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After Lakers guard Dalton Knecht tied an NBA rookie record with nine 3-pointers en route to 37 points in a 124-118 win over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday, LeBron James wanted to clarify just how Knecht landed in L.A. It wasn't so much the Lakers' superb scouting department that identified the 6-foot-6, 215-pound wing after an All-American senior season at the University of Tennessee as the ideal prospect to select with the No. 17 pick.
Ernie became a college legend at the University of Tennessee and won gold at the 1976 Summer Games. He went on to be a standout player for the New York Knicks, and later, the president and general manager of the team during its 1990s glory days. He's the only player in NBA history whose parents survived the Holocaust.
CAA Sports Basketball division has officially announced the signing of freshman Keon Johnson from University of Tennessee who will be joining their 2021 NBA Draft Class. The 6’5″, 186-pound guard is from Shelbyville, TN where he attended The Webb Schools in Bell Buckle, Tennessee.
Some doctors are lukewarm about its potential. "There is not a lot of data on it right now. There have been some studies that I've seen -- most of the studies are published by the device manufacturers," Dr. Darria Long, an emergency room physician and clinical assistant professor at the University of Tennessee, told CNN.
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On Thursday, ESPN overnighted a package to the Bone home in Nashville, sending it to his older brother, Josh Bone, that included a mortarboard and tassel from Tennessee. Sportscenter then rolled a video from Pratt Pavilion showing University of Tennessee Chancellor Donde Plowman and basketball coach Rick Barnes in cap and gown, holding a virtual ceremony for Bone. Underneath the cap and gown, Plowman wore Bone’s Tennessee jersey, while Barnes sported Bone’s No. 18 Detroit Pistons jersey.
Other female analysts had the sense that there was a double standard. A man hoping to become an analyst on a major broadcast would typically start off doing less visible jobs and land higher-profile analyst assignments as he progressed. Former N.B.A. players like Tim Legler and Mark Jackson largely followed this path. Female analysts, on the other hand, often seemed to be diverted to the sideline at a certain point — and many stayed there for years. “I had seen so many women get pigeonholed,” said Kara Lawson, a former University of Tennessee and W.N.B.A. star who started her career as an analyst in the early 2000s.
The Westchester Knicks, the official NBA Development League affiliate of the New York Knickerbockers, have named Kevin Whitted as the team’s first head coach in franchise history. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The Westchester Knicks will tip off their inaugural season this November and play all home games at the historic Westchester County Center in White Plains. “Kevin has a proven track record of developing players and is committed to the processes and development of this team,” said Westchester Knicks general manager Allan Houston. “Our relationship goes back to when we both attended the University of Tennessee. I’m confident in his ability to lead and provide an environment for players to grow on and off the court. This is an exciting time for this organization and community.”
It's not a marquee name, but Kevin Whitted keeps impressive company. According to league sources, the Westchester Knicks are expected on Wednesday to announce the former University of Tennessee standout has been hired to coach the NBA Development League franchise during its debut season. Whitted played in college alongside former Knicks All-Star Allan Houston, who is the team's general manager. He is the all-time leading scorer at Laney High School in Wilmington, North Carolina, and his commemorative jersey hangs in the gym there alongside that of Michael Jordan.
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Coaches that win consecutive championships receive lucrative offers for speeches, book deals and more. But we hear the Heat’s Erik Spoelstra is turning down everything. As a friend said, at this point in his life, he wants to focus on winning championships. Spoelstra again has used a bit of his time this summer to study coaches and their techniques, including friend Chip Kelly in Philadelphia and Pete Carroll in Seattle. (He also spoke to Seahawks and University of Tennessee players, and Russell Wilson raved about his speech to the Seahawks.)
Former Chicago Bulls 7-foot center Tom Boerwinkle, known for his crisp passes, determined rebounding and ability to facilitate the offense, has died at the age of 67. Boerwinkle was the first-round pick of the Bulls (4th overall) out of the University of Tennessee in 1968. He played his entire NBA career for the Bulls, averaging 7.2 points, 9 rebounds and 3.2 assists from 1968-78 while setting hard picks to create scoring opportunities for the likes of Chet Walker, Bob Love, Jerry Sloan and Norm Van Lier. The University of Tennessee announced that Boerwinkle passed away following a lengthy illness.
Former Tennessee basketball coach Bruce Pearl accepted a job as vice president of marketing with a Knoxville-based wholesale grocery company, bypassing the chance to coach the Texas Legends of the NBA's developmental league. He will begin working at H.T. Hackney on Thursday. The company is led by Chairman and CEO Bill Sansom, a former University of Tennessee trustee. "It's really an answer to prayer," Pearl told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "This is where my family is. This is where I want to be. Everybody looks at me as a coach, but I'm a father and a husband, and I've got to provide for my family."
Pearl has privately expressed a preference for his next move to be in television or as an NBA assistant coach, but he’s open to hearing out Maine’s pitch, a source with knowledge of his thinking said. After six seasons at the University of Tennessee, Pearl was fired at the end of the 2010-11 season after lying to NCAA investigators during an inquiry. Pearl has been anxious to find out whether the NCAA will impose restrictions on his immediate return to college coaching.
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