West won't be joining Vols next season

Tennessee men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl announced that Daniel West, who signed with the Vols in March of 2008, will not play for the team next season.

West was ruled academically ineligible before the start of what would have been his freshman season as a result of a standardized testing agency flagging his qualifying score.

UT basketball also is under the NCAA’s mandated APR (Academic Progress Rating) of 925 and stands to lose a scholarship. UT has an appeal pending to get the full allotment of 13 scholarships, but right now the number stands at 12.

“The NCAA removed Daniel from our roster at the beginning of October,’’ Pearl said Friday. “Daniel chose to stay in school and complete his first year. We never told Daniel he had a scholarship for next season.’’

West, a point guard from Saginaw, Mich., will transfer to a junior college or another four-year school following the completion of the spring semester.

“Not having Daniel this year really hurt our team and our depth in the backcourt,’’ Pearl said. “We were already thin at the position.’’

West’s unforeseen ineligibility — the test was taken in the summer prior to his enrollment at UT — forced Pearl to move small forward Josh Tabb to point guard and was a factor in the team’s inability to press.

If the Vols don’t win their appeal on the APR rating and junior Tyler Smith elects to return for his senior season, UT will be over its limit on scholarship players.

“If that’s the case, we would have to make a decision,’’ Pearl said.

While Pearl wouldn’t elaborate on which player would lose his scholarship, freshman center Philip Jurick has let it be known he is not encouraged with his projected playing time next season.

Pearl said he has met with Jurick, a 6-foot-10 center from Chattanooga’s East Ridge High School, on that issue this week.

Smith has said if he’s not “comfortably’’ projected to be selected in the first round of the NBA draft in June, he will return to the Vols.

Smith is a projected mid-second round pick on most draft sites heading into his workouts. He declared himself eligible for the draft last week but has not hired an agent, so he is eligible to return to UT.

Pearl would not disclose the Vols’ new APR number — that will be released in the fall — but he said it is the highest it has been since he took the job four years ago.

“When I got here, we were below 900, and it was not in good shape,’’ Pearl said. “We’ve improved every year, but not to the point where we could overcome the penalty.

“The great challenge is when you combine discipline with academic performance.’’

Pearl has dismissed five scholarship players from the program over the course of four seasons.

Jemere Hendrix was cut before he ever suited up for Pearl. Major Wingate and Tony Passley were dismissed Pearl’s second season, and last year Duke Crews and Ramar Smith didn’t have their scholarships renewed.

“We’re going to have six or seven VOLScholars this season,’’ Pearl said, referring to UT’s athletic award for academic excellence and diligence. “We’ve turned the corner but not fast enough.’’