Basketball ready to go!

by Volorado on Nov 4, 2007 7:13 PM EST

Bumped from the diaries. Many thanks to Volorado for tipping basketball season off for us.

Believe it or not, basketball season is upon us! In just a few short days, the preseason favorite to win the SEC and the #7 team in the country will be tipping off for [it's first non-exhibition game]. The BasketVols look like the real deal and have improved in each of the past two seasons under Coach Pearl (aka Hulk), and there is no reason to believe this season will be any different.

With Kentucky looking like they're a year or two away and under the new direction of Billy Gillespie, and Florida losing all of their starters and some of their bench to the NBA, the road to an SEC title will run through the Marble City.

The team is stocked with talent in the back court with All-American Chris Lofton, All-Freshman SEC guard Ramar Smith, and JaJuan Smith. Add in transfer guard/forwards JP Prince, from Arizona, and All-Freshman Big-10 player at Iowa, Tyler Smith, and the back court alone is deadly. But wait, there's more! The front court features Wayne Chism and Duke Crews, both freshmen extraordinaires last year, who have improved with a full season under their belts. There's also Ryan Childress, who stepped up in the tournament last March/April and proved he can play, and more importantly, run and shoot, with the best of 'em.

Granted, there's no dominant low post player like North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough or Georgetown's Roy Hibbert. This is not a roster stocked with McDonald's All-Americans like Duke or Kansas or UCLA, but there is something else. There is a chip that sits on their collective shoulders. A No. 7 ranking seems like a bit of a slap in the face to such a deep team, one that has lost only ONE player to graduation, added two great swing men, and coached by a man so passionate and knowledgable as Bruce Pearl. If this were Duke or Carolina or Kansas, they'd be consensus number 1, but UT can't even crack the top 5?

But this is the year! The year Tennessee becomes a basketball force, begins a proud basketball tradition and lays claim to its first Final Four and, dare I say it, possibly its first National Championship. It's all right there in front of them, and in a few short days, their quest to claim it begins, and it becomes... Tipoff Time in Tennessee!

Go Vols!

Poll

How far do the '07 BasketVols go?

Miss NCAA's

0 votes

Make NCAA's, lose in early rounds

1 votes

Sweet 16

1 votes

Elite 8

0 votes

Final Four

3 votes

National Champions!

1 votes

6 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

Not a basketball fan,

but that would be a lot of fun if UT won the NCAA tourney. If LSU wins the BCS championship, then the SEC would be able to annoy fans of all the other conferences about their dominance of the top two men's sports, and be able to prattle endlessly about SEC football and basketball dominance. Factor in the women's b-ball team and softball team, and perhaps the baseball team, and it's a recipe for a lot of fun.

by David Hooper on Nov 5, 2007 8:50 PM EST reply actions

Your name is hooper

and you don't follow basketball? But seriuosly, if you want to see probably the most entertaining basketball team in the country, check out the Vols. They way they play is like a no-huddle offense on crack! Plus Bruce Pearl is awesome, I'm pretty sure he should come in to the locker room before FOOTBALL games and fire up the team. No, seriously.

Sigh, what more can be said?

by Volorado on Nov 6, 2007 9:06 AM EST up reply actions

Funny

A "no huddle football team on crack"? If that doesn't make you want to watch, then you're just hopeless.

Go Vols!

by Joel Hollingsworth on Nov 6, 2007 11:09 AM EST up reply actions

ironic, isn't it?

I'd say it has to do with being white and of modest height, but that doesn't explain my love of football, does it? Actually, I got turned off of basketball when the NBA became such a "me" league back in the '90s. Since I didn't follow college ball at that time, there was nothing to keep me interested.

That actually explains why I like teams like the mid-'90s Princeton teams, where it's pure teamwork and strategy to set up shots, more so than 1-on-1 drills all game long. IIRC, one highlight of those Princeton teams I saw was a 15-pass offensive series. The ball never touched the floor once they got across halfcourt, and the poor defense got so out-of-position that any of 3 guys had a clear shot. I could go on, but you get the idea.

However, I am enthusiastic about the b-ball teams this year; both teams play quite unselfishly, and with a lot of energy. Even given my bias against b-ball, that is still a lot of fun to watch. I might even make a game or two, if some of my classmates talk me into it. I have a lot of respect for both coaches; the mutual support was absolutely wonderful to see last year, and should provide a huge boost to the players' experience throughout their careers here (as well as recruiting). I'd love to see both teams the tourneys.

And yes, Pearl should do the pregame fire-up speeches for the football team. Maybe he could start doing cameo appearances at Neyland, too. (However, the thought of Fulmer returning the favor with a body-painted topless appearance at the basketball games is not so pleasant.)

by David Hooper on Nov 6, 2007 12:49 PM EST up reply actions