Tennessee basketball: John Fulkerson a top candidate for best PF, analyst says

This analyst says the Tennessee basketball Volunteers could have a top power forward.

Two five-stars in a top five recruiting class, a returning five-star, the addition of a graduate transfer who averaged a double-double last year and the reigning SEC Defensive Player of the year back are all reasons for the hype behind Tennessee basketball. However, the headliner on the team could be somebody different from all of those players.

John Fulkerson is the returning leading scorer for Rocky Top and is now getting some recognition. The fifth-year senior has been named a top candidate to be the the nation’s best power forward in Andy Katz’s top 25 contenders for the 2020-2021 Karl Malone Award.

Standing at 6’9″ 215 pounds, the Kingsport, Tenn. native turned into a breakout star for Tennessee basketball. He came in at No. 11 on Katz’s list and second among SEC players behind Trendon Watford of the LSU Tigers. Here is what Katz wrote about him.

"John Fulkerson could emerge as not only Tennessee’s best player this year, but he has the potential to be one of the best in the SEC. The fifth-year senior averaged 13.7 points and 5.9 rebounds down low for the Vols last season, as he’ll be one of the go-to guys for Rick Barnes this year."

Although this ranking is for the nation’s best power forward, it’s a bit of a debate if Fulkerson will qualify for this one since Rick Barnes could put him at the five. There’s a chance Sacred Heart Pioneers graduate transfer E.J. Anosike steps in at the four while Yves Pons moves to the three, but Pons could also play the four.

Either way, Fulkerson could definitely garner national attention as a post player. After seeing sporadic action in 2016-2017 before suffering a season-ending injury, Fulkerson came back in 2017-2018 and struggled filling in for Kyle Alexander in the Vols’ NCAA Tournament Round of 32 loss that year to the Loyola Chicago Ramblers, who eventually made the Final Four that year.

In 2018-2019, Fulkerson continued to develop behind Alexander, and he stepped in as the starter the next year. His role increased with Uros Plavsic, a seven-foot transfer from the Arizona State Sun Devils, initially being denied an eligibility waiver by the NCAA. By the time the decision was reversed, Fulkerson’s accelerated development was clearly on display.

Until Feb. 4 of last year, Fulkerson never scored 20 points in a game. He then scored 20 or more in four of Tennessee basketball’s final 10 games and averaged 18.3 points a game during that span. This is why people like Katz could be so high on him.