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UT's Duke Crews reacts to a call against Tennessee during the first round of the NIT Tip-Off against Fordham in Nashville last season.
Tennessee sophomore Duke Crews said Monday it feels good to be running with his teammates once again.
Crews has been reinstated to the men's basketball team after serving a 30-day suspension for violations of team rules.
"It feels great to be back; it was hard being away, and I've talked to all my teammates individually and apologized to them,'' said Crews, making his first public comments since being suspended Sept. 26. "I'd also like to apologize to the university and the fans.
"I wish I could have changed the circumstances. At the end of the day, you realize if you don't do what you need to do, it will be taken away permanently.''
UT coach Bruce Pearl said Crews was suspended for more than one reason; in addition to a couple of tardy occasions, a resident assistant's search of Crews' campus apartment turned up what UT police referred to as a "minor'' amount of marijuana.
"Everybody will have their own opinion,'' Crews said. "I'm just sorry it happened.''
Crews wasn't present when the apartment he shares was searched, and no charges were filed. Pearl said Crews needed to be more careful with the people he surrounds himself with.
The people surrounding Crews are excited to have him back.
"It has brought a smile to our faces to get our brother back,'' UT senior JaJuan Smith said. "Duke brings energy, excitement and intensity, and he's a vocal leader. He brings a whole lot to the table.
"I think Duke has learned from this, and it has been a growing experience for all of us.''
Pearl said Crews has maintained his conditioning and looks good in practice.
"Duke did a good job of staying in shape,'' Pearl said. 26. "It was good to have him back. He'll stay on the scout team this week in preparation for our first exhibition game with California-Pennsylvania.''
Tennessee, ranked No. 7 in the preseason USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Poll and the preseason pick to win the SEC, opens its exhibition season at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Thompson-Boling Arena.
"Duke's attitude is great, he's easy to coach and a terrific competitor,'' said Pearl, who allowed Crews to practice Saturday. "After a week of getting him back, we'll be able to evaluate where he'll land on the depth chart.''
Tabb Returns: The Vols' depth chart got deeper with the return of UT wing Josh Tabb, whose Monday practice was his first since suffering an "Orbital blowout fracture'' near his eye socket in an Oct. 16 practice.
Tabb was injured when teammate J.P. Prince inadvertently hit him during a five-on-five scrimmage at the Stokely Athletics Center.
"That's the hardest hit I've ever taken,'' said Tabb, who is wearing protective goggles after undergoing surgery Oct. 22. "But everything is back to normal.''
Tabb, a 6-4 sophomore, established himself as one of the top defenders in the SEC last season and most often drew the opponents' top perimeter scorer.
"Josh really played well this summer and in Europe,'' Pearl said. "Our plan for the exhibition game is to play all 12 scholarship players.''
Full Strength: Monday's practice marked the first that UT was at full strength, as the two transfers (Tyler Smith, J.P. Prince) and two incoming freshmen (Cameron Tatum, Brian Williams), were not allowed to travel with the team to Europe.
"Everybody is gelling together,'' Crews said. "You can't ask for more. Those freshmen are picking things up faster than we did at this point last year.''
Pearl said that's a good thing.
"We play Friday night, then Monday again and then Temple Nov. 9,'' Pearl said. "Ready or not, here it comes.''
Say Cheese!: Camera-shy UT senior Chris Lofton said the picture that ran in Sunday's News Sentinel was too much.
"That picture was too big!'' said Lofton, who has taken a good amount of teasing from his teammates. "They had me cheesing (smiling) way too hard.''
First Look: Pearl said he chose California-Pennsylvania for Friday night's exhibition because he expects a good test from the Vulcans.
"This team lost by one to Maryland and lost by six to Arkansas last year,'' Pearl said. "They've given Division I teams a good ball game and hopefully they'll do the same for us.''
Student Tickets: Students will have 3,749 allotted tickets for the Vols' games against Ole Miss, Vanderbilt and Florida, and 3,000 for Temple, Ohio State, Georgia, Arkansas, Auburn, Kentucky and South Carolina according to a UT release.
The student ticket allotment for California (PA), Lincoln Memorial, MTSU, North Carolina A&T, Louisiana-Lafayette and the Legends Classic will be 1,530 tickets. UT will hold more than 500 seats for the Vols' game against UNC-Asheville during the holiday break.
The athletic department has also made approximately 600 additional upper-level seats available for overflow should students use more than their allotment. All lower-level seats remain unchanged.
Last year's average student attendance for an SEC game was 2,131. Average attendance for a non-conference game was 1,302.
UT's new $45 million football…
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Comments » 52
FloridaVol writes:
Hell yes!
GreerVol22 writes:
Oh what a tangled weed he weave, when at first practice he doth deceive.
OwensboroVol writes:
I hope Duke has been told that everyone deserves a 2nd chance and that this is his. Any further violation should be dealt with severely. This is a cancer which can destroy a team. That said, hell yes I am glad he is back and everyone should support him without any thought of the trouble he got into. Hell, I was young once and probably did a lot more wrong than he did.
utfan620 writes:
Glad to read about both of these guys getting back on the court. We need both for us to have a great season.
Volchaz writes:
alright, I'm all for second chances, but lets make it count, ok, Duke! Perhaps the 30 day suspension was a wakeup call....This is the SEC.. not intramurals.
Volchaz writes:
alright, I'm all for second chances, but lets make it count, ok, Duke! Perhaps the 30 day suspension was a wakeup call....This is the SEC.. not intramurals.
DenmarkVol_aka_Mbumburu writes:
Great news -- now LAY OFF THE WEED and BE ON TIME EVERY TIME, Duke. This team needs you!
BigManVolFan writes:
CREWS BETTER THANK COACH PEARL FOR HIS 2ND CHANCE...ATLEAST ONE COACH AT UT HAS DISCIPLINE...IF CREWS SCREWS UP THIS TIME, HE WILL BE GONE FOR SURE...ONE GREAT THING AT UT IS COACH PEARL DOES IN FORCE RULES NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE!!!
GO VOLS...WE ARE FINAL 4 BOUND!!!
eefor10c writes:
Bigmanvolfan, "At least one coach at UT has discipline"--What does that mean? I can't imagine what you would be saying if Fulmer had reinstated a player without him missing any games? Careful, your double standard is showing. I notice its WE in basketball only. You only support who you think will win. Not a true Tennessee fan.
BigManVolFan writes:
eefor10c...What are you talking about.....If you look back at last year when Fulmer let Foster play against Ark. after getting arrested the previous week..He did miss the first half, but he did play the 2nd half...Now is that discipline?? Or what?? Coach Pearl reinstated Crews to the team as a scout team player and he may miss the exhibition game....Crews is on his last chance...Crews served a 30 day suspension...He must have met whatever the requirements were to rejoin the team or he wouldnt be back...Look back at last year when Major Winagte was suspended..He didnt meet the requirements to rejoin the team and Jemere Hendrix from the previous year???
So if you think thats a double standard, maybe you should check what a double standard is...And as for supporting only who I think will win, I have supported the football team all season long and like the rest of the Vol Nation have been begging for a new coach, but I have been behind the kids, not the coaches.
So before you start running off at the keyboard do a little back ground check on wha coach inforces discipline!
volsrock writes:
The way I read this, he didn't fail a drug test. Weed was found in his dorm. The statement by Pearl that "he needs to be careful who he surrounds himself with" kind of suggests it wasn't his weed. But since it was his dorm, he is responsible for what he lets people bring in it. Hopefully he'll show better judgement in the future.
cdldoc#211897 writes:
I have never seen so many holier than thou people who were pure as driven snow when they were in college. Apparently in the late 60's and early 70's we not only had less addiction, we also had more fun. I can't believe ya'll actually went to UT. Ya'll must have gone a seminary?
asleep#212036 writes:
GreerVol,
That is hilarious. I know they found it in his apartment and never connected it to him , but does anyone else find it interesting that weed was found in his house, and he was late for a few meetings? My question is, when he got to the meeting, did he show up with a family size bag of Cool Ranch Doritos and a big gulp? Just kidding, I'm glad he's back and hope he has gotten those issues resolved, we need him. Go Vols!!!
threehundredbowler writes:
Yep,he was reinstated to the scout team but bet the farm he will be in the starting lineup for the season opener.All coaches do what is best for their taam and do not give a damn about the athelete.That goes for Fulmer as well as Pearl.
SmokeDog72 writes:
Duke Crews......
Blazin' in '07
Or
UT Basketball.....
Homegrown talent
wyomingvol writes:
Its 'enforce' rules......
I will leave the rest alone....
perryp1#298222 writes:
My philosophy has always been, when dealing with young folks, always go the extra mile whith them. Duke Crews deserved another chance. Maybe it won't have to be another one. Need a Final Four in '07-'08.
Go Vols!!!!!!
coachinhoops writes:
A 30 day suspension in complete isolation from the team for a minor amount of Mary Jane found at his residence. That seems fair. It's not like they caught him growing it or blazing up at Neyland on the 50 yard line. Come on people. If he had failed a drug test that would be a different story. I will say that Pearl is a pretty good disciplinarian by most coaches standards. He cut Major loose, and you know that had to be hard and probably cost us a final four last year. He was the missing piece to that team. If Brucey could stay away from miss blonde Juicy, I would have complete and total respect for the man.
indianacurly writes:
afo, you need to get out some and be a little more realistic. first, after this discovery of a roach in his campus apartment, i'm sure he was piss tested. judging from pearl's comments, i'd say it is a safe bet that he was clean (for at least the previous 30 days). as for preferential treatment, if it had been a non-athlete's dorm room, the r.a. wouldn't have been in the room in the first place, much less have made an issue of it or filed a report about it. the ballers are held to a higher standard than the rest of the student body (at pearls insistence). lastly, would you characterize major wingate as a "better" athlete? he was the only post player we had returning that year!
jhenson#377512 writes:
Possession of pot in the amount found in his apartment is a misdemeanor...the same as an excessive speed traffic violation....but of course none of you have done that either...I'm sure. Oh, and just a newsflash, it wasn't found in his possession and no charges were filed. Good grief, 30 days was plenty for a first offense. Geez, some of you act as though he did an 8 ball and crashed his car into a bunch of school girls. If he has another incident, I say he's gone, because if questionable behavior becomes a pattern , he's proving that he's a selfish player and a distraction we don't need.
Thank God some of you on this site aren't Jesus...we'd all be going to hell.
jhenson#377512 writes:
AirForceOne..."Who knows how many times Crews has been caught with illegal drugs that were not reported."
I give up! Tell me AirForceOne, oh omniscient one, how many times exactly has Crews been caught with illegal drugs.
Perhaps innocent until proven guilty applies to every other American citizen but Duke Crews.
Seriously, if you have inside information that I don't have then I'll back off. For all I know, he may be Either Cheech or Chong's love child. So if you're the final authority...my bad.
I'm not making excuses for him, nor will I. He's a big boy playing in a Big boy program which is why he got a 30 day suspension for something that every other non-athlete student at UT would have gotten a pass on. So get over yourself.
ULTIMATEVOLUNTEER writes:
hiresanders sounds like he on something now. go to english class!
ULTIMATEVOLUNTEER writes:
i posted it that way on purpose...
thevol writes:
Just so everyone understands Airforceone is a confessed Kentucky fan, so his opinion has little meaning on here. He's justing causing trouble because his football teams season is falling apart and he KNOWS we will own them in b-ball as long as Pearl is here.
Ironcity writes:
UT has put in standards for drug related issues with its players. The suspensions are consistant across ALL sports. There is a reason Crews was suspended 30 days just like Coker was. Its a UT policy. UT adopted the standard policies because they found out that our friends to the south (Georgia and Florida) had more lax policies then we did. So when everyone gets on here and trys to compare and contrast the disipline that each coach hands out its comes off as silly. GO Vols lets hope Crews and Coker don't screw up again or at least doesn't get caught!
budrhon writes:
Let's just hope he stays off the Chronic. He has a great future ahead of him. Yes Duke you need to let your Homies go. They can only drag you down. Just ask Michael Vick or T.I. Keeping it real can be real dumb as Dave Chappelle did in a skit. Be smart for a change by putting yourself around people striving to be successful like ... Chris Lofton and Coach Pearl. Go Vols!
spencer1989#206886 writes:
Key point of consideration here....Isn't the apartment he has "shared" with someone else??? Before we condemn him to the cross, isn't that part of the reason he was suspended and now back on the team? How interesting for all those ready to put a bullet through his head for this. But....I would guess they would cry foul if the shoe were on their foot.
drmike writes:
air force one, im glad i experienced the UT experience like i did. i have so many great stories i cant remember them all. that is college life, get a life. go back to kentucky, and why do you get on a UT website---once again, get a life-you goody too shoes tight wad wanna be tennessee fan. please do not respond back. good night, K-town, and may air force one rest in peace (at least from this website)
threehundredbowler writes:
Indianacurly,where have you been?If the police finds a small amount of MJ in my appartment,car etc.they are going to charge me with the crime wheather or not I am guilty.He got off with a very little punishment.I would have been arrested, and if it had been found in my car,the car would have been impounded.He got off light.Hopefully he learned a valuable lesson.He could throw away millions of dollars if caught a third time.Here is hoping he remains clean for the rest of his life.
King30 writes:
42 posts on a basketball story and not one mention of Elliot Williams. Come on people...talk this kid up. You know he's watching! We find out Friday if he's coming to be a Volunteer.
Elliot: Come to THE state's university. You'll love Pearl and playing in front of 20,000+ every night! Don't even consider those out-of-state schools. It's rare TN produces someone of your talent so, please, stay in state!
Hopefully the eastern part... :)
jweaver3#395614 writes:
Airforceone, If you are not in the apart. or home when the weed is found they can only confiscate the product, They cannot prosecute you. That goes for anyone, not just and athlete.It's the Law!!!
GO VOLS!!!
Love Coach Pearls and Summitts support of Fulmer on Sat. nite. said they would do anything to help Coach Phil. GREAT SUPPORT among coaches
TXVOLSFAN
asleep#212036 writes:
I don't know if the weed belonged to Duke or not but the NCAA requires random drug testing for ALL scholarship athletes. Further, every school I know of has a policy requiring an immediate drug test if drugs are found in an athlete's possession (person, car, home, etc...). IF he had failed a drug test, random or otherwise, the university and NCAA sanctions would have been much more severe. Since his drug test was negative, Coach Pearl had punishment options, and decided to mete out a 30-day suspension. Is that fair? I don't personally know Duke Crews or Bruce Pearl, so I can't say much about either man. I'm gonna trust the coach on this one if for no other reason than his (appropriate) handling of the Major Wingate issue. If Duke gets caught again, Pearl was wrong. But at least he erred on the side of compassion, which is where I would want someone to be if one of my kids were involved. Go Vols!!!
JSMITH2432 writes:
Couldn't you have gotten a better person to comment on Duke learning his lesson about drugs than JaJuan?
hoskinsfive#468391 writes:
I dont care if he smokes a bag-a-day if he can pull 15 rebounds.
drmike writes:
elliot, do not phone home. knox vegas is much nicer than memphis. do you want to excel in pearl's system of bball or flounder with calipari like the FISH he is. we welcome u in east TN--please come. we have your popcorn ready-peace out!
DadwasaVol writes:
Duke is a bright guy, he just got caught. There are double, triple, and quadruple standards in our society. When the Vice President got caught he asked the cops to come back tomorrow when he was sober, and it worked! My kids will eventually ask me why hold Duke to any higher standard than that. What shall I tell them? That there are triple standards, depending on who you are?
cjraney writes:
What's pathetic is that all this hooha is over some marijuana. Seriously. It's ridiculous that weed is tested for as a performance enhancer by any athletic association. Not to mention the fact that marijuana prohibition is still enforced in this country. Since it is one of the biggest cash crops in both TN and KY I am surprised there's not more regional support for ending marijuana prohibition. I guess profits would spiral downward if taken out of the black market.
DadwasaVol writes:
Airforceone - funny how the tough talk here is aimed, primarily, at kids' behavior. Where is the tough talk, backbone, and law and order when elected officials molest young boys, shoot someone, or hire prostitutes? Duke Crews is the least of our worries - there's national security at stake with these other guys!
Orangefever writes:
Starting Lineup for Friday?
Im thinking 3 guards and 2 forwards with:
Chris Lofton
Ramar Smith
Jujuan Smith
Tyler Smith
Wayne Chism
DooleyNoted writes:
marc_ash below is an article from ABC on marijuana production in the US.
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?...
DooleyNoted writes:
Here is another article on the state of KY.
http://www.usdoj.gov/ndic/pubs1/1540/...
cjraney writes:
marc-ash, the only whining and crying on this topic is from those who seem to think Duke Crews should be more severely punished. Crews messed up; he has been punished. End of story.
If one of my kids was in a similar situation I would pray that he got at least one second chance. Why? Because young adults make bad decisions and don't always think about the consequences of their actions. It took me [and likely everyone here except AirForceOne] a while to develop these skills as well.
budrhon writes:
spence89 it was Pearl himself who said Duke needs to surround himself around better people. Obvious Coach Pearl knows more about the situation than we do. As for Elliott Williams my sources in the Bluff City say he leaning towards the Tigers. Let's hope they're wrong. Calipari is like a snake oil dealer, but he can recruit like crazy and his inside ties to the League (NBA) is what entices recruits like Elliott.
jhenson#377512 writes:
marc_ash...where exactly was I sarcastic? If Airforceone chooses to play God on this website, then I have the right to call him out on it. I don't smoke weed and never have, but some of you are prepared to crucify Crews because a scant amount of pot was found in an apartment which he shared. Was it his? Probably...but we don't know that. And where did the "If I were driving and got caught" reference come from? It's a ridiculous statement and is governed by completely different laws. If Crews had been caught driving with pot, he would have gone to jail just like the rest of us on the suspicion he was under the influence. Surely you guys are smarter than you're acting. Talk about hypocrisy...both of our bball coaches went through nasty very public marital issues this last year where children will be forever impacted. I'm not judging them, it's none of my business, and I'm sure they had their reasons, but for you to get this worked up over the Crews incident when there was barely a peep over the other incident offers a fairly clear snapshot of the character of some of you.
asleep#212036 writes:
To all: they didn't arrest Crews because they couldn't prove the weed was his. He didn't fail a drug test. To my knowledge, he's never been implicated before. I completely agree that punishment should be meted out fairly and consistently to athletes and non-athletes alike. If any of you know absolutely, positively, beyond a shadow of a doubt that the marijuana was his and that he smokes it, then I'll accept your judgment. Short of that, the constitution I live under says that without that proof, he walks. Pearl punished him as he saw fit, told him to pick better friends (or, use better judgment), and put him back in the fold. Second chance? He was never proved guilty of anything so the 30 days pre-sesason suspension was an appropriate warning shot for future reference. If he were caught, I would agree with AFO and Marc-ash to drop the hammer but the circumstances in this case just don't warrant that kind of draconian action. Go Vols!!!
spencer1989#206886 writes:
budrhin...I do not disagree with you. My point is that it's hard to prove the weed was his personally. So therefore the suspension and punishment is probably justfied (and it's not my place to determine that). I totally agree with you that he needs to run and hang with a different crowd because if you lie down with a flea bitten dog then you end up with fleas. My point was more towards the folks condemning the UT program and talking smack about the atheletes being giving numerous chances. That may have happened but in this case I do not see that.
jhenson#377512 writes:
asleep...Right on. If he were caught with it, or if he failed a drug test, there's your "smoking" (no pun intended) gun, in which case, even I might be inclined to agree with AFO and mark-ash. I'm not condoning drug use, but again, it wasn't found on his person, he didn't fail a drug test, and no charges were filed. God bless the Constitution!
murrayvol writes:
I wonder if anyone else has put a starting 5 on the floor and 3 of them were named Smith. I'm sure Kesling will have that info before tipoff.
budrhon writes:
No prob Spence, I think we both want him to be successful.
hueypilot writes:
i love football, your answer to question on another thread was Joe Ford, Butch Fehr (sp?) and Jeff Fosnes. I actually go back to Danny Schultz and Howard Baines battling Clyde Lee and John Ed Miller,
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