"It is great to be back home,'' Tyler Smith said Wednesday.

Some University of Tennessee basketball fans might balk at the "back" part, but they will likely welcome Smith with open arms — just as they were prepared to do two years ago.

The Smith/Tennessee saga came full circle Wednesday when UT announced the 6-foot-7 forward from Giles County had been admitted to school and will begin summer classes Monday.

So Smith will play in a Tennessee uniform after all. The only question is this season or next.

Considering Smith's credentials, Vol fans will likely consider it better late than never.

Smith signed with UT in November 2004, but never made it to campus in the aftermath of the coaching transition from Buzz Peterson to Bruce Pearl.

"Our program and Tyler's situation have changed,'' Pearl said Wednesday, "and it is clear to me that this has a chance to work out for Tyler and the University of Tennessee.''

Smith played for Hargrave Military Academy in 2005-06 and then for the University of Iowa last winter.

Smith asked for and received a release from Iowa on April 20 and has been pointing toward enrollment at Tennessee ever since.

NCAA transfer rules would require that Smith, 20, sit out 2007-08, with three seasons of eligibility remaining.

However, UT will appeal for a hardship waiver based on the fact that Smith left Iowa to be closer to his dad, Billy Smith, who is ill with cancer.

There is some precedent for an appeal to succeed but it could be a while before the NCAA reaches a decision.

"It feels great to get everything situated,'' Smith said in a UT release. "It's been kind of crazy since I announced I was leaving Iowa.''

Not as crazy as it got in April 2005, when Smith announced he wanted out of his letter-of-intent to UT and then Pearl refused to give him a release.

When Smith signed with the Vols the previous November, it was the culmination of a three-year recruiting quest by Peterson and his staff.

Smith was easily the most prized catch of the Peterson era. UT hoped an upcoming wave of in-state talent would follow him to Knoxville.

But when UT canned Peterson at the end of the 2004-05 season — and Pearl declined to retain Chuck Benson, the assistant who had helped recruit Smith — the Smiths took a wait-and-see posture with Pearl.

By the time the parties had a second face-to-face meeting, Smith asked for a release.

For the first time in his coaching career, Pearl refused to grant one, saying the Smiths never gave him and his staff a chance. Pearl's stance prevented Smith from getting an athletic scholarship from another program for the coming year.

Smith ultimately failed to meet the minimum academic admission standards and headed to Hargrave, a prep school in Virginia.

A couple of months later, UT turned itself in for a secondary NCAA violation and disassociated booster Donny Cameron of Franklin for two years because of alleged illegal contact with the Smiths during the recruiting process.

In April 2006, Smith signed with Iowa, where Peterson's close friend, Steve Alford, was the coach.

Smith had a standout freshman year with the Hawkeyes, averaging 14.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and handing out 111 assists. He was voted third-team All-Big Ten and named to the conference All-Freshman team.

On March 23, Alford bolted for a fresh start at New Mexico. Four weeks later, Iowa released Smith to transfer.

"I would be remiss,'' Pearl said, "if I did not publicly acknowledge the University of Iowa's support for Tyler and his family.

"Coach Todd Lickliter came into a tough situation and has allowed Tyler the opportunity to be close to his family.''

Billy Smith has since moved from Pulaski to McMinnville, about two hours from Knoxville.

"To be able to hop in a car on a weekend to visit my father and my family is important to me,'' Tyler Smith said. "Anytime my family needs me I am only a couple of hours away.''

The Vols prospered the past two years without Smith. Now that he's on board, they would love to see him win his appeal and play this season with seniors-to-be Chris Lofton and JaJuan Smith.

Tennessee returns everyone from the NCAA tournament Sweet 16 team except power forward Dane Bradshaw.

The Vols are already assured of one quality addition. J.P. Prince, a transfer from Arizona, becomes eligible for the second semester.