Volnation Countdown to 2008-2009 basketball thread!

#202
#202
Peyton:
"Listen to coach Fulmer. He knows what he's doing."
 
#208
#208
I'm getting pumped. Here's a couple of tidbits to get the juices flowing again:
Tennessee is entering it's 100th season this 08-09 year.
We have had back to back sweet 16 appearances.
Last year was Tennessee's most successful year ever with 31 wins.
This was accomplished in the face of the most difficult schedule in the nation.
We rank fourth nationally in attendance with an average of 20,267.
A record 16 national tv appearances last year with at least another 15 this year.
Returning to Tennessee will be Tyler Smith, whom of the returning players, leads the team in Scoring, Field Goals, Field Goal %, 3 point fg%, Free throws, FT%, Rebounding, Assists, Steals and Minutes Played. He led the team overall in -07-08 in Field Goals, FG%, Free Throws, Rebounding and Assists. The man is an animal - best part is, he's our animal.
Pearl had this to say about Tyler when asked who the new team leaders would be:
“I think Tyler is the best candidate we have to fill
the role of being our leader. He made a very difficult
decision to come back to Tennessee. It was something
that he gave that a great deal of thought. It seemed to
be very fashionable to throw your name in the draft
but Tyler did what was not fashionable and that was to
throw himself into the weight room, into Pratt Pavilion
for individual
workouts to work
on his game. The
things that he has
done have put him
in a position where
he is going to be a
leader for us.
2287243859_bcc194083d.jpg

When Pearl was asked the following question, he was filled with praise, once again:
Tyler Smith established himself as one of the best
players in SEC and nation as a sophomore last year
while leading the Vols in rebounding (6.7 rpg), assists
(3.4 apg) and field goal percentage (.536) while
ranking third in scoring (13.6 ppg).
“Tyler has really helped change and evolve his
game. He has improved his guard skills, his ability to
shoot the ball from the perimeter and handle it. This is
the first offseason that he was not transitioning into
another program for a couple of years. After high
school, he played one year at Hargrave Academy then
one year at Iowa before transferring here. This is the
first offseason where he has been home and he has
taken full advantage of it.
“Tyler is one of the most productive players I have
ever coached. He can do it inside and out. He makes
his teammates better. He will absolutely stuff the stat
sheet as well as any player in the country.”






A look at some of the newcomers. I'm gonna include Tatum since he's been so plagued with injuries. The following is an interview with CBP for the 08-09 preview found at www.utvols.com

Cameron Tatum missed most of last year with a knee
injury but showed some signs early in the season that
he can contribute to the success of the team.
“Cameron has waited two years for this. He spent
a year in prep school and then redshirted last year. He
has been preparing for this for a long time. He is ready
to show he belongs. The key now is his experience. I
think he got a lot from being on the bench last year
and watching our team and learning what it took to
win.”
Scotty Hopson is the first McDonald’s All-America
selection to play for the Vols since Vincent
Yarbrough in the 1998-99 season.
“My hat is off to Scotty for making the decision to
come here. He could’ve gone anywhere in the country
but he chose to come to the University of Tennessee
when he saw the need and the opportunity after the
graduations of Chris Lofton and JaJuan Smith. Scotty
also recognized how passionate our fans are.
“Scotty can make you go ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ with his
ability to score and play above the rim. His strength
training, conditioning and maturity are the key things
he needs to work on to play on a very high level.”
Philip Jurick averaged almost 16 rebounds and eight
blocked shots per game in high school and will bring
needed depth to the post.
“Philip is a really big guy. He’s got the size and
ability to block shots that you just can’t teach.”
Bobby Maze earned junior college All-America honors
last season after averaging 20.7 points, 6.8 assists
and 1.7 steals from his point guard position.
“Bobby is what’s required. He is hungry. He can
lead a team and make other guys better. He is a passfirst,
score-second guy but he definitely knows how
to score.”
Emmanuel Negedu is a 6-7 athletic big man who is
ranked among the top 40 players in the Class of
2008.
“Emmanuel plays really hard. He is active and athletic.
Our style of play fits him perfectly.”
Daniel West is used to success, leading Michigan’s
Saginaw High School to a state championship and a
No. 4 national ranking.
“Daniel plays with a chip on his shoulder. He is a
two-time state champion. He is a tough guy. He is
good with the ball and an active defender.”
Renaldo Woolridge is a versatile big man who was
rated as one of the top players in the state of California
last year.
“Renaldo is very talented. He has a great body and
ability to shoot the ball for a big man. He’s got a
tremendous upside.”

I am ready!
 
#209
#209
Wow, thanks for that synopsis on the upcoming season, Memphis Blues. Gets my blood boiling and I am so ready for an exciting, uptempo season. We have some athletes!!!!!
 
#212
#212
cardvolfan said:
Wow, thanks for that synopsis on the upcoming season, Memphis Blues. Gets my blood boiling and I am so ready for an exciting, uptempo season. We have some athletes!!!!!
Click to expand...

My pleasure. :hi: That was really just a few tidbits. I'll leave the preview to our resident hoops authority, Hat. What seems interesting to me is that we are replacing the entire backcourt. There was a stat somewhere that said of the 2300 points we scored last year, 1600 of them were scored by players no longer on the team. That's a lot of production to replace. I really hope we have some early bloomers in this new bunch. If anyone can get them ready it'll be Pearl, but as he says, "there's absolutely no substitute for experience."
 
#217
#217
There is no substitute for experience, true, but I would rather have talented players who will gain experience than experienced players who don't have much talent!!!!
 
#218
#218
They are going to be fun to watch for sure.

I am hearing West is a real live PG. I really hope that's true.
 
#219
#219
cardvolfan said:
There is no substitute for experience, true, but I would rather have talented players who will gain experience than experienced players who don't have much talent!!!!
Click to expand...

Talent, I believe, we have. I can't wait to see some of these newcomers come out of the gate. Some of them look very promising.
 
#220
#220
Physically, we are as loaded as we have ever been, and I was at UT during the Ernie and Bernie years. We have athleticism, length, quickness, jumping ability and just about anything else you might need to make a run once we get some experience as a unit. I really feel that Cameron Tatum and Hopson will take over on the perimeter and give us plenty of scoring........plus, those 2 guys, among others, can take it to the hole.
 
#221
#221
I was in high school in Oak Ridge during the Ernie and Bernie years. I did see a few of the games. They were very special.
Don't forget JP. He was playing with a hurt shoulder all year and hiding it as best he could. As a result, he could only drive right(?). The kid can jump out of the stadium and is explosive as all get out. He will be a huge factor this year, as will, I'm sure, one or two of the newcomers.
 
#224
#224
Do you think Marlon Brown might just Opt to only play Basketball for us....seeing how bad our football team is, and how much he loves our Basketball program?
 
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