Wayne Chism played one of his best games in a Tennessee uniform Monday night. Unfortunately, he wasn't around to finish it.
The 14th-ranked Vols blasted outmanned Louisiana 89-62 at Thompson-Boling Arena in their final outing of 2008. A crowd of 21,863 - one short of the season-best turnout on opening night - was treated to some vintage uptempo Bruce Pearl basketball.
"I thought we made progress tonight,'' said Pearl after the Vols extended their home-court win streak to 37.
But the frivolity ended when Chism went down hard trying to prevent a Louisiana fast break with 5 minutes, 12 seconds to play.
The junior center never got up. He was eventually loaded onto a stabilizing board and left the arena on a stretcher to a standing ovation.
Pearl later said Chism was taken to UT Medical Center as a precautionary measure to observe a possible head and neck injury.
"He was conscious the whole time,'' Pearl said. "It took him a while to figure out exactly where he was.
"We'll get updates to you as soon as we possibly can.''
Chism was having a superlative night. He got his fourth double-double of the season on record early on in the second half and was at 18 points and 15 rebounds when he crashed.
"Wayne obviously had a tremendous night going,'' said Pearl. "He's been terrifically consistent and dominant, inside and out.''
Tennessee (9-2) will certainly need Chism on Saturday when the Vols visit Kansas, the defending national champion.
"He's our best rebounder, he's one of our best defenders and he's starting to feel confident offensively,'' said Pearl.
The Vols were feeling confident offensively as a team against the Ragin' Cajuns.
Although Tyler Smith (10 points) was the only other Vol in double figures, seven players scored at least sight points.
Josh Tabb, Cameron Tatum and Scotty Hopson had nine apiece. J.P. Prince and Bobby Maze scored eight each.
Randell Daigle led Louisiana (4-7) with 16.
The progress Pearl saw included a defense that forced 22 turnovers, the most since Chattanooga was guilty of 24 in the opener.
"We talked about trying to force more turnovers,'' Pearl said. "We really focused on some of those endline and sideline set pieces.
"At times we had some really good energy because of that.''
The Vols used an 11-0 run to take the lead for good and establish separation that Louisiana never overcame.
UL led 7-6 when Smith triggered the rally with two free throws then a fast-break basket. A Tatum 3-pointer made it 13-7.
Still in run mode, Tabb assisted Brian Williams on a fast-break bucket. Moments later it was Williams on the giving end, with Tabb receiving, and UT led 17-7.
"Turnovers lead to buckets,'' said Tabb. "We've got a lot of athletic wings and 'four men' that can run the floor.
"We're a lot more athletic than we were last year.''
It was 44-31 at the break but the gap quickly widened as the Vols opened the second half with a 25-6 outburst.
The spread topped out at 35, 83-48, when Emanuel Negadu hit a free throw with 7:50 to play.
At that point, the 90-point Chick-fil-A sandwich give-away seemed a done deal.
But the Vols had already started losing focus before Chism went down and scored only six points the rest of the way.
Renaldo Woolridge's trey with 43 seconds left got UT to 89. To the crowd's dismay, that was the end of the line.
Maybe another rebound or two would have been the difference. Pearl would have liked to see the spread bigger than 47-35 in UT's favor.
"Giving up 17 offensive rebounds is not good,'' he said. "Guys were trying to get out on the fast break and get on (ESPN) SportsCenter.
"I forgot to tell 'em the game was not on television tonight, so there's no SportsCenter.
"They could have stayed in and rebounded.''
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Comments » 68
bhjohnso#207063 writes:
great game and great play by wayne. hopefully, sir, you are alright.
The jerks who booed because of a damn chicken sandwich when a dude got carted off on a backboard, go buy yourself a freaking chicken sandwich for 2.99 or whatever tomorrow....seriously, folks.
SeanJean writes:
I'm worried about Weezie. How bad did the injury look? I was listening on the radio. Anxious to hear any updates.
rabidvol1998 writes:
Relax. People were just having a little fun 10 minutes after Wayne was gone.
He'll probably chide his teammates for not getting the 90.
Get well Wayne.
utvolz#637682 writes:
Even though the game wasn't televised, I watched it on channelsurfing.com. Weezie landed very hard on his back after blocking a shot and his neck snapped backwards after he landed. I listened to the post-game show with CBP and he said he had some trouble following verbal commands and had some difficulty moving one of his hands so they took no chances and put him on a back board, secured his neck, and transported him to the UT hospital.
Keep Wheezie in your prayers tonight....
King53 writes:
God be with you, Wayne Chism. I pray you will recover 100%!
eduardo writes:
Prayers are with you big guy! Get well soon!!!Time to rocky top jayhawks!!
ZacharyUTK writes:
Man. This isn't good. Hope he's okay. We really need Wheezy.
mikylarsen writes:
The game was also streamed from UTSports.com.
BillVol writes:
God bless, Wayne. You make us proud to be from Tennessee. I don't know you, but you seem like a good guy. I do know that you are a great player and student. We are all praying for you.
cdonsbach writes:
It was really scary when they brought the stretcher out tonight.
Thoughts and prayers going out to #4 tonight.
TooLegit2Quit writes:
Completely agree bhjohnso! It's absolutely ridiculous how much noise was made for the Chicken Sandwich, and the booing pushed it over the top. Give me a break people.....
informedintennessee writes:
Were we at the same game? Wayne was long gone before people began cheering for the 90 point mark. The booing was not directed toward the players, just some fans having a little fun during a blow out game. Chill out!
utchris writes:
ESPN is saying that Pearl texted Andy Katz after the game that Wayne will be ok! Good news.
utchris writes:
Here ya go...
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?g...
VolunteerMan writes:
You and your cohorts are ridiculous. It's too bad we're filling the arena with with people like you instead of UT fans.
ps4610#206943 writes:
Reached by text late Monday night, Pearl told ESPN.com's Andy Katz that Chism will be "OK." He said the elbow hit caused a "stinger."
On espn.go.com by Andy Katz
volschick_21 writes:
I hope Wheezy will be ok. He is an incredible athlete. But not only that, he is a great guy as well. I wish only the best for him.
TooLegit2Quit writes:
I agree, it's just stupid and tacky normally. But under the current circumstances it was absolutely ridiculous. The booing just pushed it farther. Unfortunately we are dealing with a bunch of fair weather fans, where were these people when Buzz was here?
JohnsonCity_George writes:
eat mor chiken
overatedvols writes:
Memphis finally began to resemble a team tonight as they beat Cincinnati 60-45. Things may finally be coming together. They are making progress. Definitely more encouraged after this game than I was after the previous games. We may actually end up as a good team before long.
Oh, congrats on the cupcake win. Tigers are coming Jan. 24th. Home win streak ends. Well, I do believe Gonzaga will get that honor.
scottmichaelmoore#540590 writes:
blah blah blah...Chism will be fine...he is the Albert Haynesworth of UT Basketball...besides...I think Chism was in kahoots with some Chic fila execs...he took the fall to save the campany 100k in chicken.
utchris writes:
Why were you not here after losing to Syracuse minus a starter? And after beating that power house Drexel squad or better yeat, squeaking by the Arkansas...Little Rock that is....you better shoot better than 2-18 from 3 land when you come to TBA
blitzshoot writes:
Take it another step. Instead of posting this on a chat board, make a sign and shout this at the people leaving the arena. Do this face to face naf.
jesseejames57 writes:
It's all over but the crying. Good win for the Big Orange and good game whizzy. Hope you'll be fine, we need need you bigtime saturday.
Jediphysics writes:
Let me just say to the powers that run TBA, please open more than TWO ticket lines outside the stadium. I almost turned around and left. I'm a UT grad student. I had my 3 year old daughter with me (train them while they're young), and because of (a) the fact you can't get child student passes and (b) the genius decision to run student ID's rather than assign seats and tickets to students in advance, I was in the cold for quite sometime. Luckily, I got her in without a ticket, but I knew it wasn't something to try again.
If Mike Hamilton really cares about empty student seats, maybe he should start assigning seats in advance. I don't care how good they are, why should students or anyone else for that matter, have to wait in long lines in the elements? Does that REALLY prove you're a fan? C'mon! We're not talking bread lines in a third world country. I suppose I'm one of the ones who should just stay home and watch it on TV, huh?
Please, no lectures on how I should have called the ticket office days in advance and blah, blah, blah. If nothing, I've realized that people are really showing up for UT men's ball, even if it is Louisi-winna Lafayette.
blitzshoot writes:
Damn good post. Good luck.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Prayers and best wishes for the young man.
blitzshoot writes:
See you here on the 25th.
suPEARLman writes:
"Although Tyler Smith (10 points) was the only other Vol in double figures, seven players scored at least sight points."
Get Well Soon Wayne-O. Not sure seven players scoring "sight" points will be enough against Kansas.
BallBreaker1 writes:
AMEN Brother! It seems that some people that call themselves fans have nothing but a one track mind. With no ability to really enjoy everything that UT sports bring. The inability to lighten up and have fun would sure make for a boring life.
dopedawg writes:
Get well soon Wayne!!!!!
King53 writes:
looks like wayne is going to be okay.
http://www.sportsline.com/mcc/blogs/e...
bhjohnso#207063 writes:
cheering at the end isnt what bothered me. it was the people who booed at the end when we didn't score 90. wish the people who ripped what i said actually read it.
db11_cn writes:
I put this on another thread, but does anyone know details on Southern Illinois University transfer Josh Bone, 6'3" guard? Fox Sports says he's walking on at UT with 2 years eligibility remaining. He played at Brentwood Academy.
dvols writes:
dang
mnvol writes:
While I feel your pain, the problem with having free student tickets is the number of no-shows for some games. The only way assigning seats will work is to have the students pay for those assigned seats. The question for the students is, "is having an assigned seat, and not having to show up early to stand out in the cold, worth paying for?" History has shown that free tickets and assigned seats simply do not work on a consistent basis throughout the season.
THE_VOL writes:
How did you ever get into grad school? Next time bring some cheese to go with that whine.
As for Chism, late word was he had a concussion and will be fine. Of course he had another fine game against another bad team. Same question now just different day - will he show up on Saturday? Time will tell.
Not terribly excited about this win though. Did what we were supposed to do against a bad team with a coach on his way out. Great energy and effort from most everybody though given the long break. Has the epiphany occured??? Again, time will tell.
bhjohnso#207063 writes:
I have heard a bit about the Bone kid coming here. Don't know much, apparently he played some minutes up there.
SprucePine writes:
The crowd was booing the awful refs. Tabb was clobbered on the last play of the game and Maze was hacked at the end of the first half. The third team on the court had a bad night.
WVVOLFAN writes:
probably out eating a chicken sandwich instead of watching buzz ball
WVVOLFAN writes:
The engine of the CUPCAKE TRAIN UT 66 MSU62 AT MEMPHIS
UT 90 Georgetown 78
MSU 70 Georgetown 79
Cupcake Train (CUSA Schedule) pulls out 1/7/09 vs Marshall
The rest of the CUSA grueling schedule. Key games highlighted in caps.:
01/07/09 vs. Marshall *
FedExForum 8:00 p.m. CT
01/10/09 at UCF *
Orlando, Fla. 4:00 p.m. CT
01/13/09 at Tulsa *
Tulsa, Okla. 6:30 p.m. CT
01/17/09 vs. UAB *
FedExForum 7:00 p.m. CT
01/21/09 vs. Rice *
FedExForum 8:00 p.m. CT
01/28/09 at East Carolina *
Greenville, N.C. 6:00 p.m. CT
01/31/09 vs. Houston *
FedExForum 12:00 p.m. CT
02/04/09 at SMU *
Dallas, Texas 8:00 p.m. CT
02/11/09 vs. Tulsa *
FedExForum 7:00 p.m. CT
02/14/09 at Southern Miss *
Hattiesburg, Miss. 4:00 p.m. CT
02/18/09 vs. SMU *
FedExForum 7:00 p.m. CT
02/21/09 at UTEP *
El Paso, Texas 3:00 p.m. CT
02/26/09 at UAB *
Birmingham, Ala. 8:00 p.m. CT
02/28/09 vs. Southern Miss *
FedExForum 12:00 p.m. CT
03/04/09 at Houston *
Houston, Texas 7:00 p.m. CT
03/07/09 vs. Tulane *
FedExForum 12:00 p.m. CT
Opps! My bad. There are no key games in CUSA!
WVVOLFAN writes:
thought i smelled something.
another classless post from a classeless fan of a classless team.
WVVOLFAN writes:
nice pick up king.
stevefrommemphis writes:
speaking as a non-native who has to live in this ugly, crime-invested dump -- from a classless city, also.
WVVOLFAN writes:
you have my sympathies steve. hang in man.
ncvol writes:
Nice game guys...I listened on UTSports.com. I was really upset when Wayne was taken to hospital... Hope is recovering from the fall....He had a nice game and the rest of the guys did, too. Go Vols!
I have said this before but a fan is one that cheers his team on...We really need our fans to cheer for our team...
Go Vols!
knoxlawvol writes:
Hate to be a killjoy, but Bruce may want to make sure that the players understood the emphasis on "forcing more turnovers" referred to the other team, and didn't mean making numerous errant, lazy and ill-advised passes out of bounds and generally playing sloppy basketball. Also, defense (especially on the perimeter) sucked. But a win is a win so hopefully we will learn and improve. I am confident that Bruce will teach what needs to be taught, although I am still a little bitter over the way they blew my free chicken sandwich!
bhjohnso#207063 writes:
I'm all for free chicken sandwiches. Just thought it was a little lame to boo over it when a dude got carried off on a stretcher. Just a microcosm of society, I guess.
Orange4life writes:
Wayne Chism's CAT scan came back negative and the Tennessee forward is considered day-to-day after a scary fall in Monday night's win over Louisiana-Lafayette, multiple sources told CBSSports.com.
Chism landed on his back after blocking a shot with 5:12 remaining in the game. The 6-foot-9 junior was strapped to a board, placed in a neck brace and removed from the court on a stretcher, but he maintained feeling in his arms and legs, and because the CAT scan showed no problems he could be available for Saturday's game at Kansas.
Let's hope, we need him against the Jayhawks
Colliervol writes:
Memphis vs Cincinnati? Two dogs barking. Congrats on beating a bottom feeder in the Big East.
Looked like a bricklayer's convention to me.
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