Triple J Tribute

#1
Just a VolinTears

Just a VolinTears

Vol from Memphis
Joined
Mar 19, 2023
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#1
I already miss seeing #30 in the orange and white. Let's appreciate all that JJJ did for the program. He was really the first elite recruit to buy into Barnes' culture, and boy, did he.
8th in UT history in rebounds, 144 career games, played any and every position Barnes needed him to play, huge performances against Kentucky, ranked EVERY week for the final 3 seasons of his career, kind of became the "father" of this team and the embodiment of what Rick Barnes wanted to build
Would argue that we don't have this UT basketball culture without Josiah-Jordan James' character and class
Wishing him all the best as he goes forward in his career and his life
Thanks JJJ!


He posted this a day ago 😢
 
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#4
#4
JJJ will always be one of my favorite Vols. Always smiling, always giving his all. He coached my kid's team at the summer camp about 4 years ago. On a separate occasion my little league baseball team was at Main Event celebrating a birthday or something and it just so happened that the basketball team was also there doing a team thing. All of the guys interacted with our kids....shooting pool, playing shufflebaord. etc. Totally random and totally spontaneous. Our kids were around 11-12 at the time. JJJ is one of THE nicest young men I have ever met. I think he'll always rep Volnation and the Knoxville community with class. I teared up at the Kentucky game when they presented him with his jersey. My wife cried. I couldn't be more proud of his career at TN. True VFL!
 
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#8
#8
The critics will shout that he didn't live up to the 5-star ranking, but he didn't rank himself. I remember several big games we don't win without him hitting a crucial 3.
 
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#9
#9
KnoxLandcruiser said:
JJJ will always be one of my favorite Vols. Always smiling, always giving his all. He coached my kid's team at the summer camp about 4 years ago. On a separate occasion my little league baseball team was at Main Event celebrating a birthday or something and it just so happened that the basketball team was also there doing a team thing. All of the guys interacted with our kids....shooting pool, playing shufflebaord. etc. Totally random and totally spontaneous. Our kids were around 11-12 at the time. JJJ is one of THE nicest young men I have ever met. I think he'll always rep Volnation and the Knoxville community with class. I teared up at the Kentucky game when they presented him with his jersey. My wife cried. I couldn't be more proud of his career at TN. True VFL!
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We lose sight that the value of sports goes beyond wins and losses. I can’t stand losing and I hate to lose more than I love to win.

I’m older now so I appreciate the little things that sports can give us. But I still want my Vols to win a chip before I leave this Earth.
 
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#12
#12
Carried the torch for team culture the past few seasons. I always wanted to see him step up and be more aggressive finding his shot. I think his biggest flaw was sometimes being too passive and psyching himself out. I just think that’s his personality though. If he missed a couple shots he’d stop looking to shoot bc he didn’t want to hurt the team. He had some knee problems too early in his career that may have hindered him from having even better stats. But he developed a nice 12-15 ft turnaround jumper and he had more 3’s rim in/out than anyone this season. I always thought he had a good looking shot. If the team as a whole had not been so good, I think it would have forced him out of that passive zone and he could have been an All SEC type player. He always cared more about the team which shows the kind of high character personality he possesses. He was also pretty clutch at the FT line this year and was always solid on the defensive front. He could guard bigger players and give them fits.
 
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#15
#15
Thanks for the memories, Josiah. I know there were some frustrating moments with you and me. But there were twice that many joyful times. Thanks for staying and thanks for giving your all for the Big Orange! Will miss ya
 
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#16
#16
The living, breathing definition of a VFL. The most impressive thing about JJJ to me is the fact that as a 5-star recruit despite who for various reasons didn't necessarily 'live up' to his recruiting grade, never took an attitude, hung his head, or blamed everyone around him.

Instead, he transformed himself into a jack-of-all-trades, the ultimate role player and defensive stopper who CRB always needed on the court in crunch time because he would always make the smart play, get a key rebound or stop, make the right pass, and occasionally hit a big shot. He did whatever the team needed to win, because that's all it was about for him.

I wish him all the success in the world, and would love it if he somehow ended up back here with this program in some regard.
 
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#17
#17
Just a VolinTears said:
I already miss seeing #30 in the orange and white. Let's appreciate all that JJJ did for the program. He was really the first elite recruit to buy into Barnes' culture, and boy, did he.
8th in UT history in rebounds, 144 career games, played any and every position Barnes needed him to play, huge performances against Kentucky, ranked EVERY week for the final 3 seasons of his career, kind of became the "father" of this team and the embodiment of what Rick Barnes wanted to build
Would argue that we don't have this UT basketball culture without Josiah-Jordan James' character and class
Wishing him all the best as he goes forward in his career and his life
Thanks JJJ!


He posted this a day ago 😢
Click to expand...

Good grief he will be missed. Intangibles was his specialty!
 
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#22
#22
207 others said:
Hope he goes pro, I have a feeling he can make it. I don't see him as needing the g league
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I'd love to agree with you. He has the perfect body and athleticism to be a 3&D wing in the NBA, plus all the intangibles. But unless he can find enough consistency in his 3-ball to hit at least 35-37% on decent volume, he's going to have a tough time sticking in the league.

He won't get drafted, but in the right spot (Denver? Golden State? Philly?) he might be able to carve out a career as a jack-of-all-trades kind of like Bruce Brown. As a Sixer fan, I'd take him in a heartbeat.
 
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#24
#24
Saw this kid play in an AAU tourney in Charlotte back in the day and was impressed with his play. Never imagined he would go on to have the impact he has had on our basketball culture as an outstanding young man. Thanks for the hard work, JJJ, and for always representing with pride!!
 
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