Alabama-Birmingham assistant Scott Edgar is bringing his Memphis connections to the staff of Tennessee men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl.

"Scott Edgar was my choice from the very beginning," Pearl said in announcing his final staff hire on Wednesday.

"I looked at a lot of great coaching candidates and his name still remained at the top of the list."

Edgar's hiring means Chuck Benson will not be retained by the Vols.

Benson was the only UT assistant kept on board in the wake of Buzz Peterson's firing on March 13, but Pearl told Benson of his release on Wednesday.

Edgar comes to Knoxville after spending the past three seasons as a UAB assistant under Mike Anderson.

Three weeks ago, Anderson was a finalist along with Pearl for Tennessee's coaching vacancy.

Pearl met and interviewed Edgar during a visit to the Final Four in St. Louis earlier this month.

A delay in bringing Edgar to UT came when the 49-year-old was named a finalist for the coaching vacancy at Louisiana-Monroe. On Sunday, Louisiana-Monroe hired Alabama assistant Orlando Early.

Pearl also interviewed Tom Schuberth of Central Florida, Benson and Ed Conroy, another former Peterson assistant.

Benson was considered a key reason Giles County High School forward Tyler Smith signed with Tennessee in November. Smith still hasn't told Pearl he's completely sold and in the UT fold.

Pearl already brought with him former University Wisconsin-Milwaukee assistants Tony Jones (recruiting coordinator) and Jason Shay with him to UT.

Edgar, the final piece of the puzzle, also has head-coaching experience at Murray State and Duquesne. But what caught Pearl's attention was Edgar's ability to recruit Memphis.

As an assistant to Nolan Richardson at Arkansas 1985-1991, Edgar earned a reputation as a strong recruiter in the Southeast, specifically the talent-rich Memphis area.

"From the very minute I got the job at Tennessee," Pearl said, "I wanted to add someone to the coaching staff with a wealth of experience, great recruiting contacts in the southeast and who would challenge my thinking in coaching.

"It's my hope that Scott can help us do at Tennessee what he helped Nolan do at Arkansas."

Edgar compiled a 79-40 record in his four years at Murray State, guiding the Racers to two NCAA tournaments and two NIT appearances.

Pearl also confirmed Ken Johnson, his former assistant at the UWM and Southern Indiana, is UT's new director of basketball operations.

"With Ken, you've got a terrific role model for our student-athletes," Pearl said. "He is a tireless worker who is very organized. Ken has been with me the last six years and he knows how I expect things to be done."