COLUMBUS, Ohio — Admiral Schofield made a head-turning statement as Tennessee was locked in a battle with Iowa on Sunday.
The Tennessee senior told the Vols coaches to take him out of the game and put in Kyle Alexander.
"It is going to change the game for us," he recalled telling the Tennessee coaches. "He did a great job for us.”
“I’m a winner. At the end of the day, if I don’t have to be on the floor to win, that’s fine.”
Schofield sat on the bench for all five minutes of overtime. The senior also was on the bench for the final 14 seconds of regulation, when Tennessee drew up a final play that resulted in a missed Jordan Bone 3-pointer.
“It’s trust and love," forward Grant Williams said of Schofield's decision. "That’s the chemistry we have. It is that respect for him, like, dang. I will look back at that moment in years from now and say that is a great guy. That is a guy who really loves his team.”
Schofield scored 17 first-half points Sunday. He had only two in the second half, hitting a jumper when Iowa was pushing Tennessee to the limit.
He missed a 3-pointer with 41 seconds left and the Vols ahead by two. It was his final shot of the day.
During a timeout before the final regulation play, he removed himself from the game and left his trust his teammates to extend his career.
“AD is an unselfish guy," guard Lamonte Turner said. "AD told coach that Kyle needed to be in. AD put himself on his bench. That speaks about AD’s character. He’s a great guy. We respect AD, he’s our leader of this team."
Schofield had four fouls at the time, which he told coach Rick Barnes would prevent him from being able to guard as he would want to. So he said leave Alexander, his fellow senior and roommate, in to make essential plays for the Vols.
The Vols got it done, winning 83-77 in overtime against the Hawkeyes to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2014.
"The trust and connection we have on this team, it would be selfish on me to think I have to take the game in my hands when we are a team," Schofield said. "That is what we are. In that moment, I just want to win. I didn’t think I was giving us the best chance to win.”
https://www.knoxnews.com/story/sports/college/university-of-tennessee/mens-basketball/2019/03/24/tennessee-vols-basketball-iowa-admiral-schofield-rick-barnes/3262488002/
2019-03-24 20:35:00Z
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