University of Tennessee Athletics
2014-15 Men's Basketball Roster
Roster
Punter, Kevin
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Jersey Number 0
Kevin Punter
- Height:
- 6-4
- Weight:
- 180
- Class:
- Junior
- Hometown:
- Bronx, N.Y.
- High School:
- Salesian HS
Bio
CAREER HIGHS
- Points: 36 // vs. South Carolina, 1/23/16*
- Rebounds: 8 (2x) // last vs. Florida, 1/6/16
- Assists: 7 // vs. VCU, 11/14/14
- Steals: 6 // at Georgia, 2/7/15
- Blocks: 1 (8x) // last vs. Florida Atlantic, 12/16/15
- Field Goals: 11 // at Auburn, 1/2/16
- 3-Pointers: 6 // vs. South Carolina, 1/23/16*
- Free Throws: 14 // vs. South Carolina, 1/23/16*
- Minutes: 40 // at Mississippi State, 1/16/16*
-
* Indicates most recent high
HONORS
- 2016 Second-Team All-SEC (AP, Coaches)
- 2016 First-Team All-SEC (HoopsHD.com)
- 2016 USBWA All-District IV Team
- 2016 Second-Team NABC All-District 21
- 2016 SEC Community Service Team
- Capital One Impact Performer of the Week (Jan. 27, 2016)
- 2015 Barclays Center Classic All-Tournament Team
2015-16 - SENIOR
- Game-By-Game Statistics
- Received his degree in Communication Studies on May 12, 2016.
- Scored 905 points in his two years on Rocky Top -- the most points ever scored at Tennessee by a two-year player.
- Tennessee career came to an early end as he missed the final eight games of the season with a stress fracture in his right foot.
- Finished the season ranked second in the SEC and 12th nationally in scoring after he averaged 22.2 points per game during his senior year.
- Though he missed five games of SEC play, he was named second team All-SEC after finishing with the third-highest scoring average (22.1 ppg) and the fourth-highest free-throw percentage (.853) during league games.
- Averaged 25.6 ppg against ranked opponents during the 2015-16 season.
- In a testament to his efficiency, owned the best field-goal percentage (.460) of any SEC guard.
- At Kentucky (2/18), scored 19 points and went 9-of-10 at the foul line.
- Posted a game-high 21 points at Missouri (2/13) -- the school to which he had initially committed out of junior college -- giving him 18 games of 20-plus points in 2015-16.
- Season-low four points in Tennessee's win vs. Auburn (2/9) snapped a streak of 21 straight games with at least 13 points. It was the longest such streak since Ron Slay scored 14-plus in 23 consecutive games during the 2002-03 season.
- Finished with 27 points in Tennessee's comeback victory over #20 Kentucky (2/2), including 15 points in the second half and a 10-of-11 showing at the foul line.
- Scored a game-high 24 points and converted three 3-pointers during UT's Big 12/SEC Challenge game at TCU (1/30).
- Huge offensive performance vs. No. 24 South Carolina (1/23) saw him score 27 of his 36 points in the second half; he knocked down six 3-pointers (five in the second half) and went 14-of-15 at the charity stripe. Also swiped a season-high four steals.
- Finished with a game-high 26 points against Vanderbilt (1/20), scoring 21 points in the second half.
- Became the first Vol since C.J. Watson in 2003 to play every minute of a game when he logged 40 minutes at Mississippi State (1/16), scoring 23 points.
- Connected on his first seven shots -- including three 3-pointers -- in the win against Florida (1/6), finishing with 26 for the game.
- Dropped 31 points in the SEC opener at Auburn (1/2/16), scoring 14 consecutive points in the first half (fifth-longest in-game scoring streak in UT history).
- Scored 23 points against Tennessee State (12/29/15), and rattled off a stretch of 12 in a row -- including three straight possessions with a 3-pointer -- late in the first half.
- Saw his seven-game streak of 20+ points snapped vs. ETSU (12/22/15) when he scored 13 points to go along with a career-high eight rebounds.
- His seven-game streak of 20+ points was the longest for UT since SEC Player of the Year Ron Slay reeled off eight in the row during the month of February in 2003.
- Led the Vols with 23 points against Gonzaga (12/19/15) while handing out five assists for the third time in four games.
- Big 15-point second-half pushed Punter to 24 points vs. Florida Atlantic (12/16/15); reeled off 11 straight at one point in the second half.
- Notched his fifth straight game of 20+ points with a 27-point performance at #18 Butler (12/12/15) -- 17 points of which came in the first half.
- Is averaging a whopping 35.1 minutes per game in 2015-16 after recording a career-high 39 minutes at Butler.
- Finished with 26 points and four assists against Army West Point; went 5-of-7 from the field in the second half.
- Grabbed a career-high seven rebounds, dished out six assists and led the Vols with 24 points against Gardner-Webb (11/22/15); he shot 5-for-10 from 3-point range in the victory.
- Played a career-high 37 minutes and scored 17 of his 19 points in UT's come-from-behind win over Marshall (11/19/15) in the second half; went 9-for-10 at the free-throw line.
- Exploded for a career-high 31 points on 10-of-14 shooting in Tennessee's season-opening win over UNC Asheville (11/13/15); he was 3-for-6 from 3-point range and 8-for-12 from the free-throw line vs. the Bulldogs.
2014-15 - JUNIOR
- Game-By-Game Statistics
- Appeared in all 32 games and made 31 starts in his first year as a Vol.
- Ranked second on the team in steals (1.6 spg) and minutes played (31.0 mpg) while ranking third in scoring (10.3 ppg), assists (1.9 apg) and 3-point percentage (.352).
- Led the team in scoring five times, assists seven times and steals 14 times.
- Had three or more steals in seven different games.
- Scored in double figures 19 times, including 13 times in SEC play.
- In SEC play, he averaged 10.0 points, 1.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game (tied for third in the SEC in steals during league play).
- Played 31.6 minutes per game during league play.
- Totaled 13 points and two steals against Arkansas in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament (3/13/15); reeled off nine consecutive points during one stretch in the second half.
- Dished out a team-high four assists and also scored nine points in Tennessee's second-round SEC Tournament win over Vanderbilt in Nashville (3/12/15).
- Had 10 points, three rebounds and three steals in the win at LSU (3/4/15).
- Four 3-pointers highlighted his 12-point, three assist effort at Ole Miss (2/21/15).
- Scored a team-high 14 points against top-ranked Kentucky (2/17/15).
- During UT's thrilling overtime win at Vanderbilt (2/11/15), he drained an off-balance, contested 3-pointer with 11 seconds left in regulation to make it a two-point game; he later made two free throws in overtime that gave the Vols the lead for good.
- Scored 10 points and also managed a season-high six steals at Georgia (2/7/15).
- Was 3-of-4 from 3-point range while totaling 17 points, two assists and two steals as the Vols defeated Auburn (1/31/15).
- A game-high four steals highlighted his 10-point, three-rebound, two-assist effort at Arkansas (1/27/15).
- Made his first five 3-pointers (finishing 5-of-7 from long range) while scoring a game-high 17 points vs. Texas A&M (1/24/15).
- Posted 12 points and three steals in the win at Missouri (1/17/15), where he was once committed while in junior college.
- Had eight points and a season-high six rebounds in the win over 19th-ranked Arkansas (1/13/15).
- Recorded his second four-steal game of the season and also shot a perfect 4-for-4 from 3-point range during an 19-point effort in UT's home win over Tennessee State (12/27/14).
- Totaled 14 points, four rebounds, one assist and no turnovers in 34 solid minutes at NC State (12/17/14).
- Scored 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting and grabbed four rebounds in Tennessee's upset win over 15th-ranked Butler (12/14/14).
- Had four of Tennessee's 12 steals in UT's SEC/Big 12 Challenge win over Kansas State (12/6/14); also scored seven points vs. the Wildcats.
- Was one of Tennessee's top performers against 11th-ranked Kansas in the semifinals of the Orlando Classic (11/17/14), as he logged 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting to go along with two rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals.
- Shot 3-for-5 from 3-point range during a 13-point performance in UT's home-opening win over Texas Southern (11/20/14).
- Made his debut as a Vol by starting at the No. 2 spot vs. 15th-ranked VCU at the Veterans Classic (11/14/14); totaled eight points, a game-high seven assists and also had a pair of steals before fouling out after 34 minutes of action.
2013-14 - SOPHOMORE (State Fair Community College [Mo.])
- Earned his associate's degree before transferring to Tennessee.
- Selected as a first-team NJCAA All-American.
- Shot 57.1 percent from the field and 37 percent from 3-point range while averaging 20.3 points (26th nationally), 4.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.
- His 651 total points ranked tied for 13th in the country among junior-college players.
- Shot 82.7 percent from the free-throw line (43rd nationally).
- Helped the Roadrunners to a 26-7 overall record and their first trip to NJCAA Men's Division I National Championship since the 1975-1976 season.
- Was coached at State Fair Community College by Kevin Thomas.
2012-13 - FRESHMAN (State Fair Community College [Mo.])
- As a freshman for the Roadrunners in 2012-13, Punter averaged 12.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists.
PREP SCHOOL
- Following high school, Punter spent one year attending Body of Christ Christian Academy in Raleigh, N.C.
- In his lone season at Body of Christ, he averaged 24.2 points and 2.5 steals.
HIGH SCHOOL
- Graduated from Salesian (pronounced: suh-LEE-zhin) High School in New Rochelle, N.Y., in 2011.
- He was coached at Salesian by John Miressi and finished as the school's second all-time leading scorer.
- The New York State Sportswriters Association named Punter the 2011 Class B State Player of the Year and an All-State performer after he averaged 28.2 points as a senior.
PERSONAL
- Full name is Kevin Xavier Punter Jr.
- Born: June 25, 1993, in Bronx, N.Y.
- Son of Sherise and Kevin Punter Sr.
- Academic major: Communication Studies
- Recipient of The JoNelda & Sidney Blalock Athletic Scholarship Endowment
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