Strange: Vols deserving, but might not get awards

Tennessee celebrated itself Sunday at Thompson-Boling Arena. A championship banner was unfurled. Confetti floated. The nets were ceremoniously cut. Championship hats and T-shirts materialized.

Over the next few days, we'll see to what degree the SEC celebrates Tennessee.

An 89-56 romp over South Carolina brought the winningest regular season in UT men's basketball history to a jubilant close Sunday. Friday, the Vols wade into the SEC tournament.

What has gone before and that which is still to come are all about team. The next few days, however, are the annual interlude when individual accolades are distributed.

The media (Associated Press) and the league coaches will each bestow honors. Tennessee, the undisputed regular-season champion, figures prominently in every discussion except the all-freshman team.

Bruce Pearl, it says here, deserves to be named coach of the year.

Because his team was the preseason favorite to win the league championship doesn't mean doing it was any easier. And what Pearl has done for his program off the court should count for something. That's part of his body of work.

But there are two schools of thought on evaluating coaching performances. Reward the guy who produced the best results. Or, reward the guy who, even though he didn't do the best, did better than expected.

If you're in the first school, it's Pearl, slam dunk. If you're in the second, a case can be made for Kentucky's Billy Gillispie, Mississippi State's Rick Stansbury or even Vanderbilt's Kevin Stallings. Gillispie, especially.

Sometimes, being the best when you're supposed to be the best gets taken for granted.

In 2006 and 2007, Florida won two national championships, two SEC tournaments and took the 2007 regular-season title by a three-game margin.

How many SEC coach of the year plaques did Billy Donovan get? Zero.

In 2006, Pearl got the media vote and LSU's John Brady the coaches' vote. They won their respective divisions.

In '07, the media voted for Andy Kennedy of Ole Miss, the coaches for Stallings. With five starters returning from the national-champion team, Donovan, in the voters' eyes, merely did what was expected.

The player-of-the-year balloting is even less clear.

Chris Lofton, last year's AP winner, probably hasn't had the season to repeat. His teammate, do-it-all Tyler Smith, has support.

Pearl says he goes with the best player on the best team, an approach Stallings called "garbage" this week.

Ramel Bradley has been superb for Kentucky. But I'm betting Vandy's Shan Foster takes the prize. If so, I don't have a problem.

Tyler Smith and Lofton have done enough to rate first-team All-SEC notice, but it's a crowded field. Maybe too crowded for two Vols.

What about a third Vol?

JaJuan Smith, to Pearl's chagrin, is the most likely Vol to get overlooked for any sort of SEC honors.

Smith admitted Sunday he set an offseason goal to make some kind of All-SEC team. But experience tells him not to get his hopes up.

"It's not going to make or break me," Smith said with a laugh. "I ain't made one since I've been here.''

He said this after a brilliant Senior Day finale in which he scored 17 points, found nine rebounds and led the defensive charge on holding South Carolina's Devan Downey to two points on 1-of-9 shooting.

As Smith left his home floor for the final time, he received a heartfelt standing ovation. That might be his highest honor this week.

If that's the case, he's plenty grateful.

"I'm ready to go out in the real world,'' he said, "knowing I've got these people here who have got my back.''

Mike Strange may be reached at 865-342-6276 or strange2@knews.com.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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