Greatest UT Duo In History?

[BernardKingGOAT]

Clearly, it's Wade and Allan Houston.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

The shared award was 1976

Grunfeld and King shared the SEC POY in 1976-77. King and Kevin Grevey shared it in 1974-75. King was SEC POY by himself in 1975-76.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

If we were to win the title, ZZ would go down as the greatest PG in our history and I would even argue that him and Mashack would be the top duo in our history if they led us to a title. No offense to Ernie and Bernie, but our first title would with essentially two 3-4 year heavy playing time / starters would cement their GOAT status in the Tennessee program.

It should also cement that the number 5 officially is retired even though it should have been retired with Lofton time here.

I don’t know if Grunfeld or King ever had a poor game. If they were on the court, they were going to play well. They weren’t occasional no shows.

 

[GAVol]

King and Grunfeld, no?

That’s the obvious duo …. barely edging out Dyron Nix and hair product.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

That’s the obvious duo …. barely edging out Dyron Nix and hair product.

Dyron Nix and Jerry Kerl were dynamic.

 

[OffTackleVol]

Bernard King and Ernie Grunfield are by far the best duo. If I remember correctly, King I think had an injured finger during the NCAA tourney and probably hurt us.. I want to think that team had a couple other good players too. Ernie and Bernie though, man unstoppable.

Yes, that team also had Reggie Johnson, Mike Jackson, and the Dirt Dobber. All very good players..........

 

[Savannahbayvol]

Yes, that team also had Reggie Johnson, Mike Jackson, and the Dirt Dobber. All very good players..........

Three first round draft choices; King, Grunfeld in 77 and Reggie Johnson in 79 on the same team and couldnt win ONE tourney gamer.

 

[Eastknox865]

These youngsters have no idea how good King and Grunfeld were.

I never seen them play I'm not old enough. But I am smart enough to have actually done my research over the years

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Three first round draft choices; King, Grunfeld in 77 and Reggie Johnson in 79 on the same team and couldnt win ONE tourney gamer.

King didn’t play in the 1976 NCAAT. Neither of those NCAATs was seeded. The 1977 game was versus Syracuse who finished as the AP #6.

Reggie Johnson was on the 1978-79 team which beat UConn in the 1979 NCAAT. He was also very skinny as a freshman forward in 1977 playing the center spot.

 

[VOLINVONORE]

King and Grunfeld, no?

Yes!

 

[VOLINVONORE]

I don’t know if Grunfeld or King ever had a poor game. If they were on the court, they were going to play well. They weren’t occasional no shows.

I think we beat Kentucky 5 times in a row when King and Grunfeld were here. Best Tennessee basketball team I have eve seen. They had a number of really good players. I remember seeing the game with UCLA in Atlanta for the number 1 team ranking.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Bernard King and Ernie Grunfield are by far the best duo. If I remember correctly, King I think had an injured finger during the NCAA tourney and probably hurt us.. I want to think that team had a couple other good players too. Ernie and Bernie though, man unstoppable.

King missed the 1976 NCAAT loss to VMI with the damaged finger. Had he been able to play TN would have smoked VMI. But that’s the nature of the one-and-done NCAAT format. It can be very random who survives and advances.

Johnson was a freshman the following year. But Michael Jackson and Johnny Darden were on the 1975-76 roster. 1974-75 and 1975-76 didn’t have a true center and Reggie Johnson, as a freshman, in 1977 was a forward playing center.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

I think we beat Kentucky 5 times in a row when King and Grunfeld were here. Best Tennessee basketball team I have eve seen. They had a number of really good players. I remember seeing the game with UCLA in Atlanta for the number 1 team ranking.

Yes. The first game that King and Grunfeld played versus KY was a loss at Memorial. A Kentucky fan flipped a lit cigarette into Bernard’s afro and he declared that he’d never lose to KY again. He was correct. Ernie and Bernie won the next 5 including twice in Lexington.

 

[VOLINVONORE]

Yes. The first game that King and Grunfeld played versus KY was a loss at Memorial. A Kentucky fan flipped a lit cigarette into Bernard’s afro and he declared that he’d never lose to KY again. He was correct. Ernie and Bernie won the next 5 including twice in Lexington.

This is true.

 

[jarnol32]

Chris Lofton and Jajuan Smith were my favorite duo.

 

[VOLLeeann]

King and Grunfeld, no?

Yes.

 

[GAVol]

Chris Lofton and Jajuan Smith were my favorite duo.

Man… How many ugly offensive sets got bailed out by those two hitting deep 3s?

 

[Tnphil]

King and Grunfeld, no?

The End.

 

[livefaith]

#1 Ernie & Bernie
#2 Grant & Admiral
#3 Lofton & Smith
#4 ?Zakai & Mashack? JM too much liability on the offensive end to be #1 IMHO. But tied for 1st in my ever lovin'

 

[Power_Sweep_Vol]

King didn’t play in the 1976 NCAAT. Neither of those NCAATs was seeded. The 1977 game was versus Syracuse who finished as the AP #6.

Reggie Johnson was on the 1978-79 team which beat UConn in the 1979 NCAAT. He was also very skinny as a freshman forward in 1977 playing the center spot.

Something I’ve always wondered was how they set those fields..I know they mostly kept you in your region which led to uneven brackets…but before they started seeding late 70’s and early 80’s, how were the games set? They weren’t blind drawing teams, were they? Or maybe they were.. I’ve tried to find this answer forever, never seen it referenced

 

[marvin616]

Clearly, it's Wade and Allan Houston.

The 93 UK game in TBA was one of my first to attend. I've been hooked ever since.



Corey Allen is still my favorite unsung Vol.

Edit to add the vid and my love for CA

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

ZZ and Mashack were kind of like Tony White and Fred Jenkins. Tony was a scorer, not a defender as well like ZZ, while Fred was a defensive specialist that didn’t light up the scoreboard but he could run the PG spot. Fred was a great passer.

Don Johnson and Jimmy England.

Rodney Woods and Len Kosmalski (for only 2 years though).

Bill Justus and Bill Hann.

Johnny Darden and Terry Crosby.

Steve Ray and Gary Carter.

Howard Wood and Diesel.

Michael Brooks and Tyrone Beaman.

CJ Black and Charles Hathaway.

Ron Slay and Marcus Haislip.

Wayne Chism and Duke Crews.

Tony Harris and Isiah Victor.

Mike Jackson and David Moss could have been in the mix.

Ben Bosse and Tanner Wild.

Ray Mears and Stu Aberdeen.

Bill Justus and Ron Widby (different classes (2 years apart IIRC), but both came from Fulton).

 

[number1volfanfrom76]

I still vividly remember Ernie taking the fouls shots for another Vol i think in Rupp! How great it was !

 

[Volunteer_Kirby]

That’s the obvious duo …. barely edging out Dyron Nix and hair product.

 

[BernardKingGOAT]

Yes, that team also had Reggie Johnson, Mike Jackson, and the Dirt Dobber. All very good players..........

Reggie Johnson was a senior in high school the year they lost to VMI. Doug Ashworth was the center on that team. Johnson's freshman season was 76-77