Tennessee Volunteers
Overall Rank: #71
Conference Rank: #6 SEC
Tennessee Team Page
2010-11: 19-15, 8-8
2010-11 postseason: NCAA
Coach: Cuonzo Martin (First year at Tennessee, 61-41 overall)
With Cuonzo Martin on the sidelines, Tennessee has turned into a group of athletes who can play some ball into a team that can play basketball…and defense. Coach Pearl brought in some superb athletes and now Coach Martin will try and turn those that are left into solid team players who can play their role on this team. That should lead to some success, but it may be a little while before this group is back in the NCAA Tournament.
Who’s Out:
Maybe Scotty Hopson took too many shots and tried too hard to take over the team on the court, but that is pretty much what he was given. And losing a player who averaged 17.0 points per game and was easily the most prolific and efficient long range shooter on the team is never a good thing no matter how hard one tries to argue addition by subtraction. Tobias Harris was the player the opposition usually keyed in on, forcing Hopson to make plays. Harris still averaged 15.3 points and 7.3 rebounds and was a quality forward who could step out and occasionally hit the long ball. Those are the big losses, but the list goes on and on. Melvin Goins started all 33 games, averaging 7.9 points and a team high 2.8 assists and 1.7 steals. Josh Bone was usually the first player off of the bench and Steven Pearl occasionally gave the team a spark. Brian Williams and John Fields split starting time up front. Williams was the much more effective scorer and rebounder, but Fields ended up starting 18 games since Williams had a knack for getting into foul trouble…among other reasons.
Who’s In:
This is not a great recruiting class, but there is some talent that will be developed over time and a couple players, or hopefully a few, that will contribute right away. Quinton Chievous may be the star of the incoming freshmen. The 6-5 shooting guard is a big two guard who can use his strength to attack the basket and the glass. Josh Richardson is a little more of a small forward at 6-6 and he is another fine athlete who will look for immediate playing time. Wes Washpun could turn into a decent point guard in time and possibly a backup this year. Galen Campbell, Ryan Kilmartin, a transfer from Appalachian State and Brandon Lopez are also joining the backcourt in 2010-2011. The big newcomer up front is Dwight Miller. The junior college transfer is one of the best players to come out of the juco ranks this year and he should immediately bolster a very depleted front line. Yemi Makanjuola will need some time to develop his game and Lipscomb transfer Rob Murphy will provide another big body in practice.
Who to Watch:
Does this team have a returning big man who is ready and able to step up? Kenny Hall showed plenty of potential as a freshman two years ago, but slumped as a sophomore, averaging 2.0 points and 1.8 rebounds in just 7.0 minutes per game of play. Renaldo Woolridge played a pretty big role on this team as a sophomore in 2009-2010. He did not put up great numbers, but he was a solid backup power forward and earned a handful of starts. Like Hall, Woolridge saw his minutes slashed and then suffered a season ending injury early in the year. Woolridge is a 6-9, 215 pound athletic forward who can stretch the defense. Jeronne Maymon, who was a mid-season transfer from Marquette last season, has plenty of upside. At 6-7 and 265 pounds, he is a wide-bodied player who can clear space in the paint. On a team with plenty of athletes left, he could be the player who clears out the lane for the wings to attack the basket. Maymon is also a superb offensive rebounder.
Final Projection:
Trae Golden was the backup point guard last year and will be first in line to take over the starting job this season. He is not much of a scorer or a shooter, but that may not stop him from trying. However, he is a good ball handler and as long as he can keep the turnovers down again this year and some other players step up in the scoring department, Golden will do a fine job running the show. Cameron Tatum will be one of those scorers. The 6-7 guard is a fine all-around player who will need to become a leader on this team. He is the team’s top returning scorer at 8.8 points per game. He is a capable outside shooter on some days, but needs to be more consistent if he hopes to lead the Volunteers in that category. Skylar McBee is pretty much a pure shooter and should provide a nice spark off of the bench with his outside shooting ability. The backcourt has enough talent to get Tennessee back to the postseason, but Coach Martin will need to find a couple forwards who can play consistently if this team hopes to even reach the NIT. Miller should be one of those guys, but relying so heavily on a junior college transfer is not ideal.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NIT
Projected Starting Five:
Trae Golden, Sophomore, Guard, 3.0 points per game
Quinton Chievous, Freshman, Guard, DNP last season
Cameron Tatum, Senior, Guard, 8.8 points per game
Jeronne Maymon, Junior, Forward, 2.6 points per game
Dwight Miller, Junior, Forward, DNP last season
Madness 2011 Men's Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#77 Chris Jones
#148 Josh Richardson
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