COACH AND PROGRAM

One day, the coaching job Bruce Pearl turned in last season might come to be regarded as one of his best.

After losing Chris Lofton, JaJuan Smith, Jordan Howell and Ramar Smith, Pearl found himself with a guard-poor group that had only two players shorter than 6-6. He had no pure point guard, and no speedy lockdown type to create havoc in his trademark press, which he ultimately had to shelve. Worse, three-point shooting, a deadly weapon in Pearl's first three seasons, became a liability; the Vols ended up shooting .315 in the Southeastern Conference, last in the league.

Throw in the usual array of injuries, egos, personal problems, etc., and it was a miracle the Vols managed to win 21 times, impressive that they tied for first in the SEC's Eastern Division and groundbreaking that they advanced to the finals of the league tournament. They hadn't played in the league title game since 1991 and hadn't won the tournament since 1979.


Tennessee Volunteers
Last Season 21-13 (.618)
Conference Record 10-6 (t-1st)
Starters Lost/Returning 0/5
Coach Bruce Pearl (Boston College '82)
Record At School 98-37 (4 years)
Career Record 184-75 (8 years)
RPI Last 5 years 104-8-12-3-29

Last year's championship game, against Mississippi State, turned out to be a microcosm of the season. The Vols lost several close games -- the kind they had won the previous three seasons -- but losing in the closing minutes to the Bulldogs, said Pearl, "was one of the most disappointing games in my career."

"It could have been a lot better," Pearl said. "But it could have been a lot worse, too. I'm proud we were able to capture the SEC East. You better enjoy those championships when you can get them."

This season, Pearl has another team capable of winning championships on his hands. The return of Tyler Smith, who many assumed would be off to the NBA draft, was a big lift, as was the addition of junior college point guard Melvin Goins, a speedy, defensive-minded type who will give incumbent Bobby Maze some competition. The Vols are experienced and they're deep.

"I really like our experience, our depth and our balance," Pearl said. "We'll have a chance. The SEC is going to be really challenging this year, but we'll have a chance."


PLAYERS

PG-BOBBY MAZE (6-3, 195 lbs., SR, #3, 8.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.0 spg, 1.6 tpg, 25.1 mpg, .426 FG, .319 3PT, .694 FT, Suitland HS/Forestville, Md./University of Oklahoma/Hutchinson CC/Hutchinson, Kansas). Maze's mistake last season was starting out his second-chance D-I career like a mini Magic Johnson. In late November, Maze handed out 11 assists in a thrashing of Chattanooga, scored 12 points and made 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch in a win at Middle Tennessee, and contributed 14 points, nine assists and three steals in an impressive victory over Georgetown. In early December, Maze reached double figures in three straight games against Temple, Marquette and Belmont and also chipped in with six assists against the Golden Eagles.

Vol fans and coaches were ecstatic ... until Maze hit a wall in SEC play, struggling with his shot, his defense, and, in the opinion of one assistant coach, his attitude. Steve Forbes, who recruited Maze, jumped him at halftime of a game at Georgia and lowered the boom in words that can't be reprinted in a publication that might be read by young children. Maze got the hint, contributing 16 points, six boards, two steals and a couple of three pointers as the Vols scratched out a much-needed road win.

Pearl had his own way of dealing with Maze.

"I held Bobby back a bit," Pearl said. "Defensively, I thought he could have done more. I battled with him to be a more productive defender, a guy I could stick on the ball and lock down somebody, or take a charge. Therefore, I didn't empower him enough offensively."

All things considered, Maze didn't do half bad when he was empowered. Tennessee was 6-1 when he passed for five or more assists. His assist-to-turnover ratio was a solid 2.02, third in the SEC. His 15-foot jumper with 5.4 seconds left at Arkansas helped the Vols pull out another crucial road win.

"If we hadn't signed Bobby Maze, last year's a disaster," Pearl said.

Despite that high praise of Maze, Pearl and his staff went out and signed another JUCO point guard, Melvin Goins, who has the rep of being a nasty defender. A little competition might be just what Maze needs.

"I think he's bought into defense," Pearl said. "He's stronger and he worked hard in the off-season. It's going to be a very interesting competition between Bobby and Melvin. They'll push each other."

SG-SCOTTY HOPSON (6-7, 200 lbs., SO, #32, 9.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.4 tpg, 23.4 mpg, .428 FG, .357 3PT, .625 FT, University Heights HS/Hopkinsville, Ky.). It turns out Hopson wasn't a one-and-doner after all, as some had predicted. But that's a good thing for Hopson, and the Vols.

He's obviously a remarkable talent who will one day play in the NBA. But his game is far from being a finished product. Hopson will benefit from at least one more year in school, maybe two.

We say that without hesitation, because he's getting good coaching from Pearl and his staff. Take for example Hopson's formerly high-arcing jumper, a shot that could have brought rain if he were playing outdoors.

In the off-season, Tennessee coaches deconstructed the mechanics of Hopson's jump shot, with excellent results.

"We had to readjust his arc," Pearl said. "His elbow was so raised and his finish was so high it was almost as though he had practiced shooting over a broom. Most people shoot too flat. Scotty's ball flight was exaggerated so much because there was so much of an arm motion, almost a sling.

"Now, it's in his fingertips and he has a more natural ball flight. He had to change it, and he understood that and worked on it."

The other change Pearl seeks to make in Hopson's game will come between the ears. He wants Hopson to take on more of an aggressive mindset, mixing the drive with his new and improved jumper and also rebounding more aggressively. Hopson seemed tentative at times last year, in part because he wasn't asked to take over games or carry his team.

"Going through the NBA process with Tyler Smith, I got a lot of compliments from NBA people on the way we used Scotty last year," Pearl said. "We didn't put him in position to look bad. Did he look tentative at times? Yeah, but tentative is a lot better than forcing things and showing us what you can't do."

Hopson showcased his skills on several occasions. He scored 21 points to go along with six rebounds against Mississippi State, the team to which he had originally committed. He made 4-of-6 three-pointers and scored 20 against Florida. And in a game at Arkansas, he unleashed a 360-degree dunk. Not many players in the nation have the guts or the hops to pull that off.

Hopson led the Vols with 46 three-pointers, and he also markedly improved his on-ball defense as the season progressed.

Pearl expects a lot more from Hopson this season, and it stands to reason. He was already a decent three-point shooter. If he can tack a few percentage points on his success ratio while continuing to use his size and jumping ability to attack the rim or post up, Hopson's going to have many big nights this winter.

SF-J.P. PRINCE (6-7, 205 lbs., SR, #30, 9.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.5 spg, 2.0 tpg, 26.4 mpg .572 FG, .125 3PT, .610 FT, White Station HS/Memphis, Tenn./University of Arizona). Pearl would love to see Prince go through a season -- or an off-season for that matter -- without suffering an injury or undergoing surgery.

"There's not a player in college basketball that has had more tough breaks than J.P.," Pearl said.

He makes a compelling point. From an infection after a routine wisdom tooth extraction that nearly killed him to operations on both shoulders and freak ankle injuries, Prince has run the gamut on the injury front, literally from head to toe.

He began last season having recovered from off-season shoulder surgery, but he still managed to score in double figures in his first seven games. Just when Pearl could begin to count on Prince's production, he slipped off an elevated court during a practice session at Temple, injured his lower left leg and ankle, and missed three games.

Prince returned and started the final 22 games, finally allowing everyone to see what he's capable of when reasonably healthy.

At his best, Prince uses his athleticism and high basketball IQ to become a point forward, capable of running an offense and picking apart defenses with his size and passing ability. In Tennessee's last 15 games, Prince passed for 63 assists (4.2 apg), including a five-game streak of nine (Florida), six (Arkansas), seven (Auburn), five (Georgia) and seven (Vanderbilt).

About the only thing Prince can't do is shoot from the perimeter (3-for-24, .125 from three-point range last year). He's got the rest of the floor covered, though; Prince shot .626 on two-point attempts. That's because he's adept at getting to the rim off the dribble, finishing on breaks and collecting offensive rebounds and dunking them back.

Defensively, Prince led Tennessee in steals (47) and tied for second in blocked shots (20). His assist-to-turnover ratio was a solid 1.5, eighth in the SEC. He was 10th in the league in steals and assists.

It's a wonder this guy hasn't put together a triple-double yet. He grabbed 10 boards in a game twice last season, set his career high with nine assists and reached double figures in scoring 18 times.

"You want to talk about talent and instinct and feel and understanding," Pearl said. "J.P. came here to try and destroy what negative stories there were out there about him: Things he couldn't do. He wasn't tough enough.

"We think he's done that. He plays great on the road because he's got guts. All I know is that some of his best games -- at Xavier, Memphis, South Carolina, we don't win without him. He's a guy that makes everybody better."

If only Prince could stay healthy. Once again during the off-season, he underwent shoulder surgery. Pearl is praying Prince recovers to play his senior season at full strength.

PF-TYLER SMITH (6-7, 215 lbs., SR, #1, 17.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.3 apg, 0.7 spg, 2.0 tpg, 32.6 mpg, .439 FG, .292 3PT, .766 FT, Giles County HS/Pulaski, Tenn./Hargrave Military Academy/Chatham, Va./University of Iowa). For the second consecutive off-season, Smith kept Vol fans guessing as he explored his NBA options. And just like the year before, Smith ultimately decided putting his name in the draft was too risky.

"I think my chances of making a team as a second round pick were good, and I did think about it," Smith said after removing his name from draft consideration in mid June. "But you have to look at the statistics of what's happened to [second-round draft picks]. Last year, only eight guys out of 30 picked in the second round made a team. That's something that you have to look at hard."

Clearly Smith got some good advice and listened to it. And if he continues to listen to good advice, next June he might well realize his lifelong dream of becoming an NBA draft pick.

"He was told by the guys at the next level to work on his range, work on guarding multiple positions and work on his handle," Pearl said.

Actually, Smith doesn't have to work on his shooting range. He already has range and a technically sound jumper. It's a misnomer that Smith is just a run-jump slasher type. All he needs to do is gain complete confidence in his ability to knock down threes at critical stretches in games.

Last season, when Tennessee coaches practically forced Smith to start cranking up the three ball more often, he became that much tougher to guard. He was 6-of-12 from behind the arc in two games against Florida, and 3-of-4, en route to a career-high 30 points, in a big win over Vanderbilt. Smith did force up the occasional ill advised three -- such as when the Vols were trying to protect a slim lead in an eventual loss at Auburn -- but that's all part of the process of developing Chris Lofton-like confidence.

Smith's scoring average increased last year, but most of his other numbers, notably steals and field-goal percentage, declined. There was a three-fold reason for that. One, he was forced to play nearly 33 minutes a game, which can have diminishing returns when fatigue sets in. Two, Smith might have had the NBA more in the front of his mind than the back of it. Three, he was thrust into more of a leadership role than his first season.

"I think Tyler is going to be able to relax more now, and not play every possession like he's trying to get himself into the NBA," Pearl said. "Last year, he was more of a leader, but at times, he was focused on his own game, so he was conflicted."

That won't be the case this season. Smith knows without a doubt this will be his last go around in college bas-ketball. Informed by what he learned working out for NBA teams last spring, Smith worked on his game all summer, taking thousands of three-pointers and getting into the best condition of his life.

"He's gotten faster and quicker, so he'll be a monster defensively," Pearl said. "He'll shoot the ball from three and he'll be our best breakdown guy. He'll lead us in assists and make everybody better."

Smith -- who last season became the first player in Tennessee history to record a triple double with 12 points, 10 boards and 10 assists against UNC Asheville -- will continue to shift between small forward and power forward, making him one of the toughest defensive assignments in the college game. He's always been able to post up smaller defenders from the three spot and drive around big men from the four. Now that he's duty bound to make the three more a part of his arsenal and has improved his ball handling, well, Pearl just shook his head at the thought of trying to check him.

"Tyler's going to be a nightmare match-up," Pearl said.

C-WAYNE CHISM (6-9, 246 lbs., SR, #4, 13.7 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.0 bpg, 2.0 tpg, 25.7 mpg, .466 FG, .320 3PT, .716 FT, Bolivar Central HS/Bolivar, Tenn.). Last season Chism elevated his play to the point where everyone -- fans, coaches, media -- had to take notice (he earned second-team All-SEC recognition from the league's coaches). It's hard to miss someone capable of scoring 27 points in one game, grabbing 19 rebounds in another, blocking six shots in still another (against Kansas, no less), passing for five assists (Georgia), or making four three-pointers (Chism did that twice).

How many post men in the country can do all that?

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