Admiral Schofield, who helped lead the University of Tennessee men's basketball team to one of the greatest seasons in program history, will be the featured speaker at this year's Times Free Press Best of Preps banquet.
The banquet is Tuesday, June 11, at the Chattanooga Convention Center. Tickets will be available for purchase at bestofpreps chatt.com beginning April 12.
Schofield is one of the most beloved Tennessee athletes in recent history, having just completed his four-year career by helping the Volunteers reach the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16 and finish the season with a 31-6 record that included being the nation's top-ranked team for a program-record four consecutive weeks.
"I'm really excited to be coming to Chattanooga for this year's banquet," said Schofield, a member of the Southeastern Conference's community service team. "I used to go to Chattanooga during the offseason and would work out there and always thought it was a really quaint city.
"I have watched the impact I've been able to have on the community and kids in the Knoxville area during my four years at Tennessee, and I would like to have a positive influence on the athletes who will be at the banquet. If me telling my story and helping answer questions from the athletes could help, I think that would be great. I want to be known as someone who gives back to others."
The 6-foot-6 Schofield, who is from Zion, Illinois, averaged 16.5 points and six rebounds during a senior season in which he received honorable mention on The Associated Press All-America team.
"We are very excited to bring Admiral Schofield to Best of Preps this year right after he helped lead the Vols basketball team to their best season ever," said Times Free Press marketing and events manager Kate Brennan. "As he is transitioning from his very successful four years as a student-athlete to potentially being drafted into the NBA just days after our event, he is the perfect example for local high school student-athletes about working hard and following their dreams."
Schofield, a 1,000-point career scorer who earned All-SEC first-team honors as well as SEC all-tournament honors this year, was named to the top 20 watch list for this season's John R. Wooden Award for college basketball's player of the year.
Schofield will be the first basketball player to be a featured speaker in the history of the Best of Preps banquet, which annually honors outstanding athletes, coaches and others who make an impact on high school sports in the Chattanooga area.
"Growing up, Michael Jordan's mindset and his intensity and energy on the court is who I wanted to pattern my game after," Schofield said. "But LeBron James is someone who I really looked up to because of the person he is, the father he is and the way he defied the odds against him to make it out and then give back to the community. That's a blueprint for what I'm looking to do.
"I still haven't wrapped my mind around the fact that my college career is over and I'm becoming a pro. That won't happen until I begin training. The biggest things I'll look back on from my time at Tennessee are the relationships with my teammates and the fans, just Tennessee as a whole and just how welcoming people are and how much they love Vols sports.
"And the third thing would be the barbecue. There is a lot of good barbecue around this state."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.