My All-Time Favorite Players: 6th - Jordan McRae

Some of my fondest memories of Tennessee basketball include Jordan McRae. He was a terrific ball handler and an even better scorer. His athleticism was always on full display, with a countless number of high-flying dunks during his Tennessee career. Additionally, he was a sharp shooter from 3-point range and was a lockdown defender. There are very few things that I can find to critique about McRae's play. At 6'6" and 185 pounds, even with a lanky frame, he was able to slice through the defense with outstanding quickness.

McRae attended Liberty County High School in Hinesville, Georgia, where he recorded 37 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks in his final career game. He became a 2010 McDonald's All-American and was also a member of the Adidas Nations U.S. National Team in 2010. Rivals gave Jordan a 4-star rating and ranked him as the No. 47 player in the nation for the 2010 class.

Jordan joined the Vols in 2010, averaging just 1.8 PPG in the 10 games in which he played in. He only played 5.3 MPG when he saw action, but he posted 6 points, 4 rebounds and 3 blocks as Tennessee defeated Belmont. McRae saw much more playing time as a sophomore. He started in the season-opener and logged 14 points, while connecting on 4-5 shots from 3-point range. He then scored 25 points in consecutive games, before his 19-point performance on 4-8 shooting from downtown, along with 2 blocks against College of Charleston. As the Vols knocked off No. 8 Florida, Jordan scored 12 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. He stuffed the stat sheet against Arkansas, logging 14 points, 4 assists and 3 blocks. Toward the end of the season, he scored 16 points along with 6 rebounds and 4 assists versus Ole Miss. His amazing tomahawk dunk in this matchup was the No. 1 play on SportsCenter's Top 10. McRae played in 34 games, making 15 starts on the season while averaging nearly 22 MPG. As a valuable sixth man, he scored in double figures in 6 of Tennessee's final 14 games. He averaged 8.6 PPG, while shooting 32.8% from beyond the arc. Additionally, along with leading the team with 26 blocks, he recorded 20 steals on the year and averaged 2.9 RPG.

As a junior, McRae really began to make a big impact on the court. In an matchup with Western Carolina, early on in the season, he totaled 14 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. This was impressive, as he affected the game in many categories, but he was just scratching the surface of things to come. After scoring 26 points against Memphis, including 5 made 3-pointers, he turned around 5 days later and scored 26 points against Ole Miss. The first double-double of McRae's career came at Vanderbilt, as he totaled 14 points and 11 rebounds. Later, as Tennessee embarrassed No. 25 Kentucky in an 88-58 victory, Jordan contributed 15 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks. McRae really began to hit his stride in late February, scoring 34 points against LSU, thanks to shooting a perfect 6-6 from 3-point range. Then, in one of the longest games in college basketball history, he scored 23 points, including a key 3-pointer that sent the game to overtime. The game would actually have 4 overtime periods and McRae's 56 minutes nearly equaled a game and a half. Against Georgia, Jordan had a terrific day, scoring a career-high 35 points on 10-15 shooting, including 8-11 from 3-point range. Toward the end of the year, he logged 21 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks in a win over Auburn. He was very versatile throughout the season, playing at every position, except center. After making 22 starts and playing in all 33 games, he led Tennessee with 15.7 PPG, 60 made 3-pointers, a 3-point percentage of 35.5% and in minutes played, with an average of 33.6 MPG. Additionally, he ranked second on the team with 2 APG. When I first found this next stat, I was very impressed, as McRae averaged a very efficient 1.38 points per every field-goal attempt in SEC play.

McRae made a name for himself in the summer prior to his senior season. He played in the Kevin Durant Skills Academy and was so impressive that he also received an invitation to the LeBron James Skills Academy. Jordan did not wast any time once the season began. In the season-opener, versus Xavier, he recorded 23 points and 5 assists in 37 minutes of action. This game was definitely an indicator of how much playing time he would receive in his final season with Tennessee. One thing that Vol fans appreciated about Jordan during his career was his efficiency. He was not known for carelessly turning the ball over, but for his high shooting percentages, such as when he scored 25 points on 9-13 shooting versus Tennessee Tech. Later, his 26-point effort against Wichita State allowed him to become the 45th Vol to reach the milestone of 1,000 career points. In late December, in a 35-point beat down of Virginia, Jordan accounted for 21 points, connecting on 3-4 shots from 3-point range, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and a block. He later scored 19 points versus LSU, making 6-7 field goals, including a perfect 3-3 from downtown and 4-4 from the free throw line. After making 6 shots from beyond the arc against Ole Miss, he became the third Tennessee player in the school's history to accumulate 1,200 points, 300 rebounds, 150 assists and 75 blocks in a career. Vincent Yarbrough and Wayne Chism are the only 2 others to accomplish all of this.

Prior to his 31-point performance at Missouri, he made 6-8 shots from 3-point range against South Carolina. The second and final double-double of his impressive career came against Mississippi State, as he put up 29 points and 10 rebounds. I am naturally drawn to players who can throw down creative dunks. Well, it was very fitting that McRae's last field goal inside of Thompson-Boling Arena came on a 2-handed reverse dunk in transition. He also got fouled and made the free throw, giving fans inside TBA one more highlight to end his career. He scored 11 points and blocked 3 shots in this game. In what would be the final game of his career, he totaled 24 points, 6 rebounds and 4 blocks in the Sweet 16 matchup against Michigan. As a senior, McRae started in all 37 games for the Vols, tying the Tennessee single-season record for both games played as a senior and starts as a senior. He played in 32 MPG, while averaging 18.7 PPG, 3.5 RPG and 2.5 APG. He scored a total of 692 points in his senior season, the sixth best single season total in Tennessee's history. He shot 43.6% from the field, including 35.1% from 3-point range. Additionally, he accounted for 38 blocks and 25 steals on the year. He finished up his career at Tennessee ranked sixteenth on the Vols' all-time scoring list, with 1,521 points. He is seventh on the Vols' list for most made 3-pointers in a career, with 179. Lastly, he ranks thirteenth on the Vols' all-time blocks list, with 97 in his career.

In the NBA, McRae was drafted with the 58th overall pick in the 2014 draft, by the San Antonio Spurs, but was immediately traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. He performed very well in the Summer League, but played overseas during the 2014-15 season. After grinding and breaking the NBA D-League's single-game scoring record, with 61 points on January 26, 2016, the Phoenix Suns signed him to a 10-day contract. He made his NBA debut on January 29, 2016, recording 12 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds and a steal. Still, the biggest performance of his NBA career came with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2015-16 regular season finale. With the playoffs approaching, the Cavaliers rested many of their players, which gave McRae an opportunity to shine. In 47 minutes of action versus the Detroit Pistons, he recorded a whopping 36 points on 14-29 shooting, including 3-5 from beyond the arc. He added 7 assists and 4 rebounds to an impressive performance. He would end up winning the 2016 NBA Championship with Cleveland. Currently, he plays overseas.

McRae was one of those players that let his play do all the talking. It seemed as if he had the ability to block out any outside noise and solely focus on his game. I was always intrigued by how he slipped through defenses and fiercely attacked the rim. There were many spectacular dunks, passes and 3-pointers made by Jordan throughout his career. With so many highlights, it is often hard to choose a favorite, but I do have one. It came in the second round of the 2014 SEC Tournament. Tennessee held a comfortable 14-point lead with under 2 minutes remaining in the game, when McRae snatched the ball away and finished on the offensive end with an awesome 360 dunk. When he was racing down the court, I did not see it coming, but I knew he would find a way to ignite the crowd one last time. As a kid, McRae was one of my favorite players to take pictures with and get autographs from after games. He is a VFL will forever be remembered by Vol fans for all of the exciting plays that he brought to Knoxville.