University of Tennessee men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl wasn’t at Thompson-Boling Arena on Wednesday afternoon, but his program was.

Never mind that Pearl had an out-of-town speaking engagement. This was business as usual.

As the players went through their preseason workouts in groups of four, the intensity and competitiveness were as apparent as ever. And when those virtues became less evident, the UT assistant coaches reminded their players what was expected.

Sometimes, the coaches merely raised their voices. At other times, they called for punitive sprints up-and-down the court.

It was a routine workout on a day that was anything but routine.

More than the head coach was missing. So was senior center Major Wingate.

Pearl will be back. But Wingate is gone for good, dismissed from the program on the brink of what should have been his finest season.

Imagine what the loss of an experienced 6-foot-10 center would have done to the average UT basketball team in the program’s not-so-rich recent history. Now, imagine the impact it will have on the team to come.

There’s a world of difference.

There’s nothing average about this UT basketball team. You don’t need a game to see that.

Newcomers like Wayne Chism (6-foot-9, 230), Duke Crews (6-7, 235) and Tony Passley (6-5, 190) — just to name a few — remind you of the kind of SEC players UT is accustomed to playing against. They’re big, strong and athletic.

My advice to Pearl: Keep them away from UT defensive coordinator John Chavis. He’ll try to recruit them for his defense.

Passley, a redshirt sophomore, heard numerous sales pitches from football coaches at his high school. He said Wednesday that he almost went out for football his senior year, then decided to stick with basketball.

Passley could pass for a football player. Chris Lofton, UT’s star shooting guard, was a high school football player and still looks the part.

Forget their basketball skills. This is a physically impressive basketball team. And I’m not just talking about the newcomers.

Guard JuJuan Smith looks stronger than last year. Sophomore Ryan Childress said he had lost 14 pounds and improved his vertical jump by four inches.

The team’s skills are obvious, too. Chism and Crews, who dunks with the ease of a yawn, aren’t as tall as Wingate, but they’re already more polished and far ahead of him offensively. They likely will join senior Dane Bradshaw on the starting front line, with Childress getting plenty of playing time in reserve.

Bradshaw struggled offensively in the latter part of the 2005-06 season because of a wrist injury, which required surgery right after the season. He showed what he could do with a healthy shooting wrist Wednesday.

Combine Bradshaw’s improved shooting with 3-point marksmen Lofton and Smith and you have the makings of another potent perimeter attack. And I haven’t even mentioned freshman guards Ramar Smith and Marques Johnson, who worked out earlier in the day and have already drawn rave reviews.

That’s not to say Wingate will be easily forgotten — by teammates, fans or media. Photographers loved him because of his on-the-court expressions. Writers knew him as a go-to quote.

Before UT played nationally ranked Texas last December, Wingate was asked about the challenge of facing LeMarcus Aldridge, a future NBA lottery pick.

"Physically, he can’t guard me, and he knows that," said Wingate, who scored 12 points, and held Aldridge without a field goal when matched against him.

Prior to UT’s NCAA tournament game against Wichita State, Wingate was asked about matching up with all-region center Paul Miller.

"Yeah, but his region ain’t that good," said Wingate, who backed up his words the next day with 15 points, seven rebounds, five blocks and held Miller to 10 points.

Given Wingate’s knack for playing his best against big-name players, Bradshaw thought about next January’s UT game with Ohio State and the Buckeyes’ heralded 7-foot center, Greg Oden.

"Playing against a player like Greg Oden, that could have brought the best out of him," Bradshaw said. "But at this point, we’ll never know."

Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knews.com.