COMPETITION CONTINUES
"Weve mentioned this several times in the past, but its virtually impossible to determine Tennessees playing-time pecking order by simply watching practice, because different players are put together every day."
"And for what its worth, aside from the upperclassman All-SEC trio of Jordan McRae, Jeronne Maymon and Jarnell Stokes, plenty of playing time is up for grabs on a talented and versatile roster."
"History shows that Martin likes having versatile junior glue guy Josh Richardson on the floor for his defense, and obviously the Vols need a point guard on the floor at all times, but the possibilities aside from those factors are still plentiful. And its worth mentioning that Tennessees staff thinks Richardsons defense dipped at times last season because he had to play 30-plus minutes in many games."
YOUNG PLAYERS PROGRESSING
"Tennessees true freshman trio continues to impress, but the player we keep hearing the most about isnt five-star guard Robert Hubbs, but Nashville-area point guard Darius Thompson."
"An extremely quiet kid with a baby face, the 6-foot-4 Thompson continues to impress everyone in the program with his ability to stay cool under pressure, distribute the ball and hit perimeter shots. Hes quickly becoming known as one of this teams best shooters, but hes not a combo guard. Hes a legitimate point guard who can really, really shoot the ball."
"We think senior Memphis transfer Antonio Barton would still be the starter if the season opened today, but Thompson continues to make that a legitimate battle, and both will get plenty of minutes if theyre healthy."
"As for Hubbs, his athleticism and ability to score are still staggeringly impressive in spots, but Martin is consistently pushing Hubbs to play better on the defensive end. Hubbs, to his credit, claims to be listening, telling us last week that he definitely understood that his defense, rather than his offense,"
"Versatile freshman A.J. Davis continues to impress, as well, but he occasionally struggles to defend in the paint because of his slightish frame. Hes actually put on nearly 20 pounds since arriving in Knoxville, and hell continue to fill out as time progresses."
POPS PUSHING
"The most recent update we got on Tennessee junior center Rawane Pops Ndiaye was a good one."
"Martin told us that Ndiaye was arguably the MVP of an early week practice, and he continues to show that he can be a factor at this level."
"Ndiaye isnt Dirk Nowitzki or anything like that, but hes certainly an offensive upgrade from predecessor Yemi Makanjuola."
"hes showing the potential to be a factor off the bench."
ARMANI TIME
"Heres another bit of interesting news from last week: At times, especially late in the week, a couple of people told us that sophomore guard Armani Moore was arguably the best player on the court during practice."
"One program source told us Moore was an absolute beast late in the week,"
"At 6-5, 220 pounds, Moore certainly looks the part on the floor, and hes got the toughness to play everywhere but center. After moving back off the ball late last season, Moore who initially was recruited to Tennessee as a point guard started gaining comfort and confidence in his game."
"He attacks the basket really well."
"hes also starting to shoot the ball much better from the perimeter."
