When Tennessee basketball coach Bruce Pearl noticed Ramar Smith shooting 3-pointers in a recent practice, he stopped to make a point.
"I said why are you wasting your time on a shot you will not shoot in a game," Pearl said. "He kept working on it."
No. 2 Tennessee was well on its way to an 89-70 victory over Auburn when Smith's practice paid off. He made a 3-pointer, then winked at his coach.
The make was no more important than the attempt. It reflected the rise in confidence of UT's sophomore point guard and highlighted his highest scoring game of the season.
Smith went 6-for-7 from the field and 6-for-7 from the free-throw line in scoring 19 points Wednesday night at Thompson-Boling Arena. His timing couldn't have been better.
In looking ahead to Saturday's much-hyped match-up with unbeaten and No. 1 Memphis, Pearl pointed out that it was time for "everyone to step up." That's especially true for Smith, whose recent offensive slump didn't get near the attention of Chris Lofton's early season shooting struggles. But when Smith broke out of it with such a flourish against Auburn, UT fans were reminded of the damage he can inflict on a defense.
He did what he does best against Auburn. He broke down the Tigers' defense with repeated drives to the basket.
He didn't just drive. He finished.
"He had been getting to the basket, drawing contact and not getting calls," UT associate head coach Tony Jones said. "He got a little frustrated."
The frustration led to a drop in confidence, according to Jones. Smith's shooting dropped off as well. In the previous three games, he made only four of 18 field-goal tries. He went seven consecutive games without scoring in double figures.
There was nothing magical or mysterious about Smith's breakout game. I'm talking about practice.
"In the last couple of games, I hadn't been finishing," Smith said. "That's something I do.
"I just got in the gym and worked on things I'm basically comfortable doing. And I came out and showed it."
Smith also worked on something he's not as comfortable with.
"It (the 3) is something I work on," he said. "It's really not my strength. But it's a shot I can make and I need to make it. I can't let it get to me if I miss it."
He didn't come up with that strictly on his own. He has been hearing it from his coaches and teammates.
"We get on him for not shooting the ball - him and Tyler Smith," said guard JaJuan Smith.
Whether Ramar Smith shoots or passes at the end of his drive, it's the drive itself that makes him so valuable.
"Coach always tells him to be aggressive and attack the rim," Lofton said. "That's where me and JaJuan get our open shots."
Ramar Smith's most famous drive to the basket was a failure - not because of what he did, but because of what Ohio State center Greg Oden did. The Buckeyes' 7-foot All-American blocked Smith's shot from behind in the final seconds as Ohio State defeated UT 85-84 in the sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament.
But it speaks volumes that Smith didn't shy away from one of the most intimidating figures in college basketball. As Jones puts it, "He embraces challenges."
Another challenge is coming up Saturday in Memphis.
"It's really like a national championship game," UT's point guard said. "So that's how we've got to look at it, then come out and do what we're capable of doing."
You saw what Ramar Smith is capable of doing Wednesday night.
Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knews.com.
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 54
GIVEHIMSIX writes:
can pearl coach football by any chance?
newtonrail writes:
Did you stop by and talk to Phil and Vickie in the stands, you ##$%#%?
hdhurst writes:
TN VOLS--Memphis and beyond
The Top 5 "What if's...?"
(1) Ramar stays focused and becomes the penetrator we need to get to the final four.
(2) JP regains his touch/drive from his breakout game to support off nights from Lofton, J.Smith, and/or T.Smith.
(3) our reserves become our "ace" in the hold so we actually becomes a true threat of being 10-12 men deep.
(4) We hit 70% or better from the FT line.
(5) Everyone develops the Duke Crews theme (We treat every game like it's our last).
VOLS...this year is yours to lose. See you in Memphis for the Orange Revolution.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Time for the fans to get tense, team to stay loose and Lord, pls let us rock all of Memphis.
One end of the state will talk about this for years. Let it be the one with the Tennessee river, not the Mississippi. Pearl's men vs the Memphis thugs. Wonder what conference is reffing this one? Could be huge.
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
No, ramar is NOT getting the calls inside. no vols are. the ovls are way outshot from the FT line in most games, and if you watch the insdie play you are constantly saying "that isn't a foule??"
as for the 3, it is such a short shot for college players that I don't mind seeing most try it at some point in the game. Really matters who and when.
What Adams fails to meniton in the OSU game was Conley Jr bodying Ramar all the way down the lane. If it would've been reversed, it would have been a blocking foul.
bmaples writes:
"FINISH!" should be the mantra of this Vol team the rest of the season. (For that matter, the ladies could use the same mantra.)
MrBamSeydu writes:
Everyone needs to get off Adams' sack. He's a writer and he shares his opinion, good or bad. Get over it, noone wants to hear your crying anymore than they want to hear his anti-Fulmer antics.
Ramar played strong but I think he had 0 assists and 3 turnovers in the game. Not for sure on that, but pretty sure.
Bigger_Al writes:
Time for a change at the top of the KNS Sports staff.
Adams eats worms.
bholt#207077 writes:
When are you quitting, Adams? That is the change at the top we need, not Coach Fulmer.
civilianvol_formerly_marinevol writes:
If one basketball player gets in trouble with the law (which would make a higher percentage of basketball players than football players in trouble), Adams will either have to call for Bruce Pearl to be fired or admit he's a fool.
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
yemmusdarb
that's freaking great that he is a writer. I'm a fan, and this is a blog, so I can express my opinion as well.
I think Adams stepped over the line. The reason I say it is that CPF DOES discipline and dismiss players. He DOES follow campus policy. He DOES play by the rules. How many times has UT been on probabtion for recruiting violations?
None of the writers will say this: Knoxville is a and always has been a big party town. You mix that with the fact the Vols have to hedge on character to get winning players, and you have a problem.
I'm different: fire the guy for his wimping out against Bama on 4th and short. Fire him for poor recruiting. But the off-the-field stuff?? CPF follows the rules, unlike his godd@m players.
Vols1998 writes:
JA, I have to agree with a lot of KNS posters, you appear to be very "negative" toward UT Sports and it feels like you point your pencil at CPF with some type of hidden agenda. Many wonder why KNS retains you as a sports writer, It appears your skills are not what anyone would call….good, your background is not one that I would call stellar, your college education appears to be average, in addition, your video clips seam to be a little shallow in personality and information, as it comes to sports. I’m be willing to bet you probably never played beyond Jr. High and there a hint of jealousy of athletes that.....well are in better shape than you. It could be said you may have some type of envy thing going on and you take your frustrations of inadequacy out of football players and their coach. Did some coach in your past keep you on the bench to long or yell at you for missing a play? Maybe its time to move to another genera that fits your "life style" or experience. I’m not a doctor, but you might want to get at the root of your obvious addiction or reactive personality issues with football players or football coaches.
I’m starting to worry about you John………just a suggestion.
johnlg00 writes:
Gee, guys, I thought this was an article about Ramar Smith--you know, the one who plays on the BASKETBALL team. Not only that, but the article was not only favorable to the Vols but also well-written and informative. As for Adams, sometimes I agree with him--as I do with this article--and sometimes I disagree with him--as I did with his recent "fire Fulmer" column. Either way, I read him and, apparently, so do all you Adams-haters! That is all he is interested in. He is not paid by the UT Ath Dept, so he is not obligated to cheer for the Vols. He says controversial things so people will read him and comment on what he says. That makes the KNS, the outfit that DOES pay him, quite happy. If you hate him so much, the best thing you can do is to cancel your KNS subscription, tell them why, and stop reading and commenting on his columns. Otherwise, all you are doing is venting, and that in a not-very-effective manner.
VenomousVol writes:
I usually don't post here, but get on with your bad self John. You only put in the paper what LOTS of UT fans have been saying for a while. I like the fact that Adams has the stones to call it like he sees it. He also gives credit where it is due as seen in this article. The Fulmeristas want to control the media and make everyone conform to their Fulmerific views. It ain't gonna happen, some people can see through the excuses and see what UT is capable of.
johnlg00 writes:
As for the substance of the article, I am glad that Ramar is continuing to work to improve. If he did in fact have zero assists last night, and I have not seen the game stats, it was because he was indeed finishing on his drives. He is probably never going to be a Steve Nash/Chris Paul assist machine, but he is an effective player and, if he continues to work to improve, he will be an even better one. This Memphis game will tell us a lot about his growth as a player. If they lay off of him to prevent the drive, we will see if he now has the confidence to make a few from the outside. If they let him drive, he will either have to finish at the rim or show the judgment to pass off when the shot-blockers come at him. I will go so far as to say that his play will be as good an indicator of how the game will go as that of any other player we have.
jweaver3#395614 writes:
Good article John. I like positive articles about current Vols!!!
GO VOLS #1 IS YOURS FOR THE TAKING
TXVOLSFAN
MrBamSeydu writes:
55_vol and mparker:
Adams is writing and opinion. You guys are crying about his opinion. I guarantee all these people that are on Adams about his "fire Fulmer" article were calling for Fulmer to be fired after we got drilled by UF and were 1-2 to start the season. You guys can disagree with him, that's your opinion, but everyone saying "go back to LSU".... that's just ignorant. Do you want him to write about rainbows and sunny days? Or do you want him to write the truth? Fulmer hasn't done much of anything in 10 years, so it's not as if his article was WAY off base.
MrBamSeydu writes:
*an opinion (first sentence)
cjraney writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
alfrizzle097 writes:
This was a decent article. Be reasonable if you are going to criticize Adams. His unreasonable vendetta is the reason I dislike him. Don't be another Adams...
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
yemmusdarb
okay, dude, so you are 'crying' about us expressing an opinion about Adams???
Hasn't done much in 10 years?? He was one play away from a second BCS title game wehn Julian Battle dropped an interception right in his gut.
Look, my point is this: if you call for the guy to be fired because he is a phooey coach, or because he cheats, I respect that. Fulmer does not cheat. He is, at times, a phooey coach.
Can you not see this distinction?? If Fulmer was trying to interfere wtih and hide this stuff, he should be on a rail out of town.
Take some ownership, as all vol fans should do. we want a ntational title every year, a top-10 team at the very least. To meet that, Fulmer must recruit the best athletes that he can who aren't in prison (yet).
All we have to do is change our standards: we want a 100% grad rate, with no player having less than a 3.5 gpa. We don't much care about wins and losses. A coach will be fired if the player makes less than a 90-percent score on ANY test. Should those be our new standards as fans??
So, yeah, I think you are off-base criticizing those who are pissed at Adams. That is their right, and some are pretty articulate as to why (most aren't, but who cres???).
BTW, I do appreciate you expressing your opinion on this, nothing at all wrong with you having your view.
Pullingguard writes:
None of your articles will carry the clout with readers as in the past... Why? Because your article on replacing Fulmer has lowered your credibility as a person, journalist and writer. You hatched up situations with people long gone from the UT program, in fact several years past. John the article on Fulmer and Football was not one well thought out and was very evident of your hatred or disrespect for Fulmer and the Vols football team.. Your standing with readers have diminished to the point where you have no respect regardless of your future writings and articles.
MrBamSeydu writes:
mparker
Okay, brobot, no I'm not crying. If I were crying I'd be asking the moderator to kick you guys off the board or something? But I'd rather just call you guys whiners and drop the subject... kinda hard when you keep trying to defend yourself.
Fulmer hasn't won an SEC Ch. in 10 years or been to a BCS game in 9. And no, LSU beat us fair and square. You can't say "we were one play away", because isn't everybody always one play away? Would've, could've, should've, huh?
We were heavily favored against LSU ---WITH THEIR STARTING QB PLAYING--- but they beat us with a 2nd stringer (Mauck). Fulmer's record against top 10 teams is nasty bad. 2002 was ugly and 2005 was putrid. Other than that, yeah we've been a middle-of-the-road program. MAKING it to the SEC ch. 3 times (01, 04, 07) doesn't mean much because noone cares who finishes 2nd.
As far as being a "good ol boy" and not cheating, players graduating, being respected, etc..... tell that to John Brady at LSU. You see, even though it may not be fair or "right", winning is all that matters.
I respect opinions too, but not calling for people to be fired for doing their job.
burntorangeVOLffle writes:
I have to admit I only clicked on this column to see what people were posting. I didn't even bother reading it. I had a feeling most would be about the Fulmer piece.
While I can’t say I've always agreed or disagreed with John Adams (he was rather insightful at times) I definitely think he crossed a line with the selective situational Fulmer bashing article. From his accusation that Fulmer doesn’t dismiss starters despite a long history of doing so, to pinning the troubles of former Vols in the NFL on him (Should Frank Beamer take responsibility for Michael Vick or Rich Rodriguez for Pacman Jones and Chris Henry?), his credibility with me is completely shot.
Anyway....
GO VOLS!! BEAT MEMPHIS!!
MrBamSeydu writes:
See, there's a good solid opinion. I can respect that from burntorangeVOLffle. While I agree with not being able to control players post-graduation, I also think that's like saying parents aren't responsible for their childrens' actions after they turn 18. They way you're brought up will be brought into question even if you're 50. I don't see many ex-Bobby Knight players getting into trouble. See my point?
MrBamSeydu writes:
Ok, so before anyone else can do it: I guess Isiah Thomas with the whole "sexist" thing with the NY Knicks would be something to point at, but that was dropped and I'm not sure that's along the lines of killing pit bulls or being involved in shootings at strip clubs.
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
yemmusdarb
look, you are proving my point. adams called for fulmer to be fired for his 'off the field' player issues and for the fact that some to the former players got into trouble afterward.
your rant is about his on-the-field, which is where it should be. adam's was not.
MrBamSeydu writes:
mparker:
I somewhat agree with that, however, if you read this part of his article you would realize that his SOLE BASIS for writing it was on-field lack of production:
exerpt "When a football program is winning big, virtually everything is forgiven. This just in: UT isn’t winning big. It hasn’t won an SEC championship since 1998. It hasn’t been to a BCS bowl since 1999. It hasn’t finished in the top 10 since 2001."
So in other words, he could've written this before the '05 season when we had a long string of arrests after the solid '04 year (Lee Smith, Raymond Henderson, etc). Maybe he could've said it after James Banks' infamous 5 2nd chances...... but no, he's right! Things slide under the door when you're winning, but when all you give writers to talk about is the negative (i.e. John Adams) that's what you get.
I'm officially done with this topic because there's only one thing I hate more than whining about articles and that's fans of the same team bickering (especially when it's about a sport that is out of season and this article is a basketball article right before the biggest game in UT history).
So GO VOLS!!! one-in-all
UTFutBalPhan writes:
John Adams writes a column about basketball today and gets 34 comments about an article he wrote Tuesday.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and that includes Mr. Adams.
Everyone is entitled to express their pleasure or displeasure with Mr. Adams through letters, e-mails, comments, cancelled subscriptions, etc. You can even start your own firejohnadams.com if you want to.
Period.
Can we move on now and start posting comments relevant to the story at hand?
MrBamSeydu writes:
I never called for Fulmer's head.
Go Vols, beat Memphis.
gobigo00 writes:
To all of you on Adam's back, I'm sure none of you were calling for PF's job after the Florida or Bama game last year. And we'll see how many of you are doing it again this season if we get spanked again by Florida and Alabama. Last season didn't prove much to me, and those close games that went our way could easily go the other this year.I think Fulmer is a good guy but he needs to stick that big ole foot up some of these kids rear ends! Go Vols!
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Beat Mamphis U., Everybody bring it Sat nite.
Does anyone know who'll be officiating this one? Very important.
auttat writes:
Still a long ways to go in this season. I would take 3-0 over Vandy, FL, and KY to end the season over Saturday anyday.
Nonetheless, BEAT THE KITTENS A$$!!!!! Nobody likes kittens anyways, they beg for attention too much...
cjraney writes:
RE: John Adams
A journalist stating his opinion concerning decisions, strategies, or the direction of the program is much different than actively promoting the idea our state university should make specific personnel move, i.e. fire Fulmer.
IMO, stating the opinion is fine, but promoting a specific agenda regarding university personnel is not okay. I believe there is a difference.
FireJohnAdams writes:
There is a "point of no return" and unfortunately for Mr. Adams, he has gone well past that point. If he had any creability before, he has none now.
FireJohnAdams writes:
Please excuse my typo......"credability"...thanks
Colliervol writes:
Hope Ramar keeps improving at shooting the 3. We are going to need somebody to do it next year for sure.
yabadabadoo1026 writes:
the koolaid cultists get uptight just hearing any opinion that may differ than their own----now how sick is that to feel so threatened by anothers opinion----for every good player from good upbringing that may not come to tenn because of reporting of our problems there are 2 more that likely will knowing 4 or 5 screwups is always a possibility depending on need ( for those who may think otherwise not that it matters anyway I'm not promoting PFs end just because I believe in free expression/opinion by journalists and dont consider all opposing opinion blasphemy)
troubleinc writes:
John Adams is less popular in Knoxville than a combination of OJ Simpson and Satan. KNS ... FIRE JOHN ADAMS!
ULTIMATEVOLUNTEER writes:
funny how the worst sports writers are always ones who have probably never put on a jock strap.
RJ_Vol writes:
Boycott John Adams. If we don't like what he writes(and I think the the fire CPF article was a typical media, "ivory tower" cheapshot), then we shouldn't post on his page in the future. Make him irrelevant. I'd love to see the comments tally for his articles at less than 10. Don't even read his articles and allow the "hits" on his articles to drop. That'll send the message that "cheapshot" journalism should never replace unbiased reporting.
VolJunkie writes:
auttat: couldn't agree with you more. Saturday is nice but wins against Vandy, Kentucky and Florida win the conference and hang banners from the TBA rafters. UT could lose Saturday, win the SEC and still be a #1 seed in the NCAA. Don't get me wrong, a win on Saturday would be great ... I am just looking for a good game and a great effort from the men in orange.
Go VOLS!
civilianvol_formerly_marinevol writes:
Has anyone mentioned that John Adams is an idiot?
oasis3#214380 writes:
For all of those who are touting the bravery of John Adams- Thunder Thornton said something to Adams before the Auburn basketball game Wednesday night. I thought John was going to dive under the media table. He looked like a scared little boy. He is a coward.
kewilson001#387788 writes:
I don't think Teddy V can do this game, Ramar might have a chance for some calls.
Go Vols!! #1 awaits!
Oenoboy writes:
GO VOLS!!!!! Beat Memphis!!
and don't forget...
JOHN ADAMS CAN KISS MY A$$!!!!
rootin4volz writes:
Hey Adams...You wrote this article before you wrote your apology article to Coach Fulmer? You know, Denial aint just a river in Egypt. Get a clue, dude.
THE_VOL writes:
Ramar's greatest value Saturday night might well be in the first 5-8 minutes. With all the hype and intensity, the officials are highly likely to call it close early. Ramar going to the rim could get MemPiss' inside thugs in some foul trouble and really put some pressure on the homeboys.
tnbanker_govols writes:
I hope all you guys wrote to the Knox News on Adams.....we don't need any more controversy around here. Please e-mail, write, call.....please voice your opinion. GO HOME JOHN ADAMS!!! There's a Katrina trailer waiting for you.
johnlg00 writes:
Good point, THE_VOL, although it is hard to say which way the early officiating might go. On the one hand, the refs might say to themselves, "Both teams like to run, it's on national TV, fans want to see a fast-paced game, so let's let them play." In that case, they may call it loose at first. Then, if it starts to get "chippy" on the court and guys really start banging, they might clamp down to keep it from getting out of hand. On the other hand, they might feel that both teams will be so jacked up for the game, they need to establish control early to KEEP it from getting out of control. Either way, I think Ramar and Tyler should challenge them inside early. Dorsey might be so geeked up to show his dominance inside that he might try to swat everything and could pick up some early fouls. On balance, in an emotionally-charged situation such we will see Saturday, it is smarter for the refs to call it tight early. We'll just have to wait to see if they also see it that way.
Share your thoughts
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.