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RTT's Tennessee Basketball All-Decade Team

Hopefully, there will be more than one option for this picture on the next all-decade team.  Until then, CJ Watson carries the torch for Vols in the NBA.

More photos » by Paul Connors - AP

Hopefully, there will be more than one option for this picture on the next all-decade team. Until then, CJ Watson carries the torch for Vols in the NBA.

The votes have all been tallied, and after a month of debate and analysis, we proudly present RockyTopTalk's Tennessee Basketball All-Decade Team.

The five starters were the winners of four rounds of voting, one for each position plus the automatic inclusion of one Chris Lofton.  The rest of the 12-man lineup is comprised of those who received the highest percentage of remaining votes.  You can check out all of our analysis at each position and see the voting breakdown for point guard, perimeter players not named Chris Lofton, post players, and the five spot.

STARTING LINEUP

PG CJ Watson (2003-2006)

  • Second Team All-SEC 2006
  • 2nd all-time UT history in assists and steals
  • Career Avg:  12.0 points, 4.8 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 1.7 steals
  • Averaged 9.5 PPG for Golden State this season

SG Chris Lofton (2005-2008)

  • 2007 SEC Player of the Year
  • First Team All-SEC 2006, 2007, 2008
  • Second Team All-American 2007, 2008
  • SEC all-time leader in three pointers made
  • 4th all-time UT history in points
  • 3rd all-time UT history in steals
  • Career Avg: 16.6 points, 42.4% 3PT

SF JaJuan Smith (2005-2008)

  • Second Team All-SEC 2008
  • 3rd all-time UT history in three pointers made
  • 4th all-time UT history in steals
  • Career Avg:  11.0 points, 3.2 rebounds 

PF Ron Slay (2000-2003)

  • 2003 SEC Player of the Year
  • First Team All-SEC 2003
  • Highest UT Season Scoring Avg of Decade (21.2 PPG - 2003)
  • Career Avg:  14.4 points, 5.9 rebounds

C Wayne Chism (2007-present)

  • Second Team All-SEC 2009
  • Career Avg:  10.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.0 blocks

Bench and more after the jump...

Star-divide

BENCH

  • PG Tony Harris (1998-2001)
  • G Scooter McFadgon (2004-2005)
  • G/F Dane Bradshaw (2004-2007)
  • F Vincent Yarbrough (1999-2002)
  • F Tyler Smith (2008-present)
  • F/C CJ Black (1997-2000)
  • F/C Brandon Crump (2002-2005)

It's interesting to look at this team - the lineup is certainly solid, and could compete with any group from the SEC this decade.  However, it's not loaded with NBA talent...because the only Vol to really succeed at the highest level this decade is CJ Watson.  So while the Vols certainly made strides this decade and had some great SEC players...the overall talent level still has room to grow.

We'll have more to discuss on this chapter of Tennessee Basketball history, in what was arguably the best decade of UT Basketball we've ever seen.  But the games and performances that made this decade great were carried on the shoulders of these 12 players...a solid group that helped resurrect the program and move Tennessee Basketball forward.

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Even if it's not all NBA material,

that would have been a tremendous team to watch.

by Hooper on Apr 21, 2009 10:51 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Agreed

We had 3/5 of these guys together from 06-08…

Watching the Celtics last night, Ray Allen and Ben Gordon both talked about how special it was to go against a fellow UConn player in a big NBA game. In another ten years, I hope Bruce makes it possible for us to have conversations like that too.

by Will on Apr 21, 2009 11:35 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

But

we’re gonna have to wait a few years yet on that.

by Will on Apr 21, 2009 11:37 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

What?

No Damion Harris?

by TheSandman on Apr 22, 2009 11:53 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

That's the much less star-studded

All-90’s team, with the dynamic duo of Steve Hamer and Ganon Goodson owning the paint.

by Will on Apr 22, 2009 12:30 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

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