Scotty Pippen Jr. Named SEC Preseason Player Of The Year, Cousy Award Watch List

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Scotty Pippen Jr. Photo: Courtesy of the Vanderbilt Athletics.

Vanderbilt men’s basketball’s Scotty Pippen Jr. has been recognized prior to his junior season as the SEC Preseason Player of the Year and has been named to the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award Watch List. Pippen decided to stay with the Commodores for another year instead of entering the NBA Draft after a successful sophomore year.

In the 2020-21 season Pippen was named to the NABC First-Team All-District and All-SEC Team by The Associated Press after setting a school record for a sophomore with 20.8 points per game—that also ranked as the seventh-highest scoring season in program history and highest since 1999-2000.

He also posted the ninth-most assists per game in Vandy history last season and ranked second in the SEC with 4.9. He shared the ball at a record-rate as the first Commodore in five years with 5+ assists in four straight games and is the first Commodore since 2000 with eight or more assists in back-to-back games.

The Los Angeles native ranked third in the SEC and ninth nationally with 142 made free throws, and second in the SEC with 1.77 steals per game. He shot 42.8% from the field overall, 35.8% from 3-point range and 85% from the free throw line, leading the team in scoring 13 times. He set an SEC Tournament record for most made free throws without a miss in a single tournament (25 for 25 in two games).

Pippen and the Commodores, led under third-year head coach Jerry Stackhouse, kick off their season with four straight home games, first against Alabama State on Nov. 10.

Analysis: Nashville SC To Face Challenges In Final Stretch Of MLS Season

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Pictured: Nashville SC being led out of the Nissan Stadium tunnel by team captain Dax McCarty and goalkeeper Joe Willis. Photo: Courtesy of Nashville SC/MLS

The final international break of the MLS season has come to an end and players will be back for their clubs for the final stretch of the regular season. Nashville SC’s final six games will be a true test for the second year franchise as they play four of these final games on the road against teams set for the playoffs or fighting for a spot.

Nashville SC currently sits in second place in the Eastern Conference standings with 47 points and a record of 11W-3L-14D. The Boys in Gold have the the fewest losses in all of MLS, a testament to the team’s stellar defense from USMNT captain Walker Zimmerman and goalkeeper Joe Willis, who leads the lead in clean sheets with 12. NSC also has the second best goal differential in the league with 20.

But the star of the team this season has been Hany Mukhtar who is making his case for the MVP with 13 goals and eight assists. Mukhtar gave the club its first ever hat trick against Chicago in July, which was also the fastest hat trick in MLS history. Nashville SC has put themselves in a great spot to make a run in the MLS Playoffs in November, but they still have six games to go against some highly competitive and talented teams.

Nashville will head to the nation’s Capital on Saturday, Oct. 16 as they face D.C. United. The club beat D.C. 5-2 in it’s last matchup in August, but this time around the stakes are much higher for the United as they sit in fifth place in the standings with 40 points. NYCFC and CF Montreal, who are in sixth and seventh place, respectively, also have 40 points. D.C. will definitely want a few wins to give them some breathing room between them and the rest of the pack to secure a playoff spot. D.C. also has one of the MVP frontrunners Ola Kamara who leads in goals (17) and minutes per goal(79).

Hany Mukhtar. Photo: Courtesy of Nashville SC?MLS

The Boys in Gold will come back to Nissan Stadium on Oct. 20 to play defending MLS Champion Columbus Crew, who are currently out of the playoff picture in 10th place. The Crew have 34 points, six points behind the Montreal who holds the last playoff spot. Nashville drew against Columbus in July 0-0.

After the game in Music City, Nashville SC will head to Philadelphia to face on the third place Philadelphia Union who have 45 points, just two points shy of Nashville. New England is sitting pretty in first with 65 points, so the odds of Philly or Nashville taking first is unlikely. However, a fight for second will be extremely contentious as both teams will want the better seed in the playoffs.

The Unions goalkeeper Andre Blake has 10 clean sheets this season along with 3.2 saves per match. He will be attempting to play his best against Nashville’s versatile offense when they meet in Philadelphia on Oct. 23.

The club then heads back to Ohio to play last place FC Cincinnati. Cincy has only 20 points this season, the least of any team in the league. Nashville drew 2-2 against them in the season opener and then won 3-0 in July. Hopefully Nashville can take advantage of Cincinnati’s weak team to pick up three points.

NSC will fly to Orlando for the last away match of the regular season to face Orlando City on Halloween evening. Orlando is also trying to work its way up the playoff standings, sitting in fourth behind Philadelphia with 42 points. When Orlando came to Nashville in late September, the match ended in a 2-2 draw after Brian Anunga scored the equalizer in the 90th minute, sucking the air out of Nissan Stadium.  A win in Orlando can be a huge momentum booster going into November for Nashville.

Finally, NSC will play its final game of the regular season at home against the New York Red Bulls on Nov. 7. The Red Bulls are sitting in ninth place with 37 points, three point out of the final playoff spot. The Red Bulls are a club who has consistently put a solid team on the pitch year in and year out. New York beat Nashville 2-0 at Red Bull Arena in June, handing NSC its first loss of the season. By this point in the season, the game may not matter for Nashville if they can pick up wins in the previous matches, but it most likely will matter for the Red Bulls as they attempt to solidify a playoff spot.

Titans Make Roster Adjustments, Place Two Players On Reserved Lists

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Nissan Stadium. Photo: Donald Page/Tennessee Titans

The Titans have made a handful of roster changes ahead of next week’s home game against the Buffalo Bills on Oct. 18.

The organization has placed seven-year offensive lineman Ty Sambrailo, who is stepping away from the game, on the Reserved-Retired list, while punter Brett Kern has been added to the Reserve/Covid-19 list.

Sambrailo joined the Titans as a free agent prior to the 2020 season. He previously spent time with the Broncos and Falcons in the NFL. Sambrailo appeared in 10 games, with five starts at left tackle, before suffering a knee injury that put him on Injured Reserve. He played in four games this season, including one start.

Tennessee’s kicking issues continue as Kern, who has missed the past two games with a right groin injury, is now sidelined again. Johnny Townsend has punted for the Titans the last two games in place of Kern.

The Titans have also waived defensive lineman Woodrow Hamilton from the active roster, while signing two players to the practice squad–offensive linemen Derwin Gray and James Murray.

Predators Release Roster Ahead Of Opening Night

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Photo: Courtesy of the Nashville Predators

The Nashville Predators training camp is over and the team has finalized its roster for the 2021-22 season opener against expansion team Seattle Kraken on Thursday, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. CT.

The team will look a bit different this season after the retiring of Pekka Rinne and the trading of veteran players Ryan Ellis and Viktor Arvidsson, but still has familiar faces like Ryan Johansen, Roman Josi and starting goalie Juuse Saros.

Nashville’s 23-player roster consists of 13 forwards, eight defensemen and two goaltenders. The squad will be without forward Mathieu Olivier, who has been placed on the Injured Reserve List.

The start of the season continues with three more games at Bridgestone Arena from Oct. 16-21, a stretch that includes contests against Carolina, Los Angeles and the New York Rangers.

The Predators full roster includes:

Forwards: Nick Cousins, Matt Duchene, Filip Forsberg, Cody Glass, Mikael Granlund, Rocco Grimaldi, Tanner Jeannot, Ryan Johansen, Luke Kunin, Colton Sissons, Eeli Tolvanen, Philip Tomasino, Yakov Trenin
Defensemen: Matt Benning, Mark Borowiecki, Alexandre Carrier, Mattias Ekholm, Dante Fabbro, Ben Harpur, Roman Josi, Philippe Myers
Goaltenders: David Rittich, Juuse Saros

TN Sports Hall Of Fame, Farmer Bureau Health Plans Partner For Free Admission Through 2021

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The Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame is partnering with Farmer Bureau Health Plans Tennessee to offer free admission from Oct. 1 through the end of the year.

Visitors can explore displays on college football, college basketball, Tennessee Olympians, auto racing and more, plus learn about individuals like Peyton Manning, Wilma Rudolph, Ed “Too Tall” Jones, Pat Summitt and others.

Patrons can also see new memorabilia from the Class of 2021 and many others who have impacted the history of sports in Tennessee.

“We’re excited to partner with Farm Bureau Health Plans to provide free admission over the next 3 months to the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame,” says TSHF Executive Director Brad Willis. “Great partnerships like this one allow more people to visit our museum and learn about the great heritage of sports in our state.”

The Hall recently announced Tennessee Talk of Fame, a speaker series video podcast with various Tennessee Sports Hall of Famers. The first episode features Blaine Bishop, a 2018 Tennessee Sports Hall of Famer, former Tennessee Titan, and 3-time All Pro Safety.

The Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame is open Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m. –4 p.m. inside Bridgestone Arena in downtown Nashville. For more information, click here.

Tickets For 2022 U.S. Figure Skating Championships At Bridgestone On Sale

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Tickets for the 2022 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships at Bridgestone Arena go on sale Thursday (Sept. 23). The competition will run through Jan. 3-9, 2021.

U.S. champions will be crowned in ladies, men’s, pairs and ice dance at the championship and junior levels of the U.S. Figure Skating competitive structure. Individual tickets and ticket packages are on sale now exclusively through Ticketmaster.

The U.S. Championships serves as the final qualifying competition prior to U.S. Figure Skating nominating athletes to the U.S. Olympic Figure Skating Team.

The U.S. Championship Schedule:

Tuesday, Jan. 4
Junior Short Programs/Rhythm

Wednesday, Jan. 5
Junior Free Skates/Dance

Thursday, Jan. 6
Championship Pairs Short Program
Championship Ladies Short Program

Friday, Jan. 7
Championship Rhythm Dance
Championship Ladies Free Skate

Saturday, Jan. 8
Championship Men’s Short Program
Championship Pairs Free Skate
Championship Free Dance

Sunday, Jan. 9
Championship Men’s Free Skate
Skating Spectacular

Turner Sports Adds NHL Game And Studio Commentary Team

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Turner Sports has announced additions to its NHL broadcast team which includes Islanders play-by-play voice Brendan Burke, analyst Darren Pang, and ice-level analysis Keith Jones. They will be joined by Jennifer Botterill, Jackie Redmond and Tarik El-Bashir and many more.

Turner Sports signed a multiyear deal with the NHL in April to cover games including Stanley Cup Playoff games. ESPN also has rights to cover games this upcoming hockey season.

It was previously announced that play-by-play legend Kenny Albert and analyst Eddie Olczyk will be part of the Turner NHL coverage. The studio coverage will be hosted by Liam McHugh, alongside a collection of analysts including“The Great One” Wayne Gretzky, 10-year NHL veteran Anson Carter, three-time Stanley Cup Champion Rick Tocchet and hockey personality and former AHL & NHL veteran Paul Bissonnette.

Additionally, Bleacher Report has tapped Andrew ‘Nasher’ Telfer, one of the world’s preeminent hockey content creators, to be a key component of the brand’s NHL content strategy. Telfer will star in a series of interactive mid and long-form content offerings for its new NHL-specific content vertical, ‘Open Ice’, leveraging B/R’s access to NHL rights for creative across B/R and House of Highlights social channels and live streams within the B/R App.

Turner Sports is heading into its first-ever live NHL regular season action on Wednesday, Oct. 13, with a TNT prime time doubleheader beginning with the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals. Later in the night, the Chicago Blackhawks will visit the Colorado Avalanche.

Kevin Lavender Named Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp Board Chair

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Kevin Lavender

Banking executive Kevin Lavender has been named Chairman of the Board at the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. In this role, he will lead the Board of Directors which represent sectors from both within and outside the hospitality industry.

Lavender, who is Head of Commercial Banking at Fifth Third Bank, will serve on the NCVC Executive Committee for 2022, alongside Executive Chef and Partner at Morph Hospitality Maneet Chauhan as Chair Elect; former President at Belmont University Dr. Robert Fisher as Immediate Past Chair; CEO and Co-Founder of Health:Further Marcus Whitney as Finance and Audit Committee Chair; and Frist Museum’s Director of Communications Ellen Pryor as Sales and Marketing Committee Chair.

“We appreciate these distinguished leaders for sharing their experience and expertise as Nashville returns to its prominence as a top global destination,” says Lavender. “The board’s guidance will be instrumental as the industry works through labor shortages and other challenges to come back as a strong economic engine for Nashville and Tennessee.”

Tourism has been on an upward trajectory with Nashville named a top global destination for the past decade thanks to major events like the recent Music City Grand Prix and FIFA World Cup Qualifier with USA v. Canada and upcoming Jack Daniel’s New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash. A record 16.1 million visitors traveled to Music City in 2019, generating a record $7.5 billion in direct visitor spending.

The 22-member volunteer board are community and business leaders in the Nashville area. The board is charged with directing the organization’s work on behalf of the city, the members of the NCVC, and the city’s hospitality industry.

The current NCVC board of directors include:
Patrick Chaffin, Senior Vice President of Asset Management, Ryman Hospitality Properties
John Esposito, Chairman and CEO, Warner Music Group
Eddie George, Head Football Coach, Tennessee State University
Jim Gingrich, Managing Partner, Elk Mountain Partners
Kevin Green, COO, Chartwell Hospitality
Ed Hardy, Hardy Media & Entertainment
Leesa LeClaire, General Manager, Hilton Nashville Airport Hotel
Ken Levitan, President, Vector Management
Kimberly Lewis, Owner, Emerson Grace
Pat Martin, Martin Investment Group
Burke Nihill, President and CEO, Tennessee Titans
Dr. Jonathan Perlin, President/Chief Medical Officer, HCA
Brian Tibbs, Partner, Moody Nolan

Ex Officio members include:
Butch Spyridon, President and CEO, NCVC
Charles Robert Bone, Partner and Attorney, Bone McAllester Norton, as Legal Counsel
Sherry Franklin, Director of Hotel Sales, Renaissance Nashville, as Chair of the Metro Tourism and Convention Commission
Sarah Trahern, CEO, CMA