Tag: Tennessee

UT News: November 15, 2019

UT News: November 15, 2019

It is finally Friday, and a slow one at that, as the Tennessee Volunteers football team head into a bye weekend before embarking to Columbia, Mo. to face the Missouri Tigers. In the meantime, the Lady Vols basketball team trounced Tennessee State last night, while the men gear up to take on the No. 20-ranked Washington Huskies on Saturday. But Tennessee athletics is more than just the major sports, and the others are the focus of today’s UT News.

Men’s golf team signs two

Tennessee men’s golf coach Brennan Webb announced the signing of two players to the team on Thursday.

Jackson Skeen, a Jonesboro, Tenn. native, is a top-150 ranked player in the 2020 class according to Junior Golf Scoreboard. He had a successful amateur career so far, including the 2018 TSSAA Class AAA Individual Championship as well as All-State honors in 2016 and 2018.

“Jackson (Skeen) has had a very successful career competing at the highest levels of junior golf and we are thrilled to add another Tennessee junior golfer to our roster,” Coach Webb said.

George Saunders comes from across the pond in Southampton, England, arriving in Knoxville after back-to-back top-20 finishes at the English Men’s Amateur. His addition to the program follows a long lineage of Vol golfers who hail from the UK.

“George will bring a wealth of experience to our roster, which will be important as we will lose eight upperclassmen in the next two years,” Coach Webb said. “He has had a tremendous amount of success in amateur golf around the world, as well as college golf the last two years at Midland.”

The two are promising additions to a storied program and will get their chance to contribute next season.

NEXT: Women’s golf also announces two signings

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Lady Vols throttle Tennessee State

Lady Vols throttle Tennessee State.

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KNOXVILLE — The Lady Vols basketball team remains perfect on the year after handily defeating the Tennessee State Tigers at home, 73-43.

The Volunteers never trailed in the game — the last time the match was tied came at the 3:36 mark of the first quarter, after which Tennessee steadily pulled away. UT’s largest lead of 32 points came at the 6:09 mark in the fourth quarter, and from there they drifted to a 30-point margin for the final score.

Sophomore swingwoman Rae Burrell led all scorers, notching 14 points off the bench while grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out three assists. Junior swingwoman and SEC Player of the Week Rennia Davis added 12 points of her own along with 11 rebounds for her third double-double in four games to open the season. Junior center Kasiyahna Kushkituah was the only other Vol in double digits, scoring 11 points along with seven rebounds coming off the pine.

The Lady Vols shot 42 percent from the field, including a paltry 26 percent from behind the arc. Tennessee’s 19 turnovers were also a bit of a blemish, but they outrebounded State 60-38 — 18 of which were of the offensive variety. UT shot 62 percent from the charity stripe, showing some continued improvement in that department, but still with some room to grow.

The next game is on Tuesday, November 19, against the Stetson Hatters at Thompson-Boling Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.

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.”

 

N.C. high school forced to forfeit football wins, miss playoff because of ineligible player

A North Carolina high school football program was awakened from dreamland Wednesday when it was informed that the best season in school history is now finishing before the start of the playoffs. 

A North Carolina high school football program was awakened from dreamland Wednesday when it was informed that the best season in school history is now finishing before the start of the playoffs.

Holly Springs (N.C.) High School finished the 2019 regular season with a 10-1 record, 5-1 in the competitive South Wake Athletic Conference. Now two of those contests have been ruled forfeits because of the use of an ineligible player, per North Carolina prep sports site HighSchoolOT.com.

The NCHSAA decided that Holly Springs will have to forfeit two games in which the ineligible player played, pay a $250 fine, and relinquish its spot in the 4AA state playoffs.

Slated as the No. 3 seed in the 4AA state playoffs, Holly Springs was to rest this weekend on one of the playoffs’ first round byes. Instead, the team will sit home and watch opposing teams compete, particularly No. 6 seed Garner and No. 11 seed, who are suddenly playing not only to win a tournament game, but also to earn a bye straight through to the third round, with the second round now passed over with Holly Springs’ withdrawal.

Here’s more specifics on Holly Spring’s heartbreaking forfeits, as outlined by HighSchoolOT.com:

Holly Springs will forfeit its Week 11 and Week 12 wins against Apex and Hillside. The forfeits will drop Holly Springs’ record to 8-3 overall and 4-2 in conference play, meaning the Golden Hawks will finish second in the SWAC, bumping Garner up to the first place spot.

More importantly, Holly Springs is missing out, thanks to one player and two weeks that now stand as the pair that kept Holly Springs from from playoffs and the potential for ultimate high school glory.

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.

 

 

UT News: November 12, 2019

UT News: November 12, 2019

November is one of the greatest months for college sports, especially with football on the weekends and basketball during the week to keep the fans occupied. Last night, the Lady Vols basketball team brought joy to the folks on Rocky Top with an authoritative win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Tonight, the men’s team has a chance to match the women with a victory of their own.

Men’s basketball play tonight

Tennessee men’s basketball faces the Murray State Racers tonight in the second game of their season-opening homestand at Thompson-Boling Arena. The Volunteers will look to extend the nation’s longest active home win streak against their foes from Kentucky.

This is the fourth time the two teams have met, with their last tangle coming in 2006. The Vols are currently a perfect 3-0 against the Racers in a series that was first played back in 1945 in Knoxville but did not resume until 2005 in Nashville.

Tipoff is at 9 p.m. ET and can be watched on SEC Network and online through WatchESPN, and can be heard on local Vol Network affiliates.

NEXT: Rick Barnes meets with the media

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Lady Vols victorious over Fighting Irish in big road win

Lady Vols defeat Notre Dame.

SOUTH BEND — The Tennessee Lady Volunteers came into town an underdog and made a big statement in their first major test of the season, defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on the road, 74-63.

Tennessee led by as many as 18 points after charging out of the gates after halftime, and only trailed once in the game — at the 8:55 mark of the first quarter. The Fighting Irish came as close as four points towards the end of the second quarter, but would fail to close the gap any further for the remainder of the game.

The Lady Vols were led by Rennia Davis, who exploded for 33 points with 10 rebounds and an assist added for good measure. Her double-double paced the rest of the team, which featured two other players in double figure points: Jordan Horston chipped in 12 points and Tamari Key added 11. Jazmine Massengill kept the window clean with 13 rebounds and also added nine assists.

Tennessee shot 47 percent from the floor, thanks in large part to Davis’ 12-20 effort, and managed to shoot 64% from the free throw line — both significant improvements from their previous game. The defense also came up big, with 12 blocks and no player with more than three personal fouls. However, the team’s 28 turnovers put a blemish on an otherwise excellent performance.

The next game for the Lady Vols is on Thursday, November 14, back home in Knoxville against Tennessee State. Gametime is set for 7 p.m. ET.

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