Tennessee basketball: Recaps of John Fulkerson’s best 5 games of 17-18
We continue our summer series of recapping the best games of each player from the 2017-18 season. This post we will focus on John Fulkerson.
I’m not fooling anyone when I say John Fulkerson didn’t give a lot of production on the court for the Tennessee basketball team last season. However, he was dealing with a nagging injury for a good bit of the season. And, we all know how playing injured can take a toll on a player.
Fulkerson was a three-star prospect from Arden, North Carolina. 247Sports Composite had him as the No. 9 best player from the state.
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Fans saw big things from Fulkerson early in his freshman season. In the fourth game against a top-15 opponent in Oregon, Fulkerson played 37 minutes in a 69-65 OT loss. In that game, he showed off a contagious effort as he scored 12 points and added ten rebounds. He also shot 8-for-12 from the free-throw line.
Unfortunately, Fulkerson went down in the Lipscomb game last season that sidelined him for the remainder of the year. He probably pushed himself back from his injury a little too fast. It was obvious that he wasn’t the same player.
However, there wasn’t a lack of effort. He got his teammates fired up by playing so hard. And, that’s always a plus to have a player like that on a team.
Although we didn’t see the same Fulkerson last season, as we did his freshman season, we are still going to recap his best five games from the 2017-18 season.
No. 5 – January 6 vs. Kentucky
Fulkerson played 19 minutes and scored three points. He also added three assists and three rebounds. In such a close game, Fulkerson gave the Vols good minutes off the bench and helped them get the win.
No. 4 – December 20 vs. Furman
Even though the Vols only won 66-61, Tennessee was winning this game no matter what. However, he did have a decent game with four points and three rebounds in 15 minutes of action.
No. 3 – March 15 vs. Wright State (NCAA Tournament)
Another 15 minute game for Fulkerson and another productive one. He only scored two points but managed to grab seven boards in route to a 73-47 win. The Vols controlled the entire game and Fulkerson was a nice change on defense.
No. 2 – November 23 vs. Villanova
The Vols were up 14 points in the first half. But, Villanova had a great team, they ended up winning a National Championship. Fulkerson scored seven points in 16 minutes of action. He had an impressive shooting night going 2-for-3 from the field and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line.
No. 1 – November 14 vs. High Point
The second game of the season was Fulkerson’s best. We know it was an 84-53 win against High Point, but the Fulk played well. He finished the game with eight points and three rebounds. He also was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.
Next. Recapping Admiral Schofield’s best 5 games of 2017-18. dark
Moving forward into next season, we look for Fulkerson to get back to his freshman season production and even better. He has the body and the effort to throw out double-doubles nightly. And, with another offseason under his belt, Fulkerson should be an essential piece to the puzzle next season.