Sara Puckett showed up to the postgame press conference with a replica of a WWE World Heavyweight Championship Belt around her waist.
It didn’t take long for a reporter at Bud Walton Arena to ask the Lady Vols basketball senior forward why she was wearing it. Puckett explained that after every game, awards are given out to players who lead in statistical categories.
Puckett led No. 15 Tennessee in rebounding with nine boards, earning her the belt after the 93-63 road win against Arkansas on Sunday. She added 11 points, a block and a steal.
“Mine was rebounds, I got the most rebounds on the team – one shy of a double-double,” Puckett said, groaning in frustration. “But it’s OK … It’s just a fun way to reward us after the game and Coach Kim brought that with her, so it’s pretty cool.”
It’s a tradition Caldwell started at Glenville State and took with her to Marshall and now Tennessee.
Besides the WWE belt for rebounding, there’s a tiara for the assist leader, a hard hat for the top player and a Hamburglar figurine for the steals leader. Talaysia Cooper brought the Hamburglar to the press conference after Tennessee’s exhibition win over Carson-Newman when she had eight steals.
Cooper led Tennessee in steals Sunday with four and scored a team-high 20 points on 7-for-14 shooting. Samara Spencer led Tennessee with eight assists against her former team and added three points, four rebounds and three steals.
The Lady Vols return to Knoxville to host Mississippi State on Thursday (7 p.m., SEC Network) at Food City Center for their “We Back Pat” game.
Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on Twitter @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why Sara Puckett wore WWE title belt to Lady Vols postgame press conference
