Tennessee basketball: Josiah

COMO, Italy — The rooftop at the Hilton Lake Como has a bar and a restaurant. It has a swimming pool in the middle. The calling card is the view that would make a postcard jealous.

It made for a perfect setting for a morning yoga session, which is how Tennessee basketball guard Josiah-Jordan James and Vols director of basketball operations Mary-Carter Eggert planned to begin Wednesday. The group grew Tuesday night to include Vols basketball spokesperson Tom Satkowiak, assistant athletics director of digital and creative strategy Kellen Hiser, and yours truly.

James, who returned to UT for a fifth season, has been doing yoga for three years. He began practicing yoga after talking with former Vols associate head coach Mike Schwartz during the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020. He honed in on flexibility and improving his body after his freshman season. He kept it up and has routinely done classes via the Peloton app in recent years.

The Charleston, South Carolina, native made a promise to Eggert that he would add to the routine if he came back for a fifth year. He vowed to start attending yoga classes, which he has done in the past few weeks by going to Real Hot Yoga in west Knoxville after deciding to return on May 31.

It was back to the Peloton app for a 20-minute class on Wednesday, the first full day of Tennessee's 10-day trip that will stretch into Florence and Rome with three games to be played. The four members of the Vols involved rolled out mats, having planned ahead. I used a hotel towel as the last-minute lad who hopped at the suggestion to come.

The session centered on plenty of lower body work and shoulders before ending with the often-frustrating crow pose. As an on-again, off-again yogi, I was pleased with my effort. The view, though? It was picture perfect.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at [email protected] 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