Jeronne Maymon
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee coach Cuonzo Martin knows there's plenty of talent in the Southeastern Conference, especially with the top team in the nation around.
He'll take Volunteers forward Jeronne Maymon against any of them.
"When you're talking about SEC players and the way they compete and bring their hard hat every day, I'd put him up against anybody," Martin said. "He brings it every day and he never takes days off. The thing about him is the way he plays, how hard he plays, to not take days off and to do pretty much everything on the floor for you.
"He's invaluable for our program."
Without Maymon, Tennessee (16-13, 8-6) wouldn't be tied for fourth place in the SEC with just a Wednesday trip to LSU (17-11, 7-7) and a Saturday meeting with Vanderbilt left to the season, Martin said. His hard work day in and day out has turned him into Tennessee's most consistent player and a team leader both on and off the court.
The 6-foot-7, 265-pound Madison, Wis., native grabbed attention at the Maui Invitational in November when he exploded for 32 points and a tournament-record 20 rebounds in Tennessee's double-overtime loss to Memphis.
He's hit his stride during the SEC season, scoring at least 12 points in every conference game. In SEC games, Maymon leads the Vols in scoring (14.4 ppg), rebounding (8.1 rpg), field-goal percentage (.602) and steals (1.1 spg), and he ranks fourth among all SEC players in rebounding in conference games.
"It's just a mindset, going out there and playing hard each and every possession, knowing where my spots are and knowing my strengths," Maymon said.
His efforts this season have been a pleasant surprise for the Vols.
Maymon played nine games at Marquette before transferring to Tennessee midway through his freshman season and became eligible to play for the Vols in December 2010. He did very little for either team in those first two seasons.
As a freshman with the Golden Eagles, he averaged just four points and 4.2 rebounds in 16.3 minutes per game. As a sophomore playing for former Vols coach Bruce Pearl, Maymon averaged. 2.6 points and 2.8 rebounds in 9.1 minutes per game while playing in 14 contests.
Maymon didn't give Pearl much of a reason to put him on the floor. Not only was he not very productive at the basket or on the boards, the forward was foul- and turnover-prone and hit only 5 of 20 free throws all season.
"Hard work pays off," Martin said. "I said to the guys who didn't play a lot last year but were on the team, there's probably a reason why you didn't play. You have to truly understand that as a player."
When Martin took over the team in March, he preached to his players that hard work would earn playing time, and strong defensive play would keep them on the floor.
Maymon now comes to the gym at times during the mornings and gets extra shots in before afternoon practices. He's focused on improving his ball-handling skills and has limited his turnovers and fouls this season. When his shots aren't falling, his defense and rebounding doesn't let up and he finds ways to get his teammates the ball.
"If you need a bucket, you can always go to him," sophomore guard Jordan McRae said. "Jeronne, he causes a lot of attention, and him being so unselfish he gets us a lot of shots. Jeronne will find you wide-open. He has no problem making that pass."
While Martin lauds Maymon as a great player — he compares him to Michigan State senior forward and player of the year candidate Draymond Green — he still thinks the junior has a little bit more to do to become an elite player. Primarily, Martin wants Maymon to develop his shot from the perimeter.
It's something Maymon has worked on in practice but hasn't felt comfortable putting to the test. In three seasons, he's 0-for-7 from 3-point range.
Martin isn't pushing him too hard on it at the moment. He knows it's something Maymon can work on over the summer and introduce to his game as a senior, just as he did as a player before setting Purdue's single-game record with eight treys against Kansas in the 1995 NCAA tournament.
"He doesn't have to shoot five or six a game, just one or two, loosen up the defense," Martin said. "It's when he feels comfortable shooting the ball. We will spend a lot of time this spring and summer getting his shot down from the 3-point line. If he can knock that top of the key three down with his ability to go off the dribble, he will be tough to defend. He is tough now."
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Comments » 28
underthehill writes:
The way Martin gets the most out of what he has is something special to see. Nice article and well deserved compliment for Maymon.
jcalhoun4 writes:
It says he is a junior, but since he was only eligible for half a season at Marquette and only half of last season at Tennessee, couldn't this count as his sophomore year, kinda like J.P. Prince? Can he get another year of eligibility after next year?
Sir_Spanky writes:
Looks like we're seeing some coaching going on.
tnvol4ever writes:
A blue collar fan favorite. Keep bringing it JM.
Go Vols!!!
Ayres_Hall writes:
It is great to see hard work and a postive attitude pay off for our players. Maymon is not pretty but he is effective.
Imagine JP Prince with that attitude and work ethic... that would be scary.
HtownVol writes:
After the Memphis game, I honestly was expecting more. 32/20 is not an accident.
This may be by design and I can not deny that Martins plan is working but I cant help but wonder how dominant Stokes and Maymon could be if they could get fed the ball more.
Perhaps Martin knows that the UT guards are incapable of feeding the bigs the ball. I do know that McBee is only going to make the pass that he sees first after noty taking the shot. If McBee holds the ball for more than 3 seconds the defense will swarm on him like bees on honey. And Golden has a tendancy to make careless passes.
To be fair the bigs are not the best passers either. WHen they are doubled they have a very hard time finding the open man. This is the one major area Stokes needs improvement.
Anyway, Maymon could average 20+ if he demanded the ball more but if it is not broke, dont fix it.
I am about to get in the car and head to Baton Rouge for the game tonight. I am going to get in town about 3 pm, for one reason. I over-nighted a sweet J Stokes jersey (hoping) that I can get Jarnells autograph. I also have a customized Tennessee hat that has been hanging up for a few years which I would love to get the team to sign.
ANY IDEAS?? Anyone know exactly how I can get these autographs? I have never been to an away game, so I assume the team will not stick around after the game like they do at home.
My wife (sweet but unknowingly) bought me these tickets for Xmas and they are not good at all (the thought was great)nose-bleed. I am gonna take cash and try to move down.
Any suggestions will be appreciated, I would love to frame this Stokes jersey when it is signed by the big man.
GO VOLS!
I will be cheering non-stop in my orange 5 jersey, and I made sure to get my wife a orange " I love Vols" shirt..
ProfessionalHandicapper writes:
LSU by 6 points
Tonight the Vols see their season come to a halt as the next two games are bad matchups for the UT squad. Both sides making late runs at getting a postseason invitation somewhere. And UT's recent efforts suggest substantial progress for first-year HC Cuonzo Martin in Knoxville, with wins and covers for the Vols in 6 of their last 7 games. But the victory last Saturday at South Carolina was only UT's second of the season as a visitor, and the Vols will catch an angry LSU side that threw in an uncharacteristic clinker on Saturday at Ole Miss (when the Tigers shot a season-low 31% from the floor and missed 19 of 23 triples) after they won and covered their previous four outings. I believe LSU's collection of combo guards could present problems on the perimeter for UT. Must expect the Tiger backcourt weapons Ralston Turner, Anthony Hickey, and Andre Stringer to fare a lot better than the combined 6 for 26 FG shooting they produced last Saturday at Oxford. LSU (which has covered its last four at the Maravich Center) has lost SU only vs. top-ranked Kentucky at Baton Rouge in SEC play. UT could be looking at a must win 1st round game in the SEC Tourney to make the NIT. LSU should finish 2-0 and have a good shot at the NCAA. I give LSU a HUGE nod in this game. Stats show LSU 9-3 at homewith an average winning margin of 5ppg, while UT stands 3-8 away with a losing margin of 6ppg. LSU by 6 or more points looks about right.
UT is only 4-10 their last 14 road games vs a team with a winning home record.
SouthPaVol writes:
PH, stats only count if comparing apples to apples. LSU is a good squad, but not unbeatable. UT is the hot team between the two and, except for the Cats, the hottest in the SEC. Here's the scoop: Maymon and Stokes (hand is getting better) continue domination inside; Vols out-rebound LSU by 10. McRae continues his rise to stardom, pouring in 15 pts and all-around good play. Golden feels less of a need to put the team on his back, adding a steady 12 points--with more assists than turnovers. Vols by 5 in a close game.
tennrich1 writes:
Actually the passing abilities of our bigs is a STRENGTH...You can hear pundits(if we believe them) talk consistently about our bigges and the soft hands...Maybe I misunderstood your point but lack of passing by our bigs is certainly not a problem.... In fact I think Stokes has about as good of hands on someone that big I have seen in a long time...
John_10065 writes:
Well let's see here! PH predicts again!
He predicted a couple weeks back that we would be 2-4 through the rest of the year and that we couldn't hang with teams with "true bigs" and that we wouldn't beat Arkansas and South Carolina would be hard to win.
Now we can't go worse that 3-3 over the last 6 games and one of the wins was by double digits over a team PH said had a "true big" and knew how to play.
Pardon me if I say STFU!
tennrich1 writes:
Very skewed stats...MOST ALL TEAMS...especially SEC will have poor road win records....actually most conferences will be that way unless of course you play in say CUSA....now PH as a handicapped you should know that...But with your assessment I REALLY feel better about our chances...still will be tough but counterpoints to your points make me feel much better...
TheFuj writes:
If two of 3 players can score fairly consistent from the outside tonight, then we have a good chance to bring home a win.
Between Mcrae, Tatum, and Mcbrick, two of them need to hit some 3's. That opens it up for Maymon inside and Golden to drive. 0 for 6's like in the AL game will result in a big loss.
Ironcity writes:
Htown is right . The bigs have good hands but they tend not to recognize the double teams timely and throw the ball away. Their hands are great their ability to spot and hit open shooters are good when not in trouble. I wouldn't say they are bad at passing the ball but I would hardly call them good at it.
Ironcity writes:
I predict that PH will be broke if he bets on his own predictions.
johnlg00 writes:
Good post. It is a shame that Maymon doesn't get any more touches than he does. That is one of the main things the team needs to work on in the off-season with Maymon and Stokes both. As I have said many times, I would sit down, at least until after the next TV timeout, any perimeter player who took an outside shot with more than 20 seconds on the shot clock without going inside first. It is just crazy that Maymon doesn't even average double-figure field-goal attempts in most games. He is also a pretty good passer out of the post; it is Stokes who needs the most improvement in that area, IMHO.
Good luck with your souvenir-hunting. Boost the Vols to victory. I'm afraid they'll need all the help they can get. GO VOLS!!! GO ZO!!!
johnlg00 writes:
Stokes is great at CATCHING the ball, and I have already commented several times on his strong hands for rebounding. However, I think he is not nearly as good as Maymon at passing out of double-teams. That is not selfishness, it is just inexperience. He has had a tendency to turn his back to double-teamers which also takes away his vision for outlet passes. This can be overcome and I expect him to be much better at that next season.
VFL70 writes:
Maymon's progress is a direct reflection of his current coach; he will get even better over the summer.
johnlg00 writes:
I have never had all that much faith in PH's predictions, but he has aome points. LSU is tough at home, has several potent weapons, and is also playing for its post-season life. The Vols will have to come up with an effort on the level of the one they had at Florida to win tonight. I think and hope that they now have the cohesion and maturity to muster such an effort, but they will still have to do it on what has always been a pretty tough court for the Vols.
orangecountyvols writes:
Vols, and Rocky Mountain,
Yes, Maymon has really stepped up this year. And, he has done a much better job knocking down his free throws. If only Stokes could do better than 50%.
Forget about the un-professional handicapper. About as good at what he claims to be as most impostors. BTW, definition of an impostor.......a cheat, and someone pretending to be what he is not.
brokendownoldvol writes:
Hard to believe Pearl played Pearl ahead of him last yr.
johnlg00 writes:
Did you not get enough of that discussion of ancient history on the other thread? Did you not read the intro to THIS article which said that Maymon was just NOT that effective last year? Give it a rest. Bruce and Steve are gone. Both will be missed in their way, but let's PLEASE just look to the future with Martin and the new-look Maymon that Martin helped make possible.
johnlg00 writes:
CORRECTION: It was the middle of the article that described Maymon's struggles last year.
decades_vol writes:
Who does Pro-Hand actually work for? Vegas would pull him, local bookies would shun him, and the mob......those guys actually like to make a profit. Kinda reminds me of a song: "To the Tennessee River, goes the PH man, his feet are weighted, in a cement can." Sorry, just couldn't let that one go.
As for the game, UT needs to bring the "A" version to Baton Rouge. Need their best effort to go to 9-6 in the SEC.
killeenvol writes:
Good come back on the road.What's taking the KNS so long to post a wrap up on the game.
jt45 writes:
He never gets it right,LOL ! Was looking bad for awhile but this team has really come a long way. Most teams would have folded down 15 and the win.
It's good to be a Vols fan ! Stokes was great tonight.
Razzle writes:
OK Professor Handicapper, who were you saying is the most improved team in the SEC?
johnlg00 writes:
What a warrior Maymon was tonight! Playing as well as he did in the second half with a bad hand and foul trouble was as stirring a performance of prevailing against odds as we have seen lately. Nobody can say where or when this season will end, but it has surely been a thrilling ride and the best is yet to come. Great job, Vols! Outstanding job all season, Zo! This team may not make the Big Dance, which will no doubt be a big relief to all but about four of the ones who will, but everybody will know about them by the time all is said and done. So proud of all the guys tonight!
AtopTheHill06 writes:
PH, I love haters like you. Cause it makes it that much sweeter when the Vols shut you up again.
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