John Fulkerson ’16 has lived out his dreams at the University of Tennessee, so much so that his reality became preferrable some time ago.
What childlike imagination could have predicted the Christ School alumnus would play basketball for his home state Volunteers for not four, not five, but six years? Along with the way, John has become a consummate fan favorite for his charisma and willingness to outhustle anyone else on the court at any given time.
He surely never could have envisioned becoming a 1,000-point scorer. Christ School happened to have a group of students and faculty at the very game where it happened – a 64-50 win over LSU on Jan. 22 in Knoxville.
And who could have foreseen the culmination of sorts that occurred Sunday in Tampa? John and Tennessee cut down the nets after winning their first Southeastern Conference Tournament championship in 43 years.
Now with March Madness upon us, the Volunteers (26-7) have turned all their focus to Thursday’s start to the NCAA Tournament. They are the third seed out of the South Region and play No. 14 Longwood (26-6) at 2:45 p.m. in Indianapolis.
"I would say we're definitely playing some of our best basketball right now and we're really meshing and playing well together," John said during Monday's media availability.
"As far as us getting better, I would say first of all, credit to our coaches for pushing us. That's what coach (Rick) Barnes says a lot, is just getting better, getting better, getting better. I think that kind of goes to us as players and listening to what they say, but also just buying in. Everyone buying into their role, having each other's backs and knowing what all we can accomplish if we play together and try to get better every day."
John is averaging 7.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game as a graduate student forward and pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds in Sunday’s SEC finals.
John grew up in east Tennessee along with Matt Halvorsen ‘17. The two transferred from Kingsport’s Dobyns-Bennett High School to Christ School starting with the 2014-15 school year. John was the Carolinas Athletic Association Player of the Year as a senior, averaging 14.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 3.6 blocks per game.
At Tennessee, he has played a school record and SEC record 162 games. In addition to his longevity on the court, John has shown a philanthropic side off it.
This is the first season in which NCAA athletes can benefit from NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals. John said back in November that he would donate $1 back to the university for every point scored by Tennessee this season. He has since upped his pledge to $2.
