In 2013-14 (senior)Tarwater had a strong senior season, posting career highs in every statistical category while starting all 28 contests as a captain for the Big Red. He averaed 7.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 0.5 blocks in 26.1 minutes per game. Tarwater ranked ninth in the Ancient Eight in rebounding and seventh on the offensive glass (2.0 per game). He notched a career-best 23 points with four rebounds at Dartmouth after posting14 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block in the win over the Big Green. The senior recorded his first career fouble-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds in an overtime loss to Loyola (MD), one of three double-doubles on the year. Tarwater posted 12 points and career highs of 13 rebounds and three assists against Siena. He scored nine points with five rebounds against defending NCAA champion Louisville and nine points, six rebounds and three assists at Mid-American Conference champ Western Michigan.
In 2012-13 (junior)Tarwater played in 19 contests with one start, averaging 1.6 points and 0.4 rebounds in 6.7 minutes per game. He totaled 30 points, eight rebounds and three steals in 127 minutes of game action. Tarwater scored a career-high 11 points in 19 minutes of action at Boston University with three 3-pointers in the loss before missing more than a month after a death in the family. He hit a 3-pointer, grabbed a rebound and had a steal in six minutes at No. 22 Wisconsin.
In 2011-12 (sophomore)Tarwater averaged 3.3 points and 2.8 rebounds while playing 14.0 minutes per game. He made seven starts while playing in 25 total games. Tarwater shot 39 percent from the floor overall and added 10 assists, four steals and two blocks during the year. He posted career high 10 points and seven rebounds in a win over defending Ivy League champion Princeton and averaged 5.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in a weekend road trip to Harvard and Dartmouth, including grabbing a career-high nine rebounds against the Big Green. Tarwater had eight points and four rebounds against St. Bonaventure in his first collegiate start.
In 2010-11 (freshman)Tarwater earned a spot in the rotation as a freshman, averaging 1.7 points in 6.3 minutes per game in his seven contests before missing a majority of the season with illness. He made 4-of-8 field goals, including a 3-pointer. Tarwater had five points, an assist and a steal in 13 minutes off the bench in the Big Red’s comeback win over Albany in the season opener. He added three points and an assist vs. Seton Hall, two rebounds and an assist at Syracuse and four points at Minnesota.
At the Webb SchoolA two-time all-state and three-time all-region selection at the Webb School of Knoxville, Tarwater was named Tennessee’s Mr. Basketball in Division II-A. He served as team captain in each of his final two seasons, including his senior year when he led his squad to the state semifinals, earning regional all-tournament honors in the process. As a senior, Tarwater averaged 23.2 points and 10.1 rebounds while shooting 61 percent from the floor, 38 percent from 3-point range and 78 percent from the free-throw line. In his four-year career, Tarwater scored more than 1,500 points. The regional most valuable player was a first-team all-league selection and was recognized as the Greater Knoxville Hall of Fame Male Athlete of the Year in 2010.
PersonalDwight Oakes Tarwater is the son of Dwight and Mary Tarwater and has an older brother and sister. His brother, Davis, swam four years at Michigan and is a five-time member of the U.S. national team. His uncle, Richmond Flowers, ran track and played football at Tennessee before embarking on an NFL career with the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys, while his uncle, Jeff Flowers, also played football and track at Tennessee. His cousins, Bill and Richmond Flowers, also played college football and signed NFL free agent contracts. He is enrolled in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
