NCAA clears Smith to join Vols

Tennessees mens basketball team took another step toward a national championship run with the news of Tyler Smiths appeal for immediate eligibility being granted Friday afternoon.

Smith transferred to UT after being granted his release from Iowa — where he was an All-Big Ten freshman — after the spring term.

Smith, from Pulaski, filed an appeal for eligibility to play this season so that his father, Billy, could see him play.

Billy Smith, who has moved to McMinnville, is being treated for lung cancer, and his condition has not improved.

This is a good example of the NCAA doing the right thing in the best interest of the student-athlete, UT coach Bruce Pearl said. This isnt a surprise to me; this is how the system is supposed to work.

The versatile Smith is a player who will make Pearls controlled chaos system work even better.

Smiths skills have been on exhibition in the Pilot Rocky Top League, where hes averaging 29 points per game while shooting 57.5 percent from the floor for the News Sentinel team on Monday and Wednesday nights at Bearden High School.

The college season will be different for him, and I think we need to be somewhat guarded and not get ahead of ourselves, Pearl said. But Tyler is versatile; he can break you down off the bounce, he can score around the basket with great efficiency and hes very unselfish.

And Smith, a 6-foot-7, 235-pound wing, might not even be starting.

Not that it matters to Smith, who refers to himself as an extra part. Nor does starting status figure heavily in Pearls system, where players rotate often and play similar minutes.

I think the rotation has a chance to get to nine, and my teams play best when we get a lot of people playing, Pearl said. There will be more competition for positions than ever before, and that can help with injuries and foul trouble.

Tennessee was ranked in the top 10 in offseason collegiate basketball polls before Smiths appeal to the NCAA was granted.

Now, the Vols are deeper, stronger and more talented.

And were still a family, UT forward Duke Crews said. Tyler belongs here with us; weve all known him since we started playing.

In addition to Smith, the Vols have added J.P. Prince, a 6-foot-8 transfer from Arizona, and another former Tennessee high school standout (White Station) who has come home.

We graduated Dane Bradshaw, Pearl said, And now Tyler, along with J.P., are guys that will make a difference in that spot.

Smith issued the following statement in a UT release:

Im appreciative of the University for working with the NCAA and their support during the process, he said. Im anxious to play and contribute as a member of next years team.