The 931 area code was good to Tennessee the last time the Vols dialed it up. Marcus Haislip came out of Lewisburg to blossom into an NBA lottery pick.

Now UT is banking on a couple of new small-town Middle Tennessee products to help get the program over the hump.

Tyler Smith of Pulaski and Matthew Dotson of Centerville will officially become future Vols this week as the early signing period began Wednesday. They will be joined by South Carolina center Damion Harris.

Smith has been at the center of Tennessee's radar screen for several years. Dotson was virtually unknown outside the coaching staff until he committed less than two weeks ago.

Coach Buzz Peterson stayed quiet Wednesday as UT awaits the paperwork on three recruits. Smith said Wednesday night he will forward his papers today.

"I have a good feeling I can come in and help,'' the 6-foot-7 forward said.

"The first time I ever went up there I fell in love with Knoxville, the atmosphere, the coaching staff, everything.

"And I did it for my family, too, so they can come see me.''

In Smith, Peterson has landed his most significant recruit since he took over the program. Smith might or might not one day be a lottery pick, but the perception was that Tennessee had to get him and the Vols did.

"He's going to UT and that's great,'' Giles County coach Billy Holt said. "I don't think he's the type of kid who's going to put pressure on himself. He knows what he can do and can't do.''

Asked how he had seen Smith develop in the past year, Holt kept coming back to the "M" word.

"He's more mature,'' Holt said. "He's just matured all the way around.

"Physically, he's gotten stronger carrying the ball to the basket. He's handling the leadership role. He's shooting it a lot better.''

Smith said perimeter shooting is a point of emphasis, even though he'll have to play inside most of the time for Giles County this year.

"I work on it after practice,'' he said. "That's fine. I want to do that (shoot outside in games) but I can't because we have guards.''

Smith brings the more-impressive credentials and reputation to the table. But he and Dotson share at least one crucial common denominator.

They're basketball players, not just athletes.

Holt on Smith: "He's just got a knack for the game of basketball.''

Hickman County coach Ron Puckett on Dotson: "He has a huge basketball IQ.''

The 6-8 Dotson was probably headed to the Ohio Valley Conference until Tennessee swooped in late. Several major schools sniffed around, but none offered until UT came through.

Arizona, Puckett said, wondered if Dotson would go to prep school for another year of seasoning. Stanford and Virginia Tech made inquiries.

"I was really surprised nobody offered,'' Puckett said, "especially considering the summer he had in AAU. He had a lot of good games against good teams.

"I think Tennessee fans are really going to like him after a year or two when they see how hard he works.''

Puckett said the thing that gives Dotson a chance to make it in the SEC is he can score inside or out.

"Usually 6-8 guys are one-dimensional,'' Puckett said. "Matthew is tough to guard because he can go either way.''

Puckett has heard the comparisons to a couple of former Vanderbilt guys, Dan Langhi and Matt Freije. Both were big guys who could shoot. Both were recruiting steals who became All-SEC players.

"Matthew has a better inside game than Langhi,'' Puckett said, "but that's comparing him to two pretty good players. If you're talking style of game, you can see the similarity, but he's going to have to bust it and work hard (to justify the comparisons).''

Where They Went: Here's a roundup of some prospects UT was involved with at some point and where they're headed: Devan Downey (Cincinnati); Josh Thornton (Georgetown); Keaton Grant (Missouri); K.C. Rivers (Clemson); Anthony Mason Jr. (St. John's); Joey Cameron, Josh Dollard and Jarvis Hill (Auburn).

As for the state's other top prospects: J.P. Prince (Arizona); Reginald and Richard Delk (Mississippi State); Lawrence Kinnard (UAB).

Recruiting Tidbits: A number of schools are cashing in on the demise of the 5/8 rule. Ole Miss will sign seven players and Memphis six. Tennessee might use the University of Washington as inspiration that a major-conference program without much recent fanfare can hit it big. The Huskies' recruiting class will be ranked in the top five this year. However, Washington has an edge the Vols don't - homegrown talent in a major metropolitan area. Give coach Lorenzo Romar credit for keeping a couple of good ones home. Ranard Robinson, a 6-11 center formerly of Hume-Fogg in Nashville, is signing with South Carolina after a year in a California community college. Two top-150 big men still on the market list interest in the Vols: Quinton Thornton of Orlando, Fla.; Rousean Cromwell, formerly of Memphis, now in Florida.

Exhibition Notes: Eckerd led Florida in the first half Tuesday night. The Gators were up 46-41 at the half and pulled away to win, 90-70. In Kentucky's 79-54 win over Kentucky Wesleyan, 7-3 Wildcat sophomore Shagari Alleyne blocked eight shots in 12 minutes.

Mike Strange may be reached at 865-342-6276 or strange2@knews.com.