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Tennessee men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl had himself dialed down a little Friday afternoon in the Pratt Practice Pavilion.

Players raced up and down the court, sneakers screeching and Pearl barking orders, albeit, more subdued than one might hear at the average Vols' practice.

The players, however, weren't wearing orange. They were clad in the red, white and blue as they fought to secure spots on the USA's 18th World Maccabi Games team. The Maccabi Games represent a spiritual, cultural and athletic experience for Jewish athletes.

"This is about trying to pick the best 12 players we can and give them a taste of how we want to play,'' said Pearl, who will serve as Team USA's head coach for the games July 13-23, 2009, in Israel.

"It's about the guys watching the NBA draft together last night at BW3, and going to temple tonight as a team.

"(Today) they'll see our basketball camp and then go out on my boat."

The first tryout session was June 5 in New York City. The final tryout will be in Los Angeles in August.

ESPN basketball analyst Doug Gottlieb was alongside Pearl at Friday's workout serving as assistant coach.

"I've admired Coach Pearl from afar; his energy and enthusiasm for Judaism and for basketball,'' said Gottlieb, who played at Notre Dame and Oklahoma State. "This is a departure in styles from anything I've learned.''

Gottlieb, the MVP of the 2001 World Maccabi Games, said he volunteered for the coaching staff when he heard Pearl was coach.

"When they said Bruce was coaching, I said, 'What do you want me to do?' " Gottlieb said.

There were 17 players at Friday's tryout, including UT sophomore Steven Pearl, who played two summers ago in the Australian International Games.

Four of the 17 players hail from Ivy League schools. Five are playing overseas.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.