Tennessee strength and conditioning coach Troy Wills will be the first to tell you that he's just now getting well-versed in the minutia of collegiate basketball rules.

Many times last year, Wills leaped from the bench as though ready to protest a call, before sitting down and discussing it with the player sitting next to him.

"That was a foul, wasn't it?''

Wills, hired by UT in 2003, laughs about how easily he gets caught up in the emotions generated by Bruce Pearl-coached teams.

Pearl appreciates that enthusiasm, and many times has praised Wills for the development of his basketball team, which relies heavily on its strength and conditioning in its style of play.

Pearl knows when it comes to making the calls in the offseason strength and conditioning program, Wills, a three-year letterman on the Emory & Henry football team, has a decisive whistle.

Here's a breakdown from Wills on each of the returning Vols' players:

Chris Lofton

"Chris' greatest physical attribute is his strength, so we'll base everything we do, as far as making him more agile, on that strength. There are some little things, like Chris continuing to stay in a good defensive stance when he's tired and fatigued. We're not worried about building Chris' strength because he'll continue to shoot as we work out, adjusting his shot to the strength.

Ramar Smith

"Ramar has worked incredibly hard and taken it to another level. He's just something I haven't seen before as far as his quickness and explosiveness. Just watching him in drills he'll look like a bullet going down the floor next season.''

JaJuan Smith

"JaJuan is another player who has worked very hard. His regular (standstill) vertical jump is between 35 and 36 inches - the average NBA vertical is 33 inches. But what the scouts will really look for is explosiveness, and how he runs to power (jumps). JaJuan's is over 43 inches.''

Ryan Childress

"Ryan understands what his training did for him last season, and he's approached this offseason like he wants to reach another level. He's constantly asking about his diet and nutrition.''

JP Prince

"He weighed 186 when he got here and he's up to 200. He's a lot stronger than he looks. JP is very limber and very fluid, and he has some potential to add some long athleticism that we've missed since Andre Patterson left.''

Duke Crews

"Duke's not as strong as he looks, but his strength will catch up to his build. He has big, thick legs, and they don't run very long before getting tired, so we'll try to trim those legs up. Last year he weighed 236; we'll get him down to maybe 230.''

Wayne Chism

"If you look at Wayne's face and shoulders, I'm not sure Wayne has reached his physical maturity. He's baby-faced, you know? With Wayne it's a matter of that physical maturity and he'll explode. He's one of the fastest big men you'll see, and he has excellent feet.''

Josh Tabb

"Tabb came in here a year older than the other freshmen, so he already had some man strength. He arrived as the second-fastest player on the team, behind only JaJuan. Josh can really move and you've seen he plays hard.''

Jordan Howell

"Jordan does everything right to maximize what he has to work with. He only weighs 180, but he's fast and quick, and he's strong for his size. Breaking his hand twice last year really set him back.''

Steven Pearl

"Steven is coming along real well. He's our strongest player. He needs to work on his movement, lateral quickness, but when it comes to strength, the other day he benched 185 25 times and it keeps going up. He's almost as strong as Major (Wingate) was.

Summary

"You know it seems crazy not to be talking about Dane Bradshaw. Dane really set the tone for us in the weight room. He could turn a tight, 20-minute workout into a sweat-soaked, barely-breathing deal. I think Ryan Childress is gradually bringing that same approach back to the room, and Ramar, he just does everything he's told and working out like he's got a hunger.''