Tennessee 83, Mississippi State 76: The Dunk that gave Grant Williams the vapors

Will’s already been all over it this morning, but if anything ever deserved a double take, it’s Admiral Schofield’s dunk last night against Mississippi State in the 2019 SEC Tournament.

I know you’ve already seen it by now, but I also know that both you and I want to see it again, no matter how many times we’ve already watched it. All by its lonesome, it would have been recorded as one of the best moments in Tennessee basketball history:

Will’s already pointed out how perfect everything about that was in the actual moment, but sometimes moments come and then they go, relegated to the archives as they’re pushed aside by the next thing.

But the biggest moments never make it storage. They’re immediately put in a prominent location in the display case. This usually happens due to a flood of ancillary moments that sweep over, through, and around the moment itself. And there were a lot those.

We never saw it coming

One of the most amazing things about the dunk is that it was entirely unexpected right up until the time it happened. When Admiral drove into the lane and jumped off the wrong foot eight feet from the basket, it looked like he was thinking layup and maybe an and-one.

But no. He rose — blasted off, really — and never mind that defender standing there between him and the hoop; he looks like an ant from up here.

It happened so fast and was so unexpected that the bench had no time for a proper One Fly, We All Fly. If you watch it closely, only one guy gets synched up (and I bet research would reveal that he jumps every time somebody’s in the lane anyway). Everybody else acts like their boss just caught them sleeping and poked them with a sharp pencil.

It was equal parts shock and awe, and it was so potent that it gave Grant Williams the vapors. The two-time SEC Player of the Year clutched his heart, pretended to faint, and fell into the arms of a grinning Yves Pons. (Now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Pons actually smile before. High standards, that one.)

For Williams, it was apparently a rare and extended case of the archaic condition, too:

“It was a heat of the moment thing,” Williams said. “I actually did faint a little bit. I was shocked. I did not expect that whatsoever. I kept fainting because I kept thinking about it.”

Vol Network color analyst Bert Bertlekamp is not prone to fainting. He is, however, prone to excitement, which is why we love him. Here’s what happens when a guy who lives with his knob turned up to 10 needs to crank it to 15:

https://twitter.com/TreyWallace_/status/1106796854044430337

Yes, that was Hammer Time, Baby, and the Vol Network audio engineer is currently looking for a good deal on a new compressor.

Teammate Kyle Alexander was also in awe:

“Man, oh my gosh,” Alexander said. “I got to see my roommate fly today. That was big time.”

And Schofield, seeing the replay for the first time after the game, concurred:

Listen, we generally eschew hyperbole on this site, but enlarge this picture and then decide for yourself whether we’re making too much of this:

That thing was a triple exclamation point in an evening filled with them. There was a moment earlier in the game when Jordan Bone hit a long three-pointer with the shot clock winding down that caused him to break out into a smile so wide you’d have thought he was just drafted first in the NBA lottery. I can’t even find a picture or GIF of that now; it’s either buried under dunk stuff or simply forgotten.

That Schofield dunk, plus the fact that the team won the game, transported everybody in orange directly to post-game Happy Land:

A shirtless Jordan Bowden even commandeered a post-game interview with Bone just to rib him about missing a free throw:

And Williams, after he recovered his senses, interrupted his interview to goad notorious nice-guy Kyle Alexander:

There are so many things that have made this season so special. It’s not just the winning. It’s not just that this team is full of good guys you don’t have to worry about getting into trouble. It’s not just about One Fly, We All Fly, or the pre-game prayers, or the pre-season baptisms. It’s not just the huge moments like Bowden’s alley-oop dunk earlier in the season or the Admiral Schofield Dunk that Gave Grant Williams the Vapors. It’s all of those things, and I hope there are still more ahead for these guys.

Gameday Today: Phillip Fulmer, summer football, and summer hoops

More thoughts on The Papa, football keeps grinding, and updates on the Rocky Top League. This and more in today’s Vols link roundup.

Football

The Tennessee offense is gearing up for the fall:

And apparently, Butch Jones is taking the whole “pace” thing to an extreme this offseason:

https://twitter.com/vol_football/status/877503882984775680

What does Butch Jones think about Fulmer’s return to Rocky Top? Good question!

“It’s an exciting time for the entire Tennessee family to have Coach Fulmer and his expertise and the ability to build relationships that he brings,” Jones told SEC Country on Wednesday. “I consider Coach a mentor and a great friend, and I think this is healthy for everyone involved, not just football, but the entire Tennessee community.”

Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad to hear all of that, but really, what else is he going to say?

And what does Wes Rucker think about Fulmer’s return to Rocky Top? Good question!

So pretty much everybody but one person likes this move.

Speaking of Fulmer, The Papa is really happy that the talent pool in the state of Tennessee is improving, and he says having local Tennessee kids matters:

“It means more in the fourth quarter against Alabama, it just does,” Fulmer said. “You have to go back home and live it.”

And in case you missed it, you’ll want to check out the latest Vols hype video and the details of the Big Orange Caravan’s Tri Cities stop.

Hoops

Recruiting

New offers:

VFLs

  • Nobody here is going to be surprised to hear that Josh Dobbs has already displayed a real knack for learning what he needs to know as a quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but you may be surprised to hear that he’d already learned a bunch of pro knowledge while at Tennessee running Butch Jones’ system.
  • If this keeps up, we’re going to need a whole new blog just for Eric Berry:

https://twitter.com/vol_football/status/877564733544595457

Seriously, follow that link and watch that video.

Other Vols news

Gameday Today: Is Butch Jones immune to the legion of the miserable?

Butch Jones stiff arms the negative talk and keeps building an awesome class, a bunch of Tennessee baseball players get drafted, and VFLs just keep making us proud, all in today’s Vols link roundup.

Football

This headline from Gridiron Now makes a really interesting point: 

Tennessee recruiting booms despite Butch Jones speculation

You’d think that recruiting would be even more difficult when rumors begin to swirl about your imminent demise, but Jones is instead putting together one of his best classes. Chest bump to Jones for that. Maybe players just understand that relentless optimism better than fans do.

And yet Jones seems to be learning to season that optimism with a pinch of reality when talking to fans through the media. He’s “proud of [his] players, but not yet satisfied.” He says in one breath that Tennessee-Alabama is a “great, great rivalry,” but in the next that “we were very disappointed when we played them last year.” Basically, he’s still being himself but also learning to keep his foot out of his mouth.

There’s little danger in this statement, though, in which Jones says that he is pleased that his veterans are leading and his freshman are following.

Mike Griffith has an excellent feature on incoming running back Ty Chandler that you should go read now. Speaking of Mike, here he is saying interesting things on the SEC Network:

And again, GoVols247 entices you to bear the indignities of a 16-click slideshow by promising Vols football’s best moments against the Georgia Bulldogs. Yes, it’s a pain, but this one’s worth it. (You can also see the whole thing on one page if you are a subscriber.) 

Recruiting

Offensive line coach Walt Wells is up to No. 5 on 247Sports‘ recruiter rankings after landing the commitment of 4-star D’Andre Litaker. He’s third among SEC assistant coaches, and largely responsible for Tennessee’s 2018 class, which is currently ranked in the Top 10 and heading into Orange Carpet Day.

Speaking of which, GoVols247 has a list of five guys to watch this weekend ($$$).

New offers:

Baseball

The Atlanta Braves drafted Tennessee third baseman Jordan Rodgers in the sixth round on Tuesday. Pitchers Kyle Serrano (10th round, by the Houston Astros), Zach Warren (14th round, by the Philadelphia Phillies), and Hunter Martin (20th round, by Houston), and infielder Jeff Moberg (30th round, by the Colorado Rockies) were also drafted. Serrano, however, told Jimmy Hyams that he’s inclined to return to Tennessee rather than heading to the big leagues.

If you’re interested, SEC Sports has a list of all 75 players taken in the 2017 MLB Draft. Actually, they still have it even if you’re not interested, but you know what I mean.

The baseball Vols have also hired Frank Anderson as pitching coach.

Hoops

Five of the first six picks in the Pilot Rocky Top League draft were Vols. Guard Chris Darrington went No. 1 overall. Jordan Bowden went second, and Admiral Schofield went third. Grant Williams and Jordan Bone were fifth and sixth. Play begins Monday night at 6:00 at Knoxville Catholic High School. 

VFLs

Cam Sutton has signed his contract with the Steelers, and according to Spotrac, it’s worth $3,236,714. Love to see these guys so richly rewarded for their hard work.

Peyton Manning offered Lamar Jackson this advice after he won the Heisman Trophy:

“Peyton Manning told me that if you’re not having fun with it, always talk with your guys. Talk to the people around the program who can help you with stuff like that. You’ve got to always have a smile on your face. People are always watching.”

Eric Berry said that he has a very good reason to regularly give hungry people food:

“I don’t do it for the attention,” Berry said. “I don’t do none of this for the attention. I do it to better myself and give back. That’s what you should do it for.”

Other fun stuff

Another sports book has set the over/under for the Vols this fall at 7.5 games. So the money-where-your-mouth-is people are banking on 7-8 wins for Tennessee. 

The USTFCCCA, which wins the award for laziest acronym, named Vols junior Christian Coleman its National Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year. Assistant coach Tim Hall earned National Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year.

Golfer Hunter Wolcott is tied for 13th after the first round of the Southeastern Amateur at the Country Club of Columbus.