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By CHRIS LOW
Staff Writer
KNOXVILLE In just his first season on the job, there's no question that Bruce Pearl re-energized Tennessee basketball.
He won 22 games, went to the NCAA Tournament, raised attendance figures, attracted national publicity and took the program to heights nobody really thought possible so soon.
But most of all, he created expectations.
If not for a five-minute collapse against Wichita State on Saturday, the Vols would be preparing right now for only their third trip to the Sweet 16 in school history.
Next season, fans will not only expect the Vols to get to the tournament. They will expect them to make considerable noise in the tournament.
The returning players, now that they've had a taste of March Madness, will expect the same thing.
"We climbed the mountain, but we didn't get all the way to the top," sophomore guard JaJuan Smith said. "We know next year what we have to do to get back here and go further."
There's no substitute for NCAA Tournament experience.
The Vols learned that the hard way in their 80-73 loss to Wichita State at the Greensboro Coliseum. They led by five points with 5:42 to play, but couldn't finish the job.
While the Shockers found a way to make key shots, the Vols found a way to make key blunders or miss out on key opportunities.
It's a forgettable stretch coaches and players will replay over and over in their minds all offseason.
A quick recap:
Chris Lofton missed a wide-open 3-pointer that could have put Tennessee ahead by six with 5:20 left.
C.J. Watson turned the ball over on a charge with 4:31 left after Major Wingate had tipped Dane Bradshaw's missed free throw back out top. The Vols led 63-60 at the time.
Wingate, who played his best basketball of the season in Greensboro, threw the ball into the stands out of a double team with the game tied at the 2:43 mark.
Bradshaw, despite his ailing right wrist, took an ill-advised 3-pointer early in the shot clock at the 1:58 mark after Wichita State had gone ahead 67-65.
Smith missed a pair of free throws with 57.2 seconds left, and Lofton jacked up a panicky 3-pointer from 30 feet with 28 seconds left when Tennessee was still in the game.
In short, the Vols looked like a team that hadn't been there before and they hadn't.
"We made some offensive choices that were just out of character," Pearl said. "We're going to learn from this, and yet, I have no more games to coach and no more film to watch with this group.
"But Tennessee basketball is here and we'll be in this tournament again, and I'm very appreciative for these guys to have gotten the ball rolling."
The Vols will miss all three seniors who played this season, but replacing Watson will be especially difficult. In a league filled with quality point guards, he was one of the best.
Sensing the need for another guard, the Vols' coaches will make every effort to sign one during the April recruiting period.
The top target remains Ramar Smith of Detroit. The 6-foot-2 Smith is rated the 30th best overall prospect nationally by Rivals.com. He's expected to make an official visit to Tennessee the weekend of the spring football game April 7-9.
Two other guards on the Vols' list should be familiar names to fans Bridgton (Maine) Academy teammates Keaton Grant and Jarvis Hill.
Hill committed to Tennessee under former Coach Buzz Peterson before changing his mind and signing with Auburn. He never made it to Auburn and has spent this season playing prep school ball.
The Vols also previously recruited Grant, who originally signed with Missouri. Grant, though, failed to qualify academically and elected to go the prep school route. Both Hill and Grant are more combo guards than they are pure point guards.
Already signed are four players who should make the Vols deeper and more athletic right away forwards Wayne Chism and Duke Crews and guards Marques Johnson and Josh Tabb. It's a class some analysts have ranked among the Top 10 classes in the country.
"We were two or three minutes from closing it out (against Wichita State) and talking about the Sweet 16," Bradshaw said. "More than anything, we'll be thinking about those last couple of minutes that got away from us and use that as motivation and determination to work even harder in the offseason.
"We're not going to be able to sneak up on anybody next year, which will make us work even harder."
Tennessee Athletics Director Mike Hamilton, who made the decision to fire Peterson and bring in Pearl, said he couldn't be happier with what was accomplished this first season.
Pearl's new six-year contract will kick in next season. He will make $1.1 million, and the deal averages $1.3 million over the life of the contract.
"One year doesn't make a career at a place, but I certainly think Bruce has our program pointed in the direction that I hoped it would be headed," Hamilton said. n
One of the things Pearl has been pushing for - a practice facility - is close to being a reality. Hamilton said they're currently in the design phase and hope to begin construction by the end of the summer.
"We have a funding model," Hamilton said. "We are hopeful of having the entire amount funded in private gifts."
Hamilton said the project would cost around $15 million, and they have already raised $9 million.
"The whole aura around the program, from what we're doing on the floor and off the floor, is what we all wanted to see," Hamilton said.
Staff Writer
KNOXVILLE In just his first season on the job, there's no question that Bruce Pearl re-energized Tennessee basketball.
He won 22 games, went to the NCAA Tournament, raised attendance figures, attracted national publicity and took the program to heights nobody really thought possible so soon.
But most of all, he created expectations.
If not for a five-minute collapse against Wichita State on Saturday, the Vols would be preparing right now for only their third trip to the Sweet 16 in school history.
Next season, fans will not only expect the Vols to get to the tournament. They will expect them to make considerable noise in the tournament.
The returning players, now that they've had a taste of March Madness, will expect the same thing.
"We climbed the mountain, but we didn't get all the way to the top," sophomore guard JaJuan Smith said. "We know next year what we have to do to get back here and go further."
There's no substitute for NCAA Tournament experience.
The Vols learned that the hard way in their 80-73 loss to Wichita State at the Greensboro Coliseum. They led by five points with 5:42 to play, but couldn't finish the job.
While the Shockers found a way to make key shots, the Vols found a way to make key blunders or miss out on key opportunities.
It's a forgettable stretch coaches and players will replay over and over in their minds all offseason.
A quick recap:
Chris Lofton missed a wide-open 3-pointer that could have put Tennessee ahead by six with 5:20 left.
C.J. Watson turned the ball over on a charge with 4:31 left after Major Wingate had tipped Dane Bradshaw's missed free throw back out top. The Vols led 63-60 at the time.
Wingate, who played his best basketball of the season in Greensboro, threw the ball into the stands out of a double team with the game tied at the 2:43 mark.
Bradshaw, despite his ailing right wrist, took an ill-advised 3-pointer early in the shot clock at the 1:58 mark after Wichita State had gone ahead 67-65.
Smith missed a pair of free throws with 57.2 seconds left, and Lofton jacked up a panicky 3-pointer from 30 feet with 28 seconds left when Tennessee was still in the game.
In short, the Vols looked like a team that hadn't been there before and they hadn't.
"We made some offensive choices that were just out of character," Pearl said. "We're going to learn from this, and yet, I have no more games to coach and no more film to watch with this group.
"But Tennessee basketball is here and we'll be in this tournament again, and I'm very appreciative for these guys to have gotten the ball rolling."
The Vols will miss all three seniors who played this season, but replacing Watson will be especially difficult. In a league filled with quality point guards, he was one of the best.
Sensing the need for another guard, the Vols' coaches will make every effort to sign one during the April recruiting period.
The top target remains Ramar Smith of Detroit. The 6-foot-2 Smith is rated the 30th best overall prospect nationally by Rivals.com. He's expected to make an official visit to Tennessee the weekend of the spring football game April 7-9.
Two other guards on the Vols' list should be familiar names to fans Bridgton (Maine) Academy teammates Keaton Grant and Jarvis Hill.
Hill committed to Tennessee under former Coach Buzz Peterson before changing his mind and signing with Auburn. He never made it to Auburn and has spent this season playing prep school ball.
The Vols also previously recruited Grant, who originally signed with Missouri. Grant, though, failed to qualify academically and elected to go the prep school route. Both Hill and Grant are more combo guards than they are pure point guards.
Already signed are four players who should make the Vols deeper and more athletic right away forwards Wayne Chism and Duke Crews and guards Marques Johnson and Josh Tabb. It's a class some analysts have ranked among the Top 10 classes in the country.
"We were two or three minutes from closing it out (against Wichita State) and talking about the Sweet 16," Bradshaw said. "More than anything, we'll be thinking about those last couple of minutes that got away from us and use that as motivation and determination to work even harder in the offseason.
"We're not going to be able to sneak up on anybody next year, which will make us work even harder."
Tennessee Athletics Director Mike Hamilton, who made the decision to fire Peterson and bring in Pearl, said he couldn't be happier with what was accomplished this first season.
Pearl's new six-year contract will kick in next season. He will make $1.1 million, and the deal averages $1.3 million over the life of the contract.
"One year doesn't make a career at a place, but I certainly think Bruce has our program pointed in the direction that I hoped it would be headed," Hamilton said. n
One of the things Pearl has been pushing for - a practice facility - is close to being a reality. Hamilton said they're currently in the design phase and hope to begin construction by the end of the summer.
"We have a funding model," Hamilton said. "We are hopeful of having the entire amount funded in private gifts."
Hamilton said the project would cost around $15 million, and they have already raised $9 million.
"The whole aura around the program, from what we're doing on the floor and off the floor, is what we all wanted to see," Hamilton said.
