Q & A: Former Tennessee standout Admiral Schofield discusses Vol fans, NIL, Rick Barnes and more

MARYVILLE, Tenn. — Despite being listed on the roster for Saturday’s Tennessee basketball alumni game at William Blount High School, Admiral Schofield only lofted shots during the halftime break.

That’s certainly no surprise, as neither Schofield nor fellow VFL Grant Williams — both professional standouts who showed up on Saturday — would want to risk injuring themselves during the off-season. Schofield is currently with the NBA G League’s Greensboro Swarm, while Williams has made quite a name for himself with the Boston Celtics.

They sat in street clothes near the baseline in William Blount’s Marvin L. Boring Gymnasium. Meanwhile, fans congregated around the popular duo, which earned the nickname “Peanut Butter and Jelly” at Tennessee.

The crowd wasn’t big enough to diminish Schofield’s interview prowess, though, as he took time to talk with VR2 on SI before being welcomed onto the court with a raucous reception.

You can find those questions and answers below in full. Be sure and keep an eye out this week, too, as we’ll be rolling out more content from the jam-packed, B. Maze-sponsored event in Blount County.

What’s it like reconnecting with old teammates and being back around Knoxville?

“It’s great, just seeing a lot of VFLs and being in an environment where there’s a lot of Tennessee fans, a lot of Tennessee love. It’s great for everybody.”

Can you detail the impact of that, just knowing you’re so beloved when you come back on campus or anywhere around the area?

“It’s just something that we kind of worked for. I believe a lot of the guys I played with definitely deserve it for the program we helped build here at UT. At the same time, it’s great to see what we did had a lasting impact on the community.”

With the recent NIL changes, what’s your advice to younger guys in the program and how they can market themselves in a way you guys weren’t able to?

“I would just say keep the main thing the main thing. There’s a lot of opportunities now to make money off the floor for college athletes, but let’s not forget what we’re here to do: play basketball. Try to be the best basketball player you can be. That alone will open up opportunities even more for you to benefit from opportunities and your likeness and things like that, but at the same time, keep the main thing the main thing and continue to progress and get better.”

Speaking of the next generation, what do you think of where Rick Barnes has the program right now, with guys like Kennedy Chandler coming in and so many more big names on the horizon?

“He’s doing a great job. He’s headed in a really good direction as far as recruiting. It’ll be interesting to see how he puts things together this season, what type of offense he’s going to run with guys. It’s going to be interesting to see what’s going on with his basketball mind on the floor this year.”

Now that you’ve been away and had time to reflect, what’s the biggest thing you learned under Barnes?

“A lot of toughness. Being tough through every situation, whatever’s thrown at you.”

Former Tennessee standout Admiral Schofield prepares to shoot during halftime of the Vols basketball alumni game at William Blount High School on Saturday, July 3, 2021. (Jake Nichols)

Schofield has certainly had a lot thrown his way since leaving Tennessee. 

A 2019 pick in the NBA Draft, the former Vol had a successful stint with the Washington Wizards before being waived by the Oklahoma City Thunder last preseason. 

Schofield‘s time with the Swarm began when the team took him with the No. 1 overall pick of the G League draft in January of 2021.