Guard duo prepared to sign with Vols

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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