Primm's performance a proper introduction for fans at Rocky Top

Stop the presses! There's a new No. 1 in the Pilot Rocky Top League.

UNC-Asheville's John Primm was one of a trio of HT Group (3-1) players to scored 25 points in a 111-99 win over the previously unbeaten News Sentinel (3-1) at Bearden High School on Monday night.

Tennessee's Wayne Chism and former NBDL player Boo Jackson had 25 apiece, but it was the 6-foot-1 Primm who stole the show.

And he did it against arguably one of the best defenders to ever play for UT, JaJuan Smith.

"I just tried to take advantage of everything JaJuan gave me,'' said Primm, who hit 9 of 20 shots while holding Smith to an 11-for-30 shooting performance. "When he sagged off me, I took threes. When he pressed up, I drove by him and scored or dished it off.''

Primm led all freshman in the nation in assists through the first month of last season at Asheville before an ankle injury. He finished with 139 assists, the most by a Bulldogs freshman in 16 years.

"I didn't go to a high major school, but we play Tennessee, Duke and North Carolina,'' Primm said. "Playing against guys like Chris Lofton and JaJuan Smith out here lets you know where you're at, too.''

Primm, from Dickson County (Tenn.) High School, has driven over from Asheville on Mondays and Wednesday for the PRTL games the past two weeks, staying over with his former AAU teammate, UT sophomore Scotty Hopson.

"Me and Scotty played two years of AAU together with the Mid-State Ballerz,'' Primm said. "I heard about this league late last year, but it was too late to get in.

"I had a pretty good season this year so Andre (Whitehead) invited me to join.''

Smith, who shutdown some of the nation's top perimeter threats during his UT career, said he was impressed with Primm's game.

"He's a tough kid, and he plays real good,'' said Smith, who has NBA tryouts coming up with Indiana and Atlanta. "He's aggressive on both ends of the floor.''

Smith said he and the News Sentinel were guilty of overlooking their opponents.

"I believe we took them too lightly,'' Smith said. "We learned from this game, watch and see.''

Former Vol Dane Bradshaw will return from his honeymoon to play for the News Sentinel next week.

HT Group, meanwhile, won Wednesday's game despite UT sophomore Renaldo Woolridge sitting out with stitches in his chin.

Woolridge suffered the injury when he and former Vol All-American Chris Lofton collided at midcourt in a Monday night game.

Woolridge will have the stitches removed this weekend.

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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