Coaches shouted orders, shoes squeaked and rims rattled from thunderous dunks in Thompson-Boling Arena on Tuesday afternoon.

Everyone knows it's football time in Tennessee, but Bruce Pearl's basketball team is working pretty hard, too.

Senior Dane Bradshaw isn't sure if he should compare the start of the Vols' individual workouts to football's two-a-days, but he concedes it's probably close.

"I never played football, so I don't know for sure, plus they're out there in the hot sun and we're inside,'' a sweat-soaked Bradshaw said after Tuesday's session. "But I would guess it's similar.''

UT breaks down its so-called individual workouts into three sessions: wings, bigs and guards.

Chris Lofton, Marques Johnson, Jordan Howell and Josh Tabb made up the guards group; Major Wingate, Wayne Chism, Duke Crews, Ryan Childress and Ben Bosse were the bigs.

Bradshaw, along with JaJuan Smith, Tony Passley and Steven Pearl, worked with the wings.

Crews works with the wings on alternate days, and Bradshaw and Passley trade off and work with the bigs.

Bradshaw knows there's a chance he could wind up back at power forward or at point guard if freshman Ramar Smith isn't granted academic eligibility today.

"I've been having to prepare to play more than one position since I was 8 years old,'' Bradshaw said. "A lot of times I've gotten thrown into a position after a couple other guys didn't work out.''

Bradshaw said that might be the case again, and he's not convinced he has a guaranteed starting spot despite his impressive performance last season.

"Nobody is guaranteed a starting spot, though (Chris) Lofton is an obvious favorite at his spot,'' Bradshaw said. "I don't think I deserve a guaranteed starting spot with all of this competition.''

Bradshaw's unselfish attitude is fostered by team unity.

"The No. 1 thing that happened in individual workouts this summer was the chemistry we developed,'' Bradshaw said. "I can honestly say this is the closest team I've been on since high school.

"We're hanging out together off the court as well as on the court.''

Bradshaw remains somewhat limited by the wrist injury he played through last season. Doctors ruled his torn tendons had healed enough for him to begin shooting after Fourth of July weekend, but he's been limited to 20 shots a day from no farther than the free throw line.

"It's a six-month injury, and I just finished month five,'' Bradshaw said.

Passley, who along with Wingate officially returned from an offseason suspension Tuesday, said he has waited 1A 1/2 years for an opportunity to earn playing time.

"I'm anxious, and I'm curious,'' said Passley, a 6-5 redshirt sophomore who was forced to sit out last season after transferring from Wisconsin-Milwaukee. "I know I'll fit in somewhere; I just want to help the team.''

New Coach: Pearl has had his father there for guidance throughout his career, but Tuesday marked his first day playing directly under him.

"He has always been there for support,'' Steven Pearl said. "But he doesn't treat me like his son out there. I'm just one of his players.''

New Look: Wingate, who has become known for his individualism with his pet snakes and pajama bottoms, is sporting a clean-shaven look.

"I just got too hot; the heat was killing me,'' said Wingate, who shaved his head and is sporting a headband.

A more important change is Wingate's physique. He still weighs 248, but his body fat has dropped from 10 percent to 4 percent.

The Duke: Crews, a freshman, said he's learned just how much he needs to improve on some of his basic skills.

"With the different positions I'll be playing I need to improve my ball-handling and my shooting,'' Crews said. "I need to shoot the same way when I get tired as I'm not.''