Trip to Paradise not a vacation for Vols

Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl and guard Bobby Maze enjoy the Vols' 124-49 rout of UNC Asheville on Tuesday.

They call it Paradise. So how do a bunch of college guys stay focused on the inside of a gymnasium?

That's exactly what No. 10 Tennessee says it's going to do this weekend at the ninth annual Paradise Jam basketball tournament in the Virgin Islands.

"We're going down there to take care of business,'' sophomore Cameron Tatum said. "We're going to put ourselves in a position to be where we want to be and that's getting the respect we want.''

The Vols (2-0) face East Carolina (1-2) on Friday at 3:30 p.m. The winner advances to play the winner of Northern Iowa-DePaul on Sunday.

The other bracket includes No. 7 Purdue, Boston College, Saint Joseph's and South Dakota State.

The championship game is Monday at 8:30 p.m. and will be televised by SportSouth.

Bruce Pearl, who celebrated his 100th coaching win at Tennessee with a 124-49 romp over UNC Asheville on Tuesday, said the Vols won't be tourists.

"(Pearl) is known for taking teams and doing cultural things,'' Pearl said, "and that is certainly the case in the summer time.''

But this isn't summer time, even though it might feel like it in St. Thomas.

"It's about becoming a better basketball team,'' Pearl said. "We'll certainly see some of the beauty of the Virgin Islands, but this is not a vacation. This is a work in progress.

"We're very fortunate that the University of Tennessee will send us to such a beautiful place with such tremendous competition, for us to try to become a better basketball team.''

If form holds, Purdue and Tennessee would meet in the title game. However, Northern Iowa returns five starters from an NCAA tournament team and is picked to win the Missouri Valley Conference.

If the Panthers beat DePaul, which was 0-18 in the Big East last year, they would be a formidable foe for UT, which has a bad history with MVC opponents in tournament play.

"Whoever comes out of that game, win or lose, will be good,'' Pearl said. "Another step up.''

Sophomore Scotty Hopson thinks the Vols are mature enough to enjoy the tropical surroundings and still get their work done.

"With our four seniors,'' he said, "they're really going to keep us level-headed and keep us grounded. They're going to lead us all the way.

"It's all business wherever we go.''

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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