Tennessee landed its first men’s basketball commitment in the Class of 2012 on Tuesday night when versatile Derek Reese pledged to sign with the Vols.
The 6-foot-8 Reese, a small forward from Olympia High School in Orlando, Fla., hopes to visit UT this weekend depending on his parents’ work schedule, according to his AAU coach, Reggie Tucker.
Tucker, who played at LSU, said UT has gotten ahead of the curve in landing Reese.
“Derek is a guy who has gotten better every year I’ve had him, and he’s had other schools recruiting him like Boston College, Wake Forest and Ole Miss, and Central Florida offered,’’ said Tucker, who in addition to coaching Reese’s Orlando Q-6 All-Stars AAU team is the coach at Cleveland (Tenn.) High School. “He’ll blossom in the SEC under Coach (Cuonzo) Martin; he fits into that philosophy and system well.
“He can play multiple positions. He’s long, he can shoot the heck out of the ball, and he handles the ball well.’’
Tucker, who is originally from Cleveland, said Reese has attended the past two UT elite summer camps and was recruited by the previous staff as well.
Reese averaged 10 points and seven rebounds per game his junior season, but during the past summer he showed his skills against top talent from around the nation on the AAU circuit.
“Derek had his battles with Alex Poythress,’’ said Tucker, referring to the much-coveted Clarksville forward. “He held his own against him every time. We played the Georgia Stars twice (Poythress’ AAU team), and they got us by four the first time and beat us by two in the nationals (in Orlando) when we missed a three(-pointer) at the end.’’
The Vols look to sign between two and four players in the Class of 2012. Martin has said in past interviews he’s looking for size and length in the upcoming recruiting class, but he would also be willing to take a prolific scorer.
Tucker said he has no doubt that Reese will make an impact by his sophomore season of college.
“Derek needs to get stronger, but in him Tennessee is getting a true student-athlete who will go into there with the right mindset,’’ Tucker said. “He called me last night, and he said, 'Coach, I just got off the phone with Coach Martin, and my gut feeling is that I need this coach in my life. I’m a Volunteer.’ ’’
Mike Griffith covers Tennessee men’s basketball. Follow him at http://twitter.com/MikeGriffith32
Oregon sends Lady Vols home from…
Dan Proctor draws Tennessee Football…
Cordarrelle Patterson drafted by the…
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 77
HtownVol writes:
He can "shoot the heck out of the ball"
Thats great but UT is in the worst possible need of a SCORER and a BIG MAN.
The two things UT does not have right now. Kenny Hall srarting at Center, I am a litle nervous. And Tatum is likely going to be the high scorer on the team, I am even more scared.
GO VOLS
scvols writes:
Who??? Did he have any other offers? How does the scouting sites rank him? A little info would be nice.
MikeTheTiger writes:
Is that Cleveland, TN, FL, OH? MIKE, PLEASE take a basic writting class.
BigBadVol writes:
Obviously, Coach Martin is all class and the students see it. They see a mentor as well as a great coach. I will bet we make the tournament this year.
heyitsme writes:
I encourage that you take a basic reading comprehension class.
The 4th paragraphs signifies that he's the high school coach at Cleveland, TENNESSEE.
Good grief...
halloffamebowler writes:
Hope you are right.If I were of mind to bet,I would jump on your offer.
Rammer writes:
Coach Martin is all class, but will be a tough {take no phooey} coach, which is what we need.
VolzsFan writes:
When DD signs all these kids that have NO offer from the SEC elite, he is a great evaluator, getting kids with character (like that JUCO DT). When Martin gets a guy that his own coach, a former SEC player, says this kid has a great upside, and the previous staff was recruiting him as well, it is a joke. Fans....geeez.
Those naysayers that say this football team will win like 8-9 games is also saying the hoops will have a horrible year. I guess being loaded with 4 star kids that will be a year older means nothing. I believe they will really surprise this year. Of course the football team is a 5 win team but hey they will compete for the East...LOL!
volaholic45 writes:
6'8" a small forward. Basketball sure has changed since Tom Boerwinkle dominated with a 2-foot hook.
VOL1972 writes:
Wow! Another 3 star recruit. It's pretty clear Coach Martin's strategy will be to recruit good (but not great) players and coach them up like he did at his previous job.
Tme will tell.
MikeInTN writes:
JMO but to me it says a lot the Alex Proythress doesn't even have U.T. on his radar. Agree with an earlier comment that time will tell how this plays out in the next couple of years.
SouthernBoiNOLA writes:
I got a chance to see this kid play. In my opinion, he will be a solid 4 yr player that may get a chance to start later in his career. The kid has some potential, and seemed to be very coachable. Seems like he has a good head on his shoulders, and should be a postive influence on the team.
Volunatic writes:
Sounds great-- fits Cuonzo's scheme well, and really wants to play for the Vols.
Glad you chose Tennessee, Derek!
bebecerveza writes:
Nope, its butter like as smooth as...
tree_em_smokey writes:
With the news that the NCAA is giving us no penalties other than what was handed down from SEC and self-imposed coming a week ago I didn't expect many top tier athletes to commit not knowing the final ruling. Get a brain and think about it first......Geez
TennesseeFab5 writes:
+1 ha ha ha ha that is too funny!
voloffaith writes:
Wannabee poster child ALERT...... You know we are in the race and you aren't even at the starting blocks. A "sad day" when all ewe can do is copycat someone elses originality and then spew sad lil third grade paperwad attacks. Hope you find out how to have a better and not bitter day...
UTbassdrummer writes:
It LISTS his other offers. READ.
VolunteerLifer writes:
I doubt that is Martin's master plan. Every squad needs role players and versatile guys to support and complement the star players. This guy appears to be one of those recruits. (Who knows, he may blossom into a great player) My guess is that Martin has a master plan for recruiting in the long run, but realistically he is not likely to recruit many highly coveted five star players until he demonstrates he can win at this level. So he will just have to take the best players he can find in the meantime. This year, he will have more four star talent on his squad than he is likely to have for a long time. winning this year - at least demonstrating that he can win - is a very important thing for this year's squad if Martin is to start recruiting the star players soon.
UTbassdrummer writes:
All KY trolls should take note: It ain't roundball season yet. It's that time of year when I remind you that our Vols BASKETBALL team HAS beaten you in the last 25 years. It would be CRIPPLINGLY HUMILIATING if we had lost 25 YEARS IN A ROW, OH MY GODDDDDDDDDDDDD. Especially if it was the LONGEST STREAK IN THE LEAGUE. You might want to keep your head down for a few more months.
hueypilot writes:
actually, since Navy knocked off Notre Dame a few years ago, it's is the longest streak between two schools in the COUNTRY, at least between D1 schools.
Volunatic writes:
Or 26 years in a row, for that matter.
MemphisVol writes:
I hope this kid turns out to be great, but his other offers were Florida Gulf Coast, Georgia Southern, Jacksonville, James Madison, Murray state, North Florida, Rider, Central Florida, and Youngstown State. And we offer in August? Really?
VolAtUGA11 writes:
"I’m a Volunteer." I like this kid already! Can't wait to see how the team develops over the next couple of years.
VolYork45 writes:
Just like any other Kentucky fan, you always find your way onto the wrong sites dealing with Collegiate athletics, from recruiting news to TEAM sites. Obviously, you picked wrong on both. Your kitty cat website is ukathletics.com. Go there, dream for basketball season as well as the hope Calipari doesn't get caught cheating this year and jump ship, stop talking smack about a great, level-headed kid who hasn't played his senior season yet, and stop wasting Vols fans' time. GBO.
sly_stone99#434111 writes:
And a 2" vertical leap.
The_Real_Orange writes:
Wannabe comedian alert!!! Would you please leave the humor to WD in the future? Just stick to your troll search and stop trying to be funny, because you're NOT! Why spell you as "ewe"? Same amount of letters. Why spell NCAA as "NC2A"? Same amount of letters. Maybe you should just stick with preaching. Just saying...
hueypilot writes:
The Orlando News Sentinel had this kid as the sixth ranked prospect in Central Florida. The ones ahead of Reese, two signed by Donovan at Florida, one to South Carolina and the other to UCF. Seems to be a kid who's stock really went up in the summer season, as the article indicated, and also suggested that BC, Ole Miss and Wake were very interested. More importantly he's the player that CZ wants. End of story.
sly_stone99#434111 writes:
Perhaps we should allow Coach Martin to finish his recruiting class before evaluating it. Every recruiting class has complimentary players along with high profile players. I don't think Coach fell off the turnip truck. He realizes he is going to need guys that can create shots as well as role guys that provide rebounding and defense. Let's see how the entire recruiting class turns out then we can discuss it intelligently. One player having given a verbal doesn't mean the end to our recruiting class.
samvol writes:
Go Vols...Go Zo....but we need a 7'0 280lb der
SIMSVOL writes:
Lots of ignorance and naysayers on this site - even among so called VOLS fans. Thank goodness you idiots aren't coaching our teams! Let the coaches lead and develop the teams - we've got great leaders coaching our football and basketball VOLS! Lots of crow to be eaten over the next few years by you yahoos!!!
SIMSVOL writes:
Really MemphisVol - are you really that short sighted? Dooley and Martin both have been breaking new ground for Tennessee lately - actually going out and finding great players with talent and character BEFORE other teams and BEFORE Rivals and others make their talent projections. That's one of the things I really like about Dooley and Martin. They have a strong vision and they know how to turn that vision into reality. Lots of ignorance on this site- give our great coaches the time to develop our football and basketball programs and Tennessee will be back on top in two to three seasons. Go VOLS!!!!
jack_2222#231746 writes:
I'll take a 3 star like Justin Coleman. You get a 4 star in NuKeese Richardson.
Character matters. As Winston Wolfe said, "Just because you are a character doesn't mean you have character."
Once the desired culture is in place, then the occasional risk is justifiable, the kid will adapt or be gone.
But for now both programs need players with character.
Rookie2 writes:
FYI, articles are frequently edited/corrected after the initial posting. Don't know if that was the case here, but I've seen on numerous occasions where errors are fixed after someone points it out, but there is indication a correction was made. Kind of makes the guy that commented on the error appear like an idiot, when in reality he was correct.
10ac_vol writes:
Unless something has changed very recently, Tucker is not the head coach at Cleveland High School, Jason McCowan is. Need to get our facts straight.
lincolncovol writes:
yeah but he seem to hang there for ever
westknoxrepub writes:
Character matters in winning. . .but if the kid with character doesn't win games, the coach still gets fired.
Ayres_Hall writes:
I see that some of you boys are still mesmerized with the stars, aye?
TennVol01 writes:
"pledged to sign" How often have we heard this and players sign elsewhere? Answer: Every basketball and football season. I do not get excited about a player until they move in on campus.
tennrich1 writes:
By your name I'm assuming you are Memphis Tiger Mike....guess reading comprehension wasn't high on the list at UM....READ THE FREAKIN ARTICLE...
Volunatic writes:
If the guy without character is gone from the team after a year or so, he hasn't helped the team.
tennrich1 writes:
Oops...sorry heyitsme I didn't notice you had ripped Mike the Tiger for us...sorry bout that..
MemphisVol writes:
I began with "I hope this kid turns out to be great", but if that's who your competition is in recruiting, you are not going to win. I'm all behind Cuonzo, but you have to recruit with the big boys now. Go Vols!
kazoo writes:
Guys with some size who can move, handle the ball and shoot are very good to have.
Witch_Doctors writes:
Witch Doctor say most humiliating would be trying to sell paid sports sites like selling Band candy.
Bones never lie.
Witch_Doctors writes:
*middle school band candy...Witch Doctor remember you got no game.
Bones never lie.
johnlg00 writes:
Just a few general comments about "stars" in recruiting ratings. Guys who are 6'8" 5-star-types in HS are often guys who grew up and filled out early. They were more physically mature than most of their competition, so they were able to fill up stat sheets competing against guys who were LESS physically mature. On the one hand, you might say they are ready for college ball RIGHT NOW. On the other hand, you might say that that is as big and good as they are ever likely to be. Also, guys who dominate with pure physical gifts often don't work on their skills the way they should, ESPECIALLY the guys who make a big splash in AAU ball, because they spend their summers playing games and traveling rather than PRACTICING in a disciplined way.
A smart college recruiter can't just look at how big and good a guy is right now, he has to try to predict what he might become. A lanky, long-legged HS school kid who is 6'8" now might be 6'10" in another year. And if he played against--and got kicked around by--really good competition, as it seems this guy has, he will come to college with a burning desire to get stronger, better, and more skilled. If he is also a smart guy with good character, he will be around four years getting better and stronger all the time. By the time he is a junior or senior, HE will be the one doing the butt-kicking.
Of course, everybody wants the one-and-done types, though I seriously wonder why. I heard that there are only about 15 guys a year who all the services rate as 5-stars and about 50 who rate as 4-stars...in the whole country! Of those, even fewer will be ready for the NBA after one or two years, though many will THINK so, and will not take their college career as any more than a stepping stone to wealth and fame, though few will actually find it.
Not every school can play the same recruiting game UK does, and I am NOT saying they cheat. I am saying that UK has ALWAYS gotten top talent and now Calapari is the flavor-of-the-month among guys who think they are ready for the NBA, and for good reason. Almost no other school in the country can assure itself of such a pipeline of talent year after year. Only North Carolina comes close. Not even Duke has a reputation of producing one-and-doners or even top-level NBA players commensurate with their level of success in the NCAA.
jhayes0926#638474 writes:
No troll here, but we sure seem to be going after the "under the radar", "fit the coaching style", etc., etc., Getting kind of scary in FB and BB. why don't we go ahead and take a big chance and sign a few that the big time programs want, like the UF, Ala., Memphis, etc. want?
MikeTheTiger writes:
The Sentinel added that after the original story ran. Thanks anyway.
VolAlum03ISBACK (Inactive) writes:
Don't worry. Coach Martin's "character" is actually going to sign with the Vols on NSD. During games, when we're down, Coach Martin and his "character" will separate via a complex process involving electromagnetic field reassignment and quantum energy exchange. Then "character" will suit up and score MILLIONS OF POINTS for the Vols.
Either that or this kid is one of a handful of mediocre recruits that Martin has landed and he jumped at the first school that offered him a better experience than Murray State.
Still...I think it'll be the character-quantum thing.
Share your thoughts
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.