Chism, Hopson head to Dallas for camp

Tennessee men's basketball players Wayne Chism and Scotty Hopson will head to Dallas on Thursday to take part in the adidas Nations global basketball experience.

The weekend event will give Chism and Hopson opportunities to test their skills against other top collegiate players as well as high school All-Americans.

UT junior forward Tyler Smith was also selected for the camp but declined to attend.

Smith is opting to return to Pulaski to spend time with his family and 2-year-old-son, Amare, before he has to return for the start of fall classes.

Smith went to LeBron James' camp July 6-9 in Akron, Ohio, to groom his skills.

Former Vol JaJuan Smith took part in James' camp last year and gave favorable reviews of the experience the opportunity provided.

Chism, a 6-foot-9 junior post who's expected to start at center for the Vols this season, has enjoyed his best offseason since arriving at UT two years ago.

"Wayne has improved immensely from an athletic standpoint,'' said Tony Jones, UT's associate head coach. "Both him and (sophomore center) Brian Williams have done a tremendous job with their leadership in helping Emmanuel (Negedu), Philip (Jurick) and Renaldo (Woolridge).''

Hopson, who showed the skills that made him a McDonald's All-American in the Pilot Rocky Top League this summer, continues to adjust well to college life.

Hopson's biggest on-court adjustment since arriving in Knoxville in June has been trying to maintain his shooting touch while incorporating weight-training into his training regimen.

The silky-smooth 6-7 shooting guard struggled to hit the mark beyond the 3-point arc this summer.

Dominic Cheek, a 6-7 wing from St. Anthony's in New Jersey is expected to be among the top high school players at the adidas event.

Cheek, ranked as the No. 4 shooting guard in the nation by Rivals.com, remains one of Tennessee's top recruiting targets in the Class of 2009.

Listening to adidas Nations coach and former New Jersey Nets assistant coach Ed Schilling talk, it's easy to understand why.

"He (Cheek) is coming in a little bit ahead fundamentally because he plays for a great high school coach (Bob Hurley) and plays with other great high school players," Schilling told the Herald News in West Paterson, N.J.

"But the thing I've been impressed with is just his willingness to listen and to learn, and really take what we're giving him and trying to apply it and then trying to increase the intensity as he gets it down. He wants to get better."

Cheek helped lead St. Anthony to a 32-0 record and a New Jersey Tournament of Champions title, averaging 12.3 points and seven rebounds last season.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
Want to use this article? Click here for options!