Tennessee
Everything Tennessee basketball’s Jahmai Mashack said after being drafted
On Thursday night, Tennessee basketball senior Jahmai Mashack heard his named called as the final pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Now with the Memphis Grizzlies, Mashack met with the media with his new team for the first time.
Here’s what he said.
TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM
On what he knows about the Grizzlies
“Tony Allen is a guy I’ve always watched since I was little. It might not be the most popular person to watch for a lot of people, but for me, it was still something special. Just knowing that those times and also being at Rocky Top its huge for the state of Tennessee and all the fans there. But I’m excited cause I’ve always been about winning and I’ve always wanted to be and strived to be a winner and I think that fits what they’re trying to do, as well.”
On the Grizzlies saying they wanted to draft players that are dogs
“It’s something that I’ve always done. It’s not something that a coach asked me to do and I decided to buy into that. It’s something that I’ve been doing since I was 12, 13, 14 years old when I told my dad that I want to become a great basketball player. He sat me down and he told me, it’s not going to be through making the most points or having the flashiest passes or looking at highlights, it’s going to be being the hardest working dog that you can be. I’ve embraced that ever since I was in high school and college and I don’t plan on doing nothing different now. I know what got me here. I know what works as far as winning and I know how to improve my game. And I know being a dog is No. 1 on that list. There’s no reason to change it now. It’s the formula I’ve always worked with and I feel like if I can grow that and mold that to something special, I can end up being a great winner in this league and help Memphis continue to evolve.”
On his first impression of joining the franchise
“Being a Cali kid, too, but actually being in Tennessee for four years, getting to know a lot of the people today and getting to talk to them, it was very family-oriented. I think that’s important for me. It’s not transactional. That’s a big deal in player development, not just on the court, but off the court, as well. I think all three of us can improve if we have that connection off the court, as well, and we know that they’re bought in to our development. I think the sky is the limit for guys like us. I’m getting to know these guys a little bit more, I know for me personally, I’ll run through the wall for anyone that has my back and they know I will 100% have theirs. Getting to know these people, getting to know their character and what they’re about has been special. Growing up, sounds wild, but I watched Memphis a lot growing up. I can tell just from the mentality and how they went about things, they’re about business, they’re about winning, but they’re also about team camaraderie and having your teammate’s back and that’s something that I’ve pride my self on ever since I was little. It’s going to be easy to buy into something that they’ve been doing for a while.”
On going from east to west Tennessee, unifying the two sides
“That’s what I’ve been hearing, I’ve been hearing that’s my job, I guess. It’s always great to have a rivalry like that. I think it’s healthy. I think it provides competition and I obviously don’t shy away from any type of competition. Playing for both sides, it is kind of wild and kind of weird but all I’ve gotten is love and support and they want me to go out there and be successful no matter where I was. And for them to see that I’m staying in Tennessee, it just gives them that much more passion and love for me and what I’m going to do. Everybody there, they know what I’m about, they know what type of human I am, what type of basketball player I am, they know what I represent and they know my values. And I think that’s what I really wanted to take it away from. Being a kid from Cali and going to Tennessee and creating a name like that and being known as a Mr. Tennessee type guy. It’s not something that happens very often. I definitely wear that proudly. They know that I’ve come from not being the most highly-ranked and not being the guy that’s going to put up 45, 50 points. They’re already calling me Mr. Irrelevant cause I was the last pick of the draft. I love it, man. That’s what creates my passion, that’s what creates my drive. I love when people feel like I can’t do something and I go out and do it anyway and prove them wrong and wrong and prove myself right. I love that feeling, man. I feel like that’s something I’m going to do there and I think if you ask a lot of people that know me and have seen my journey through Tennessee, they have no doubt in their mind that I’m going to do whatever I can to be successful and be the winner I know I can be.”
On the most underrated part of his game
“For myself, and it may be a surprise to a lot of people, but I’ve put a ton and ton of hours in that and I feel confident in it is probably my shooting. I think a lot of people look at the amount of shots I had at Tennessee and kind of put that on the value of my shooting, but I think when you see me in a different system, in a different light, in a different setting, you can kind of see a lot of those hours that I’ve been putting in going to show. Honestly, I think for me was the attempts and being that I didn’t have a lot of attempts and a lot of volume, but I know what I’m capable of. I know that I’m a solid shooter and I know that I’m growing to be even better and I know if I can get that to my game, I’m going to be able to be a great and complete player in this league. Just focus on my shooting, but like I said, I feel like it’s underrated, but it’s something that I’m definitely looking to grow even more.”
Tennessee
The Recipient of Taylor Swift’s Bouquet Toss Has Strong Tennessee Football, Lady Vols Basketball Ties | Rocky Top Insider
This past weekend, music icon Taylor Swift and NFL star Travis Kelce tied the knot and were married in Madison Square Garden in New York City. Among the long list of antendees featured celebrities and athletes with ties to the two parties.
One of the athletes in attendance was Kelce’s teammate on the Kansas City Chiefs, Trey Smith. Attending alongside the former Tennessee football standout was his sister, Ashley Smith.
On top of being present for one of the most publicized weddings in recent history, Ashley Smith is leaving with a souvenir of sorts. She caught Swift’s bouquet toss, traditionally meaning she will be the next to get married.
“Celebrated an Enchanting Love S(T&T)ory,” Ashley Smith wrote on Instagram. “And somehow…I ended up catching Tay Tay’s bouquet. So here’s to believing it’s bringing a lifetime of love, luck, and laughter my way. Congratulations, Taylor & Travis! Cheers to forever T&T!”
More From RTI: Tennessee Athletics Explains The Details of New Adidas Uniforms
Along with being near the Tennessee football program as the sister of one of the Vols’ best players, Ashley Smith played a role within the team. Initially, she worked in the Tennessee football office as Director of Football Administration & Special Events. She was then elevated to Director of Student-Athlete Career Development in 2018. She is now the Manager of Player Engagement in the NFL.
“Ashley has done a fine job for us, and I believe she’ll really thrive in this role,” then-Athletic Director Phillip Fulmer said at the time of her promotion at UT. “She was fantastic in her role with football, but now that she’s working with all sports, she’ll be able to make a positive impact on more of our student-athletes. She understands how important it is that they have resources and advocates to help them transition to the next phase of their career.”
Ashley Smith graduated from Tennessee in 2013. During her time as a student, she served as the head student manager under Pat Summitt’s Lady Vols basketball program. After graduation, she worked in the NCAA’s national office in Indianapolis and earned a master’s degree at Florida before returning to UT.
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The protocol that took effect in 2025 sheds new light on Tony Carruthers’ botched execution, when Dr. Mark Fowler spent nearly an hour trying, and failing, to place a secondary IV line.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – Oppressive heat is done, but high humidity remains.
The jaw-dropping heat wave that closed the month of June and kicked off July is now officially complete. A heat wave is defined as a period of three or more consecutive days with temperatures in the 90s. Today, Sunday, July 5, Nashville’s high temperature was only 88 degrees, marking the end of the blistering seven-day stretch.
During our record-setting round of summer sizzle, Nashville achieved many notable milestones.
First, the low temperature last Sunday, June 28, was only 79°. That’s remarkably warm for a minimum temperature. Since 2013, there were only three other times the low in Nashville was that high.
Then, on Thursday, July 2, Nashville soared to 100 degrees for the first time in nearly a year. That day’s high missed the record by one.
Friday, July 3, turned even hotter. The airport thermometer peaked at 101° that afternoon setting a new record high for the date.
Finally, today, July 5, the high temperature was only 88 degrees. For the first time in a week, the temperature was held below 90. However, what’s stunning is that the high was set at 9:41 a.m., well before the typical high temperature time of day — mid-to-late afternoon.
In the coming days, we’ll get a break from what we endured last week. Expect spotty showers and storms. Clouds and rain in the area will hold temperatures to more seasonable levels, in the upper 80s and low 90s.
For life-saving weather alerts, customized messages on conditions and forecasts, and videos detailing upcoming weather events, download the WSMV 4 First Alert Weather app for iPhone or Android. Have weather pictures or videos? Share them here.
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