Hopson pushing into a bigger role

Tennessee men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl referred to freshman Scotty Hopson's recent emergence as an "evolution."

And that evolution is a part of Pearl making his final tweaks to the Vols as they make their run into and through whatever postseason awaits them.

Tennessee (17-10, 8-5 SEC) has an RPI of 25 according to RealtimeRpi.com and a schedule that's ranked No. 2 heading into Sunday's 2 p.m. game at Florida (TV: WVLT).

It's a respectable record and RPI rank when one considers Pearl is working with five new players in his 10-man rotation.

But respectable doesn't not equal playing at a peak level.

That's where Hopson could come into play.

Hopson has led the Vols in scoring each of the past two games, playing more than 30 minutes in back-to-back games for the first time this season.

He has scored 35 points on 13 of 24 shooting, 5 of 12 beyond the arc, against Kentucky and Mississippi State.

Pearl explained Hopson's newfound assertiveness and production have brought him increased minutes and a bigger role.

"What happens is, you're on a team with a few veterans - Tyler (Smith), Wayne (Chism) and J.P. (Prince) - and you want to let those guys lead and you want to fit in,'' Pearl said, approaching the situation from Hopson's freshman point of view. "Then we struggle some, and we've been encouraging Scotty to be more aggressive and he absolutely was. He was more active; tonight, he had six rebounds."

Hopson, who scored a career-high 21 points in the win over the Bulldogs on Wednesday, has embraced his new role.

"I think that's when I play my best; when it's showtime and it's time to step up,'' Hopson said. "I'm a lot more comfortable. The guys have been telling me to shoot the ball more all year.''

Pearl has been telling Hopson that, too, but the freshman had to be comfortable with it himself.

"That's something that happens with an evolution of newcomers,'' Pearl said. "Tyler Smith went through the same things last year when he came.''

Even Chris Lofton, the SEC's all-time leading 3-point shooter, had to grow in his role for past UT teams to play at their best.

"Chris Lofton realized when he was in slumps that if he wasn't Chris Lofton-like, we wouldn't win.''

And now Pearl said Hopson has realized he needs to play well for the Vols to win.

"I don't believe in hitting a wall,'' Hopson said. "I'm just pushing to get better.''

On ESPN: Tennessee's game at South Carolina on March 5 will be televised on ESPN at 7 p.m.

Brent Musburger will call the play-by-play, with Bob Knight providing analysis and Holly Rowe courtside.

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
Want to use this article? Click here for options!