Tennessee was a big winner in the basketball recruiting wars Saturday afternoon, so not all was lost in Neyland Stadium.
Josh Selby and Jordan McRae, two top-ranked players in the Class of 2010, said they have committed to play for coach Bruce Pearl and the Vols.
Selby, a 6-foot-1 junior from DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Md., is rated the No. 2 point guard and No. 7 player overall by Rivals.com,
“Tennessee is like another home,'' said Selby, who had already visited Louisville and canceled visits to Texas and Virginia Tech. “The fans treated me like I was their son, and I was very comfortable.
“My mother and my uncle also loved it, and they also thought this was the best thing for me,'' said Selby.
McRae, a 6-5 shooting guard from Liberty County High School in Midway, Ga., is the No. 9 shooting guard and No. 28 overall player in the Class of 2010.
He, too, was being recruited by Texas and Louisville, along with Indiana and Kentucky.
“It just felt like home, and it was great at the stadium, real loud, even though they were losing,'' McRae said. “Tennessee plays a full-court game, and that's my style. I can score and I pass well for a two (shooting guard).''
Both Selby and McRae said they were impressed with UT's practice Saturday morning, further cementing their decisions.
More than 700 fans looked on as Pearl brought some intensity to a practice at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Aaron Craft, a combo-guard from Findlay, Ohio, who had already committed to UT for the Class of 2010, was making an unofficial visit.
“I loved seeing it,’’ said Craft. “It makes it fun to practice when you get pushed like that.’’
Craft, who also plays quarterback for his high school football team, arrived in Knoxville at 4 a.m. Saturday. Craft said his high school team, ranked fifth in the state, held a 62-0 lead at halftime so he didn’t need to play in the second half.
UT also hosted two official visitors, 2009 commitment Kenny Hall and Chipola Junior College shooting guard Casey Mitchell.
Hall, a 6-9 power forward from Stone Mountain, Ga., is the No. 61-rated player in the nation according to Rivals.com.
Mitchell is considered one of the top junior college players in the nation.
The Vols weren’t keeping score on the court, but that didn’t stop them from playing as though they were.
Bodies were flying around all over The Summitt court. On one play there were two loose-ball pileups within two seconds.
Pearl wrapped up practice after one hour, as the NCAA only allows for two hours per week until the team begins full team practice Oct. 17.
© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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Comments » 33
utvol008 writes:
Way to go Bruce!!
BSweet writes:
Awesome news!
govols26 writes:
This is incredible!! Knowing basketball season is right aroud the corner is the only thing getting me through this fall season right now.
Go BRUCE!!!
tennesseePhatz writes:
That is what I am talking about. Get the big time recruits Pearl. All we need now is a 7 footer.
MrBamSeydu writes:
It is official. Bruce Pearl completed the task of making UT a basketball university.
Phil Fulmer went from Mr. Big Shot to the guy who everyone wants to run out of town and has completely ruined our national respect level. Our football program is a joke now and I could really care less if all of our recruits de-commit. In my opinion, I want it to stay bad until Fulmer is gone. I'll take another losing season and another 2* and 3* recruiting class to get him out of there.
Props to Bruce Pearl and his staff for not only making Tennessee a national power, but BUILDING upon it.
We will 100% most definitely win a national championship in basketball before we win another one in football.
GO VOLS (B-BALL)!!!!!!!!!!
budrhon writes:
What happen to Dominic Cheek? Wasn't he suppose to visit?
tennesseePhatz writes:
Who cares, we don't need him now. I don't think he really want to come.
volsoutwest writes:
Say Bruce, You know anything about football?
thsvolfan15 writes:
this is HUGE!!! these guys are studs. bruce pearl could probably do a better job coaching the football team than most of our coaches
(Sounds like we should get aaron craft to be starting quaterback)
Fireman writes:
Craft, who also plays quarterback for his high school football team, arrived in Knoxville at 4 a.m. Saturday. Craft said his high school team, ranked fifth in the state, held a 62-0 lead at halftime so he didn’t need to play in the second half.
Let him play quarterback too so we can get crapton out of here!
DenmarkVol writes:
Wow -- can't ask for a much better silver lining than this news this weekend.
GO BRUCE!
vol52 writes:
I can't wait till it's BASKETBALL TIME IN TENNESSEE!
pammyvol1000 writes:
at least we can still recruit in basketball..
TopTenn writes:
Bruce is not done. Watch who gets next.
TopTenn writes:
The 2010 class will be ranked in the top five.
WVVOLFAN writes:
43 days until it's BB time in TN.
yems, i think anything less than an SEC championship and Phils gone. I don't want to see the ship go down with the captain. look how quick suburban turned UF around. I want the same for UT and you can't do that with sub par requits.
rep88 writes:
Bruce Pearl is the man. I never thought Tn could be this good at basketball but a man like pearl can do the job. I would dare say he is a top 10 coach in basketball
LadyVolsEighTimes writes:
Being in Neyland these last two weeks was painful.
Thank the Basketball Gods we have CBP and CPS, relief is in site.
Hunter writes:
A little salve for some deep football wounds. Thanks Coach Pearl for giving hope for the end of the fall.
junder13 writes:
WOW, Pearl is awesome! I'm so, so glad we have Pearl here. Imagine UT sports right now if we had a men's bball program that resembled the post-Myers Vols...
Great job Bruce and thanks for giving us fans something to look forward to!!!
GO VOLS!
TopTenn writes:
Bruce and PAT the best.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
good 'ern, pammyvol1000.
cdmav08 writes:
The past is passed the future is now... we all know FOOLmore was a great coach who turned it around at UT, but since the national Championship things have changed. We are 17-23 against ranked opponents this decade and 1-9 against opponents in the top 10. Those are not numbers of a "football school"
chrisw2967 writes:
this kid McRae is the real deal and is very athletic, I went and watched his school play this past year but I didnt know he was being recruited by Pearl at the time but at least I have a reason to go watch him play again this year.
rockytop47 writes:
Man that is great! Not to be greedy, but like somebody said earlier a big man would be nice. Go Vols!
Lofton4Three writes:
Pearl gets more recruits in one weekend than Fulmer's team can score touchdowns. That's a headline for the state of the program if I've ever seen one.
ed#643218 writes:
the beat goes on with bruce as the leader
SomeGuy writes:
So UT football was just a non-entity with almost no history until Fulmer came along? Are you out of your mind? True, hanging onto Bill Battle for too long resulted in many years of wondering in the wilderness but that unhappy period in UT's football history is remarkably similar to what we're going through now. Fulmer did well in the 90s but he has done horribly since then and it's just getting worse. The longer he's allowed to stay, the longer it will take to fill in the giant hole he's dug for us. You people who value Fulmer over the program are nothing but enablers or possibly secret Bama or Gator fans. This isn't the Univ. of Fulmer! Now stop defending the indefensible.
Orangebrewbasher writes:
Can't wait until basketball season. In Bruce we trust!
volunteer_cowboy writes:
why for god sake doesnt someone ask themselves "humm" fired peterson and found and hired bruce, wonder if i can do the same for the football team????????????????????
b_neas writes:
never hurts to be able to get recruits that were lookng at Ky, UF, and Memphis. Just shows how far our program has come and where it is going.
Wait can't believe BillyG was actually looking at McRae, he is a junior is HS, what is he thinking recruiting HSers, I thought he concentrated only on kids who had yet to grow armpit hair!!
JohnyLobo34 writes:
Fulmer can recruit; But he can't coach! He's too uptight in the big games; especially against Florida; and he's too controlling to turn his coaches loose. And let's face it; the National Championship was LUCK! The Arkansas win, Chris Winke's injury in the title game forced Florida State to use a 3rd STRING QB. I bleed Orange, but we're at a crossroads here folks.
the_1_don#407478 writes:
Can you honestly compare Peterson to Fulmer? If you think so, maybe that is why the University hasn't sought to offer you gainful employment! I can't remember the University asking for consultant services from asnyone on this board!
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