Latest news with #JahmaiMashack
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘VOLunteer' Jahmai Mashack honored for work leading to 197,000 meals for those in need
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — One Tennessee Basketball player was honored Tuesday for his work and advocacy that helped provide more than 197,000 meals for people in need. Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee said 'VOLunteers' in working in the warehouse got a surprise Tuesday morning when former Tennessee Guard Jahmai Mashack joined the assembly line and helped pack boxes of food. The nonprofit said Mashack 'embodies what it means to be a VOLunteer, both on and off the court.' Staffing halved at Knoxville community farm after AmeriCorps cuts Mashack was awarded Second Harvest's 2025 Advocacy Award, in honor of the positive impact he has made on East Tennesseans experiencing food insecurity since their partnership with him began. 'My teammates, family, my coaches, they all know what it means to me to be able to just do something that's bigger than ourselves… we have to use our platform for something bigger, and in my opinion, something just as important as putting the ball in the hoop,' said Mashack, 'No matter where I go, I want to be able to shine a light.' $722K in food shipments to East Tennessee food bank canceled by U.S. Department of Agriculture The award is styled as a food can, with the area of the label that usually lists nutritional information instead showing facts about Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee and hunger in East Tennessee. Some of those facts include that more than 202,000 East Tennesseans experience hunger and that Second Harvest serves more than 15,000 children per week. Second Harvest Chief Operating Officer Rachael Ellis said Mashack has shown a unique ability to inspire and unite others, whether that is by mentoring, advocating for hunger relief, or engaging with the community in the fight against hunger. 'His impact extends far beyond the accolades he has earned; it is felt in the hearts of teammates, peers, and community members alike.' One dead after 'serious' crash on Norris Freeway in Anderson County In March, Mashack launched the 'Mashack March Madness Virtual Food Drive' following his last-second shot helped the Vols beat Alabama. Initially, the fundraiser had a goal of $7,900, in reference to the 79 points Tennessee scored against Alabama, but by the end of the fundraiser, donations to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee surpassed $21,000. Earlier this year, Mashack also served for second straight season as Tennessee's representative on the SEC Community Service Team for men's basketball. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Fox Sports
30-03-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Tennessee's streak of falling short of Final Four continues as shooting woes prove insurmountable
Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Jahmai Mashack had a towel over his head and tears in his eyes as he walked through a somber Tennessee locker room minutes after the Volunteers' bid to reach their first Final Four in an NCAA Tournament came to an ugly conclusion. Chaz Lanier embraced Igor Milicic, then Cade Phillips. Zakai Zeigler moved down the row of stalls hugging his teammates. It was silent. Stunned silence. The Volunteers (30-8) never saw this coming, the way their 69-50 Midwest Region final loss to Houston unfolded. They missed 19 of their first 22 shots and scored just eight points in the first 15 minutes. They were down 34-15 at halftime, the lowest first-half points total in an Elite Eight game since 1979 and the lowest by any No. 2 seed in NCAA Tournament history. 'No, I don't think you expect it to happen, you know?' coach Rick Barnes said. 'I thought our coaches did the job that they always do, preparing our guys, and we came out and, again, we knew it would be difficult.' Difficult, yes, because they were playing the best defensive team in the country. But this difficult? The Vols shot 1 for 15 on 3-pointers in the first half and finished 5 of 29 (17.2%), their third-worst mark of the season. Their overall 28.8% shooting was their second-worst performance. They only scored fewer than 50 points once this season, in a 73-43 loss to Florida. 'They came out aggressive, and it's really hard to come out of a hole when it's that deep," Milicic said. "We pushed, and I feel like in the second half we were the better team. With a great team like Houston, it's hard to come back from a 19-point deficit.' The Volunteers, who also lost in the Elite Eight last year, now have made 27 NCAA Tournament appearances without having made a Final Four. Only BYU (32), Missouri (30) and Xavier (30) have longer streaks. 'It's tough because as badly as we all want it, it always hurts if you don't get it all,' Barnes said. 'I do know this: This team gave us every possible thing they could.' Lanier, who came into the game averaging a team-best 22 points, missed nine of his first 10 shots. The Vols' record holder for 3-pointers in a season didn't make his first one until early in the second half, after he had missed seven in a row. 'It just goes like that some games,' said Lanier, who had 15 of his 17 points in the second half. "It happened to go that way this game. But they deserve it. They were the tougher team tonight and they came out and handled business.' The game got off to an ominous start when Lanier launched an airball on the Vols' first possession. Houston shut down driving lanes, and the Vols struggled from the perimeter, with many of their shots short. Zakai Ziegler, the dynamo of a point guard, had two of his shots blocked and finished with five points on 1-of-9 shooting. Houston collected 14 offensive rebounds, with Joseph Tugler and J'Wan Roberts taking turns batting the ball to a waiting L.J. Cryer or Milos Uzan in the backcourt to keep possessions alive. As the half progressed and the frustration grew, Barnes either had his hands on his hips or folded across his chest, shaking his head as play after play went in Houston's favor. 'They were what we saw on tape,' Felix Okpara said. 'We knew what they were going to do. We didn't make shots early in the game. Wish it went the other way. They took advantage and made their shots and crashed the glass.' The Vols had come back from a 16-point deficit to beat Vanderbilt in the regular season. But Vanderbilt isn't Houston. That being the case, the halftime margin proved insurmountable even though a second-half surge led by Jordan Gainey, who scored 17 points, cut the Cougars' lead to 10 with 5 1/2 minutes left. The Vols will be starting over next season. Lanier, Zeigler, Mashack and Milicic are out of eligibility, as is sixth man Gainey, and Okpara might declare for the draft. 'It's going to sting right now," Lanier said, "but there are a lot of people wishing they were in this room, sitting here. So we're lucky to get the opportunity to put on this uniform and be a part of this family. Once you look back on it, we had a great year.' ___ AP March Madness bracket: and coverage: Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. recommended
Associated Press
30-03-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Tennessee's streak of falling short of Final Four continues as shooting woes prove insurmountable
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Jahmai Mashack had a towel over his head and tears in his eyes as he walked through a somber Tennessee locker room minutes after the Volunteers' bid to reach their first Final Four in an NCAA Tournament came to an ugly conclusion. Chaz Lanier embraced Igor Milicic, then Cade Phillips. Zakai Zeigler moved down the row of stalls hugging his teammates. It was silent. Stunned silence. The Volunteers (30-8) never saw this coming, the way their 69-50 Midwest Region final loss to Houston unfolded. They missed 19 of their first 22 shots and scored just eight points in the first 15 minutes. They were down 34-15 at halftime, the lowest first-half points total in an Elite Eight game since 1979 and the lowest by any No. 2 seed in NCAA Tournament history. 'No, I don't think you expect it to happen, you know?' coach Rick Barnes said. 'I thought our coaches did the job that they always do, preparing our guys, and we came out and, again, we knew it would be difficult.' Difficult, yes, because they were playing the best defensive team in the country. But this difficult? The Vols shot 1 for 15 on 3-pointers in the first half and finished 5 of 29 (17.2%), their third-worst mark of the season. Their overall 28.8% shooting was their second-worst performance. They only scored fewer than 50 points once this season, in a 73-43 loss to Florida. 'They came out aggressive, and it's really hard to come out of a hole when it's that deep,' Milicic said. 'We pushed, and I feel like in the second half we were the better team. With a great team like Houston, it's hard to come back from a 19-point deficit.' The Volunteers, who also lost in the Elite Eight last year, now have made 27 NCAA Tournament appearances without having made a Final Four. Only BYU (32), Missouri (30) and Xavier (30) have longer streaks. 'It's tough because as badly as we all want it, it always hurts if you don't get it all,' Barnes said. 'I do know this: This team gave us every possible thing they could.' Lanier, who came into the game averaging a team-best 22 points, missed nine of his first 10 shots. The Vols' record holder for 3-pointers in a season didn't make his first one until early in the second half, after he had missed seven in a row. 'It just goes like that some games,' said Lanier, who had 15 of his 17 points in the second half. 'It happened to go that way this game. But they deserve it. They were the tougher team tonight and they came out and handled business.' The game got off to an ominous start when Lanier launched an airball on the Vols' first possession. Houston shut down driving lanes, and the Vols struggled from the perimeter, with many of their shots short. Zakai Ziegler, the dynamo of a point guard, had two of his shots blocked and finished with five points on 1-of-9 shooting. Houston collected 14 offensive rebounds, with Joseph Tugler and J'Wan Roberts taking turns batting the ball to a waiting L.J. Cryer or Milos Uzan in the backcourt to keep possessions alive. As the half progressed and the frustration grew, Barnes either had his hands on his hips or folded across his chest, shaking his head as play after play went in Houston's favor. 'They were what we saw on tape,' Felix Okpara said. 'We knew what they were going to do. We didn't make shots early in the game. Wish it went the other way. They took advantage and made their shots and crashed the glass.' The Vols had come back from a 16-point deficit to beat Vanderbilt in the regular season. But Vanderbilt isn't Houston. That being the case, the halftime margin proved insurmountable even though a second-half surge led by Jordan Gainey, who scored 17 points, cut the Cougars' lead to 10 with 5 1/2 minutes left. The Vols will be starting over next season. Lanier, Zeigler, Mashack and Milicic are out of eligibility, as is sixth man Gainey, and Okpara might declare for the draft. 'It's going to sting right now,' Lanier said, 'but there are a lot of people wishing they were in this room, sitting here. So we're lucky to get the opportunity to put on this uniform and be a part of this family. Once you look back on it, we had a great year.'
USA Today
04-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Tennessee's Jahmai Mashack hits game-winning 3-pointer as time expires vs Alabama
Tennessee's Jahmai Mashack hits game-winning 3-pointer as time expires vs Alabama Show Caption Hide Caption How Rick Barnes keeps Tennessee players on edge for big games Tennessee plays Alabama on March 1 with a potential NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed on the line. Alabama made a mistake late, and Tennessee basketball capitalized. With the top-10 matchup tied at 76 with under four seconds left, the Vols held the Crimson Tide to a five-second violation on Alabama's inbounds play on what could have been a go-ahead score for Alabama. Instead, it opened the door for one final Tennessee possession before a potential overtime period. And, as it turns out, overtime wasn't needed. REQUIRED READING: Tennessee vs Alabama live score updates, highlights, how to watch SEC basketball game Jahmai Mashack called game, taking the ball from across court before heaving a deep 3-pointer for the 79-76 win as time expired. Mashack was essential down the stretch, also tying the game at 76 after nailing a pair of free throws with 30 seconds left. The Vols were led by guard Chaz Lanier, who scored 18 points and pulled Tennessee within two points on a tough and-one layup with 30 seconds left, although he missed the free throw. An Alabama foul on the ensuing play led to Mashack's pair of free throw makes. Alabama guard Mark Sears led all scorers with 24 points, shooting 7 of 16 from the field and 4 of 9 from 3-point range. The win marks Tennessee's fourth in a row, as the Vols handed the Crimson Tide their third of their last five games. Alabama's loss also opens the door for Florida to potentially move to a tie for second in the SEC standings, should the Gators defeat Texas A&M on Saturday night.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Auburn atop AP Top 25 for 8th straight week
Auburn and Duke remain atop the AP Top 25. The rest of the poll was a big jumble. Auburn was the unanimous pick at No. 1 for the second straight week, receiving all 61 votes from a media panel in the poll released on Monday. The Tigers held the top spot for the eighth straight week following lopsided wins over Ole Miss and then-No. 17 Kentucky. Duke was No. 2 for the second straight week after blowing out Miami and Florida State despite playing without guard Tyrese Proctor due to a bone bruise in his left knee. No. 3 Houston moved up a spot after beating Texas Tech and Cincinnati, while Tennessee climbed to No. 4 following Jahmai Mashack's last-second 3-pointer from well beyond halfcourt to beat Alabama 79-76. Florida rounded out the top five, dropping two places after losing to Georgia and beating Texas A&M. No. 8 Michigan State joined Auburn and Duke as the only teams to have the same ranking as last week. St. John's has pulled off quite the turnaround in its second season under coach Rick Pitino. The Red Storm (26-4, 17-2Big East) have not been to the NCAA Tournament since 2019, but are pretty much a lock to end the drought after clinching their first Big East regular-season title in 40 years with Saturday's 71-61 win over Seton Hall. 'We're just getting started,' Pitino told the Madison Square Garden crowd after the win. St. John's also beat Butler last week and moved up a spot in this week's poll to No. 6, its highest ranking reaching No. 5 in 1990-91. No teams moved in or out of this week's poll. No. 14 Louisville made the biggest move of the week, climbing five places following wins over Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh. No. 13 Maryland moved up three places after losing to Michigan State by three on Tre Holloman's last-second heave from beyond midcourt and beating Penn State. No. 22 Texas A&M had by far the biggest drop, losing 10 places after losing to Vanderbilt and Florida, stretching its losing streak to four straight. No other team dropped more than two places. The SEC continued its dominance with three of the top five and eight total in the Top 25 this week. The Big 12 has three teams in the top 10 and five ranked teams, while the Big Ten also had five teams in the poll. The ACC has three, the Big East two and the American and West Coast conferences have one ranked team apiece. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
