Tennessee
Jonas Aidoo transferring to Arkansas from Tennessee basketball
Former Tennessee basketball forward Jonas Aidoo is transferring to Arkansas, according to a report Monday from Matt Norlander of CBS Sports.
Aidoo entered the portal on April 11 and entered the NBA Draft. He kept his college eligibility while going through the draft process.
Aidoo had an All-SEC season as a junior. The 6-foot-11 Aidoo averaged 11.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. He had six double-doubles in conference games. He blocked 66 shots, which ranked third in the SEC.
The 2024-25 SEC schedule hasn’t been released but Arkansas and Tennessee are likely to meet each other although it’s not certain with two new teams entering the league.
Rick Barnes was surprised by Jonas Aidoo transferring
Vols coach Rick Barnes works to avoid being surprised by transfer portal decisions. Aidoo’s came as a surprise for the Vols based on the messaging they had received from Aidoo following the season.
“Yeah because he had told everybody he was fine,” Barnes said.
Aidoo was one of four Vols to enter the transfer portal following the season. Redshirt freshman guard Freddie Dilione V was the first, while fellow redshirt freshman guard D.J. Jefferson followed suit. Forward Tobe Awaka was the third and Aidoo was the fourth.
Jonas Aidoo was an All-SEC player with Tennessee basketball
Aidoo averaged 7.0 points and 5.3 rebounds in 18.6 minutes per game in his three seasons at Tennessee.
TRANSFER: Darlinstone Dubar commits to Tennessee basketball as Hofstra transfer
The Durham, North Carolina, native jumped into the starting lineup as a junior. He spent his first two years as a role player behind veterans including Olivier Nkamhoua and Uros Plavsic. He played 18.3 minutes per game as a sophomore and showed his defensive prowess in that season.
Aidoo’s freshman season got off to a slow start as he battled an illness preseason. He stepped into the playing group after Nkamhoua suffered a season-ending injury in February 2022. He played 7.8 minutes per game in 19 games as a freshman.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
Tennessee
Washington County, Tennessee Isaiah 117 House hosts fundraiser
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WCYB) — The Washington County, Tennessee Isaiah 117 House hosted a fundraiser event Tuesday to help support area children who are entering the foster care system.
The event took at Boones Creek Christian Church where organizers hope to raise around $20,000 to go towards funds for the house and raise awareness for the organization.
The organization which began in the Tri-Cities now has more than 60 houses in 13 states.
The group helps care for children who are entering foster care while they are waiting on their foster placement.
“We feel like we have an obligation to continue to do this for the generations to come, for the children who haven’t been born yet,” Washington County Isaiah 1:17 House Support Coordinator Katie Wilt said. “We know they are going to need us. We wish they didn’t but we know that they are, so part of this luncheon is to fundraise to make sure that we are able to sustain the care and the hope for the children of the future.”
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Tennessee
Gov. Bill Lee wraps up America 250 tour after visiting all 95 Tennessee counties
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — Gov. Bill Lee and First Lady Maria Lee have wrapped up a yearlong, statewide America 250 tour that spotlighted Tennessee’s role in the nation’s history.
The tour, themed “Tennessee: The Original Frontier”, highlighted people, places and events tied to Tennessee’s contributions to America. Over the past year, Lee visited all 95 counties as part of the effort to commemorate the milestone with Tennesseans across the state.
Over the past year, Maria and I have traveled from Mountain City to Memphis, and we’ve been reminded that our state’s greatest strength is its people,” Lee said. “As America prepares to celebrate 250 years of independence, Tennesseans can take pride in the Volunteer Spirit carried forward in the individuals, communities, and stories that have helped shape our nation from the very beginning.
The tour concluded in Van Buren County at the same venue where Lee held his first gubernatorial campaign event in 2017, returning to the place where his statewide journey began.
Tennessee
How Karen Weekly explained Tennessee pitching strategy in WCWS losses to Texas
OKLAHOMA CITY — Even though it only needed one win to make the Women’s College World Series finals, Tennessee softball managed its pitching staff in expectation of playing two games.
The No. 7 seed Lady Vols (49-12) were eliminated from the WCWS in the semifinals by taking back-to-back losses to No. 2 seed Texas (51-12) at Devon Park on June 1, ending their season. They lost the first game 5-2 and the second game 4-0.
Tennessee used each of its top three pitchers in the games, starting Erin Nuwer (15-1, 1.04 ERA) in Game 1 and Karlyn Pickens (15-8, 1.70 ERA) in Game 2. Sage Mardjetko (16-3, 1.45 ERA) also pitched in Game 1.
“Knowing what could be on the horizon, I think you almost have to plan for the possibility of two games,” Tennessee coach Karen Weekly said. “You’re hoping to go out there and win it in one.”
Nuwer pitched the first two innings of Game 1, long enough to get through Texas’ full batting order once. Mardjetko then relieved Nuwer. Weekly said she made that decision because of how well Mardjetko did against Texas in the Lady Vols’ WCWS opening win against the Longhorns on May 28.
In that game, Mardjetko pitched four scoreless innings, giving up just one hit and two walks with a strikeout. She didn’t have the same success in the semifinals, allowing four runs on six hits and two walks in 2⅓ innings.
“Sage did such a good job against them the other day,” Weekly said. “So, we got exactly what we wanted out of Erin. We wanted her to get us one time through the lineup without any damage, and she did, and then hand it over to Sage.”
At the start of the fifth inning, Pickens began warming up in the bullpen. Mardjetko didn’t get pulled until later in the inning, after giving up a home run, a double, a walk and two singles that amounted to three runs. However, instead of putting Pickens in, Weekly elected to go back to Nuwer.
“Just staying ready,” Pickens said of her bullpen activity. “Never know when you might go into a game. Yeah, that’s my job. It’s not my job to decide when I go in, so just stay ready.”
Weekly said she was planning on putting Pickens in if Tennessee took the lead which never happened. Pickens instead started Game 2, pitching the entire game and allowing four runs, seven hits and three walks with six strikeouts in six innings.
“You kind of have to balance how many bullets are you going to use in Game 1 if you get to Game 2?” Weekly said. “You want to get to Game 2 and have a good plan with your pitching staff. I felt like we got to Game 2 with a good plan. We got to Game 2 with a rested Karlyn, and pitching wasn’t so much the problem today. We just didn’t mount an offensive threat.”
Tia Reid covers Jackson State sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email her at treid@usatodayco.com and follow her on X @tiareid65.
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