A blend of talent and unity

But if you closely watch the Pilot Rocky Top League basketball games at Bearden High School, which feature Tennessee Vol players split up among six teams, you'll witness the evolution of the 2007 UT team.

Case in point, the battle between Duke Crews and incoming Iowa transfer Tyler Smith in Monday's opening game.

Crews scored 44 points and pulled down 15 rebounds while matched up with Tyler Smith. Most of Crews' points came on dunks while Smith was switched off or not in the game.

But some dunks came on Smith, and they were just as authoritative as the others.

Smith, meanwhile, had 33 points and 10 rebounds, scoring from all over the court with 3-pointers, drives and jump shots. His ball-handling skills are more polished than those of Crews; so, too, is his passing touch.

In short, it's the boxer vs. the puncher. Crews' power game matched up with Smith's versatility, both players packaged in muscular 6-foot-7 frames, both with a history of achieving goals and winning battles.

It would have been easy for some to assume that this was a competition that could get personal before the season starts.

After all, if Smith wins his appeal with the NCAA and is declared eligible, there's a chance he could earn a starting spot.

That means there's a chance Crews won't return to the starting lineup. Or maybe there's an outside chance JaJuan Smith gets bumped out, or perhaps J.P. Prince won't get the starting spot he was eying after transferring from Arizona.

It's relatively safe to assume Ramar Smith, Chris Lofton and Wayne Chism have starting spots in hand provided they continue to work hard and stay out of trouble.

It's all good watercooler talk.

But it is not orange Gatorade talk between the players.

Tyler Smith and Crews shared a warm embrace after a 40-minute sweat-fest filled with elbows, jersey grabs and hip checks, and joked about the audacity of their offensive numbers.

"This isn't going to be some personal battle with me and Tyler,'' Crews said. "I've known Tyler a long time, and I love it that he's with our program because he's a great player and it makes us better. You know me, I hate to lose and I wanted to win the game tonight.''

Smith, who has played high school, AAU or All-Star games with or against most all of the current UT players, including Crews, is clearly happy just to be a part of it all.

Smith refers to himself as an "extra part'' on the team, adding that "For us to win the national championship, we'll have to be like Florida, with everyone playing a role.''

As for those starting positions, UT coach Bruce Pearl will work it out. It's a good problem to have, if it's a problem at all.

Remember how Chism got his first start last season? Crews went to Pearl and suggested it before the Memphis game. Before the season had started, Chism told Pearl he didn't care who started.

Part of Pearl's magic is that his players share common goals and trust him to do what's best for the team.

Every team preaches it, but few actually pull it off.

Watch the Rocky Top League games and you'll see plenty of competition between the Vols as they battle to earn respect from one another.

But watch them afterward, and you'll see no matter what color their jerseys on Monday and Wednesday nights, they're still on the same team.

Great Dane: Not surprisingly, Dane Bradshaw remains a crowd favorite. The program's poster-boy showed why by showing up two hours early Monday to sign copies of his book "Vertical Leap'' and mingle with fans.

"If the picture didn't come out right, you can take it again,'' Bradshaw said to a pair of teenage girls who took turns photographing each other with one of UT's latest sports icons.

"It's funny, I spent my career playing in an arena in front of 20,000 people, but the crowd got me really excited when I walked in here tonight,'' Bradshaw said. "It brings back memories of playing in a closed-in gym.''

Bradshaw, who had six points on 3-of-9 shooting Monday, leaves for a one-week camp in Frankfurt, Germany, next Tuesday.

"It's like an evaluation camp,'' Bradshaw said. "I'll learn more about where I may land in July.''

In and Out: Ryan Childress injured his ankle while playing pickup basketball back home in Cincinnati and will be out for an undetermined amount of time.

Phoenix Suns' Jalen Rose is expected to make his debut Monday on the Kingston Alley team, and Vincent Yarbrough of the First Tennessee team will begin play when his team is eliminated from the German League playoffs.

Free Throw Woes: Remember how free throws were the undoing of last year's Sweet 16 Tennessee team?

The Vols were 8-of-17 from the line in their season-ending 85-84 loss to Ohio State and shot .653 on the year.

Monday night, UT's current players shot worse from the charity stripe, going a combined 40-of-64 (.625).

The good news was Tyler Smith (5-of-6), Chism (8-of-9) and Ramar Smith (7-of-8).

The bad news: The rest of the team collectively shot under 50 percent, and Chris Lofton got to the free-throw line just once.

Passley Transfer: Former UT player Tony Passley ended up at Southern Indiana, where Pearl began his head coaching career.

"Tony is an outstanding athlete,'' USI coach Rick Herdes said in a release. "He has the ability to get to the bucket and be a scorer. Plus with his size and jumping ability he will be a presence on the boards.''

Passley, who averaged 1.8 points and 1.7 rebounds in 17 games last season, has two years of eligibility remaining.