Tag: Basketball

UT News: November 14, 2019

UT News: November 14, 2019

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The start of college basketball’s fall signing period began yesterday with a big splash for both the Tennessee Volunteers’ men’s and women’s team. The men signed an elite trio while the the ladies picked up a dynamic duo. On top of that, the women’s volleyball team rallied to defeat the Razorbacks on the road to keep the winning week for Vols athletics going.

Men’s basketball signs three top recruits

The big news on Wednesday was the signing of National Letters of Intent from a trio of promising prospects.

The ball got rolling when four-star recruit Corey Walker signed his letter, and he was followed up by five-star prospects Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer who also gave their official signatures. Head coach Rick Barnes had this to say about his newest crop of players.

“The combined talent and potential of Keon, Corey and Jaden is really exciting. All three of them fit the culture of this program and come from incredible families who have provided wonderful support and guidance to get them to this point. It’s our responsibility now to help each of them take the next steps in their individual development—not only athletically but also as men.”

The three freshly-anointed Volunteers are expected to enroll at the university in the summer of 2020. Next season promises to be an exciting one on Rocky Top.

NEXT: Lady Vols basketball sign two

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Lady Vols basketball signs two four-star recruits

Lady Vols basketball signs two four-star recruits.

KNOXVILLE — The Lady Vols basketball program got in on the college basketball signing fever on Wednesday, adding two four-star recruits.

Tess Darby, a 6-foot-1 swingwoman from Greenfield High School in Greenfield, Tenn., first verbally committed to UT back on October 18, but the paperwork is now official. The prized perimeter player is rated at four-stars, as well as the No. 33 guard and the No. 144 player overall by ProspectsNation.com; she is given a three-star rating and ranked as the No. 29 guard in the nation by espnW HoopGurlz. She won a state championship in 2018 and was a Class A finalist for Miss Tennessee Basketball that season.

Head coach Kellie Harper had the following to say about her newest Lady Vol.

“Tess is a skilled and competitive wing. She is a terrific shooter and has a high basketball IQ. As a native Tennessean, Tess has a great appreciation of what it means to be part of our university and the Lady Vol(s) program.”

Destiny Salary, a 6-foot guard out of Jonesboro High School in Jonesboro, Ark., is ranked as a four-star guard by both espnW HoopGurlz and ProspectsNation.com. She was a USA Today All-Arkansas Second Team selection in 2019 and earned Class 5A all-state in 2019 and Class 6A all-state in 2017.

Coach Harper also had some encouraging words about the four-star signee.

“Destiny is an athletic and high-energy guard. She is aggressive getting to the basket and defending the ball. Destiny has a magnetic personality that will be great for our team and Tennessee fans.”

 

The two women represent the first high school signees of the Kellie Harper era. She was quoted saying, “both Tess and Destiny are really good people, and we are excited to be adding them to the Lady Vol family.”

 

Chris Paul felt ‘stabbed in the back’ by trade to Thunder

Paul admitted on the latest episode of “Cold As Balls” with Kevin Hart that being dealt by Houston was “eye-opening” and said he felt “stabbed in the back.”

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Chris Paul may have orchestrated his trade from the LA Clippers to the Houston Rockets back in 2017 but apparently he wasn’t as prepared to move on from the Rockets this summer.

Despite a rumored rift with Rockets star James Harden, during the latest episode of Kevin Hart’s show “Cold As Balls,” Paul admitted that he didn’t see a trade from Houston coming. Kevin Hart asked if Paul felt like the situation was “a little eye-opening” or whether he felt “stabbed in the back.”

“Absolutely,” said Paul. “This last situation was one of them.”

Paul added:

GM there in Houston, he don’t owe me nothing and (when it comes to trades in the NBA, teams will) do whatever they want to do.

The comments come around the 2:55-minute mark.

As Yahoo Sports points out, the trade from Houston is just another memorable event in Paul’s NBA career that includes the banana boat, the failed trade to the Lakers and the fight with Rajon Rondo.

Since landing in Oklahoma City, Paul has been the subject of continual trade rumors. It is reasonable to believe that, should he be dealt to another team, he would see this one coming.

Through 11 games, Paul is averaging 15.3 points and 5.5 assists for the Thunder.

Report: Ferguson missed Tuesday’s game against Pacers due to custody hearing

Per a report from The Oklahoman, Ferguson did not travel to Indianapolis because he was attending a custody hearing with his ex-fiancée.

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Terrance Ferguson was not on the court for the Thunder against the Pacers on Tuesday.

His absence from the lineup against Indiana was officially listed as ‘personal reasons’, and according to Maddie Lee of The Oklahoman, the personal reason was a custody hearing with his ex-fiancée.

It’s the latest development in what has been an ongoing battle between Ferguson and his former fiancée, Lawren Jenson.

Per The Oklahoman, “Jensen filed an application for an emergency order for sole custody of their daughter. On Tuesday, a judge denied the emergency order, ruling in Ferguson’s favor”.

In a statement to The Oklahoman, the Thunder said:

“Terrance has kept us aware of this personal matter. But because it is a legal situation, we defer to his representation for comment.”

Ferguson had posted to his Instagram story on Nov. 2 with the cryptic caption “The devil is working his (expletive) off in my life. Y’all please pray for me and my daughter.”

As stated by The Oklahoman, “the custody battle began in June (2019) when Ferguson sought sold custody of their daughter”. The report also says that in the initial petition, Ferguson sought sole custody of their caught, stating that “it’s in the best interest of the child.”

Ferguson has started all ten games that he’s played for the Thunder this season. He’s averaging 4.1 points and 1.9 rebounds in 22.3 minutes per game.

Justin Patton recalled from OKC Blue

Patton averaged 6 points, 6 rebounds and 4.5 assists in two games with the OKC Blue. The Thunder assigned to him their G League affiliate on Nov. 6.

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The Thunder have recalled Justin Patton from the OKC Blue of the NBA G League.

The team announced the move on Wednesday.

Patton started two games for the OKC Blue, averaging 6.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 4.5 blocks, and 1.5 steals in 23.4 minutes per game.

In a 113-109 loss to the Agua Caliente, the G League affiliate of the Los Angeles Clippers, Patton played 24 minutes, scoring 10 points while pulling down four rebounds and dishing out four assists.

He was assigned to the OKC Blue on November 6.

Patton has seen limited court time for the Thunder this season, logging six minutes in Oklahoma City’s 120-92 blow out win over the Warriors. In that game, he missed both of his shot attempts, but did grab two rebounds to go along with a turnover and three personal fouls.

The center played sparingly for the Thunder during the preseason, averaging 3.0 points per game, shooting 37.5% from the field, hitting on 6-of-16 attempts.

Oklahoma City signed Patton in August of 2019.

Basketball recruit Corey Walker signs with Vols

Corey Walker signs with Tennessee.

KNOXVILLE — The Tennessee Volunteers men’s basketball program has signed four-star recruit Corey Walker to a letter of commitment, kicking off college basketball’s fall signing period. He was the first high school player to verbally commit to the Vols, as well as the first official signee of the 2020 class.

The 6-foot-6 small forward from Hastings, Fla. is one of three top-40 prospects in Tennessee’s 2020 class, and ranked 36th overall according to 247Sports ratings. He was the first elite prospect to commit to UT back in March after an unofficial visit convinced him Knoxville is the place to be.

According to Walker’s former high school coach Vince Martin, the University of Tennessee is a perfect fit for the talented prospect.

“Three things stuck out to him. Number one, the academics at Tennessee, being able to get a degree from a prestigious school. Number two is Rick Barnes and he’s huge. He feels really comfortable with coach Rick Barnes. That was the biggest thing. Then the culture at Tennessee, those guys are all bought in.”

Walker had also considered a litany of other schools, including Baylor, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Georgetown, Louisville, Michigan, USC and Xavier. Ultimately, he chose to bring his talents to Rocky Top, where he will undoubtedly make an immediate impact next season.

 

UT News: November 13, 2019

UT News: November 13, 2019

Welcome to a hump day edition of UT News! The men’s basketball team got a bit of a scare last night, but still managed to emerge victorious against the Murray State Racers. The sports scene around Rocky Top was otherwise quiet, though two major announcements were made for a couple of very deserving members of Vols nation.

Rennia Davis named SEC Player of the Week

Junior wingwoman Rennia Davis was named SEC Player of the Week Tuesday morning, the second time she has earned the honor in her career.

Leading the Lady Vols to a 3-0 start, Davis has averaged 16.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game, while shooting 44 percent and 43 percent from the field and behind the arc, respectively. She has managed two double-doubles in three games, bringing her collegiate total to 20 — that ties her for 16th all-time at Tennessee.

Davis exploded against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Monday night, dropping 33 points and grabbing 10 boards in an impressive win for the Vols against a ranked team. That tremendous performance likely clinched the decision to hand her the award.

NEXT: Chris Weinke named to join Florida Sports Hall of Fame

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Vols rally for win against Racers

Vols rally for win against Racers.

KNOXVILLE — The Murray State Racers came into Knoxville to play, and it took a second half rally for the Tennessee Volunteers to emerge with a 82-63 victory.

The win extends the nation’s longest current home winning streak to 28 games in a row at Thompson–Boling Arena.

Murray State kept the Vols in check for a good portion of the game, taking their first lead at the 16:05 mark of the first frame and holding it until midway through the second half. After a bit of back-and-forth, the lead was finally relinquished and Tennessee rode the rest of the way to victory. They held the Racers scoreless for the final seven-and-a-half minutes to seal the deal.

The Volunteers were led by Jordan Bowden’s 26 points, along with a couple of rebounds and an assist. Yves Pons was the only other player in double figures for the Vols, adding 19 points along with four rebounds and just as many blocked shots. Lamonte Turner dished out 14 assists in the winning effort.

Tennessee shot 50 percent from the floor, including an eye-popping 55 percent from behind the arc. They only coughed up the ball eight times, compared to 12 for Murray State. Their 68 percent mark from the charity stripe still leaves something to be desired, but a win is a win.

The Volunteers next face the No. 20-ranked Washington Huskies on Saturday, November 16, in Toronto, Ont. for the James Naismith Classic. Gametime is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET.

 

 

Rapid reax: Three takeaway’s from OKC’s 111-85 loss to the Pacers

The Thunder struggled offensively against Indiana, had some personnel issues that allowed Devon Hall to see his first NBA action, and shot well from the free-throw line.

There aren’t a ton of positives to come out of the Thunder’s first lopsided loss of the 2019-20 season, a 111-85 drubbing at the hands of the Indiana Pacers.

But here are three rapid reactions.

Oklahoma City’s shooting wasn’t just cold, it was downright frigid.

When Steven Adams missed a six-footer to start the game, it should’ve been a sign that the Thunder were in for a long night. OKC missed their first five shots from the floor and never recovered.

Their only lead came at 12-10 with 6:30 to play in the first quarter.

As noted by The Oklahoman‘s Joe Mussatto, OKC’s three-guard lineup of Chris Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dennis Schröder that has been so effective at times this year, combined to shoot only 8-of-28 from the floor. The trio accounted for 27 of the team’s 85 points.

Even Danilo Gallinari, who led the team with 14, had a quiet night and missed all of his three-point attempts.

Devon Hall made his NBA debut.

Hall saw limited time in Tuesday night’s loss, but it’s still good experience for the guard out of Virginia that the Thunder signed to a two-way contract.

He played for seven minutes and took only one shot, which he made, a layup with 5:55 left to play in the game.

Hey, the free throw shooting was good.

Usually, the free throwing shooting is something that stands out as a glaring negative on the post-game stat sheet.

Tuesday, it was one of the best things about the box score.

Oklahoma City shot 87.5% from the charity stripe, making 21-of-24. Gallinari was a perfect 8-for-8, Gilgeous-Alexander a perfect 4-for-4 and Abdel Nader and Dennis Schröder hit both of their attempts.

The biggest issue with the free throw shooting was that both Chris Paul and Hamidou Diallo, guards that need to be taking to the basket and getting fouled, didn’t take any free throw attempts.