It’s been a great football weekend for the VolNation. What a great win that was over Cal! It’s been a long time since we’ve played that well against a top 10 opponent.
At the risk of being sacrilegious, I would like to tell you a bit about our basketball team. Last season, before the UAB game I went to Thompson Boling Arena to watch our basketball team play a pick up game. It was really not that impressive. There were lots and lots of missed shots and honestly, just plain bad basketball with not much talent on the floor.
Fast forward one year later. It’s now opening day of the 2006 football season for the Vols. Once again, I headed over to Thompson Boling with fellow VolNation members Patrick and Larkin.
The first person I noticed was Ramar Smith, although he was not playing in the game. He appears to be in very good shape for a true freshman. Josh Tabb was another that was there but did not participate in the pickup game. Major Wingate was absent and I guess now we know why after today’s news that he has been dismissed from the team.
Here is what I saw:
Duke Crews is a very athletic player with an attitude to go with it. He’s very vocal on the court, kind of like Ron Slay but in a more serious way. I could definitely see him being a leader on this team one day. If you have never seen Duke in person, his calves may be the biggest I have ever seen. He basically has four thighs. He is very good around the basket and appears to be a good rebounder and decent interior passer. I’m not sure about his outside game just yet but he will help us this season in a big way. Duke should start at the 4 spot.
Wayne Chism is much more of a finesse guy than I imagined. He has an amazing touch on the basketball and has legitimate three point range. He handles the ball well in the open court, especially for his size and he doesn’t seem to have any trouble finishing. He also seems to have some shot blocking ability as you would hope for someone with his size. I was very impressed with Wayne. He should start at Center now that Major is gone.
Marques Johnson is a great guy to have on our team. I think he will play the three spot (along with Bradshaw) and should do a fine job. Marcus has very good size and a large wingspan. He has no trouble handling the ball and can penetrate and get to the basket. He is not a guy that really seems to force anything.He is very smooth and let’s the game come to him. I don’t think Marcus is the type of player to take many bad shots. My guess is it’s going to be a battle between Marques and Dane for that 3 spot.
Steven Pearl did not embarrass himself. Being a walk on I didn’t really expect much out of him but he held his own out there. He played hard, got up and down the floor and managed several points and rebounds. I don’t doubt that he could be a contributor on this team at some point in the future.
JaJuan Smith is going to be hard to keep off the court. His three-point shooting has been phenomenal both times I have watched him this summer. We already know what he is capable of on defense. I think we will see a lot of improvement from JaJuan this coming season. I don’t know if he can improve as much as he did from his freshman year to his sophomore year but he will definitely be better.
Jordan Howell, aka Screech, has cut his hair and hit the weights. He is much bigger and looks more like he belongs in the college game. He has really been stroking the ball from three point land. Jordan is looking like the type of shooter we thought he was when we got him. His hard work looks to really be paying off.
Tony Passley is a guy that definitely has an SEC body. He is a very physical player who can handle the ball well and has some scoring ability. I think he could really wear some people down on defense with his aggressive play. The biggest issue I see with Tony, the two times I have watched him this summer, is his finishing ability. He doesn’t seem to have any problems getting shots around the basket, but getting them to drop has been another story.
Dane Bradshaw is, well, Dane Bradshaw. I think we know what we get from him. He seems to be doing well since his surgery.
Chris Lofton, kind of faded into the background. I was so anxious to watch the other guys that I didn’t see much from Chris. We pretty much know what he is capable of as a shooter. He does look a lot “thicker”. His work in the weight room was pretty obvious. In the game he had some trouble against the taller players and settled for some fade away type shots. I would rather see him spotting up or driving to the basket. He did have at least one nice drive that I remember.
Ryan Childress, I still don’t know about. He’s a guy that I really want to like, I just don’t know how good this guy really is. He seems to work hard and I think he gives a lot of effort but I just don’t see him as much more than a sub in this league. If Ryan could hit the mid rang jump shots consistently I think he could be a contributor. Until then, I just don’t know. At this point with Wingate gone, we are going to need him to help inside.
Overall, what I saw couldn’t be more different than what I saw a year ago. There was some real basketball talent on that floor. The guys seem to be playing well together and they look to be in great shape already. I really think they have worked hard in the off season. It should be a fun year.