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By Mallory Mattingly
The Tennessee Volunteers men’s basketball team says their faith in God propelled them to reach the Elite Eight of the NCAA March Madness tournament.
“I mean, I know specifically for me, one of the reasons I chose Tennessee is because [of] Coach Barnes and his faith, and it kind of trickles down throughout the whole coaching staff,” freshman Nate Ament said in a pre-game press conference on Sunday. “But I think when as a team, you’re trying to glorify something bigger than yourself, and ultimately something that is, you know, Jesus Christ and God, it can only lead to good things.”
“And when you’re playing for something other than your own glory and the glory of others, the glory of your teammates, the glory of Christ, only good things can happen from there,” he continued. “If you’re being selfless and trying to take care of each other, and I mean, to see how it affects our locker room and how we’ve grown as a team, because it means so much, and I’m just truly grateful for it.”
Related: Tennessee Basketball Coach Wants Players to ‘Understand Who Jesus Christ Is’
Sophomore Bishop Boswell agreed with Ament, saying, “Another reason why I’m here…you could be unafraid to show your faith, and we do that before and after every game. And, you know, it’s just something that I personally value. And then a lot of the guys value, and just being able to kind of share that with these guys, you know, whether you do believe in Jesus Christ or you don’t, just it being a safe space for everybody…to have those conversations. I think it’s huge.”
“And, you know, we have power talks before every game where we, you know, hear about the Lord and things of that nature,” Boswell added. “We kind of are able to tie it into basketball. But, you know, it’s just His will be done. And you know, He’s the reason we’re here in the Elite Eight. And hopefully, you know, we can get even further.”
The Volunteers ended up losing to Michigan in the Elite Eight but put up a hard fight.
“The first 10-plus minutes were played within a six-point window, as neither team led by greater than three. Trailing by two, Michigan (35-3, 19-1 B1G) then went on a 21-0 run—it included a three-point play, three 3-pointers and six made field goals—in 4:42 to go up by 19, 35-16, with 6:10 left in the session. The Volunteers went 6:11 without a make from the floor, missing 10 in a row,” The Volunteers reported.
That dry run brought Michigan’s lead to 21, making it impossible for Tennessee to bring home the win.
But even in defeat, Tennessee’s faith-centered approach shows that their true victory lies not the outcome of a game but in playing with purpose, unity and a commitment to something greater than themselves.
Read Next: Tennessee Coach Rick Barnes Gives Glory To God After Winning SEC Championship
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