UT slogan to Pearl's liking

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - In Bruce Pearl's first season as men's basketball coach at Tennessee, the team slogan was, "It's a whole new ball game."

Year two, it was: "Tennessee basketball, we're back," even though Pearl had a slight objection.

"It was too soon to say 'we were back. I wanted to say, 'It, is back,' " he said. "But it was too late, and the posters were already made."

This year's slogan is "Commitment."

"A lot of people talk about my marketing, but I'm really not that creative," Pearl said. "But I know what I like when I hear it, and a lot of people have come to me with ideas. Some were kind of corny and canned, like 'Pearl Jam.'"

The "Commitment" tag struck a chord with Pearl as the Vols soldiered through an offseason away from Thompson-Boling Arena, which underwent nearly $20 million of renovations.

"So I'm looking at guys in hard hats, wheelbarrows full of dirt, and all these skilled craftsmen," Pearl said. "I thought, 'Look at what these guys are doing for us, and what a big commitment from the university.'

"We need to show that type of commitment as a team."

Pearl said despite his success the past two seasons and the team's preseason hype, the program has not arrived.

"Are we a top-20 program? Not yet. We are not a top-20 program yet," Pearl said. "We finished in the top 20 the last two years, we're picked in the top 20 this year, and Tennessee athletics is clearly a top-20 program.

"If we finish in the top 20 again this season, maybe we're getting closer to being that."

Close Call: Mississippi State guard Jamont Gordon, who received two votes for preseason SEC player of the year, said he was coming to Tennessee had former coach Buzz Peterson not been fired after the 2004-05 season.

"It was so real, I was definitely going to UT," Gordon said. "But then Coach Peterson got fired, and I didn't think Coach Pearl showed a lot of interest in me."

Gordon, who is from Nashville, said he's very happy at Mississippi State, but he has wondered what it would have been like to play for Pearl.

"I thought about it, if I was at UT at this position or that position," Gordon said. "Coach Pearl is a great coach and he's taken it to another level. They are more talked about now."

Gordon and UT transfer Tyler Smith were planning on going to the same school.

"Tyler and me went on a lot of visits together and kept in contact," Gordon said. "A lot of people don't know about Tyler, but he's going to do good and create a lot of match-up problems."

Smith signed with UT in November 2004, but never made it to campus in the aftermath of the coaching transition. He attended Hargrave Military Academy and later Iowa.

Team To Beat: Pearl said he's not ducking expectations, but when asked the team to beat in the SEC East his answer was Kentucky.

"If you made me pick the team to beat, that would be Kentucky," Pearl said. "I just think it's their depth, their backcourt and their experience."

Ready To Rumble: Mississippi State center Charles Rhodes said the Bulldogs are looking forward to playing the Vols.

"I got so many teammates from Tennessee, they are all ready for that game," Rhodes said. "They got me looking forward to it."

Rhodes said centers Wayne Chism and Duke Crews play hard.

"They show a lot of heart," Rhodes said. "Chism is a quick big man with a jumper, and Crews is solid on the block and gets the garbage rebounds."

Politically correct: Kentucky coach Billy Gillespie went woefully bland to avoid any bulletin board material when it came to UT.

"I have great respect for every team in the league," Gillespie said, asked about the unavoidable rivalry he and Pearl are sure to have. "I would assume we'll recruit against every school in the SEC."

Gillespie said the team he tips his hat to is further south.

"The benchmark is the team (Florida) that's won the national championship two times in a row," he said. "You're the champion until someone knocks you off the throne."

Sleeper: Georgia guard Sundiata Gaines said UT's Ramar Smith is the player he was most often matched up with when the team's met last season.

"Ramar is developing as a player. We didn't put too much focus on him but he's one of their sleepers," Gaines said. "He's got a chance to be one of the top two point guards in the league."

Watch List: Lofton has been named one of 50 preseason candidates for the Wooden Award, which is named after legendary UCLA coach John Wooden.

Four other SEC players made the preseason list: Patrick Beverley (Arkansas), Shan Foster (Vanderbilt), Gordon (Mississippi State) and Richard Hendrix (Alabama).