Tennessee Vols morning report: Derrick Walker transferring, Eric Crosby retiring
Tennessee Vols basketball forward Derrick Walker transferring and football lineman Eric Crosby retiring lead our Volunteers news for Thursday May 2, 2019.
Personnel changes in football and basketball are the talk of the town as we enter the second day in May for the Tennessee Vols. And these personnel changes are not good news, but they don’t mean too much.
Our morning update on Rocky Top leads with a men’s basketball player transferring and a football player retiring. Both players had their action limited this previous year, but it is still a bit of a shock to lose them.
We also have numerous individual recognitions to get to, including a member of the men’s basketball medical staff and a coach earning another role. Oh, and preview for another postseason event is in the works. But let’s begin with the transfer news.
Derrick Walker enters transfer portal – Mike Wilson, Knoxville News Sentinel
Tennessee Vols men’s basketball forward Derrick Walker has entered the transfer portal. Walker just completed his sophomore year but saw his production and minutes drop across the board compared to his freshman year.
"Walker still can return to Tennessee after entering the transfer portal. The Kansas City, Mo., native played in 64 games in two seasons, including 30 of 37 as a sophomore."
Eric Crosby giving up football – Patrick Brown, GoVols247
Tennessee Vols football offensive lineman Eric Crosby announced on Twitter that he is retiring medically from the sport. Crosby joins Chance Hall, Tanner Antonutti and Devante Brooks as the other UT lineman to medically retire this offseason.
"After redshirting in 2017, Crosby was moved from the defensive line to the offensive line and has worked at guard in the practice time he’s been able to get in the past year. If Crosby elects to stay at Tennessee to continue working toward his degree in Sport Management, he’ll likely go on medical scholarship, meaning the Vols will continue paying for his education but won’t have to count him toward the 85-scholarship limit for the football team."
Chad Newman wins Chris Patrick Award – UTSports
Tennessee Senior Associate Director of Sports Medicine Chad Newman was honored as the sixth winner of the Chris Patrick Award. Newman won the honor at the SEC Sports Medicine Committee meetings in Opelika, Ala.
"The longest-tenured member of UT’s Sports Medicine staff, Newman has provided care for Tennessee student-athletes for each of the last 24 years and has spent 23 seasons as the athletic trainer for the men’s basketball program. The league’s Chris Patrick Award has been presented annually to a full-time, certified athletic trainer at a member institution."
Matt Kredich to coach USA Men’s Swimming and Diving team – USASwimming.org
Tennessee Swimming and Diving head coach Matt Kredich was named head coach of the U.S. Swimming Team at the Pan American Games. Those will take place July 26 through August 11 in Lima, Peru.
"During Kredich’s time at Tennessee, the 14-year coach was twice named SEC Women’s Coach of the Year, in 2008 and 2012. Before his arrival at Tennessee, Kredich was the women’s head coach at the University of Richmond, where he won Atlantic-10 Coach of the Year four-consecutive years from 2002-05."
Men’s golf in Athens region of NCAA Regionals – NCAA.com
The Tennessee Vols men’s golf team earned a No. 6 seed in the Athens region of NCAA Regionals, where the Vanderbilt Commodores are the No. 1 seed. Other SEC teams in the bracket include the host Georgia Bulldogs as a No. 3 seed, the Alabama Crimson Tide as a No. 5 seed, the Kentucky Wildcats as a No. 8 seed.
"Six 54-hole regional tournaments will be conducted May 13-15. Thirteen teams and 10 individuals not on those teams will compete at each of three regionals while the other three regionals will have 14 teams and five individuals not on those teams. The low five teams and the low individual not on those teams from each regional will advance to the finals."