He's playful, he's brash, he's competitive, and he's coming to an arena near you.

"He'' is Tennessee freshman forward Willard "Duke'' Crews, 6-feet-7 inches and 240 pounds worth of pulse-pounding basketball action.

"I can already see it,'' UT senior Dane Bradshaw said. "Duke is going to be the fan favorite.''

What's not to like about him? Not only can Crews produce the highlight dunks with his 40-inch vertical leap, but he also plays defense with a passion.

Crews doesn't just want to win at Tennessee; he wants the Vols to win it all, and he's not shy about saying so.

"Looking at the great shooters, upperclassmen and the freshmen on this team, you know we won't all be off on the same night,'' Crews said. "Who's going to beat us, really?''

Crews has anointed the Vols' signing class as the "Fab Five,'' a label not dared to be worn by a collegiate group since Michigan sported the likes of future NBA stars Chris Webber, Jalen Rose and Juwan Howard in 1992.

Crews is his own man and has been since his sophomore year of high school when he moved from his mother's house in Penns Grove, N.J., to live with his brother in Hampton, Va.

"I told Duke as long as you know you're not coming here for fun or pleasure, it's good,'' said Terrence Patrick, who was playing football and basketball at Division III Newport News Apprentice School at the time.

"Duke was like any other teenager; he wanted his friends to come over,'' said Patrick, 6A 1/2 years Duke's senior. "I told him he had to have his homework done before he went anywhere.

"As far as living with me, Duke's my best friend, and I'd do anything for him.''

So long as mother Louise Patrick approves.

Crews worked hard to win the approval of his mother long before he started wowing fans on the basketball court.

"Watching how hard my mother worked growing up, her being a single mom, I knew I had to work hard when I moved with my brother,'' said Crews, who made the move to improve his athletic opportunities. "I knew I had to keep myself in line.''

Louise had already told Duke she was "only a four-hour drive away, and you never know when I'll pop in on you.''

Louise Patrick worked up to three jobs at a time to support her sons, taking what little time she had off to attend their sporting events.

Crews was somewhat of a late bloomer, not playing organized basketball until eighth grade.

"Duke was asthmatic as a kid, so I never really pushed him to play sports, because I was afraid of what would happen,'' Louise Patrick said. "By the end of the eighth-grade year, he had outgrown that.''

Not really, Crews said.

"I just quit taking my medicine, and broke myself of it,'' Crews said. "When I'd have trouble breathing, I'd just fight through it.''

Crews takes that same competitive attitude to the floor, and that has led him to being the unofficial King of the Vols' pickup games.

It's not that Crews is the best player on the team -- it's too hard to decipher that at this point -- it's just his style of play and nature.

Crews' street-ball experience from New Jersey lends itself to the wide-open style seen in pick-up play, and his size and strength make him the most physical scorer on the court.

Finally, there's the inevitable arguments that occur when players are calling their own fouls in pick up games.

The only player on the team who wins those arguments with Crews is Bradshaw, who's just as competitive, but perhaps more importantly, has won over the respect of the incoming freshmen.

Crews bought into UT coach Bruce Pearl during recruiting, picking the Vols over North Carolina, Wake Forest and Georgetown before UT had taken the court last season.

Watching the Vols play, Crews was even more committed to the intense defense, effort and teamwork that makes Pearl's game plan work.

Crews said last spring his personal goal was to be SEC Freshman of the Year.

Since, he has adjusted that goal.

"Let me put it like this,'' Crews said. "If it's not me, it's gonna be one of my teammates.

"I realize my role has changed because of circumstances,'' Crews said, referring to the dismissal of center Major Wingate. "I'll need to rebound more and check bigger players. Hey, if that helps us win, I'm cool with that. Whatever the team needs, I can do it.''

Crews said he's not concerned with facing older, more physical players in the SEC this season, either.

"If they want to play rough, we can do that,'' Crews said. "And if they want to try to take a charge, they'll be on SportsCenter that night, because I'm gonna fly over them.

"I can't wait for this season to get started, you just watch and see what I'm saying.''