2008 Tennessee Volunteers Hoops Preview

Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl understands why some wouldn’t expect the Volunteers to repeat as SEC regular-season champions. Last year’s backcourt, which included SEC all-time leading 3-point shooter Chris Lofton, must be replaced in its entirety. Indeed, five of the top 10 players from a rotation that had a school-record 31 wins and attained the school’s first-ever No. 1 ranking have moved on.

So why is Pearl still smiling?

“Because we’ve had great recruiting and we’ll be very competitive again,” says Pearl, who in his three years at UT is 77–24, including an SEC-best 36 league wins in that span. “We’ll have the potential for high-end play, but with new players, consistency will be a challenge.”

Frontcourt

Tyler Smith assumes the role of team leader after bypassing the NBA Draft to return for his junior season. Smith, a versatile 6'7" forward, led the Vols’ starters in field goal percentage, rebounds and assists last season. Smith worked on his perimeter shot in the offseason — to impress NBA scouts who see him as a small forward and to help the Vols compensate for the loss of Lofton.

“We’ve really relied on Tyler to get guys the ball, but at the same time, we’ve tried to put the ball in his hands in certain situations to go win us basketball games,” Pearl says. “Tyler is a great teammate; he doesn’t put himself in position to fail very often.”

Tennessee hopes senior power forward Ryan Childress makes a full recovery from offseason knee surgery, while incoming freshman power forward Emmanuel Negedu is expected to contribute immediately on the frontline.

Junior post Wayne Chism has improved the past two seasons. Chism is best known for his ability to run the floor and play defense, but he also hits 3-pointers, providing a tough matchup for opposing big men. Sophomore Brian Williams is a more conventional big man who has lost more than 100 pounds over the past three years. He played well when called on last year and will be asked to take on a much bigger role this season.

The Vols signed 6'10" post Philip Jurick, a top-100 prospect from Chattanooga, but he figures to redshirt barring injuries.

Backcourt

The Vols lost 80 percent of their made 3-point field goals when the eligibility of their top three shooters (Lofton, JaJuan Smith and Jordan Howell) expired. Couple that with the 3-point line being moved back, and Pearl has no illusions that UT will match its school-record total of 312 treys from last season.

The trade-off is that with J.P. Prince (6'7") and Cameron Tatum (6'6") on the wing, and incoming McDonald’s All-American Scotty Hopson (6'7") at shooting guard, the Vols will be longer and more athletic. Prince, who started his career as a point guard at Arizona, lacks an outside shot but penetrates, elevates and handles the ball well. Tatum, who redshirted last season, has good shooting range and can get to the rim. Hopson hits 3-pointers and mid-range jumpers, but an explosive first step makes driving and dunking his forte.

Junior swingman Josh Tabb is a defensive stopper who can come off the bench to disrupt perimeter threats. Incoming freshman Renaldo Woolridge is an athletic swingman with deep range.

Incumbent point guard Ramar Smith was kicked off the team following the season, but Pearl believes UT has upgraded with the addition of Bobby Maze, a former Oklahoma Sooner who earned All-America honors at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College last season. Maze, at 6'2", has good size and handles and distributes the ball well. He is also a better shooter and scorer than Smith. UT also signed freshman point guard Daniel West, a two-time state champion at Michigan’s Saginaw High.

Final Analysis

What the Vols lost in experience, they’ll make up for with talent and size en route to what should be a second straight SEC title. Added length and athleticism should make Pearl’s “Controlled Chaos” trap-and-press game as effective as ever. Pearl plans to implement a match-up zone picked up from Lady Vols’ eight-time national title winning coach Pat Summitt.

The Vols played the toughest schedule in the nation last season, and this year’s could be just as challenging with a trip to the Old Spice Classic (Michigan State, Georgetown, Maryland, Oklahoma State) and non-conference games against Memphis, Kansas, Temple, Gonzaga and Marquette.