It's Basketball Time in Tennessee!!!!!!!!!!
So today is the day. Yes. Today is the exhibition opener for the Men's UT basketball team against Lemoyne Owen. For me, this is when the fun begins. Don't be mistaken, I am definitely a UT football fan and cheer for all things UT. But basketball is where it is at for me. I love me some UT basketball. So for the UT basketball fans out there, here is a little synopsis for what you should expect to see this season....
1) Tons of new players. This team is very inexperienced. They have five freshman and a redshirt sophomore that have never played a lick of Division 1 college basketball. So that is 6 out of the 11 scholarships on this team. A small bit of info on the new players...
#3 Marques Johnson - PG - A legitimate 6'-6", he plays very smooth at the PG position. Has a pass first shoot second mentality.
#4 Wayne Chism - C- At 6'-8", he is the second tallest player on the team. Has a very smooth inside game and hits the glass hard. Can also shoot the 3 ala CJ Black.
#12 Ramar Smith - PG - One of the most athletic PG's in the league as a FR. Can drive to the basket at will. Look for him to improve as the year progresses and he grasps the offense better.
#13 Tony Passley - SF - As a redshirt sophomore, Tony is the oldest newcomer to the team. A tough nosed player, he will make a lot of plays around the basket along with collecting many rebounds.
#25 Josh Tabb - SG - The least heralded of the Top 5 recruiting class, but the most impressive thus far. Understands the game very well and is a lock down defender. Always is pretty to have a lefty shooter as well.
#32 Duke Crews - PF - The most athletic of the newcomers. Can sky out of the gym for monster dunks. Slightly raw on offense but can be a pain around the basket blocking shots. Fits perfectly in Pearl's press.
2) Improvement from those returning. Major Wingate's dismissal hurt this team in a lot of ways, but those that return will try to help fill the void.
#2 JaJuan Smith -SG - Although he will probably start at the 3, he is still a SG. Probably the best on guard defender on the team. If he can become more selective with his ball handling, he will be a great player here at UT.
#5 Chris Lofton - SG - The reason JaJuan doesn't start at SG. Has improved his body and is working on taking the ball to the basket more this season. I just hope he doesn't cut off his 3 point shooting.
#15 Jordan Howell -PG - The most experienced PG on the team has been sidelined with a broken hand to begin the season. Many were impressed with his improvement over the summer. Look for Jordan to compete for the starting PG role when he returns to practice this week.
#23 Dane Bradshaw - PF - The glue of this team. As the only senior, Dane is once again playing as an undersized power forward. Look for him to help keep this team together thorughout the year and lead them to the postseason.
#34 Ryan Childress - C - The tallest member of the team and the most improved from last year. Has really improved his footwork and should contribute lots this season. Has also greatly improved his jump shot.
3)Steady improvement throughout the season. Although the season may start out rough, look for continued improvement throughout the season. Pearl will be able to finally implement his full court style throughout the season as he has a legitimate 11 deep that he can go with. He has tons of guards, and remember, college basketball is a guard oriented game.
4)A loaded schedule. Tennessee will paritcipate in the Preseason NIT where it could face North Carolina, Indiana, or Gonzaga depending on how far they advance. Tennessee will also travel to Ohio State to face the Buckeyes and their #1 ranked recruiting class. Lastly, Tennessee will host half of the elite eight in Thompson-Boling Arena when Florida, LSU, Texas, and Memphis all make appearances.
5)TV Galore. Out of the possible 31 games UT could play in the regular season(assuming two games in the NIT in NY,) 24 of those games will be shown on TV. And out of those 24, 12 will be shown on national TV, with 9 of those games appearing on the ESPN network. Three of those games are on ESPN's Super Tuesday. That's what happens when you have the season the Vols did last year.
6) More updates from me. I know I have been slacking in the blog department, but I'm going to be picking it up now that basketball season is here. Remember what the name of the blog is. This is UTBball Land. Go Vols!!!
1) Tons of new players. This team is very inexperienced. They have five freshman and a redshirt sophomore that have never played a lick of Division 1 college basketball. So that is 6 out of the 11 scholarships on this team. A small bit of info on the new players...
#3 Marques Johnson - PG - A legitimate 6'-6", he plays very smooth at the PG position. Has a pass first shoot second mentality.
#4 Wayne Chism - C- At 6'-8", he is the second tallest player on the team. Has a very smooth inside game and hits the glass hard. Can also shoot the 3 ala CJ Black.
#12 Ramar Smith - PG - One of the most athletic PG's in the league as a FR. Can drive to the basket at will. Look for him to improve as the year progresses and he grasps the offense better.
#13 Tony Passley - SF - As a redshirt sophomore, Tony is the oldest newcomer to the team. A tough nosed player, he will make a lot of plays around the basket along with collecting many rebounds.
#25 Josh Tabb - SG - The least heralded of the Top 5 recruiting class, but the most impressive thus far. Understands the game very well and is a lock down defender. Always is pretty to have a lefty shooter as well.
#32 Duke Crews - PF - The most athletic of the newcomers. Can sky out of the gym for monster dunks. Slightly raw on offense but can be a pain around the basket blocking shots. Fits perfectly in Pearl's press.
2) Improvement from those returning. Major Wingate's dismissal hurt this team in a lot of ways, but those that return will try to help fill the void.
#2 JaJuan Smith -SG - Although he will probably start at the 3, he is still a SG. Probably the best on guard defender on the team. If he can become more selective with his ball handling, he will be a great player here at UT.
#5 Chris Lofton - SG - The reason JaJuan doesn't start at SG. Has improved his body and is working on taking the ball to the basket more this season. I just hope he doesn't cut off his 3 point shooting.
#15 Jordan Howell -PG - The most experienced PG on the team has been sidelined with a broken hand to begin the season. Many were impressed with his improvement over the summer. Look for Jordan to compete for the starting PG role when he returns to practice this week.
#23 Dane Bradshaw - PF - The glue of this team. As the only senior, Dane is once again playing as an undersized power forward. Look for him to help keep this team together thorughout the year and lead them to the postseason.
#34 Ryan Childress - C - The tallest member of the team and the most improved from last year. Has really improved his footwork and should contribute lots this season. Has also greatly improved his jump shot.
3)Steady improvement throughout the season. Although the season may start out rough, look for continued improvement throughout the season. Pearl will be able to finally implement his full court style throughout the season as he has a legitimate 11 deep that he can go with. He has tons of guards, and remember, college basketball is a guard oriented game.
4)A loaded schedule. Tennessee will paritcipate in the Preseason NIT where it could face North Carolina, Indiana, or Gonzaga depending on how far they advance. Tennessee will also travel to Ohio State to face the Buckeyes and their #1 ranked recruiting class. Lastly, Tennessee will host half of the elite eight in Thompson-Boling Arena when Florida, LSU, Texas, and Memphis all make appearances.
5)TV Galore. Out of the possible 31 games UT could play in the regular season(assuming two games in the NIT in NY,) 24 of those games will be shown on TV. And out of those 24, 12 will be shown on national TV, with 9 of those games appearing on the ESPN network. Three of those games are on ESPN's Super Tuesday. That's what happens when you have the season the Vols did last year.
6) More updates from me. I know I have been slacking in the blog department, but I'm going to be picking it up now that basketball season is here. Remember what the name of the blog is. This is UTBball Land. Go Vols!!!
posted by Big Bentley at 2:05 PM
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