Tennessee McDonald's All-American freshman recruit Scotty Hopson is getting the hang of college life, on and off the basketball court.
"It's a lot different than high school; you have to really stay on top of things,'' Hopson said. "That, and just knowing I am really on my own. I like the freedom.''
Hopson doesn't necessarily like the hard work he has put into conditioning, but he realizes it's necessary.
"I think I've put on five or six pounds these past three weeks,'' the 6-foot-7 Hopson said. "Troy (Wills) wants us all to get stronger, and he pushes us every morning. It's tough, but it will make us better.
"A lot of guys told me it would be difficult, but I didn't think it would be this tough.''
Hopson said he's using the available tutors to stay up with his academics as he's taking English 101 and Musicology.
"At lunch time, Wayne (Chism) comes by and we go to the cafeteria at the (Thompson-Boling) Arena,'' Hopson said. "They have the best fried bologna sandwich.''
Afternoons and nights have been mostly reserved for pickup games with teammates and Pilot Rocky Top League games on Mondays and Wednesdays at Bearden High School.
"I want the competition,'' said Hopson, who draws more defensive attention than any player in the league except Tyler Smith. "Even when I was in high school, I was the guy everyone wanted to go up against.
"But that's good, especially when it's one of my teammates. We'll push each other and make each other better.''
Hopson said he can't wait for the season to start.
"Coach (Bruce) Pearl is going to make me a better player and teach me some things,'' Hopson said. "There's no reason we shouldn't be talented enough to compete for the (SEC) championship.
"Yeah, we lost Chris (Lofton) and JaJuan (Smith), but we've got guys coming in who are focused and ready to push themselves.''
Cool Raul: Raul Placeres said just being one of the boys is what's keeping him going in the PRTL.
Placeres enjoyed a 19-point, nine-rebound outing for the News Sentinel in its 102-101 win over First Tennessee on Thursday night.
"Playing out here makes me feel young again,'' said the 27-year-old Placeres, who in his first year as Gatlinburg-Pittman's head coach led the team to the region quarterfinals for the first time in seven years.
"You get the camaraderie out here that's like college,'' said Placeres, who finished his playing days as Maryville College's point guard some four years ago. "It's not exactly like college, but it's as close as you can get.''
Placeres serves as the translator for the Sevier County school system.
Scary Moment: UT redshirt freshman Cameron Tatum suffered a slightly strained groin after slipping on a wet spot following a dunk Wednesday night.
Tatum left the action but returned to the game and insisted he was fine. PRTL commissioner Andre Whitehead said he told Tatum not to play in Thursday's game as a precautionary measure.
Tatum will return to action Monday night, Whitehead said.
MVP Finalists: The list of candidates for the PRTL MVP race has been cut to five.
Tyler Smith and Courtney Pigram represent the HT Group, while Bobby Maze and Hopson are candidates off Ray's ESG. Tatum is First Tennessee's representative.
Vanderbilt 93, Tennessee 79, Feb. 9…
Tennessee 69, South Carolina 57 men's…
Vanderbilt 65, Tennessee 47, Jan. 24…
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Comments » 54
WVVOLFAN writes:
fried bologna sandwich: brings back memories. can't hardly find one here in K TOWN
WVVOLFAN writes:
Nitro
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Man, baloney sandwiches and Musicology. You go, Scotty, you'll do fine.
murrayvol writes:
I know all about fried boloney sandwiches but what the heck is Musicology?
wheatbarley writes:
WVVOLFAN
I graduated from South Charleston High in 76. I saw Ron McCartney at the Johnny Majors invitational last year and we swapped stories about WV high school football. Some of the best food I ever found in Knoxville was at the old Byrum Townsend market in south Knoxville.
CoverOrange writes:
I've always made my own fried bologna (or salami) sandwiches. Never knew some restaurants actually served them.
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
my wife thinks I'm nuts for liking fried baloney sanwichs, haven't had one in 20 some-odd years.
I was alwys patial to mine with mustard.
Another treat: popcorn cooked in a cast aluminum pot (1 tbsp of crisco), salted and butter salt. Gently place a peanut butter sandwich on top of the fresh cooked popcorn, flipping once as you make your way to the TV. You will then enjoy a ligtly-toasted pb sandwish with you popcorn.
Scotty sounds like an okay kid, anybody who fesses up to fried baloney has some cred with me.
Hunter writes:
murrayvol, Musicology is the study of music, particularly its historical and cultural applications. In other words, Scotty is getting 3 free hours from our land-grant institution. He will likely learn about Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven and have to attend a jazz recital. I think he'll be eligible for fall......
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Man, there is nothing like the pure cholesterol main-lined from the center grease pocket in a rolled-up edge hot slice of bologna. A true Southern tradion.
Assisted many a good ol' boy in his journey to the grave. Doubt if fish oil could off-set this.
Doubt if musicology does much buck dancing.
THE_VOL writes:
"In other words, Scotty is getting 3 free hours from our land-grant institution."
HUNTER - are you saying the other 25000 or so undergrads don't get the same opportunity? Clim off the high horse now.
andefromtn#212139 writes:
Scotty sounds as if he is adjusting to life as a big time athlete in the SEC. He appears to be doing things right and working hard both educationally and athleticly. He's set a schedule and that is half the battle that first year.
The Lunch House in East Knox mades a wonderful fried bolongna sandwich, and FYI they hand cut the slices so you get a very nice thick portion. Scruggs B-Que on Magnolia has a smoked bologna sandwich which is also very good. If your local deli like resturant serves burgers and "cold" bologna then chances are you only have to ask and you most likely will receive a fried Lonsdales ham sandwich. Garnich any of them with the mustard of your choice, yellow or spicy brown, a slice ot onion and/or mater then enjoy!
TommyJack writes:
w/mayo, please, and notch the edges. And BTW, unless most of you guys are heavy into advanced nuclear physics, lay off the Musicology. Too many academic posers.
rockytop47 writes:
Amen Tommyjack! He just finished high school, let him enjoy the summer and transition to college life! He actually sounds like a good young man, especially after all the rap he took for being selfish. GO VOLS!! Go Scotty!
murrayvol writes:
G_Fritter: I would agree.
murrayvol writes:
TJ: "and notch the edges." A man who knows his way around a slice of bologna.
BigOrangeCrazy writes:
Sense this has turned into a fried bologna testament here's my take. Fried with A1, peppers and onions on toast with cheese. The perfect Tennesse Cheese Steak! GO VOLS!!!!
vol4gzus writes:
It appears to the casual observer that many of our posters(not just Mr. Hopson) are full of or wanting to be full of baloney. You choose the one that applies the best to your case. Bball will be interesting if our student-athletes can pass chemistry(as in team)101.
ncvol writes:
Back to the article...I like Scotty's confidence for the coming BB season ...
"There's no reason we shouldn't be talented enough to compete for the (SEC) championship."
By the way, I don't know if you know it but baloney is called "Tennessee Round Steak " and I too like it fried with mustard.
BillVol writes:
Wait till he tries a steamed sandwich at Gus's!
pdhuff#552644 writes:
'Mater and baloney on white bread with mayo oozing.
Geno would seen decent with one of those bad boys. Maybe not.
Hope the mayo doesn't drip on those musicology sheets. During the Smoky Mountain Boys lecture.
b_neas writes:
Saw where Hopson was on a list of top 5 likely freshman to continue the trend from the recent NBA draft of one and done. Maybe Pearl can keep him two years, since Tyler and Tatum will draw a lot of attention, but after that i bet he will be gone.
DandyVol writes:
I always fried two pieces of baloney, both with notches. Of course when making the sandwich you rotate the top slice so that all notches are covered. I think I'll go have a baloney sandwich. One might say this article is a bunch of baloney.
DandyVol writes:
I had heard the NBA was going to go to a two year rule. Does any one know if they have done that yet?
b_neas writes:
It is not done yet. Probably won't be for a while.
BADGES0413 writes:
Baloney is as foul as Potted Meat. Nothing but Pig Innards that didn't make the cut for Bacon. Used to call it Lonsdale Ham growing up.
Back to Scotty, Hopefully he stays for at least 2 years. Can't wait for the season to start.
overatedvols writes:
"Hobson getting hang of college"
He better hurry up cause things will be mighty nasty in Jan. if he hasn't caught on well.
Memphis Tigers - Best team in the State. Tennessee's team. America's team.
overatedvols writes:
Who's Emanuel? Never heard of em.
overatedvols writes:
That's the Griz Marc. Tigers would have beaten the Griz the last few years. They were so bad that the Vols would have even had a chance. (err... the before memphis game vol team. The after memphis vols team would have struggled against the First Baptist Church of Knoxville seniors team.) Griz are on the way up I believe. Couldn't go much farther down. When they start winning Chad Ford will shut up. Vol fans should have about the same opinion of ESPN writers as Memphis does. They show you no respect either. Right now it's fashionable to criticize Memphis. The city that had the best college basketball team in the country last season. After next season when the Griz make the playoffs and the Tigers win the national championship (while destroying the vols in the worst loss ever in TBA) they'll show a bit of respect.
Raynoch writes:
second best college bball team in the country
b_neas writes:
If you beat UT in TBA kudos. You will have ended a long long winning streak the same way we did at your house last year!
alfrizzle097 writes:
This is a different team than the last couple years. Replacing starters at all three guard positions.
That home winning streak is due more to better composure in a nonhostile environment than it was crowd noise unsettling the other team. We'll see how this year's team will react to playing in a quiet arena.
b_neas writes:
TBA quiet?? Never, not as long as Pearl and his style of play is there. The winning streak is in large part due to the environment. That and we raise the opponents goal by one inch, lol.
THE_VOL writes:
The TN fans have NOT made TBA a place to fear yet - and might not ever. Yeah it gets a little crazy for big games, KY, FL, MEMPISS and maybe a couple others but that's about it. The students are too spread out, the blue hairs are half dead, and many of the remainder think only an alley oop from mid-court is a good play. The good news is there is nobody on the upcoming home schedule to be fearful of either so THE STREAK WILL CONTINUE!
THE_VOL writes:
The TN fans have NOT made TBA a place to fear yet - and might not ever. Yeah it gets a little crazy for big games, KY, FL, MEMPISS and maybe a couple others but that's about it. The students are too spread out, the blue hairs are half dead, and many of the remainder think only an alley oop from mid-court is a good play. The good news is there is nobody on the upcoming home schedule to be fearful of either so THE STREAK WILL CONTINUE!
overatedvols writes:
Brownie you had it exactly right. When they got Love and bypassed CDR for the other guy with their 28th pick I was thinking that this team is falling apart. I was hearing comments such the Gay Love team. Next morning, just as you predicted... Mayo and got a good deal on the kansas player. Definitely looks more promising now. Good inside info.!!
THE_VOL writes:
Has everybody forgotten BP's first recruiting class? There were 3 guys in that one that were supposedly "one and done" type guys. Now, while one was a "half and done" and left mid-season, the other two ended up being "two and through" although not of their own accord. SO MUCH can happen in the next year to cause guys to return so I wouldn't get too excited thinking Maze, Negedu or Hopson will be here only one year. History says otherwise.
THE_VOL writes:
"The city that had the best college basketball team in the country last season. After next season when the Griz make the playoffs and the Tigers win the national championship (while destroying the vols in the worst loss ever in TBA) they'll show a bit of respect."
BACK TO REHAB FOR OVERRATED I GUESS!
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Do they have baloney in Memphis?
budrhon writes:
pdhuff - they actually do have BBQ bologna in a few of the joints in the Bluff City.
Overated - Memphis in Mayo has a nice ring to it. Good to see the Grizz finally do something after giving Gasoft to LA.
itsme... actually the Tigers are second as the JayHawks won it in OT. I like the Tigers but they are going into next season with a lot of shoes to fill. If Dozier and Taggart up their game and they can get solid performance at the point then they may be legit. Point guard play is what is at question for them. As for the Vols on paper they look to be loaded. Tyler may be SEC player of the year and if Maze can show better point play than what they had last season they should be legit. The perimeter game will lack some, but they should be more physical this season with the number of bigs inside. Louisville exposed a weakness that Pearl is aware of.
budrhon writes:
Oh yeah fried Bologna notched on the sides and in the middle w/mayo on wheat. That being the case you better have 40mg of lipitor, 200 mcg of folic acid, 81mg aspirin, and some Omega 3 daily if this is going to be your weekly diet,lol.
WVVOLFAN writes:
wheatbarley: i graduated from nitro in '75. actually lived in south charleston and went to grade school at zog o'dell for 4 years. i played church league basketball with ron mac for 6-7 years. we probably have a little in common.
WVVOLFAN writes:
thanks for the tip 02
Colliervol writes:
itsme, do you really want to compare academics when your department helped that noted Rhodes Scholar, Chris Massie, to pass 23 hours in one semester in order to be eligible? Don't even bother with the pseudo-intellectual B.S. when Memphis allows junk like that to go on. Unless you are Duke, Stanford, or Vanderbilt, you got nothing to talk about.
Also, you sure don't want to start comparing the academics overall at UT and Memphis. In case you weren't aware, UT rejected about 4000 applications in each of the last two years due to academics that weren't good enough to get into school. Guess where a fair number of those had to go because they couldn't get into Knoxville. Go ahead, take a shot at it. You know who it is.
overatedvols writes:
budrhon, good post. bricker, Hobson, Hopson. PJ, JP, doesn't matter. It's irrelevant. If they don't go to Memphis it not important.
Just in "Hopson" has said he'll probably only stay 1 year. He said "Next year we'll have to play Memphis at their place. I don't want no part of that" Negedu who was nearby added "Me too man... my career don't need no blow to it like that. I'm a one and done even if i have to head over to Europe"
There you have it. Both are one and dones.
overatedvols writes:
Hopson just added, "I don't mind beating up on those has-been and weak SEC teams but playing an elite program like Memphis is another thing all together." Negedu added "Right man"
WVVOLFAN writes:
02/23/08 at Memphis State 66-62 (W)
National Championship Runner Up = 1st Loser, loser
overatedvols writes:
Maze has now gotten in on this. As he heard Hopson and Negedu making their comments he walked over and said "I ain't afraid of no Tigers. I'll do to them just what my gangsta video i'm starring in on youtube says. The title is we kill them and that's what we'll do to those Tigers"
Hopson added "You crazy man"
WVVOLFAN writes:
02/23/08 at Memphis State 66-62 (W)
National Championship Runner Up = 1st Loser
ect1983 writes:
Dearest Overrated Vols----Your inferiority complex(es) are so obvious. I'll bet you are from Mempiss, 5'2" tall, never played sports,probably commuted to Tiger High all 6 years....who doesn't ? (assuming you went),drive a really big SUV (Hummer) to make you feel tall,and got beat up at school everday growing up.
PS I live in Knoxville...I made all my kids go out of state to school to "grow up"...and told them that if they screwed up or got in trouble, they would not transfer to UT, but would have to go to Tiger High.....What incentive !!! They never had to go Mempiss
pdhuff#552644 writes:
No one else will have a full-color BBall program cover with Hopson holding a dripping balogna samich with the score from "South Pacific" in the other hand!
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