The Tennessee men's basketball 2010 signing class remains a work in progress, with the first signed letter of intent expected Thursday.
Jordan McRae, a 6-foot-6 shooting guard from Liberty County High School in Midway, Ga., said he'll sign his papers at a ceremony and send them in from his school's office.
Trae Golden, a 6-1 point guard from McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Ga., said his signing with the Vols will be Monday or Tuesday.
"I've always known I wanted to come play for Tennessee, since the first time I went up there,'' said McRae, who committed to the Vols more than a year ago after attending a UT home football game against Florida.
McRae is rated the No. 6 shooting guard in the nation by Scout.com, and Rivals.com has him ranked as the No. 42 player in the nation on their Rivals 150 list.
Golden, who committed Sept. 17, plays AAU basketball with McRae on the Atlanta Celtics and is just as eager as McRae to wear orange.
"I'm going to sign Monday or Tuesday,'' Golden said. "My sister is currently in Australia, and I want her to be there. She works for Lockheed Martin, so she's over there for work.''
Golden is rated the No. 55 player in the Rivals 150.
Wednesday was the first day of the early signing period, which runs through Nov. 18.
The Vols would like to sign 6-8 power forward Tobias Harris, the No. 5 player in the nation according to Rivals.
Harris, from Dix Hills, N.Y., has visits left to Georgia Tech and Maryland, however, and though he has said he would like to sign early it's not a definite. Louisville, West Virginia and Syracuse also are believed to be among the finalists for Harris' services.
Tennessee could sign up to five players in this class, though the Vols' coaches have hinted they might only sign four.
Along with Harris, the Vols are recruiting power forwards C.J. Leslie (Raleigh, N.C.), Jayvaughn Pinkston (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Tarik Black (Memphis).
UT would like to sign two power forwards to go with the guards in this class.
According to Scout.com, the Vols' signing class ranks 16th nationally with the pending signings of McRae and Golden.
UT has a verbal commitment in the Class of 2011 from 6-4 point guard Kenny Ware from Rockdale County High School in Conyers, Ga.
Ware, rated No. 21 in the Rivals 150 in the Class of 2011, is yet another Atlanta Celtics AAU player.
UT coach Bruce Pearl has indicated that 6-2 freshman walk-on Skylar McBee, a 3-point shooting specialist from Grainger High School, will be awarded a scholarship if he continues to progress. McBee turned down scholarship offers from Santa Clara and Marshall to walk on with the Vols with hopes of earning a scholarship after this season.
UT had three guards in the class of 2010 committed at this point last year, McRae along with Josh Selby and Aaron Craft.
Craft, ranked No. 104 by Rivals and from Findlay, Ohio, de-committed once Ohio State started showing interested and is expected to sign with the Buckeyes.
Selby, out of the Baltimore area and ranked No. 4 in the Class of 2010, de-committed after his trip to the LeBron James Nike Camp in Ohio in July.
"It was kind of surprising, because we were pretty good friends,'' McRae said. "Two weeks before he de-committed, we went to France together on a (high school) All-American team, and he was pretty on-board.''
Selby's de-commitment led to well-documented speculation that a Nike shoe representative with strong ties to Kentucky coach Jon Calipari had gotten involved in the recruitment.
Golden said he plans to make the Vols' fans forget about the highly ranked Selby.
"I honestly think I can bring what Tennessee needs,'' Golden said. "I can do just as good of a job as him. I can't wait to get to Knoxville.''
The Vols lose four seniors after this season: post/forward Wayne Chism, power forward Tyler Smith, wing J.P. Prince and point guard Bobby Maze.
There has been speculation that sophomore shooting guard Scotty Hopson might declare himself eligible for the 2010 NBA draft, but Hopson said his focus is strictly on this season.
Senior reserve wing Josh Tabb withdrew from classes last month to care for his ailing mother, and Pearl did not rule out Tabb's return for a final year of eligibility.
Tabb, however, was serving an indefinite suspension at the time he left, so there likely would be stipulations before the defensive specialist could return.
Practice Report: Pearl was not pleased Wednesday.
“Today was not better; it's one thing to want to play uptempo, but if we can't make the plays. ...'' said Pearl, his voice hoarse from an afternoon of yelling. “I like the tempo; I don't like the fact we don't make enough plays out of the press.''
Tyler Smith was sidelined with a virus but is expect to practice today.
Tickets $5: UT will honor veterans by offering $5 tickets to all active and retired military personnel and their family members for Friday's 9 p.m. home opener against Austin Peay. Veterans must show their military I.D. at the main Thompson-Boling ticket office. Tickets in the upper deck are $10 apiece, otherwise.
Pearl Contest: UT is holding a contest which involves participants entering a 60-second video clip of themselves emulating Pearl.
Various prizes, including two tickets to the SEC Tournament in Nashville and accommodations at the team hotel, will be awarded. For more information, go to UTSports.com.
© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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Comments » 32
Plasticman writes:
Sure hope we can land Harris. If Pearl can get him, this will be a top 10 class.
dvols writes:
adidas!!!!!!!!!!
cc1 writes:
when was the fab four part 1
235lbVol writes:
There's a chance UT could land #1PF Harris and #15 PF (can't remember his name ) If they get both of them and McCrae and Golden, this will be a top 5,6,7ish class. As long as the b-ball coaches are working as hard as the F-ball coaches in recruiting( I think they are) we'll be fine!
RockyTopBoy writes:
When I first read "Guard Duo" I thought we had two more offensive linemen.
Voluvr writes:
Go get 'em coach. Tennessee athletics is clicking on all cylinders!
vol_4_fan writes:
Not sure where Black out of memphis is rated nationally, but Chism was supposed to be the second player of choice after Kemp on that team & the odds are that Wayne may get a shot at the highest level...not sure Kemp will ever play meaningful min @ Memphis. Point is we need to get the top notch players from there more often! GBO!!
IBleedOrange444 writes:
Black is rated by Rivals as a 4* and as the #7 Center / #47 Overall. Word has it that he favors Marquette but he plays AAU with two of Memphis' current recruits.
Slystone writes:
Black was seen at Marquette's Midnite Madness under the direction of his HS Headcoach. Personal reasons are going on there. Black was at the first game Memphis played last week and has said he will not sign until Spring. He will be a hard get for the Vols. My take is that he is playing this season out not to upset his HC who doesn't want him to go to Memphis. He likes Memphis, but there is a Catch 22 factored in this matter.
richvol writes:
Frankly,UT is wasting their time in Memphis. Bradshaw and Chism have been good players for us but we never seem to get the top notch players from there and I'm not sure that's so bad. The best ones seem to be poor students and interested in me,me,me.
We are doing much better in Atlanta and should concentrate on it and the northeast part of the country. Memphis is like a third world country.
VOLsince68 writes:
Good point, but Chism and Kemp are NOT from Memphis. They are from Bolivar, TN and played for Bolivar HS. It's 30 minutes or so East (and a little North)of Memphis.
Plasticman writes:
I totally agree. Memphis is twice as far away as Atlanta and Charlotte. Just like in Football, lets concentrate in the Atlanta area and pull the ones from NC and SC that we can get. There are plenty of talented players (both FB and BB) to fill a roster.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
You are home-free, fella! The dunce cap is permanently attached to MVU's head! We'll keep you straight if you screw up, but we won't make you wear a dunce cap or sit in the corner.
thebadsamaritan writes:
Kemp and Chism went to Central High School in Bolivar. Not in Memphis.
thebadsamaritan writes:
Chism is not from Memphis. He actually went to Jackson South Side before transferring to Bolivar Central High School. 1 hour from downtown Memphis.
As to the "third world country" comment - not really deserving of a rebuttal, but I've been to east Tennessee (trailer-park and sister-kissing capitol of the southern US). You don't have a lot of room to talk.
thebadsamaritan writes:
I heard that Black's HS coach is attempting to leverage a scholarship out of Memphis for his son - he wants a package deal. He did it before with another son who played for a year under Larry Finch.
Slystone writes:
Comments like that is why Memphis H.S. recruits in Basketball shy away from UT. Third World Country??? wow. It has poverty just like all major cities in America. But it also has tradition in music, food (BBQ),entertainment and yes sports (Basketball). As for not recruiting Memphis I think Pearl will continue because he has to. The best High School players in the State are out of Memphis. The negative comment someone made about the Student athlete out of Memphis H.S. is stupid in itself. Most of the D1 kids coming out of Memphis High schools are sigining with major programs and not many are having to sit out. Mainly because your private schools are churning out a few D1 players. UT just happens to be on the short stick. And distance is not the issue as over the last two years we saw two players out of Memphis go to UNC & Duke. Two players from Memphis(Joe Jackson & Chris Crawford) turned the Vols down. I think it's more to do with Pearl than distance. You guys really need to chill on the negative comments about Memphis and the ppl living there.
Plasticman writes:
Get real. Memphis is the armpit of the country, leads the US in crime per capita. Racial tension galore. I was talking with a guy from Memphis (he was African-American) and he was telling me all about the corrupt mayor (african-american) and how bad things are there. You couldn't pay me enough to live in that armpit of a city...
bentleytiger writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
VOLinCockCuntry writes:
You can't compare our program to Duke and UNC. Duke single-handedly pulled Shane Battier and Carlos Boozer from Alaska. Location is never a problem for those two schools. Sorry, but your point is completely invalid.
bluevol writes:
Well I guess Joe Jackson and Crawford like playing in 3rd world countries as opposed to Hillbilly High. Oh Pearl wanted them so badly. That third world country has the 2nd best and arguably the best recruiting class in country with Tsafack's commitment and Pastner still has 3 scholarships to give. I imagine there will be some 5 star big men wanting to play with the best back court in the country. Wow, Memphis will have three 5 star guards next year with Barton, Jackson and Elliot Williams along with Crawford and UT will have nothing if Pearl keeps recruiting. Maybe he should let his assistants handle the recruiting, and the coaching.
mike#208050 writes:
Lately the talent level has dramatically improved in Memphis. Elliot Williams, current at UofM will play in the NBA and maybe Leslie McDonald who is playing for UNC now will also reach that level. There are several that went off to other schools that have a chance too. Shawne Williams, who played 1 year for the Tigers is playing for the Dallas Mavericks.
There have been many from Memphis in the past. Cedric Henderson, Penny Hardaway and Elliot Perry had very good NBA careers.
You miss the point, you recruit where you can find the talent and if you can't pull the talent out of your own state, it hurts your program. Memphis is where the talent is in Tennessee.
Joe Jackson is a sure thing to play in the NBA as is Andonis Thomas coming out of HS in 2011. Thomas is the one guy Pearl really wants.
Pearl has to recruit Memphis but he will not have much success. Pashner owns Memphis now. I agree that Pearl is wasting time and money doing so. Tarik Black is almost surely going to sign at Memphis now that Jelan Kendrick signed today making it 3 - 5 star players to sign so far. Memphis now has 3 of the top 15 players in the nation in their #1 recruiting class.
TIGRFAN in knoxville
mike#208050 writes:
Update for you bluevol... Jelan Kendrick, a 5 star out of Marrietta, GA signed a letter of intent today with Memphis too. Next year Memphis will have 4 - (5 star players) on the court at the same time! Three of the top 15 in the country have signed with Memphis. Tarik Black might as well sign too, his whole AAU team will be wearing blue and gray!
TIGRFAN in knoxville
mike#208050 writes:
Well Memphis maybe the armpit of the country in your opinion, but the University of Memphis has the #1 recruiting class in the country, as of today.
Have a great day, go test drive a Prius. The recommended get away car by bb gun tot'in fillin station holdup gangsters in big orange country!
TIGRFAN in knoxville
tovolny writes:
I cannot believe all the stupid remarks posted on this site. Why not be careful with the facts? Why not proof your comments? I am convinced that some people are other schools' fans and just post a bunch of stupid remarks in an attempt to make us look bad. I know at least one Poster from South Carolina that keeps doing this over and over. And, please quit the debate over Memphis...this is insane...!!!
bluevol writes:
Plasticman, you seem to have a speech impediment, your foot. You been slugging your jug and abusing the barnyard animals again?
Pastner, Tigers get commitment from prospect Jelan Kendrick 6-foot-6 Atlanta player ranked No. 8 by Rivals.com
By Dan Wolken
Originally published 06:39 p.m., November 14, 2009
Updated 06:39 p.m., November 14, 2009
University of Memphis coach Josh Pastner added to his star-studded recruiting haul Saturday in a major way when Jelan Kendrick committed to the Tigers.
Kendrick, a 6-6 guard/forward from Atlanta, is rated as the No. 8 overall player in the country by Rivals.com. His committment is a stunner -- not just for Memphis, but for all of college basketball since Kendrick had said all year that he would wait until next spring to make his college choice.
Though Memphis had been recruiting Kendrick hard, and he had been on campus as recently as last month for an unofficial visit, there were no indications he was ready to pull the trigger.
Instead, Kendrick sneaked into town Saturday afternoon and called an impromptu news conference at The Peabody, where he announced that he had indeed signed a National Letter of Intent with the Tigers.
With Kendrick in the fold, Memphis has three of the top 15 players in the country for 2010 and is almost guaranteed to have the top-ranked recruiting class.
Though on the surface Kendrick's addition may not make much sense, given that the Tigers have already signed four guards, he said his comfort level with the other members of the recruiting class was crucial.
Kendrick played the latter part of the AAU season with signees Joe Jackson and Chris Crawford, and Will Barton had been working on Kendrick hard for the past several weeks.
Since that time, Kendrick took visits to Georgetown, Alabama and Indiana.
So type you trash while Memphis laughs at you Plasticman.
Slystone writes:
My point is completely valid. Folk on here say Pearl can't recruit Memphis because the kids don't want to travel from Memphis to Knoxville when Elliot Williams & Leslie McDonald both went to ACC schools that passed right by Knoxville. My point is that it's not the distance as to why the Memphis kids are shunning away from PEARL.
Slystone writes:
Yes, Memphis has crime like most major cities, but it's not the armpit of the country and not the leading major city in crime - check with New Orleans. Research before you make remarks like that. Again, the focus should be on the perception of why Pearl can't recruit out of Memphis. For all we know an Adonis Thomas or Tarik Black might be interested in UT, but when they or their Family read remarks on this Site they may take exception to wanting to go to a school like UT. Your comments alone could be percieved with racial overtones in them. A corrupt Mayor is a corrupt Mayor regardless of his skin tone. The person having told you is just another person not liking Memphis. Doesn't matter about their race. Have you ever been to Memphis? Great food, music, sports, entertainment and yes like most metropolitan cities it has crime.
http://trendbend.blogspot.com/2008/11...
Slystone writes:
I believe Mike answered this for you and this question has been raised several times and answered. However; the real questions is how many kids in the State of Tn are going to D1 schools on a Basketball scholly? And how many are from Memphis? You say forget Memphis and recruit DC,NY,Detroit & ATL. Good luck with that as Pearl has not shown he can really recruit that great IMHO.
GOTGO writes:
have to laugh at two things. hopson declaring for the nba after this year hahaahha and UT fans talking about crime as their top three football players commit armed robbery. hahahaahahaahah
smokey_bites_traitors writes:
I totally agreee..I don't give a rat's behind about Memphis..This is NOT a Tigers site!!!! Go AND CHAT THERE ABOUT THE TIGERS!!!!
smokey_bites_traitors writes:
Do you have proof of Hopson going to do this?? IF NOT, THEN SHUT THE HECK UP!!!!
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