Marvin West: Tennessee best basketball teams – Knox TN Today

Baseball: Tony Vitello’s over-the-wall bashers personal the Tennessee sports activities highlight. Their file is 40-4 with 103 dwelling runs.

Soccer: Tennessee exceeded expectations within the NFL draft. Estimated contract worth for 5 Vols is $24 million.

Basketball: Surprisingly, it lingers. Early exit from the NCAA event, no shock, was six weeks in the past however Rick Barnes stays wakeful. The coach is making an attempt to show over his roster. Six Vols have gone away.

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Morning discussions at Hardee’s in Union County are most frequently concerning the climate, politics, Freeway 33 reconstruction and the way the okra is doing. Solely elevated value of dwelling threatens the no-profanity settlement.

It was a bit disconcerting to find encroachment by Tennessee basketball. The main focus wasn’t Barnes’ conventional event dropsy or the hyperlink between NIL cash and the switch portal and even alternative recruiting.

The virtually-an-argument was about how good had been the latest Volunteers and which workforce was the perfect ever in Massive Orange Nation.

Thankfully, I arrived late, however, being a resident genius, was invited to step in as moderator. Espresso-to-go rescued me.

The query didn’t go away. Which Tennessee workforce actually was the perfect?

I and my bicycle nonetheless had a newspaper route the 12 months John Mauer’s finest workforce gained an SEC title. I additionally missed Emmett Lowery’s finest. Later, as a UT scholar, I noticed loads at Alumni Memorial Gymnasium. I stay dismayed that Tennessee had a shedding file in ’54 with Carl Widseth, Ed Wiener, Herman Thompson, Invoice Lovelace and Buddy Cruze.

The “finest” query was nonetheless there. Analysis turned mandatory. That led to the formation of an influence panel of knowledgeable consultants, previous Vol Hank Bertelkamp, not fairly as previous Vol Kenny Coulter, comparatively younger former Vol Lloyd Richardson and well-known Vol historians Bud Ford and Tom Mattingly. I accepted a self-appointment as chair.

Needless to say basketball is older than I’m. It goes again to 1891. James Naismith put up the proverbial peach baskets on the Worldwide YMCA Coaching Faculty, now often called Springfield (Mass.) School. Seventeen years later, the sport arrived at Tennessee.

Our “finest” panel skipped the period of heart jumps after every purpose. We didn’t take significantly the interval when Jellico YMCA, Knoxville Excessive Faculty and Johnson Bible School supplied the opposition. We did take observe that soccer coach Zora G. Clevenger was additionally the basketball coach for a number of seasons. His 1916 workforce went 12-0.

In additional trendy instances, Bertelkamp averaged 14.3 factors per sport in 1952-53. Coulter averaged 14 in 1958-59. Richardson performed within the early Seventies, within the time of Jimmy England, Don Johnson, Mike Edwards and Len Kosmalski. Lloyd didn’t get to shoot as a lot.

The panel minimize to the chase. It in contrast the perfect groups of Ray Mears, Don DeVoe, Jerry Inexperienced, Bruce Pearl and Barnes. Panelists voted 1-2-3. Outcomes had been validated by Sarah.

The 1976-77 workforce gained. To my shock, the vote wasn’t shut.

Bernard King and Ernie Grunfeld revered one another and had been completely unselfish. With only one basketball, they produced nice numbers. Bernard led the SEC by averaging 25.8 factors. Ernie G. scored 22.8, Mike Jackson 15.4, Reggie Johnson 11. Johnny Darden contributed 5.6 and lots of assists. King led the league in rebounding with 14.2.

The workforce went 22-6 in opposition to a intentionally troublesome schedule –Duke, San Francisco and UCLA had been 50 per cent of the losses. Mears thought stiff competitors would assist at event time. It didn’t. Syracuse despatched the Vols dwelling.

Tennessee did win that SEC championship with 16-2. Ah sure, we keep in mind it effectively.

The panelists stated the 2007-2008 workforce was second finest, 31-5 general, 14-2 as SEC champions, Candy Sixteen within the event, No. 5 within the last AP ballot.

Pearl and I believed key gamers had been Chris Lofton, JaJuan Smith, Tyler Smith, Wayne Chism and J.P. Prince. Jordan Howell was a captain.

Tennessee began the 12 months ranked No. 7 however obtained trashed by Texas. The Vols gained 11 in a row, misplaced at Kentucky, however defeated the following 9 foes, together with No. 1 Memphis in Memphis. The polls turned orange.

Some stated this was the largest victory in Tennessee basketball historical past.

The Vols couldn’t deal with the celebration and pats on the again. They misplaced at Vanderbilt, bounced again in opposition to Kentucky, gained one and misplaced one within the SEC event and gained twice within the NCAAs. Louisville inflicted a large upset.

My favourite workforce, 1966-67, was excellent however not the perfect. It was awarded third place. It completed 21-7, 15-3 within the SEC, No. 8 within the last AP ballot.

Mears had loved appreciable success in 4 earlier years. He improved markedly as a coach when RonWidby turned a senior. Ron was an area expertise, Fulton Excessive Faculty, multi-talented, refuse-to-lose disposition.

Widby led the SEC with 22.1 factors plus eight and a half rebounds a sport. Tom Boerwinkle averaged 12 factors and 10 rebounds and usually tolerated Stu Aberdeen teaching him with a brush. Invoice Justus averaged 11 factors and Tom Hendrix 10. Billy Hann was a superb level guard.

In my thoughts, this tight-knit assortment turned the primary nice workforce at Tennessee. The unforgettable efficiency was a three-overtime victory at Mississippi State, third-best UT sport I ever noticed. That season finale clinched the league crown.

“We had been picked fifth or sixth pre-season, however we had confidence,” recalled Widby.  “I advised Marvin that he had it incorrect, that we had been going to win the championship.”

Justus was a witness.

“Ron made the remark that we had been going to win the SEC. I keep in mind pondering he’d gone loopy.”

Widby had 35 factors and 9 rebounds in that dramatic, unbelievably tense sport in Starkville. Certainly, he merely refused to lose. He scored 10 in a row within the overtimes. Justus hit the clinching free throws.

Widby oversaw stuffing me, totally clothed, into a chilly bathe as punishment for my lack of November religion. Newspaper editor Ralph Millett thought that was very humorous and changed my Kmart swimsuit.

FYI: Coming quickly, panel picks 25 finest gamers.

Marvin West welcomes reader feedback or questions. His tackle is marvinwest75@gmail.com