I'm the same way.
After seeing how crushed the guys were after the game was over, I just couldn't bring myself to feel angry or upset. I just feel for the players, but I'm extremely proud of them and honored to have witness the 09-10 Vols.
Chism never backed down from anyone and definitely gave his all for Tennessee. He was a personality that played ball as well. We were all blessed to have him in Knoxville. He definitely represented UT well and had a way of wowing and entertaining everyone in the world of NCAA basketball.
Scotty Hopson has a lot to be proud of. I know that he was feeling a lot pressure from the local media and fans, and it shouldn't have been that way. He's a great player with nothing but greatness ahead of him.
J.P. Prince..........where do I begin? What a great player, huh? There were times that JP's energy turned the whole team into mad dogs. I loved it, and it's something we're going to miss.
Bobby Maze was my favorite Vol on the team the past 2 years. I liked watching him progress as a player. He was also a fun player to watch and a good defender. It's gonna be sad to see him go.
Cameron Tatum really really turned it on this year. I was hoping that he would be the one to fire the last shot because I really believed that he could hit a 50 footer.
Brian Williams is a great player and a great person. Talk about progression, has anyone on this team improved as much as him? He's like a completely different guy out there. I can't wait until next year.
Melvin Goins was another player that brought contagious energy time and time again that was refreshing. I felt like he never took his minutes for granted and always went 100.
Kenny Hall is someone I'm looking forward to seeing develop. I think there's a lot of upside to him.
Skylar McBee cemented his name in Vol history in the Kansas game and brought our program much honor in a time when bad news and Tennessee were best friends. I'm glad that he came here, and I'm glad that he was feeling it that night against Kansas. We might have been a different team without his game sealer earlier this year.
Renaldo Woolridge is probably the happiest bench warmer I've ever seen. What a sick shot he has though, and what a great spokesperson and rapper the team has. I look forward to more of his work on and off the court in the future.
Steven Pearl catches a lot of stuff on this site because of who he is and his lapses in the past, but I was very happy with him the second half of the season. He's a great leader for the team and he's definitely made us proud.
The rest of the guys did their thing and were a major part of the identity of this team.
It was a blessing to watch this team go from a slow start, to shame, to hard workers, to a group of honorable young men. Their story is one that would have broken a lot of other teams out there, but they stuck together, even when most of our fan base was against some players and the coach, and produced the most exciting and fruitful season in Vols history.
I am sad that we lost, and it does hurt, but the at the conclusion of one of the greatest stories in Vols sporting history, I feel that I've gotten my money's worth.
