Any Volunteers? Pearl wants them

Tennessee’s new men’s basketball coach is looking for help next fall.

He wants bodies. He wants to load up his team with as many walk-ons as possible.

"One of the things I’m going to be introducing is a gray team," Pearl said this week. "The gray’s will be a group of non-scholarship players."

In Pearl’s system of up-tempo basketball, the more practice players on hand the better.

"I will carry more non-scholarship players than most," he said. "I like to practice with a minimum of 15 players and sometimes as many as 18."

Pee Wee Gash, Fred Smithwick, Eddie DeBro and Elliott DeVoe spent time working as walk-ons this past season. Smithwick has graduated.

"Sometimes we’re struggling to get 10 guys out (for pickup games)," Pearl said. "We’re going to need five to seven walk-ons.

"Those guys in the non-scholarship positions are all doing it for the right reasons. I’d just like to get the word out that we’re going to be looking for people."

Whether it’s orange vs. white, shirts vs. skins, or orange vs. gray, Pearl is planning on finding as many able-bodied UT students as possible willing to help his program.

"Those guys are a part of something big here at Tennessee," he said. "Their practice is their games, so they bring it."

Pearl is planning on having tryouts in the fall.

"When you play nine or 10 guys like we do, and you have 13 guys on scholarship, let’s say one guy is redshirting, one guy gets hurt, you’re down to 11 bodies," he said. "I can’t tell you how often a walk-on will work his way into the rotation and actually play."

Pearl’s job at hand is finalizing his crop of actual scholarship players.

Maurice Thomas is one of a couple of players expected to visit Knoxville this weekend.

The 6-foot-8 forward from Philadelphia could provide immediate help for UT’s depleted inside game.

Thomas averaged 16 points, 11 rebounds at Philadelphia Lutheran Academy.

Thomas committed to UNLV, but changed his mind.

He’s also receiving interest from North Carolina and Wake Forest.

Final Bill: Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton said UT’s final bill from the Champ Sports search firm came to $30,216 in expenses, plus the original $25,000 hiring fee.