The HyperTexts
The Best Tennessee Vols Basketball Teams of All Time
The Best Tennessee Vols Basketball Players of All Time
Tennessee
All-Americans
Tennessee
SEC Players of the Year
Tennessee
All-SEC Players
UT Basketball Timeline/Chronology with Championships
Career Leaders in Scoring, Points, Rebounds, Assists, Blocks, Steals, etc.
While I provide a variety of facts and figures to back up my personal rankings,
please keep in mind that the rankings themselves involve personal opinion and
are thus far from a perfect science. Still, it can't hurt to look at the facts
and figures I have assembled here, to see if your personal rankings may need slight
adjustments based on new evidence. For instance, where would you put Lum
Reeder on your list? I think a sound argument can be made for Reeder to be first
or second, if we judge all players by how they competed in their own eras. If we
put Reeder head-to-head against the best modern-era
players, the results would be different. It's like comparing Babe Ruth to Mike
Trout ... the Babe still has his fans, and rightly so.
Player Rankings: The Top 25 Tennessee Basketball Players of All
Time
These are the best Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball players of all time, in
one fan's opinion, for whatever that's worth:
KEY: AA=All-American, POY=SEC Player of the Year, DPOY=SEC Defensive Player of
the Year
(1) Bernard King (3xPOY, 3xAA,
NBA superstar, 25.8 ppg [#1], 13.2 rpg [#2], 59% fgp)
(2) Dale Ellis (2xPOY, 2xAA, NBA
superstar, 17.5 ppg [#8], 5.8 rpg, 59% fgp)
(3) Ernie Grunfeld (POY, 2xAA, NBA first
round, 22.3 ppg [#2], 6.6 rpg, 51% fgp)
(4)
Allan Houston (2xAA, all-time points leader, 21.9 ppg [#3], NBA superstar)
(5) Reggie Johnson (2xAA, NBA first round, 18.3 ppg [#5],
8.0 rpg, 58% fgp)
Dalton Knecht (POY, consensus
AA, 21.7ppg [#4], 25.5 ppg in SEC play)
Knecht would rank higher if he had played more
than one year for the Vols.
(6)
Ron Widby (basketball & football AA, NBA, NFL All-Pro, 18.1 ppg [#6], 8.4 rpg)
(7) Chris Lofton (POY, 3xAA, composer of "string music")
(8) Grant Williams (2xPOY, first team AA, NBA
first round)
(9) Dyron Nix (NBA second round, averaged 22 ppg, 9 rpg his last 2
years)
(10) Ron Slay (POY, AA, 21.8 ppg, 7.8 rpg as a senior)
(11) Tony White (POY, AA, NBA, 17.5 ppg [#9], 24.5 ppg as a
senior)
(12)
Gene Tormohlen (AA, NBA, 15.5 ppg, 16.9 rpg [#1], Vols rebound leader)
(13) Paul Walther (2xAA, 3xAll-SEC first team, NBA
star)
(14) Ed Wiener (2xAA, NBA, averaged 16.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg)
(15) Jimmy England (AA, NBA, 20.6 ppg, 5.4 apg as a senior)
(16)
Carl Widseth (2xAll-SEC, NBA, 19.1 ppg [#4], 10.6 rpg [#3], first in FTA)
(17) Tom Boerwinkle (AA, NBA first round, 15.2 ppg, 11.3 rpg as a
senior)
(18) Len Kosmalski (NBA second round, 17.7 ppg [#7], 8.4 rpg)
(19) Mike Edwards (POY, 17.4 [#10], 19.4 ppg as a junior)
(20) Bill Justus (first team AA, 2xAll-SEC first team, NBA)
(21) A.W. Davis (first team AA, 2xAll-SEC first team, NBA)
(22) Danny Schultz (first team AA, 2xAll-SEC first team, NBA)
(23) Austin "Red" Robbins (first team AA, NBA star, 3xAll-ABA)
(24) Howard Wood (AA, All-SEC first team, NBA second round)
(25) Tobias Harris (NBA first round, Vols' first "one and done" player, 15.3
ppg, 7.3 rpg)
(25) Marcus Haislip (NBA first round, averaged 16.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg as a junior)
(25) Josh Richardson (SEC defensive player of the year, All-SEC, NBA star)
(25) Zakai Zeigler (DPOY, 3xAll-Defensive, first team All-SEC)
Still Climbing: Josiah-Jordan James, Santiago Vescovi, Jonas Aidoo,
Jahmai Mashack
High
Honorable Mention: Kyle Alexander, Harry Anderson, Howard Bayne (NBA), Jordan Bone (NBA-2R), Jordan Bowden, Orb Bowling (NBA), Michael Brooks (NBA-4R), Art Burris (NBA), Willie Burton (NBA-6R),
Gary Carter (NBA-5R), Wayne Chism, Ted Cook (NBA), Bobby Croft (NBA), Terry Crosby (NBA-3R), Johnny Darden, Dan Federmann (NBA-5R),
John Fulkerson, Steve Hamer (NBA-2R), Billy Hann (NBA-4R), Tony Harris,
Gilbert Huffman (AA), Mike Jackson (NBA-7R), Fred Jenkins (NBA-6R), Don Johnson (NBA-5R), Keon
Johnson NBA-1R #21) Ian Lockhart (NBA), Floyd Marshall, Jordan McRae (NBA), Bernie Mehen (AA), Richard Mehen (AA/NBA),
Garland O'Shields (AA/NBA), Yves Pons (DPOY), C. A. "Lum" Reeder, Jaden
Springer (NBA-1R #28), Larry Robinson (NBA), Doug Roth (NBA-2R), Admiral Schofield (NBA-2R), Danny Schultz (AA), Dalen Showalter (NBA-4R), JaJuan Smith,
John Snow, Jarnell Stokes (NBA), Herman Thompson, Lamonte Turner, C.J. Watson (NBA), Vincent Yarbrough (NBA-2R)
Consensus First-Team All-Americans
Bernard King (1977)
Dale Ellis (1983)
Grant Williams (2019)
Dalton Knecht (2024)
Four of the SEC's top 10 all-time scorers
Since 1985, the SEC's two highest point producers have been Allan
Houston and Chris Lofton. Four of the top 10 SEC scorers of all time are Vols:
Allan Houston (#2), Ernie Grunfeld (#5), Tony "The Wizard" White (#6), and Chris Lofton
(#10). There must be something in the East Tennessee water
that produces so much sweet string music! And of course Bernard King would be
second only to Pistol Pete Maravich if he had played his senior year at Tennessee.
Multiple SEC Player of the Year Awards
Grant Williams was the first repeat SEC Player of the Year winner in 25 years.
The last 3-time winner was Bernard King over 40 years ago, in 1977. The only
other 3-time winner was Pistol Pete Maravich.
The Forgotten Superstar
If we judge players strictly by how they competed in their own eras, Bernard
King may have a rival for number one.
Columbus Alexander "Lum" Reeder was Tennessee's first basketball star.
Reeder scored 27 points in his first game as a freshman in 1913, during an era
when entire teams usually didn't score that many. Reeder
had 41 points against Maryville
College, a record that stood for nearly half a century and was akin to Wilt
Chamberlain's 100-point game, at the time. Reeder led Tennessee to 6 consecutive victories
over Kentucky from 1915 to 1917, often scoring nearly as much as the entire
Kentucky team, and once outscoring them by himself! Lum Reeder and Ernie
Grunfeld are tied for the most victories over Kentucky, with 6 each, but
Reeder was on another planet when compared to the players of his day. Other
Tennessee stars of the World War I era were Vic Klein, Lloyd Wolfe and Frank
Callaway.
These are expanded bios and stats for the players above. That is followed by
Team Rankings. Then an extensive Timeline puts things in proper order and perspective.
All-Time Tennessee Volunteers Basketball First Team
The All-Time Tennessee Basketball First Team is led by "Ernie & Bernie" and
three of the greatest pure shooters ever to play the game: Chris Lofton, Allan
Houston and Dale Ellis. Bernard King is the runaway choice as the best player in
the history of Vols basketball. Grant Williams reminds me of Adrian Dantley but with more
muscles and pizzazz. Reggie Johnson
is my center. Grunfeld and Ellis could play power forward, small forward or
shooting guard. I am making Dalton Knecht an honorary member despite his playing
just one season for the Vols.
Small Forward: Bernard King (1975-1977)
averaged 25.8 ppg, 13.2 rpg, .590 fg%
Bernard King was a 3-time SEC player of the year; the only other 3-time
winner was Pistol Pete Maravich. King was also a 3-time consensus
first team All-American and remains the all-time Tennessee leader in points per game (25.8), 30-point
games (26), 40-point games (5), and double-doubles (62). King had a
double-double in 62 of his 76 games. He is second in rebounds (1,004)
despite only playing 3 years. King also owns 3 of top 4 scoring averages in Tennessee history. King scored 42 points in his first game as a
Vol . He was a first-round NBA draft pick (#7) and went on to
become an NBA superstar and Hall-of-Famer. (Triva tidbit: Kings reigned in the SEC from 1975 to 1979, as Bernard King was the SEC
player of the year 3 times, then was immediately followed by Reggie King, a 2-time
winner for Alabama.)
Power Forward: Grant Williams (2017-2019) was a 2-time SEC player of the year who
as a junior averaged 18.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.5 bpg, 1.1 spg with a .591 true shooting
percentage.
While Bernard is undoubtedly the King of Tennessee basketball (pardon the pun),
Grant Williams may be the Crown Prince. As a junior his PER (personal efficiency
rating) was second in major college basketball only to Zion Williamson of
Duke and Brandon Clarke of Gonzaga. Williams was a first team consensus All-American
as a junior. In this elite company Williams averages roughly the
same assists as Chris Lofton and Allan Houston, nearly as many rebounds as
Reggie Johnson, and
rivals Bernard King and Dale Ellis in scoring efficiency. And Williams was way above average
at blocking shots, steals, drawing fouls, clever passing, and all the "little
things" that are really not so little. Thus, Williams may be second only to the King. Williams, despite being an unheralded
3-star recruit, was the
SEC player of the year as a sophomore. Then, as a junior, according to head
coach Rick Barnes, he improved in every area of the game while leading the Vols to a
multi-week stint with the #1 national ranking. He broke a Vols record and fell
one short of a 60-year-old NCAA record by making all 23 free throws against
Vanderbilt. He's the first Vol since Chris Lofton in 2008 to be named a first-team
All-American and just the second since Dale Ellis in 1983. Williams
was the SEC's leading scorer and was in the
top 10 in field-goal percentage (2nd), free-throw percentage (3rd),
rebounding (5th) and assist/turnover ratio (9th). Williams was also named a
2019 Citizen Naismith Trophy Men's Player of the Year semifinalist, a Naismith
Defensive Player of the Year Award semifinalist, a Karl Malone Power Forward of
the Year finalist, and was selected for the Oscar Robertson Trophy Final
Midseason Watch List and the Men's National Ballot for the John R. Wooden Award.
Point Guard: Chris Lofton (2005-2008) averaged
16.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.7 apg, .519 2p%, .422 3p%, .854 ft%
Chris Lofton was 3-time All-American and 3 times All-SEC. He holds the
SEC record for career 3-pointers made with 431 (that was third all-time when he completed his career). He is fifth in SEC
3-point field goal percentage at 42.2%. Lofton's 7 SEC player of the
week honors are the most in league history.
Shooting Guard:
Allan Houston (1990-1993) averaged 21.9 ppg, 4.0
rpg, 3.6 apg, .486 2p%, .424 3p%, .849 ft%
Allan Houston was a 2-time All-American. He is also Tennessee's all-time leading scorer
and remains the SEC's second all-time leading scorer. Houston averaged 20
points or better each of the 4 seasons he played for the Vols and holds the
Vols' single season record with 806 points in 1990-1991. He was the son of Vols coach Wade Houston, but he earned his opportunities by
being one of the best shooters in college basketball history. His
2,801 career points ranked 13th in NCAA history at the conclusion of his
college career. Houston was also sixth in made 3-pointers at the time and he
remains fourth in SEC history. Like Grunfeld he was first team All-SEC all 4 years he played for the Vols.
Houston was a first-round NBA draft pick (11th selection overall) of the Detroit
Pistons in 1993, and he went on to be an NBA all-star twice.
Center: Reggie Johnson (1977-1980) averaged
18.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg, .580 fg%, .731 ft%
Reggie Johnson was the best all-round center in Tennessee
basketball history. A 2-time All-American first teamer, Johnson is in
Tennessee's top 10 for points, rebounds, blocks, field goal percentage and true
shooting percentage. A first-round NBA draft pick, he went on to average 8.4 ppg
and 4.1 rpg in the big league.
Swingman: Ernie Grunfeld (1974-1977) averaged 22.3
ppg, 6.6 rpg, .506 fg%, .789 ft%
Ernie Grunfeld was a 2-time All-American and 1977 SEC player of the year. He
was somewhat overshadowed by his superstar teammate Bernard
King (he might have been a 3- or 4-time winner of the SEC player of the
year otherwise). Grunfeld was first-team All-SEC all 4 years he played for the Vols. Grunfeld was a near-perfect swingman: strong enough to play
forward, smooth enough to play shooting guard. He became Tennessee's first
basketball Olympian when he helped lead the United States to the gold medal at
the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Canada. After retiring from the NBA, Grunfeld
climbed through the NBA front office ranks to become the general manager of the
New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks, before taking over as the president of
basketball operations for the Washington Wizards in 2003.
Swingman: Dale Ellis (1980-1983) averaged
17.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg, .595 fg%, .765 ft%
Dale Ellis was 2-time SEC player of the year and 2-time first team
All-American. Ellis was an unusual swingman. He played mostly inside while at
Tennessee, with a phenomenal true shooting percentage of .627 for an undersized
power forward. He then became one of the NBA's star 3-point specialists as
an oversized shooting guard and sometimes small forward. Ellis was All-NBA in
1988-89, when he averaged a career-best 27.5 points per game. Always a very
efficient shooter, at age 37 he led the NBA in 3-point accuracy at .464 and
effective field goal percentage at .588.
Swingman: Dalton Knecht (2024) averaged 25.5 ppg in SEC play, only slightly less
than Bernard King's career average of 25.8 ppg.
Dalton Knecht in his sole season with the Vols was the SEC player of the year
and a consensus first-team All-American. He was inarguably the best player on
arguably the best Vols team of all time, and only the second to make the Awesome
Eight. And Knecht scored 37 points under immense pressure against Purdue in the
round of eight. That was a new single-game scoring record for a Vol in the NCAA
Tournament. Knecht's 103 points over four NCAA Tournament games (25.8 ppg) set a
new Tennessee record.
Knecht finished his Vols career with 780 points, the second-most by a Vol in a
single season, and would have probably broken Allan Houston's record of 806
points if not for a scoring lull in December while playing with an injured
ankle.
Knecht had a 40-point game, six 35-point games, eight 30-point games, and
thirteen 25-point games.
The 6-foot-6 guard had an unfathomable 103 points (34.3 ppg) in
three consecutive games, two of them on the road, with 28 against Mississippi
State in Starkville, 36 against Georgia in Athens, and 39 against Florida in
Knoxville. And those games came within a six-day stretch. Over that three-game
span, Knecht averaged just over 57 percent from the floor and just under 58
percent from three-point range, when everyone in the arena knew he was going to
be shooting. Chris Lofton had held the Vols record for most points in a
three-game stretch with 89 (29.7 ppg), and Knecht destroyed it. The only other
player in Hall-of-Fame head coach Rick Barnes' storied career to score 103
points in three games was Kevin Durant, arguably a top 10 player of all time.
With three 35-point games in just 17 appearances, Knecht beame the sixth Vol to
have at least three 35-point games, joining Bernard King (11), Ernie Grunfeld
(8), Allan Houston (6), Tony White (4) and Dale Ellis (3). He would go on to tie
Houston, who took four years to do what Knecht did in one.
The last SEC player with consecutive 35-point games was Shaquille ONeal nearly
33 years prior, on Feb. 17 and Feb. 20, 1991.
Knecht is second in Vols history only to Grant Williams in box plus-minus for a
single season, 11.3 to 12.7.
Knecht is fourth in career scoring average for the Vols: Bernard King (25.8),
Ernie Grunfeld (22.3), Allan Houston (21.9), Dalton Knecht (21.7), Carl Widseth
(19.1),
All-Time Tennessee Volunteers Basketball Second Team
Point Guard: Tony White averaged 24.5 ppg as a senior with a .556 true shooting
percentage (AA)
Shooting Guard: Jimmy England averaged 20.6 ppg and 5.4 apg as a senior (AA)
Center: Tom Boerwinkle averaged a double-double his last 2 seasons (AA)
Power Forward:
Gene Tormohlen averaged 15.5 ppg, 16.9 rpg for his career (AA)
Small Forward:
Ron Widby averaged 18.1 ppg, 8.4 rpg (AA in basketball and football)
Swingman:
Carl Widseth averaged a double-double with 19.1 ppg, 10.6 rpg for his career
Tony "The Wizard" White was the SEC player of the year and an All-American his
senior year. He led the SEC in scoring his junior year (22.2 ppg) and senior
year (24.5 ppg). A scoring machine, White finished his college career second on
UT's scoring list with 2,219 career points (that was the fifth-highest scoring
total in SEC history at the time). He set the UT single-game scoring record with
51 points against Auburn, breaking Ron Widby's previous record by a single
point.
Ron Widby was an All-American in both football and basketball. He
remains the only UT student athlete to major in four sports: basketball
(three letters), football (three letters), baseball (one letter), and golf (one
letter). Widby hit
nearly .400 as a freshman baseball player, but decided to letter in golf
instead. As a football player, he led the nation in punting his senior year. The
same year he averaged 22.1 points and 8.7 rebounds while leading the Vols to a
conference title. He was named the SEC basketball player of the year and a
second team All-American as a senior. Widby set UT's single-game scoring record,
which stood for 20 years, against LSU on March 4, 1967, when he scored 50 points
on 19-of-39 shooting (both also single-game records) and went 12-of-14 from the
charity stripe. UT won the game 87-60 in Knoxville. After
graduation, Widby was drafted by the NFL, the NBA and the
ABA. He played one year of pro basketball with the ABA's New Orleans franchise,
then became a star punter for the Dallas Cowboys, playing in the Pro Bowl in
1971 and on a Super Bowl championship team the same year. During his career he
set an NFL record with an 84-yard punt, and a Super Bowl record with 9 punts
in a single game. After retiring from the NFL, Widby became a club pro at a
country club in Texas. After turning 50, he entered the qualifying school
for the Senior PGA Tour twice, just missing out on his second attempt. So
he was an accomplished golfer, a great punter and a record-setting basketball
player.
Tom Boerwinkle was the first 7-foot player in Tennessee history. He
was nicknamed "The Bull" and voted the best rebounder in the SEC by the league's
players. He averaged a double-double during his junior and senior seasons. He
was the fourth overall pick in the 1968 NBA Draft and played 10 seasons for
Chicago. His 37 rebounds against Phoenix on Jan. 8, 1970, has stood as a Chicago
Bulls record for more than 40 seasons. He ranks second all-time in Chicago Bulls
history with 5,745 career rebounds.
All-Time Tennessee Volunteers Basketball Third Team
Point Guard: C.J. Watson averaged 15.3 ppg, 3.9 apg, 3.1 rpg with stellar
accuracy as a senior
Shooting Guard: Admiral Schofield was first team All-SEC, averaging 16.5 ppg,
6.1 rpg as a senior
Center: Len Kosmalski averaged 17.7 ppg, 8.4 rpg for his career
Power Forward: Dyron Nix averaged 16.6 ppg, 8.4 rpg for his career
Small Forward: Paul Walther averaged 15.6 ppg for his career (AA twice)
Swingman: Vincent Yarbrough averaged 13.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.7 spg for his career
C.J. Watson is my "dark horse" candidate for the top 20 Vols of all
time because he was so good
at so many things. Plus he had a 10-year career in the NBA and that means he was
a seriously good player. Watson averaged 15.3 points, 3.9 assists, 3.1 rebounds
and 2.0 steals as a senior. And he was a very efficient scorer with a .627 true
shooting percentage, a .422 3-point percentage, and an .878 free-throw
percentage. It was a truly remarkable season, from every perspective. And it was
no fluke, because Watson finished his Tennessee career second in assists (577),
second in steals (198), sixth in 3-point percentage (.396), eighth in 3-pointers (401), and
fifteenth in scoring (1,424 points).
Vincent Yarbrough finished his Vols career first in steals (211), eighth in
scoring (1,737) and sixth in rebounds (862). In 2001-2002, he led the Vols with 18.1 points per game and 7.5 rebounds per game. He
ranked second in the SEC in scoring that year. He was a 3-time All-SEC
selection, making the first team his senior year.
All-Time Tennessee Volunteers Basketball Fourth Team
Point Guard: Jordan Bone was All-SEC as a junior, averaging 13.5 ppg, 5.8 apg
Shooting Guard: John Snow averaged 16.4 points his senior season
Center: Wayne Chism is the winningest player in Vols history
Power Forward: Ron Slay averaged 14.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg for his career (AA)
Small Forward: Jordan McRae averaged 18.7 ppg his senior year
Swingman: Lamonte Turner and Jordan Bowden (a tie between active teammates)
Jordan Bone finished his career with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.7, which
is the best in Tennessee history. He also had the best single-season mark in UT
history in 2018-19 with 2.91. At the NBA Combine, Bone posted the best times in
the shuttle, 3⁄4 court sprint and lane agility drills. His 42.5 inch vertical
was the icing on the cake. He was taken in the 2nd round of the 2019 NBA draft,
giving the Vols their best draft ever, along with first-rounder Grant Williams
and second-rounder Admiral Schofield.
All-Time Tennessee Volunteers Basketball Fifth Team
Point Guard: Tony Harris averaged 13.1 ppg, 4.2 apg for his career
Shooting Guard:
JaJuan Smith averaged 15.2 ppg as a junior with superior accuracy
Center: Howard Wood averaged 14.3 ppg, 6.9 rpg as a senior (AA)
Power Forward: Jarnell Stokes averaged 15.1 ppg, 10.6 rpg his last (junior) year
Small Forward: Ed Wiener averaged 16.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg for his career (AA twice)
Swingman: Bill Justus averaged 15.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg for his career (AA)
2020-2021 Tennessee Vols Capsule Summaries
The 2020-2021 Vols basketball team should be nicknamed Lefties 'R' Us. Yves Pons reminds me a bit of Dennis Rodman, the way he can do
so many positive things without scoring, and he has a better shot than Rodman to
boot. The Flying Frenchman can excite the crowd and his teammates with those thunderous dunks
and acrobatic blocks. Pons was named to the All-SEC defensive team for the
second time in 2020-2021. The only other Vol to do that was Josh Richardson.
Pons is also one of ten finalists for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year
award. He averaged 8.9 ppg, 5.9 rpg and 1.6 blocks during the regular season.
Air France is a special player and a joy to watch, so enjoy him
while you can! John Fulkerson is one of my favorite Vols. He
has struggled at times this season, but it's not for lack of effort. If he
rounds into form, the Vols will be hard to beat by the end of the season. As the
super freshman come on, I think The Incredible Fulk may be able to play a more
complementary role, and that may suit him best. But Fulky reminds me more of Mr.
Fantastic with the way he can stretch and be so flexible for a man his size.
Should we call him Fantastic Fulkerson instead? Fulky averaged
9.5 ppg and 5.7 rpg during the regular season. At times Josiah-Jordan James
looks like a man playing with boys, and like Pons he doesn't have to
score a ton to make his presence felt. But Trey J has a smooth
stroke and is able to
score if need be. He averaged 8.2 ppg and led the team with 6.1 rpg during the
regular season. Santiago Vescovi is a good ball-handler and
distributor at the point, if not necessarily the best hair stylist, and he has a sweet outside stroke to help keep
defenses honest. His teammates will be happy if Santi Claws
keeps delivering them easy baskets and ripping the ball away from the
opposition. If the Uruguay NetRipper can keep shredding the strings from
outside, so much the better. He averaged 8.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg and 3.1 apg in the
regular season. Keon Johnson has been as good as advertised.
Despite some "growing pains" his freshman season, KJ
shows the ability to create his own shot, and they are usually (if not always)
good shots. He averaged 10.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg and 2.4 apg during the regular season.
Jaden Springer reminds me of something a Vol fan said after
watching Bernard King the first game of his freshman year: "Damn, that kid can
PLAY!" The first time I saw Jaden
Springer play, he didn't score a lot of points, but I thought to myself, "Damn,
this kid can PLAY!" In my opinion Springer has remarkable composure and body
control for a freshman. In fact, I can't think of any Vol freshman in recent memory
with that kind of composure and body control. I think he has an extremely bright
future. The crazy thing about Springer is that he can waltz into the key and
"feel" his way to an easy shot. Somehow defenders are never close enough to
block that little step-back jump shot of his. It's uncanny, really, like
watching Adrian Dantley score inside against much larger, more athletic players.
Springer averaged 12.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg and 2.9 apg during the regular season.
Victor Bailey has a nice outside stroke and looks like someone
who can get hot quickly. He was fifth on the team in minutes when I wrote this,
so he seems to have the confidence of coach Rick Barnes. He averaged 11.2 ppg,
2.0 rpg and 1.7 apg during the regular season. E. J. Anosike
is a bit of an enigma for me at this point. He's the first player in minutes
after the top seven, so I'm guessing that coach Barnes has the most confidence
in him of the remaining players. But perhaps with reservations. For instance,
when Pons had to sit out the Georgia game, coach Barnes didn't go to Anosike for additional minutes. Instead, he let Fulkerson, James, Vescovi
and Springer each play 35-36 minutes each. That's not exactly a vote of
confidence in the rest of the bench. So where does that leave Olivier Nkamhoua,
Davonte Gaines, Drew Pember, Uros Plavsic, Brock Jancek and Kent Gilbert? My
guess is that Nkamhoua may be the bench player who ends up with the most minutes
going forward, after the top seven. Corey
Walker, a heralded freshman, is apparently still trying to work himself into
playing shape after a toe injury. It would be nice to see at least one of that
group step forward and challenge for more playing time. Suddenly, it seems a team I had regarded as
having good depth may not be so deep after all, in the eyes of its very
experienced and savvy coach. Tennessee has three five-star guards and may need
all three to deliver as they did in the Georgia game, unless Fulkerson returns
to form and Pons recovers quickly. But it is nice to have that kind of guard
talent "waiting in the wings" if you'll pardon the pun.
UPDATE: It seems I may have been correct in my small prediction, because with
Trey J out for two games, Olivier Nkamhoua was second off the bench in playing
time. Davonte Gaines was the only other sub to play in the disappointing,
regressive loss to Kentucky, and then only for four minutes. So this team
remains a work in progress, with depth issues, especially when there is an
injury or foul trouble. By contrast, Alabama played ten players in a close match
with Vanderbilt. Teams with better depth will be better rested at the end of the
season and more able to deal with injuries and foul trouble. On the brighter
side, Fulky looked like his old, energetic self in the come-from-behind victory
over Florida that secured the Vols the number four seed in the SEC tournament
and a crucial double-bye. If Fulky plays well inside, the Vols should be
contenders in the postseason, but only time and the boxscores will tell ...
Team Rankings
The first ranking below
is a team's highest ranking in the national polls or the KenPom rankings
starting in 2023-2024. The SEC rankings are where the teams
finished in the SEC East after the league created divisions, or in the SEC
otherwise, or where they finished in the SEC Tournament if higher. As in golf, the lowest combined score wins
at least until a Vols team wins a national championship!
Key Guide: AA=All-American during career, FF=Final Four, EE=Elite Eight,
SS=Sweet Sixteen, RS=Regional Semifinal, 2R=2nd Round, 1R=1st Round
NAT'L/
--YEAR-- REC. SEC NCAA ROUND
2007-2008 31-5 2=1/1
SS Chris Lofton (AA), JaJuan Smith, Tyler Smith, Wayne
Chism, J.P. Prince, Ramar Smith
2018-2019 31-6 3=1/2 SS Grant Williams
(AA), Admiral Schofield, Jordan Bone, Lamonte Turner, Jordan Bowden, Kyle
Alexander
1999-2000 26-7 6=5/1
SS Vincent Yarbrough, Tony Harris, Ron Slay
(AA), Isiah
Victor, C.J. Black, Marcus Haislip
1967-1968 20-6 6=4/2 -- Tom Boerwinkle
(AA), Bill Justus (AA), Tom Hendrix, Bill Hann, Bobby Croft, Larry Mansfield
2023-2024 27-9 7=6/1
EE Dalton Knecht (AA), Zakai
Ziegler, Jonas Aidoo, Josiah Jordan-James, Santiago Vescovi
2000-2001 22-11 8=4/4 1R Ron Slay (AA), Vincent Yarbrough, Tony Harris, Isiah
Victor, Marcus Haislip, Jon Higgins
1976-1977 22-6 8=7/1 1R Bernard King (AA), Ernie Grunfeld (AA), Reggie
Johnson (AA), Mike Jackson, Johnny Darden, Terry Crosby
1975-1976 21-6 9=7/2 1R Bernard King (AA), Ernie Grunfeld (AA), Mike
Jackson, Doug Ashworth, Johnny Darden, Terry Crosby
1966-1967 21-7 9=8/1
SS Ron Widby (AA), Tom Boerwinkle
(AA), Bill Justus (AA), Tom
Hendrix, Bill Hann, Wes Coffman
2008-2009 21-13 9=8/1 1R Tyler Smith, Wayne Chism, Scotty Hopson,
J.P. Prince, Bobby Maze, Cameron Tatum
2005-2006 22-8 9=8/1 2R Chris Lofton
(AA), C.J. Watson, Major Wingate, JaJuan Smith, Dane Bradshaw, Andre Patterson
1998-1999 21-9 10=9/1 2R Brandon Wharton, Tony Harris, Isiah Victor,
C.J. Black, Vincent Yarbrough, Rashard Lee
1964-1965 20-6 10=8/2 -- A. W. Davis
(AA),
Danny Schultz, Larry McIntosh, Danny Robbins, Howard Bayne, Pat Robinette
1970-1971 21-7 10=8/2 NIT Jimmy England (AA), Don Johnson, Mike Edwards,
Jim Woodall, Lloyd Richardson, Greg Hawkins
1958-1959 14-8 10=5/5 -- Gene Tormohlen
(AA), Kenny Coulter, Dalen Showalter,
Don Reeverts, Charlie Scott, Bobby Carter
2009-2010 28-9 11=8/3 EE
Tyler Smith, Wayne Chism, Scotty Hopson, J.P. Prince, Bobby Maze, Cameron Tatum
1969-1970 16-9 11=6/5 -- Jimmy England
(AA), Bobby Croft, Don Johnson,
Rudy Kinard, Kerry Myers, Dickie Johnston
1980-1981 21-8 11=8/3 SS
Dale Ellis (AA), Howard Wood (AA), Gary Carter, Steve Ray, Michael Brooks, Tyrone Beaman
2010-2011 19-15 12=7/5 2R Tobias Harris, Scotty Hopson, Cameron
Tatum, Melvin Goins, Brian Williams, Trae Golden
2017-2018 26-9 14=13/1 2R Grant Williams (AA), Admiral Schofield, Jordan Bone, Lamonte
Turner, Jordan Bowden, Kyle Alexander
1982-1983 20-12 15=8/7 2R Dale Ellis (AA), Michael Brooks, Willie Burton,
Tyrone Beaman, Dan Federmann, Rob Jones
1981-1982 20-10 17=15/2 2R Dale Ellis (AA), Gary Carter, Michael Brooks, Steve
Ray, Willie Burton,
Tyrone Beaman, Dan Federmann
2006-2007 24-11 19=16/3 SS Chris Lofton
(AA), JaJuan Smith, Wayne Chism, Ramar
Smith, Duke Crews, Dane Bradshaw
1971-1972 19-6 20=19/1 -- Len Kosmalski, Mike Edwards,
Larry Robinson, John Snow, Lloyd Richardson, Wayne Tomlinson
1978-1979 21-12 21=20/1 2R Reggie Johnson (AA), Johnny Darden, Terry Crosby,
Gary Carter, Kevin Nash (pro wrestling's Diesel)
2013-2014 24-13 27=23/4 SS Jordan McRae, Jarnell Stokes, Josh Richardson, Jeronne
Maymon, Antonio Barton, Robert Hubbs
The best Tennessee basketball team of all time, in my opinion, was the
1976-1977 squad with Bernard King (25.8 ppg, 14.3 rpg, 3.2 apg, .578 fg%), Ernie
Grunfeld (22.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.8 apg, .536 fg%), Mike Jackson (15.4 ppg, 3.2
rpg, 2.9 apg, .467 fg%), Reggie Johnson (11.0 ppg, 8.1 rpg, .645 fg%), Johnny
Darden (5.6 ppg, 8.2 apg, .459 fg%), Terry Crosby, Chuck Threets and Bert
Bertelkamp. That team scored a record 85.7 points per game and had a record .535
team field goal percentage. There were 3 first-round NBA draft picks: King
(#7 overall), Grunfeld (#11), and Johnson (#15), plus 2 more NBA draftees in
Jackson and Crosby. King would go on to become an NBA superstar and
member of the Hall of Fame; he led the NBA in scoring with a 32.9 ppg in
1985. You can learn more about this team in the Timeline. However, the 2018-2019 team may
have been even better, and I will give
the stats that make me think so toward the bottom of this page.
During their 3 years together the "Ernie & Bernie Show" went 5-1
against Kentucky. Sports Illustrated dubbed the dynamic duo "Double Trouble from
Tennessee" (although both were originally from New York).
The Vols made the Sweet Sixteen in 1967, 1981, 2000, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2014.
The 2009-2010 squad was the only Vols team to reach the Elite Eight before the
2023-2024 squad. They did so
despite having lost their most talented player, Tyler Smith, on a misdemeanor
gun charge. The 2009-2010 Vols were led by Wayne Chism, Brian Williams, J.P. Prince, Scotty Hopson, Melvin Goins,
Bobby Maze and Cameron Tatum. In the Sweet Sixteen the Vols upset favored Ohio
State and its national player of the year Evan Turner. In the Elite Eight, the Vols
lost by a single point to Michigan State and Draymond Green, missing the
Final Four by an eyelash.
That group of Vols beat #5 Ohio State, #2 Kentucky, and #1 Kansas (the latter when walk-on
Skylar McBee hit a game-winning 3 pointer).
The 2023-2024 Vols were led by national player of the year candidate Dalton
Knecht, star point guard Zakai Ziegler, Jonas Aidoo, Josiah Jordan James and
Santiago Vescovi. But they had no answer for Purdue's man mountain Zach Eddy,
all 7'4" and 300 pounds of him. Eddy had 40 points and 16 rebounds, offsetting a
37-point effort by Knecht. But making it to the Awesome Eight was a great
achievement.
The 2013-2014 team caught fire in the NCAA tournament, winning 3 games by
margins of 13, 19 and 20 points, then fell a "terrible charging call" short of
making the Elite Eight.
The 2006-2007 team made it to the Sweet Sixteen and had a 20-point lead against
#1 seed Ohio State, but lost by one point at the last
second, just missing the Elite Eight.
The 2007-2008 squad beat a #1 team, Memphis. That was a matchup for the
ages because Tennessee was ranked #2 at the time. Also, it was a
much-heralded clash of East versus West (Tennessee). Tyler Smith hit the
game-winning shot and the Vols had their first #1 national ranking, not to
mention state bragging rights. That team set UT records for
regular season wins (28) and total wins (31).
The 1999-2001 teams set a record by spending 35 straight weeks in the national
rankings. That record was tied and is sure to be broken by the last team on this
list ...
The 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 UT team started out
as underdogs
predicted to finish 13th in the SEC. Instead, they won the 2018 SEC
regular season championship and were poised to
repeat in 2019 before finishing second to LSU's professionals (LSU coach Will
Wade was caught blatantly discussing payoffs on an FBI wiretap). Bernard King and
Ernie Grunfeld were heralded recruits who would have earned 5 stars
in their era. But none of the 2017-2019 players were 4-stars, much less 5-stars.
Still, the underdogs did quite well against Kentucky's
5-star recruits, going
4-2 in regular season play and beating them in the 2019 SEC
tournament. Also, the 2018-2019 team beat #1 Gonzaga
and lost only on the road to teams that were ranked in the Top 10 at some
point (preseason #1 Kansas, #4 Kentucky, #7 Auburn and #9 LSU).
At the conclusion of the regular season, all those teams were in the Kenpom top
20, the NCAA Net Rankings top 20, and the AP Top 25. Half the road losses were in overtime (Kansas and LSU)
and the Vols came back to avenge the Kentucky loss twice. The Vols went 19-6
against top 125 teams. They became the
first Vols to win 25+ games in consecutive seasons. They also set a team
record with 19 consecutive wins. And they finished 31-6, tying the all-time Vols
record for wins in a season. So this group definitely belongs
in discussions about the best Vols basketball teams of all time.
2023-2024 ROSTER:
Dalton Knecht (6'6", 204 pounds, projected NBA top 40 draft pick)
Santiago Vescovi (6'3", 188 pounds, preseason first team All-SEC)
Zakai Zeigler (5'9", 167 pounds, preseason second team All-SEC)
Josiah-Jordan James (6'6", 213 pounds, five-star, RSCI#20, possible NBA
draft pick)
Jonas Aidoo
(6'11", 205 pounds, four-star, RSCI#39, ESPN#71)
Jordan Gainey (6'3", 176 pounds, 2022-2023 First Team All-Big South)
Jahmai Mashack (6'4", 180 pounds, four-star,
RSCI#64, ESPN#97)
Tobe Awaka (6'8",
240 pounds, unrated but the Gatorade Player of the Year for New York, NY#4)
D.J. Jefferson (6'5", 190 pounds, four-star, #129 player, #29 small forward,
MN#2)
Freddie Dilione (6'4", 185 pounds,
four-star, #24 player, #5 combo guard, #1 NC player)
JP Estrella (6'11", 210
pounds, four-star, #39 player, #7 center, #1 ME player)
Cameron Carr (6'4",
160 pounds, four-star, #87 player, #17 combo guard, #3 MO player)
Cade Phillips
(6'9", 200 pounds, three-star, #132 player, #14
power forward, #1 AL player)
Colin Coyne (6'9", 239 pounds, transfer)
2023 RECRUITING: The Tennessee basketball team signed four members of its
eighth-ranked 2023 recruiting class: Freddie Dilione (6'-4", 185 pounds,
four-star, #24 player, #5 combo guard, #1 NC player), JP Estrella (6'-11", 210
pounds, four-star, #39 player, #7 center, #1 ME player), Cameron Carr (6'-4",
160 pounds, four-star, #87 player, #17 combo guard, #3 MO player), Cade Phillips
(6'-9", 200 pounds, three-star, #132 player, #14
power forward, #1 AL player)
Legends in the Rafters
These are Tennessee's retired numbers and/or retired jerseys:
Ray Mears (coach) on March 1, 2006
John Ward (broadcaster) on March 1, 2006
Bernard King (#53) on February 13, 2007
Ernie Grunfeld (#22) on March 2, 2008
Allan Houston (#20) on March 6, 2011
Dale Ellis (#14) on March 14, 2014
SEC Basketball Legends
The year is the year the player was inducted into the SEC Basketball Legends:
Reggie Johnson (1999)
A. W. Davis (2000)
Ernie Grunfeld (2001)
Tony White (2002)
Tom Boerwinkle (2003)
Dale Ellis (2004)
Ron Widby (2005)
Bill Justus (2006)
Allan Houston (2007)
Bernard King (2008)
Paul "Lefty" Walther (2009)
Don DeVoe (2010)
Jimmy England (2011)
Gene Tormohlen (2012)
Len Kosmalski (2013)
Ed Wiener (2014)
Johnny Darden (2015)
Vincent Yarbrough (2016)
Ron Slay (2017)
Howard Wood (2018)
Mike Jackson (2019)
25-Year All-SEC Team
Bernard King, first team
Ernie Grunfeld, second team
Dale Ellis, honorable mention
Dale Ellis also made the SEC team of the 1980s selected by SEC coaches.
Allan Houston made the ESPN Silver Anniversary ALL-SEC team.
Tennessee's All-Century Team
Dane Bradshaw
A.W. Davis
Mike Edwards
Dale Ellis
Ernie Grunfeld
Allan Houston
Reggie Johnson
Billy Justus
Bernard King
Chris Lofton
Bernie Mehen
Dyron Nix
Ron Slay
Herman Thompson
Gene Tormohlen
Paul "Lefty" Walther
C.J. Watson
Tony White
Ron Widby
Carl Widseth
Tennessee All-Americans
Consensus = For at least one season, the player was an All-American
according to the majority of ranking services
= First Team All-American according to one or more ranking service(s)
= Consensus First Team All-American
= Consensus First Team All-American and first-round NBA draft pick (very
rare: Bob Pettit, Pete Maravich, Dan Issel, Shaq, Anthony Davis, et al)
NOTE: I am going to use the term "consensus" a bit loosely. If two or more major
rating services rate a player an All-American, and one puts him on the first
team, while another puts him on the second team, that's good enough for me. I
don't think the ratings are so precise that, for instance, in 1976 Bernard King
can be compared to Scott May. More services had May on the first team, but time
has proven that King was the better player, while May, as good as he was, may
have been more a product of the Indiana system. So I'm operating on the
principle that, when players are this good, the second-teamers are damn close to
the first-teamers, and sometimes better. Furthermore, because the NBA spends a
lot of money on scouts and player evaluations, I am going to factor in NBA
first-round draft picks.
Three-Time All-Americans
Bernard King (3), Forward, 1975 (Helms), 1976 (Helms, USBWA), 1977
(Consensus)
Bernard King is the consensus (nay, the only) choice as the best men's
basketball player in the history of the Tennessee Vols. He was the SEC player of
the year each of the three years he played for Tennessee. He scored 42 points in
his first game as a freshman and was always the best player on the court
for both teams. He has the highest success rate against
Kentucky, with 5 wins in 6 attempts, for an 83.3 winning percentage. King is Tennessee's only men's basketball
representative in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (inducted 2013)
... Earned first-team All-American in each of his three seasons at Tennessee,
including consensus All-America honors following his junior campaign in 1977 ...
One of 5 players selected to the 25-Year All-SEC Team ... Along with Ernie
Grunfeld, graced the cover of Sports Illustrated on Feb. 9, 1976 ...
Finished his career second all-time in UT history with 1,962 career points and
1,004 rebounds ... Led the SEC with 25.8 points and 14.4 rebounds per game as a
junior ... Set the Tennessee record for highest single-season scoring average at
26.4 ppg in 1974-75 as a freshman! ... Entered the NBA draft prior to his senior
season ... Drafted in the first round (seventh overall) by the New Jersey Nets
in the 1977 NBA Draft ... Played 14 seasons in the NBA ... Led the NBA in
scoring when he averaged 32.9 points for the New York Knicks in 1985 ...
Two-time first-team All-NBA selection (1984 and 1985) ... Second-team All-NBA
(1982) ... Third-team All-NBA (1991) ... All-Rookie Team (1978) ... Comeback
Player of the Year (1981) ... Four-time NBA All Star (1982, 1984, 1985, 1991)
... Career scoring average of 22.5 points per game ... The first Vol to have his
number retired, as his No. 53 was hung from the Thompson-Boling Arena rafters
during a halftime ceremony Feb. 13, 2007 ... Named
an SEC Basketball Legend in 2008 ... Was
among 7 New York Knicks greats honored during a Legend's Night ceremony at
Madison Square Garden on March 23, 2009.
Chris Lofton (3), Guard, 2006 (Sporting News-2nd, AP-2nd, NABC-3rd, USBWA
District Player of the Year), 2007 (Consensus-2nd, NABC-3rd, USBWA District
Player of the Year), 2008 (Consensus-2nd)
Chris Lofton was one of the most prolific 3-point shooters in NCAA history ...
He was a
3-time second-team All-American selection, earning consensus honors in 2007
... He was a 2008 John Wooden Award All-American and Playboy All-American ... Three-time first team
All-SEC ... 2007 Associated Press SEC Player of the Year ... Recipient of the
NABC Career Achievement Award ... Seven SEC Player of the Week honors are the
most in league history ... Holds the SEC record and ranked third in NCAA history
with 431 career 3-pointers ... Broke virtually all Tennessee's 3-point
records, setting single-game records for threes made (9) and attempted (20)
and single-season records for threes made (118) and attempted (307) ...
Career 3-point percentage (.422) ranks second in school history ... Owned the
top 3 single-season 3-point efforts in school history ... Led the SEC with
20.8 points per game as a junior in 2007 ... Finished his career ranked fourth
in school history with 2,131 points ... Selected by the Iowa Energy with the
sixth overall pick in the 2010 NBA D-League Draft ... Inducted into the Kentucky
High School Basketball Hall of Fame July 12, 2014 ... Is still playing
professional basketball overseas, most recently in Turkey.
Columbus Alexander "Lum" Reeder
Lum Reeder was the first Tennessee basketball star and probably would have been
a 4-time All-American if such honors had existed in his day. Reeder scored 27
points in his first game as a freshman, during an era when entire teams didn't
score that many. He had 41 points against Maryville
College, a record that stood for more than 40 years and would be akin to Wilt
Chamberlain's 100-point game. Reeder led Tennessee to 6 consecutive victories
over Kentucky from 1915 to 1917, often scoring nearly as much as the entire
Kentucky team, and once outscoring them by himself! Lum Reeder and Ernie
Grunfeld are tied for the most victories over Kentucky, with 6 each, but
Reeder was on another planet.
Two-Time All-Americans
Ernie Grunfeld (2), Forward, 1976 (Helms, Converse), 1977 (Consensus)
Ernie Grunfeld was a 2-time first-team All-American selection ... He joined
Bernard King to form the duo "Ernie and Bernie" that dominated the Southeastern
Conference during the 1970s ... Earned SEC Player of the Year honors as a senior
in 1977 ... Four-time (1974, 1975, 1976, 1977) first-team All-SEC ... A
second-team selection on the 25-Year All-SEC Team ... Led the SEC in scoring
with 25.3 points per game in 1976 ... Finished his career as Tennessee's
all-time scorer and ranked second in SEC history with 2,249 career points ...
The first player in Tennessee history to score more than 2,000 career points ...
Career scoring average of 22.3 points per game is second only to King in UT's
record books ... The Vols were 78-29 (.729) during his 4 years in Knoxville
... Scored career-high of 43 points against Kentucky ... Became Tennessee's
first Olympian when he helped lead the United States to the gold medal at the
1976 Olympics in Montreal, Canada ... The Romanian-born Grunfeld also
represented the United States in the Maccabiah Games in Israel, the PanAm Games
in Mexico City and the International Cup in Europe ...
The 11th overall
pick in the 1977 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks ... Enjoyed a
9-year pro
career, playing for the Bucks, Kansas City Kings and New York Knicks ... Climbed
through the NBA front office ranks to become the general manager of the New York
Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks before taking over as the president of basketball
operations for the Washington Wizards in 2003 ...
Named an SEC Basketball Legend
in 2001
... Had his No. 22 retired by Tennessee during a halftime ceremony March 2, 2008
... Currently holds the title of president of the Wizards.
Dale Ellis (2), Forward, 1982 (Consensus), 1983 (Consensus)
Dale Ellis was a 2-time first-team All-American ... USBWA first team
All-American in 1982 ... Earned consensus first-team All-American honors in 1983
... 1983 Playboy Preseason All-American selection ... Three-time (1981, 1982,
1983) first-team All-SEC ... Two-time (1982 and 1983) Southeastern Conference
Player of the Year ... In a poll of the SEC's coaches in 1989 by the Clarion
Ledger/Jackson Daily News, was named to the SEC Team of the 1980s ... An
honorable mention pick on the 25-Year All-SEC Team ... Selected to the SEC
All-Freshman team in 1980 ... Sports Illustrated National Player of the Week for
the week of Jan. 30, 1982 ... Led the SEC in field-goal percentage in 1982 by
making 65.4 percent of his shots ... Set a Tennessee record (since broken) for
single-season scoring with 724 points in 1982-83 ... Led Tennessee to a 20-10
overall record and the 1981-82 Southeastern Conference championship ... Finished
his career third on Tennessee's career scoring list with 2,065 career
points ... Finished his collegiate career holding Tennessee field-goal
percentage records for both single-season (65.4 percent in 1981-82) and career
(59.5 percent) ... The ninth overall selection in the 1983 NBA Draft by the
Dallas Mavericks ... Played 19 seasons in the NBA for 9 different teams ...
Arguably the best 3-point shooter in NBA history, he led the league with a .464
3-point shooting percentage in 1997-98 ... Earned third-team All-NBA honors in
1988-89, when he averaged a career-best 27.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game
... Won the NBA Long Distance Shootout during the 1989 All-Star Weekend in
Houston ... Scored 27 points on 12-of-16 shooting in the 1989 NBA All-Star Game
... Earned the NBA Most Improved Player Award in 1986-87 when he averaged 24.9
points per game for Seattle ...
Named an SEC Basketball Legend
in 2004 ... His No. 14
jersey was retired by Tennessee during a pregame ceremony March 1, 2014 ...
Inducted into the Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame on Feb. 6, 2015.
Reggie Johnson (2), Center, 1979 (Helms), 1980 (Consensus)
Reggie Johnson was a 2-time first-team All-American selection ... Three-time
(1978, 1979, 1980) first-team All-SEC ... Led the SEC in field-goal percentage
in 1977 by making 64.5 percent of his shots ... Finished his career second
all-time on Tennessee's scoring list with 2,103 career points ... Helped lead
the Vols to a 22-6 overall record and the 1977 Southeastern Conference
championship ... Named team MVP three times (1978, 1979, 1980) ...
The 15th
overall pick in the 1980 NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs ... Played
7
seasons in the NBA with San Antonio, Cleveland, Kansas City, Philadelphia and
New Jersey ...
Named an SEC Basketball Legend
in 1999.
Allan Houston (2), Guard, 1992 (Playboy, Sporting News-2nd, NABC-3nd, AP-HM),
1993 (Playboy, Sporting News-2nd, AP-3rd, NACB-3rd)
Allan Houston was a 2-time second-team All-American selection ... He finished
his career as Tennessee's all-time leading scorer with 2,801 career points and
ranked 13th in NCAA history at the time ... His 346 career 3-pointers led the
SEC and ranked sixth all-time in the NCAA ... Led the SEC in scoring with 22.3
points in 1993 ... Became only the fourth player in SEC history to score 2,000
points in three seasons ... Joined Ernie Grunfeld as UT's only players to be
4-time first-team All-SEC selections ... Named MVP of the 1991 SEC Tournament
... Selected to the ESPN Silver Anniversary All-SEC Team in 2004 ... 1989
McDonald's All-American (high school) ... A member of
the United State's gold-medal-winning team at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney,
Australia ... First-round draft pick (11th selection overall) of the Detroit
Pistons in the 1993 NBA draft ... As a member of the New York Knicks in 2000 and 2001, he was
named to the NBA All-Star team ...
Named an SEC Basketball Legend
in 2007.
Ed Wiener (2), Forward, 1954 (Converse), 1955 (Converse)
Ed Wiener earned All-American honors from Converse in 1954 and 1955 ... First-team All-SEC as a senior in 1955 after
earning second-team honors in 1954 ... Led UT in scoring and rebounding as a
sophomore in 1953 ... Became the third player in school history to reach the
1,000 career scoring mark, finishing with 1,212 career points ... Helped lead
the U.S. team to gold at the 1953 Maccabiah Games in Tel Aviv, Israel ... Did
not play high school basketball ... Played in the 1955 East-West All-Star Game
in Kansas City ... Played on the college All-Star team that toured with the
Harlem Globetrotters in 1955 ... Selected in the fourth round of the 1955 NBA
Draft by Philadelphia ...
Named an SEC Basketball Legend
in 2014 ... Is currently a
practicing dentist in Memphis.
Paul Walther (2) Forward, 1945 (Don Dunphy), 1949 (Sporting News-2nd)
Paul Walther was nicknamed "Lefty" ... He was named a 1945 first-team
All-American by Don Dunphy and also earned second-team All-America honors in
1949 by The Sporting News ... A showman on the court who was a 3-time
first-team All-SEC selection (1945, 1948, 1949) ... Helped lead the Vols to the
1945 SEC Championship with an 18-5 overall record and an 8-2 mark in league play
... Captained the 1949 team that went 19-7 and finished third in the SEC ... The
left-handed sharpshooter was named to the 1945 All-Madison Square Garden Team
after displaying skills against Rhode Island in the National Invitation
Tournament ... He led the Vols in scoring as a junior and senior with 334 and
462 points, respectively ... Played 6 seasons in the NBA with Minneapolis,
Indianapolis, Philadelphia and Fort Wayne ...
Named an SEC Basketball Legend
in 2009 ...
Passed away Dec. 21, 2014, in Atlanta.
Other Tennessee
All-Americans
Harry Anderson, Center, 1936 (Converse-2nd)
Harry Anderson was Tennessee's first All-American selection, earning second team
honors by Converse ... 1936 first-team All-SEC ... Named to the 1936 SEC All-Tournament team ... Led the Vols to
their first SEC championship in any sport with a 1936 SEC
Tournament title ... Also led the Vols to the championship game of the 1935 SEC
Tournament ... Averaged 14 points per game ... Team captain for 3 seasons
... One of 5 players named to the Knoxville Journal's Early Era (1933-63) UT
team ... Attended UT on a track scholarship ... Was the high point person at the
1936 SEC track meet ... SEC champion in the 100-yard dash and the broad jump in
1936 while also posting top-4 finishes in the high jump and the 22-yard dash
... Inducted to the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1999 ... Passed away June
21, 1996.
Bernie Mehen, Forward, 1940 (Converse)
Bernie Mehen was nicknamed "Houdini" for his proficiency as a ball-handler ...
Led the Vols to the 1941 SEC championship with a 36-33 win
over Kentucky in the finals of the SEC Tournament ... One of 5 players named
to the Knoxville Journal's Early Era (1933-63) UT team ... First-team
All-SEC in 1940 ... 1942 team captain ... His younger brother, Dick, was
a 2-time All-SEC selection at Tennessee (1942 and 1943) and was a 1942
All-America selection ... An all-state selection at Wheeling High School, he led
his teams to state championships in 1936 and 1938 ... Passed away May 11, 2007,
in Sylvania, Ohio.
Gilbert Huffman, Guard, 1941 (Converse)
Gilbert Huffman led the Vols to the 1941 SEC Championship with a 36-33 win over
top-seeded Kentucky in the finals of the SEC Tournament ... First-team
All-SEC in 1939 and 1941 ... 1940 team captain
... Led the Vols to a 45-16 record in his 3 seasons at UT ... A member of
the South East Conference All-Stars in 1940 and 1941 ... Coached the UT freshman
squad in 1942 before joining the Navy in 1943 ... Participated in an amphibious
attack on Omaha Beach in Normandy, France, on D-Day, June 6, 1944 ... Two
brothers also earned All-American honors at Indiana ... Vern Huffman was a 1936
All-American and Marv was tabbed in 1940 ... Passed away March 20, 2002, in
Destin, Fla.
Richard Mehen, Forward, 1942 (Pic Magazine-2nd)
Richard Mehen was named to Pic Magazine's second-team All-American squad in 1942
... Two-time first-team All-SEC selection in 1942-1943 ... Helped lead the Vols
to a 14-4 overall record and an SEC Championship in 1943 ... Named SEC sophomore
of the year in 1942 ... Led the SEC in scoring during the regular season and in
the SEC Tournament in 1943 ... Career was interrupted by service in the Air
Force in World War II ... Played professionally for 5 seasons following his
UT career ... While playing for Waterloo in 1950, averaged 14.4 points in 1950
while ranking second in the NBA with a 42 percent field-goal percentage ...
Older brother, Bernie, was an All-America and All-SEC selection at Tennessee in
1940 ... Passed away Dec. 14, 1986, in North Olmsted, Ohio.
Garland O'Shields, Guard, 1946 (Helms-3rd)
Garland O'Shields was nicknamed "Mule" ... He was listed as a third-team
All-American in 1946 by the Helms Athletic Foundation ... First-team
All-SEC in 1945 ... Two-time team captain in 1945 and 1946 ... Attended
Spartanburg Junior College before enrolling at UT ... Played 2 pro seasons for
Chicago and Syracuse ... Passed away Jan. 17, 2001.
Gene Tormohlen, Center, 1959 (Converse-2nd)
Gene Tormohlen was nicknamed "Bumper" for his rebounding proficiency ... He was
a 1959 Converse second-team All-American ... Two-time consensus first-team
All-SEC selection (1958 and 1959) ... Holds virtually all Tennessee rebounding
records, including season total (384 in 1958), season average (17.7 rpg in
1959), career total (1,113) and career average (16.9 rpg) ... Had 20 games with
more than 20 rebounds ... Considered
UT's first accomplished big man ... Led UT in scoring twice and finished
his career with 1,020 points ... Drafted in the second round of the 1959 NBA
Draft by Syracuse ... After playing 9 seasons professionally, he spent 12
years as an assistant coach in the NBA ... Also a member of the Indiana
Basketball Hall of Fame ...
Named an SEC Basketball Legend
in 2012.
Danny Schultz, Guard, 1964 (Converse-2nd)
Danny Schultz was a 1964 Converse second team All-America ... The first
All-America selection under Ray Mears ... Two-time (1963
and 1964) first team All-SEC ... Led the
SEC in free throw percentage in 1963 (87.3 percent) and 1964
(89.4 percent) ... Holds the Tennessee record for consecutive free throws made
with 39 ... Named the team's most valuable player in 1964 ... Led UT in scoring
as a junior and senior after transferring from Hiwassee College ... Averaged
15.9 points as a junior and 18.3 as a senior ... Drafted in the eighth round of
the 1964 NBA Draft by Baltimore.
A.W. Davis, Guard, 1965 (Consensus)
A.W. Davis was a 1965 Helms Athletic Foundation and US Basketball Writers
Association first-team All-American ... 1965 Converse second-team All-American
and AP/UPI third team All-American ... Two-time (1964 and 1965)
first-team All-SEC ... Captained the
1964-65 Vols that went 20-5 and finished second in the SEC ... Earned the
nicknames "The Rutledge Rifle" and "The Man with the Golden Arm" ... With his
height, long arms and feathery touch, his shot was almost impossible to defend
... Averaged 19.6 points as a senior in 1965 ... Team MVP in 1965 ... Finished
his career with 1,225 career points, which ranked third on UT's scoring lists at
the time ... Drafted by Los Angeles in the fifth round of the 1965 NBA Draft ...
After his playing days, he spent 6 seasons as an assistant coach on Ray Mears'
staff ... Helped direct the Vols to the 1972 SEC Championship ...
Named an SEC Basketball Legend
in 2008 ... Passed away
Sept. 23, 2014, in Knoxville, Tenn.
Austin Robbins, Center, 1966 (Helms)
Austin "Red" Robbins was a 1966 Helms Athletic Foundation first-team
All-American ... First-team All-SEC in 1966 ... Averaged 17.1 points and 12.6 rebounds as
a senior in 1966 ... Once grabbed 23 rebounds in a game against Ole Miss ...
Played just 2 seasons at Tennessee after transferring from Chipola Junior
College where he was a JC All-American ... Played 10 seasons in the NBA after he
was tabbed in the sixth round of the 1966 NBA Draft by Philadelphia ... Played
8 seasons in the ABA for 4 different teams and was a 3-time ABA
All-Star ... Also played professionally for one season in Italy ... Passed away
Nov. 18, 2009, in Metairie, La.
Ron Widby, Forward, 1967 (Consensus)
Ron Widby was a 1967 Helms Athletic Foundation first team All-America; he was
also an AP and Converse second team All-American and a UPI third team
All-American ... Earned
honorable mention All-America honors following his sophomore season ... Also
earned first team All-America honors from The Sporting News in 1966 as a punter
for the Vols' football team ... Two-time (1966 and 1967) first team All-SEC ... Named the 1967 SEC Player of the Year by
the UPI and AP ... Averaged 22.1 points and 8.7 rebounds per game
in leading the Vols to a 21-7 overall record and the 1966-67 SEC championship
... Averaged 18.1 points per game during his career ... Finished his career
second on UT's scoring list with 1,432 career points ... His 50 points against
LSU on March 4, 1967, stood as the school record for more than 20 years... Named
the SEC Sophomore of the Year in 1965 ... A 4-sport letterman who was also a
standout baseball player and a scratch golfer ... Drafted in the 12th round of
the 1967 NBA Draft by Chicago ... Played one season with the New Orleans
Buccaneers of the ABA ... Also a fourth round draft pick of the NFL's New
Orleans franchise ... Played 6 seasons of professional football with the
Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers ... A 1971 Pro Bowl selection, he holds the
Dallas record with an 84-yard punt against New
Orleans in 1969 ...
Named an SEC Basketball Legend
in 2005.
Tom Boerwinkle, Center, 1968 (Helms)
Tom Boerwinkle was nicknamed "The Bull" ... He was a 1968 Helms Athletic
Foundation first-team All-American ... Two-time (1967 and 1968) first-team
All-SEC ... Led the Vols to the 1967 SEC
Championship with a 21-7 overall record and a 15-3 league mark ... 1968 team MVP
... Led Tennessee in rebounding in 1967 (10.2 rpg) and 1968 (11.3 rpg) ... The
first 7-foot player in Tennessee history ... Voted the best rebounder in the SEC
by the league's players ... Averaged a double-double during his junior and
senior seasons ... Fourth overall pick in the 1968 NBA Draft ... Played 10
seasons for Chicago ... His 37 rebounds against Phoenix on Jan. 8, 1970, has
stood as a Chicago Bulls record for more than 40 seasons ... Ranks second
all-time in Chicago Bulls history with 5,745 career rebounds ...
Named an SEC Basketball Legend
in 2003 ... Passed away March 26, 2013.
Bill Justus, Guard, 1969 (Helms)
Bill Justus was a 1969 Helms Athletic Foundation first-team All-American ...
Two-time (1968 and 1969) first-team All-SEC
after earning honorable mention as a sophomore in 1967 ... Earned
Academic All-SEC and All-American honors in 1968 ... Helped lead the Vols to a
21-7 overall record and the 1966-67 SEC Championship ... Named the team MVP in
1969 ... An aggressive player who would dive for loose balls and battle the big
men for rebounds ... Led the NCAA while setting a school record with his
90.5-percent (133-of-147) free-throw shooting in 1969 ... Connected on 18
consecutive free throws against Ohio in 1969 to set a school record ... Knocked
down the winning free throws in the triple-overtime win at Mississippi State for
the 1967 SEC championship ... Finished his career with 1,236 points after
averaging 15.1 points per game during his career ... Drafted in the 10th round
of the 1969 NBA Draft by Philadelphia ...
Named an SEC Basketball Legend
in 2006.
Jimmy England, Guard, 1971 (Consensus)
Jimmy England was nicknamed "Mr. Clutch" ... He was a 1971 Helms Athletic
Foundation first-team All-American and a Basketball News third team All-American ... Two-time (1970 and 1971) first-team
All-SEC ... Led the SEC in free-throw percentage (89.7 percent in 1969-70) and
assists (5.4 apg in 1970-71) ... Led the Vols in scoring, free throws and
assists as a junior and senior ... Captained the 1970-71 team that went 21-7 and
finished second in the SEC despite being undersized ... A member of the SEC
All-Sophomore team in 1968-69 ... Finished his career third on Tennessee's
career scoring list with 1,407 points ... Averaged 20.6 points as a senior in
1971 ... Served as a student assistant coach on the Vols' 1971-72 SEC
Championship team, which recorded a 19-6 overall record and a 14-4 mark in
league play ... Drafted in the sixth round of the 1971 NBA Draft by the Chicago
Bulls ...
Named an SEC Basketball Legend
in 2011 ... Inducted into the Tennessee Sports
Hall of Fame in 2015.
Howard Wood, Center, 1981 (Converse)
Howard Wood was named second team All-America in
1981 by Converse ... Earned first team All-SEC honors as a senior in 1981 ... An
All-District selection in 1981 by the NABC and USBWA ...
Second round NBA Draft
pick by Utah ... Finished his career at Tennessee with 1,201 career points and
595 rebounds ... Named the MVP of the 1980 Sugar Bowl Classic and the 1979
Volunteer Classic.
Tony White, Guard, 1987 (Playboy-?, AP-3rd, UPI-3rd)
Tony White was a third-team All-American selection in 1987 by AP, UPI and
Playboy ...
Two-time first-team All-SEC selection (1986 and 1987) ... Named SEC Player of
the Year in 1987 by the UPI ... Joined Bernard King as the only Vols to win
two SEC scoring titles, leading the league in 1986 and 1987 ... Finished his
career second on UT's career scoring lists with 2,219 career points ... It was
the fifth-highest scoring total in SEC history at the time ... Set the UT
single-game scoring record with 51 points against Auburn ... Earned SEC
All-Tournament honors in 1984 and 1987 ... Selected in the second round (33rd
overall selection) of the 1987 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls ...
Named an SEC Basketball Legend
in 2002.
Dyron Nix, Forward, 1989 (AP-Honorable Mention)
Dyron Nix was an AP honorable mention All-American in 1989 ... Two-time
first-team All-SEC performer (1988, 1989) ... Eighth on Tennessees all-time
scoring list with 1,877 career points ... Averaged 16.6 points and 8.4 rebounds
in 113 games ... SEC scoring champion in 1988, averaging 22.2 points per game
... Averaged a double-double as a sophomore in 1987 (14.1 ppg, SEC-best 10.1
rpg) ... His 34 career double-doubles are fourth in UT history ... Had 8
30-point games as a Vol ... Scored a career-high 40 points against Tennessee
Tech on Nov. 25, 1988 ... Blocked 142 shots, fourth on UTs career list ...
Second-round NBA draft pick in 1989
... Played two seasons with the Indiana Pacers, then professionally overseas ...
Selected to the Tennessee Basketball All-Century Team.
Tony Harris, Guard, 2001 (Playboy)
Tony Harris averaged 13.1 points and 4.2 assists for his Tennessee career with a
52.4% true shooting percentage ... Named an All-American by Playboy, probably
prior to the 2000-2001 season ... Ranks fourth in assists and eleventh in steal
in the UT record books ... First team All-SEC after his junior year in 2000 ...
1997 McDonald's All-American (high school).
Ron Slay, Forward, 2003 (AP-3rd)
Ron Slay was one of the most entertaining players in SEC history ... Earned
third team All-America honors in 2003 by the Associated Press ... Named the 2003
SEC Player of the Year after leading the league with 21.2 points per game ...
Named a finalist for the 2003 Wooden Award ... Considered by many to be the best
sixth-man in the nation his first two years at Tennessee ... Earned third team
All-SEC honors as a sophomore ... Finished his career 13th all-time at UT with
1,569 career points.
Grant Williams, Forward, 2018 (AP-HM, NABC All-District First Team), 2019 (AP1, Sporting
News-1, USBWA-1, USBWA District IV Player of the Year, Bleacher Report-1)
Admiral Schofield, Wing Guard/Forward, 2019 (AP-Honorable Mention)
USBWA and NABC All-District
The USBWA (United States Basketball Writers Association) District IV includes
all Division I programs in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee and
Mississippi.
C.J. Watson, Guard, 2005, USBWA All-District
Tyler Smith, Forward, 2008, USBWA All-District
Tyler Smith, Forward, 2009, NABC All-District first team, USBWA All-District
Wayne Chism, Center, 2010, USBWA All-District
Scotty Hopson, Guard, 2011, USBWA All-District
Jarnell Stokes, Forward, 2013, NABC All-District first team, 2014 NABC
All-District first team
Jordan McRae, Guard, 2013, USBWA All-District
Grant Williams, Forward, 2018, NABC All-District First Team, 2019, USBWA
District IV Player of the Year
Rick Barnes, Coach, 2018, District IV Coach of the Year
Admiral Schofield, Wing, 2019, USBWA All-District
Jordan Bone, Point Guard, 2019, USBWA All-District
Rick Barnes, Coach, 2019, District IV Coach of the Year
Rick Barnes "overwhelmingly" won the 2019 USBWA Henry Iba Coach of the Year
Award
Rick Barnes was
a finalist for the 2019 Naismith Coach of the Year
SEC Player of the Year
Tennessee has the second-most SEC players of the year, trailing only Kentucky 16 to
13.
Ron Widby 1966-1967 Senior
Mike Edwards 1971-1972 Junior
Bernard King 1974-1975 Freshman (1)
Bernard King 1975-1976 Sophomore (2)
Bernard King 1976-1977 Junior (3)
Ernie Grunfeld 1976-1977 Senior
Dale Ellis 1981-1982 Junior (1)
Dale Ellis 1982-1983 Senior (2)
Tony White 1986-1987 Senior
Ron Slay 2002-2003 Senior
Chris Lofton 2006-2007 Junior
Grant Williams 2017-2018 Sophomore (1)
Grant Williams 2018-2019 Junior (2)
Tennessee All-SEC First Team
Four-Time All-SEC First Team Selections
Ernie Grunfeld (1974, 1975, 1976, 1977)
Allan Houston (1990, 1991, 1992, 1993)
Three-Time All-SEC First Team Selections
Bernard King (1975, 1976, 1977, he only played 3 years)
Reggie Johnson (1978, 1979, 1980)
Dale Ellis (1981, 1982, 1983)
Chris Lofton (2008, 2007, 2006)
Two-Time All-SEC First Team Selections
Grant Williams (2018, 2019)
Jordan McRae (2013, 2014)
Tyler Smith (2009, 2008)
Tony White (1986, 1987)
Multiple All-SEC Selections and Other Honors
This "point system" awards 5 points for SEC player of the year and first team
All-American, 4 points for 2nd & 3rd All-American honors, 3 points for All-SEC
first team, and so on ...
POY=5, AA1=5, AA=4, ALL-SEC first team=3, ALL-SEC 2nd team=2, other honors=1
[45]
Bernard King (1975 first team/POY/AA1, 1976 first team/POY/AA1, 1977 first
team/POY/AA1)
[28]
Dale Ellis (1981 first team, 1982 first team/POY/AA, 1983 first team/POY/AA1)
[27]
Ernie Grunfeld (1974 first team, 1975 first team, 1976 first team/POY/AA1, 1977
first team/AA1)
[20]
Allan Houston (1990 first team, 1991 first team, 1992 first team/AA, 1993 first
team/AA)
[20]
Grant Williams (2019 first team/POY/AA1, 2018 first team/POY, 2017 all-freshman
team)
[19]
Reggie Johnson (1978 first team, 1979 first team/AA1, 1980 first team/AA1)
[18] Chris Lofton (2008 first team, 2007 first team/POY/AA, 2006 first team/AA,
2005 all-freshman team/AA)
[18 ] Paul Walther (1945 first team/AA1, 1948 first team, 1949 first team/AA)
[15] Tony White (1986 first team, 1987 first team/POY/AA)
[14] Ron Widby (1966 first team, 1967 first team/POY/AA)
[14] Ed Wiener (1954 second team/AA, 1955 first team/AA1)
[12 ] Jimmy England (1970 first team, 1971 first team/AA1, 1969 all-soph)
[12] Ron Slay (2003 first team/POY/AA, 2001 third team, an injury in 2002
probably cost him a third honor)
[11] A.W. Davis (1964 first team, 1965 first team/AA1)
[11] Bill Justus (1968 first team, 1969 first team/AA1, all-soph 1967)
[11]
Tom Boerwinkle (1967 first team, 1968 first team/AA1)
[10] Gene Tormohlen (1958 first team, 1959 first team/AA)
[10] Danny Schultz (1963 first team, 1964 first team/AA)
[8] Austin Robbins (1966 first team/AA1)
[7]
Vincent Yarbrough (2002 first team, 2001 second team, 2000 second team)
[7] Howard Wood (1981 first team/AA)
[6] Jarnell Stokes (2014 first team, 2013 second team, 2012 all-freshman team)
[6] Jordan McRae (2014 first team, 2013 first team)
[6] Carl Widseth (1955 first team, 1956 first team)
[5]
Josh Richardson (2015 first team, 2015 all-defensive team, 2014 all-defensive
team)
[5] Admiral Schofield (2019 first team, 2018 second team)
[4] Wayne Chism (2010 first team, 2009 honorable mention AP)
[3] Tobias Harris (2011 second team, 2011 all-freshman team, and he played only
his freshman year)
All-SEC First Team Selections
Grant Williams (2019) [2]
Admiral Schofield (2019)
Grant Williams (2018) [1]
Josh Richardson (2015 AP, Coaches)
Jarnell Stokes (2014 AP, Coaches)
Jordan McRae (2014 Coaches, 2013 AP, Coaches)
Scotty Hopson (2011 Coaches)
Wayne Chism (2010 Coaches)
Tyler Smith (2009 AP)
Tyler Smith (2008 AP)
Chris Lofton (2008 AP, Coaches) [3]
Chris Lofton (2007 AP, Coaches) [2]
Chris Lofton (2006 AP, Coaches) [1]
Ron Slay (2003 AP, Coaches)
Vincent Yarbrough (2002 AP)
Tony Harris (2000 AP, Coaches)
Other All-SEC Selections
Jordan Bone (2019 second team)
Lamonte Turner (2018 sixth man)
Robert Hubbs III (2017 second team)
Grant Williams (2017 all-freshman team)
Kevin Punter Jr. (2016 AP second team)
Armani Moore (2016 AP honorable mention)
Josh Richardson (2015 all-defensive team)
Josh Richardson (2014 all-defensive team)
Jarnell Stokes (2013 AP, Coaches second team)
Jerrone Maymon (2012 AP, Coaches second team)
Jarnell Stokes (2012 all-freshman team)
Tobias Harris (2011 Coaches second team)
Tobias Harris (2011 all-freshman team)
Brian Williams (2011 sixth man)
Wayne Chism (2009 Coaches second team, AP honorable mention)
JaJuan Smith (2008 AP honorable mention)
Wayne Chism (2007 all-freshman team)
Duke Crews (2007 all-freshman team)
Ramar Smith (2007 all-freshman team)
C.J. Watson (2006 AP, Coaches second team)
Chris Lofton (2005 all-freshman team)
Scooter McFadgon (2004 AP, Coaches second team)
C.J. Watson (2003 all-freshman team)
Marcus Haislip (2002 third team AP, Coaches second team)
Vincent Yarbrough (2001 AP, Coaches second team)
Ron Slay (2001 AP, Coaches third team)
Vincent Yarbrough (2000 AP, Coaches second team)
Isiah Victor (2000 Coaches third team)
Tony Harris (1999 AP second team, Coaches third team)
Brandon Wharton (1999 AP, Coaches third team)
Tony Harris (1998 AP second team, Coaches third team)
C.J. Black (1998 AP third team, Coaches second team)
Brandon Wharton (1998 Coaches third team)
SEC All-Tournament Teams
Admiral Schofield 2017-2018
Jarnell Stokes 2013-2014
Wayne Chism 2008-2009
Tyler Smith 2008-2009
Steve Hamer 1995-1996
Allan Houston 1990-1991
HONORABLE MENTION
Kyle Alexander
Corey Allen (led the Vols in rebounding twice)
Leon Ammerman (averaged 15.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg as a 5-11 forward!)
C.J. Black
Jordan Bowden
Dane Bradshaw
Michael Brooks
Willie Burton (averaged 13.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg as a senior)
Gary Carter (20.2 ppg as a senior, with a .653 true shooting percentage)
Duke Crews
Bobby Croft
Terry Crosby
Brandon Crump is 12th all-time in SEC field goal percentage, at 56.72%
James Daniel
Johnny Darden (third in SEC history for assists with 715, fifth with 6.55 apg)
Sid Elliot (averaged 9.3 ppg, 10.4 rpg in 1962)
Mike Edwards
Steve Hamer (13.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg, .591 true shooting percentage)
Marcus Haislip (NBA first-rounder after averaging 16.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg as a junior)
Tobias Harris (15.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg in one season as a freshman)
Charles Hathaway
Jon Higgins
Scotty Hopson
Robert Hubbs III
Gilbert Huffman made SEC all-tournament teams in 1938, 1939 and 1940
Mike Jackson
Fred Jenkins
Don Johnson
Rob Jones (led the Vols in rebounds twice)
Ian Lockhart (averaged 13.1 ppg, 10.9 rpg, 2.1 spg as a senior)
Floyd "Biggy" Marshall made SEC all-tournament teams in 1936 and 1937
Jeronne Maymon
Scooter McFadgon (averaged 17.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.0 apg as a junior)
Kevin Nash (better known as pro wrestling's Diesel and Big Daddy Cool)
Herb Neff (Vols record 36 rebounds vs. Georgia Tech on Jan. 26, 1952)
Andre Patterson (led the Vols in rebounding twice)
Josh Richardson (2-time all-SEC defensive team)
Larry Robinson
Doug Roth
Dalen Showalter
J.P. Smith
Ramar Smith
Tyler Smith
Cameron Tatum
Herman Thompson (he averaged 19.1 ppg and 4.3 rpg as a senior 5-11 forward!)
Lamonte Turner
Isiah Victor
C.J. Watson (top 5 in assists and steals with a stellar .575 true shooting
percentage)
Brian Williams (he was a beast on the boards when Vols made their only Elite
Eight)
Rodney Woods (he led the SEC in assists 3 years running)
SEC Defensive Player of the Year
Josh Richardson 2013-2014 (1)
Josh Richardson 2014-2015 (2)
JaJuan Smith 2007-2008
SEC Sixth Man of the Year
Lamonte Turner 2017-2018
Brian Williams 2010-2011
J.P. Prince 2007-2008
Best Scorers
Bernard King: 25.8 ppg
Ernie Grunfeld: 22.3 ppg
Allan Houston: 21.9 ppg
Dalton Knecht: 21.7 ppg
Carl Widseth: 19.1
Reggie Johnson: 18.3 ppg
Ron Widby: 18.1 ppg
Len Kosmalski: 17.7 ppg
Dale Ellis: 17.5 ppg
Tony White: 17.5 ppg
Jimmy England: 17.4 ppg
Mike Edwards: 17.4 ppg
Danny Schultz: 17.2 ppg
Chris Lofton: 16.6 ppg
Dyron Nix: 16.6 ppg
Paul Walther: 15.6 ppg
Gene Tormohlen: 15.5 ppg
Tobias Harris: 15.3 ppg
Bill Justus: 15.1 ppg
Tyler Smith: 14.9 ppg
Herman Thompson: 14.7 ppg
Ron Slay: 14.4 ppg
Brandon Wharton 14.4 ppg
Mike Jackson: 14.3 ppg
Austin Robbins: 14.0 ppg
Harry Anderson: 14.0 ppg
Vincent Yarbrough: 13.7 ppg
Bobby Croft: 13.6 ppg
Steve Hamer: 13.6 ppg
John Snow: 13.5 ppg
Jordan McRae: 13.3 ppg
Tony Harris: 13.1 ppg
Jarnell Stokes: 13.0 ppg
Michael Brooks 12.6 ppg
Most Career Points
Allan Houston: 2,801
Ernie Grunfeld: 2,249
Tony White: 2,219
Chris Lofton: 2,131
Reggie Johnson: 2,103
Dale Ellis: 2,065
Bernard King: 1,962 (in 3 years!)
Dyron Nix: 1,877
Vincent Yarbrough: 1,737
Carl Widseth: 1,683
Tyler Smith: 1,680 (1,219 as a Vol)
Brandon Wharton (1,651)
Wayne Chism: 1,608
Michael Brooks 1,600
Tony Harris: 1,588
Ron Slay: 1,569
Jordan McRae: 1,521
Ron Widby: 1,432
Steve Hamer: 1,418
Jimmy England: 1,407
Mike Edwards: 1,343
Herman Thompson: 1,319
Isiah Victor: 1,304
C.J. Black: 1,261
Josh Richardson 1,252
Mike Jackson: 1,243
Bill Justus: 1,236
A. W. Davis: 1,225
Ed Wiener: 1,212
Len Kosmalski: 1,202
Howard Wood: 1,201
Don Johnson: 1,196
Paul Walther: 1,173
Lang Wiseman: 1,156
Fred Jenkins: 1,139
Jarnell Stokes: 1,129
Terry Crosby: 1,096
Cameron Tatum: 1,083
Bobby Croft: 1,071
Rob Jones: 1,070
Robert Hubbs III: 1,046
Gene Tormohlen: 1,020
Best Rebounders
Gene Tormohlen: 16.9 rpg
Bernard King: 13.2 rpg
Austin Robbins: 10.9 rpg
Carl Widseth: 10.6
Jarnell Stokes: 9.6 rpg (a record 337 offensive rebounds)
Tom Boerwinkle: 9.2 rpg
Larry Robinson: 8.8 rpg
Ron Widby: 8.4 rpg
Len Kosmalski: 8.4 rpg
Dyron Nix: 8.4
Reggie Johnson: 8.0 rpg
Bobby Croft: 7.9 rpg
Tobias Harris: 7.3 rpg
Steve Hamer: 7.2 rpg
Vincent Yarbrough: 6.8 rpg
Ernie Grunfeld: 6.6 rpg
Wayne Chism: 6.5 rpg
Doug Ashworth: 6.1 rpg
Tyler Smith: 6.0 rpg
Ron Slay: 5.9 rpg
Dale Ellis: 5.8 rpg
Most Career Rebounds
Gene Tormohlen: 1,113
Bernard King: 1,004
Dyron Nix: 944
Carl Widseth: 937
Wayne Chism: 930
Reggie Johnson: 920
Vincent Yarbrough: 862
Jarnell Stokes: 836
Rob Jones: 804
Isiah Victor: 799
Steve Hamer: 750
Don Johnson: 749
Brian Williams: 715
C.J. Black: 703
Willie Burton: 703
Dalen Showalter: 703
Dale Ellis: 679
Ernie Grunfeld: 664
Ron Widby: 660
Ron Slay: 639
Tom Boerwinkle: 632
Bobby Croft: 628
Howard Wood: 595
Len Kosmalski: 574
Tyler Smith: 494
Doug Ashworth: 455
Larry Robinson: 429 (in just 2 years)
Best Assist Men
Rodney Woods: 6.9 apg
Johnny Darden 6.6 apg
LaMarcus Golden: 5.1 apg
C.J. Watson: 4.9 apg
Clarence Swearegen: 4.5 apg
Jordan Bone 4.3 apg
Tony Harris: 4.2 apg
Tyrone Beaman: 4.1 apg
Most Assists
Johnny Darden: 715
C.J. Watson: 577
Rodney Woods: 525
Tony Harris: 509
Tyrone Beaman: 491
Allan Houston: 460
Michael Brooks: 397
Fred Jenkins: 388
Dane Bradshaw: 386
Jon Higgins: 352
Bert Bertelkamp: 332
Brandon Wharton: 315
Vincent Yarbrough: 293
LaMarcus Golden: 291 (in just 2 years)
Jay Price: 278
Clarence Swearegen: 263 (in just 2 years)
Career Assist-to-Turnover Ratio
Jordan Bone: 2.70
John Higgins: 2.20
Blocks per Game
C. J. Black: 1.8 bpg
Grant Williams: 1.5 bpg
Kyle Alexander: 1.4 bpg
Marcus Haislip: 1.3 bpg
Doug Roth: 1.3 bpg
Dyron Nix: 1.3 bpg
Steve Hamer: 1.2 bpg
John Fields: 1.2 bpg
Most Blocks
C. J. Black: 212
Wayne Chism: 152
Doug Roth: 146
Dyron Nix: 142
Isiah Victor: 140
Charles Hathaway: 133
Vincent Yarbrough: 131
Steve Hamer: 122
Reggie Johnson: 119
Marcus Haislip: 116
Grant Williams: 114
Rob Jones: 112
Brandon Crump: 107
Steals Per Game
LaMarcus Golden: 2.4 spg
Clarence Swearegen: 2.1 spg
C.J. Watson: 1.7 spg
Vincent Yarbrough: 1.7 spg
Fred Jenkins: 1.6 spg
Ed Gray: 1.5 spg
Chris Lofton: 1.5 spg
JaJuan Smith: 1.5 spg
Tyrone Beaman: 1.4 spg
Melvin Goins: 1.4 spg
Shane Williams: 1.4 spg
J.P. Prince: 1.4 spg
Gary Carter: 1.4 spg
Dane Bradshaw: 1.3 spg
Dale Ellis: 1.3 spg
Brandon Wharton:: 1.3 spg
Shane Carnes: 1.3 spg
Tony Harris: 1.2 spg
Josh Richardson: 1.1 spg
Tyler Smith: 1.1 spg
Most Steals
Vincent Yarbrough: 211
C.J. Watson: 198
Chris Lofton: 193
JaJuan Smith: 188
Fred Jenkins: 177
Tyrone Beaman: 173
Dane Bradshaw: 162
Dale Ellis: 154
Brandon Wharton: 150
Josh Richardson: 147
Tony Harris: 145
LaMarcus Golden: 138 (in just 2 years)
Allan Houston: 133
Gary Carter: 132
J.P. Prince: 130
Jon Higgins: 130
Clarence Swearegen: 121 (in just 2 years)
True Shooting Percentage Leaders
Dale Ellis: .627 ts%
Larry Robinson: .623 ts%
Bernard King: .614 ts%
Kyle Alexander: .608 ts%
Reggie Johnson: .607 ts%
Steve Hamer: .591 ts%
Grant Williams: .589 ts%
Doug Ashworth: .588 ts%
Ron Slay: .582 ts%
C.J. Watson: .575 ts%
Tom Boerwinkle: .573 ts%
Dyron Nix: .565 ts%
Jarnell Stokes: .560 ts%
Tony White: .559 ts%
Len Kosmalski: .557 ts%
Ernie Grunfeld: .556 ts%
Bobby Croft: .555 ts%
Wayne Chism: .540 ts%
Vincent Yarbrough: .535 ts%
Mike Jackson: .527 ts%
Tony Harris: .524 ts%
Austin Robbins: .518 ts%
LaMarcus Golden: .514 ts%
Danny Schultz: .510 ts%
Jimmy England: .507 ts%
Mike Edwards: .486 ts%
Ron Widby: .484 ts%
Rodney Woods: .481 ts%
John Snow: .475%
Best Field Goal Accuracy
Larry Robinson: .600 fg%
Doug Ashworth: .599 fg%
Dale Ellis: .595 fg% (first with 500+ attempts)
Bernard King: .590 fg%
Reggie Johnson: .580 fg%
Rob Jones: .571 fg%
Brandon Crump: .567 fg%
Steve Hamer: .558 fg%
Carlus Groves: .546 fg%
Isiah Victor: .537 fg%
Marcus Haislip: .530 fg%
Jarnell Stokes: .530 fg%
Ernie Grunfeld: .506 fg%
Best Free Throw Accuracy
Danny Schultz: .884 ft%
Chris Lofton: .854 ft%
Rodney Woods: .853 ft%
Allan Houston: .849 ft%
Tony White: .840 ft%
John Snow: .838 ft%
Mike Edwards: .812 ft%
Ron Widby: .803 ft%
Mike Jackson: .802 ft%
Ernie Grunfeld: .789 ft%
C.J. Watson: .777 ft%
Dale Ellis: .765 ft%
Best Three-Point Accuracy
Allan Houston: .424 3p%
Chris Lofton: .422 3p%
Tony White: .412 3p%
LaMarcus Golden: .398 3p%
C.J. Watson: .396 3p%
Most Free Throws Attempted
Carl Widseth: 848
Allan Houston: 767
Grant Williams: 635
Retired Vols Basketball Jerseys
Bernard King (#53)
Ernie Grunfeld (#22)
Allan Houston (#20)
Dale Ellis (#14)
Tennessee Vols Nicknames
Kyle Alexander: The Gazelle, Alexander the Great
Victor Bailey: VB, Mr. Bailey, Mozart of the Strings
Jordan Bone: Flash
Tom Boerwinkle: The Bull
Johnny Darden: Dirt Dauber
A. W. Davis: The Rutledge Rifle, The Man with the Golden Arm
Jimmy England: Mr. Clutch
John Fulkerson: Fulky, The Incredible Fulk, Fantastic Fulkerson
Ernest Grunfeld: Ernie
Keon Johnson: KJ
Josiah-Jordan James: Trey J, Trey Jay, Tre J, Triple J
Bernard King: Bernie, The King
Dalton Knecht: Connect
Floyd Marshall: Biggy
Bernie Mehen: Houdini
Ed Montgomery: Britches
Kevin Nash: Diesel, Big Sexy, Big Daddy Cool, Oz, Steel, Vinnie Vegas
Garland O'Shields: Mule
Yves Pons: Air France, The Flying Frenchman, Tarzan, The Freak
Columbus Alexander Reeder: Lum
Austin Robbins: Red
Admiral Schofield: The Abs-olute Machine, Clutch (the TruTV announcers)
Jaden Springer: Smooth, Mr. Composure, The Unflappable Jaden Springer, Sir
Stepback
Jarnell Stokes: Superman
Gene Tormohlen: Bumper, Chairman of the Boards, Hoover, The Vacuum Cleaner
Santiago Vescovi nicknames: Bob, Santi, Santi Claws, The Uruguay Netshredder,
The Uruguay Netripper
Paul Walther: Lefty
Tony White: The Wizard, The Whiz
Carl Widseth: Spook (because he was so elusive)
Grant Williams: Pedigree (the TruTV announcers)
Bernard King and Ernie Grunfeld were "The Ernie & Bernie Show"
Admiral Schofield and Grant Williams were "Peanut Butter & Jelly," "The Mid-Range
Monsters" and "Hans & Franz"
Jordan Bone and Jordan Bowden are "Pair Jordan"
The "Fearless Five" were Ron Widby, Tom Boerwinkle,
Bill Justus, Bill Haan and Tom Hendrix
Team Awards
MVP/GOAT: Bernard King
The "Robin" Award for Best Sidekick: Ernie Grunfeld
Best All-Round: Bernard King, Grant Williams
Best Scorer: Bernard King, Allan Houston
Most Efficient Scorer: Dale Ellis
Best Clutch Shooter: Chris Lofton
Best Rebounder:
Gene Tormohlen, Herb Neff, Bernard King, Dyron Nix
Best Passer: Johnny Darden, Rodney Woods, C.J. Watson
Best Pure Shooter: Chris Lofton, Allan Houston, Lamonte Turner
Sweetest String Music and Best Steph Curry Impersonation: Lamonte Turner
Best Hook Shot: Carl Widseth
Fastest: Jordan Bone
Strongest: Jarnell Stokes, Admiral Schofield, Grant Williams
Most Elusive: Carl "The Spook" Widseth
Best Defender: Josh Richardson, Tyler Smith
Fan Favorite/Most Popular: Ron Slay, Admiral Schofield, Dane Bradshaw, Chris Lofton
Best Afro: Derrick Walker, Kyle Alexander
Best Crew Cut: John Fulkerson
A History/Timeline/Chronology of Tennessee Basketball and Championships
1891 - James Naismith invents the game of basketball.
1903 - Basketball appears on the Tennessee campus, in the form of class teams
and a school championship.
1908 - Nathan Dougherty captains a squad composed of Howard Sandberg, L.W.
McCowan, M.G. Smith, Solon Kipp, Benton White and manager Clarence Daniels in
its first varsity basketball game: a 10-20 loss at the Asheville YMCA on Jan.
22, 1908. Five days later, UT earns its first victory, a 55-16 win over TSD.
1909 - The first "home" varsity Tennessee Vols basketball game is played
at the university YMCA gymnasium, against the Central
University of Kentucky at Danville, on December 16, 1909. Tennessee wins, 33-31. The scoring is led by
Howard Sandberg, a 5-foot-9 forward. The team finishes with
a 2-5 record. The team operates as an independent, not aligned with any
conference.
1914 - The 1913-1914 Vols go 15-2 despite playing 10 games on the road.
The Vols have their first basketball superstar in Columbus Alexander "Lum"
Reeder. He scores 27 points in his first game as a freshman forward, then rings
up 41 points against Maryville College on Jan. 17, 1914, a team record that will stand for more
than 40 years. This was during an era when teams were scoring around 20
points per game. Other Tennessee stars of the World War I era were Vic Klein,
Lloyd Wolfe and Frank Callaway. According to Tennessee head coach Zora G.
Clevenger, "Reeder and Klein were as good as any forwards in the entire South."
Klein, who was listed as V. H. Klein in box scores, was a 4-year letterman
who captained the team in 1913 and 1914.
1916 - The 1915-16 Vols record a perfect 12-0 mark and are recognized as
the Souths best team. This remains Tennessee's only undefeated team.
The Volunteers team captain is B.J. Greenwood. The head coach is Zora G.
Clevenger, in his last season. In a 4-year span the Vols went 36-4, with the
only losses at the hands of Kentucky. But the Vols won their heads-up matches
with Kentucky 7-4 from 1913-1914 to 1916-1917, so they were giving as good as
they were taking.
1921 - Tennessee is a charter member of the Southern Conference when it forms in
February 1921.
1930 - Stars of the great football teams of the late 1920s and early 1930s
sometimes double as cagers in the winter, including
including Bobby Dodd, Buddy Hackman, Beattie Feathers and Hugh Faust.
Maurice Corbitt and Bobby Dodd become Tennessees first all-conference
selections when they are named to the first and second team All-Southern
Conference Tournament squads, respectively
1932 - The Southeastern Conference is formed on December 8, 1932 with Tennessee
as a charter member. Claude Reeder, the son of C. A. "Lum" Reeder, captains the
Vols basketball team.
1934 - Dave McPherson is the first Vol to make an SEC all-tournament team.
1936 - The Vols win the SEC regular season championship and the SEC
tournament. This is the Vols' first SEC championship in any sport.
Blair Gullion is the coach.
Harry Anderson, the team's senior 6-3 center, becomes Tennessee's first All-American selection.
Anderson is also first-team All-SEC and makes the 1936 SEC All-Tournament team.
He attended UT on a track scholarship and had the most points at the 1936 SEC
track meet, winning the 100-yard dash and broad jump. Other stars of the team
include junior forward Floyd "Biggy" Marshall and junior guard Gene Johnson.
Anderson and Marshall make the SEC all-tournament team. One of the players was
Hooper Eblen, who would go on to become the athletic
director at Tennessee Tech and have the athletic center named after him. This is the first Vols team to defeat a Kentucky team coached by Adolph Rupp.
The team finishes with 15-6 record.
1937 - Floyd "Biggy" Marshall and Gene Johnson make the SEC all-tournament first
team. Wilton Putnam and Alvin Rice make the second team. Tennessee finishes
second to Kentucky in the tournament.
1938 - Wilton Putnam makes the SEC all-tournament second team.
1939 - Gilbert Huffman makes the SEC all-tournament first team. Frank Thomas
makes the second team.
1940 - Bernie Mehen, called Houdini because of his ball-handling wizardry,
becomes the schools second All-American. Mehen and Frank Thomas make the SEC
all-tournament first team. Gilbert Huffman makes the second team.
1941 - The Vols go 17-5 and win both the SEC regular season championship and the SEC
tournament. The star players are guard Gilbert Huffman, center Frank
Thomas and forward Bernie Mehen. The trio lead the Vols to the 1941 SEC
championship with a 36-33 win over top-seeded Kentucky in the finals of the
conference tourney at Louisville (where Kentucky had essentially home court
advantage until the tournament was suspended in 1952). Thomas and Huffman make the SEC all-tournament
first team. Mehen makes the second team. Huffman becomes the schools third
All-American. The head coach is John Mauer. In 8 years as the
Tennessee head coach, Mauer will compile a 127-41 record. His .756 winning
percentage stands as the highest of any UT coach.
1942 - The Vols go 19-3 and win the SEC regular season championship.
Dick Mehen makes the SEC all-tournament first team, while his brother
Bernie makes the second team along with Mike Balitsaris.
1943 - The Vols go 14-4 and win both the SEC regular season championship and the SEC tournament.
The team is led by All-American Richard "Dick" Mehen, the brother of prior All-American
Bernie Mehen. Dick Mehen scored 18 points in a stunning 33-30 upset of Kentucky
in the final, played in Louisville.
Dick Mehen makes the SEC all-tournament first team. Paul Herman and Ted Cook
make the second team.
1945 - Paul "Lefty" Walther is an All-American as a sophomore.
Tennessee finishes second to Kentucky in the SEC tournament. Walther
and Garland "Mule" O'Shields make the SEC all-tournament first team. Bob
Kemper and Irvin Barnett make the second team.
1946 - Paul Walther makes the SEC all-tournament first team. The Vols appear in the NIT, bowing to Rhode Island 44-51.
1948 - The Vols go 20-5, led by 2-time All-American Paul Walther. Walther "was
part clown at heart, and his pre-game passing and dribbling antics often brought
down the house." Walther makes the SEC all-tournament first team. Emmet Lowery is the new Vols head coach and his fast break
style of play is also a crowd pleaser. Marshall Hawkins is the first Vol to be
drafted by the NBA, going in the third round to Boston.
This was the first 20-win season
for the Vols.
1949 - Paul Walther makes the SEC all-tournament second team.
1950 - Tennessee ends Kentucky's 67-game SEC winning streak, led by 28 points
from center and captain Al Burris. Tennessee finishes second to Kentucky in the
SEC tournament, held in Louisville. Burris and Ed "Britches" Montgomery make the SEC
all-tournament first team. Hugh Jones makes the second team. Burris is the Vols'
second NBA draft pick, going to Fort Wayne in the third round.
1952 - Herb Neff, a 6-4 center, averages 14.4 ppg and 15.4 rpg. Neff's 36
rebounds against Georgia Tech in 1952 are the most in SEC history. Tommy
Bartlett makes the SEC all-tournament second team. This will be the last SEC
tournament until 1979.
1955 - Senior forward Ed Wiener becomes a 2-time All-American, but junior
center Carl Widseth may be even better. And Herman Thompson is a rising forward.
They comprise one of the better frontcourt trios to play together for the Vols.
1956 - Carl Widseth breaks Lum Reeder's longstanding
school record with 47 points against Auburn.
1958 - The University of Tennessee Armory Fieldhouse is built. It has the
capacity to house 7,000 seats. It will later be expanded to 12,700 seats and
renamed the Stokely Athletics Center.
1959 - Gene Tormohlen, a 6-8 senior center, averages 17.7 ppg and 17.8 rpg, and
becomes Tennessee's all-time leading rebounder. He is named first team
All-American.
1960 - John Sines takes over as Vols head coach. The results are not good and he
doesn't last long.
1963 - Ray Mears is Tennessee's new head coach. He pays
immediate dividends by upsetting Kentucky twice in 1962-1963. The Vols return to
their winning ways with star players A. W. Davis and Danny Schultz (both
recruited by Sines). Mears would deliver three SEC championships. The Mears-led
Vols would go 15-15 against Kentucky, a remarkable record considering how good
those Kentucky teams were. And Mears was a showman and crowd pleaser who
attracted more fans to Vols basketball, leading to a major building project in
the near future.
1964 - Danny Schultz is a first team All-American. The Vols lead the SEC
and the nation in team scoring defense by allowing only 55.6 points per game.
They held opponents to a 37.4% field goal percentage.
1965 - A.W. Davis is a first team All-American. The Vols again excel on
defense, allowing opponents only 57.7 points per game, which is first in the SEC
and second nationally.
1966 - Austin "Red" Robbins is a first team All-American. Ron Widby
leads the SEC in scoring with 22.1 ppg. The Vols again lead the SEC and
the nation in scoring defense, allowing only 54.0 points per game.
1967 - The Stokely Athletics Center is expanded to 12,700 seats before the
1966-1967 seasons. The timing is perfect and more good things immediately follow. Rod Widby breaks the UT
single game scoring record
with 50 points against LSU. Widby is named SEC player of the year. Ray
Mears becomes the first UT coach to earn SEC Coach of the Year. The Vols finish
first in the SEC regular season with a 21-7 record, led by the "Fearless Five"
of senior All-American forward Ron Widby, 7-foot center Tom Boerwinkle,
sophomore guards Bill Justus and Bill Haan, and junior forward Tom Hendrix. This
is the first Vols team to earn a berth in the NCAA tournament and to make the
Sweet Sixteen (they finished fourth in the Midwest region). And the
Vols are making a habit of beating their arch-nemesis, Kentucky. Over a
2-year period of time, the Vols go 3-1 against the fabled "Rupp's Runts" led
by Louie Dampier and Pat Riley. The 1966-1967 team becomes the first Vols team
to beat the nation's number one team, when they defeat Kentucky at home. Ron
Widby leads the way with 22 point while Dampier is held to 2 field goals. This
is also the highest-ranked Vols team
in the national polls to date, peaking at #4.
1968 - Tom Boerwinkle is a first-team All-American. Bill Justus is a first team
Academic All-American.
1969 - The Vols go 21-7 and make the semifinals of the NIT, led by Bill Justus,
Bobby Croft, Jim England, Don Johnson and Bill Haan. This was one of the better
starting fives in Vols history. Bill Justus leads the SEC and the nation in free
throw percentage with 90.5%.
1971 - The Vols go 21-7 and make the semifinals of the NIT, led by All-American
Jim England, Don Johnson and Mike Edwards. The Vols lead the SEC and the nation
with a 75.6% free throw percentage.
1972 - Larry Robinson is Tennessee's first black player, and a damn good one,
averaging 10.9 points and 9.0 rebounds as a freshman. Robinson was popular with
his teammates and would be elected team captain the following year. The
Vols share the SEC regular season championship with Kentucky. The team
elects to turn down an NIT bid, feeling they were cheated out of a victory over
Kentucky that would have put them in the NCAA tournament. The Vols are lead by
sophomore center Len Kosmalski, junior guard Mike Edwards, sophomore guard John
Snow, and Robinson. Mike
Edwards is the SEC player of the year and an Academic All-American.
1974 - Ernie Grunfeld averages 17.4 ppg, 7.2 rpg and 2.3 assists and sets a
freshman single game scoring record with 28 points. But he is just the first
wave ...
1975 - Bernard King scores 42 points in his first game as a freshman,
and the "Ernie & Bernie" show is born. Their star quality draws
standing-room-only crowds wherever they play. Tennessee has become a "player" in
major college basketball. But Mears has assembled a damn good team to support
them, and he adopts his coaching style to their offensive firepower. The Vols
quickly set a team scoring record of 86.6 points per game, led by King with 26.4
and Grunfeld with 23.8. The team earns an NIT bid. Bernard King is the
SEC player of the year and leads the league in scoring as a freshman.
He also leads the SEC and the nation in field goal percentage with 62.2%.
1976 - The Vols go 21-6 and finish 2nd in the SEC. The key players are Ernie
Grunfeld (25.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg), Bernard King (25.2 ppg, 13.0 rpg), Mike Jackson
(16.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg), Johnny Darden (6.1 apg), Doug Ashworth and Terry Crosby.
Grunfeld leads the SEC in scoring by a tenth of a point over King, and both he and King are All-Americans.
Bernard King is the SEC player of the year for a second time and leads
the league in rebounds.
But the Vols lose in the first round of the NCAA tournament to VMI when King has
to miss the game due to a hand injury. Ernie Grunfeld earns a gold medal on the
1976 US Olympic basketball team.
1977 - The Vols go 22-6 and finish first in the SEC regular season.
The team averages 85.7 points per game and sweeps #2 Kentucky and #3 Alabama,
finishing with a 6-2 record against top 20 teams. Ray Mears is named SEC coach of
the year for the second time. Bernard King is SEC player of the year for the
third consecutive season and this time shares the award with Ernie Grunfeld.
Reggie Johnson joins the team and gives it three future first-round NBA draft
picks. The key players are Bernard King (25.8 ppg, 14.3 rpg), Ernie Grunfeld
(22.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg), Mike Jackson (15.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg), Reggie Johnson (11.0 ppg,
8.1 rpg), Johnny Darden (8.1 apg) and Terry Crosby. King leads the SEC in
scoring and rebounding for a second time. But the Vols lose in the
first round of the NCAA tournament to Syracuse when the whole
team ends up in foul trouble. The three leading scorers for the Vols
King, Grunfeld and Jackson
all fouled out. The fourth leading scorer, Johnson, had 4 fouls. A thin
Tennessee bench produced only 4 points, and the game was lost. After the
season ends, in the first round of the 1977 NBA draft, King is the #7
pick and Grunfeld is #11. Mike Jackson is drafted in the seventh round.
1978 - Ray Mears retires and is replaced by assistant coach Cliff Wettig for one
year, an 11-16 disaster. But there are mitigating factors because Ernie Grunfeld and Mike Jackson have graduated to the NBA
and Bernard King
has skipped his senior season to join them. The "Ernie & Bernie" show is
over, but what a ride it has been!
1979 - Don DeVoe is now the head coach and the Vols return to their winning ways
with a 21-12 record. The team is led by All-American Reggie Johnson, Terry
Crosby, Gary Carter, Howard Wood, Bert Bertelkamp and Johnny Darden. Tennessee
defeats Kentucky at Rupp Arena, led by Johnson with 20 points, Crosby with 14,
Carter with 13, and future pro wrestling superstar Kevin Nash with 10. The SEC tournament is revived
and the Vols win their first conference
tournament in 43 years. Terry Crosby makes the
SEC all-tournament team. The Vols earn an NCAA tournament bid, but lose in the
first round to Notre Dame.
1980 - The Vols finish 18-11 and receive a bid to the NCAA tournament, where
they defeat #10 Furman, then lose to #2 Maryland. Reggie Johnson is a 2-time
All-American.
1981 - The Vols finish 21-8 and make it to the Sweet Sixteen, led by All-SEC
forward Dale Ellis, Gary Carter and Howard Wood. The Vols defeat #8 seed to
Louisiana, then lose by 3 points in the Sweet Sixteen to #1 Virginia and the
college player of the year, the 7-4 man-mountain Ralph Sampson. Don DeVoe is
named SEC coach of the year.
1982 - The Vols go 20-10 and share the SEC regular season championship with Kentucky,
led by All-American Dale Ellis, Gary Carter, Michael Brooks, Steve Ray, Tyrone
Beaman and Willie Burton. The team sets a record by
hitting 54.2% of its field goal attempts. Dale Ellis is the SEC player
of the year and makes the SEC all-tournament team.
1983 - The Vols go 20-12 and make it to the NCAA tournament for a school-record
fifth consecutive time. The Vols their first game at the big show, led by Dale
Ellis and Michael Brooks. They beat #9 Marquette, then lose to #1 Louisville.
Dale Ellis repeats as SEC player of the year and is a 2-time
All-American. He also makes the SEC all-tournament team.
1984 - The Vols win their 1,000th game and appear in the NIT, advancing to the
quarterfinals. Tony White makes the SEC all-tournament team.
1985 - Doug Roth is Tennessee's first McDonald's All-American high school
recruit. The Vols have their seventh consecutive postseason tournament,
participating in the NIT.
1986 - Tony White leads the SEC with 22.2 ppg and is named first team All-SEC.
1987 - The mammoth 24,535-seat Thompson-Boling Arena and Assembly Center opens
for basketball business. An arena record crowd of 25,610 would
be set on Jan. 21, 1989, when UT hosted Kentucky. Tony White is
SEC player of the year after leading the SEC in scoring with 24.5 ppg.
White makes the SEC all-tournament team. Dyron Nix leads the SEC in rebounds
with 10.1 rpg.
1988 - For the third year in a row, a Vol leads the SEC in scoring when Dyron
Nix averages 22.2 ppg.
1989 - The Vols go 19-11, earn an NCAA bid, but lose in the first round to #7
seed West Virginia. Dyron Nix leads the way with 21.6 ppg and 9.4 rpg. Doug Roth
adds 9.9 ppg and 8.1 rpg. Nix and Roth are both taken in the second round of the
NBA draft.
1990 - Wade Houston replaces Don DeVoe as head coach. He brings along his son,
Allan Houston, a future All-American and all-time Vols point producer. But the
Houstons fail to deliver enough wins to satisfy Vols fans.Wade Houston did,
however, lead a team that featured 7 freshmen and no returning starters to
the NIT and an "all Tennessee" showcase. The Vols beat Memphis in the first
round, then lost to Vanderbilt in the second.
1991 - Tennessee goes 9-21 in the regular season but has an "improbably run" and
finishes second to Alabama in the SEC Tournament. Allan Houston is the
tournament MVP and Carlus Groves makes the all-tournament team. Houston's 98
tournament points (24.5 ppg) remains the modern record and ranks second only to
Cliff Hagan's 110 in 1952. Jay Price and Gannon Goodson also came up big during
the tournament. But with only 9 scholarship players, the Vols simply ran out
of gas when they had to play 4 games in 4 days. Lang Wiseman is an
Academic All-American, with a 4.0 GPA and a very appropriate name!
1992 - The Vols receive their 15th postseason invite in 19 years, with another
one-win appearance in the NIT. Lang Wiseman is an Academic All-American with
another 4.0 GPA.
1993 - Allan Houston is a first-round pick in the 1993 NBA draft, a so-called
"lottery pick" at #6 overall, after leading the SEC in scoring
with 22.3 ppg. Lang Wiseman is the Anson Mount National Scholar-Athlete of the
Year, the H. Boyd McWhorter SEC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and a first
team Academic All-American with yet another 4.0 GPA.
1995 - Kevin O'Neill replaces Wade Houston as head coach, but the results remain
lackluster, at best.
1996 - Steve Hamer leads the SEC in rebounds with 9.4 rpg and makes the SEC all-tournament team.
1998 - Jerry Green replaces Kevin O'Neill as head coach and immediately delivers
a 20-9 record and an NCAA bid. But the Vols lose in the first round to Illinois
State.
1996 - The Vols return to postseason play with an appearance in the NIT. Steve
Hamer sets an SEC Tournament record with a 31-point, 21-rebound performance
against Alabama.
1999 - Jerry Green has Tennessee's highest-rated recruit in Vincent Yarbrough.
The Vols win their first SEC Eastern Division title
since divisional play began in 1992. UT goes 14-1 at Thompson-Boling Arena, the
best home record in arena history. The team sweeps archrivals Kentucky and
Vanderbilt, finishing with a 21-9 record and another NCAA bid. The Vols win
their first NCAA tourney game since 1983, defeating #13 seed Delaware before
losing in an upset to #12 Missouri State.
2000 - The Vols go 26-7 and share the SEC regular season championship with Kentucky, LSU and
Florida. They peak at #5 in the national rankings and make it to the
Sweet Sixteen, where they defeat #13 Louisiana and #5 Connecticut, before losing
to #8 North Carolina. This deep and well-rounded Vols team is led by Vincent
Yarbrough, Tony Harris, Ron Slay, Isiah Victor, C.J. Black, Jon Higgins, Charles
Hathaway and Marcus Haislip. Allan
Houston wins a gold medal with the 2000 US Olympic basketball team. Jerry Green
is the CBS Sportsline national coach of the year.
2001 - The Vols peak at #4 in the national rankings, finish 22-11, and
return to the NCAA tournament for a fourth consecutive year, but fall in the
first round to #9 seed Charlotte. This is essentially the same team as the year
before,
2002 - Buzz Peterson replaces Jerry Green as head coach. The record drops to
15-16, due in part to a serious injury to Ron Slay. Marcus Haislip is a
first-round pick in the 2002 NBA draft, #13 overall. Vincent Yarbrough is
drafted in the second round.
2003 - Ron Slay returns with a vengeance and becomes the SEC player of the year,
averaging 21.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Slay leads the SEC in scoring. But the team goes only 17-12
and loses in the first round of the NIT to Georgetown.
2004 - Scooter McFadgon breaks a 35-year-old school record by making 91.2% of
his free throws. The Vols appear in the NIT, losing in the first round to George
Mason.
2005 - Dane Bradshaw leads the SEC with a 2.76 assist-turnover ratio.
2006 - Bruce Pearl replaces Buzz Peterson as head coach. The team goes 22-8 and
wins the SEC Eastern Division, led
by the "height challenged" quartet of Chris Lofton, C. J. Watson, JaJuan Smith and
Dane Bradshaw (who sometimes played forward at 6-4 and averaged 5.4 rebounds per
game). Kentucky had not recruited Lofton despite the fact that he had been the
state's Mr. Basketball. Lofton took revenge by raining on Kentucky's homecoming
parade with 31 points, making 7 of 10 3-pointers. The Vols
go on to make it to the NCAA tournament as a #2 seed, where they beat #15
Winthrop, then lose to #7 Wichita State. Bruce Pearl is named national coach of
the year by Sporting News, Basketball Times and CBS Sportsline.
2007 - Bruce Pearl has a stellar recruiting class with #22 Duke Crews, #33 Ramar
Smith, #54 Wanye Chism and #78 Marques Johnson. The freshman play heavy minutes,
produce, and mesh well with Chris Lofton, JaJuan Smith and Dane Bradshaw. Lofton
leads the SEC in scoring with 20.8 ppg. The
Vols make it to the Sweet Sixteen as a #5 seed, beating #12 Long Beach State and
#4 Virginia, before losing to #1 Ohio State.
2008 - The Vols have the most wins in their history, going 31-5 and winning the
SEC regular season championship. Bruce Pearl adds 3 more top-100 recruits in
#47 Tyler Smith, #32 J.P. Prince and #96 Cameron Tatum. For the first time the
Vols have 6 top-100 players. All are productive and senior guards Chris
Lofton and JaJuan Smith lead the way, with Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism taking
care of the frontcourt. The Vols make it back to the Sweet Sixteen as a #2 seed
for a second time. They defeat #15 American and #7 Butler, before losing to #3 Louisville. Bruce
Pearl is named national coach of the year by Adolph Rupp Cup.
2009 - Bruce Pearl has more top-100 recruits in #11 Scotty Hopson, #43 Emmanuel
Negedu and #70 Renaldo Woolridge. The team goes 21-13, wins the SEC
Eastern Division, and earns a bid to the NCAA
tournament as a #9 seed, but falls in the first round to #8 Oklahoma State.
Tennessee finishes second to Mississippi in the SEC tournament. Wayne Chism and
Tyler Smith make the all-tournament team.
2010 -
The 2009-2010 squad goes 28-9 and is the only Vols team to reach the Elite Eight,
despite losing its most talented player, Tyler Smith, on a misdemeanor
gun charge. In the first round against San Diego State, J.P. Prince and Melvin Goins lead the scoring with 15 points each. In the
second round against Ohio, Prince has 18 points and Scotty Hopson adds 17. Both
go 7 for 9 from the field. Wayne Chism and Brian Williams are beasts on the
boards, with 12 rebounds each. In the Sweet Sixteen the Vols upset favored Ohio State, with Wayne Chism leading the way with 22 points and 11
rebounds. Prince adds 14 points and 6 assists. Cameron Tatum provides
firepower off the bench, scoring 11 points with only one missed shot. The Vols
lose in the Elite Eight by a single point to Michigan State, barely missing the
Final Four. Chism lead the scoring with 13 points. Prince has 12
points and 5 assists. Brian Williams adds 11 points and 9 rebounds. Despite the
intense pressure, the Vols shoot 51.1% from the floor, make 43.8% of their
3-pointers, and convert 66.7% of their free throws. They have one fewer turnover (10)
than Ohio State and are even on the boards (27). So close and yet so far!
2011 - Bruce Pearl adds more top-100 recruits in #5 Tobias Harris, #40 Jordan
McRae, #86 Trae Golden. The team goes 19-15, makes it to the NCAA tournament as
a #9 seed, then loses in the first round to #8 seed Michigan. The key players
are Scotty Hopson and Tobias Harris (who becomes Tennessee's first "one and
done" player on his path to NBA stardom).
2012 - Cuonzo Martin takes over as head coach, and ends up with exactly the same
record, 19-15, but no NCAA bid.
2014 - The Vols go 24-13 and make to the Sweet Sixteen as a #11 seed. The Vols
beat co-#11 Iowa by 13 points to make it to the round of 64. The Vols then beat
#6 Massachusetts by 19 points. The Vols then beat #14 Mercer by 20 points to
make the Sweet Sixteen. That made 3 very convincing wins in a row. The Vols
then lost to #2 Michigan by 2 points in a nail-biter. This Vols team was led
by Jordan McRae, Jarnell "Superman" Stokes, Josh Richardson, Jeronne Maymon and
Antonio Barton. Stokes makes the SEC all-tournament team.
2015 - Donnie Tyndall takes over as head coach, but he is soon gone due to NCAA
violations in his past.
2016 - Rick Barnes takes over as head coach. The recruiting pickings are pretty
slim by this time and the team goes 15-19. But good things are in store ...
2018 - A team of "underdogs" is picked to finish 13th in the SEC, but instead
goes 26-9 and shares the SEC regular season championship with Auburn. Tennessee
finishes second to Kentucky in the SEC tournament and Admiral Schofield makes
the all-tournament team. The Vols
are a #3 seed in the NCAA tournament, defeat #14 Wright State, then lose to #11
Loyola. Grant Williams is the SEC player of the year and has a strong supporting
cast in Admiral Schofield, Jordan Bone, Kyle Alexander, Jordan Bowden and Lamonte Turner. And they're all coming back!
2019 - The Vols are ranked number one nationally for multiple weeks for the
first time in school history. They also set a team record with 19 consecutive
victories. They finish the regular season 27-4, and are thus
the first Vols team to win 25+ games in consecutive seasons. They defeat
Mississippi State in the first round of the SEC tournament, then win their
"rubber match" with Kentucky. But they lose in the SEC championship game to a
red-hot Auburn squad. Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield make the
all-tournament team. The Vols, now 29-5, earn a #2 seed in the NCAA tournament.
They beat Colgate and Iowa to advance to the Sweet Sixteen, then lose a
nail-biter to Purdue in overtime, ending the year 31-6.
Recruiting Classes with National Ranking according to 247sports
Sometimes the rating services get it right, as with the 2010 class that was
ranked #9 with Tobias Harris, Jordan McRae and Trae Golden. Sometimes the rating
services get it wrong, as with the lowly (in their opinion) 2015-2016 classes
that included Grant Williams, Admiral Schofield, Jordan Bone, Kyle Alexander,
Lamonte Turner and Jordan Bowden none of whom were
4-stars, much less 5-stars. But they played like a team of champions, and
became champions.
However, recruiting obviously does matter. Bruce Pearl's 2007-2008 team that
went 31-5 had 6 top-100 players: Duke Crews (#22), J.P. Prince (#32), Ramar
Smith (#33), Tyler Smith (#47), Wayne Chism (#54) and Cameron Tatum (#96). And
yet that team's best player and leading scorer, Chris Lofton, was not a
high-rated recruit, nor was the second-leading scorer, JaJuan Smith.
I have bolded the recruiting classes that seem the best to me. Rankings prior to
2003 are broad "guesstimates" based on college performance. In general, players
in any reputable top-30 ranking are 5-stars, and players in any reputable
top-100 ranking are 4-stars. It's far from a perfect science. Some classes
may be incomplete because all I have is data for recruits who actually played
for the Vols.
Year: Class National Ranking: Players
1947: ???: Paul Walther (5-star)
1950: ???: Hank Bertelkamp
1951: ???: Ed Wiener (5-star), Bill Jarvis, J.D. Byington
1952: ???: Carl Widseth (5-star), Lewis Neyland, Bill Lovelace, Dan Bogott,
Bill Hall, Bill Cate
1953: ???: Herman Thompson (4-star), Dick Keller, Bob Gipe, Kyle Cruze
1954: ???: Leon Ammerman (4-star)
To show how much times have changed, Leon Ammerman averaged 15.1 points and 6.9
rebounds per game for his college career, as a 5-11 forward! Herman Thompson was
another star 5-11 forward; he averaged 19.1 points and 4.4 rebounds as a senior.
1955: ???: Gene Tormohlen (5-star), Kenny Coulter, Don Reeverts,
Charlie Scott, Bob Risser, Bobby Hatcher
1956: ???: Dalen Showalter (4-star), Don Bingham
1957: ???: Bobby Carter, Glenn Campbell, Dick Fisher
1958: ???: Eddie Test, Howie Moss, David Anderton, John Martin
1959: ???: Orb Bowling, Tommy Wilson
1960: ???: Sid Elliot, Jerry Parker, John Sheffield, Ray Kempf
After a string of lackluster years in both recruiting and on-court under head
coach John Sines, things would pick up with the hiring of Ray Mears and the
signing of future stars like A.W. Davis, Ron Widby, Austin Robbins, Tom
Boerwinkle, Bill Justus, Bobby Croft, Jim England and Don Johnson.
1961: ???: A.W. Davis (4-star), Danny Schultz, Pat Robinette, Bob Hogsett
1962: ???: Larry McIntosh, Howard Bayne
1963: ???: Ron Widby (5-star), Austin Robbins (4-star), Jim
Cornwall
1964: ???: Tom Boerwinkle (4-star), Tom Hendrix, Bobby Jack Guinn,
Wes Coffman
1965: ???: Bill Justus (4-star), Bill Hann
1966: ???: Bobby Croft (4-star), Kerry Myers, Larry Mansfield
1967: ???: Jim England (4-star), Don Johnson (4-star), Dickie
Johnston
Several years of strong recruiting led to a SEC championship in 1967 and 3
consecutive 20-win seasons from 1967 to 1969 under head coach Ray Mears.
1968: ???: Rudy Kinard, Jim Woodall
1969: ???: Mike Edwards (4-star), Lloyd Richardson, Eddie Voelker, Greg
Hawkins
1970: ???: John Snow (4-star), Wayne Tomlinson
1971: ???: Larry Robinson (4-star), Wilbert Cherry
1972: ???: Rodney Woods (4-star), Tim Joyce
1973: #5: Ernie Grunfeld (5-star), Mike Jackson (4-star), Doug
Ashworth, Austin Clark, David Moss
1974: #10: Bernard King (5-star), Mike Smithson, Jerry Finestone, Bob
Brykalski
1975: #25: Johnny Darden (4-star), Terry Crosby (4-star), Irv Chatman,
Steve Gill
1976: #15: Reggie Johnson (5-star), Chuck Threets, Bert Bertelkamp, Mike
Smithson, Ralph Parton, David Cockrill
Four superior recruiting classes produced an NBA superstar (King), two more
first-round draft picks (Grunfeld, Johnson), plus two more NBA-caliber players (Jackson,
Crosby). And Johnny Darden was the perfect point guard for a team that didn't
need him to score much. This set the stage for a strong run under head coach Ray
Mears from 1973 to 1977, when Mears retired and Don DeVoe took over.
1977: #50: Howard Wood (4-star), James Ratiff, Kevin Nash, Kenne Teffeteller,
James Meriweather, Bob Lowrie, Michael Joyce
1978: #50: Gary Carter (4-star), Steve Ray, Terry Glenn, Craig Diegel
1979: #25: Dale Ellis (5-star), Anthony Love, Michael Poole, Rip
Johnson, Seth McDonald
1980: #50: Michael Brooks (4-star), Willie Burton, Dan Federman, Tyrone
Beaman, Ed Littleton, Randy Bates
1981: #80: Kevin Woods, Kirk Naler, Myron Carter, Jerald Hyatt
1982: #80: Rob Jones, Tyrone Harper, William Mills, Mike Johanson
1983: #25: Tony White (5-star), Fred Jenkins, Anthony Richardson,
John Snodgrass
1984: #99: Ron Hausley, Sam Arterburn, Stacey Thomas
Several years of sub-par recruiting by Don DeVoe would catch up in 1985, when
the Vols went 12-16 and the 1984 class was going to be no help ...
1985: #40: Dyron Nix (4-star), Doug Roth, Mark Griffin, Elvin Brown, Travis Henry,
Russ Spivey
1986: #80: Ian Lockhart, Chris Davis
1987: #80: Greg Bell, Clarence Swearengen, Ronnie Reese, Rickey Clark
1988: #99: Jay Price, Ron Taylor, Shaun Thompson
Wade Houston becomes the head coach, and perhaps it's no accident that it
happens when his superstar son is looking for a college home ...
1989: #10: Allan Houston (5-star), Carlus Groves, Lang Wiseman, Steve
Rivers, Michael Curry, Gannon
Goodson
1990: #80: Kevin Whitted, Jermaine Brown, Chris Brand, Shun Sheffield, Alonzo
Johnson, Daryl Milson
1991: #50: Corey Allen (4-star)
1992: #50: Steve Hamer, LeMarcus Golden, Stanley Caldwell, Daniel Garrott
1993: #40: Ed Gray (4-star), Rodney Bonds, Jerome Brown, Clint Newman
Other than recruiting his son, not much has gone right for Wade Houston and the
1993-1994 team bottoms out with a 5-22 record. Kevin O'Neil takes over as head
coach.
1994: #99: Shane Carnes, Alico Dunk, Jason Moore
1995: #50: Brandon Wharton (4-star), Aaron Green, Rashard Lee, Maurice
Robertson, Torrey Harris, Antonio Harris, Scott Moore
1996: #40: C.J. Black (4-star), Charles Hathaway (4-star), Vegas Davis, Cornelius
Jackson, Tony Brock
1997: #40: Tony Harris (4-star), Isiah Victor (4-star), Del Baker
1998: #25: Vincent Yarbrough (5-star), Todd Austin
The 1998-1999 team goes 21-9 under head coach Jerry Green with a nucleus of
Brandon Wharton, Tony Harris, Isiah Victor, C.J. Black, Charles Hathaway and
Rashard Lee.
1999: #25: Ron Slay (4-star), Jon Higgins (4-star), Marcus Haislip
(4-star), Terrence Woods, Harris Walker, Zach Turner
2000: #99: Andy Ikeakor
Buzz Peterson takes over as head coach.
2001: #40: Brandon Crump (4-star), Derek Stribling (4-star), Elgrace
Wilborn
2002: #30: C.J. Watson (4-star), John Winchester (4-star), Stanley Asumnu,
Boomer Herndon, Pee-Wee Gash
2003: #28: Major Wingate (4-star), Dane Bradshaw
2004: #24: Chris Lofton (4-star), Damien Harris (4-star), JaJuan Smith,
Jackie Wilson (4-star), Jordan Howell, Elliot DeVoe
Bruce Pearl takes over as head coach.
2005: 199: Ryan
Childress, Andre Patterson, Tanner Wild, Ben Bosse, Justin Jackson
2006: #6: Ramar Smith (5-star), Duke Crews (5-star), Wayne Chism
(4-star), Marques Johnson (4-star), Josh Tabb
Ramar Smith, Duke Crews and Wayne Chism were all on the SEC
all-freshman team.
2007: #85: J.P. Prince (4-star, transfer), Cameron Tatum (5-star), Brian Williams,
Tyler Smith (4-star transfer, dismissed), Steve Pearl
2008: #6: Scotty Hopson (5-star), Renaldo Woolridge (4-star), Philip Jurick (4-star), Bobby Maze, Daniel West, Emmanuel Negedu
2009: #75: Kenny Hall (4-star), Melvin Goins, Skylar McBee (walk-on)
2010: #9: Tobias Harris (5-star), Jordan McRae (4-star), Trae Golden
(4-star), Tyler Summit
2011: #37: Josh Richardson, Quinton Chievous, Dwight Miller
2012: #38: Jarnell Stokes (4-star), Derek Reese, Armani Moore, D'Montre
Edwards
2013: #35: Robert Hubbs (5-star), Darius Thompson
2014: #39: Detrick Mostella (4-star, dismissed), Kevin Punter, Devon Baulkman, Tariq Owens, Jabari McGhee, Willie Carmichael, Braxton Bonds
(walk-on)
The Rick Barnes era began with recruits who didn't look all that hot on paper,
but worked hard not only on their games but on their bodies, and won the 2017
SEC regular season championship after being picked to finish 13th.
2015: #60: Admiral Schofield, Kyle Alexander, Lamonte Turner, Shembari
Phillips, Brad Woodson
(walk-on), Lucas Campbell (walk-on)
2016: #49: Grant Williams, Jordan Bone, Jordan Bowden, Jalen Johnson, John
Fulkerson, Jacob Fleschman (walk-on), Lew Evans (transfer)
Other Notable Recruits
2017: #54: Yves Pons (247sports 4-star, DPOY), Derrick Walker (ESPN 4-star), Zach Kent
(ESPN #40 center), Chris Darrington (juco), James Daniel III (transfer), Kwe
Parker (left)
2018: #115: D.J. Burns (Rivals 4-star), Brock Jancek (walk-on)
2019: #14: Josiah James (Rivals 5-star), Drew Pember, Davonte Gaines
2020: ????: Corey Walker (Rivals 5-star)
Highest Rated Recruits (Highest Ranking/Rating Service/Year)
Five Star Recruits
Tobias Harris (#5, RSCI, McDonald's All-American, 2010)
Vincent Yarbrough (#7, RSCI, McDonald's All-American, 1998)
Scotty Hopson (#7, 247sports, McDonald's All-American, 2008)
Cameron Tatum (#7, 247sports, 2007)
Josiah James (#14, Rivals, 2019)
Robert Hubbs III (#20, 247sports, 2013)
Ramar Smith (#20, Rivals, 2006)
Duke Crews (#22, RSCI, 2006)
Doug Roth (Top 24, McDonald's All-American, 1985)
Allan Houston (Top 24, McDonald's All-American, 1989)
Charles Hathaway (Top 24, McDonald's All-American, 1996)
Corey Walker (#29, Rivals, 2020)
Four Star Recruits
Corey Walker (#31, 247sports, 2020)
J.P. Prince (#32, RSCI, 2005)
Tyler Smith (#35, 247sports, 2005)
Jackie Butler (#38, 247sports, 2004)
Andre Patterson (#39, RSCI, 2001)
Jordan McRae (#40, RSCI and 247sports, 2010)
Jarnell Stokes (#41, 247sports, 2012)
Wayne Chism (#41, 247sports, 2006)
Tyler Smith (#47, RCSI, 2005)
Ron Slay (#51, RSCI, 1999)
Major Wingate (#53, 247sports, 2003)
Kenny Hall (#61, 247sports, 2009)
Renaldo Woolridge (#66, 247sports, 2008)
Philip Jurick (#70, 247sports, 200)
D.J. Burns (#79, 247sports, 2018)
Derrick Walker (#80, ESPN, 2017)
Jon Higgins (#82, RSCI, 1999)
Trae Golden (#85, 247sports, 2010)
C.J. Watson (#86, RSCI, 2002)
Brandon Crump (#86, RSCI, 2000)
Derek Stribling (#89, RSCI, 2001)
John Winchester (#100, RSCI, 2002)
Yves Pons (#112, 247sports, 2017)
Players Who Exceeded Their Rankings
Chris Lofton (#136, 247sports, 2004)
Grant Williams (#191, 247sports, 2016)
Jordan Bone (#171, 247sports, 2016)
Admiral Schofield (#251, 247sports, 2015)
Jordan Bowden (#262, 247sports, 2016)
Kyle Alexander (#362, 247sports, 2015)
Josh Richardson (#246, 247sports, 2011)
Dane Bradshaw (#124, 247sports, 2003)
Lamonte Turner (#144, 247sports, 2015)
The Jury Is Still Out
Jalen Johnson (#147, 247sports, 2016)
All-Time Individual Records
Single Game Records
Most Points Scored: 51 by Tony White vs. Auburn (2/14/87); 50 by Ron Widby vs.
LSU (3/4/1967), Tony White 49 vs. FSU (12/30/1986)
Ernie Grunfeld set a record for the most points in a freshman debut with 28
points in 1973
Bernard King broke Grunfeld's record for most points in a freshman debut the
following year with 42 points in 1974
Most Field Goals Scored: 19 by Ron Widby vs. LSU (3/4/67), 19 by Bernard King
vs. Florida (1/17/76), 19 by Reggie Johnson vs. Florida (2/6/80)
Most Field Goals Attempted: 39 by Ron Widby vs. LSU (3/4/67)
Highest Field Goal Percentage (min. 10 att.): 100.0 (10-10) by Mike Jackson vs.
Missouri (12/21/74)
Highest Field Goal Percentage (min. 15 att.): 94.1 (16-17) by Bernard King vs.
Vermont (12/30/74)
Most 3-Point Field Goals Scored: 9 by Chris Lofton vs. Georgia (2/11/06)
Most 3-Point Field Goals Attempted: 18 by Chris Lofton vs. Wichita State
(3/18/06)
Highest 3-Point Field Goal Percentage (min. 5 att.): 100.0 (5-5) by Shane Carnes
vs. Michigan State (12/20/94), 100.0 (5-5) by Thaydeus Holden vs. Vanderbilt
(1/18/03)
Most Free Throws Scored: 22 by Bill Justus vs. Ohio (3/17/69)
Most Free Throws Attempted: 23 by Bill Justus vs. Ohio (3/17/69)
Highest Free Throw Percentage (min. 14 att.): 100.0 (14-14) by Anthony
Richardson vs. LSU (1/12/85)
Highest Free Throw Percentage (min. 12 att.): 100.0 (13-13) by Chris Lofton vs.
ETSU (12/30/06), 100.0 (13-13) by Scooter McFadgon vs. Kentucky (1/20/04), 100.0
(13-13) by Scooter McFadgon vs. Auburn (2/28/04), 100.0 (12-12) by Tyrone Beaman
vs. Florida (2/18/84)
Most Consecutive Free Throws Scored: 18 by Bill Justus vs. Ohio (3/17/69)
Most Rebounds: 36 by Herb Neff vs. Georgia Tech (1/26/52)
Most Assists: 19 by Bill Hann vs. Alabama (1/6/68)
Most Steals: 7 by Dale Ellis vs. Mississippi State (1/20/82), 7 by Terry Crosby
vs. Florida (1/11/77), 7 by Clarence Swearengen vs. Florida (3/11/88), 7 by
Clarence Swearengen vs. Ala.-Birmingham (12/20/88), 7 by LaMarcus Golden vs.
Mercer (12/28/93), 7 by Vincent Yarbrough vs. UNC Greensboro (12/22/98)
Most Blocked Shots: 6 by Reggie Johnson vs. Biscayne (11/11/78), 6 by Reggie
Johnson vs. Vanderbilt (3/7/77), 6 by Doug Roth vs. LSU (1/11/89), 6 by Elgrace
Wilborn vs. Georgetown (3/18/03)
Margin of Victory: 75 (124-49) by the Vols against UNC Asheville (11/17/2009)
Triple Trouble: Three Vols scored 30 or more points in a single game against LSU
on 1/15/1977: Ernie Grunfeld (33), Bernard King (31), Mike Jackson (30)
Single Season Records
Most Points Scored: 806 by Allan Houston, 1990-91
Highest Average Per Game: 26.4 by Bernard King, 1974-75, Ernie Grunfeld 25.3
1975-76
Bernard King had the highest scoring average for a freshman: 26.4 in 1974-1975.
Bernard King had the highest scoring average for a sophomore: 25.2 in 1975-1976.
Bernard King had the highest scoring average for a junior: 25.8 in 1976-1977.
Tony White had the highest scoring average for a senior: 24.5 in 1985-1987.
Most Field Goals Scored: 286 by Reggie Johnson, 1978-79
Most Field Goals Attempted: 550 by Allan Houston, 1990-91
Highest Field Goal Percentage (min. 100 Att): 68.3% (95-139) by Doug Ashworth,
1974-75
Highest Field Goal Percentage (min. 200 Att): 65.4% (257-393) by Dale Ellis,
1981-82, 62.2 by Bernard King as a freshman in 1974-75
Most 3-Point Field Goals Scored: 114 by Chris Lofton, 2005-06
Most 3-Point Field Goals Attempted: 261 by Chris Lofton, 2005-06
Highest 3-Point Field Goal Percentage (min. 75 att.): 48.6% (53-109) by Jon
Higgins, 2000-01
Most Free Throws Scored: 222 by Carl Widseth, 1955-56
Most Free Throws Attempted: 288 by Carl Widseth, 1955-56
Most Consecutive Free Throws Scored: 39 by Danny Schultz (12/2/63 - 12/28/63),
39 by Michael Brooks (1/30/85 - 3/6/85)
Highest Free Throw Percentage: 91.2% by Scooter McFadgon, 2003-04, 90.5% by Bill
Justus, 1968-69, Tony White 90.2%, 1986-1987
Most Rebounds: 384 by Gene Tormohlen, 1957-58
Rebounds per Game: 17.7 by Gene Tormohlen, 1957-58
Most Assists: 227 by Rodney Woods, 1974-75
Most Steals: 78 by LaMarcus Golden, 1993-94
Most Blocked Shots: 73 by C.J. Black, 1997-98, an average of 2.5 blocks per game
Team Free Throw Percentage: 79.2% in 1971
Team Scoring Offense: 85.7 in 1976-77
Team Scoring Defense: 33.4 in 1945
Team Field Goal Percentage: 53.5% in 1976-77
Team Rebounds Per Game: 59.2 in 1968-69
Team Steals Per Game: 9.7 in 1988-89
Team Blocked Shots Per Game: 6.3 in 1998-99
Highest National Ranking in Final Polls: #5 in 2007-2008 (AP)
Career Records
Most Games Played: 130 by Rob Jones, 1983-1986
Most Games Started: 128 by Allan Houston, 1989-1993
Most Consecutive Games Started: 128 by Allan Houston, 1989-1993
Minutes Played Career: 4,606 by Allan Houston, 1989-1993
Most Free Throws Attempted: 848 by Carl Widseth, 1952-1956
Most Free Throws Made: 651 by Allan Houston, 1989-1993
Highest Free Throw Percentage: 88.1% by Jimmy England, 1968-1971
Highest Three-Point Field Goal Percentage: 42.4% by Allan Houston, 1989-1993,
42.2% by Chris Lofton, 2004-2008
Ernie Grunfeld has the highest scoring average for a 4-year career at 22.3
ppg
Bernard King had the most games with 30 or points, with 26
Most Assists: 715 by Johnny Darden 1975-1979
Tennessee's All-NBA Team
Starters (Based on Best Seasons)
Bernard King (led the NBA in scoring with 32.9 ppg in 1984-1985)
Dale Ellis (27.5 ppg in 1988-1989)
Allan Houston (22.5 ppg in 2002-2003, led NBA with .919 free throw percentage)
Tobias Harris (20.9 ppg, 7.9 rpg in 2018-2019)
Austin Robbins (16.4 ppg, 16.2 rpg in 1969-1970)
Tom Boerwinkle (10.8 ppg, 13.8 rpg, 4.8 apg in 1970-1971)
Bernard King was all-NBA 4 times and is a member of the NBA Hall of Fame. He
leads all former Vols in NBA points, assists and field goal percentage.
Austin "Red" Robbins was all-ABA 3 times and averaged 13.1 ppg, 10.5 rpg for
his career. He leads in NBA rebounds.
Allan Houston was an NBA all-star twice and averaged 17.3 ppg for his 12-season
career. He leads in free throw percentage with .861.
Tobias Harris has averaged close to 21 points and 8 boards for 3 years
running and is still only 26. He already leads in blocks.
Tom "Bull" Boerwinkle set a Chicago Bulls single-game record with 37 boards and
ranks second with 5,745 career rebounds.
Dale Ellis was all-NBA once and led the league in 3-point percentage and
effective field goal percentage at age 37. He almost duplicated those
numbers at age 38. Ellis leads all former Vols in NBA games, minutes played,
field goals attempted, three pointers attempted, three pointers made, three
point accuracy and steals.
NBA
Bench
Josh Richardson (17.5 ppg in 2018-2019)
Ernie Grunfeld (12.7 ppg, 3.4 apg, .512 fg% in 1981-1982)
Reggie Johnson (12.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg, .556 fg% in 1981-1982)
C.J Watson (10.0 ppg, 3.6 apg, .518 efg% in 2014-2015)
Dick Mehen (14.4 ppg, 3.1 apg in 1949-1950)
Paul Walther (12.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.5 apg in 1951-1952)
Josh Richardson has averaged 16.8 points per 36 minutes for his NBA career.
Ernie Grunfeld averaged 15.9 points per 40 minutes for his NBA career.
Reggie Johnson averaged 15.4 points and 7.5 rebounds per 36 minutes.
C. J. Watson averaged 12.9 points and 4.4 assists per 36 minutes.
Dick Mehen was a workhorse, averaging 35.3 minutes per game.
Paul Walther was an NBA All-Star in 1952.
NBA Draft Picks
Highest NBA Draft Picks with the Overall Pick Number in Parentheses
First Round NBA Draft Picks
Tom Boerwinkle (#4)
Bernard King (#7)
Dale Ellis (#9)
Ernie Grunfeld (#11)
Allan Houston (#11)
Marcus Haislip (#13)
Reggie Johnson (#15)
Tobias Harris (#19)
Grant Williams (#22)
All Tennessee NBA Draft Picks
Numbers in parentheses are the overall draft pick order. For instance, Art
Burris was the 31st player drafted in 1950.
1948 Marshall Hawkins 3rd - Boston
1949 Paul Walther 4th - Minneapolis
1950 Art Burris 3rd (#31) - Fort Wayne, Ed Jones 7th - Fort Wayne, Ed Montgomery 12th
- Philadelphia
1953 Doug Atkins 17th - Minneapolis (Atkins became a NFL superstar)
1955 Ed Wiener 4th (#25) - Philadelphia
1956 Carl Widseth 12th - Minneapolis
1959 Gene Tormohlen 2nd (#11) - Syracuse
1960 Dalen Showalter 4th (#25) - Cincinnati
1963 Orb Bowling 11th - New York
1964 Danny Schultz 8th - Baltimore
1965 A.W. Davis 5th - Los Angeles
1966 Austin Robbins 6th - Philadelphia, Howard Bayne 15th - Baltimore
1967 Ron Widby 12th - Chicago (like Doug Atkins, Widby ended up starring in the
NFL)
1968 Tom Boerwinkle 1st (#4) - Chicago
1969 Billy Hann 4th - Atlanta, Bill Justus 10th - Philadelphia
1970 Bobby Croft 8th - Boston
1971 Don Johnson 5th - Baltimore, Jimmy England 6th - Chicago
1973 Larry Robinson 16th - Philadelphia
1974 Len Kosmalski 2nd (#24) - Kansas City-Omaha
1977 Bernard King 1st (#7) - New York Nets, Ernie Grunfeld 1st (#11) - Milwaukee, Mike Jackson 7th - Buffalo
1979 Terry Crosby 3rd - Kansas City
1980 Reggie Johnson 1st (#15) - San Antonio
1981 Howard Wood 2nd (#27) - Utah
1982 Gary Carter 5th - San Diego, James Ratiff 8th - Atlanta, Nick Morken 9th -
Golden State
1983 Dale Ellis 1st (#9) - Dallas
1984 Dan Federmann 5th - Philadelphia, Willie Burton 6th - Denver
1985 Michael Brooks 4th - Houston
1987 Tony White 2nd (#33) - Chicago, Fred Jenkins 6th - Houston
1989 Dyron Nix 2nd (#29) - Charlotte, Doug Roth 2nd (#41) - Washington
1993 Allan Houston 1st (#11) - Detroit
1996 Steve Hamer 2nd (#38) - Boston
2002 Marcus Haislip 1st (#13) - Milwaukee, Vincent Yarbrough 2nd (#32) - Denver
2011 Tobias Harris 1st (#19) - Charlotte
2014 Jarnell Stokes 2nd (#35) - Utah, Jordan McRae 2nd (#58) - San Antonio
2015 Josh Richardson 2nd (#40) - Miami
2019 Grant Williams 1st (#22) - Boston Celtics, Admiral Schofield 2nd
(#42) - Philadelphia 76ers (traded to the Washington Wizards), Jordan Bone 2nd
(#57) - New Orleans Pelicans (traded to the Detroit Pistons)
2020 Keon Johnson 1st (#21) New York Knicks (traded to Los Angeles Clippers),
Jaden Springer 1st (#28) Philadelphia 76ers
Were the 2019 Vols the Best Ever?
Two of Tennessee's 4 regular season losses were in overtime; all
4 losses were away from home; 3 were against top-10 opponents (#2 Kansas
in OT, #4 Kentucky, #10 LSU in OT) and the 4th was against a top-25-caliber
Auburn team. The Vols beat two top-5 teams (#1 Gonzaga, #4 Kentucky). These
ratings are based on each team's highest ranking in the 2019 polls. According
to the final regular season Kenpom ratings, the 2019 Vols were 17-4
against top-125 teams and 7-4 against top-40 teams.
Tennessee's average home attendance
of 19,034 ranked 4th nationally.
The 2018-2019 Vols had 3 members of the 2019 All-SEC team.
Grant Williams was a unanimous first team selection, and repeated as SEC player
of the year. Admiral Schofield was on the coaches' ALL-SEC first team. Jordan Bone
was on the coaches' and the AP's second team All-SEC. Despite not having been
5-star or 4-star recruits, all were mentioned at some point in time as possible
first-round NBA draft picks. Grant Williams was drafted in the 1st round, #22
overall by the Boston Celtics. Admiral Schofield was drafted early in the 2nd
round, #42 overall, by the Philadelphia 76ers, then traded to the Washington
Wizards. Jordan Bone was drafted in the 2nd round, #57 overall, by the New
Orleans Pelicans. Other Vols upperclassmen with a chance to play
professionally include Kyle Alexander, Lamonte Turner and Jordan Bowden. After
the NBA draft Kyle Alexander was offered a spot in the Miami Heat summer league,
where he will pursue a pro basketball career. Lamonte Turner and Jordan Bowden
will return to lead the Vols in 2020. Grant
Williams was also named a first-team All-American by the Sporting News and was a
contender for national player of the year honors.
2019 Team Leaders
To illustrate why Grant Williams was the 2019 SEC player of the year, I
have bolded his name in each category. He was first or second in every major
category on a team that went 27-4 in the regular season. Williams may have been the best all-round basketball player in the history of Vols basketball. Hell,
his only "weakness" may be his acting skills, which aren't always convincing!
Scoring: Grant Williams 19.3 ppg, Admiral Schofield 16.3 ppg,
Jordan Bone 13.4 ppg, Jordan Bowden 10.5 ppg, Lamonte Turner 10.3 ppg, Kyle
Alexander 7.5 ppg
Field Goal Percentage: Kyle Alexander 63.1%, Grant Williams 56.9%,
Admiral Schofield 47.6%, Jordan Bone 47.5%, Jordan Bowden 44.7%
Free Throw Percentage: Jordan Bowden 86.7%, Grant Williams 83.3%,
Jordan Bone 80.3%, Lamonte Turner 78.9%, Admiral Schofield 73.4%
True Shooting Percentage: Grant Williams 65.8%, Kyle Alexander
64.7%, John Fulkerson 61.4%, Jordan Bowden 58.0%, Yves Pons 57.4%
Rebounds: Grant Williams 7.7 rpg, Kyle Alexander 6.7 rpg,
Admiral Schofield 6.3 rpg, Jordan Bowden 3.4 rpg, Jordan Bone 3.2 rpg, John
Fulkerson 2.7 rpg
Assists: Jordan Bone 6.1 apg, Grant Williams 3.3 apg, Jordan
Bowden 2.2 apg, Admiral Schofield 2.0 apg
Steals: Grant Williams 1.2 spg, Lamonte Turner 1.1 spg, Jordan
Bowden .9 spg, Admiral Schofield .9 spg
Blocks: Kyle Alexander 1.8 bpg, Grant Williams 1.5 bpg, John
Fulkerson .7 bpg, Yves Pons .5 bpg, Admiral Schofield .5 bpg
Minutes: Jordan Bone 32.5 mpg, Grant Williams 31.9 mpg, Admiral
Schofield 31.5 mpg, Lamonte Turner 29.5 mpg
Player Efficiency Rating (PER): Grant Williams 31.7, Admiral
Schofield 19.8, Kyle Alexander 19.5, Jordan Bone 19.3, John Fulkerson 17.7
Win Shares: Grant Williams 7.2, Jordan Bone 4.3, Admiral
Schofield 4.0, Jordan Bowden 3.5, Kyle Alexander 3.3, Lamonte Turner 2.2
Box Plus/Minus: Grant Williams 14.7, John Fulkerson 10.1, Kyle
Alexander 9.1, Jordan Bowden 7.1, Jordan Bone 5.9, Yves Pons 5.9, Admiral
Schofield 5.8
Final SEC Individual Leaders for 2019
Grant Williams lead the SEC in scoring with 19.3 ppg, Admiral Schofield was #5
with 16.3 ppg, Jordan Bone was #21 with 13.4 ppg, and Jordan Bowden was #39 with
10.5 ppg
Grant Williams was #4 in rebounds with 7.7 rpg, Kyle Alexander was #11 with 6.7
rpg, and Admiral Schofield as #13 with 6.3 rpg
Jordan Bone led the SEC in assists with 6.1 apg, Grant Williams was #11 with 3.3
apg, Jordan Bowden as #28 with 2.2 apg, and Admiral Schofield was #29 with 2.0
apg
Grant Williams led the SEC in free throws attempted
Grant Williams led the SEC in free throws made
Grant Williams was #5 in free throw percentage at 83.3%
Grant Williams was #2 in field goal percentage at 56.9%
Kyle Alexander would have been #2 in field goal percentage at 63.1% if he had
shot enough to qualify
Admiral Schofield was #5 in field goal percentage at 47.6%
Jordan Bone was #7 in field goal percentage at 47.5%
Admiral Schofield was #8 in three point percentage at 40.4%
Jordan Bowden was #32 in three point percentage at 34.8%
Jordan Bone was #37 in three point percentage at 34.2%
Grant Williams was #17 in steals at 1.2 spg
Admiral Schofield was #28 in steals at .9 spg
Jordan Bowden was #28 in steals at .9 spg
Kyle Alexander was #7 in blocks at 1.8 bpg
Grant Williams was #10 in blocks at 1.5 bpg
John Fulkerson was #26 in blocks at .7 bpg (fantastic, considering his limited
playing time)
Alexander Schofield was #33 in blocks at .5 bpg
Yves Pons was #33 in blocks at .5 bpg (damn good, considering his limited
playing time)
Jordan Bone was first in the SEC in assist-to-turnover
ratio at 2.9 and Lamonte Turner was #3 at 2.3
The Best Team Ever?
Here's why the 2018-2019 Vols basketball team may be the best in the school's
history. The 2019 Vols have obvious strengths in scoring, scoring margin,
assists, assist-turnover ratio, blocks, offensive field goal percentage, and
defensive field goal percentage. They are more average in 3-point accuracy
and overall rebounding. As of the end of the 2019 regular season the Vols had the following stats:
Won-Loss Percentage: 87.1, SEC#1, NCAA#7
Offensive Efficiency: 1.138, SEC#1, NCAA#7 (third after Gonzaga and Virginia
among major programs)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 122.5, SEC#1, NCAA#3
Total Points: SEC#1, NCAA#7
Points per Game: 82.3, SEC#1, NCAA#18
Scoring Margin: 14.7, SEC#1, NCAA#8
Field Goal Percentage: .499, SEC#1, NCAA#6
Defensive Field Goal Percentage: .393, SEC#2, NCAA#11
Two-Point Field Goal Percentage: .568, SEC#1, NCAA#10
Three Point Field Goal Percentage: .352, SEC#5, NCAA#137
Free Throws Made: SEC#6, NCAA#80
Free Throw Percentage: .763, SEC#1, NCAA#18
Assists per Game: 19.9, SEC#1, NCAA#4
Assist-Turnover Ratio: 1.74, SEC#1, NCAA#3
Assist Rate: SEC#1, NCAA#8 (this is the percentage of points produced by
assists)
Blocks: SEC#2, NCAA#6
Blocked Shots per Game: 5.4, SEC#1, NCAA#3
Fewest Turnovers: SEC#1, NCAA#31
Turnovers per Game: 11.2, SEC#1, NCAA#42
Rebounds: SEC#4, NCAA#96
Defensive Rebounds per Game: 27.65, SEC#2, NCAA#36
ROUND ONE: The Vols won their first game of the 2019 SEC
tournament after receiving a double bye, defeating Mississippi State 83-76 and
improving their record to 28-4. MSU was ranked #20 by Kenpom. Admiral Schofield led the
way with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 9-12 shooting. Kyle Alexander had 16 points,
9 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks and 8-11 shooting. Jordan Bone had 14 points, 9
assists and 4 rebounds. Lamonte Turner chipped in 5 points, 8 assists and 4
steals. Jordan Bowden added 10 points and 5 rebounds.
A COMEBACK FOR THE AGES! With the Vols trailing by 8 points
with less than 3 minutes to go in their semifinal game, Vol Network announcers
were glumly discussing how Kentucky feels that it "owns" the SEC tournament. The
Wildcats had 10 national top 100 recruits on their roster, to none for the Vols. But when they seemed to be on
the ropes and going down for the count, the Vols pulled a "Rocky" by
scoring 18 points on their final 7 possessions and winning 82-78 in a stunning
comeback. Admiral Schofield led the way with 21 points and 5 assists. Grant Williams had 20
points, 7 rebounds, and was "beyond clutch" at the end of the game with 8 points
in slightly more than a minute. Jordan Bone contributed 18 points and 5 assists. Jordan Bowden
added 9 points and 5 boards. Lamonte Turner had 7 points,
including a critical late 3-pointer. What a
game, and WHAT A TEAM!
TIME TO REGROUP. The Vols are 29-5 after losing to a red-hot Auburn
group that has now won 8 games in a row. Auburn is #13 in the latest Kenpom
ratings, ahead of Florida State, Houston, LSU and Kansas. So there's no shame in
the loss. Rick Barnes said he thought the "quick turnaround" from the
emotion-charged Kentucky game had left the Vols "drained." Grant Williams
concurred, saying the Vols had "no energy."
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. The mission was to "survive
and advance" in the first round against the upset-minded Colgate Raiders and
their barrage of 29 threes. And yikes, they made 15 for a 52% success rate!
Still the Vols won 77-70, improving their record to 30-5. But it was too close
for comfort until Admiral Schofield unleashed a
broadside of his own: 3 corner treys with the game on the line. Schofield led
the way with 19 points and 4 rebounds. Jordan Bone contributed 16 points, 5
rebounds and 3 assists. Jordan Bowden added 14 points and 4 boards. Lamonte
Turner had 13 points, 6 assists and 3 steals.
LOUISVILLE BOUND! The Vols are back in the Sweet Sixteen
after defeating the the #10 Iowa Hawkeyes in a
hard-fought 83-77 overtime battle, after squandering a 25 point lead. Grant
Williams had 19 points, 7 boards, 5 assists, 4 steals and 3 blocks. Admiral
Schofield had 19 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals. Lamonte Turner contributed 15
points, 6 boards and 3 assists. Jordan Bone had 14 points, 3 rebounds and 3
assists. Kyle Alexander produced 8 points and 9 boards. Jordan Bowden chipped in
8 points and 3 boards. The "big six" produced all Tennessee's points.
ROBBED? The Vols were down by 18 points to Purdue, battled
back, took the lead ... then got robbed three times in the closing seconds.
First, Grant Williams blocked a Carsen Edwards shot that appeared to go out of
bounds off Edwards' leg, but Purdue got the call. Then Purdue was allowed 7
seconds to inbound the ball. Then a phantom foul was called on Lamonte Turner
that allowed Edwards to tie the game with 1.7 seconds on the clock. The Vols
lost 99-94 in overtime, but many Tennessee fans will undoubtedly feel cheated.
Grant Williams had 21 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Admiral Schofield added
21 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists. Jordan Bowden contributed 16 points, 6
rebounds and 3 assists. Lamonte Turner chipped in 15 points, 3 assists and 2
rebounds. Jordan Bone had 10 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds. Kyle Alexander
had 9 points and 8 rebounds.
PAST ROSTERS
2022-2023
ROSTER: Josiah-Jordan James (6'-6", 207
pounds, five-star, RSCI#20, preseason All-SEC), Santiago Vescovi (6'-3", 188 pounds,
preseason All-SEC), Olivier Nkamhoua (6'-8",
228 pounds), Julian Phillips (6'8", 200 pounds, five-star wing, #13 player, #4
wing, MO#1), Tyreke Key (6'3", 205 pounds,
transfer guard), Zakai Zeigler (5'-9", 167 pounds), Jahmai Mashack (6'-4", 180 pounds, four-star,
RSCI#64, ESPN#97), Uros Plavsic (7'-0", 262 pounds), Jonas Aidoo
(6'-11", 205 pounds, four-star, RSCI#39, ESPN#71), Tobe Awaka (6-foot-8,
240 pounds, unrated but the Gatorade Player of the Year for New York, NY#4),
B.J. Edwards (6'3", 170 pounds, four-star point guard, #109 player, #19 point
guard, TN#2), D.J. Jefferson (6'5", 190 pounds, four-star, #129 player, #29
small forward, MN#2), Colin Coyne (6'9", 239 pounds, transfer), Kent Gilbert (walk-on), Isaiah Sulak (walk-on), Cole
Morris (walk-on)
UPDATE: In July 2021 the Vols had two first-round NBA basketball draft picks for
the first time since Bernard King and Ernie Grunfeld in 1977. Keon Johnson was
drafted #21 by the Knicks then traded to the Clippers. ESPN draft analyst Mike
Schmitz called it "one of the steals of the draft" because he had KJ "just
outside" his top ten. KJ is the highest Vols draft pick since #19 Tobias Harris
in 2011. And speaking of Tobias, the other Vol first-rounder, Jaden Springer,
will be joining him in Philadelphia after being picked #28 by the 76ers. Yves
Pons will reportedly sign not far away, with the Memphis Grizzlies, after going
undrafted. Gonzaga was the only other college with two first-round picks in the
2021 NBA draft. The Vols had their best draft in 2019, with Grant Williams going
in the first round #22 overall, Admiral Schofield in the second round #42
overall, and Jordan Bone in the second round #57 overall. However, the 1975-1976
Vols still lead in NBA talent for one squad, with three first-round picks
(Bernard King, Ernie Grunfeld, Reggie Johnson), third-rounder Terry Crosby and
seventh-rounder Mike Jackson. But those picks occurred over multiple years.
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