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October 10th,
2006
By Joel Welser
Broadcast Basketball
Tennessee
Volunteers
Overall Rank:
#31
Conference
Rank: #4 SEC
2005-06:
22-8, 12-4, 1st East
2005-06
postseason: NCAA
 Coach
Bruce Pearl and his Tennessee squad were one of the more
pleasant surprises last year winning the SEC East handily over
teams like Florida and Kentucky. The frontcourt was a concern
last year, but it will be a bigger issue this season.
Who’s Out:
Starting center Major Wingate won’t return to Knoxville for his
senior season after averaging 10.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.1
blocks per contest. Also gone is part-time starter Andre
Patterson, who led the squad with 6.7 rebounds per game and
tacked on 9.4 per contest in the scoring column. Point guard
C.J. Watson averaged 15.3 points and 3.9 assists and will leave
the show running duties to an inexperienced successor. Stanley
Asumnu earned 15 starts and averaged 8.0 points per game and
little used Eddie DeBro has also run out of eligibility.
Who’s In:
There are
some obvious needs coming out of this class. Duke Crews and
Wayne Chism will look to take over the starting jobs up front.
Crews is a highly touted recruit out of Hampton, Virginia who is
an amazing athlete and finisher. At 6-7, he’s not a true post
player and doesn’t play like a true post player, but he can work
nicely with his teammates up front and is a monster on the
glass. Chism has a nice mid-range shot, but needs to work on
his interior scoring. He has the strength to battle inside and
the offseason development of a post move or two will be
helpful. Tony Passley averaged 10.3 points and 5.5 rebounds at
Redlands Community College in California during the 2004-2005
season. After redshirting last year, the 6-5 forward is ready
to battle for some minutes at the four. Marques Johnson might
have to use his size to play the four spot this year. At 6-5,
the shooting guard might become an emergency option if injuries
or foul trouble plagues the other newcomers. Ideally, Johnson
is slashing and shooting from the wing, but that’s the one spot
where the Volunteers don’t need much help. Ramar Smith might
end up being the most talented newcomer. The 6-2, 200 pound
Detroit, Michigan native is more of a shooting guard than a
point guard, but has the skills to excel at both, especially
with an uptempo style of play. Smith can attack the rim and
create for his teammates quite well. His long range shot is
inconsistent and the defense needs a little Coach Pearl
discussion, but Smith will develop into a great player,
hopefully sooner than later for the sake of Tennessee fans.
Josh Tabb will battle for minutes in the backcourt and could see
significant minutes running the point if the job falls to him.
Who to Watch:
If it
weren’t for Chris Lofton, this team wouldn’t be near the top
25. After averaging 17.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists
as a sophomore, the sharpshooting 6-2 wing will take even more
of a leadership role as an upperclassmen. Lofton has worked on
other aspects of his game and that will go a long way in helping
his team. Dane Bradshaw was the often overlooked piece to the
Tennessee squad. The 6-4 guard started all 30 contests and
averaged 7.4 points per game; however, it is his 5.4 rebounds
and 3.9 assists that make Bradshaw an important player. His
versatility will once again prove useful to the Vols. JaJuan
Smith spent last season providing a spark off the bench and he
may take on that role once again. The 6-2 junior is the main
long range threat outside of Lofton and averaged 9.5 points per
game last season. Jordan Howell saw limited action in all 30
games and could see some minutes as a backup point guard.
Final
Projection:
The frontcourt
has nearly nothing returning, although Bradshaw can be a very
undersized four if Coach Pearl opts for a four guard lineup,
which could happen at times. Ryan Childress isn’t out of the
equation after averaging just 5.9 minutes per game as a
freshman. The frontcourts inexperience will cause problems, but
the talent level is better than it was a year ago. Still, we
are talking about freshmen and expectations shouldn’t be placed
on Chism and Crews. If the big guys can hold their own,
Tennessee is a top 25 team. There might be some issues early,
which will keep the Volunteers on the outside looking in, but by
March, Coach Pearl will have his group ready to for a run.
Projected
Post-season Tournament:
NCAA
Projected
Starting Five:
Ramar Smith,
Freshman, Guard, DNP last season
Chris Lofton,
Junior, Guard, 17.2 points per game
Dane Bradshaw,
Senior , Guard, 7.1 points per game
Duke Crews,
Freshman, Forward, DNP last season
Wayne Chism,
Freshman, Forward, DNP last season
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