Why Tennessee's John Fulkerson feels deja vu in NCAA Tournament — but mostly joy
INDIANAPOLIS — Many of the details are hazy for John Fulkerson.
The Tennessee basketball forward remembers the hotel room. He hasn't forgotten how terrible the food was. He recalls being escorted around and feeling isolated.
Most of all, Fulkerson felt helpless watching his teammates lose in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
“That made it all feel like when it rains, it pours,” Fulkerson said.
Fulkerson is back in Indianapolis, where he lived a nightmare in March 2021. He was injured and often alone after taking a vicious elbow to the head against Florida during the SEC Tournament.
He is having a different experience in the same city a year later. Fulkerson returned to Tennessee for a final season and is playing a key role for the No. 3 Vols (27-7), who face No. 11 Michigan (18-14) on Saturday (5:15 ET, CBS) with a Sweet 16 berth at stake.
“We came here last year and lost our first game,” Fulkerson said. “Now, we are already past that point. It is a little deja vu, but things are so much better this go-around.”
What John Fulkerson went through in 2021 in Indianapolis
Fulkerson came back to Tennessee to write a different ending, a better finish to the dream he has lived as an East Tennessee native playing for the Vols. March Madness is the final chapter of Fulkerson’s Tennessee career.
He’s approaching it with a free-flowing joy, recognizing the reality of the moment and its wonder.
“This year, I’m just trying to make the most of it because you never really know when it will be taken away from you,” Fulkerson said.
Fulkerson’s memory of Indianapolis is foggy because of how the end of his first senior season was taken from him. Florida’s Omar Payne elbowed Fulkerson in the head during the SEC Tournament, fracturing his face and giving him a concussion. Fulkerson stayed on the injured list the remainder of the season.
The injury ultimately factored into Fulkerson’s decision to come back to Tennessee.
Fulkerson hoped to play in last season’s NCAA Tournament if the Vols advanced through the first weekend. He endured physical pain alone in his hotel room, often isolated from his teammates and family. He battled the mental anguish of not knowing whether he would get to play again for the Vols.
His mother, Ramona Fulkerson, had Vols coach Rick Barnes check on Fulkerson. Tim Miller, the pastor at Sevier Heights Baptist Church and a close friend of Fulkerson’s, was part of the support system.
Fulkerson sat with UT trainer Chad Newman at the end of Tennessee’s socially distanced bench and watched as the Vols were blown out by Oregon State to end the season.
That was the low point for Fulkerson.
“It was just a not-fun experience,” Fulkerson said.
Why John Fulkerson is joyful in the NCAA Tournament
Fulkerson was the first substitute for Tennessee in its 88-56 win against No. 14 seed Longwood on Thursday. He changed the game for Tennessee immediately.
The Kingsport native caught a pass from Zakai Zeigler. He took a hard dribble, turned over his left shoulder and flicked a short hook shot into the basket. Fulkerson scored six straight points. He had 13 first-half points on 6-for-7 shooting and finished with 15 points — more than he scored in any SEC game this season.
“I think I appreciate (the NCAA Tournament) more this time just because it is my last time,” Fulkerson said. “I’m not going to be able to play in it again. Even though in 2018, I appreciated it and we made a run. I appreciate it more now because I know it is my last time and my last go-around.
“I won’t have another chance at it.”
Fulkerson is reveling in the opportunity, the last one at the end of a sixth year he didn’t know he’d have. He had a career game in December against Arizona at Thompson-Boling Arena: 24 points, 10 rebounds. He battled COVID-19 again in December, suffering a setback as he did last season.
The highs have dominated the lows. He gushed about the closeness he feels with his teammates — a brotherhood that he’s soaking in during the time in Indianapolis. He isn’t ready for the journey to end and his teammates want to make it last.
"We want to send him out the right way,” Vols guard Josiah-Jordan James said. “Fulky has been a phenomenal leader on this team and one of a kind, his heart, not only the basketball player he is, but the person he is. We want to send him out the right way and win as many games as possible.”
The similarities between this season and last season are uncanny. Tennessee is staying in the same hotel it was in last year during the NCAA’s bubble. It is playing in Gainbridge Arena again, the site it drew during the Indianapolis-only tournament.
But it’s the differences that Fulkerson is most aware of. He walked into the hotel lobby Thursday afternoon to cheering fans sending UT off to beat Longwood. He saw his family. He isn’t ever alone.
Above all, he is playing for the Vols, chasing the moments he didn’t get in Indianapolis a year ago.
“It is night and day difference between this year and last year,” Fulkerson said.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee basketball's John Fulkerson finds joy in NCAA Tournament 2022
