NASHVILLE, Tennessee (WKRN) – A black man who was born during slavery is now known as the godfather of Tennessee whiskey.

A legacy comes alive with every pour of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey.

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“I’m confident they know the story,” said Victoria Eady Butler. “They raise a glass to history.”

Her story as an award-winning Master Blender flows in her veins.

“I am very fortunate to be Nearest Green’s great-great-granddaughter,” she said.

News 2’s Nickelle Smith sits down with V. Eady Butler, Master Blender at Uncle Nearest Distillery (WKRN photo)

Born in 1820, Uncle Nearest’s first name was Nathan Green: a slave. After the abolition, his family found a home in Lynchburg, Tennessee, where word of his whiskey spread for miles.

“He added one more ingredient and filtered his whiskey through sugar maple charcoal in what’s called the Lincoln County process. So Nearest made whiskey for a minister over in Lincoln County,” said Jason Morgan, tour guide and bourbon aficionado at Nearest Green Distillery in Shelbyville, Tennessee.

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“You don’t work a day in your life if you enjoy it, and I love telling the story,” Morgan said. “To be honest, I worked as a tour guide at Jack Daniels and was there when the story broke.”

The story “broke through” in the rest of the country after years of being told by Butler’s grandmother.

“She made sure the family knew the history of his relationship with Jack Daniel and she always said that her grandfather taught Jack Daniel how to make whiskey,” she said. “The Lynchburg townsfolk knew of their relationship and that Nearest was responsible for making whiskey for Jack Daniel and teaching him how to make whiskey. But once Fawn Weaver arrived in the town of Lynchburg, so much more followed.”

Fawn Weaver led a team of 20 history experts to uncover thousands of documents and renewed a legacy with the creation of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey in 2017.

“It became very clear that if we don’t cement his legacy, we’re not doing Nearest Green justice,” Weaver told News 2 in a 2021 interview.

A legacy that is now known worldwide, but the people of Lynchburg knew about it all along. According to the Nearest Green Foundation, “Nearest Green and his children were mentioned 50 times” in Jack Daniel’s official biography in 1967, which was “more times than almost anyone else included in the book”.

Although his memory is vivid to locals, there are no pictures of Nearest Green.

“To me, and probably most people who have seen that iconic picture with Nearest’s son to the right of Jack Daniel, I imagine he looks something like this – a very strong, proud, humble black man who has worked really hard .” Butler said.

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That hard work is now familiar to anyone who visits the distillery’s 300-acre property off Highway 231 in Shelbyville, Tennessee.

Uncle Nearest Distillery (WKRN photo)

“I used to come here as a kid, my dad would come here if you wanted to offload a horse,” Morgan said.

The property has a history of its own, as visitors can still see the stables from when Tennessee trail horses were once sold there.

“Nearest Green has never made whiskey here, but the fact that we have a home for the brand that honors him means everything,” said Butler. “I firmly believe that his spirit lives on here. There’s a certain feeling I get driving through the gate of this property. I think he is beyond proud of what we have done and continue to do to shine a spotlight on his contribution to the spirits industry and ensure his legacy is never forgotten.”

Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey was the most awarded American whiskey of 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. It surpassed the $100 million mark last year.

Uncle Nearest Whiskey Master Blender V. Eady Butler (Courtesy of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey)

Butler has been recognized four times as Master Blender of the Year and is the first person of color to receive the honor.

She previously worked as an analytical manager for the Nashville Regional Organized Crime Information Center. After a brief retirement, she worked in administration at the Nearest Green Foundation before joining Master Blender.

“I am very proud of these awards and awards that I have received over the past few years. But I think I’m prouder of the team that Fawn Weaver put together,” she said. “We are extremely diverse, we are inclusive, we are family.”

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This family is now working to share a story once lost in time by honoring his legacy and becoming a household name.

“What I say to people when you buy or drink whiskey is that it has to be accessible. It has to be something you want to reach for,” Morgan said. “I think we’re producing one of those brands that you love. With all the whiskey I have at home, and I have quite a lot of it, I want you to reach for Uncle Nearest.”

The company launched the Uncle Nearest HBCU Old-Fashioned Challenge earlier this year to raise $1 million. From now through March 31, consumers can participate in the challenge in four ways. Click on this link for more information.

Tennessee’s recent decision to reject over $8 million in federal funds to combat HIV was motivated, at least in part, by right-wing provocateurs stoking anti-LGBTQ sentiment, according to four sources within the state Health Department.

The move by Republican Gov. Bill Lee will hamstring, if not cripple, efforts to combat one of the country’s most poorly controlled epidemics of the virus, HIV advocates said. 

The announcement followed a political crisis in Tennessee that began in September when conservative media personalities, including Matt Walsh and Ben Shapiro, launched attacks on Vanderbilt University Medical Center over its care of transgender minors, which they alleged was barbaric. 

Gov. Bill Lee delivers his inaugural address in the Legislative Plaza in Nashville, Tenn., on Jan. 21, 2023.John Amis / AP file

In October, the pressure wound its way to the unit that combats HIV, sexually transmitted infections and viral hepatitis at the Tennessee Health Department.

On Oct. 24, the unit’s director, Dr. Pamela Talley, told employees that because of the social media firestorm over Vanderbilt, information about the Tennessee Transgender Task Force — a volunteer team the unit established in 2018 to focus on trans health and HIV prevention — and other trans resources had been scrubbed from the department’s website. That is according to two staffers present, who, like two of their colleagues, spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to speak to the media. 

Then, on Nov. 7, Talley told the unit that federal HIV funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for both the task force and Planned Parenthood in Tennessee would terminate at the end of the year, according to three staffers at the meeting, which took place in person and on a conference call. 

“There were at least three different levels of leadership on the call,” a staffer said. “It was discussed that there had been media attention around the Vanderbilt trans health clinic, which led those reporters to learn about the trans task force, and that they were funded by [the state Health Department] HIV prevention program and that all HIV prevention contracts were being reviewed.”

People walk outside Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., on July 16, 2013.Mark Humphrey / AP file

In mid-January, the Lee administration announced it would pull the plug not just on federal HIV-prevention funds for Planned Parenthood and the task force, which total $235,000, but on all $8.3 million from a pair of CDC grants for HIV prevention, treatment and monitoring in the state. The move shocked HIV experts and advocates.

In addition, the Lee administration, which has said it will replace the federal funds with state dollars, has pledged a shift in funding priorities that would effectively steer HIV prevention efforts away from groups at substantial risk of contracting the virus, including gay men and people who inject drugs.

“All of this is willful ignorance on the part of the state government,” said Greg Millett, the director of public policy at amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research. “People at risk for HIV are going to suffer because of these decisions.” 

Right-wing media pile-on 

A leading voice in the right’s opposition to the treatment of gender dysphoria in minors, Matt Walsh, a columnist for the conservative media outlet Daily Wire,  published a series of widely read tweets on Sept. 20 targeting Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s treatment of minors at its Transgender Health Clinic. “They now castrate, sterilize, and mutilate minors as well as adults,” Walsh said.

The next day, Walsh appeared on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show to publicize his investigation, and Ben Shapiro, a conservative commentator who co-founded Daily Wire, further amplified Walsh’s attacks on Vanderbilt on his YouTube channel and podcast, decrying the “nonsense garbage that a boy can be a girl and a girl can be a boy.”

Matt Walsh speaks about firm traditional gender roles and definitions in Phoenix on Dec. 18. 2022.John Rudoff / Sipa USA via AP file

The same day, Lee issued a statement calling for a “thorough investigation.”

“We should not allow permanent, life-altering decisions that hurt children or policies that suppress religious liberties, all for the purpose of financial gain,” he said. “We have to protect Tennessee children.”

Despite such characterizations of gender-affirming care for minors as harmful, numerous major medical organizations — including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychological Association — support such care.

Walsh, Shapiro, Daily Wire and Fox News did not respond to requests for comment, and the Lee administration did not respond to questions about the impact right-wing media personalities had on the state’s rejection of federal HIV funds. 

Ray Holloman.Emily April Allen

A Daily Wire article published on Oct. 20, which denounced the Tennessee Transgender Task Force as an “extreme” activist group, appears to have drawn the Lee administration’s attention. The task force, according to its chair, Ray Holloman, is staffed by trans-identified volunteers and focuses on providing HIV educational resources, sharing health insurance information and connecting people to supportive health providers — including those at Vanderbilt.

The article took a victory lap, saying that the Lee administration and the state Health Department denounced the task force “in response to a Daily Wire inquiry” and that information about the task force on the department’s website was “only removed after the Daily Wire asked about it.” 

Talley held her staff meeting four days after the article’s publication, announcing the trans-related web content had been scrubbed.

Around the same time, two Health Department supervisors told staffers in private conversations that critical media coverage provoked the Lee administration to scrutinize the source of the task force’s $10,000 in annual funding — a $6.2 million CDC HIV prevention and surveillance grant — two Health Department employees said.

Also under new scrutiny after the article was published, four employees said, was Tennessee’s Planned Parenthood program, which received $225,000 a year from the CDC grant, largely for condom distribution. 

In a Nov. 7 email that was among a collection of correspondence shared with NBC News by Ashley Coffield, the CEO of Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and Northern Mississippi, Talley informed Coffield that the Health Department’s separate arrangement to supply Planned Parenthood with about 500 HIV test kits a year would be canceled. Talley subsequently wrote to Coffield, “I want to thank you for your statewide efforts in HIV testing and reassure you that this discontinuation was not based on performance concerns.”

Ashley Coffield is the CEO of Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and Northern Mississippi.Planned Parenthood

Three days later, Coffield said, she got a call from a director at the United Way of Greater Nashville, which distributes the CDC grant funds to dozens of community-based organizations in Tennessee, including Planned Parenthood. The director, Niki Easley, said Planned Parenthood would lose its $225,000 in CDC HIV prevention grant funds at year’s end. Coffield said Easley told her that politics were behind the funding cut. “I think you should fight back,” Coffield recalled Easley’s saying.

But there was a wrinkle in the state’s plan: Because of a 2013 legal injunction, the Lee administration could not legally block HIV-related federal funds specifically for Planned Parenthood. 

In the collection of emails and letters Planned Parenthood provided to NBC News, the nonprofit’s attorneys threatened to sue. In an emailed response, the Health Department’s attorney, Mary Katherine Bratton, denied having tried to disqualify the organization for the funds but said the department was “currently reviewing all” CDC grants. 

Several officials at the Health Department, including Talley, Bratton and communications staffers, did not respond to requests for comment. 

After it contacted Easley and several of her colleagues at the United Way of Greater Nashville, NBC News heard from a spokesperson, who said the group “is working closely with the Tennessee Department of Health to understand the changes being made to this grant funding,” adding that “the details of the changes and how our partner agencies will be affected are still developing” and that “all funding decisions are made by” the Health Department.

‘The nuclear option’

Ultimately, instead of focusing on cutting funds for Planned Parenthood and the Tennessee Transgender Task Force, the Lee administration decided to pull the plug on the entire $8.3 million in CDC grants for HIV prevention, surveillance and treatment.

On Jan. 17, Health Department officials held an 8 a.m. meeting with HIV prevention staffers and informed them of the decision to end all CDC HIV grant funding effective June 1, according to two employees who were present.

“People have been crying all week,” a staffer said in a Jan. 21 interview.

Coffield said “it felt like they were punching me in the gut” when she found out the state was abandoning the grants.

“I couldn’t believe that the governor would take the nuclear option,” she said, adding that she views the decision as the culmination of a “political vendetta against abortion rights groups and transgender people.”

Tennessee Department of Health in Nashville, Tenn.Google Maps

The rejected grants consist of the $6.2 million for HIV prevention and surveillance and $2.1 million for Shelby County, home to Memphis. The latter sum comes from a national plan focused, in part, on improving treatment and prevention of HIV in 50 local hot spots that account for about half of new HIV diagnoses nationally — a plan President Donald Trump endorsed in his 2020 State of the Union address.

Friends for Life, a nonprofit Memphis group that provides services to those living with and at risk for HIV, will lose about $500,000 a year, chief programs officer Mia Cotton said. The imminent lack of any federal grants will also render the organization’s health clinic ineligible for pharmaceutical rebates through a separate federal program that last year brought in $1.2 million to an overall operating budget of $8.5 million, Cotton said.

Molly Quinn, the executive director of OUTMemphis, Tennessee’s largest LGBTQ nonprofit group, said her organization would lose $120,000 a year, or 10% of its operating budget, compromising efforts to provide HIV testing, help clients access the HIV prevention pill, PrEP, and give financial assistance to people with the virus. 

‘A fictitious epidemic’

The Lee administration says it will replace the $8.3 million in CDC grants with state funds, giving it freedom to target such resources as it sees fit.

“We think we can do that better than the strings attached with the federal dollars that came our way, and that’s why we made that decision,” Lee said Jan. 20. 

Currently, the priority populations for the CDC grant for Shelby County, for example, include LGBTQ people, sex workers and those who inject drugs, are unhoused or are formerly incarcerated.

Lee’s press officer, Jade Byers, said in an email that the administration “is committed to maintaining the same level of funding, while more efficiently and effectively serving vulnerable populations, such as victims of human trafficking, mothers and children, and first responders.”

Those priorities, HIV prevention experts said, are in egregious conflict with the actual demographics of the people most at risk of the virus.

“Tennessee is preferring to fight a fictitious epidemic rather than their very real HIV epidemic,” said Millett, of amfAR. “First responders are just not at risk for HIV anywhere in the United States. Sexual trafficking is awful, but it’s not a major contributor for HIV cases in Tennessee or elsewhere.” 

Women comprised 9% of HIV diagnoses in Tennessee in 2019, down from 14% in 2016, and only 1 to 6 babies were born with HIV in the state annually from 2016 to 2020.

More than half of new diagnoses in Tennessee were in men who have sex with men in 2019, according to the state Health Department’s surveillance reports. And in 2016, the CDC released a report warning that 220 of the country’s counties, including 41 in Tennessee, were at high risk of HIV and hepatitis C outbreaks among people who inject drugs (that population accounted for 5% of new Tennessee HIV diagnoses in 2019).

New U.S. HIV cases, the CDC estimates, declined by 8% from 2015 to 2019, but that masks considerable progress in some states and either stagnancy or increases in most Southern states, where the bulk of transmissions occur. Even as HIV has steadily declined in, for example, New York and California, where liberal governments have invested heavily in evidence-based HIV treatment and prevention programs, the CDC estimates that Tennessee’s transmissions increased slightly from 2017 to 2019.

While Lee announced Jan. 20 that the state would forgo the federal HIV dollars, a CDC spokesperson said Thursday that the agency had received no word from Tennessee that it intends to block the $8.3 million in grants.

The political climate has become increasingly toxic for LGBTQ people in Tennessee, advocates in the state say.

Since he took office in 2019, Lee has signed several bills that target transgender youths, including one that bars trans students from joining sports teams that align with their gender identities. And so far this year, conservative Tennessee lawmakers have filed at least 11 bills targeting LGBTQ people, including one, which Lee said he supports, that would ban gender-affirming medical care for all minors. 

Nationally, lawmakers in at least 21 states have proposed bills to ban or restrict gender-affirming care for minors this year. Trump released a video Tuesday on Truth Social pledging to “stop” such care, which he described as “child sexual mutilation.” 

Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios and Maura Losch/Axios

Tennessee’s list of infrastructure projects needed to support transportation, education and public safety has grown for the seventh year in a row, according to a new report approved last week.

• According to the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Interstate Relations, the price of the state’s entire needs has reached $62.9 billion.
• That’s an increase of more than $1 billion from last year’s total, which officials say is partly due to inflation.

Why it matters: The report underscores the urgent need for better roads and bridges as the state’s population continues to soar.

• Gov. Bill Lee has made infrastructure improvements a top legislative priority this year as his administration looks for new ways to fund road projects.

Driving the news: Transportation needs, estimated at $34.7 billion in the latest report, exceed available government funds.

• Gas tax revenues, which are an important part of financing road projects, are declining. The tax is expected to generate approximately $939 million in revenue in the current fiscal year.
• Lee and senior lawmakers have proposed working with private companies to operate express toll lanes as a way to cover road costs in urban areas.
• They would give drivers the option to avoid traffic by paying a fee to drive in a dedicated lane.

What we observe: Lee is expected to reveal more details about his infrastructure plans during his state of the state address next week.

• Lee’s spokesman told Axios that he would try to “alleviate urban congestion and implement infrastructure projects across the state more efficiently” without raising taxes.

Zoom out: Other key areas contributing to infrastructure needs are education at $14.8 billion, including new school buildings and renovations, and health, safety and social affairs at $8.9 billion, most of which comes from sanitation projects.

• More than two-thirds of the projects in the report go unfunded, although projects typically receive more funding as they move through early stages of development.

What she says: State Senator Heidi Campbell (D-Nashville) tells Axios she would like the state — and city leaders in Nashville — to take a forward-thinking approach to transportation instead of focusing on “road building.”

• Campbell, who sits on TACIR and the Senate Transportation and Safety Committee, says she wants to see more urgent work on passenger trains and light rail options.
• “Just paving roads and fortifying bridges here and there isn’t going to get us where we need to go when we have such a burgeoning traffic problem, especially in Middle Tennessee.”

“We’re getting more money from the federal government than we’ve been in a long time,” Campbell says, referring to the federal infrastructure bill passed in 2021.

• “This is the time to make the big decisions that can pay off in the long run.”

Thing happened again.

You know, that thing where Tennessee’s offense implodes to a degree that makes it all but impossible to win.

That thing happened again Wednesday night in Gainesville, ending with the second-placed Vols suffering a 67-54 loss, which they are known at the complex, still partially known but now known as the Stephen C. O’Connell Center , absolutely deserved.

It remains difficult to understand an offense that rarely breaks wind but needs new underpants after every single one. There’s never just air in these cookies.

Playing away in your league is tough. Point. It’s not easy and it’s not meant to be easy. But these Vols are a very good and very experienced team, so they have it easier than most. At least most of the time. Tennessee had won 22 of their last 24 SEC games as of Wednesday night, and the Vols had won nine straight SEC games away. These numbers are no coincidence.

Tennessee Senior Guard Santiago Bishops (Photo: James Gilbert, Getty)

Tennessee is also used to playing high-ranking games, so the jump from 4th to 2nd in this week’s poll isn’t a problem. Any suggestion along these lines is silly. Being No. 2 as a street team isn’t a bit different from playing as a No. 4 or No. 5 on the street. The only number that changes things is #1, and that’s not what these vols are – at least not in the polls. They were analytically at the forefront of the pops, but the majority of fans don’t address that. People have jobs and spouses and partners and kids and dogs and other things. Most of them don’t comb through KenPom and Torvik like we psychopaths do.

None of that was a problem for Tennessee.

However, there was a problem and most of us are familiar with the problem. If you’ve watched basketball in Tennessee over the past few years, you know the problem.

It’s the offense. It’s always the crime.

Tennessee’s offense is a beautiful partner who will cheat on you from time to time. You can love it. You’ll be amazed when everything is jazzed up for a night on the town. You can appreciate the way other people in the restaurant look at it because you know it’s yours.

But once or maybe twice a month it will cheat you. And it will be on camera for all to see.

So you love it But you don’t dare.

We know how these relationships usually end, don’t we? Sometimes there’s real regret, real forgiveness, and a happy ending. Most of the time, however, it ends with two Christmases.

Texas is one of the better defenses in college basketball, and Tennessee absolutely set it on fire over the weekend. Florida also has one of the better defenses in college basketball, and Tennessee burned against it just four days later.

Give glory to the Gators. They read their scouting reports, complied, and made Tennessee uncomfortable. They even rallied as Tennessee fought their way back up front and looked like they were running away with it as usual. Florida deserved the win and the Vols deserved the loss.

But you can’t just credit Florida and call it a day. You just can’t. Not if Wednesday’s game followed the same frustrating script as most of Tennessee’s rare losses over the past two seasons.

The Vols’ loss to Colorado earlier in the season could largely be down to poor defense, poor focus and a general arrogance in believing the struggling Buffaloes would take you on the chin. Because of me. There wasn’t much to complain about this season’s narrow loss at fifth-placed Arizona. That was a good game that Tennessee took a hard street whistle and still had a shot at winning. This is basketball. It happens. Because of me.

Tennessee senior forward Olivier Nkamhoua (Photo: James Gilbert, Getty)

But then there’s the rest. Florida and Kentucky this season and Villanova, Texas Tech, Texas and Arkansas last season. Tennessee didn’t score 60 points in any of those games, and only the Villanova game was pretty much and directly out of reach. The Vols would have won the remaining games with a below-average offensive performance. Tennessee even had five extra minutes in the overtime game against Texas Tech and still only scored 52 points.

It would be one thing — and in some ways less frustrating — if Tennessee really were a bad offensive team. But that’s not it. There are more than 350 teams in NCAA Division I college basketball, and Tennessee’s offense has been in the top 40 for most of the season, with some time spent in the 20’s. It’s not a serious offense. It’s not a big offense, but it’s a good offense. This is not a wild take. It’s a statistically supported claim. Tennessee was also a top-40 offensive last season. Again not bad.

But when it’s bad, it’s deadly bad. In college basketball, that makes it potentially season-killing bad.

Tennessee’s best defense in the nation and normally good offense would make it hell in a postseason series on wheels. Wednesday’s loss only dropped the Vols from 1st to 2nd at KenPom. Statistics don’t lie. Any team in the country would at least push their limits against Tennessee in a series.

But there is no such thing as a postseason series in college basketball. You lose, you go home. And to even reach the Final Four, you have to beat four teams, including at least three good teams, without losing once.

Who could trust this criminal offense to make this happen? Who in their right mind could trust him?

Sports — especially sports fandom — is not about trust. It’s about belief. It’s about picking yourself up off the ground when something goes wrong and getting up again with the belief that better days are coming. They don’t always come. But sometimes they do. Ask John Elway, Peyton Manning, the Chicago Cubs, the Boston Red Sox or even little ol’ Leicester City Football Club from our cousins ​​across the pond. Ask Ole Miss baseball coach Mike Bianco, who for years drove this passionate fan base insane with close misses before finally breaking through and leading the Rebels to a College World Series title last season.

Never say someone can’t win the big game while they’re still in the game. If you’re good enough and keep knocking on the door, sometimes you’ll get there. Or you can become a Ty Cobb, Charles Barkley, Barry Bonds, Ernie Banks, Earl Campell, Dick Butkus or Pavel Bure. That is also possible.

Will Rick Barnes – a Hall of Famer no doubt – be with the former or the latter? We do not know it. We are not. Some will suggest they know. They don’t.

Rick Barnes, Tennessee basketball coach (Photo: James Gilbert, Getty)

Here’s what we do know: There isn’t a single all-timer team in college basketball this season. Even the best teams in the country have a potentially fatal flaw. You could – and this author would – argue that Purdue looks at least a solid notch above the pack right now, but even these Boilermakers have some flaws and occasionally look very beatable. They don’t always look good on defense.

Here’s something else we do know: Tennessee is very solid in this slightly larger-than-usual roster of teams, very near the top of college basketball. The Vols have a defense that’s on the way to becoming historically great, and they’re usually pretty good and occasionally great on offense. They have a lot of size and experience, and they have one of the best point guards in the country. They’re not perfect, but this particular season, they absolutely have what it takes to make the Final Four and even win a national title.

But they won’t make it unless they find ways to avoid these disastrous offensive excursions.

Make no mistake, Barnes and his players know that’s the problem. You don’t deny it. You specifically mentioned it many times on Wednesday night.

It is important to understand the problem. That’s step one. But you still have to fix it, or you just have to hope you stay hot during the postseason. Tennessee won’t be naively hoping to stay hot. It will work on it. These players are smart and caring, and so are their coaches. Effort and focus are not problems with this bunch, and they don’t become problems either.

However, is this problem fixable? Perhaps. Maybe not. Tennessee doesn’t have an enormous number of players who can consistently create their own shot and attack the rim against really good defenses. That’s not what Tennessee’s offense is supposed to do, and it’s not usually something Tennessee has to do. Even on nights when these vols aren’t quite up to speed, their system gets them to candid recordings. It almost always does. But sometimes those shots just don’t come up and you have to make a play when there isn’t a play to be made. Tennessee does not excel in this area. That could be an insurmountable problem that will end this season early. The only solid idea at this end is that five-star rookie wing Julian Phillips needs to get as aggressive as he was at times earlier this season because of his ability to get to the edge and cause damage. He just has to do it and he has to be told he has to do it. That’s what this team needs.

Maybe Barnes was too focused on defense. Perhaps. That seems doubtful from this ending – that’s not a bad offense on paper either – but the argument is plausible and cannot be dismissed out of hand.

Maybe it’s something else. Perhaps Santiago Vescovi’s left (firing) shoulder problem is more problematic than he and others in the program have suggested.

Regardless, there is a problem and it cannot be ignored. Unless diagnosed and treated, ending this season before it should for a team of this caliber is a very real threat.

This thing – and it’s very much a thing – needs fixing.

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Next game:

in Kentucky

04.02.2023 | 8:30 p.m

Gator Sports Network by LEARFIELD

4 Feb (Sat) / 8:30 p.m

at Kentucky

Gainesville, Fla. – After a fabulous start and a quick double-digit lead, the Florida Gators found themselves a half-dozen behind the second-placed team in the country midway through the second half. Not only did the Tennessee visit have that big number before its name, the Volunteers also had the nation’s highest-rated defense, forcing the home team to miss eight of their last nine shots.

“We had a little moment there where things didn’t go the way we wanted,” said UF coach Todd Golden. “It was a great moment for us.”

Regarding the last part of this quote, Golden spoke of his team’s response. As with the surprise offensive breakout that turned that deficit into another double-digit lead and sent the Gators to a stunning and inspiring 67-54 loss by the Volunteers in their Southeastern Conference clash in front of a wild and rough Exactech Arena/O’Connell home threw crowd in the middle Wednesday night.

That in-game “great moment” was made even better post-game as Golden picked up his first signature win as a UF coach and the Gators (13-9, 6-3) earned a Gold Star win for their resume To rank the Vols (18-4, 7-2) alongside No. 2 Auburn last February as the highest-ranked opponent ever beaten at Gainesville.

First-year UF coach death golden receives his signature win post-game christening in the Gators locker room after just the second home win in basketball history in Florida against an opponent as high as No. 2, all but four snapped in the second half grabbed nine rebounds and had three assists to lead a balanced UF offense that did things to the Tennessee defense rarely done this season. The Vols came into play allowing just 34.5 percent shots from the floor, 22 from the 3-point line and just 54.5 points per game. The Gators shot nearly 44 percent on the night, made seven 3s at 35 percent, and posted a 12-plus on that legal score. They also went 18-for-24 from the free throw line.

Perhaps this is a good time to remind people that Florida started the night as the No. 8 defender in the country, according to the same advance stats from KenPom.com. That might not have been No. 1, but it was certainly Elite who went in and played to his account. The Vols shot just 27.9 percent for the game despite beating the Gators on the glass 43-36, including an 18-5 offensive end advantage. Tennessee attempted 20 more field goals (68-28) and still lost by 13.

“We knew this was going to be a dogfight,” said UF senior security guard Myreon Jones. “I think this game showed growth. Normally, when we get beaten on the boards, the game is ugly. This time we fought back. We didn’t let that discourage us.”

Fifth-year point guard Kyle Lofton added, “That just shows the potential of our team.”

UF’s three previous SEC game losses totaled eight points. The Gators, who had played one of the toughest game schedules in the country, were in another tight game against some very good teams they thought would get away.

But not this one.

“That was a desperate game, we have a tough schedule with this small track we have here and we need to win some games. We all know that, everyone knows that,” Castleton said, referring to Saturday night’s loss in fifth-ranked Kansas State and that monster against No. 2 wedged in upcoming road games this Saturday in Kentucky and next week in fourth-ranked Alabama is. “Just having that guts, that toughness, to come down with rebounds, to bet on loose balls — which we didn’t do [earlier] in the second half when they went on the run – but we could just claw and fight and prevailed.

Lofton scored 12 of his 14 second-half points with four assists. Fifth-year keeper Myreon Jones had nine points, including a second-half clutch 3 during the comeback, and sophomore keeper Will Richard added nine points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots.

Tennessee was led by point guard Zakai Zeigler with 15 points, but the UF defense limited Gator-Killer guard Santiago Vescovi to just two of 12 shots for the game and 1-for-6 from the 3-point line.

“We’re better than that,” said UT coach Rick Barnes. “But not tonight, we weren’t.”

UF guard Will Richard calls UT forward Olivier Nkamhoua en route to nine points and seven rebounds.
When Tennessee came in, it had kept four of its eight SEC opponents scoreless until the first media timeout, but when the first stoppage of that game came, Florida had an eight-point run that eventually rose to 15 and the Gators with 17-4 lead . However, the Vols were slow cutting, coming within a point four minutes from time at 22-21 before the Gators grabbed the last five points of the half and led 27-21 at the break.

UF led 34-28 more than four minutes into the second half when an old-time 3-point play from freshman forward Julian Phillips paired with a pair of 3s from Zeigler were the big hitters of a 16-4 run by the Vols were. The final three points came when Kowacie fouled Reeves Vescovi’s attempt at arch. After a time out, Vescovi returned and dropped all three free throws to give Tennessee a 44-38 lead, 10:40.

And so began the “great moment” Golden was referring to.

The Vols were four up when Jones drilled a 3-pointer and after a subsequent UF stop, freshman guard Riley Kugel (4 points, 6 rebounds) transitioned and completed a break to put his team’s lead at 47- 46 to restore. After another stop, Castleton got the ball at the high post and drove defender Jonas Aidoo to the right side of the lane, tied the ball with his right hand and slammed Aidoo into the back wall to land in a layup, pull the foul and after that a stoppage, sinking his free throw to put the Gators to four. The game was just the middle of 13 straight points, including a 3-pointer of Lofton’s second chance.

UF Point Guard Kyle Lofton (11) meets one of his two big 3-pointers in the second half. When Castleton converted a second 3-point play just under five minutes later and followed him up with a tip-in on the next possession, the UF lead was 11 within three minutes and the O’Dome was a madhouse.

There would be no comeback as Tennessee missed their last five shots and nine of their last 10, sparking a celebration this team, these coaches and their fans have been waiting for all season.

Yes, that was a “big moment” too.

“I think it’s a confirmation that we can beat anyone if we play our skills,” said Golden. “Obviously we played very well tonight and that would be a high standard to hold every night, but now we’ve shown the ability to do it. The belief comes from that. It’s not about potential anymore. We.” proved we can beat one of the best teams in the country.”

And the possibilities for the season have suddenly become more interesting.

SECOND HALF

– Lofton splits free throws to give the Gators a 10-point lead.

– Another three-point play by Castleton brings Florida back at nine, and a putback by Castleton on subsequent possession extends the lead to 11.

– A three-pointer followed by another Vols miss puts the Gators up a nine-point lead with less than five minutes to play, but Tennessee responds with a much-needed three-pointer.

– Alligators recover the ball in a jump ball turnover.

– Another drive to the rim from Castleton has Florida back at six with 6:30 left in the game.

– Castleton drives, gets fouled and ends after a friendly. Castleton will go to the line and have a chance to put the Gators to four after the time-out.

– Zeigler responds with a swim in the suit after Lofton knocked down the free throws. But a three-pointer from Myreon Jones reduces the lead to one, and a transition lay-in from Kugel puts the lead back for the Gators.

– Castleton hits both free throws to reduce Tennessee’s lead to four and the Gators force a turnover on subsequent possession.

– Reeves is called for a foul, his second. Tennessee’s lead is as much as three.

– Zeigler’s threesome gives the volunteers the first lead of the evening.

– Alligators get some good looks under the rim but can’t convert. Todd Golden calls timeout as Tennessee gets a second chance.

– Will Richard is charged with the foul, his second, despite not leaving his feet or moving his arms. It’s hard to understand as both teams go to the sidelines for the U16 time-out.

– Plavsic converts three-pointer and Florida can’t reply at the other end.

– Ball knocks down both free throws, followed by a block on Zeigler by Castleton.

– Zeigler opens the goal for Tennessee in the second half, only for Lofton to respond with a three-pointer

FIRST HALF

– Bonham shoots it to Lofton, who finds Alex Fudge open for the two-handed slam as the first half comes to an end. After a promising start, Florida goes into halftime with a 27-21 lead.

– The extra pass back to Will Richard results in a converted three-pointer by the runner-up.

– Tennessee called for the moving screen coming out of the timeout.

– Florida’s 13-point lead has been trimmed to one, 22-21, with 3:06 in the first half.

— Florida has gone cold off the field after hitting just two of his previous nine shot attempts as Will Richard heads to the free-throw line. The second guard separates the couple.

– A 7-0 run by the Vols is snapped by Kowacie Reeves’ drive and finish.

– Castleton hits two free throws and Bonham hits a three in transition to give the Gators a 17-4 lead over the Volunteers. A 15-0 run for Florida against one of the best defensive teams in the nation.

– Alex Fudge finishes on the edge to give the Gators an eight-point advantage.

– An 8-0 run by the Gators before the U16 timeout gave the Gators a 10-4 lead.

– Santiago Vescovi hits a three but Will Richard follows his with one of his own to give the lead back to the Gators.

— Myreon Jones finds Kyle Lofton open to give the Gators a 2-1 lead in the first minute.

FOREPLAY

– Florida’s starting lineup against Tennessee: Kyle Lofton, Myreon Jones, Riley Kugel, Will Richard and Colin Castleton.

REMARKS

– Florida hosts second-seeded Tennessee as the Gators look to build on five wins in their last six SEC games. UF hits consecutive top-five opponents for second time in program history and first time in 55 years.

— The Gators have won five of their last six in SEC action and are ranked eighth nationally in defensive efficiency (KenPom) as Florida has held SEC opponents to .374 from field and .245 from 3-point range.

– Colin Castleton leads UF in scores (14.9), rebounds (7.6), shots blocked (67), free throws made (81) and steals (21). Kyle Lofton leads the Gators with 58 assists, and Will Richard leads the roster with 33 3-pointers made and a .402 3-point percentage.

– As a team, the Gators are third in the NCAA with 6.0 blocked shots per game. Individually, Castleton ranks third in the nation with 3.19 shots blocked per game.

– Florida put on a complete performance against South Carolina, where Colin Castleton led five scorers in double digits with 18 points and the Gators posted a season-high with 21 assists against five turnovers. Myreon Jones flirted with a triple-double with 10 rebounds and eight assists – both career highs – plus nine points and zero turnover.

– Six SEC schools hired new head coaches in 2022, including Florida. Todd Golden has posted a 5-0 mark against his fellow coaches as a freshman in the league and swept through last offseason’s settings for his first time.

– UF built a 16-point lead in Mississippi State in the first half, then fended off the Bulldogs’ rally and stopped the game’s final possession to seal the win. Colin Castleton scored 13 points while Will Richard added 12 in 4-on-5 shooting from 3-point range. Kyle Lofton and Myreon Jones combined for 11 assists and zero turnovers, and Lofton posted a season-high and led eight rebounds as team leader.

– Colin Castleton was named SEC Player of the Week on Jan. 16 after two strong performances in wins at LSU and against #20 Missouri. At LSU, Castleton had 18 points and five blocks with a career night at the free throw line (12-for-15). He then put on an all-around performance against Mizzou with 16 points, 13 rebounds, a career-high six assists, three steals and two blocked shots.

– The Gators’ win at LSU ended the Tigers’ 13-game home winning streak. As UF ran in the second half, the Gators got timely 3 points from Myreon Jones and Riley Kugel, both of whom assisted at the other’s big basket.

– The Gators had five players in double figures in their win over UGA, led by Kyle Lofton’s season-high 18. Colin Castleton had 12 points, eight rebounds, seven blocked shots and five assists, while Will Richard added 14 points and nine rebounds.

– Alex Fudge had a four-game stretch from November 30th to December 30th. 14 at an average of 13.3 points and a team high of 8.3 rebounds, 18 to 32 (.563) from the field, 3 to 6 from 3-point range, and 14 of 15 free throw attempts (.933). Fudge had a pair of double-doubles in that span with 16/10 against FAMU and 13/10 against Ohio.

– UF’s 19-point rally in Florida State was the fourth-biggest in team history and the biggest on the road since a 22-point comeback in South Carolina on Feb. 24, 1993. Castleton scored 19 of his 25 points in the second half .

GATLINBURG, Tennessee (WVLT) – This month, Tennessee plans to celebrate the music’s rich heritage by honoring some of its finest songwriters.

Tennessee is home to seven music genres, and that’s why the Department of Tourist Development wants to showcase all the talent the state has to offer.

Gatlinburg is just one city that hosts qualifying events leading up to the grand finals in Nashville.

“Gatlinburg is a great place to get out, enjoy live music, and it’s also kind of steeped in Appalachian bluegrass heritage, you know, and that’s something we’re really excited about,” said Chelsea of ​​Trott the Gatlinburg Convention and Visitors Office. “In essence, it celebrates a craft that made Tennessee famous, and that was music. Prior to February 19-25, Tennessee Songwriters Week, Gatlinburg will of course be participating in qualifying rounds.”

What you need is an original song and a willingness to play it live in front of the jury for no more than five minutes.

“We have qualifiers and they will be held in Ober Gatlinburg on February 11th. And so we really encourage anyone who, you know, has musical talent to come out. You’re a singer, a performer, coming out and demonstrating that talent that day,” Trot said.

It’s a way to celebrate music and the impact it has had on Tennessee culture, and Sevier County is a venue for this qualifier.

“It’s truly an event that celebrates live music and just the talent that we have in our area. We got so much out of it and you know you brought that up, you know East Tennessee is a great place. Coming out, enjoying live music and celebrating the music industry,” she added. “I’m looking for someone who has, you know, singing talent, you know, musical talent, songwriting ability to show and show that in our qualifying rounds leading up to the main event. At Ole Red on 22.

Qualifiers in the Sevier County Region.(WVLT)A celebration of the musical cultures that made Tennessee famous.(Kyle Grainger, WVLT)

Copyright 2023 WVLT. All rights reserved.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG) — The funeral for Tire Nichols, the 29-year-old motorist who died after a brutal police stop was held in Memphis on Wednesday, with Rev. Al Sharpton set to deliver the eulogy.

You can watch the service live here starting at 1:00pm (CT) / 2:00pm (EST). Note that the time has been changed from 10:30am

Nichols is buried at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, 70 N. Bellevue Blvd. in Memphis.

Ben Crump, attorney for the Nichols family, will deliver a “call to action” at a service led by Rev. J. Lawrence Turner. Vice President Kamala Harris will attend, the White House confirmed.

Vice President Kamala Harris attends Tire Nichols’ funeral in Memphis

Nichols was pepper sprayed, punched and kicked after running from a traffic stop to his parents’ home in southeast Memphis on the night of January 7. He died three days later in a hospital with serious injuries.

Five former Memphis police officers have been fired and charged with second-degree murder. Two others were relieved of duty, along with two deputy sheriffs. Three firefighters who responded were also fired.

On Tuesday night, Nichols’ family met with community activists and religious leaders, including Rev. Al Sharpton, at the Memphis church where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous mountaintop speech on the eve of his assassination, and called for unity and change.

Family and leaders call for police reform ahead of Tire Nichols’ funeral

“We have a long fight ahead of us, but we have to stay strong, so ‘Justice for Tyre’. Justice for Tyre,'” said Nichols’ stepfather, Rodney Wells.

• A bill would create a new 11-member board for the Nashville Airport Authority.
• The other would create a new 13-member board of the sporting authority.
• In either case, the heads of state would appoint the majority.

Tennessee Republicans filed new bills Tuesday to exercise their control over the boards of directors at Nashville Airport, Nissan Stadium, Bridgestone Arena and other Music City landmarks.

The new bills would reshape the boards and give state legislatures and the governor the power to appoint the majority of members.

The legislation comes as the battle between Democrat-led Nashville and legislative Republicans heats up and the city’s politics undergo a major upheaval. Nashville Mayor John Cooper announced this week that he would not be running for re-election, setting the stage for a wide-open mayoral election in August.

Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, R-Franklin, introduced a bill to demolish the Music City Center — another venue whose board is currently being appointed by the mayor — and another bill by House Majority Leader William Lamberth to R-Portland, could reduce the size of the 40-member Metro Council to no more than 20 members.

What would the bills do?

Rep. Johnny Garrett, R-Goodlettsville, introduced HB 1176, which “adds the Governor and Speakers of the General Assembly as appointing authorities for board positions” for state airport authorities.

The bill establishes an 11-member board of directors for the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority. This is how the appointments would work:

• Four members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;
• four members appointed by the Senate speaker;
• Two members appointed by the governor;
• The mayor of Nashville or an appointee would be the final member of the board and would serve as an ex officio voting member.

The members of the Board of Directors must be residents of Davidson County as required by law.

Rep. Ryan Williams, R-Cookeville, proposed HB 1197, which “reorganizes governing bodies for sports agencies.” It would give the heads of state majority control of the board that manages Nissan Stadium, Bridgestone Arena, First Horizon Park and other athletic venues in Davidson County.

The law creates a new 13-member board. This is how the appointments would work:

• Three members appointed by the Mayor of Nashville;
• Four members appointed by the governor;
• Three members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;
• Three members appointed by the Senate Speaker.

Under the legislation, some members of the athletic board could live outside of Davidson County.

Both bills apply only to areas with metropolitan governments and only those with more than 500,000 residents. Only Nashville-Davidson County meets the criteria.

This is an evolving story. Check for updates again.

Sandy Mazza can be reached by email at smazza@tennessean.com, by phone at 615-726-5962, or on Twitter at @SandyMazza.

After entering the NCAA transfer portal in May, a former Virginia Tech tight end has decided to return to his hometown and play in Tennessee. Cody Duncan, who played at Knoxville, Tennessee Catholic High School, recently joined the Vols as the preferred walk-on and began spring semester classes in Tennessee last week.

The 6-foot-1, 231-pound Duncan was also a walk-on for the Hokies for the first two seasons of his collegiate career before leaving Virginia Tech after spring semester last year. He sat out the 2022 season with an injury but is now enrolled in Tennessee and ready to team up with his younger brother, Vols signee Trevor Duncan.

The younger Duncan, who was a two-way lineman at Knoxville Catholic, signed with Tennessee last month during their early signing period. He plans to join the Vols in late May after graduating from Knoxville Catholic University and he expects to start on the defensive line in Tennessee.

Cody Duncan last played with his younger brother in 2019 during his senior season at Knoxville Catholic, where he played inside linebacker and running back. Trevor Duncan was a freshman with the Fighting Irish at the time.

“I’ve had a few opportunities to play FCS ball – Austin Peay, Murray (State), Western Carolina,” said Cody Duncan. “But Tennessee gave me the option to come in the spring, and since my brother committed and signed, I don’t think I could turn down that opportunity.” We’ve always pushed each other, so it wasn’t too difficult to decide.”

The younger Duncan said he had known “for a few months” that Cody Duncan would be playing with him for the Vols. Trevor Duncan said he “didn’t know exactly” when his brother entered the transfer portal in May that they would have the opportunity to play together, “so it’s kind of nice that he decided to go there.”

Trevor Duncan said he’s looking forward to being his brother’s teammate again, this time at the SEC school in their hometown.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” said Trevor Duncan. “I already have chemistry with him and playing with your brother is always a lot of fun.”

Cody Duncan, who graduated from high school, was a two-star prospect on the industry-generated 247Sports Composite, where he was ranked the No. 187 inside linebacker in the class of 2020 and the No. 109 player in his class from Tennessee State. He was also rated two stars by 247Sports.

Before deciding to continue at Virginia Tech, he received scholarship offers from UT Martin, Eastern Illinois, Butler, Center College, and Virginia-Wise. He also had preferred walk-on opportunities from Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee, East Tennessee State and Austin Peay who dropped out of high school before committing to the Hokies.

Trevor Duncan said he and his brother are “super competitive” with each other. He expects that will add to the fun when he arrives in Tennessee this spring, especially if he gets a chance to line up opposite his brother on the practice field.

“We’ll definitely be pushing each other – probably running a bit behind in practice,” said the younger Duncan. “He’s going to be a close end, so I’ll be up against him.”

Cody Duncan is expected to add depth to the Vols at the tight end, a position they currently only have three grantees in: senior Jacob Warren, UC Davis transfer McCallan Castles and freshman Ethan Davis, a Top247 prospect from Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, Ga. Tennessee’s walk-on-tight ends also include fifth-year senior Hunter Salmon, former UCF transfer Charlie Browder, and redshirt freshman Titus Rohrer.

Duncan said he was “not sure about my chance just yet” but he “will play tight end now or whatever they want me to play to be successful going forward”.

“I played on special teams my sophomore year at Tech,” he said, “but I want to make the most of it for three years.”