Z's Quarter-Century BasketVols Team

#1
zjcvols

zjcvols

"On a Tennessee Saturday night."
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#1
G- Zakai Zeigler- 2021-2025
  • Third-team All-American – AP, USBWA, NABC, SN (2025)
  • 2× SEC Defensive Player of the Year (2024, 2025)
  • 2× First-team All-SEC (2024, 2025)
  • Second-team All-SEC (2023)
  • 4× SEC All-Defensive Team (2022–2025)
  • SEC All-Freshman Team (2022)
The impact on winning and individual accolades makes him a clear first team choice. Zeigler was not perfect, but he might be the toughest player in Tennessee basketball history. The all-time steals and assists leader at Tennessee, two-time defensive player of the year in the SEC also lead Tennessee to two Elite Eight appearances and maybe a third if he doesn't tear his ACL. This was a clear choice. Not bad for a guy who got a scholarship offer three months before having to enroll his freshman year.

G- Chris Lofton 2004-2008
The greatest shooter in Tennessee history and the one player you can trace to Tennessee being an afterthought to a perennial top 20 program. Lofton (along with CJ Watson, JaJaun Smith and Bruce Pearl) helped lead Tennessee out of the basketball wilderness and into the national spotlight. Had his senior year not been derailed by a cancer diagnosis, the numbers would be even better. You know you are iconic when a shot during a regular season basketball game still gives the fanbase collective goosebumps

F- Dalton Knecht 2023-2024

If Bernard King didn't exist, Dalton Knecht would have the greatest season in Tennessee basketball history. Knecht averaged 25.5 points in conference play and almost single handedly led Tennessee to its first ever Final Four. He was a consensus first-team AA and won SEC Player of the Year. He only played one year but it was so glorious it deserves first team mention.

F- Grant Williams 2016-2019

It still blows my mind that Tennessee employed a two-time SEC player of the year. Williams' last year at Tennessee feels overshadowed after what Knecht did but is still incredible (19/7.5/3/1.1/1.5 on a 58.2% eFG). Williams helped Rick Barnes establish Tennessee back as an elite basketball program and was absolutely dynamite in big games. Still in the NBA, who would have thought the kid that supplied Rick Barnes' popcorn addiction for a summer would be a first round pick.

F- Ron Slay 1999-2003

When I did the 20 year team in 2020, I put Wayne Chism over Slay. I've thought about it and Slay was too good of a player to leave off the first team. Slay was a monster with more of a "ahead of its time" game (a PF taking over 4 three's per game in 2002-2003!) and won SEC Player of the Year. Slay doesn't have the team success of these other four names on this list but he deserves it with how good his senior year was and a junior year that interrupted by a torn ACL (Side note: Kind of insane 3/5 first team All-Vol team had seasons interrupted, two by torn ACL's and one by cancer). I hope Slay doesn't become forgotten as the program continues further in to the 21st century. Also, he is hilarious on social media and represents the Vol well on the SEC Network.

2nd Team
G- CJ Watson
G- JaJuan Smith
F- Admiral Schofield
F- Wayne Chism
F- Jarnell Stokes

3rd Team
G- Chaz Lanier
G- Scotty Hopson
G- Jordan McRae
F- Vincent Yarbrough
F- Tobias Harris
 
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#2
#2
Trying to decide between Jordan Bone, Jordan McRae, Josh Richardson and Kevin Punter for the 3rd team spot was agonizing.
 
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#5
#5
zjcvols said:
G- Zakai Zeigler- 2021-2025
  • Third-team All-American – AP, USBWA, NABC, SN (2025)
  • 2× SEC Defensive Player of the Year (2024, 2025)
  • 2× First-team All-SEC (2024, 2025)
  • Second-team All-SEC (2023)
  • 4× SEC All-Defensive Team (2022–2025)
  • SEC All-Freshman Team (2022)
The impact on winning and individual accolades makes him a clear first team choice. Zeigler was not perfect, but he might be the toughest player in Tennessee basketball history. The all-time steals and assists leader at Tennessee, two-time defensive player of the year in the SEC also lead Tennessee to two Elite Eight appearances and maybe a third if he doesn't tear his ACL. This was a clear choice. Not bad for a guy who got a scholarship offer three months before having to enroll his freshman year.

G- Chris Lofton 2004-2008
The greatest shooter in Tennessee history and the one player you can trace to Tennessee being an afterthought to a perennial top 20 program. Lofton (along with CJ Watson, JaJaun Smith and Bruce Pearl) helped lead Tennessee out of the basketball wilderness and into the national spotlight. Had his senior year not been derailed by a cancer diagnosis, the numbers would be even better. You know you are iconic when a shot during a regular season basketball game still gives the fanbase collective goosebumps

F- Dalton Knecht 2023-2024

If Bernard King didn't exist, Dalton Knecht would have the greatest season in Tennessee basketball history. Knecht averaged 25.5 points in conference play and almost single handedly led Tennessee to its first ever Final Four. He was a consensus first-team AA and won SEC Player of the Year. He only played one year but it was so glorious it deserves first team mention.

F- Grant Williams 2016-2019

It still blows my mind that Tennessee employed a two-time SEC player of the year. Williams' last year at Tennessee feels overshadowed after what Knecht did but is still incredible (19/7.5/3/1.1/1.5 on a 58.2% eFG). Williams helped Rick Barnes establish Tennessee back as an elite basketball program and was absolutely dynamite in big games. Still in the NBA, who would have thought the kid that supplied Rick Barnes' popcorn addiction for a summer would be a first round pick.

F- Ron Slay 1999-2003

When I did the 20 year team in 2020, I put Wayne Chism over Slay. I've thought about it and Slay was too good of a player to leave off the first team. Slay was a monster with more of a "ahead of its time" game (a PF taking over 4 three's per game in 2002-2003!) and won SEC Player of the Year. Slay doesn't have the team success of these other four names on this list but he deserves it with how good his senior year was and a junior year that interrupted by a torn ACL (Side note: Kind of insane 3/5 first team All-Vol team had seasons interrupted, two by torn ACL's and one by cancer). I hope Slay doesn't become forgotten as the program continues further in to the 21st century. Also, he is hilarious on social media and represents the Vol well on the SEC Network.

2nd Team
G- CJ Watson
G- JaJuan Smith
F- Admiral Schofield
F- Wayne Chism
F- Jarnell Stokes

3rd Team
G- Chaz Lanier
G- Scotty Hopson
G- Jordan McRae
F- Vincent Yarbrough
F- Tobias Harris
Click to expand...
I can't believe Ernie & Bernie didn't even make top 3 teams. You need to rethink this list.
 
#11
#11
zjcvols said:
G- Zakai Zeigler- 2021-2025
  • Third-team All-American – AP, USBWA, NABC, SN (2025)
  • 2× SEC Defensive Player of the Year (2024, 2025)
  • 2× First-team All-SEC (2024, 2025)
  • Second-team All-SEC (2023)
  • 4× SEC All-Defensive Team (2022–2025)
  • SEC All-Freshman Team (2022)
The impact on winning and individual accolades makes him a clear first team choice. Zeigler was not perfect, but he might be the toughest player in Tennessee basketball history. The all-time steals and assists leader at Tennessee, two-time defensive player of the year in the SEC also lead Tennessee to two Elite Eight appearances and maybe a third if he doesn't tear his ACL. This was a clear choice. Not bad for a guy who got a scholarship offer three months before having to enroll his freshman year.

G- Chris Lofton 2004-2008
The greatest shooter in Tennessee history and the one player you can trace to Tennessee being an afterthought to a perennial top 20 program. Lofton (along with CJ Watson, JaJaun Smith and Bruce Pearl) helped lead Tennessee out of the basketball wilderness and into the national spotlight. Had his senior year not been derailed by a cancer diagnosis, the numbers would be even better. You know you are iconic when a shot during a regular season basketball game still gives the fanbase collective goosebumps

F- Dalton Knecht 2023-2024

If Bernard King didn't exist, Dalton Knecht would have the greatest season in Tennessee basketball history. Knecht averaged 25.5 points in conference play and almost single handedly led Tennessee to its first ever Final Four. He was a consensus first-team AA and won SEC Player of the Year. He only played one year but it was so glorious it deserves first team mention.

F- Grant Williams 2016-2019

It still blows my mind that Tennessee employed a two-time SEC player of the year. Williams' last year at Tennessee feels overshadowed after what Knecht did but is still incredible (19/7.5/3/1.1/1.5 on a 58.2% eFG). Williams helped Rick Barnes establish Tennessee back as an elite basketball program and was absolutely dynamite in big games. Still in the NBA, who would have thought the kid that supplied Rick Barnes' popcorn addiction for a summer would be a first round pick.

F- Ron Slay 1999-2003

When I did the 20 year team in 2020, I put Wayne Chism over Slay. I've thought about it and Slay was too good of a player to leave off the first team. Slay was a monster with more of a "ahead of its time" game (a PF taking over 4 three's per game in 2002-2003!) and won SEC Player of the Year. Slay doesn't have the team success of these other four names on this list but he deserves it with how good his senior year was and a junior year that interrupted by a torn ACL (Side note: Kind of insane 3/5 first team All-Vol team had seasons interrupted, two by torn ACL's and one by cancer). I hope Slay doesn't become forgotten as the program continues further in to the 21st century. Also, he is hilarious on social media and represents the Vol well on the SEC Network.

2nd Team
G- CJ Watson
G- JaJuan Smith
F- Admiral Schofield
F- Wayne Chism
F- Jarnell Stokes

3rd Team
G- Chaz Lanier
G- Scotty Hopson
G- Jordan McRae
F- Vincent Yarbrough
F- Tobias Harris
Click to expand...
Pretty rare that a post with this much opinion would have such a level of agreement, but I can't say I disagree with any of it.
 
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