Hoops For Hope still strong with UT, FHS
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Holly Newman finds herself all alone on a fastbreak situation looking to score for the Green Team. - Photos by Alan Sloan
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Among the Black Team players introduced before its game versus the Green Team was Christi Oliver, who happily accepted “high fives” from Vols and Lady Vols players. - Photos by Alan Sloan
About 70 teenage and young adult athletes with Down syndrome once again took advantage of the opportunity to play basketball on Donald Dodgen Court inside Lynn E. Sexton Gymnasium at Farragut High School Saturday morning and early afternoon, Aug. 24. An annual gathering at FHS, Hoops for Hope filled the stands with family, friends and other supporters, as most of the UT Mens and Womens Basketball team members, including head coaches Rick Barnes and Kim Caldwell, were on hand to help these athletes enjoy a series of 13-minute games, as divided by teams with various T-shirt colors.
Among the Lady Vols lending assistance to these and other teams was Avery “Ace” Strickland, a former All-state FHS Lady Admirals wing who’s now a Lady Vol junior guard/forward (5-foot-10). “It’s awesome being back at Farragut and, at UT, being back in the community and seeing all of these happy faces,” said Strickland, who transferred from Pittsburgh to Tennessee following the 2022-23 season.
“I just love being out here and having fun with them playing basketball, genuinely being here for them.” Donald Dodgen, court namesake and FHS athletics director, said, “We started this thing many, many years ago (2007) with David Sexton and his son (Trey Sexton, then an FHS student, whose idea sparked the creation of Hoops For Hope). “This is a feel-good day. ... It’s getting bigger and bigger every year. We’ve got all kinds of our faculty members here, and the UT Men and Women out here. That just makes it a great day.”
