Jordan Gainey explains the reasoning behind subtle moment that many fans missed after Tennessee's loss to Houston in the Elite Eight
If you weren't paying attention on Sunday afternoon after the Tennessee Vols' loss to the Houston Cougars in the Elite Eight, you may have missed a heartwarming moment from UT guard Jordan Gainey. As Tennessee's post-game press conference ended, while guard Zakai Zeigler was embracing head coach Rick Barnes, Gainey subtly grabbed the name cards […]
If you weren't paying attention on Sunday afternoon after the Tennessee Vols' loss to the Houston Cougars in the Elite Eight, you may have missed a heartwarming moment from UT guard Jordan Gainey.
As Tennessee's post-game press conference ended, while guard Zakai Zeigler was embracing head coach Rick Barnes, Gainey subtly grabbed the name cards from the podium.
Gainey picked up the name card with his name on it, as well as the name cards of his teammates that were at the podium with him.
After the press conference, Gainey was asked why he made sure to grab the name cards.
"It's got my name on it, it's got the Tennessee logo and it says March Madness," said Gainey (via Full Disclosure Production's Paige Dauer). "You don't really get to cherish these moments. Not a lot of people get to be here. So me being able to grab this plaque and just have it for the rest of my life is just something special to me. It's just going to let me know that I was here with some of my best friends and some of the greatest teammates I'll ever have [while] in a Tennessee uniform wearing Tennessee orange. It's an honor."
The Volunteers may have come up short of their ultimate goal of reaching a Final Four and competing for a chance to win a national championship, but that doesn't take away from what Tennessee accomplished this season (30 wins for the third time in program history and a second straight appearance in the Elite Eight).
As Gainey pointed out, not a lot of people get to play basketball on that stage. And those name cards are something that Gainey and his teammates will have forever to remind them of what they were able to accomplish together.
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