Hopson vs. Smith made Rocky royal

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Tennessee incoming freshman Scotty Hopson takes a shot during the championship game of the Pilot Rocky Top League on Wednesday at Bearden High School.

Fans were turned away on the final night of Pilot Rocky Top League action Wednesday at Bearden High School.

And the 3,000 or so who got in weren't disappointed, as Tennessee forward Tyler Smith and incoming freshman Scotty Hopson waged an intense battle in the title game.

Smith's HT Group team won - as it did every game, going 7-0 - leading to Smith being named the league's MVP.

Young Hopson, however, served notice he's as good as advertised and pushed Smith to the limit.

Hopson said the league served his purpose, and from the sounds of it, whet his appetite for the upcoming season.

"I needed this type of experience, especially going against Tyler,'' Hopson said. "I'm waiting to see how tough team workouts will be - I've heard a lot.

"I'm ready to see what (UT) coach (Bruce) Pearl can teach me so I can get better.''

Hopson was the first to admit he struggled with his 3-point shot in league action.

"I guess it's that I've been hitting the weights hard,'' he said. "I need to put more time in the gym. I'll knock it down during the season.''

Former UT fan-favorite Dane Bradshaw, who PA announcer Brian Tate tabbed as "The Mayor,'' said the league improved from year one to year two.

"The league was definitely deeper, and I was impressed with the talent here locally,'' Bradshaw said. "This year was more exciting with the number of incoming (UT) freshman that played.

"Since I've been standing here 60 or 70 people tried to get in but can't because of the fire code, or whatever.

It's a testament to the fan support basketball is getting in Knoxville.''

The difference in the title game was East Tennessee State's Courtney Pigram, who won his own personal duel with future UT point guard Bobby Maze, scoring 45 points including a 3-pointer in the final seconds.

Here's a breakdown of what each of the current and future Vols showed this season:

-- Smith (power forward, small forward): Established himself as the unquestioned leader at UT with his play on the court, and his conduct off of it, attending most every PRTL game and spending time with fans and teammates.

-- Cameron Tatum (small forward): Showed shooting range, the ability to get to the rim and draw fouls, and hit free throws at an 80-percent clip.

-- Brian Williams (post): UT fans were excited to see how Williams has firmed up, leading to more energy, athleticism and dunks.

-- Josh Tabb (shooting guard): Stuck on a smallish team, Tabb was forced to step up in all facets, but struggled from the free throw line.

-- Wayne Chism (post, power forward): Entertaining and in top physical condition, but Chism didn't always bring his 'A' game to PRTL action and didn't dominate as expected.

-- Maze (point guard): Strong, competitive and controlled, the Vols' point guard position is in good hands. Impressive driving ability and shot selection.

-- Hopson (shooting guard): He'll be virtually unstoppable on offense when his 3-point shot falls, but his defensive skills need work.

-- Daniel West (point guard): Tenacious defender, plays under control and has great court awareness. West is a winner.

--Steven Pearl (small forward, power forward): Played hard and fast, showed improvement on defense and with ball handling.

-- Phillip Jurick (post): A great shot blocker and strong in spurts, but needs work on his conditioning and offensive game.

Injuries kept returning UT players Ryan Childress (knee) and J.P. Prince (shoulder) out of action. Childress (power forward) is expected out until September while Prince (small forward) will return in August.

UT signees Emanuel Negedu (power forward) and Renaldo Woolridge (small forward, power forward) were not yet enrolled in school and didn't play.

Mike Griffith may be reached at griffithm@knoxnews.com.