My All-Time Favorite Players: 4th - Jarnell Stokes

My brother and I were always a huge fans of Jarnell Stokes. He was a dominant force in the paint and for years, he was my second-favorite player on the team. There was much to like about Jarnell. He was friendly to fans, but frightened opposing teams. As an in-state prospect, he joined the Vols from Southwind High School in Memphis, Tennessee. One thing that was intriguing about Stokes, was that he wore a size 20 shoe. To put that in perspective, current NBA players, Kevin Durant and Dwight Howard both wear size 18 sneakers. Shaquille O'Neal wore size 22, just 2 sizes larger than Jarnell. Prior to attending Southwind High School for 1 year, he averaged 17.2 PPG and 9.2 RPG as a junior at Memphis Central High School. He drew the attention of many, as he attended the LeBron James Skills Academy in 2011. Stokes was a consensus top-20 prospect, nationally, with his highest ratings coming from Rivals, Scout and PrepStar, all ranking him as the No. 11 prospect in the nation for the 2011 class. Additionally, Rivals and PrepStar listed him as the top overall prospect in the state of Tennessee.

Jarnell had a slightly delayed start on his freshman season in 2011, but officially signed with Tennessee on December 23 after graduating from high school after the fall semester. He became eligible on January 12 and made his collegiate debut on January 14. After making his first 4 field goals in this matchup with No. 2 Kentucky, he finished the game with 9 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist. The first double-double of his career came in his first career start, with 16 points and 12 rebounds in a victory over defending national champion, UConn. He scored 18 points against LSU, before recording 11 points, 14 rebounds and 5 blocks in a tremendous effort versus Vanderbilt. His 5 blocks came one short of the most in a single game in Tennessee's history. Jarnell played in 17 of the 18 games in which he was eligible for, averaging 9.6 PPG and 7.4 RPG, with a shooting average of 53.4%. He made the SEC All-Freshman Team after a great start to his career.

Prior to his sophomore season, Stokes averaged 14 PPG and 5.6 RPG for the USA Basketball Men's U18 National Team. This team was composed of 12 players, who went on to win the gold medal that year. When he returned to Knoxville, he was locked in and ready to dominate. In the first game of the season, against Kennesaw State, he absolutely stuffed the stat sheet, recording 10 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals and 3 blocks. This was a sign of things to come. He logged 24 points and 12 rebounds against UMass, which led to him being named to the Puerto Rico Tip-Off All-Tournament Team. After scoring 19 points on 7-8 shooting versus Oakland, he totaled 12 points and 9 rebounds against Western Carolina, before a 15-point, 11-rebound night against Ole Miss. Later, he scored 15 points and corralled a career-high 18 rebounds versus Alabama. Then, he accounted for 19 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks, 3 assists and 1 steal against Vanderbilt. After a game in which he posted 17 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks, he set the highest amount of consecutive games (6) with a double-double since Demarcus Cousins' 7 in 2010. In a 4-overtime affair with Texas A&M, he logged 20 points and 16 rebounds in a whopping 53 minutes of play. Additionally, following his 13 points and 13 rebounds versus Missouri, he scored 14 points and grabbed 12 offensive rebounds, yes you read that right, against Mercer in the NIT.

As a sophomore, Jarnell started in all 33 games for the Vols. He averaged 12.4 PPG and 9.6 RPG on the year. With 318 rebounds, he set the eighth-best total for a single season in Tennessee history. He recorded 16 double-doubles on the season, the most since Bernard King in 1976-77. Along with being 1 of just 4 players among Power-5 teams to average a double-double, he was ranked third among all Division 1 players with 4.2 offensive rebounds per game.

As a junior, in what would turn out to be Stokes' final season with Tennessee, he began the year with an incredible performance against USC Upstate, logging 17 points and 18 rebounds in the season-opener. In the Battle 4 Atlantis, he recorded 3 double-doubles in 3 days. The 25th double-double of his career came in a 15-point, 15-rebound effort against LSU on his 20th birthday. Then, at No. 13 Kentucky, he recorded 20 points and 15 rebounds. He made an impact in multiple categories against South Carolina, accumulating 17 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks. Later, against Georgia, he scored 20 points on 9-13 shooting, to go along with 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks and 1 steal. On February 26, 2014, against Mississippi State, Jarnell surpassed Wayne Chism in career offensive rebounds, making him Tennessee's all-time leader in this category. He later became the 46th player in Tennessee history to score 1,000 points in a career. He accomplished this feat in a 20-point performance at Auburn. In the SEC Tournament, he casually put up 22 points and 15 rebounds. He set a career-high with 26 points in the NCAA Tournament matchup with UMass. Additionally, his 17-point, 18-rebound game in the round-of-32 against Mercer tied the great Bernard King for most double-doubles in a season at Tennessee (22). His dominance was evident, as he recorded just 1 less rebound than Mercer's team total in this game.

When the phrase "a walking double-double" was first used, I am fairly certain that they were referring to Stokes. As a junior, he averaged 15.1 PPG and 10.6 RPG. He also shot 53.1% from the field. On April 11, 2014, Vol fans experienced a bittersweet moment, as Jarnell announced his plans to enter the NBA Draft, bypassing his senior season. This decision was well deserved, as he had a terrific career in Knoxville. He finished his career as the Vols' all-time record holder for offensive rebounds. Additionally, he is ranked eighth on Tennessee's all-time rebounding list, with 836 and fourth with 40 career double-doubles.

Jarnell was drafted with the 35th overall selection in the 2014 NBA Draft, by the Utah Jazz, but was immediately send to the Memphis Grizzlies, his hometown team. While he is currently playing overseas, he is working tirelessly to achieve his NBA dream. One of the main reasons I enjoyed watching Jarnell is because of his physical play in the post. He consistently drew and-1 opportunities and it became unusual if he did not record a double-double. He made it look so easy. Also, as a Tennessee native, it became even easier to like him. One of my fondest memories of him is when he helped the Vols reach the Sweet 16, narrowly missing a chance to play in the Elite 8. Jarnell is a beast and I will always be a fan of his.