Spring 2025
Basketball

Tennessee's Jahmai Mashack leverages buzzer-beater to launch food drive fundraiser

By Kevin Mercer Mar 5, 2025
Tennessee's Jahmai Mashack lines up a free throw, March 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

With 3.8 seconds remaining in No. 5 Tennessee’s gargantuan men’s basketball matchup with No. 6 Alabama on Saturday, the heavyweights had played to a 76-76 tie. The Volunteers were set to inbound, needing to travel the length of the court. Tennessee senior guard Jahmai Mashack caught the inbound pass, turned up court, found open floor and released a 35-foot 3-pointer now etched in Rocky Top lore.

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“First, I want to thank God,” Mashack told ESPN in an on-court interview, surrounded by celebrating teammates, moments after his heroics. “I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Without Him, I don’t know where I’d be. It’s been ups, it’s been downs this season. I want to give glory to Him, and my mom and my dad.”

Mashack’s buzzer-beating, game-winning shot was perhaps the most valuable of any shot so far in the 2024-25 college basketball season. On the court, certainly, as the 79-76 victory notched yet another Quad 1 win on the Vols’ NCAA Tournament resume, and pulled them to within one game of Alabama and Florida for second place in a loaded SEC.

But off the court as well — to the tune of more than $36,000.

Led by his faith in God to give to others in need, Mashack has leveraged his game-winning heave to benefit needy families in eastern Tennessee. He launched a fundraiser with Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee, which will be accepting donations throughout the month of March as the Volunteers try to make a run to the program’s first-ever Final Four. The fundraiser is titled the Mashack March Madness Virtual Food Drive.

His initial goal of $7,900 (in honor of Tennessee’s 79 points scored against Alabama) was surpassed within hours, and as of this writing, more than $36,500 has been raised.

Last season, Mashack was selected to the SEC’s men’s basketball community service team for his work with Second Harvest, having raised more than $1 million total and personally helping feed more than 3,500 people. He’s also been to the Philippines with Tennessee’s VOLeaders Academy as part of a service and cultural immersion program.

Mashack, the grandson of a pastor, writes “God First” in both his Instagram and X bios, and he cites the Bible verses Philippians 2:4 on Instagram and Matthew 23:12 on X. He spoke two seasons ago about the opportunity he has as a college basketball player at Tennessee to glorify God and serve others.

“I want to use this platform I have with basketball to reach other people and bring others to Christ,” Mashack told RockyTopInsider.com in January 2023. “That’s probably the biggest thing for me, just trying to bring others to Christ and using this as something just to reach out to people.”

He has been known to mention his faith in God publicly after games, and he says one of the biggest reasons why he ended up at Tennessee is because of head coach Rick Barnes’ own eagerness to share his faith in Christ.

“I’m happy for [Mashack],” Barnes said after the game against Alabama, according to VolQuest. “He’s been just incredible with everything. I mean, he exemplifies everything that you want in a player, a person, a great family.”

Now a full-time starter in his fourth season in the program, Mashack is a veteran leader for the 24-5 Vols — the heartbeat of the team. He is a respected voice in the locker room and the best defender on a squad which allows the seventh-fewest points in the nation (61.3). Some analysts believe he’s the best defender in all of college basketball.

Mashack averages 6.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.7 blocks and 1.7 steals per game, and on Saturday evening, his value to the team was never more clearly on display than in the final 30 seconds. First, he drew a foul going for an offensive rebound and swished both free throws to the tie game at 76. Then, he forced a jump ball on the other end, and a five-second call on Alabama’s inbound pass gave the ball back to Tennessee with 3.8 seconds remaining. The stage was set for Mashack’s memorable moment.

He finished with 11 points, six rebounds, two assists, three steals and two blocks for the game. His 11 points tied his output in a January victory against Georgia for his highest-scoring performance of the season.

Next up for Mashack and the Volunteers is a road test against Ole Miss (20-9) on Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET. They finish up their regular-season schedule at home against South Carolina (12-18) on Saturday.

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