BigOrangeBasketball.comTennessee Basketball

The Vols are ranked 14th in the preseason AP Poll released today.  North Carolina is ranked No. 1.  Florida is the only other SEC team ranked in the AP Top 25 at No. 19.

Tennessee was ranked No. 13 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ Poll announced Thursday.

J.P. Prince

The announcement late today that Tennessee junior wing J.P. Prince will miss the first three to five weeks of the season leaves the lineup and rotation for the 13th-ranked Vols in disarray with little more than two weeks before the season begins Nov. 15 against UT-Chattanooga.

Already this preseason, the Vols have lost redshirt freshman wing player Cameron Tatum who underwent arthroscopic knee surgery and freshman point guard Daniel West to an eligibility issue.

Now with Prince’s injury, the Vols may be down three of their 13 scholarship players when the season begins, and three players who figured prominently in the rotation this season.

Tatum was a leading candidate to start the season at one of the wing positions, and West was expected to backup junior college transfer Bobby Maze at the point.  With the injury to Tatum, Prince was considered a leading candidate to start the season at a wing and was expected to fill key minutes at the point in relief of Maze with West out.

Head coach Bruce Pearl will now have to reshuffle his playing deck and has indicated that he may now go with Brian Williams at center, with Wayne Chism moving to power forward and Tyler Smith moving to small forward.

It’s never as important in Pearl’s system who starts as to who’s available and in what roles.  Clearly, the Vols will be handicapped to begin the season with Prince out, Tatum recovering from surgery, and West out indefinitely.

But the biggest blow comes with the news of Prince’s injury.  While one could question Prince’s  effectiveness filling the role of backup point guard, with he and West out indefinitely, the Vols have no other option at the point than Maze and no depth at the position.

The other damaging domino effect of Prince’s injury is the move of Smith from his natural power forward position to small forward.  A starting frontcourt of Williams, Chism and Smith will limit Tennessee offensively, particularly from the perimeter where Chism and Smith are inconsistent outside scorers.

Tennessee will have enough talent and depth to weather the early part of the schedule without Tatum, Prince and West, but the Old Spice Classic field, with three teams ranked in the preseason top 25 coaches poll, will likely expose Tennessee’s lack of depth at point guard and shaky outside shooting.

The Vols can simply ill afford for Maze to go down now.  They desperately need West’s eligibility to be cleared up so that he can return, and they will need a healthy Tatum.  Pearl has indicated that Tatum may be available for limited action in the first exhibition game next week against Indianapolis.  That would be welcome news.

A season that was to begin with such promise is now very much in question.  Tennessee needs answers, and Pearl will have to find them.

Tennessee is ranked 13th in the preseason ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ poll released today.

Some additional analysis of the poll follows…

• The Vols are currently scheduled to play five of the preseason Top 25 this season:  Gonzaga, Memphis, Marquette, Florida and Kansas.
• The Vols could potentially play two additional teams in the poll – Michigan State and Georgetown – in the Old Spice Classic in Orlando in November.
• The Old Spice Classic features four teams ranked in the poll – Michigan State, Gonzaga, Georgetown and Tennessee.
• Only two SEC teams are ranked in the preseason Top 25 – Tennessee and Florida (19th).  Three other SEC teams received votes…LSU (19 votes), Kentucky (7 votes) and Vanderbilt (7 votes).
• Interesting that Alabama was picked by SEC media in its preseason poll to win the SEC West, yet LSU receives the most votes of any SEC West team in the coaches poll.  Alabama did not receive a vote by the coaches.
• By the way, the top five in the poll went as follows…(1) North Carolina, (2) Connecticut, (3) Louisville, (4) UCLA and (5) Duke.

The AP will release its preseason top 25 poll tomorrow.

Dale Ellis

The third member of my Vol All-Century Team starting five is Dale Ellis.  Ellis joins Bernard King and Ernie Grunfeld in my starting five.  Ellis’ four-year career as a Vol spans the years 1979-83.

Ellis was a two-time first team All-American, and was the SEC Player of the Year in 1982 and 1983.  He was also a three-time first team All-SEC selection in 1981-83.

The Marietta, Ga. native finished his four-year career at Tennessee with more than 2,000 career points and ranks sixth on the all-time scoring list.

The 6-7 Ellis was primarily a low-post scorer and defender at Tennessee.  Undersized physically compared to many of his SEC peers, Ellis confounded many an SEC coach with his lightning-quick low-post moves and his soft turnaround jumper.  For those of us old enough to remember, who can ever forget those epic NCAA tournament confrontations in 1981 and 1982 against 7-4 Ralph Sampson and Virginia.  Ellis went toe-to-toe with Sampson in those contests, despite giving up nine inches in height.

So effective was Ellis as a scorer down low, he holds the all-time Tennessee single season record for field goal percentage (.654) and career field goal percentage (.595.)

In addition to his individual honors, Ellis was also a member of four NCAA tournament teams during his career at Tennessee under coach Don DeVoe, and was a member of the 1982 SEC Co-Champions.

Another great, great player for Tennessee and a deserving member of the Vol All-Century team starting five.

I will announce the fourth member of my Vol All-Century team starting five next week.

Renaldo Woolridge

If Tennessee is to successfully defend its 2007-2008 Southeastern Conference Championship, its much-heralded incoming freshmen class will have to make significant contributions to accomplish that goal.

Bruce Pearl recently called last year’s team “the best to ever play at Tennessee,” and he’s already put fans and media on notice that he expects this year’s team to compete for the SEC championship.  “I’m confident this is a basketball team that will have what it takes to defend our championship,” Pearl said recently.

To do that, Pearl will have to rely heavily on four, perhaps five true freshman to defend the SEC title.

Gone is 57% or 47 points per game of scoring offense from last season.  Gone are two All-SEC guards who averaged 30 points and accounted for 37% of the team’s scoring offense between them. And gone is 39% of the team’s rebounding from last season.

It’s highly unlikely that the five top returning players from last year – Wayne Chism, Josh Tabb, J.P. Prince, Brian Williams and Tyler Smith can take up that slack by themselves.  Chism, Prince and Smith were key contributors in both points and rebounds last season, and they will need to, at the very least, defend their production again this season.  And I don’t think that Williams and Tabb can be counted on to offset the major production lost from Lofton and JaJuan Smith from last season.

Tennessee will add a junior college point guard in Bobby Maze, who should help some in scoring, and redshirt freshman Cameron Tatum could help a lot, but his recent injury leaves his status in question.

Which brings us to the five freshmen.  Without a doubt, they are potentially the best class to ever suit up for Tennessee.  At least reputation indicates as much.  If the Vols are to compete for a second-straight SEC championship, these guys will have to produce.  Reputation will have to translate into results.

Here’s a look at the five incoming freshmen and what you can expect from them as the season unfolds…

• G Scotty Hopson – The marquee recruit of this year’s class, Hopson is expected to start at a wing and contribute immediately as a scorer.  He will likely not offset the scoring production of either Lofton or JaJuan Smith from last season, but he will need to be in double-figures most nights.  Pearl thinks he’s ready.  “Offensively, he belongs at this level.  He can play,” Pearl says. 
• G/SF Renaldo Woolridge – Woolridge is to me the most intriguing of the five incoming freshmen.  He comes from great bloodlines, the son of former Notre Dame star and NBA veteran Orlando Woolridge. At 6-8, 208, he is long, strong and extremely athletic, and he’s also an accomplished basketball player. He can shoot from the perimeter, and he has the size and skill to score near the basket as well. Depending on what happens with Cameron Tatum to start the season, I expect Woolridge’s role on this team to grow and grow as the season goes on. If Tatum can’t go early, then more will be expected and needed from Woolridge.  By season’s end, I expect Woolridge to be one of the top five players in minutes played and scoring.  Offensively, he will need to contribute scoring, especially if Tatum remains plagued by injury.
• C Philip Jurick – Listed at 6-10 and 250 pounds, Jurick is an imposing physical specimen.  His defense and rebounding are ahead of his offense.  Don’t expect much offensive production from Jurick this season, but I do think he will provide some valuable minutes with his shot-blocking ability and rebounding.  Jurick will likely backup Chism and Williams at the No. 5 position, and I think you’ll see him in certain situations when Tyler Smith needs a rest and Chism moves to the 4.
• PF Emmanuel Negedu – According to Pearl, Negedu may be the most athletic of the five freshman.  Considering that Woolridge and Hopson are part of this class, that’s saying something.  Of the five freshman, Negedu will likely have the least impact this season since he’ll be backing up SEC preseason player of the year, Tyler Smith.  Pearl has indicated that Negedu is the most raw of the five, but he has great upside for the future.
• PG – Daniel West – The least acclaimed member of this class, West may very well turn out to be the most important. West was expected to backup Maze at point guard, but an eligibility issue leaves his playing status with this team in question.  What’s not in question is how important guard play, and point guard play, in particular, is to Pearl’s system.  In an offensive scheme like Pearl’s, the point guard’s ability to distribute the ball quickly to scorers on the break and to get the team into the half-court flex offense is critical.  Without West, the Vols will have to play the entire season with only one true point guard in Maze, which will leave them vulnerable at this position should Maze go down.  Pearl has said he hopes to get a final answer about West’s eligibility next week. West was the starting point guard for the back-to-back state champions in the highest classification of high school basketball in the state of Michigan.  His court savvy and playmaking ability will be a real asset to this team if he can play.  If he can’t, it could be a real blow.

Ordinarily, I would be concerned about the Vols having to rely heavily on so many true freshmen. But good coaching can overcome inexperience.  They will get that from Pearl.  Let’s hope they deliver.  They will need to.

Scotty Hopson

One of the most heralded incoming freshmen to enter the SEC in recent years, Scotty Hopson received high praise from head coach Bruce Pearl during today’s SEC Media Days in Birmingham.

“We’re very fortunute to have him,” Pearl said, of the McDonald’s high school All-American and Associated Press Kentucky High School Player of the Year. “He’s a great kid. He is a very hard worker.  He’s very motivated.  Offensively, he belongs at this level. He can play.  He can shoot it.  He can drive it.  He can score it.  He has a high basketball IQ,” Pearl said.

“Defensively, he’s got to be constantly reminded that that’s 50 percent of the game,” Pearl added.

The 6-7, 185-pound Hopson from Hopkinsville, Ky is expected to start at a wing for Tennessee this season.

There has been much talk this basketball offseason about the fact that the three-point line, which debuted in college basketball 20 years ago, will be moved back a foot this season to 20 feet and nine inches, from 19 feet and nine inches.

Coach Bruce Pearl has indicated that he doesn’t think the extension of the three point line will have the desired effect of opening up the inside game.  Pearl instead believes more teams will pack their defenses in to protect the inside and play more zone because the line is farther back.

“I don’t know if it’s going to open the lane up more,” Pearl added. “I think this will make zone defenses much more effective. The matchup zone will make a comeback. Teams that play a lot of zone should be real happy with this,” Pearl told ESPN.com last May.

The Vols led the SEC in made three-point field goals last season with 312.  Pearl said today at the SEC Media Days that the line moving a foot farther out, won’t affect his offensive strategy.

“As long as that thing (3-point line) is worth one more than two, we’re going to keep shooting it,” Pearl said.

Ernie Grunfeld

Arguably Tennessee’s first modern-day superstar in men’s basketball, Ernie Grunfeld’s accomplishments and reputation are legendary among Vol faithful.

Grunfeld was a two-time first team All-American and was first-team All-SEC all four years during his career at Tennessee.  When he completed his storied career with the Vols in 1977, he did so as the school’s all-time career scoring leader with 2,249 points, a record that would stand until Allan Houston eclipsed the career point total in 1993.

Along with teammate Bernard King, Grunfeld led Tennessee to the 1977 SEC Championship with a 16-2 league record back in the day when the 10-team league played a grueling round-robin SEC schedule. He was the SEC Player of the Year in 1977, along with King. 

His UT career scoring average of 22.3 points per game is second only to King.

And he became UT’s first Olympian in 1976, when the USA won the gold medal in basketball in Montreal.

But there was so much more to Grunfeld than just the statistical accolades.  Grunfeld, in my opinion, was and still is the most charismatic baskeball player to ever wear the orange. 

Arriving one year at Tennessee before Bernard King, Grunfeld became an instant superstar in his first year as a Vol.  Yet, rather than bemoaning the loss of some of the spotlight with the arrival of King the next season, Grunfeld embraced King, and for the next three years they formed the “Ernie and Bernie Show,” and became the most famous duo in all of UT sports history.  The three years that they played together at Stokely Athletics Center created the most electrifying atmosphere in college basketball.

I can remember vividly many times Grunfeld racing back down the floor on defense with his right arm raised high in the air with a clenched fist after making a great play or basket. UT fans loved it and him for his unbridled enthusiasm and emotion. He loved the Vols, and the Vols loved him.

Ernie was a great, great player, make no mistake.  But he was also so much more.

Tennessee will make its appearance tomorrow morning during Session One at the SEC Basketball Media days in Birmingham.  Accompanying head coach Bruce Pearl to the meetings will be junior forwards Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism.

It will be interesting to hear if Pearl has any additional insights to share after having had the opportunity to observe his team for more than a week now of official practice.

Tennessee was picked to win the SEC East and the SEC championship in a poll of league media released yesterday by the SEC.  Of the 30 media representatives who participated in the polling, 23 picked Tennessee to win the SEC.  (Florida received five votes and Kentucky two.) Smith was also selected as preseason SEC Player of the Year.

The coaches will select their preseason divisional and conference favorites as well as POY candidate and preseason All-SEC teams at the conclusion of the event on Thursday.

There will no doubt be much interest and speculation between now and Nov. 3rd when the Vols take to the floor at Thompson-Boling for their first exhibition game against Indianapolis concerning who Bruce Pearl’s starting five will be to begin the season.

When you consider the fact that the Vols lost three starters from last year in All-American Chris Lofton, All-SEC guard JaJuan Smith and the point guard combo of Jordan Howell/Ramar Smith and combine that with the fact that Bruce Pearl has seven new faces on this year’s team, the possibilities are intriguing.

Without further adieu, though, here’s my projected starting lineup for the beginning of the season…

• PG – Bobby Maze.  Maze will start.  The much heralded junior college transfer is the heir apparent at the point.  And now that freshman Daniel West is sidelined indefinitely with an eligibility issue, Maze is the man to run the show.
• W – Scotty Hopson.  Bruce Pearl’s first McDonald’s All-American, Hopson is a prodigious talent with tremendous upside.  Hopson didn’t reject Kentucky and many other would-be suitors to come off the bench for Tennessee.  And Pearl will want to get Hopson as many minutes as possible early in the season.  Enjoy him while you can Vol fans.  Unless he gets injured, Hopson is likely one and done at Tennessee.
• W – Cameron Tatum/Josh Tabb – With all the attention given to this year’s freshmen class, the most overlooked player on this year’s squad in my opionion is Cameron Tatum.  Tatum showed flashes of his tremendous talent early last season before suffering a leg injury which ultimately led to a redshirt season.  He has undergone arthroscopic knee surgery already this fall and is expected to be sidelined for the first few weeks of practice, but if Tatum can return and return healthy, he will be a formidable wing player opposite Hopson in the starting lineup.  He has tremendous upside, and if he can’t go, it’s a bigger blow to the Vols than one might think, at least early in the season. If Tatum isn’t ready to go, then I suspect that Pearl will go with junior Josh Tabb because of his defensive prowess and experience.  I don’t think Pearl will want to begin the season with three players in the backcourt who have yet to play a game for the Vols.
• Big Forward – Tyler Smith.  Pearl says last year’s first-team All-SEC selection is improved over last season.  If so, the Vols should get even greater production from the #4 spot. Smith quite likely will be named the preseason SEC Player of the Year at SEC Media days later this week.
• Center – Wayne Chism.  Chism is the most athletic of all the Vol big men with additional upside.  I often say Chism doesn’t realize how good he is or how good he can be.  With two years of experience now under his belt, look for bigger things from Chism this season.  Plus, he looks to have added significant upper body strength in the offseason which will make him an even bigger presence in the post.

That’s my projected starting lineup to begin the season, but I can’t complete this post without a brief mention of Renaldo Woolridge.  No newcomer to the Vols this season intrigues me more than Woolridge.  This guy is a thoroughbred athlete, the likes of which Tennessee hasn’t seen in quite some time if ever.  Woolridge deserves his own post, and I will speak more about him soon.  He may not start to begin the season, but I expect him to be one of the most significant contributors for the Vols this season.