Daily Beacon 110619

Volume 138, Issue 14 Wednesday, November 6, 2019

utdailybeacon.com @utkdailybeacon

2019-20 BASKETBALL PREVIEW

2

BASKETBALL

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, November 06, 2019

DAILY BEACON STAFF AND POLICY INFORMATION EDITORIAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Kylie Hubbard MANAGING EDITOR: Caroline Jordan COPY CHIEF: Calista Boyd OPERATIONS MANAGER: Margot McClellan CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR: Alexandra DeMarco CITY NEWS EDITOR: Bailey Fritz SPORTS EDITOR: Noah Taylor, Ryan Schumpert DIGITAL PRODUCER: Austin Orr OPINIONS EDITOR: Evan Newell PHOTO EDITOR: Gabriela Szymanowska PRODUCTION ARTISTS: Jeremiah Pham,

Catherine Fei, Hannah Isanhart

ADVERTISING/PRODUCTION ADVERTISING MANAGER: Hailie Hensley MEDIA SALES REPRESENTATIVES: Parker Korpak, Marissa Esposito, Katie Riley, Emelia Sandreuter ADVERTISING PRODUCTION ARTISTS: Anna House, Elizabeth Ledoux, Carlos Padron, Rebecca Myers

CONTACTS TO REPORT A NEWS ITEM, please email editor.news@utdailybeacon.com or call (865) 974-3226 TO SUBMIT A PRESS RELEASE, please email pressreleases@utdailybeacon.com TO PLACE AN AD, please email beaconads@utdailybeacon.com or call (865) 974-5206

ADVERTISING: (865) 974-5206 beaconads@utk.edu EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: (865) 974-3226 editorinchief@utdailybeacon.com MAIN NEWSROOM: (865) 974-3226 editorinchief@utdailybeacon.com LETTERS POLICY: Letters to the Editor must be exclusive to The Daily Beacon and cannot have been submitted to or published by other media. Letters should not exceed 400 words and can be edited or shortened for space. Letters can also be edited for grammar and typographical errors, and Letters that contain excessive grammatical errors can be rejected for this reason. Anonymous Letters will not be published. Authors should include their full name, mailing address, city of residence, phone number and e-mail address for verification purposes. Letters submitted without this information will not be published. The preferred method to submit a Letter to the Editor is to email the Editor-in-Chief.

CORRECTIONS POLICY:It is the Daily Beacon’s policy to quickly correct any factual errors and clarify any potentially misleading information. Errors brought to our attention by readers or sta� members will be corrected and printed on page two of our publication. To report an error please send as much information as possible about where and when the error occurred to managingeditor@utdailybeacon.com, or call our newsroom at (865) 974-5206.

The Daily Beacon is published by students at The University of Tennessee on Monday and Thursday during the fall and spring semesters. The o�ces are located at 1345 Circle Park Drive, 11 Communications Building, Knoxville, TN 379960314. The newspaper is free on campus and is available via mail subscription for $200/year or $100/semester. It is also available online at: www.utdailybeacon.com

Letter from the Editor: We’re a basketball school KYLIE HUBBARD Editor-in-Chief At least I think we are? I actually know nothing about basketball, but I’m glad you picked this up.

I’d be even more glad if you picked up the copy of this paper to hang up the special poster printed as a wrap around it. Mostly because Hannah Isanhart worked really hard on it. And it’s freaking cool.

You didn’t hear this from me, but I predict we’ll do pretty well this year, based off the Google searches I’ve done. We have a new coach leading the Lady Vols basketball team and I think Kellie Harper will do a great job. I shook Rick Barnes’ hand while I was backstage at the Paul Finebaum show and he’s pretty nice so I think he’ll do well too.

The players are also great. I’ve only seen a handful of games in person, but I try to watch it on TV (especially during March Madness because I’m kind of a bandwagon fan and I like to see if I can guess right in the bracket).

But, there are a lot of people who actually know the game of basketball, and their work is showcased in this paper and online. My Sports Editors Ryan Schumpert and Noah Taylor, along with their staff writers Ryan Crews and Barrett Walker worked hard putting the content in this paper together.

Online you’ll find articles to catch you up to speed on the history of Tennessee basketball and how the heck the game is even played.

Whether you’re a super fan or know nothing, I hope you enjoy this basketball season in some capacity and that this issue helps you kick off the season! Pull off that wrap, hang it up and let’s go Vols!

P.S.: I may know nothing about basketball but I’ve been a big Vols fan since like birth, so go Vols.

INTRODUCING OUR

Tennessee’s

t-bus talk show

/DailyBeacon @UTKDailyBeacon @UTKDailyBeacon

New episodes every Friday

next guest:

Owen Flomberg

BASKETBALL

Wednesday, November 6, 2019 • The Daily Beacon

2019-2020 Basketball Season Predictions

CAROLINE JORDAN Managing Editor

Missouri, with the exceptions of losing to Notre Dame on Nov. 11 in Notre Dame and losing to Texas on Dec. 8 at home.

Another big storyline is the resurrection of the Tennessee Lady Vols vs. UConn game that had previously been played annually during the regular season, but stopped in 2007. The Lady Vols will travel to Hartford, Connecticut on Jan. 23, and I predict that the powerhouse Huskies will dominate.

The SEC not being a historically competitive women’s conference plays to the Lady Vols advantage as I predict they will win most games in the SEC. While no win is secured, I think the Lady Vols SEC losses will be to Kentucky (in Lexington), Texas A&M (home), Mississippi State (home) and the University of South Carolina (in Columbia).

Overall prediction: 20-9 ( 11-5 SEC) For most teams, losing four of your five

Vols Because I studied abroad during last basketball season, my access to watch the Vols and Lady Vols regularly was restricted with the exception of some NCAA tournament appearances showing at sports bars at 3 a.m.

However, growing up in North Carolina gave me a sixth sense into college basketball much unlike my ability to win at Pick ‘ems for college football, if you’ve been keeping up. That being said, I’m bringing my knowledge from the Tar Heel State to Rocky Top and these are my predictions for each team for the 2019-2020 season:

Lady Vols Among many headlines surrounding the Lady Vols basketball team this offseason was the hiring of 1998 NCAA Champion and VFL Kellie Harper.

Harper stepped into a unique role--just the second head coach to be hired after Pat Summitt retired in 2012.

A new coach brings new possibility, demeanor and leadership to a team, qualities that are welcomed after the departure of Evina Westbrook who transferred to the University of Connecticut (the NCAA denied her request and she will sit out the 2019-20 season).

The 2019-20 Lady Vols return six players, including sophomore guard Zaay Green and junior guard/forward Rennia Davis, to an intimately sized team of 12.

This leaves Green and Davis leading plus the hopeful return of Lou Brown, who earned an additional season of eligibility after sitting out last season with a torn ACL. Lady Vols will use the momentum and adrenaline of having a new coach to win all games leading up to the SEC opener against

starters to the NBA is a huge setback. But for Rick Barnes and the Vols, longtime bench players have been given the opportunity to fight for a starting spot.

Although Barnes received a competitive offer from UCLA this offseason he chose to stay and return for his fifth season in Knoxville.

Key players for the Vols for the 201920 season will be redshirt-senior guard Lamonte Turner, redshirt-senior forward John Fulkerson and senior guard Jordan Bowden. Turner was also named to the second-team All-SEC. The AP Preseason Top-25 list does not include Tennessee, so questions do remain as to how this year’s team will perform in comparison to last year’s success.

A key addition to the team was to be Uros Plavsic, redshirt freshman and transfer from Arizona State University, but the NCAA denied his transfer eligibility request, also denying Tennessee’s appeal of the decision.

This means the 7-foot tall man will have to sit out for the season.

Looking ahead, though, the Vols’ schedule is forgiving in non-conference play with the exceptions of Washington (in Toronto, Ontario), Memphis (in Knoxville, Tennessee) and Kansas (in Lawrence, Kansas) which will be tough losses for Tennessee.

The SEC men’s teams have gotten more competitive in recent years with matchups against Kentucky, Auburn and Florida, all of which will be played both home and away. Losses to each of these teams at least once will affect overall rankings and placement in the NCAA tournament.

Overall prediction: 23-7 (14-4 SEC)

Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing Earn your nursing degree in 12 months Must have non-nursing bachelor’s degree to apply

Application deadline December 20, 2019 On-site and virtual information sessions begin in September

Questions? Contact conadvising@utk.edu

nursing.utk.edu

3

4

BASKETBALL

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Previewing Tennessee basketball’s 2019-2020 season RYAN SCHUMPERT Staff Writer

Tennessee’s basketball team is coming off its best two-year stretch in school history totaling 57 wins in the last two seasons.

Gone from last year’s team is All-American Grant Williams and All-SEC selections Admiral Schofield and Jordan Bone, along with over 70% of Tennessee’s scoring.

“I don’t know if I have a grasp other than the fact it’s been a fun team to be around and a fun team to coach,” head coach Rick Barnes said. “They’re working the direction that we want to go. We still have a lot of young guys that are still learning the details of some things, but their attitudes have been terrific.”

What Tennessee does have returning is a pair of talented senior guards in Lamonté Turner and Jordan Bowden.

Turner has earned a reputation as a big shot maker in his last two years in Knoxville. He’s averaged 10.9 points each of the last two seasons.

Bowden has played less of a primary scoring option in his first three seasons, but the Knoxville native still averaged 10.6

points per game last season, shooting 38% from three.

“He’s one of those guys that very seldom has a bad day, and he’s somebody that you pretty much know what you’re going to get,” Barnes said of Bowden.

Rounding out the starting backcourt for the Vols will likely be Josiah-Jordan James, as the McDonald’s All-American continues to work back from a hip injury that plagued him this fall.

James was the highest rated recruit Tennessee has signed in the Rick Barnes era.

The 6-foot-6-inch freshman will look to immediately help Tennessee on both ends of the court.

James is one of the six newcomers on this Tennessee team. The Vols will need production from many of them this season, and Barnes’ and the players have been pleased with the energy and willingness to learn the team has shown.

“They’ve adapted to the culture of Tennessee,” junior Yves Pons said. “They’ve put the work in. This is a hard-working team, one of the best teams in the nation.

So we have a big expectation for every new guy.”

“We’ve got enough guys back who have really showed terrific leadership,” Barnes said. “I think they’ve helped these guys

(newcomers) from the time they stepped on campus in June.”

Jalen Johnson and Davontae Gaines will come off the bench this season in the backcourt and will be expected to play major minutes for the Vols.

Tennessee’s post play is perhaps its biggest weakness going into the season as the Vols lost four interior players to the NBA or transfer portal.

The Vols’ front court took another hit this weekend when Arizona State transfer Uroš Plavšić was ruled ineligible by the NCAA. “Well I think we’re all disappointed,” Barnes said. “Uros is a wonderful kid. He’s been really patient with it. There is another avenue that we’re exploring. You have some appeals that you can do, so we do have an appeal left.”

The loss is a big one for the Vols who will now need redshirt-junior John Fulkerson to make a big jump in his game.

Fulkerson, a Kingsport, Tennessee native, averaged 3.1 points and 2.6 rebounds a game last season.

Behind him the Vols will lean on Zack Kent and freshman Olivier Nkamhoua.

Tennessee has also moved junior Yves Pons to the interior to help provide depth.

Tennessee will look to counteract the

lack of interior size with length as the Vols have multiple players who can guard multiple positions.

“You got to go with what you have, and it’s up to us as coaches to put guys in positions that they can be successful,” Barnes said. “We’re not afraid to size down and play with what would probably look like a guard lineup. We’ll do whatever we have to do and whatever the situation calls for.”

“I think Yves Pons can guard five positions as well as anybody in the country,” Barnes said. “I really believe that. Josiah’s (James) length and size will help do that.

One thing about it, if you go that route, they’ve got to guard you on the other end, too. We’d obviously have to help each other a lot in that situation. Rebounding would become paramount to make sure we’re not giving up a lot on the glass.”

Depth will be a concern for the Vols all season as Tennessee only has 10 scholarship players eligible, but the top of the Vols roster has them confident they can compete for another SEC championship.

“We can be one of the best in the SEC,” Jordan Bowden said. “Just continue to work at it in practice, continue the details, the small details in it, but you have to want to play defense to be in this league. … Defense wins games.”

‘Mentally tough’ Nkamhou looking to play a major role for Tennessee RYAN SCHUMPERT Sports Editor

With the news that Uroš Plavšić won’t be eligible for the 2019 season, Tennessee’s post depth now becomes a major concern for the Vols. One of the players who has generated buzz this offseason and looks to pick up the minutes that Plavšić‘s eligibility leaves is freshman Oliver Nkamhoua Nkamhoua didn’t arrive it Knoxville with a whole lot of fanfare. Why should he have? Nkamhoua was a late addition to the Vols signing class, committing on May 7 before signing the next day.

At this time a year ago the three-star wasn’t even on Tennessee’s recruiting board, but a tip from former Colorado (now Tennessee) assistant Kim English put him on the Vols’ radar.

“We knew last year as the year went on that we wanted to add a couple front court players,” head coach Rick Barnes said. “Kim (English) called Mike (Schwartz) and said that he’d seen a young man play that was a terrific offensive rebounder and ‘someone you should look at’.

Coach Schwartz jumped on it. From the first time he laid eyes on him he said, ‘this is who we want.’”

Schwartz was able to get Nkamhoua on

campus for an official visit and the Vols closed on the 6-foot-8-inch forward earning his signature over Maryland, Pittsburgh, and Illinois.

The Helsinki, Finland native arrived in Knoxville in June and has spent the last few months adjusting to the college game.

“It’s been great,” Nkamhoua said. “My teammates have helped me out a lot and just being here with this coaching staff and the environment Tennessee provides has just made it really smooth to transition from high school to college.”

It didn’t take Nkamhoua long to catch the attention and earn the respect of his teammates.

“I think he (Nkamhoua) is going to be a special player,” redshirt-junior Jalen Johnson said.

“I really do. His work ethic, his competitiveness is really going to push and drive him far.”

“He’s going to be special,” senior guard Jordan Bowden said. “He reminds me of Grant (Williams), a little bit of a younger Grant, so the sky is the limit for Olivier if he keeps working.

He can be a good pro.”

Nkamhoua’s work in Knoxville got started in the weight room, where he turned heads and gained weight this offseason.

“The sky is the limit for Olivier,” Director of Sports Performance Garrett Mendenwald said.

“He’s definitely a hard worker and it’s been fun to watch his growth personally … I’m just

proud of him and all the work he’s put in and how these guys rally around each other.”

“My body feels stronger and more balanced than it ever has,” Nkamhoua said. “I feel like I’m getting stronger every day, and I feel like I’m working on the things that translate to basketball, not just lifting to lift.”

With four big men from last year’s team not returning, the opportunity for early minutes presents itself to Nkamhoua. On the court Nkamhoua brings a tough-minded game with the ability to hit the outside shot.

“He’s tough and competes every day,” forward Uroš Plavšic said. “He’s going to go hard every single possession. He can shoot the ball, he’s tough, he can rebound. He’s just mentally tough.”

“He’s a great rebounder,” Lamonte Turner said. “Olivier is relentless on the glass. That’s something he came in with and the coaches have developed. It’s one of the best I’ve seen as a freshman … He can really help us really have a good year.”

For Nkamhoua, the goal is just to play hard and help the team in any way he can.

“I bring a rebounding presence, young legs and energy,” Nkamhoua said. “I’ll do whatever I can. Whatever my role will be, I’ll accept it and go out it.”

Rick Barnes is known for being a coach that will be hard on his players and one that’s not

the easiest to play for. But Nkamhoua embraces the tough love knowing it’s what he needs to get better.

“He’s hard on us,” Nkamhoua said with a smile. “When you look back at it it’s great. He forces you to actually learn. He doesn’t give you freedom to slack off. Every day you have to be there focused and mentally prepared to practice. The way he is on us is great because it makes us understand he cares, and it turn we care more too.”

Nkamhoua also credits veterans Turner and Bowden for helping lead and knowing how to talk to a young player who Barnes has been riding particularly hard.

“Every day at practice they’re on you making sure you know what you’re doing, making sure you’re going hard, but also making sure you’re comfortable.” Nkamhoua said. “If coach’s getting on you, they let you know there’s a reason.

They can be hard on you, but also be a cushion for when coach is hard on you … It makes it a lot easier.”

Nkamhoua didn’t receive much fanfare when he arrived in Knoxville in June, but with a front court lacking depth and 6-foot-8-inch freshman with an ability to play tough and take hard coaching, Vol fans will know the name by the time SEC play rolls around.

BASKETBALL

Wednesday, November 6, 2019 • The Daily Beacon

5

Previewing the Lady Vols ahead of Kellie Harper’s first season RYAN CREWS Staff Writer

The Lady Vols and first-year coach Kellie Harper begin their 2019-20 season with high aspirations with many players talking about an SEC championship as the goal.

Tennessee will be looking to improve on a disappointing 2018-19 season which resulted in the firing of head coach Holly Warlick.

The Lady Vols struggled to a 19-13 overall record and a 7-9 finish against conference foes, finishing eighth in the SEC. In the postseason, Tennessee managed to win a single game in the SEC tournament against LSU before falling in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to UCLA. Non-conference Schedule The most notable matchup on the schedule features the Lady Vols traveling to face national power and old rival UConn on Jan. 23 in Hartford, Connecticut. Other notable road trips for Tennessee include at Notre Dame on Nov. 11 and at Stanford on Dec. 18.

The Lady Vols will host Air Force on Dec. 1 in a “Salute to Service” game, and one week later on Dec. 8, UT of the East meets UT of the West as Texas comes to Knoxville as part of the SECBig 12 Challenge. Other teams coming to Rocky Top this non-conference season include Tennessee State, Stetston, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Colorado State and Howard.

Conference Schedule Tennessee opens their conference slate at home against Missouri on Jan 2. The Lady Vols will hold “We Back Pat” night on Jan. 5 when LSU comes to town.

Senior Night for Tennessee will be Thurs-

day, Feb. 27 against the Lady Rebels of Ole Miss, while the regular season concludes the following weekend with the Lady Vols traveling to Auburn on Sunday, March 1.

As is usual, Tennessee will face permanent rival Vanderbilt twice, once in Nashville on Jan. 30 and the return leg in Knoxville, also “Live

We’ve been practicing really hard. And we’ve been working really hard since (the new staff) got here. We just have to show it when we play.”

ZAAY GREEN SOPHOMORE GUARD

Pink, Bleed Orange” night, on Feb 23. In addition to Vanderbilt, Tennessee will also play LSU and Ole Miss twice this season, while the other five conference teams visiting Thompson-Boling Arena will be Missouri, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi State and Texas A&M. Losses Meme Jackson and Cheridene Green both graduated last season after solid Tennessee careers, averaging 10.8 and 9.0 points a game, respectively.

Evina Westbook transferred to UConn, but the NCAA denied her request for a waiver to play this year. UConn is appealing the ruling, so there’s a chance Westbrook could still face the Lady Vols come Jan. 23. Mimi Collins trans-

ferred to Maryland and is expected to take a redshirt year.

Returning Starters Rennia Davis enters after a stellar sophomore season, leading UT in scoring, rebounding and free throw percentage. She also garnered All-SEC Second Team for both the coaches and media, as well as being named WBCA All-American Honorable Mention team.

“I’m excited for this season,” Davis said about the team’s media day. “I’m really excited. It’s an opportunity for me to do something different, be more vocal, help our team and do what I’m capable of doing.”

Tennessee’s offense continues to be a question mark this season as the Lady Vols will be working in plenty of new pieces and replacing plenty of scoring this season.

“Our offense needs to get better, period,” Harper said. “But we know that is a work in progress. I think right now our spacing, timing and passing - all of those things - can improve, and that would improve our offense.”

Zaay Green started 24 games and saw action in all 32 games as a freshman. Green was only the 22nd Lady Vol freshman to start the season opener. Last season, Green earned Freshman of the Week honors twice culminating in being named to the SEC All-Freshman team at the end of the year.

“We’ve been practicing really hard,” Green said. “And we’ve been working really hard since they (new staff) got here. We just have to show it when we play” Other Returning Players Kasiyahna Kushkituah appeared in 28 games last season, with her scoring reaching into double digits in four of the first five games, but she suffered a knee injury that sidelined her for three games and seemingly hampered her

Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper explains a play to her players during practice on Oct. 24.Caitlyn Jordan / Daily Beacon throughout the season.

Rae Burrell played in all 32 games of her freshman season a year ago, scoring in 21 games, and scored double digits five times.

Burrell had nine games where she earned five for more rebounds.

Jazmine Massengill played in every game last year and was primarily deployed as the backup point guard, likely to be the starting point guard this season. Massengill was the assists leader among the backups and was tied for the lowest turnover among regular contributors but will look for her role to expand on the offensive end this season.

Kamera Harris played 19 games last year, a career high. The senior will look to make the most of her final season in Knoxville.

“I think the biggest thing for us in terms of our rotation is just knowing the minute limitations for some of our players,” Harper said.

STORY CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

Harper talks offense, three-point shooting ahead of season opener at ETSU BARRETT WALKER Staff Writer

Kellie Harper, Tennessee Lady Vols’ firstyear head coach, met with media members to discuss the upcoming season on Tuesday.

Tennessee opened the season at ETSU on Wednesday.

The Lady Vols beat Carson-Newman, 70-44, last week in their exhibition game at Thompson-Boling Arena.

Harper opened up on the team’s first film session of the season.

“I thought the film session went really well,” Harper said. “We were really honest, but I think we are also using that as a teaching moment and teaching opportunity. We try to be positive, and although at times we are critical, we want to be positive.

“We really worked on talking about our urgency defensively and getting into position on defense a little quicker than what we did in our exhibition game.”

With a new system in place, along with a fresh coaching staff and a heavy mix of youth and experience, Harper continued by pointing out different areas of focus on the offense.

“Our offense needs to get better, period,” Harper explained. “But we know that is a work in progress. I think right now our spacing, timing and passing - all of those things - can improve, and that would improve our offense.

When those things get a little bit better, I think our shooting percentage will go up. Hopefully our defense will help that by turning some plays into offense.”

Harper specifically brought up the team’s three point shooting ability from last season and what she would like to do this year.

“I think if you pull the stats on this program

from last year moving into this year, I think it is a concern on our three-point shooting percentage,” Harper said. “We have players that can make shots. I don’t know yet what that percentage is going to be.

“We hope to continue to improve it. We have players in the gym getting extra shots up. Our staff has really been diligent in making sure that happens. I think we are going to put the work in, so hopefully you will see that pay off.”

When asked if there was a specific number of perimeter shots that Harper would like see out of her team, she said it was not a priority.

“No. I am not really a coach that lives and dies by the three,” Harper said.

During their exhibition game, Harper gave everyone fairly equal minutes to see where the team stacks up.

“I think the biggest thing for us in terms of our rotation is just knowing the minute limitations for some of our players...” Harper said.

“There are some players I think can go for a stretch of six to eight minutes at a time, so just knowing who those people are and keeping our players on the court as fresh as possible is going to be really important for us.”

Harper ended the presser by talking about what she is expecting from ETSU. “I think the hardest part for preparing for them is that they have not played an exhibition game this year, so we don’t have current film,” Harper said. “Two of their leading scorers are back, but they lost several key players from last year beyond those two. They have several junior college players and some new folks.

“For us, it is a little bit of a guessing game in terms of what the personnel will look like, other than we feel like we know their go-to players. We anticipate we can see both a two-three zone, a press and man-to-man. We are trying to prepare for everything at this point.”

6

BASKETBALL

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, November 6, 2019

STORY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 New Transfers Lou Brown, the Australian graduate transfer from Washington State, came to Tennessee last fall but was out all season with a knee injury.

After being awarded an additional year of eligibility by the NCAA, Brown will be ready to see action again.

Jaiden McCoy is a redshirt-junior transfer from Northwest Florida State College, who was originally from Farragut High School in nearby Farragut, Tennessee. Last season, McCoy lead her team to the NJCAA Elite Eight and was named First Team All-Conference.

Freshmen Jordan Horston and Tamari Key were both five-star players, #2 and #46 overall players respectively, and are huge additions to the program. Both are expected to be important contributors this season.

Emily Saunders comes to Tennessee as a four-star recruit, the #88 overall player, and the 2018-2019 West Virginia Player of the Year. Rounding out the roster is Jessie Rennie; the freshman comes to Knoxville all the way from Bendigo, Australia.

Coach Kellie Harper, a 1999 graduate of the University of Tennessee, was a member of the Lady Vols basketball team in the late

nineties playing on three national championship teams and is taking over for her first season as Tennessee’s head coach.

“Just how excited I am for this opportunity and just how much it means to me, and I know how much it means to a lot of people. It’s something I don’t take lightly,” Harper said about her excitement in returning to Knoxville.

Harper replaces Holly Warlick, who was fired at the end of last season after spending eight years leading the Lady Vols.

Prior to being a head coach, Harper served as an assistant at Auburn and Chattanooga. Past head coaching jobs include Western Carolina, NC State and Missouri State. Altogether, she has 258-208 (.578) career record and 163-101 (.617) record in conference play.

“I think it’s been important ... for me to be out in the community and out visiting with our fans … and hopefully they’ll be just as excited as we were back then about this upcoming season,” Harper said.

Preseason Honors and Predictions The Lady Vols will be looking to prove the media wrong, having been selected to finish sixth in the conference in the SEC media poll. Tennessee, though, did have one player named to an all-SEC team, as guard/ forward Rennia Davis was selected to the second team.

Tennessee basketball’s five biggest non-conference games NOAH TAYLOR Sports Editor

Nothing gets a team ready for a run in March quite like a tough non-conference slate.

The Tennessee men’s basketball team is taking that route.

In addition to playing in an evolving hoops league in the SEC, Tennessee plays Washington, Memphis, Wisconsin, Cincinnati, Florida State, Purdue, VCU and Kansas out of conference in 2019-20 with two out of the five — Memphis and Wisconsin — taking place within the friendly confines of Thompson-Boling Arena.

Of the Vols’ non-conference opponents, six of them made the NCAA Tournament a season ago, and four are currently ranked in the Associated Press’ preseason Top 25.

Here are Tennessee’s five biggest nonconference games of the 2019-2020 college basketball season.

1.) Kansas The Vols travel to historic Allen Fieldhouse for the first time ever on Jan. 25 as part of the annual SEC/Big 12 Challenge.

The Jayhawks are coming off of a 26-10 campaign that ended in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to eventual Final Four finalist Auburn. That young team now has a year under their belts along with a top 15 recruiting class and are ranked No. 3 in the AP Top 25. The game being in Lawrence could prove to be Tennessee’s toughest road test of the season.

2.) Memphis This game has a strong case for being No. 1 due to last season’s intense match up at FedEx Forum. Following Tennessee’s 102-92 win over the Tigers on Dec. 15, 2018, words were exchanged between Rick Barnes and Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway over postgame antics. That storyline persisted all offseason on Twitter and will likely be a point of focus when the two meet again on Dec. 14 at Thompson-Boling Arena.

3.) Purdue Another game that could open up old wounds.

The Boilermakers ended Tennessee’s historic season in the Sweet Sixteen last season in the most heartbreaking of ways.

Many of the big names from that game

Josiah-Jordan James, #5, looks for his openings on the court during the Vols’ exhibition match against Eastern New Mexico on Wednesday, October 30, 2019 at ThompsonBoling Arena.

Lucas Swinehart/ The Daily Beacon won’t be there for either side when they meet in the Emerald Coast Classic in Niceville, Florida on Nov. 30.

4.) Washington The Huskies received 128 votes in the AP voting, coming up just short of cracking the preseason top 25, but there is reason for hype in Seattle. Washington snagged two five stars in their most recent recruiting cycle in center Isaiah Stewart and Jaden McDaniels.

In 2018-19, the Huskies came up short in the Pac 12 championship game before ending their season in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Vols will go abroad for this win, facing off against Washington at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Nov. 16.

5.) Cincinnati Another tournament team from a year ago, the Bearcats had an impressive 28-7 season where they won the AAC title before falling out of the first round to Iowa. Had Cincinnati beaten the Hawkeyes, this game would have been the second with Tennessee in eight months.

The game is on the road at Fifth Third Arena, and the Bearcats did receive some votes in the AP Top 25, but they will be breaking in first-year head coach John Brannen after Mick Cronin took the UCLA job last spring.

PUZZLES & GAMES

Wednesday, November 6, 2019 • The Daily Beacon

7

the daily beacon

crossword & sudoku

your morning coffee’s best friend.

FOR RELEASE NOVEMBER 11, 2019

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle LOS ANGELES TIMESEdited CROSSWORD Edited byLewis Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis

by Rich Norris• and Joyce

STR8TS No. 1361

Medium

7

Previous solution - Easy

2 3 5 2 6 4 1 3 4 5 8 3 4 7 6 8 6 7 9

8 5

5

3

7 8 7

8 7

4 3 7

4 7

© 2019 Syndicated Puzzles

5 2 7

1

You can find more help, tips and hints at www.str8ts.com

1 3 9 8 4 5 8 7 9 9 8 3 4 2 6 5 7 7 6 1 6 7 5 2 5 6 4 2 3 7 3 5 8 2 1 4

5 6 7 2 1 8 4 3

How to beat Str8ts – Like Sudoku, no single number can repeat in any row or column. But... rows and columns are divided by black squares into compartments. These need to be filled in with numbers that complete a ‘straight’. A straight is a set of numbers with no gaps but can be in any order, eg [4,2,3,5]. Clues in black cells remove that number as an option in that row and column, and are not part of any straight. Glance at the solution to see how ‘straights’ are formed.

SUDOKU

6 1 2 3

4 7 9 6 5 4 2

Very Hard

5 9

1 9 8 6 1 8 3 7 6

The solutions will be published here in the next issue.

NOW HIRING DRIVERS & COOKS

Previous solution - Tough

1

3 8 6 1 9 2 4 5 7

3 8 5

5 4 9 7 3 6 8 2 1

7 2 1 4 8 5 3 9 6

4 5 7 8 6 3 2 1 9

2 1 3 9 5 7 6 4 8

6 9 8 2 1 4 5 7 3

9 6 4 3 2 1 7 8 5

1 3 2 5 7 8 9 6 4

8 7 5 6 4 9 1 3 2

To complete Sudoku, fill the board by entering numbers 1 to 9 such that each row, column and 3x3 box contains every number uniquely. © 2019 Syndicated Puzzles

No. 1361

For many strategies, hints and tips, visit www.sudokuwiki.org If you like Str8ts, Sudoku and other puzzles, check out our books, iPhone/iPad Apps and much more on our store at www.str8ts.com

APPLY ONLINE TODAY

ACROSS 1 Craftsy website 5 Regarding 10 Like a bug in a rug 14 “I understand now” 15 Crime boss John known as “The Teflon Don” 16 Letter before kappa 17 Spaghetti sauce brand 18 Composer Ned 19 Inside look at a hospital?

20 Sheepless nursery rhyme character 23 Clod chopper 24 Letter after kappa 28 Usain Bolt race pace 31 Bric-a-__ 33 Tokyo dough 34 Irish allegiance shout 36 British sports car, familiarly 37 Cold and damp 38 Many millennia 39 Auditioner’s goal 40 Over-easy item 41 End of a proverb embodied by three monkeys 45 Regret 46 __ legs: rear pair 47 Twins Ashley and Mary-Kate 48 Episodic story 50 WWII female 51 “Why are you laughing?”

58 Apple’s virtual assistant 61 Refill, as a partly drunk drink 62 Actress Falco 63 Day to beware 64 Make used (to) 65 Spy __ Hari 66 Milne’s “The House at __ Corner” 67 Police car warning 68 Scratches (out)

11/11/19

By Kevin Christian

DOWN 1 Jimmy Carter’s middle name 2 Bangkok native 3 USAF NCO 4 Sarcastic “Could that be more obvious?”

5 Go along with 6 __ tube: TV 7 Mexican “other” 8 Sch. near the Rio Grande 9 Streaming delay 10 Typical dinner hr.

11 Country with fjords: Abbr.

12 Actress Hagen 13 Carefree 21 Like 1,225-page “War and Peace” 22 Apiece 25 Quaint exclamation 26 Add (a player) to the poker game 27 Mike Trout’s team 28 Passover meals 29 Czech capital city 30 Dead __: lookalike 31 __-shouldered

Saturday’s Puzzle Solved

©2019 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

32 Captain, e.g.

35 “Where have you __?”

39 2004-2011 TV series about firefighters 41 Ousted Iranian leader 42 Core exercise system 43 Sign on a new store

11/11/19

44 Norwegian saint 49 “If only” 52 Author Morrison 53 Egg on 54 “No prob” 55 Minn. neighbor 56 Nick at __ 57 Nays’ opposites 58 Drink sampling 59 Altar affirmative 60 Rock’s __ Speedwagon

puzzles Wednesday.

NewNew puzzles every every Monday and Thursday.

THE DAILY BEACON

8

BASKETBALL

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, November 6, 2019

What should you know about the NCAA transfer process?

EVAN NEWELL Opinions Editor

Transfer students are a big part of the modern era of NCAA sports, and Tennessee basketball is certainly familiar with them.

This summer, the Vols lost two players—Derrick Walker to Nebraska and DJ Burns to Winthrop—in the transfer market.

They also added two new players in transfers, picking up junior guard Victor Bailey from Oregon and redshirt freshman center Uroš Plavšić from Arizona State.

After transferring, some players can play immediately at their new schools, while others transfer knowing they will have to sit out for a year.

For something that happens so often, transferring is still a little-understood aspect of the game. So how do transfers work in college basketball?

Admittedly, it is kind of confusing, and the rules around it are not exactly well-de-

fined, but there are a few simple things that will help you make sense of how the NCAA treats transfers.

First, understand that in general, players who transfer have to sit out for one year.

During that year, players can practice with the team, but they cannot play in games.

This rule is in place for a variety of reasons, but the biggest reason is to deter players from shopping around for the best team.

Without this rule, all of the best players who do not go pro at the end of the year could plausibly try to transfer to the same school to create an NBA-style super team, so this regulation helps to keep NCAA basketball more competitive.

The NCAA also says players are to use this year as an “academic year in residence,” allowing them to focus on school as they adjust to their new institution.

The year that the player sits out does count towards their four years of eligibility.

If a player has already used their redshirt before they transfer, sitting out can restrict

them to just three playing years.

While sitting out for a year is the general rule, there are plenty of exceptions.

Students who have already graduated from a two-year or four-year institution can transfer to another school and almost always play immediately. You will often see schools looking for talented junior college players to add to their rosters, but students with bachelor’s degrees also frequently transfer to new schools for their final season.

For example, Vols fans will likely remember graduate transfer James Daniel III from the 2017-18 season. After getting his degree from Howard University, Daniel was able to come to Tennessee and make an immediate impact as the backup point guard in his lone season with the Vols.

Players can also be granted an exception if they have never received an athletic scholarship, remain academically eligible at their previous school and receive release agreement from their previous school. This last stipulation puts a lot of power in the

hands of the schools instead of the players, which has sparked controversy in recent years about where that power should lie.

The other main way that players become eligible in their first year is by receiving a waiver from the NCAA. This is where much of the gray area is in the transfer process because the NCAA can grant waivers for a wide range of reasons.

According to their guidelines, waivers can be given to players with “a specific, extraordinary circumstance” that necessitates their transfer. This ill-defined wording allows the NCAA a lot of flexibility in their waiver decisions, making coaches and players often confused and frustrated by their verdicts.

Ultimately, if none of these exceptions apply, the player has to bite the bullet and sit out for the year. For the Vols, this is going to be the case for Victor Bailey and, surprisingly, Uroš Plavšić. While you shouldn’t expect to see them in action this year, be sure to keep an eye out for them in the years to come.

Turner focused on team ahead of senior season with Vols NOAH TAYLOR Sports Editor

For the Tennessee men’s basketball team, things are different now.

A year ago, there was no question who the leaders of this team were ahead of a season with enormous expectations.

Those expectations came to an end at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville last spring in the form of a 99-94 Sweet Sixteen loss to Purdue.

To get that far took a group effort, but the faces of the program were Admiral Schofield and Grant Williams, two players who are now earning a living in the NBA. Some important faces from that Sweet Sixteen run still reside in Knoxville with one season of eligibility to go, including guard Lamonte Turner.

Make no mistake, Turner was a big part of the Vols’ success the last two seasons and a key figure in head coach Rick Barnes rebuilding of the Tennessee basketball program — a rebuild that has included a SEC regular season title and back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths.

But now, Turner is taking on a different role, that of a leader.

His unquestionable abilities on the court aside, it is Turner’s ability to lead a young team into a season where making the postseason is now the expectation that could be the difference in Tennessee being a one-

and-done or making another impressive run. “(Turner) knows that our team will have a different dynamic,” Barnes said. “But he also understands that he has to be a positive leader, and I don’t think he’s wrapped up in himself at all. I think he is totally concerned with what he can do to make every individual a better player.”

Barnes recruited Turner as part of the Vols’ 2015 recruiting class, his first class as Tennessee’s head coach. Since that time, he’s noticed something different about his starting point guard since recruiting him out of IMG Academy in Florida: his preparation.

“I think probably the biggest difference is his everyday preparation,” Barnes said.

“Trying to make everyday a good day in terms of his focus in practice and not only concerned about himself, but thinking a lot about his teammates.”

That selflessness is a good quality to have in a team leader, and it’s one that Turner has embraced since last season. Because of that “different dynamic” that Barnes talked about, Turner knew he had to.

“I’ve always tried to be a leader,” Turner said. “It’s more mental than physical I would say, just having to speak up a little more, having to help teach these younger guys. I’ve definitely embraced taking that bigger role, and I’m excited about it.”

With loss of Schofield, Williams and Jordan Bone to the NBA, Tennessee will have to replace 70% of their scoring from last season.Turner averaged 11 points per game

Lamonte Turner, #1, dribbles around a defender during a scrimmage at the 2019 Rock Top Tip Off. Lucas Swinehart / The Daily Beacon during while playing alongside the Vols’ top three scorers during the 2018-19 season.

With only one other senior in the backcourt in Jordan Bowden, Turner is expected to take on the bulk of Tennessee’s scoring production, building off of a successful junior campaign in “sixth man” type role.

According to him, that combination of him and Bowden is a lethal one.

“Me and Jordan (Bowden), if you ask me, I think we’re the best backcourt in the nation,” Turner said. “I’ve said it before,

I think Jordan Bowden is one of the best shooting guards in the nation. We have a lot of experience there; we push each other and try to help each other. There’s different leadership aspects between us.”

Turner’s claim of being one part of the best backcourt duo in the country is one that will be tested with a tough non-conference schedule and an unforgiving SEC slate looming. However, those leadership abilities will count just as much as Tennessee moves on to a different era of basketball.