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| | Tuesday, November 2 | |||||||||||||||
COACH AND PROGRAM
TONY HARRIS (6-0, 165 lbs., JR, PG, #14, 12.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 4.8 apg, 3.5 tpg, 1.6 spg, 32.2 minutes, .373 FG, .390 3PT, .794 FT, East HS/Memphis, Tenn.) It was an interview that Tony Harris had to be talked into giving, but once he did, it was a doozy. Last May, Harris was approached by a reporter from his hometown Memphis Commercial-Appeal and asked for an interview. He declined. The next day, after talking with Tennessee's sports information director and an assistant coach, Harris changed his mind. What came out of Harris' mouth wasn't what Green wanted to hear, or read about in the paper. The article was reprinted by every major newspaper in the state, and also made the rounds on the Internet. "I felt I was being really relied on as a freshman, but I didn't feel that way this past season," Harris told the Commercial-Appeal. "I was too coachable. Coach Green wanted me to think more. That's not me. "I think, but just let me play. Don't tell me to pass at a certain time. I got caught up trying to be too much of a complete player instead of playing on instinct and having fun." If Harris had an agenda, it backfired. Many Tennessee fans thought Harris' words made him look selfish. Still others criticized Green for not having better control of his players. And at that time of the year, Green didn't need anybody else sniping at him. Green and the sports information department quickly put some spin control on Harris' comments and eventually, the issue was laid to rest. But questions remain. Did Harris learn from the experience? And can he learn to channel his talent and become a great lead guard, as so many predicted? Frustrated as he was by Harris' comments, Green claimed he understood, to some degree, what the player was trying to convey. "Everybody was disappointed with the way the last game went," Green said. "Take that last game out, and nothing was wrong. Tony was frustrated, just like we all were, but there's a time and a place to voice criticism." Harris might have been guilty of having a selective memory. True enough, the Vols bombed miserably in March. But their play in February after Green took more control of the offense got them into March. What Harris might not have remembered was that in mid-February, the Vols didn't deserve to be given much freedom on offense. Their shot selection had gotten increasingly suspect, resulting in two straight embarrassing losses, on the road at Arkansas and at home to Mississippi State. The latter ended a 16-game homecourt winning streak. Once Green took control by calling plays from the sidelines using numbered cards the Vols salvaged their season and earned an NCAA Tournament bid with six straight wins, including three straight clutch road victories at Mississippi, South Carolina and Georgia. In those six games, Harris averaged 15 points and six assists and shot 48 percent from three-point range. Those numbers would hardly suggest Harris' game was suffering. Rather, they clearly illustrate that, properly channeled, he is a difference-maker. This isn't to suggest that Green should take away the hyper-quick Harris' playground instincts and make him play like a robot. Harris just needs to bridge the gap between automaton and out of control. "Tony's got to do two things," Green said. "He's got to show a little bit more leadership. This will be his third year as a starter and, with Brandon Wharton gone, it's his team. No. 2, he's got to take away the extremes. He had games where he had far too many turnovers, and other games where he had a lot of assists. He needs to learn to get us into our offense, and settle us down when things aren't going good." Harris has the power to do that. The problem is, he also has the power to win games with his shooting. That's always led to a dilemma for Harris. Should he be a lead guard and direct the offense, or should he just take matters into his own hands? There is no easy answer to that question, but here is a suggestion: All Harris needs to do is settle down and let the game come to him. When the stakes increased last March, Harris seemed to want to win so badly that he lost sight of his job description. In Tennessee's three postseason games, he shot 2-for-16 against Mississippi State, 3-for-8 against Delaware and 2-for-11 against Southwest Missouri State. Several times in those three games, Harris appeared to be trying to force the action when he would have been better served going with the flow. If he goes with the flow this season, Harris, a John Wooden Award candidate for the second straight year and a preseason All-American pick, can live up to his billing. More importantly, he can make Tennessee a better team. C.J. BLACK (6-8, 250 lbs., SR, C, #43, 9.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 0.8 apg, 1.7 tpg, 1.4 bpg, 1.1 spg, 24.9 minutes, .457 FG, .333 3PT, .766 FT, Brainerd HS/Chattanooga, Tenn.) After earning second-team All-SEC honors in 1997-98, Black was a shell of himself last season. He still managed to average near double-figures in points, and was second on the team in rebounding and first in blocked shots, but he just didn't seem the same. All his significant numbers were down from the year before. Why? Several reasons, perhaps. He suffered a slight knee injury in a November game against Chattanooga. The injury didn't require surgery, but instead of taking time off to let his knee heal properly, Black soldiered on. It didn't help matters that, at 265 pounds, he was carrying about 20 more than he needed. Tennessee fans made mention of Black's weight and suggested he was too out of shape to get up and down the floor. Others questioned his toughness and determination. "You can look at a lot of different reasons why C.J. didn't have as good a year last year as he did the year before," Green said. "But I can't come up with any one specific reason. I just thought C.J. was a lot less explosive than his junior year. "Losing weight might help. We've asked him to get down to about 245 pounds. We'll see." Black wasn't exactly a workaholic when it came to conditioning over the summer. But he did manage to get some invaluable experience playing on two teams that toured abroad. The first team included assorted Division I players Ohio State's Ken Johnson, Connecticut's Albert Mouring and Edmund Sanders, and J.R. Raymond of Oklahoma among them and played six games in 10 days in Greece. The second team consisted of one player from every SEC school except Vanderbilt, and played five games in Japan against the Japanese national team. "It was a lot of fun, and good experience," Black said of his travels. "It showed me what I needed to work on." Above all, Black learned that he needed to be in better shape. Texas assistant coach Rob Lanier and LSU's John Brady, who coached the teams in Greece and Japan, applauded Black's skills, but questioned his conditioning. Though he was nursing an injury and probably playing too heavy last year, Black still came up with some good performances. He reached double figures in scoring 13 times and managed double-doubles (with 17 points and 10 boards each time) against LSU and Georgia. He blocked 46 shots, considerably down from the school-record 73 he turned back the year before, but still fourth in the SEC. He even won a home game against Vanderbilt in the closing seconds with a clutch basket. Green is hoping Black will return to his sophomore season form. Black will start at center, but could also play power forward depending on the Vols' needs and who is in the game alongside him. "We'll be asking a lot of C.J. this year," Green said. "One is to be a leader. He's been around long enough. Two is to re-establish himself as a consistent inside scoring threat. Three is to keep doing some of the other things, like free-throw shooting and blocking shots, that he's done since he's been here." ISIAH VICTOR (6-10, 220 lbs., JR, PF, #44, 11.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 0.8 apg, 2.2 tpg, 1.2 bpg, 1.0 spg, 24.0 minutes, .589 FG, .300 3PT, .596 FT, University Heights/Hopkinsville, Ky.) No one involved in the Tennessee program would be willing to come out and say it, but most believe it's true: Isiah Victor is the best player on a team loaded with talent. If anyone doubts that now, they would be advised to keep an eye on the NBA draft in the next couple of years. When former Tennessee coach Kevin O'Neill predicted three seasons ago that Victor would be a lottery pick one day, many chalked that statement off to the fiery O'Neill's bluster. After last season, few would bet against O'Neill's prediction. What makes Victor so good? He has that rare blend of size, mobility and jumping ability that enables him to score nearly any time he gets a notion. He shot almost 60 percent from the field last season, and would have been Tennessee's leading scorer had he been able to make more free throws. Victor led the Vols with 141 attempts from the line, but made just 84 of them. The only way an opposing team can be sure to stop Victor is to lay a hard foul on him. Otherwise, Victor is going to do damage with his arsenal of spin moves, his turnaround jumper and his serious hops. He can get to the basket in a hurry and dunk on an opponent before he knows what's happening. The other scary thing about Victor is that he's hungry to get better. A rail-thin 195 pounds when he showed up at Tennessee, Victor has worked hard in the weight room to gain size and strength. The extra poundage has made it even tougher to guard Victor in the paint. Previously, a nudge from a defender might throw off Victor's shot. Not any more as Memphis learned when he torched the Tigers for a career-high 26 points, including the game-winning dunk. Victor has worked to improve all aspects of his game. Last summer, he took apart his jump shot and rebuilt it. His defense improved significantly last season he was third on the team in blocked shots and fourth in steals. The forward combination of Victor and Yarbrough will make Tennessee a killer pressing team this season, should Green decide to go in that direction. Victor's rebounding also went to a higher level a year ago. He led the Vols and was eighth in the league in that department. Victor had seven double-figure rebounding games, including a career-high 15 against Arkansas. Victor will start at power forward this season after drawing just eight starting assignments a year ago. The prediction here is that he'll be Tennessee's leading scorer, top rebounder and an All-SEC pick. "Every since I've known him, he keeps getting better and better," Green said. "At the end of last year, he was playing as well as anybody we had. This year, we think he'll be even better." VINCENT YARBROUGH (6-7, 210 lbs., SO, SF, #22, 7.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.6 tpg, 1.0 bpg, 1.0 spg, 23.5 minutes, .417 FG, .274 3PT, .702 FT, Cleveland HS/Cleveland, Tenn.) What sort of year did Yarbrough have after coming to Tennessee as the school's most heralded recruit ever? It depends on how you judge it. If you judge Yarbrough's contributions based on his press clippings, as some fans did unrealistically so, we might add Yarbrough had an average year. But if you judge his efforts while considering that he didn't turn 18 until a week after the Vols were bumped from the NCAA Tournament, he had a promising season. Green made a bold decision after Yarbrough's debut game, during which he went 1-for-8 from the field (0-for-4 from three-point range) and scored two points in a loss to Arizona. Yarbrough didn't start that game and played just 12 minutes. "On the plane ride back home, I thought that this kid wasn't going to improve and was never going to help us unless I played him," Green said. With that, Yarbrough was inserted into the starting lineup and he started all but one game the rest of the season, that being Senior Day when the Vols played Kentucky in their regular-season finale. Green's decision might have hurt Tennessee in the short run, considering that Rashard Lee, the senior who was displaced from the starting lineup by Yarbrough, never did adjust to coming off the bench and had a sub-par year. In the long run, however, the Vols were well-served by Yarbrough getting to start so many games and play so many quality minutes. The experience he gained was invaluable. At times, Yarbrough played like the 17-year-old freshman he was. But at other times, his uncommon ability stood out. Yarbrough has a knack for making big plays. Long-armed, quick and able to leap with anyone, Yarbrough was a disruptive presence on defense, getting in passing lanes for steals (he was second on the team with 43) and blocking shots (29, fourth on a team that blocked 190 on the year). Yarbrough's offensive game had its moments. He almost single-handedly won a road game at South Florida with 23 points. He scored 22 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, blocked a career-high four shots and had three assists in a home victory over Georgia. Yarbrough didn't have to have huge scoring games to be effective. His clutch offensive rebound (one of a game-high 12) in the Vols' upset win at Kentucky led to Brandon Wharton's game-winning three-pointer. Several times, Yarbrough made uncanny passes for easy baskets or slammed home dunks to give the Vols a lift. If there was a knock on Yarbrough, it was that he was overly reliant on his jump shot. He has a good-enough looking jumper, but it didn't go in that often, especially from three-point range. Green urged Yarbrough to incorporate other scoring weapons into his game. "We asked him to work on a couple of things," Green said. "One was to lower the trajectory of his shot, which had a real high-arching loop. The other thing was to learn to put the ball on the floor more and drive it to the hole." Green could also have made better use of Yarbrough by posting him up against smaller, slower defenders. The few times the Vols did get the ball to Yarbrough in the paint, he turned around and scored. If Yarbrough learns to be more diversified, and Green can get him the ball for more high-percentage scoring opportunities, he could have a breakout season. "He's got such a big upside," Green said. "You go back and look at some of the games he had. He did a lot of nice things. He'll continue to get better, too. It all rests with him." JENIS GRINDSTAFF (6-2, 200 lbs., SO, SG, #24, 10.5 ppg, 3.6 apg in 1997-98, Virginia Tech & Spruce Pine HS/Spruce Pine, N.C.) Grindstaff, who regains eligibility after a redshirt season a year ago, should have the biggest impact of any Tennessee newcomer. The transfer from Virginia Tech, who was recruited to that school by Chris Ferguson and followed the assistant coach to Tennessee, will almost certainly claim one guard spot. Which guard spot? Grindstaff is definitely capable of playing the point or shooting guard positions. Don't be surprised if he relieves Harris at the point on occasion. Grindstaff is an instinctive playmaker, can penetrate and has great shooting range. Better still, he can finish in traffic a skill Tennessee guards of recent vintage have lacked. Despite the season of inactivity, Grindstaff should be ready to go. He is a proven commodity after having enjoyed a good rookie season in 1997-98 at Virginia Tech, where he was second on the team in scoring and three-point goals, first in assists and third in free-throw shooting. Grindstaff reached double figures 16 times, and eight times led the Hokies in scoring. Grindstaff was chosen to the Atlantic 10's All-Rookie team. He is an old hand at claiming postseason honors. As a senior in high school, Grindstaff was chosen North Carolina's 4-A "Mr. Basketball" after averaging 27.0 ppg and 6.7 rpg. "He'll be an impact player for us right off," Green said. "He's very gifted. He's got ballhandling ability and he can shoot it. He understands the game as well as anybody. It's hard to pick out a weakness in his game." Grindstaff's primary contribution might be a bit more intangible. He's a fierce competitor who hates losing. That might rub off on a few of Grindstaff's more passive teammates.KEY RESERVES CHARLES HATHAWAY (6-10, 265 lbs., JR, C, #55, 4.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 0.3 apg, 1.2 tpg, 1.2 bpg, 0.5 spg, 14.3 minutes, .436 FG, .659 FT, Hillwood HS/Nashville, Tenn.) It wasn't the best of seasons for Hathaway, the former Parade and McDonald's All-America. But Tennessee was just glad to have the big man back in the fold after he underwent life-threatening surgery to remove a blood clot from his shoulder the year before. Hathaway took a medical redshirt season, and the rust of his inactivity showed. His offensive skills appeared to have suffered greatly. For whatever reason, he refused to heed the urgings of the Tennessee coaching staff and incorporate a jump hook into his game. Hathaway attempted one jump hook all season in the first round of the SEC Tournament against Georgia and promptly tossed it in the basket in the face of the Bulldogs' shot-blocking force, Tyrone Washington. Perhaps Hathaway, who worked out diligently over the summer, will remember that shot. He definitely needs to do something to improve his unpolished offensive skills. In Hathaway's defense, he did make a little progress last season, improving his free-throw shooting to 65 percent. After Tennessee's season-ending loss to Southwest Missouri State, he suggested that his so-so season might have been because of the lingering effects of his surgery. Not that Hathaway's year was a total disaster. He scored a season-high 15 points against Tennessee State, scored 13 points and blocked a career-high five shots against Chattanooga and grabbed eight rebounds against Florida. He was third on the team in blocked shots and fourth in rebounding. With the departure of Torrey Harris, Hathaway will probably get more playing time than he did a year ago (14.3 minutes per game). "I hope he has a better year than last year," Green said. "There are two things he can do to really help us. I'm looking at films of him as a freshman, and he was just going after everything. I didn't see that enthusiasm for rebounding last year. "The other thing he can do is defend on the inside. If he rebounds and guards people, he'll pick up some minutes." RON SLAY (6-8, 225 lbs., FR, F, #35 17.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 2.5 bpg, Oak Hill Academy, Va./Nashville, Tenn.) Slay continues Tennessee's home state recruiting dominance in the late '90s. Though he finished his high school career at Oak Hill (Va.) Academy, he's from Nashville, Tenn., where he played for Pearl-Cohn HS through his junior season. Had Slay stayed put, he would have clearly been the state's top player, following previous Tennessee signees Charles Hathaway (1996), Tony Harris (1997) and Vincent Yarbrough (1998). As it turned out, Tennessee signed Slay plus Marcus Haislip, generally considered the top senior in the state last year. The transfer to Oak Hill allowed Slay to shore up his academics and display his game to a wider audience. Oak Hill plays a national schedule against other prep schools and college junior varsity teams. Slay had an excellent senior season, leading Oak Hill to a 31-0 record and the No. 1 ranking in the USA Today prep poll. Slay led the team in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots, and was chosen MVP. After the season, Slay, ranked No. 35 in his class by Prep Stars Recruiters Handbook, played in the prestigious Derby Classic, where he won the slam dunk contest, and the SEC-ACC Hoops Classic, which matched recruits from those powerful leagues. Slay has a chance to play a lot of minutes for the Vols, who need to replace the workmanlike efforts of departed post player Torrey Harris. Slay should do more than replace Harris, who was a good defender and decent rebounder but a woeful offensive player. Slay has the full range of skills. He's got an effective jumper (and could even play small forward if need be), goes after rebounds with the tenacity of a pit bull, blocks shots and dunks with authority. Chances are good Slay will join Tennessee's four-man post rotation as a power forward and backup to Isiah Victor. "I think Ron Slay is going to be an impact player for us," Green said. HARRIS WALKER (6-1, 170 lbs., F, G, #5, 18.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 8.0 apg, Hargrave Military Academy, Va./Chattanooga, Tenn.) Tennessee had to wait a while to get Walker, a former high school teammate of C.J. Black, but he should be worth it. The Vols signed Walker in May, 1998, but he wasn't able to make the required score on a standardized test and was sent to Hargrave for a year. Some wondered whether Walker would apply himself at the military school. He did. Walker got the test score he was looking for, and also averaged 18 points, eight assists and five rebounds during his post-graduate year. Recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons said he was the best point guard in the prep school ranks last season. Walker has skills that have caused some to compare him to Allen Iverson. No kidding. Like Iverson, he has a deadly combination of quickness and leaping ability. Walker can get past a defender and to the basket in a hurry. And once he gets there, he's likely to dunk with authority. Walker could use a little work on his jump shot, but he can make enough three-pointers to force opponents to respect him from long range. Walker improved his lead-guard skills at Hargrave. Most importantly, he learned to tone down the speed of his game, which was often stuck at full throttle at Brainerd HS, where he was chosen Tennessee's Class AA "Mr. Basketball" in 1998. If Walker continues to play under control, he will push Tony Harris at point guard. Walker is being counted on to play as a freshman. "We're hoping he'll be ready," Green said. "After [summer pickup] games, all the players were talking about how quick he is and how often he gets his hands on the ball. One player said he might be quicker than Tony Harris." TERRENCE WOODS (6-2, 175 lbs., F, G, #31, 27.0 ppg, 12.0 rpg, 2.0 apg, Treadwell HS/Memphis, Tenn.) Woods is another player whose recruitment began in earnest after a great performance in AAU competition in 1998. One game was all it took for Woods, who tossed in 11 three-pointers (in 13 attempts) in a game that was attended by several coaches. Suddenly hordes of upper-major Division I schools were recruiting Woods. Despite that stunning display of shooting, hometown University of Memphis didn't show much interest in Woods, who eventually followed fellow Memphian Tony Harris to Knoxville. Memphis might have regretted that decision as the season progressed, especially after Woods was chosen the Memphis Player of the Year by the Memphis Commercial-Appeal, Tennessee's Class AA "Mr. Basketball, and Tennessee Player of the Year by USA Today and Gatorade. As far as Woods was concerned, a greater accolade came from Memphis native Penny Hardaway, who had some time on his hands during the NBA lockout last fall and decided to watch a game at his alma mater, Treadwell HS. After the game, Hardaway approached Tennessee assistant Chris Ferguson. "He told me we got a real steal," Ferguson said. Woods shot better than 40 percent from three-point range and 90 percent from the free-throw line as a senior. If he can come anywhere close to those numbers in Knoxville, he will more than earn his scholarship. The Vols haven't had much firepower coming off the bench in recent seasons.OTHER RETURNEES VEGAS DAVIS (6-3, 215 lbs., SR, G, #34, 1.1 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 0.1 apg, 0.2 tpg, 0.2 spg, 6.4 minutes, .286 FG, .304 3PT, .833 FT, Parker HS/Parker, Ariz.) Davis' numbers tumbled dramatically last season, which was a shame, because Green was searching all year long for a reliable guard who could come off the bench and give some relief to Wharton and Harris. Not that Davis could have played the point, but if he could have provided some quality minutes spelling Wharton at shooting guard, he would have been a very effective third guard. Davis had showed signs of promise the season before, when he averaged 6.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg and shot .435 from three-point range as a sophomore. He helped win two big road games, one with a career-high 23 points against Southern California. His year was cut short in January, however, when a knee injury suffered at Alabama forced him to the sidelines for all but the Vols' season-ending loss to Illinois State in the NCAA Tournament. Last year, Davis wasn't his old self. The knee injury didn't seem to be a factor. Instead, mental mistakes doomed him. Green couldn't bring himself to use Davis in key situations for fear he would turn the ball over. "You look at the films of those big games (Memphis and Southern Cal) he had and you say, 'Gee whiz, how can we get him to play that way consistently?'" Green said. "When we put him in games last year, he seemed real tentative. He could help us if he would handle the ball better and pass it better." DEL BAKER (6-5, 200 lbs., JR, G, #32, 1.5 ppg, 0.5 rpg, 0.3 apg, 0.5 tpg, 0.3 spg, 5.8 minutes, .349 FG, .231 3PT, Cleveland HS/Cleveland, Tenn.) Tennessee fans were excited about Baker after the Vols' first game of last season. Although Tennessee lost to Arizona in the BCA Classic, Baker was a hero, tossing in three clutch three-pointers and finishing with nine points to help rally the Vols from a huge second-half deficit. Baker actually outshined his much more heralded brother, Parade All-America Vince Yarbrough, in that game. Vol fans thought Baker had arrived. Unfortunately, he hadn't. Baker made just three more three-pointers the rest of the year and shot only .231 from behind the arc. Only twice did he score more than two points in a game (six against South Carolina and seven against Alabama, both Tennessee blowouts). Like Davis, Baker's problem seemed to be hesitancy and uncertainty, which led to more turnovers than Green cared to see from a reserve guard. Baker's minutes dwindled. Last spring, Baker gave football a brief fling, working out with Tennessee's national championship team. He eventually decided basketball was his game. Baker will have to work hard to earn minutes as a reserve small forward or big guard. Tennessee's six-man recruiting class has created much more competition for playing time than Baker faced in his first two seasons.OTHER NEWCOMERS JON HIGGINS (6-3, 190 lbs., FR, G, #42, 10.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 4.0 apg, Shaker Heights HS/Shaker Heights, Oh.) Don't let those statistics fool you. Higgins played only the final three weeks of last season after sitting out most of the year while recovering from major knee surgery in July, 1998. Before Higgins was hurt, he was considered one of the top shooters in his class. Big Ten schools were all over him. After Higgins' injury, Tennessee was one of the few schools that stayed in heavy pursuit, and ended up with what could be a major steal from under the noses of several Midwestern powers. As a junior the year before, Higgins averaged 15.1 ppg, 3.8 apg and 3.9 rpg, and was chosen second-team All-State by the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Three-point shooting is his forte, but he can play both guard spots. Higgins' accelerated recovery from his injury seemed to inspire his Shaker Heights teammates. He helped lead the school all the way to the Ohio championship game. Shaker Heights lost, but the school's record in Higgins' four years was 85-12 (including 47-4 the last two seasons). Higgins is a winner and a leader, qualities which will endear him to the Tennessee coaching staff, which has been looking for players to shake the Vols from their occasional lapses of competitiveness. MARCUS HAISLIP (6-9, 215 lbs., FR, F, #12, 20.0 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 4.0 bpg, Marshall County HS/Lewisburg, Tenn.) If Haislip doesn't do another thing, he performed a great service to the program when he signed last May, ending a recruiting battle that included Kentucky, Alabama, Virginia, Memphis and Vanderbilt. Haislip was a classic sleeper, a player who had been tucked away in a rural corner of the state and virtually unnoticed until a summer, 1998 tour with an AAU team from Memphis. Suddenly, dozens of big-time schools knew about the athletic Haislip. Haislip's recruitment lasted until the bitter end. Most Tennessee fans, who had been down on the program since the Vols' shocking ouster in the NCAA Tournament, thought Kentucky would reach into their homestate and grab Haislip. Those fans underestimated the recruiting ability of Tennessee assistant Chris Ferguson, who had endeared himself to Haislip and his family. It didn't hurt one bit that several of Haislip's Marshall County classmates were going to school at Tennessee. In the end, Haislip, ranked No. 116 in his class by Prep Stars Recruiters Handbook, shocked a lot of people by signing with Tennessee. But as soon as he did, fans stopped criticizing Green and his program. It was as though one signing had cured all the perceived ills. The truth was that the program wasn't in ruins, as some fans had feared. And even if it were, Haislip wouldn't be the man to single-handedly resurrect it. But given a year or two, Haislip has the ability to blossom into a solid SEC player. He is mobile, has decent range on his jumper and jumps well. If he can gain weight and strength, Haislip could be tough to handle, comparable to teammate Isiah Victor.STARTERS NOT RETURNING BRANDON WHARTON (6-3, SG, 13.0 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 3.1 apg, 2.5 tpg, 1.6 spg, 31.6 minutes, .398 FG, .348 3PT, .758 FT) Wharton was the team's leading scorer the last three seasons, and was generally a good guy to have around. Oddly, he maintained a sense of loyalty to former coach Kevin O'Neill, even though O'Neill ran him through a meat grinder every day in practice for two years. Wharton's loyalty to O'Neill might have been the reason he at times questioned some decisions by Green and his staff. After a game at Miami (Oh.) last season during which All-America Wally Szczerbiak torched the Vols for 34 points and 12 rebounds, Wharton criticized the team's defensive strategy. There were other instances in which Wharton seemed to suggest different ways of doing things that ran counter to the coaching staff's beliefs. The second-guessing notwithstanding, Wharton was an asset. He never had even a hint of off-court troubles, went to class every day, graduated in four years and was a solid citizen. On the court, he was a potential game-breaking shooter, though his jumper was streaky. Wharton's trademark was to start each season shooting poorly, then get hot when SEC play came around. He followed that pattern last season, but in March, when the games really meant something, his shooting touch suddenly left him. Wharton was 4-for-14 against Mississippi State in the Vols' first-round ouster from the SEC Tournament, 5-for-18 against Delaware in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and 5-for-16 in the second-round loss to Southwest Missouri State. If you're counting, that's a combined 14-for-48 in what were perhaps the biggest games of his life. Wharton will be missed, but if Green can get a couple of his freshmen guards ready, their combined efforts should match Wharton's contributions. More importantly, Green can substitute around shooting slumps. When Wharton got cold, Green had to ride it out with him. He has more options now.OTHERS NOT RETURNING RASHARD LEE (6-6, F, 7.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 0.9 apg, 1.4 tpg, 0.9 spg, 16.1 minutes, .411 FG, .309 3PT, .677 FT) Lee was a streaky player. He had worlds of talent and could sometimes use his quickness, speed and jumping ability to put together big-time scoring and rebounding games. Far more often, Lee seemed to hide and was largely ineffective. After a promising junior season during which he became an excellent three-point shooter and double-figure scorer, Lee tailed off drastically last year. All his significant numbers were down, perhaps, some suggested, because he was demoted from the starting lineup after the first game of the season and replaced by freshman Vincent Yarbrough. To his credit, if Lee was disappointed by that move, he never breathed a word to the press. Lee didn't have nearly the impact as a senior that he did a year before, but he managed to make critical contributions in two successive SEC road games in late February. He had 22 points and six rebounds in a win at South Carolina, and 15 points in a victory over Georgia. Had Lee not showed up to play on those nights, Tennessee could well have lost both games. TORREY HARRIS (6-10, F, 2.4 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 0.6 tpg, 0.4 bpg, 0.2 spg, 13.1 minutes, .353 FG, .433 FT) Harris was valuable for two reasons: Post defense and boxing out. The latter skill didn't make him a particularly good rebounder, but he was sure good at keeping opponents away from rebounds. Harris could also take on the other team's leading interior scorer and, if not shut him down, at least make him work for his points. Those skills earned Harris 14 starts last season. He certainly wasn't in the lineup for his offensive ability. Harris shot .353 from the field last season and .433 from the free-throw line. He might have been the least skilled offensive player in the SEC. But Harris will be missed. He was coachable, competitive and a good person who, like Green, Wharton and Rashard Lee, never got in trouble and earned his diploma in four years. AARON GREEN (6-2, G, 3.7 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.2 tpg, 1.2 spg, 12.4 minutes, .396 FG, .333 3PT, .609 FT) Green had some good moments at Tennessee, but was primarily a role player. He had a decent three-point stroke that won a game or two in his career, had a knack for getting in passing lanes and making steals, and was a hard-nosed competitor. Green's drawbacks were turnovers and injuries. He missed nearly a year's worth of games after suffering at least one major injury every season. Last year, he collided with Wharton in a February practice and came away with a nasty thigh bruise that required surgery to alleviate swelling. Green missed eight games, all during the critical late-season run. Not to suggest that Green's presence could have staved off the Southwest Missouri State disaster, but he might have helped in March just by giving the Vols another option at guard when the jumpers of Wharton and Tony Harris went AWOL.QUESTIONS Consistency? Are the Vols ready to give the same, concerted effort every game? When they were unified and focused last season, they could beat any team on their schedule. When they weren't, they could lose to any team on their schedule. Leadership? Will senior C.J. Black assert himself as a leader? Can point guard Tony Harris take over the team?ANSWERS Talent! With Tony Harris, Isiah Victor, Vincent Yarbrough, C.J. Black and others, the Vols have as much pure talent as any team in the league. Depth! For the first time in coach Jerry Green's two seasons, the Vols have a full roster of 13 scholarship players. Competition for playing time should make players work harder to improve.
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Conferences ACC Atlantic 10 Big East Big Sky Big South Big Ten Big 12 Big West Colonial Conference USA Independents Ivy League MAAC Mid-American Mid-Continent Mid-Eastern Athletic MCC Missouri Valley Mountain West Northeast Ohio Valley Pac-10 Patriot SEC Southern Southland Sun Belt SWAC TAAC WAC West Coast | |||||||||||||||
