Tennessee went to Chattanooga this afternoon where the Vols scrimmaged against Ga. Tech, taking advantage of an NCAA rule that allows for a scrimmage against another D-1 opponent if you give up one of your allotted exhibition games against lower-level schools.
First off, NCAA rules are pretty strict on what all can be reported or relayed about the proceedings (for instance, and not sure why, but the not talking about who won or lost is a big deal).
Had a chance to chat with coach Martin about the day in a general sense though. First off, he really liked the whole set-up and intends to continue taking advantage of the rule going forward, feeling like his team got a great deal more out of today than they have any exhibition settings.
In a team sense Martin said he was pleased with the effort and with the toughness on defense. I would say that means that the Vols played pretty damn well, b/c he's not prone to handing out undeserved compliments just to make his guys look good.
Offensively he felt the overall understanding--as you'd expect--is light years from where it was last year. He liked what he saw in terms of spacing particularly, something the staff talks about a lot in regards to the motion offense.
Individually he singled out Stokes and Golden as players who impressed. In Golden's case Martin gave him high marks for the way he ran the team on the offense end, a nice early sign in what is going to be a big determining factor in how good Tennessee is this year.
On Stokes, Martin left today's scrimmage feeling like even though he got a lot of touches, he needs more, lots more. And not just because of his scoring. Martin has said consistently since practice began that one of the biggest strides Stokes has made is with his decision making, creating opportunities for others, something that is highlighted by how much attention he draws from the defense. Reading between the lines, it sounded like Stokes had a big outing this afternoon.
