and are able to run that position if need be.
“In a year like this—we all know foul trouble and you all know of normal situations that can happen game-to-game—where there’s so much unknown, it’s nice to have three or four guys that we’re comfortable with handling the basketball.”
On if that makes you harder to guard:
“Hopefully. I think when we play other teams and they have multiple point guards on the floor, it is a challenge. It’s kind of what we alluded to you earlier with a rebound-and-go as we call it. If a guard rebounds the ball and he’s not at the point guard position and he pushes the ball and gets us in our offense, that’s lethal in transition. So, if you play two or three point guards—if there’s a lineup with Santiago, Josiah and Keon on the floor at the same time, which will happen, and you saw that lineup, any three of them could get the rebound and lead the break. That is going to make you that much more explosive in transition. You want to believe that Jimmy that it can make you harder to guard if you can play multiple point guards at the same time. Or as we say it, someone that has point guard skills. You don’t have to be a point guard, but if you have point guard skills—that’s probably a better way to say it. We think we have four or five guys with point guard skills.”
Yves Pons and John Fulkerson / Credit: UT Athletics
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Southeastern Conference unveiled its 17th annual men’s basketball coaches preseason All-SEC first and second teams Thursday, tipping off the 2020-21 season.
Tennessee was one of six teams with multiple selections, as seniors Yves Pons and John Fulkerson were first-team honorees.
The coaches’ preseason All-SEC first and second teams consist of a minimum of eight players on each squad, voted on by the 14 SEC head coaches. No ties were broken, and no predicted order of finish was made.
Tennessee’s most experienced returners, Pons and Fulkerson have both earned several preseason honors in recent weeks. In a preseason media poll, both were among the select group of players who received votes for SEC Player of the Year. Fulkerson appears on the watch list for the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award, while Pons is a candidate for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award.
And it was announced earlier Thursday that Pons—who is the reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year—appears on the initial 50-man watch list for the prestigious Naismith Trophy for College Player of the Year.
The Vols enter the season ranked 12th in the Associated Press national preseason poll, with action set to tipoff Wednesday against Charlotte in the opening game of the Volunteer Classic at Thompson-Boling Arena (8 p.m. ET, SEC Network).
First-Team All-SEC
John Petty Jr. – Alabama
Keyontae Johnson – Florida
Brandon Boston Jr. – Kentucky
Javonte Smart – LSU
Trendon Watford – LSU
AJ Lawson – South Carolina John Fulkerson – Tennessee Yves Pons – Tennessee
Second-Team All-SEC
Herbert Jones – Alabama
Desi Sills – Arkansas
Scottie Lewis – Florida
Olivier Sarr – Kentucky
Devontae Shuler – Ole Miss
Dru Smith – Missouri
Jermaine Couisnard – South Carolina
Savion Flagg – Texas A&M
Scottie Pippen Jr. – Vanderbilt
Tennessee basketball senior Yves Pons has been named to the 50-man watch list for the 2021 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year Trophy, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Thursday.
Players across the country are eligible throughout the season to play their way on and off the list, which currently includes six SEC players.
Last season’s SEC Defensive Player of the Year, Pons has developed into one of the most versatile defensive players to ever suit up for the Volunteers.
The Fuveau, France, native enters his senior campaign as a legitimate National Defensive Player of the Year hopeful after finishing last season with 73 blocks to tie Tennessee’s single-season record. He also led the SEC with 2.4 blocks per game. His innate ability to guard all five positions on the floor makes him invaluable to the Big Orange.
Pons also grew offensively last season, averaging a career-best 10.8 points per contest while shooting .349 from 3-point range.
After going through the NBA Draft evaluation process earlier this year, Pons opted to return to Tennessee for his final year of eligibility. He leads a squad that is ranked No. 12 in the preseason Associated Press Top-25 Poll.
The initial Naismith Player of the Year watch list will be trimmed to a midseason team of 30 in early February, followed by the announcement of the 10 semifinalists on March 4 and the four finalists on March 16.
VFL, two-time SEC Player of the Year and current Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams was a finalist for the Naismith Trophy during the Vols’ record-setting 2018-19 campaign.
To view the complete preseason Naismith Trophy watch list, click HERE.
Who are legends, and what does it mean to become one?
In sports, a few names seem to regularly come to mind.
You have the present legends of Serena Williams and LeBron James, the past legends of Michael Jordan and Billie Jean King, who each changed the perception of their respective sports, and forever in the hearts and minds of Tennessee Lady Vol fans, you have the late, great Pat Summitt.
Currently, the Lady Vols sport their own legend. She’s @Legend_Hooper, as Twitter users may know her, but to most, she’s senior Rennia Davis.
The 6-2 wing player can beat defenders off the dribble and holds a shooting range that tends to bleed into the stands at Thompson-Boling Arena.
She has been a mainstay in the Lady Vols program for the last three seasons, with the reality of having to eventually leave Rocky Top on the horizon.
“It’s crazy because I feel like I just got here, but I also feel like I’ve been here for a long time,” Davis said. “It’s weird, and it’s weird that it’s my last go around here at this school. We had a coaching change and just a lot of overall change, and it’s crazy to finally be here.”
Crazy to be in the here and the now, but the story begins in her hometown of Jacksonville, Florida. It’s the place where Davis found her initial love of hooping.
“I just remember in middle school, we would always pick teams in P.E.,” Davis recalled. “My middle school unfortunately did not have sports. We were academic based, but, in P.E. we would play. I was always the only girl who ever played sports, and I would always get picked first. I would just be like, ‘Are y’all just picking me first because I’m a girl?’ But, as we started playing, I realized that I was the best one out there. It may be all boys, but I was still the best one, and that was why I was getting picked first. Being a girl probably had something to do with it, but I was the best one out there playing with some real athletes. Like, boys who were in seventh grade dunking.”
She moved on to Ribault High School, where she made an immediate impact. She helped lead the Lady Trojans to state championships in 2014, 2016 and 2017, along with a run to a national championship in 2016 that ended with the Lady Trojans lifting the trophy as the nation’s best team.
She was tabbed as a five-star recruit by numerous outlets and earned trips to both the 2017 Jordan Brand Classic and McDonald’s All-America games.
Coaches across the country wanted Davis to play for them, a process that itself was “crazy” for her.
“(Getting recruited) was overwhelming to say the least,” Davis said. “If I could have just picked a school in private, I would have taken that route, because there was just a lot that came with it. I was also just overwhelmed with the fact that so many coaches saw potential in me.”
“(And) to be in the conversation as one of the best players in the country? For me, where I come from, that’s huge,” she continued. “It just wasn’t something that I would have imagined. I definitely hold myself to a high standard, so even if some people think that something I do is good, I might not agree. But, for a committee of people to feel like I was good enough to be considered one of the best players in America, that was huge for me.”
With a number of schools after her, she chose Rocky Top.
She chose to come to East Tennessee for one main reason.
“The legacy,” Davis said. “That is so big for me. It reminds me of high school, because we had a huge legacy that was already built there. We had the most state championships in the state of Florida. I just like being around greatness. I want to be great and I want to be around greatness.”
Davis arrived in Knoxville ready to hoop and ready to learn.
Not only was she a highly-touted prospect on the court, but she was and still is a scholar in the classroom. She finished high school with her associate’s degree from Florida State College through dual enrollment classes.
She had half of college completed before even stepping foot on campus, yet what would normally be viewed as an advantage turned out to be a bit of a hardship for Davis.
“It actually made it harder. I would say it made it a lot harder, because of my class schedule,” she said. “It was way more strenuous than the typical freshman, because I had already taken those entry level classes.
“So, I’m 18 years old, coming into classes with juniors and seniors and they’re having discussions, and I am confused a lot of the time. So, I have to put in that much more effort in the classroom, which can be draining and take away from other areas of your life. So, it was tough.”
She pushed through the early stages of her freshman year, going through the life of lift, class, practice, repeat, rolling through the motions trying to figure out her new adventure.
Then, she found her feet and truly fell in love with her new home in a game that will never find its way into the Lady Vol record book.
“You know I don’t feel like I really became present here until our first exhibition game against Carson-Newman,” Davis reminisced. “I ended up having 27 (points) and 13 (rebounds). It was the first time I had ever put on a Lady Vol jersey. I was just like, ‘This is crazy. I am really at this school and really hooping.’ Before then, we were just practicing and it was cool, but practice is practice, it’s not the same as a game and that was just like, ‘Yeah, I’m here and this is crazy.’
“The game didn’t even count, but I didn’t care, because I really knew I was at the University of Tennessee after that game.”
Through three seasons in the Orange & White, Davis has started all but two games she’s appeared in, increased her scoring average each season, while being a monster on the boards, averaging 7.8 rebounds per game during her career which ranks No. 9 all-time at UT. Her scoring average (14.9), by the way, ranks No. 10 among any player in school history.
She also was named an All-SEC honoree as both a sophomore and a junior, was a 2019 and 2020 All-America Honorable Mention, earned the Chancellor’s Honors Award for Extraordinary Academic Achievement last year and graduated a year early with her bachelor’s degree in hotel, restaurant and tourism management and a minor in business administration this past May.
She’s even eclipsed 1,000 career points for the Lady Vols with an entire season still to play and could become one of only five players to stand in UT’s top 10 for both career scoring and rebounding. The others on that short list are Chamique Holdsclaw, Sheila Frost, Tamika Catchings and Candace Parker.
Davis has already earned a career’s worth of individual accolades both on and off the floor. However, this past season she earned an opportunity that not only changed her life and perspective, but provided knowledge she can continually bring back to her teammates.
In 2019-20, Davis was enrolled in Tennessee’s VOLeaders Academy, a program that was developed to cultivate positive student-athlete leaders through sport to create positive social change.
By using their platform in sport, student-athletes admitted into the VOLeaders Academy learn how to be a positive force for their team, campus, and local and global communities. The program aims to inspire student-athletes to find ways to use their influence and passion for sport to enact change that transcends their athletic success.
“I feel like everything happens for a reason and me getting into VOLeaders was huge,” Davis said. “My whole perspective on a lot of things changed. A lot of relationships of mine changed, obviously because my perspective was changing. And, I feel like it helped me a lot on the court from a maturity standpoint, knowing that as a leader, things are still not going to go your way all the time. Just because you get the title of leader, everything still is not going to be 100 percent how you want it.”
It was an experience that better equipped her to navigate the rigors of an already stressful life, while also helping her confirm knowledge she already had to prepare her for one of humanity’s most volatile periods.
“It made me feel like I am more than an athlete,” Davis said. “It was something I already knew, but VOLeaders confirmed that for me. I’m more than someone who just dribbles a basketball. If fans don’t want to view me a certain way when I don’t have a basketball in my hand, then I don’t want any praise while I’m on the court. VOLeaders just gave all of us that confirmation that we are more than athletes. There’s more to us than our sport. I think a lot of times fans don’t realize that. This is just something that we do, it’s not who we are.”
The experience also gave her a voice to better lift up the voices of her fellow Lady Vol hoopers.
“I do it all the time now. We have a freshman who has the potential to be a leader,” Davis said. “When you come in as a freshman it can be hard to say, ‘I want to help lead the team this year.’ But, sometimes it just is what it is. I have to let the freshman, sophomore, junior or senior do it. Everybody can get it done, and we need everybody to get it done. I just try to make sure my freshmen know that freshman or not, if something needs to be said or done, you have that right and authority to get that done for us as a team.”
As she enters her final campaign for UT, she also faces the most difficult question that gets posed to just about every college senior, “What’s next?”
“Definitely playing. Yes, yes, yes. I tell people all the time that I’m going to play basketball until both of my legs break,” she said jokingly. “I just can’t see myself without basketball anytime soon. I definitely want to go to the league. I should be on track for that right now, just got to finish out strong and then obviously in the offseason I want to go overseas and play. And that’ll be the cycle for a few years.”
When that fateful day does come and she has to fully walk away from playing, Davis has goals that both step outside the realm of the game, while also keeping her not very far away.
“I want to get into the restaurant business. I definitely want to have my own little restaurant, food truck or nice little spot with some wings or something,” Davis said. “I could also see myself coaching too. I just love the game of basketball, and I couldn’t see myself getting too far away from it. So, I’m not going to say coaching is out of the picture.”
Before we get there, though, there’s still a season to be played.
“Honestly, my personal, personal goals are something I don’t share, because that’s just me,” Davis said. “But, for this team, I always say that I want us to get better every day. I feel like even if we start at bare minimum, if we’re getting one percent better every day, by the time it’s time to play where are we going to be? Then by game 10, where are we going to be? Every day, if we improve in something it will all come together.”
It certainly will all come together. For @Legend_Hooper, the title of ‘Legend’ is something she’s always going to chase until she reaches the same status that so many Lady Vols before her have already attained.
“I still want to be a legend,” Davis reiterated. “That also goes into why I came to this school. Some legends have gone to this school, a legend has coached at this school, it’s like I said, if you want to be great, you need to be around greatness. I don’t know where legend came from, but it came and that’s what I want to be.”
The Tennessee-Gonzaga series has provided several classic showdown since the programs first met in 2007, and the next chapter in the non-conference rivalry has been set for Dec. 2 in Indianapolis.
The early-season slugfest between the preseason No. 1-ranked Zags and the 12th-ranked Volunteers will be played at Indy’s Bankers Life Fieldhouse as part of ESPN’s Jimmy V Classic doubleheader. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. The night’s second matchup features No. 2 Baylor against No. 8 Illinois.
Due to the pandemic, this year’s Jimmy V Classic will be contested without fans in attendance. Indianapolis also is the site of this season’s Final Four in April.
This will be the seventh all-time meeting between Tennessee and Gonzaga, and the sixth at a neutral site. In the most recent meeting, the Volunteers upset the top-ranked and previously unbeaten Zags in Phoenix on Dec. 9, 2018.
The Vols and Bulldogs have previously met in Seattle (2007 and 2015), Orlando (2008), Nashville (2016), Phoenix (2018) and once in Knoxville in 2009. Gonzaga leads the series, 4-2. At least one of the teams has been ranked in the AP top 25 for five of the previous six matchups.
Shortly after coach Rick Barnes was hired at Tennessee in the spring of 2015, he and Zags head coach Mark Few scheduled a two-game, neutral-site series that saw the Vols travel to Seattle (Key Arena) in December of 2015 before the Bulldogs came to Nashville (Bridgestone Arena) in 2016. Gonzaga won both contests.
In addition to its thrilling upset-win in 2018, Tennessee’s other win in the series was an 82-72 victory in Seattle on Dec. 29, 2007.
At the conclusion of the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season, Gonzaga owned a 31-2 record and the nation’s best winning percentage (.939). The Bulldogs also led the country in scoring offense (87.4 ppg) and scoring margin, winning their games by an average of 19.6 points per game.
Gonzaga is the only program in the country to have reached 30 wins in each of the last four seasons. The Zags extended their active, Division I-leading streak of regular-season conference titles to eight in 2019-20.
