Unconventional Journey for Tennessee Basketball Seniors
By Seth Norris
As the Tennessee basketball regular season draws to a close, here is a look at the Volunteer seniors who have had an unconventional journey.
The Tennessee men’s basketball team will face Ole Miss Saturday on senior day at Thompson-Boling Arena.
The seniors playing their last home game include: Derek Reese, Devon Baulkman, Kevin Punter Jr., and Armani Moore.
These four have had quite an interesting time on Rocky Top.
Coaching Changes
This is not breaking news, but the Tennessee men’s basketball program has went through a few coaching changes in four years. Four-year players Derek Reese and Armani Moore have experienced three coaches in four years (the same will be said for Robert Hubbs III next year), and two-year players Punter Jr. and Baulkman, have had two coaches in two years. Simply unheard of.
In other words, the fact that these players have stayed in the program is beyond respectable. “But you commit to the school!” Sure, and that’s probably the reason they stayed, but the school does not sit in your living room, and promise you the world, coaches do, and kids connect to those coaches. These players, especially Moore and Reese got broken promises almost every year, and hung around.
Moore and Reese
When talking about going through a lot of changes for a group of players, you of course have to start with Derek Reese and Armani Moore. They are the four-year guys and were apart of the team under Cuonzo Martin that went to the Sweet Sixteen, and a bucket away from the Elite 8.
Going back to their first year (2012-13), Tennessee accumulated wins over Wichita State, Kentucky, and and a top 10 Florida team. That season ended in a loss to Mercer in the first round in Knoxville of the NIT.
The next year (2013-14), the Vols got a chance to revenge the Mercer loss, except on a much bigger scale. There were no “huge” regular season wins this season, but led by Jarnell Stokes and Jordan McRae, the team was able to get to the NCAA tournament as an 11 seed.
Between Moore and Reese, the two averaged 25 minutes off the bench in tournament wins over Iowa (play-in game), Massachusetts, Mercer, and the eventual loss in the Sweet 16 to Michigan. During the off-season, Coach Cuonzo Martin jetted to California and Coach Donnie Tyndall took over.
The 2014-15 season was one that had low expectations. The vols lost the likes of Stokes and McRae to the NBA draft, and outside of Josh Richardson, players needed to step up. Both Moore and Reese’s roles changed dramatically. They went from bench players averaging a combined total of 25 minutes to starters averaging at least 25 minutes a piece.
Moore went from 3.1 points per game and 2.2 rebounds per game averages to 10.3 ppg and 6.8 rpg. Reese went from 2.4 ppg and 3 rpg to 6 ppg and 5.3 rpg. This was also the first season of Punter Jr. and Baulkman.
Punter Jr. and Baulkman
Kevin Punter Jr. and Devon Baulkman were juco transfers and apart of the first Donnie Tyndall class. They were viewed as good gets considering the circumstances of a coach leaving late in the recruiting process, but nobody was for certain what Tennessee was getting.
In a season where Moore and Reese stepped up, the two showed promise. Punter Jr. came in and started and averaged a solid 10.3 ppg (the same as Moore), and Baulkman averaged nearly five points shooting almost 40 percent from three.
Their inaugural season along side Moore and Reese saw the Vols finish with a 16-16 record, and actually exceed expectations with wins over top 25 schools like Butler and Arkansas.
This Season
As the theme continued, there was of course another coaching change. Coach Tyndall came under fire from the NCAA for rule violations during his time at Southern Miss leaving the program in a state of uncertainty. In the end, athletic director Dave Hart brought in coach Rick Barnes. The four once again decided to stick around.
In the final chapter of their unfortunate circumstances, they have fittingly been a part of a weird season. The team currently sits at 13-17, 12 of the wins have came at home, and only one on the road. They have managed to come back from a 21-point deficit to a top 25 Kentucky team, but then also lose to the worst team in the conference in Missouri. The whacky season has left the only chance of making the NCAA tournament to winning the SEC tournament. With a losing record, there is also no legitimate shot at the NIT. However, individually, there has been much success.
Derek Reese’s minutes are down, but his rebounding numbers are up. Baulkman has increased his point total by four points a game, and Moore and Punter Jr. are having all-conference type years.
Moore is averaging a near double-double with 12 ppg and 8 rpg; he also moved into the number eight spot in blocks all-time in Tennessee history. As someone who was recruited as a point guard, that’s an impressive feat.
It has been well documented this season that Punter Jr. has changed his shot and took on a bigger role. The senior is 11th nationally in scoring at 22.2 points per game. However, it was reported on Friday that Punter Jr.’s season is over, as he will be having surgery on his foot Tuesday in New York.
Punter Jr. officially being out seems to be the final straw for this group. Even with his 22 points, it would have been unlikely for the team to make a run in the SEC tournament.
Regardless, Reese, Baulkman, Punter Jr., and Moore should be respected for all they’ve worked through.