December 17 loomed larger for the Tennessee men’s basketball team with each passing day of the early season.

The Vols, off to a 5-0 start, were headed to play Texas, the No. 6 team in the nation, that afternoon.

Sure, first-year coach Bruce Pearl had UT off to a good start, but the battle with the Longhorns was a foregone conclusion, a mark in the loss column.

Texas boasted 6-foot-10 center LeMarcus Aldridge, a projected NBA lottery pick. All Tennessee had was junior Major Wingate, labeled by critics as a 6-10 fool’s gold recruit destined to be a career underachiever.

So imagine the Vol Nation’s surprise when Wingate said before the game that, "Physically, he (Aldridge) can’t guard me, and he knows that.’’

Even more surprising was the result: Tennessee 95, Texas 78, with Wingate scoring 12 points on Aldridge, and Aldridge not scoring one field goal when matched against Wingate.

It wasn’t what anyone expected from the Vols or Wingate. But then, what did anyone really know about the team or its center at that point?

The Beginning

Terri Wingate Cannon, a 48-year-old registered nurse, remembers the first time her youngest son was approached about playing basketball. A curious coach followed him home from elementary school one day in Florence, S.C., wanting to invite the 6-foot fifth-grade prospect out to play for his team.

"Major had never asked me for a basketball or a football at that point, and I wasn’t going to push it on him,’’ Terri said. "He liked his Power Rangers, and Beatle Borgs — those were bugs that turned into robots — and he liked his books from the Reading Rainbow.

"I asked him if he wanted to play, and after practicing with them once, he said, ‘I’ll go, as long as I can take my books.’ ’’

Wingate’s abilities were obvious from the start, as was his gentle personality.

"One game, when he was in seventh grade, one of the guys pushed Major and took the ball from him,’’ Terri said. "When they got to the other end, Major screamed loudly and took the ball back from him and went down and dunked. The guy ran up on Major, and Major said, ‘Sorry, I shouldn’t have snatched the ball from you.’ ’’

Wingate’s career advanced nicely as he advanced through school. As an eighth-grader, he was elevated to Florence’s Wilson High School junior varsity team.

But as Wingate grew, so did the expectations. Terri remembers the pressures that led to her son going to live with his uncle, also named Major, to attend North Gwinnett (Ga.) High his senior season.

"Major had developed stress, losing his hair and his blood pressure was elevated,’’ Terri said. "His coach leaned on him a lot. He had different coaches at the school meeting Major, Nike sponsors, and even an agent came there.’’

Terri requested a meeting with the coach and the principal.

"I told them I gave birth to him, and he was 11 pounds and six ounces,’’ she said. "I didn’t go through all that pain for nothing. You’re not taking over.’’

After visiting the Atlanta area, North Gwinnett was the pick. It was large, and the people there were friendly, and that was good enough for the Wingate family.

Rocky Top

Major Wingate took a liking to Tennessee, and it was the only school he was interested in visiting twice.

But his first two years with the Vols and former coach Buzz Peterson weren’t what he expected.

"He (Major) said to me, ‘People will tell you whatever they need to tell you to get you at a place, and then when I got here, things weren’t the way they said they would be,’ ’’ Terri said. "I told Coach Peterson, ‘Major’s not smiling.’ ’’

The change was nearly immediate when Pearl was hired last March. Pearl told Wingate he was valuable and he was needed.

But at the time of Pearl’s hire, Wingate had more important matters on his mind.

His mother, who had already had four strokes, suffered a heart attack.

"It was hard to concentrate on basketball,’’ Wingate said. "I went home, but I couldn’t stay for long. I had to get back for summer school.

"I still worry about her all the time. I’m very close with my mother.’’

Wingate said he talks with Pearl about his family situation regularly.

"Coach is like a father figure to me,’’ Wingate said.

Wingate’s parents were divorced when he was 5 years old, and he hasn’t had much contact with his father.

While in high school, with his twin sisters graduated and out of the house, and his older brother in the Navy, Wingate worked two jobs to help support his mother; one at an athletic shoe store, another at an athletic clothing shop.

Wingate, who got his first car this year, said he still sends some of his Pell Grant money home.

Terri, who has been to three games during her son’s career at UT, said he needn’t worry so much.

"I told him the time he comes home and I’m not here, that means I’m in heaven,’’ said Terri.. "I told him he needs to be good so he could see me there.’’

Wingate also struggled when his close friend and former teammate Jemere Hendrix was dismissed from the team before the season started. He understood the reasons — Hendrix was involved in an altercation with former UT football player Daniel Brooks — but he partially blamed himself.

"He (Hendrix) is influenced by the people he hangs around,’’ Wingate said. "If I was there, he wouldn’t have been getting into a fight in the first place.’’

Alas, Wingate is learning he can only control himself, and for now that’s more than enough.

The Good Life

Major Wingate is smiling again. And what’s not to love about life? He’s a starter on the SEC’s East Division champions, a team ranked 14th in the nation that has drawn the fifth-largest home attendance in the nation.

Ask most anyone in Knoxville who Major Wingate is, and they’ll likely know the answer.

But as for knowing who he really is ? who would guess he has at least four snakes, a pit bull and a lizard?

"He’s got three dogs, two snakes and a partridge in a pear tree,’’ Pearl said. "I’m like, ‘’Gate, let’s take care of ourselves first. Let’s take care of No. 1.’ That’s his jersey number, you know.’’

Wingate smiled and unleashed his deep chuckle when asked about his pets.

"My brother got me into the snakes,’’ Wingate said. "We’d watch the Discovery Channel together. My mother used to be terrified of snakes, but now she feeds them.’’

Live rabbits or Colossal Rats are his python’s food of choice. Three of his snakes live with his mother. His lizard — a 4-foot long monitor — lives with friends of his parents in Georgia.

Over the summer, however, the UT basketball staff got a close look — and smell — of one of Wingate’s former dogs.

"He brought his dog in and it peed on the carpet in the office,’’ UT assistant coach Jason Shay said with a laugh.

"That was Bruno,’’ Wingate said. "Somebody in our marketing department adopted him.’’

UT guard Chris Lofton said he likes almost everything about Wingate.

"Major is just laid-back and chilled,’’ Lofton said. "But I don’t like his dogs. I don’t want to be around them.’’

UT point guard C.J. Watson broke his normally stoic expression when asked his opinion of Wingate.

"He’s a different kind of fellow, for sure,’’ Watson said with a smile. "He played with a grill in ? and he wears pink shirts.’’

A grill, Watson explained, is a gold-plated accessory worn like a mouthpiece.

Terri explained her son wanted to look "gangster’’ against the competition, perhaps to intimidate.

"I told him as long as it comes out after the games ?,’’ she said.

As for the pink shirts, it’s a good match for the pajama bottoms he likes to wear after games.

"My mom makes them for me,’’ Wingate said. "She sews and does crafts to relieve her stress.’’

All of bottoms have a tag within them: "Made by mom with love.’’ There are rubber ducky pajama bottoms, frogs and hearts, and moons and stars.

"Major certainly isn’t afraid to bring attention to himself,’’ Pearl said. "I encourage my players to be individuals off the court. It’s part of the college experience. As long as they are neat and clean, I give them their freedom.’’

Major Contributor

Wingate has heard talk-show callers criticize his game at times, specifically, his rebounding.

"I’ve set out to do a lot, and I haven’t done it all yet,’’ said Wingate, who averages 3.8 rebounds per game but is scoring 10.3 points an outing with a team-high .552 field-goal percentage. "When they (fans) are sitting in the stands, it’s hard for them to know exactly what’s going on on the court. Sometimes, I end up boxing out two or three men.’’

Wingate has done it in pain, having suffered through an ankle injury, a wrist injury, a foot injury and most recently a hand injury.

The foot injury was most serious and was expected to sideline Wingate for the Nov. 22 match up with Louisiana-Lafayette and its 6-10 center, former Kentucky and Georgia Tech signee Michael Southall.

Wingate spent two nights rehabilitating his foot in the training room and made a surprise start, scoring 12 points, grabbing three rebounds and blocking three shots.

The Vols prevailed, 83-76, and Southall was held to four points and four rebounds.

"Major has been a consistent scorer and defender,’’ Pearl said. "He’s been consistent with his life and academics.

"He’s showed some toughness, played through some injuries and show maturity.’’

And Wingate shows compassion.

"I have a 3-year-old daughter, Peija, and she knows one player on our team by name, Major,’’ Shay said. "She knows him because he takes time every time he sees her.

"That’s Major. He works with the boys and girls clubs every time we bring him in here, and he likes entertaining kids,’’ he said. "He’s low-keyed, soft-spoken ? he’s a gentle giant.’’

That is, until the tip-offs.

"I can tell when Major is getting in a zone,’’ UT forward Andre Patterson said. "He gets to yelling and dunking. That’s the ’Gate we love.’’

Pearl just shakes his head in summing up his starting center.

"He’s a wonderful young man,’’ Pearl said. "Major is my guy.’’