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Vols will retire Dale Ellis’ jersey at Vandy game

Mississippi St Tennessee Basketball

Mississippi State guard Jalen Steele (0) shoots as Tennessee guard Trae Golden (11) and guard Armani Moore (4) defend during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game at Thompson-Boling Arena, Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Knoxville News Sentinel, Adam Brimer)

AP

Tennessee is getting ready to honor one of its greatest players, and they’ve chosen a big date - the March 1 game when in-state rival Vanderbilt comes to Thompson-Boling - as the perfect time for the ceremony.

The Vols will run Dale Ellis’ number 14 jersey to the rafters in front of a rabid, partisan crowd, and a national television audience. The game is set to be shown on one of the ESPN networks.

Ellis was a two-time All-American and SEC player of the year, back-to-back in the 1982 and 1983 seasons. As Brendan F. Quinn of the Knoxville News-Sentinel pointed out, Ellis would have been higher on the list had he played in a later era:

Ellis’ tally of 2,065 points with the Vols would have been considerably higher had a 3-point line existed at the time. He made 1,719 3-pointers in his NBA career, ninth-most all-time.

Ellis had nine career 30+-point games in his Vols career, including a 30-point effort against Vanderbilt on January 29, 1983.


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