Tennessee Vols award walk-on junior guard Jacob Fleschman a scholarship

NASHVILLE — A loud cheer from the Tennessee locker room could be heard in the nearby media room Saturday night.

A video from the Tennessee basketball Twitter account explained the noise: The Vols awarded walk-on Jacob Fleschman a scholarship for the spring semester following the Vols' 66-45 victory over Vanderbilt on Saturday night.

Vols coach Rick Barnes announced the "big news" to Fleschman, whose nickname of "Blackjack" is often shortened "Black," and the Vols.

"This next semester, Black (Fleschman) gets to go on scholarship," Barnes said in the video on Twitter.

Fleschman, who has played in 10 career games in three seasons, hugged Barnes after being mobbed by his teammates to celebrate the news.

Fleschman's father, Sandy, and Barnes are close friends, dating back to Barnes' tenure as Texas' coach from 1998-2015. NBA superstar Kevin Durant, who played for Texas during the 2006-07 season, had a role in his nickname.

Fleschman has appeared in three games this season for a total of six minutes. He was 1-for-3 shooting with a 3-pointer against Alabama State.

Fleschman's most recent appearance was against Jacksonville State on Dec. 21.

Tennessee entered the season with 12 scholarship players, one below the NCAA limit of 13 due to D.J. Burns' transfer to Winthrop. Tennessee dropped to 11 scholarship players when Zach Kent left the program in November.

Santiago Vescovi joined Tennessee on Dec. 28 to put UT at 12 scholarship again, leaving the opening that Fleschman filled Saturday.

Fleschman appeared in five games and only one SEC game last season. In 12 total minutes he was 1-for-4 from the field, making a 3-pointer against Eastern Kentucky.

Fleschman appeared in two games as a freshman and did not attempt a shot in the five minutes he played.