Not bad for starters.
That was Wayne Chism's conclusion after 10th-ranked Tennessee opened the men's basketball season with a convincing 83-54 victory over Austin Peay on Friday night at Thompson-Boling Arena.
"It does take a while for a team to get rolling,'' said Chism, the 6-foot-9 starting center, "but this team is really playing together.''
There were a few moments in the game when a player here or there seemed to force the action, particularly the point guards.
Senior point guard Bobby Maze has worked hard on his 3-point shot, but he has been at his best in orange when distributing the basketball.
Junior college transfer Melvin Goins is quick as a water bug at point guard, but he's learning that some of his scoring moves to the basket would be best left behind in the juco ranks.
The Vols' shot hierarchy will continue to evolve and change shape with each opponent.
Chism, for example, attempted only one 3-point shot against Austin Peay. Chism had other opportunities, but he passed on them to get the ball to teammates in better position.
"I'm still Wayne, and I'm still playing Wayne's game,'' said Chism, who had 11 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, no turnovers and two blocked shots. "There will be times I'll take them. But the other guys can shoot them, too, and I'll go be ready to rebound them.
"Coach (Bruce Pearl) looks for me to do a lot more and take more of a leadership role.''
Pearl also had been looking for Cameron Tatum to show fans why he was so high on him in the preseason.
Tatum had 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-6 shooting beyond the 3-point arc, along with four rebounds and two blocked shots.
"Cam Tatum played really well on both ends of the floor, shot it well, defended it well,'' Pearl said. "You saw tonight what I had been seeing in practice and why I had been singing his praises.''
Tatum is sharing time with starter J.P. Prince on the wing.
Prince, arguably the Vols' best penetrator off the dribble, outplayed Tatum in the exhibition games. But against Austin Peay, he was only 1-of-3 shooting and didn't collect a rebound.
Pearl said UT has plenty of things to work on before it plays UNC-Asheville at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Thompson-Boling Arena.
"We missed a bunch of dunks, missed wide-open threes, we didn't get to the free-throw line,'' Pearl said. "We only shot 11 of them (free throws) and made five of them. That's a concern.''
About half of the players have night classes after UT basketball practices, preventing them from staying after to get extra shots.
But as Pearl alluded, it's clear that extra time will need to be spent in the gym at some point for the Vols to accomplish their goals.
Austin Peay also was able to slow down the Vols at times with its zone, and Pearl said he'll be looking to put in more offensive plays in to counter that defense.
© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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Comments » 20
cowsRus writes:
Didn't even mention Tyler Smiths performance? That's unusual.He and Wayne will be looked to as leaders this year.
02champs#209256 writes:
Plenty to work on..plenty to enjoy....this team just may have a heart like most of Pearl's teams do...they just may.
Slystone writes:
Looks like the folks to the West have one heck of a recruiting class coming in next year.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/...
johnlg00#206211 writes:
If the players have night classes that prevent them from shooting after practice, then presumably they could practice extra during the day. I'm pretty sure they don't have to work around PE classes at the Pratt Center and they can probably get in there any time. Of course, I am being somewhat facetious here, but almost no scholarship athlete takes a full schedule during the season, so I'm not totally buying that story.
CUSA_NEWS writes:
Hi ya boys. Have you heard the good news yet?
If not, stay tuned for a CUSA NEWS breaking story!
;-)
johnlg00#206211 writes:
"Big news" from the CUSA is a logical impossibility, especially if it involves anything to do with UM(;-P)!
jhayes0926#638474 writes:
I just don't understand Brian W. After three yrs he still doesn't know how to "jam it". Can't our staff teach him? Is he totally slow or just lazy? Looks like the wing is going to be our soft spot with J.P. and Tatum sharing time. Both are inconsistent. Hope Woolridge turns out to be the answer for that spot. As far as "news from CUSA, who really cares if Tariq signs with Mempuss. We already know the 6'6" guard signed with them.Still can't play with more than 2 guards at a time, one may end up a transfer.
rclarkfork#639958 writes:
You are probably the most negative person that trolls these boards. I really feel sorry for you. No sports knowledge what so ever and trying so hard to be accepted. I've heard that that brownie scouts is a good place to make friends and come to grips with rejection. Good luck whatever you decide.
rclarkfork#639958 writes:
From watching the team play in both exhibition games and the first game, there appears to be one major difference in this years team. They have players who can knock down the three if teams go to the zone to slow them down offensively. Scotty and Cam seem to have the confidence that they were both lacking last year. If you saw them practice last season, they knocked them down all day but there is a big difference in being able to hit the three and having the confidence that you will hit the three. I'm hoping that Maze and Skylar can both add to that contribution as well. JP can be tough against a man at times but there are times he goes to sleep on offense when the other teams runs a zone. Hopefully this year they can take out JP and have Maze, Hopson and Tatum on the floor against zones with Skylar spelling one of them at times. I think we will see Wayne playing inside a lot more if these guys can come through being the zone busters. This would help a lot as Wayne is a very good offensive rebounder when he puts his mind to it. Another thing that was very promising the other night was Tyler running the break. He sees the floor as well or better then any player they have and did a fantastic job of hitting the open man. Teams have to shut him off when he comes down the middle which should leave a lot of open threes on the wing. If they can hit the three with consistency, this should be a very good team. There are so many variables that come into play during a season and especially at tournament time but with a high seed, this team has the potential to go further in the tournament then any Tenn team ever has. Looking forward to seeing them play all year. It's only three hours to the lady Vols game. Should be a very good indicator of things to come for them. Go Lady Vols, kick some Baylor butt.
DenmarkVol writes:
That was actually a good read, a solid analysis. To me, it seems our perimeter game has been missing since Jajuan and Lofton. If our guys can start making a zone defense hurt the other team by raining down some 3s over it, we have a chance to do well.
VOLDoll writes:
Match, Yahoo, E Harmony, hell, try one of them.
You never know!
BigOrangeGhostHunter writes:
Alright, AVOR, I'm actually gonna validate some things that you've said, being I'm from Clarksville and I'm very familiar with APSU. Austin Peay really does have a decent program amongst the lower tier D1 teams, but you're right, they should have been out of the game by the end of the first. That said, it is the first real game of the year, and one has to believe that this team as a whole will improve. At this point, I think I would rather run this offense without a true point, because clearly we don't have a point guard who is capable of playing at a high level. J.P. Prince is who he is, and is streakier than the offense. He has runs of strong performances, but he disappears for even longer stretches. Tatum is young and has potential, and before this season is through, I truly believe he can be a strong contributor on a weekly basis, probably taking the job from Prince. Our true weaknesses are the obvious one at point, and the fact that there really isn't anyone beyond Smith, Chism, and Williams available at the post, so we are gonna likely be dominated by anyone with depth at the post. My hope is that the team will be successful, but I think that the Sweet 16 would be a very good year given the glaring weaknesses at some key positions. I think that 2010-2011 will be the season that will let us know for sure what CBP's true legacy at Tennessee will be. Mediocre, good, or great. I believe that Pearl has this going in the right direction, but recruiting is concerning to me.
To tell the truth, I've gone back through your posts, and you have great points, but they become lost in the sarcasm and anger. I don't believe you to be a "troll", but rather to be a Vols fan frustrated at years of mediocrity in the men's sports programs over the last decade and change. If you would simply tone down the dialogue just a bit, I truly believe that many more people would appreciate and listen to your opinion sans the "troll" accusations and rage.
Finally, I believe that this team, if they can find a way to hide their weaknesses, can go to the Sweet Sixteen and possibly the Elite Eight, but I won't hold my breath. I am also going to predict that the Govs will win their conference and represent the OVC in the NCAA Tourney, but they have no hope of winning a game. They are undersized and lack the talent to do much. I hope they prove me wrong, but I doubt they will.
Plasticman writes:
He's got you fooled Ghost. Actually VOR has an ax to grind with Pearl because BP didn't sign VOR's basketball at the Texas Roadhouse during Vol Calls.
BigOrangeGhostHunter writes:
That may be true Plasticman, but axe to grind or not, he makes good points beneathe his volatile comments. I've time and again criticized him, but today, he's right. They aren't looking like national championship contenders, just another nice team that can survive the first two rounds. But you are right about one thing: there aren't many people who post here that are more angry and aggressive in their comments, and its truly a shame.
Plasticman writes:
Let's not judge them after their first game. I think they have the talent necessary to compete for the Championship, the question is do they have the chemistry and the desire and do all the players understand their roles on the team. Anything beyond the Sweet 16 would be historical.
VOLDoll writes:
Match, Yahoo, E Harmony, hell, try one of them.
Come on man, give it try.
No need being so damn lonely and bitter.
Give it a try. What the hell do you have to lose?
It may help you make some friends at the very least!
mocsandvolsfan writes:
not worried.
smokey_bites_traitors writes:
Well..while we are stating facts, I'll give a few myself...Bruce is fourth in winning percentage amongst active coaches...He has coached his team to three SEC East Championships and one outright SEC regular season Championship(for the best record).He has recruited some great players and a lot of them are still here(who cares about the ones that messed up their careers and made some stupid and bad choices;as a coach you can only do so much because athletes can't be watched 24/7)....He has coached his team to the NCAA tournament every year and won a bunch of games.
Now IMO....I believe the next step is the Elite 8, which I am fully confident that he will accomplish and I also believe that he will win the SEC tourney eventually....AND a lot of people like him as a coach/person because I personally know a ton of people that like him and respect him.
Plasticman writes:
Are you Bruce Pearl's ex-wife?? I am actually being serious and not joking about this.
askUncleMaze writes:
This article is some BS.. I will be glad when they tell the truth about the team... Please talk about how some players are jealous of other players. How they blackball each other, because they dont want another payer to do better than them..
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