The tears will be flowing.
And just like that, it’s senior day in Knoxville. The five-year careers of Santiago Vescovi and Josiah-Jordan James will be celebrated today, along with the spectacular one-year performance from transfer Dalton Knecht. Today’s game against Kentucky will serve as their last at Food City Center.
Tennessee has a lot of work left to do, but that will be put on pause for a few minutes today as the trio goes through Senior Day festivities. Here’s what they all had to say about the day on Friday.
What Santiago Vescovi has gotten from his time at Tennessee
“So many countless things to be honest. From relationships with the guys, bonds that we’ve created that are going to be there forever, I think I’ve grown as a person and as a basketball player, which were the main two things that I wanted to get out of the University of Tennessee. Most importantly, I created a home here. Really Knoxville’s gonna be in my heart forever. Love the city, love the people around, love everything about it. And on top of that, all the people that in their own way, they’ve encountered or helped me to become the person I am right now. I’m really grateful for (it). Really love everything about it.”
What Josiah-Jordan James has gotten from his time at Tennessee
“I’ve gotten lifelong relationships. I’ve gotten humbled through this program. And I wouldn’t be the man that I am today without being here and going through the experiences that I’ve had. I’m so grateful and indebted to Coach Barnes and his entire staff just for sticking with me through the ups and downs. And I’m indebted to my teammates as well because they’re the best groups of groups of people that I’ve ever been around. And I can never repay them for all that they’ve given me. But I try to come in with a great attitude and be the best version of myself every day for them.”
Josiah-Jordan James on what it means to be a cornerstone piece of the program
“Man, it is taken a lot to get to this point. I wouldn’t be here without Santi because he, Coach Barnes is the most consistent person, and right under him is Santi. Because you know what you’re going get out of him every single day. He’s such a great person. He’s a hard worker and he is a great leader. And somebody that’s uplifting me through tough times. And like I said, I wouldn’t be here without him. But Coach Barnes saying that about us, it is really gratifying just because Santi and I have been through so much. Five years is a long time. There’s a lot of ups and downs and highs and lows, but I just credit him and I for always having each other’s back and always coming in the next day and trying to get the best out of each other and the best out of this group. And that’s why I think that we are where we are right now. Not just because of him and I, but the standard that Grant Williams and the guys before us set. Because they were a really good basketball team before we got here. They’re going to be a really good basketball team after Santi and I leave, but the culture here is second to none.”
Santiago Vescovi on his favorite memories from his time at Tennessee
“I got plenty of them, but of course celebrating is always nice. Definitely the SEC Tournament that we won. That day was, personally, the first thing that comes out to my mind and just all the hours that we spent together. All the ground we put with the guys in here that most of the times people don’t see it. I think that’s the main takeaway. All the hours that we put together and all the relationships that are going to carry over over the time of the years.”
Rick Barnes on what Josiah-Jordan James and Santiago Vescovi mean to the program
“I can’t put it into words because we’d be here all night, because I could talk about each one of them for hours on hours. Because from the time they got here, we were really in a transition period, and those guys were young and growing up, but they’re the ones that over the last (five years), they’ve been the rock, both of them. Then you throw Zakai coming in and then you add Dalton to this group. But Josiah and Santi, I mean been the rock, they’ve been the foundation, they’ve been the ones that know us. They know the coaches better than anybody. They know our standard. They know everything that we want done here. And so they’re a voice not only to their teammates, but a voice that, from the coaching staff standpoint, that you listen to.”
Rick Barnes on Dalton Knecht
“His humility. You know, when he came in he never once talked about coming in thinking he was gonna be the leading score, wanted to do this or do that. He simply said from the beginning, I want to be in a winning program. I’d like to have a chance to play in the NCAA tournament, and I wanna be part of a good program and I want to be coached hard. And I think the fact that you talk about he— I think you talk about Santi, Jo and Dalton, the word that comes to mind is humility. I don’t think those guys have a false sense of security in terms of who they are, how they got to act. I think they go about the way they go about their business every day. I did an interview this morning, a radio interview and I made a comment that I guarantee you when I walk in today before practice, Josiah will be out on floor and he’s out there and you just get to know these guys and the way they go about their business. And I said before, I’ve walked out of here many nights late and Dalton in there shooting, and I’m like, make sure you’re taking care of your body. He said, ‘I’ll be in the ice bath tonight. I promise.’ And Santi the same way. It’s just that you spend so much time with these guys, you get to know them. And if anybody deserves to have two senior days, I would say it’s probably Josiah and Santi.”