Posted by pdhuff on April 15, 2008 at 7:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Dang, Pearl, recruiting according to need, what a concept!

Posted by kdt0725 on April 15, 2008 at 7:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I'm 20, a die hard UT fan for life(most of my family went to school there) and have been raised in Detroit all my life. I can tell you for a fact this is an absolute gem. Diamond in the rough. What a player we're getting. I have seen him play he's got the goods to be really special. GO VOLS!

Posted by dvols27 on April 15, 2008 at 8:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Maybe Pearl should start recruiting for the Football Team. Fulmer seems like he's lost his touch.

Posted by jfg1980 on April 15, 2008 at 8:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)

uh oh Ramar! Better get to work fast!

Posted by orangecountry21 on April 15, 2008 at 9:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Pearl's a genius

Posted by gavol2572 on April 15, 2008 at 9:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)

This is awesome.I never thought that I would be getting excited over UT mens basketball like I do UT football and the Lady Vols. Things look terrific for BP and Vols

Posted by b.skelton on April 15, 2008 at 9:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)

the news just keeps getting better......

Posted by LazhilUT on April 15, 2008 at 9:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Well the kid out of East Ridge, a friend of mine saw him play and the guy doesn't run, is lazy and is a waste of talent.
She's coaching HS ball now and said that Pearl will have to turn his attitude around if not he won't make the team.

Posted by Plasticman on April 15, 2008 at 9:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Laz, if anyone can turn him around it's Pearl. I guarantee you if he does not hustle, he won't see the court under BP. West sounds like a great kid with some talent. I think next season could be even better than this season for BB Vols. What length and athleticism we will have. I just hope someone can shoot the ball.

Posted by cellularmatt on April 15, 2008 at 10:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)

LazhilUT is right on with Jurick. I graduated from the same high school years ago and have watched several games. Its sickening watching him play. Pearl has his work cut out for him on this one if he even makes the grades to get there. I'm betting if he makes the grades he still doesn't make it long.

Posted by DanVegas on April 15, 2008 at 10:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I hear there is a lot of basketball talent in Greenback that Bruce Pearl is missing out on.

Posted by BillVol on April 15, 2008 at 11:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I don't care if it is an alley, something must be named for Chris Lofton. We are UT and all of our streets must be named after athletes.

Posted by dfreeman on April 15, 2008 at 11:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Any word on Tyler Smith and his projections with the NBA?? I thought they were supposed to know something about that pretty soon!

Posted by yemmusdarb on April 16, 2008 at 12:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)

DanVegas: nice joke

Posted by KHVOLFAN on April 16, 2008 at 2:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Come on down to Knox Vegas D.W. we cant wait. GO VOLS!

Posted by imwithphilly on April 16, 2008 at 4:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)

BillVol, agreed

Posted by King53 on April 16, 2008 at 6:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)

i heard that West's high school coach pulled him out of the AAU summer games to work on his grades and make sure he qualifies academically. If he had played AAU and received more attention, he would have been rated at least a 4 star or possibly an AA. sounds like we found a sleeper.

Posted by eb502us on April 16, 2008 at 7:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Can't wait to see him on the court. Anybody at point guard is an upgrade over Ramar and JP.

Posted by adamsck on April 16, 2008 at 8:09 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Pearl is on fire. Maybe his enthusiasm and results will rub off on Fulmer and his recruiting efforts for next year. Great time to be a Vol!

Posted by johnlg00 on April 16, 2008 at 8:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I'm getting even more excited about West than I was before; I didn't know his team won its second consecutive state championship. I would guess that is pretty strong in a state like Michigan. Still a bit concerned about what some posters have said about Jurick. CBP must have seen something in him or he wouldn't have recruited him. I do agree that if he doesn't get with the program, he will sit a lot. CBP doesn't strike me as the type to coddle a kid just to prove that recruiting him wasn't a mistake.

Posted by AllVol on April 16, 2008 at 8:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I saw Jurick play against my high school and could not believe Pearl was recruiting him. I hope he sees something--I sure didn't . I'm still excited about West and Hopson, though.

Posted by TurboFan on April 16, 2008 at 8:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Most impressvie thing I see about West is that he scored points. Apparently, he knows how to finish at the basket.

It appears CBP has a little trouble attracting true post players thus he is taking on projects (see Brian Williams, now Jurick, could make the case for Chism too) to develop. Opinions?

Posted by johnlg00 on April 16, 2008 at 9:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)

You might be right, WD40. In a given year, there aren't really tons of great true post men available. Most guys big enough to play the post these days want to develop their outside games, like Chism. Besides, CBP usually prefers faster players over merely big ones. He probably didn't get a lot of big guys in his previous programs, so HS coaches might steer promising big kids away from him. Whatever the case, Jurick will either see the light and be a contributor, or he won't and he will have a good seat at the games for a couple of years.

Posted by pdhuff on April 16, 2008 at 9:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Jurick could turn out to be a Boerwinkle.

Posted by johnlg00 on April 16, 2008 at 9:59 a.m. (Suggest removal)

That would be fine with me, pdhuff! If it takes Jurick a couple of years to "get it" and then he becomes an All-SEC center for his last couple, the Jurick experiment would have paid off. One never knows what goes on in the minds of teenage boys; there may be things going on in Jurick's life that affect his moods and play right now. Who knows, in a new environment with new challenges, good coaching, and new companions, he might snap right out of whatever doldrums he is in right now. I'm willing to wait to see if that happens; we've got all we need for a successful year if he doesn't play a minute. That is especially true if Tyler stays, of course. Anybody know when we will find out about that?

Posted by BADGES0413 on April 16, 2008 at 10:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Hopefully Jurick is not like our last big man from Chattanooga, John Snodgrass. Poor ole John went about 6-11 and 145 LBS. DeVoe tried to beef him up but he could not gain weight.

Posted by LadyVolsEighTimes on April 16, 2008 at 10:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)

So far CBP has proven that he is far beeter a recruiter adn coach than the rest of us, I think most of us will admit that. He is also one helluva motivator.

One more game in the TOurney sure would have helped, either TOurney.

Posted by jhayes1911 on April 16, 2008 at 10:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I have seen first hand also what Jurick was about as he was apart of our AAU team for the last few years. He really is just a laid back kid so I could see where some of you say he is lazy etc. I saw him compete last summer in the AAU tournament here in Nashville at David Lipscomb and the kid was a monster with some of the big name recruits off of the Atlanta Celtics team as well as others. Give him a chance, Bruce will definitely motivate him to play. Some just need that extra push to get their full potential while others don't.

Posted by brownsvillevol on April 16, 2008 at 11:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)

i too have heard that jurick was a monster on the aau circuit hearing that he was a monster on the boards and a defensive presence in the post.some times when you play hs bb you don't play up to your potential but i trust bruce pearl to get the kid going.we will see.

Posted by tennesseehurk on April 16, 2008 at 11:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)

March 04, 2008 DANIEL WEST 5 STAR PG

a 79-67 Class A regional semifinal victory Monday at Flint Northern.
“That was the best job any team has done against our press in the last two or three years,” Saginaw High coach Lou Dawkins said. “We had to make some adjustments on halftime to where we still pressed but dropped back into our halfcourt defense. We were just allowing too many open 3-pointers.”
The defending Class A state champions advance to the regional championship game against Mount Pleasant at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Flint Central. The two Saginaw Valley League teams met once this season with the Trojans earning an 87-59 win.
Carman-Ainsworth, 20-4, made seven 3-pointers in the first half to reach halftime tied 42-42. The Cavaliers scored just 25 points in the second half.
“We weren’t shooting high school or college 3s,” Dawkins said. “We were taking 3s from the international line. We wanted to take Saginaw High shots and go inside to (Draymond) Green. When he gets it inside, it makes it easier for our perimeter players to get their shots.”
And once the Trojans got the lead, they forced Carman-Ainsworth to stretch its zone defense, eventually fouling the Trojans. Two Carman-Ainsworth starters — Jon Lee and Demondre Chapman — fouled out.
“They made their free throws,” Root said. “Even when we were down by seven, I felt we were still in it. We get a 3, get a turnover. But they made their free throws down the stretch.”
Daniel West made his final six free throws and 9 of 10 in the fourth quarter to maintain Saginaw High’s margin.
“I always want the ball in my hands,” West said. “But I especially want it at the end. We need more games like this.
“They played well. They talked a lot before the game. We bumped into a group of their players at Applebee’s and they were talking. We know them. They’re friends, but on the court I don’t have any friends.”
Green led the Trojans with 28 points and 11 rebounds, with West finishing with 27. Cortney Washington followed with 11 for Saginaw High, which made 23 of 48 from the floor and 24 of 32 from the line.
Chapman led Carman-Ainsworth with 20 points, while Kieon Arkwright added 16 — all in the first half. Reggie Stallings followed with 15 and Jon Lee 10. Arkwright, Lee, Stallings and Alan Sharp played the entire first half, with Arkwright, Lee and Sharp playing the entire game.
The Cavaliers made 26 of 51 from the floor, 7 of 13 from the line.
“We were watching them closely for signs of fatigue,” Root said. “They got breaks during the game and we called timeout to give them a break. I don’t think they were tired. We don’t have the depth that Saginaw High has.
“There’s a reason they’re the No. 1 team in the state.”

Posted by hodocka on April 16, 2008 at 12:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Thanks Tennesseehurk for the info. I just cut this from your post: "Daniel West made his final six free throws and 9 of 10 in the fourth quarter to maintain Saginaw High’s margin.
“I always want the ball in my hands,” West said. “But I especially want it at the end. We need more games like this"

Sounds just like what we need!!! Go Vols!!

Posted by murrayvol on April 16, 2008 at 12:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Recruiting profile remains a work in progress at UT. Pearl will get there but we're not on the radar of most HS AAs yet. When (and if) the program becomes an Elite 8 & Final 4 regular, Pearl can go after the top players and land a few.

Until then we'll have to be content with beating more "talented" teams on a regular basis.

Posted by givehim6 on April 16, 2008 at 3:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)

So do you think we might be able to break into the elite eight, final four, maybe NC? WOW! GO VOLS!

Posted by mparker on April 16, 2008 at 4:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I think CBP recruited Jurick for 2 reasons:

-a presnece in the state of Tennessee
-Jurick most likely displayed some traits that were appealing to Pearl.

College coaches have a way of getting a lot from players. Maybe the kid gives 5-10 minutes per game of good inside defense. We ran into trouble last year when both Wayne and Brian ran into foul trouble. Duke is aggressive, but not all that tall.

Posted by budrhon on April 16, 2008 at 11:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Good guard play is essential for the Vols to get pass the sweet sixteen. But the Vols need at least 3 potential NBA prospects on their team to go far into the NCAA. You look at every team in the elite eight and that is what they had. But more importantly good guard play always proves out every time. Next season perimeter shooting maybe their weakness unless someone steps up during the summer league and displays a consistent 3 pointer. Post play and the Bigs don't appear to be a problem unless Chism & Smith decide to go Pro.

Posted by DaddyVol on April 17, 2008 at 12:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Scotty Hopson, Tyler Smith, and Wayne Chism. 3 lagit. NBA prospects. I'm tellin ya, lofton was great shooter. Hopson might dunk on you, head up by the rim, can shoot pretty good too. Lofton was a great shot and I'm a fan, but slow feet, slow hips, slow, short. Hopson is fast, can jump, shoot, d-fence, playing realllllly good in all of these all american games. Keep hearing about these other guys, but Scotty Hopson keeps scoring 10-15 points-game, against all-americans!

Posted by supersteve17 on April 17, 2008 at 1:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)

First, with regard to Jurick, I trust Bruce Pearl. Pearl said Chism was better than Pierre Niles (when many had Niles ahead of Chism), then he said Williams was a keeper, and so far he has been right on both counts. If he wants Jurick, I trust him.

Second, Jurick is no John Snodgrass. I saw Snodgrass too. Jurick would have been the biggest player on UT's team the last two years with the exception of Williams. He has had a college body for at least the last two years. He can run the court (even if he sometimes chooses not to do so), he can block shots and rebound big-time. He is a project offensively, but Pearl and company know that.

Did I say I trust Pearl?

Posted by itsme53792 on April 17, 2008 at 3:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Niles sat on the bench because Memphis had Dorsey, Taggart and Dozier beanbrain. Niles will lose 50 pounds and play at 265 next year...so compare again then. Hooray: You got west. 3 star, 2nd to 3rd tier. Memphis got Rose and now Evans. Compare that with Ramar etc? And Ebanks will be coming along with Garica, Simpkins and Witherspoon. That will Rivals #s 2, 13, 27, 47 and 56. All 5s. Enjoy the view from your U of Wisconsis Directional equals uthugs standing.

Posted by Raynoch on April 18, 2008 at 3:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)

...and we still beat you in basketball waaaayyy more than you beat us.

Go Big Orange