Vols Hot Out The Gate: Much Left To Prove

Well it’s official. Two games down, 28 to go. The party that is the regular season marches on.

Bruce’s boys looked great throughout the first win over neighboring UT-Chattanooga. Then they came out hot against UT-Martin and somewhat fizzled out by the time the final horn went off.

However, I think that it is a fair assumption to make that fans are pleased with what they’ve seen thus far out of this young team that is still seeking an identity.

What I liked to see the most thus far was the emphasis on sharing the ball. The players legitimately seem to have just as much fun setting their teammates up for shots as they do getting their own (which is rare these days).

This is evident by the Vols school record setting 32 assists in the season opener, and then following that effort with a solid 23 assists in their second game. Also, the Vols have five players averaging double-digit points through the first two games.

Another interesting statistic to note through the first two games is the high point totals despite a poor three-point shooting percentage.

One of the big questions coming in to the season was how the team would cope with losing two of the most proficient three-point shooters in school history. Fans speculated the impacts of this on the offensive output.

As many people foresaw, the Vols have indeed struggled from behind the arc, but fortunately the offense hasn’t really suffered as a result. Despite shooting 28 percent from the three-point arc, the Vols are still averaging 103 points per game and are still winning by an average of 33 points per game.

On Friday the Vols will face their third straight solid in-state foe that will seek to prove themselves against the Vols. This time the Vols will have to hit the road for their first away game of the season against Middle Tennessee State.

Like UT-Chattanooga and UT-Martin, MTSU is projected to win their conference and they have gotten out to a hot start similar to the Vols.

MTSU is 2-0 and has won their first two games by an average of 29 points per game. They, like the Vols, have four players averaging double-digits in points.

That being said I really see little reason for concern in Friday’s game. Last season in Knoxville the Vols steam-rolled MTSU by a final of 109-40.

I’m not necessarily saying to expect to win by 69 points, but I wouldn’t lose any sleep worrying about this one as the Vols are still a far more athletic and talented team.

If the Vols first two games are any indication of what the rest of the season is going to look like, even with an obvious increase in opponent difficulty, the Vols should be just fine.

Friday’s game against MTSU can be seen by some on Sports South at 8 pm Eastern time.

State of the State of Tennessee Basketball: Part 2

This is the second installment of the State of the State of Tennessee Basketball Address.

What I’ve done here is list each player on the Vols roster by position and then give a little insight into each player and what to expect.

By position

Point Guard
(3) Bobby Maze 6’2” Junior
(25) Josh Tabb 6’4” Junior
(10) Michael Hubert 6’2” Sophomore
(24) Tanner Wild 6’0” Senior
(2) Daniel West (academically ineligible) 6’1” Freshman

Shooting Guard
(32) Scotty Hopson 6’7” Freshman
(23) Cameron Tatum 6’6” Redshirt Freshman
(11) Quinn Cannington 6’4” Junior

Small Forward
(30) J.P. Prince 6’7” Junior
(0) Renaldo Woolridge 6’8” Freshman
(22) Steven Pearl 6’5” Sophomore

Power Forward
(1) Tyler Smith 6’7” Junior
(5) Emanuel Negedu 6’7” Freshman
(34) Ryan Childress 6’9” Senior

Center
(4) Wayne Chism 6’9” Junior
(33) Brian Williams 6’10” Sophomore
(44) Phillip Jurick 6’10” Freshman

Projected starting 5
G- Bobby Maze
G- Scotty Hopson
F- J.P. Prince
F- Tyler Smith
C- Wayne Chism

Bobby Maze

According to Bruce Pearl, “He is hungry. He can lead a team and make other guys better. He is a pass-first, score-second guy, but he definitely knows how to score”.

Maze is quite fittingly nicknamed “the solution”, as he will be just that for a up-tempo Vols team that has been hurting at the point guard position. Maze is a solid true point guard who eerily resembles Allen Iverson.

During the open practices Maze even sported the Iverson arm sleeve to go with his headband. All that said it is important to note that Maze is a true winner. He formerly played on an AAU team with Kevin Durant (2008 NBA rookie of the year) and UNC’s Ty Lawson. I’m excited to see what this guy can do seeing that he is expected to get upwards of 30 minutes per game due to the lack of depth at the position.

He certainly has the work ethic to thrive at Tennessee having been noted for routinely staying late after practice to work with trainers on his shot stating that shooting is “all about confidence”.

Josh Tabb

Defensively minded guy that isn’t flashy but has always come in and played solid consistent minutes. In fact in his last 17 games he has managed to dish out 10 assists while only incurring four turnovers. During that stint he also led the Vols in steals three times.

It is also worth noting that Tabb had the fastest times on the team in both the 60-yard and 300-yard shuttle. What all that should tell you is that Tabb is a solid back up that can come in and not force things. Also keep an eye on him because Pearl sat him for the two exhibition games due to academic problems but he should be good to go for the season opener.

Michael Hubert

This guy is by far the biggest wild card on the team.

Up until the day of the first exhibition game Bruce Pearl had inadvertently deemed the walk-on point guard “Mark” not even knowing his real name. However with Daniel West ineligible, Tabb sidelined by Pearl, Tanner Wild injured, and J.P. Prince injured Hubert ended up backing up Maze in both exhibition games averaging 11 minutes per game.

Another fun fact about Hubert is that last year as a freshman he tried to walk on at UT-Chattanooga and was cut. However according to Pearl he is good enough to be his backup point guard.

Tanner Wild

A walk-on reserve point guard who is going to be sidelined until December with a back injury.

Daniel West

Declared academically ineligible because his test scores got flagged by the NCAA. I’m not entirely sure what all was involved with that but he will either have to remain a student and pay his own way (out of state tuition), or transfer to a prep school for a year.

It’ll be interesting to see how that plays out but West was going to be relied on heavily to back up Bobby Maze at the point.

Scotty Hopson

Hopson is Tennessee’s first McDonald’s All-American since Vincent Yarborough back in 1998.

Hopson was ranked the number five overall player in the class of 2008 by rivals.com. As a senior Scotty averaged 24 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 3 assists leading his team to a 30-5 record. He was also the AP Kentucky Boys Basketball Player of the Year. Hopson was offered a scholarship by Kentucky, Louisville, Texas, Cincinnati, and Mississippi State, but Scotty decided he liked Bruce Pearl and the Tennessee system best so he came to Tennessee.

Scotty is a potential one-and-done guy but only time will tell if he’s ready for that. I really liked what I saw from him in the two exhibition games. He has a lot of talent but you can tell a good bit of it is raw and still developing. He is a great all around scoring guard but the biggest problem I see in him is his size. Although he has added 15 pounds since enrolling in June he still looks like he could get pushed around by a physical defender.

Cameron Tatum

Tatum is an exciting guy to watch when he’s healthy. Unfortunately we haven’t seen a whole lot of that yet. After missing all of last season due to knee problems Tatum underwent arthroscopic surgery in October. He appears to be mostly healed though as he played in both exhibition games.

Tatum is a guy that averaged over 20 points per game for three seasons in high school and models his game after Carmelo Anthony. He is a very emotional player who plays with a lot of heart. Look for him to battle with Scotty Hopson for the starting position.

Quinn Cannington

If you see Quinn in the game, it is either a really good or really bad sign. This may or may not be relevant, but Quinn was a very good Tyler Smith for Halloween.

J.P. Prince

"P.J." as Memphis coach John Calipari referred to him is the Arizona transfer who is cousin of Detroit Pistons forward Tayshaun Prince. J.P. is last seasons reigning SEC Sixth Man of the Year. He is a very solid and athletic wingman that has from time to time been forced into running the point.

I went to high school with J.P. and he ran the point one year but that was just because he was the best player on the floor, not because he was a stellar point guard. He led White Station High School to three State Championships and a 142-12 record during his career there. The guy has more talent than he knows what to do with which is why you may have noticed Bruce Pearl being so hard on him.

If J.P. could just harness his abilities and play smart basketball he could definitely play at the next level. He got hurt in practice a few weeks ago but could be ready to return for the season opener.

Renaldo Woolridge

Woolridge sure didn’t waste any time getting his name out there once he arrived on Rocky Top. Renaldo “aka the answer” “aka swiperboy” Woolridge is the son of the former NBA player Orlando Woolridge who played 13 seasons in the NBA. At 6’8” Renaldo definitely has the size and potential to follow his fathers legacy.

It was questionable how much playing time he would see this season before practice started but Renaldo has really hit the weight room and bulked up a little and worked on his outside range and really worked his way into the rotation.

In the second exhibition game against Tusculum Renaldo had a team high 15 points including 3 three point shots. Renaldo also had the highest max jump on the team this fall with a vertical of 43.5 inches. If he can continue to play well consistently look for him to keep finding himself in the middle of the rotation.

Steven Pearl

As Bruce Pearl’s son Steven comes in and plays some tough, hard earned minutes. He is just a guy who works hard and helps those around him perform better. For example Tyler Smith credits Steven Pearl for helping him improve his offensive game because of how tough Pearl is on him in practices.

Pearl will probably never see a ton of minutes under his dad but when he comes in fans should be rest assured that his minutes will be worthwhile. Steven has also really bulked up benching 185 pounds a team-high 25 reps (he could only do 5 when he arrived as a freshman).

Tyler Smith

The former Iowa transfer almost speaks for himself as he is number one swingman in the nation according to rivals.com. He is also rated the SEC’s preseason player of the year and the SEC’s top NBA prospect.

Tyler attended the Lebron James Skills Academy over the summer and has really been working to improve on his three point shot. Early indication from the open practices and preseason games that I’ve attended points to a dramatic improvement.

I would look for Tyler to easily average a double double and find himself a lottery pick in next summers NBA draft.

Emanuel Negedu

“E-Man”, as he tells me the ladies call him, is from Nigeria and is an absolute stud athlete who can play the forward or center position.

Negedu originally committed to Arizona then later backed out and signed with the Vols. He has a 40 inch standing vertical leap and he ran a 3.02 in the three-fourths court sprint, which is the NBA equivalent of the 40-yard dash. If he had locked in that time at a NBA combine it would’ve ranked in the top 10 times ever posted.

Look for Negedu to not get a significant amount of minutes though because of the Vols depth but he should see some time providing a spark off the bench and could be a defensive asset.

Ryan Childress

“Chilly” is a forward who interestingly says he models his game after Wally Szczerbiak. Ryan has been sidelined ever since suffering a dislocated kneecap in a pick up game on June 11th. He is the only scholarship player on Tennessee’s roster that is a senior.

I wouldn’t look for Chilly to contribute too much this season even once he returns from his injury sometime in December. The guy has some skills to offer but ideally by the time he is healthy the Vols will already have a fairly routine rotation.

Wayne Chism

Chism is definitely the funniest player on the team, but more importantly he was voted second team All-SEC team at the center position by the coaches. Wayne generally flirts with double double numbers in each game and I would look for that streak to continue or even progress.

Brian Williams

For a guy that only started playing basketball seriously in 2005, Brian Williams is really coming along well. In that same time frame he has also dropped 107 pounds. The way he plays you would never really now of his inexperience because he plays a very smooth style of offense often looking to dish the ball and also hits the boards well.

I’d look for Williams to see some pretty significant minutes and continue to contribute pretty significantly.

Phillip Jurick

Not to state the obvious but my next-door neighbor, Phillip Jurick, is a very big guy.

Additionally he is a very big project.

Jurick is a solid rebounder and has good shot blocking skills (once had 21 blocks in one game in high school) but he simply doesn’t have the basketball IQ yet to see many minutes.

In fact, don’t really expect him to necessarily be in the rotation at all as a freshman. Jurick didn’t actually ever even play basketball until his freshman year of high school when over the previous summer he grew from 5’9” to 6’3”.

I would look for coach Pearl to continue to work on him and possibly by next season or his junior year maybe start to see some minutes. The Vols finally have enough size where it won’t necessarily to rush his development.

State of The State of Tennessee Basketball Address: Part 1

Arguably the most important figure in America today is Bruce Pearl.

OK, perhaps not arguably, but for a weary group of Vol fans, Bruce Pearl is giving off quite the glow around Knoxville these days.

The decline of the football team has left the surviving true Vol fans feeling like a band of brothers (minus Ron Livingston and Chandler from Friends thus far, though the verdict is still out on them).

Last season, the Vols faced the tough task of meeting expectations; a task most fans gladly embrace. I think that the consensus would be that this was also a challenge that they met very well.

The reason last season's team didn’t ultimately have more success was that they peaked too early in the season. They peaked when they won the Memphis game in what turned into an epic match-up resulting in the Vols first ever No. 1 ranking.

So what are the expectations coming into this season?

The expectations for the Vols are still definitely high (picked to win the SEC), but maybe a little bit lower than last season due to the loss of senior guards Chris Lofton and JaJuan Smith.

Chris Lofton finished his career as the SEC’s all-time three point shooter, as well as third all-time nationally. JaJuan Smith actually wasn’t too far behind him either finishing third all-time in Tennessee’s record books.

It will be a tough task for Bruce Pearl to replace the 30 points per game that those two averaged.

The Vols also lost forward Duke Crews who transferred to Bowie State in Maryland and Ramar Smith who transferred to Oklahoma City University.

Those are tough shoes to fill for the SEVEN newcomers to the Vols roster. Last season Tennessee finished sixth nationally in points per game at 82. Can these new guys get the job done? Most signs thus far have indicated that they can.

Clearly the three-point shooting will be less of strength. However, this year’s squad is longer, deeper, and more athletic than any of Pearl’s previous three teams.

As Pearl pointed out, “the talent is there, but there is absolutely nothing you can do to duplicate experience.”

But before you start questioning the legitimacy of this team step back and look at what Bruce Pearl has done during his time at Tennessee.

In his three years, he has taken a mediocre at best Tennessee team past Florida in the Eastern Division of the SEC the year they won the National Championship. He's won a SEC regular-season title and 77 games.

He's also increased home attendance by more than 8,000 fans per game. Not to mention that he has gotten 24,535 seat Thompson-Boling Arena renovated and the very nice new Pratt Pavilion practice facility built.

If anyone can be trusted with shaping this team to meet the high expectations, Bruce Pearl can. Pearl has been quoted saying that he thinks, “the high end of this team could be as high as it was last year.”

Bold words Bruce.

To complicate things, the Vols are looking at the toughest schedule in the country for the second year in a row.

The Vols open the season with UT-Chattanooga, UT-Martin, MTSU, and Siena. Not huge names, but all are picked to win their conference. These are all the types of teams that are often bracket busters come March.

If the Vols get past Siena in the Old Spice Classic, they face the winner of the Georgetown vs. Wichita State game. If they can advance past the second round too, they will face either Maryland, Michigan State, Oklahoma State, or Gonzaga.

Next they face UNC-Asheville and Temple who is always a tough team to face.

After those two the Vols travel to Nashville to play Marquette in the SEC/Big East Challenge.

Next up is Belmont who almost ousted Duke in the first round of the NCAA tournament last season. They follow that up with on the road at defending National Champions Kansas, and then back home against Gonzaga.

And then conference play starts…

So in addition to playing Florida, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt twice each, Tennessee also hosts Memphis this year. If you’ll remember, Memphis also played in the National Championship this past season.

Look for the Vols to win most of their games early on, but not necessarily impressively. I think that expectations are going to be a little too high going into the season for most fans who have just heard about all the new talent, but don't really have reasonable expectations for such a young team.

And as I alluded to in opening the article, the abysmal football team is going to do nothing but put more pressure on the basketball team to succeed.

Ultimately I think that the Vols will repeat as SEC Champions and probably thrive in Atlanta as well in the SEC Tournament. I'm not ready to put the Vols past the Sweet 16 yet though. I think it's too early to make such a judgment call because of all the factors involved in such a prediction.

Why Oh Why Wyoming?

I walked into the student ticket office early last Thursday and picked up two tickets for the Wyoming game. To be honest, I was somewhat indifferent as to where I sat.

I sweet talked the lady though for a few minutes and ended up on the 40-yard line, and on row one. I now had a reason to be excited about the Wyoming game.

The week leading up to the game was certainly a unique one for any student currently enrolled at the University of Tennessee.

On Monday, Phillip Fulmer, who had been at the helm of the team for literally our whole existence as Vols fans, was kicked out the door. Everyone debated the fairness of the decision. The campus was a riot. I didn’t know where I stood to be honest.

Saturday morning I rose at 10 a.m. and tried to get excited. It was a little tough until I put myself through a re-watching of the Fulmer press conference. I again got a little emotional while recognizing that the man who embodied Tennessee football for me was about to be gone.

I managed to get the fire lit. I was pumped. I knew my team would go out and seek redemption; I knew they would carry the fight.

As the game kicked off, it quickly became apparent that the Vols were flatter than a new HD TV. A new HD TV which fans should've opted to stay home and watch a different game on.

At one point early in the first quarter, Fulmer gathered his offensive troops and tried to rally them. He tried to focus their attention. He definitely failed to.

I had a word in mind to describe the offense, but I’ll honor the women and children who may read this and use a euphemism instead, I’ll go with abysmal. The offense, to no ones surprise, was abysmal.

Consequently, the defense was only better because the offense set the bar so low.

Wyoming is a team that came into the game ranked 112th in total offense. The defense just allowed Wyoming to convert too many key first downs, too many “big” plays.

The Wyoming game is one that you don’t have an excuse for, no many how many pages you flip through in the excuse book. Wyoming is a team that beat North Dakota State by three points. Wyoming is a team that squeaked by Ohio by one point. Wyoming is now a team that beat Tennessee by six points.

Would you like to comment Kevin Garnett?

“Anything is possibleee!”

Great, thanks.

I have examined the box score. I have looked through the play by play. I simply wanted to pinpoint how to explain the loss. And quite frankly, I’m speechless.

I don’t know how you lose to a Wyoming team that was 3-6 in the Mountain West Conference.

Do you point to the high emotions that lingered in the stadium from Monday’s press conference? I guess. But that is quite the cop out. If as a player you’re so concerned with your coach getting fired unjustly, you don’t prove your point by losing to Wyoming at home.

It’s a sad day to be a Tennessee Volunteer. I don’t want to be embarrassed of my team that I’ve worked so hard to defend all season. But I have nothing in my repertoire for this.

Why Wyoming, why? I blame you Kevin Garnett.

What a waste of an amazing ticket.

Election Coverage: Tennessee Style

It’s speculation time in Tennessee!

That’s right, it’s time for everyone to once again get in line and cast their vote, this time on who shall replace Phillip Fulmer as the Vols coach. What a responsibility it is for Tennessee Athletic Director, Mike Hamilton who holds 270 of the 538 votes here that actually count (see: electoral college). His vote not only greatly determines the future of the program, but also of his own job security.

This is the first time that the University has had a true election since 1926 when Robert Neyland was recruited from West Point to coach the Vols. Ever since Neyland held the reigns, the coaching position has stayed within the Volunteer family with one exception, Doug Dickey. Dickey, the former Florida quarterback, was hand selected, however, by then Athletic Director Bob Woodruff.

So, uh, what do we do? Where do we look this time to replace a legend? How do you make sure Tennessee doesn’t go through a significant down period like many other prominent schools have?

These are the questions that are being discussed around Knoxville just as much, if not more than, that other recent election…something about a new President?

Mike Hamilton is now following the Phillip Fulmer business model to find a new coach. That is, he is “workin’ like heck."

Before we begin speculating about some candidates, I’ll briefly discuss what to look for in a candidate and how to get the process started.

The first order of business for Hamilton will be to hire a search firm to scout the potential coaches out there. Expect that to be done in the next couple of days and look for Hamilton to hire The Parker Group out of Atlanta. This is the group Hamilton went to in order to find current baseball coach Todd Raleigh.

What such a firm brings to the table is the ability to do all your background checks, and additionally they can begin conversations with potential coaching prospects.

At this point in the mid-season Mike Hamilton will not have access to speaking to any other collegiate coaches and he cannot speak to any NFL coaches until after the NFL season. So what the firm would be able to do is go ahead and speak to some coaches and gauge interest in the Vols open coaching position. They can then create a list of possible candidates accordingly.

Now that all the groundwork is set I’ll point out what I would look for in a candidate based on Hamilton’s past.

Hamilton’s first hire was Bruce Pearl from Wisconsin-Milwaukee. A grand-slam selection. Note that he looked to a small school. However, also note that Pearl was always regarded as a great coach with a great record but he had been somewhat blacklisted because he turned in the coach at Iowa for violations.

Next Hamilton hired Todd Raleigh from Western Carolina. A good selection thus far. Also note that he again looked to a small school.

Based on these two selections logic points me to believing that Hamilton will once again look to a smaller school, and that’s what I’ve been hearing from some sources. However, I personally think that the Tennessee football program is a completely different situation.

When you are at a small school, you are creating something out of nothing and you’re doing it against weak competition. Both Pearl and Raleigh came from programs where they were successful with little talent, but each also took a Tennessee sport with mediocre talent and then translated it into success. That is not what the Tennessee football job is.

I would say to look for a few smaller school coaches to be in contention but also look for Hamilton to get the biggest and best name he can. As I opened the article pointing out, we are replacing a legend and it looks bad if you don't make it worthwile.

Now for my top four candidates to watch in a ballot of sorts (not necessarily MY favorites):

1. Lane Kiffin

Kiffin will be a college coach next season. He is the “sexy” selection. The question is if it will be Tennessee, Clemson, or Washington that lands him. Also, the rumor mill is cranking out news that Kiffin is in Knoxville today and playing golf with a prominent booster. This has also been confirmed by a Knoxville local news station.

2. Jon Gruden

I am somewhat contradicting some previous comments I’ve made here but from what I’m hearing he is still being talked about. Gruden has lots of connections to the Tennessee area. His wife was a cheerleader at Tennessee and he bought land nearby Knoxville in 2005. Even with those facts I still cannot see a likely playoff bound NFL coach leave his position for a college job.

3. Will Muschamp

Muschamp is a fiery guy that is an exciting defensive minded coach. I think he’ll be high on the Vols list, but won’t top the list. I also think that if Tubberville is out in Auburn, Muschamp could return and take over the head position there.

4. Mike Leach

Leach is a hot option right now in the coaching realm and if he doesn’t get a new contract after this season he could end up jetting. However, I just can’t see his system or coaching ideology working in the SEC. He has been quoted however saying that he would like to prove his worth on the top level.

There are others that I could name or discuss, but those are the four that I would consider the ones to watch the most. Happy voting!