Nichols: John Fulkerson Has Proven His Worth as a Tennessee Treasure — Now It’s Time to Cherish and Recognize It Before He’s Gone

Late in the second half on Wednesday night, Santiago Vescovi stood at the free-throw line.

Behind him, John Fulkerson crouched at mid-court, his head bowed in reverence.

At that moment, Fulkerson wasn’t thinking about the teammate who was shooting.

Nor was he considering the 21,000 people who surrounded him — an orange-clad crowd that formed a beastly noise when Fulkerson gave a classic performance in a 24-point, 10-rebound effort with a whopping 13 fouls drawn to beat No. 6 Arizona.

Instead, in that sequence, Fulkerson was doing something for himself.

He was absorbing the moment, letting his thoughts roam, after taking over a game for the first time in a long time.

“You just have to pinch yourself in those situations,” Fulkerson said. “I am just a kid from Kingsport that is living out their dream playing for the University of Tennessee. Winning big games like this and your team is playing well, taking it all in and seeing all of Vol Nation there, it is just amazing. I am so blessed to be here. It is so fun. I love it here.

“Just really thankful for everything.”

The Vols are thankful, too — not just for what they get when Fulkerson flexes on the court, but for who he is off it.

“I get happy when I get to cheer him on and see him happy,” said Josiah-Jordan James. “I can’t help but smile. He is an outstanding human being. Honestly, he is somebody I aspire to be like in my every day life.”

And, James’ assertion is correct.

Whether Fulkerson is soaring as he is now, or struggling as he did in a tough “first” senior year, he remains the same person off the floor.

His interactions with fans after the Memphis cancelation, after Wednesday night’s game and all through his career prove that.

So, too, does Fulkerson’s reasoning for those moments: once upon a time, he was one of those kids himself — and he has to be the same role model for those children as what he had in players like Chris Lofton.

Coincidentally, Lofton was also in the house Wednesday night.

What he saw — what we all saw — was yet another affirmation of Fulkerson’s status as a Tennessee treasure.

Not just as the quirky “Kingsport Kid” who is raking in NIL money for Pal’s — which he still can’t stop talking about, by the way — or Mayfield Milk, or Nothing Too Fancy.

Not just the thankful player and representative, who felt so moved by his time at Tennessee that he kissed the logo last March in what we thought at the time might be his final night in the Vols’ home arena.

Not just as the fan favorite who crumpled last winter after Omar Payne’s flagrant elbow sent him to the ground, the lasting moment from his first try at a final go-round.

Not just as the resilient coach-player he is now, after using that moment as “a sign from God” that he wasn’t done wearing a Tennessee uniform.

But as a player who has endured all of that, who has battled through countless injuries in his career, who had to sit behind Grant Williams before coming into his own, and who has emerged — beloved and victorious — six years later.

““He knows that this is his last year and there is no doubt he wants to give (his best),” Rick Barnes said.

During a timeout Wednesday night, Fulkerson’s ”best” took on a more Christmassy feel.

On the screen above the court, Fulkerson donned an elf hat.

As fans watched, Fulkerson’s body contorted in a dance that was half-lean, half-sway — an odd reminder of how he can effectively flail in the paint — as he sang “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”

Well, the kids’ version that is. Because Fulky.

Still, for a player with Fulkerson’s legacy, the final lyrics were all too fitting:

“You’ll go down in history.”

No John, you will.

And now, with half of your final final season left, it’s time for Tennessee fans and administration to recognize your ambassadorship — 10-foot statue, Pal’s-themed billboard, whatever the medium may be.

Just do something to show your appreciation for the Kingsport Kid, and cherish the time he has left in a Vols uniform.

Because, to adjust the words of Darius Rucker, “it won’t be like this much longer.”

Cover photo: Tennessee Athletic Communications