| Kentucky (15-5) at Tennessee (11-10)
Vols Put Three-Game Winning Streak on Line
 | | Marcus Haislip scored 18 points in UT's 67-65 win at Vanderbilt Saturday. | The most played rivalry in school history will be renewed again this week when Tennessee hosts Kentucky. Tipoff for the 191st meeting between the Volunteers and Wildcats is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2002, at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Tennessee enters the game with an 11-10 record on the season and a 4-4 mark in the Southeastern Conference. The Vols have won five of their last six games and are currently riding a three-game winning streak following a 67-65 win at Vanderbilt on Saturday. The win over the Commodores was UT's second consecutive road win after winning at LSU (61-58) on Jan. 30.
All-America candidate Vincent Yarbrough is leading the SEC with 18.4 points per game after a 21 point effort at Vanderbilt Saturday. Marcus Haislip leads the team in blocks with 32 and is second in scoring with 15.9 points. Jon Higgins leads the Vols with 4.4 assists per game and has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.42.
The Wildcats enter the game sporting a 15-5 overall record and a Top 10 national ranking. In SEC action they are 5-3 after winning at Florida and vs. South Carolina last week. Last year's SEC Player of the Year Tayshaun Prince leads UK with 16.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
Yarbrough Wins Second SEC Player of the Week Honor
Vincent Yarbrough was named the SEC's Player of the Week on Feb. 4 for the second time this season and the third time in his career. Yarbrough won the award after averaging 22.5 points and 9.0 rebounds in Tennessee's wins at LSU and at Vanderbilt. He shot 50 percent (16-of-32) from the floor, including 55.6 percent (10-of-18) from three-point range on the week. At LSU he had a game-high 21 points, nine rebounds and two blocks. At Vanderbilt he had 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting, nine rebounds and three steals. With 4.3 seconds left in the game at Vanderbilt he hit a running jumper for the game-winning basket.
* Yarbrough also won the award on Nov. 19, 2001 following a 26 point, 11 rebound performance in UT's season-opener against Tennessee Tech.
* Yarbrough won his first SEC Player of the Week honor on Jan. 31, 2000 when he shared the award with LSU's Stromile Swift.
* It is the 15th time that a Vol has received the award since the 1992-93 season. | Team Statistical Comparisons | | Tennessee | | Kentucky | | 73.9 | Points | 80.4 | | 70.8 | Opponent Points | 67.2 | | +3.0 | Scoring Margin | +13.3 | | 45.8 | Field Goal % | 47.0 | | 42.0 | Opponent Field Goal % | 39.8 | | 35.5 | Three-Point % | 32.6 | | 35.3 | Opponent Three-Point % | 31.7 | | 38.2 | Free Throw % | 65.3 | | 38.3 | Rebounds | 42.0 | | 34.3 | Opponent Rebounds | 34.3 | | +4.0 | Rebounding Margin | +7.7 | | 16.2 | Assists | 16.0 | | 16.3 | Turnovers | 15.7 | | 3.3 | Blocks | 4.7 | | 6.7 | Steals | 7.9 | | 11-10 | Record | 15-5 |
| Individual Statistical Leaders | | Tennessee | | Kentucky | | Yarbrough, 18.4 | Points | Prince, 16.6 | | Yarbrough, 7.3 | Rebounds | Prince, 6.3 | | Higgins, 4.4 | Assists | Hawkins, 4.3 | | Crump, 60.9 | Field Goal % | Estill, 67.8 | | Yarbrough, 39.3 | Three-Point % | Prince, 34.8 | | Grindstaff, 83.7 | Free Throw % | Estill, 77.1 | | ? | Looking At Kentucky
The Wildcats are 15-5 on the season and 5-3 in the Southeastern Conference following a 91-74 win over South Carolina on Saturday. Gerald Fitch led Kentucky with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field while Tayshaun Prince added 16 points. The win was the second in a row for the Wildcats who won at No. 5 Florida on Jan. 29.
* After opening SEC action with losses at Mississippi State and to Georgia, the Wildcats have bounced back to win six of their last seven games. One of those wins was a 72-65 decision over Notre Dame on Jan. 19.
* Tayshaun Prince leads the Wildcats with 16.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Keith Bogans is second on the team with 12.4 points per game.
* Kentucky features one of the best shot blocking tandems in the conference. Jules Camara ranks second in the league with 1.60 blocks per game and Marquis Estill is tied for third with 1.35 rejections per game.
* The Wildcats are second in the league in rebounding margin with a +7.8 advantage on the boards.
* Senior guard J.P. Blevins returned to the Wildcat lineup Saturday against South Carolina for the first time since suffering a broken wrist against Indiana on Dec. 22.
* UK is 4-1 on the road this season, including a 3-1 mark in SEC road games. The Wildcats' only road loss was an overtime decision at Mississippi State.
* Head coach Tubby Smith is 249-100 in his 11th season as a head coach and 125-38 in his fifth year at Kentucky. The Kentucky Series
Kentucky leads the all-time series, 129-61.
* This will be the 191st meeting all-time between the two schools
* Kentucky leads the series 44-42 when played in Knoxville.
* The Wildcats hold a 76-15 all-time advantage when playing in Lexington.
* The last six meetings have been split with both teams winning three.
* Last year Kentucky swept the series with an 84-74 win in Lexington and a 103-95 win in Knoxville.
* Tennessee's 61 wins against the Wildcats are almost double that of any other Kentucky opponent. Vanderbilt has beaten UK 35 times to rank second.
* Kentucky's 129 wins against Tennessee are the most of any Volunteer opponent.
* Tennessee is 15-12 all-time against Kentucky when the Wildcats are not ranked.
* The Kentucky series is Tennessee's oldest among SEC opponents. The Vols and Wildcats first met on Feb. 5, 1910. That was just the second season that the University of Tennessee fielded a basketball team. Last Meeting With Kentucky
Simply put, the Wildcats were on fire in their 103-95 win over Tennessee at Thompson-Boling Arena on Feb. 14. Kentucky shot a blazing 61 percent from the field, including an unbelievable 66.7 percent (14-of-21) from three-point range in the win. Tayshaun Prince led UK with a career-high 30 points on 6-of-7 shooting from behind the three-point arc. The Vols began the game by taking a 12-3 lead but the Wildcats went on an 11-0 run to take a 14-12 lead. UK built its lead to 50-39 going into the locker room at halftime. "Kentucky played as nearly a perfect a first half as I've seen while I've been at the University of Tennessee," head coach Jerry Green said of UK's opening period. In the second half the Wildcats extended their lead to as many as 19 points before the Volunteers could mount a rally. Isiah Victor scored five straight points in leading UT on a 13-1 run to cut Kentucky's lead to four (93-89) with 2:19 left in the game. However, the `Cats were 10-for-10 from the free throw line in the game's final two minutes to seal the win.
* Tennessee's 18-game home winning streak came to an end with the loss. The Vols had not lost a home game since Vanderbilt won in Thompson-Boling Arena on Jan. 12, 2000.
* Kentucky improved its winning streak to six games.
* Tennessee was without the services of point guard Tony Harris for the second game in a row. Harris was sidelined with a sprained ankle.
* Kentucky's 10 first half three-pointers were as many as UT had allowed in an entire game all season. The Wildcats finished the game going 14-for-21 from behind the arc.
* Vincent Yarbrough threw in a career-high 28 points to lead the Vols. Isiah Victor added 21 while Ron Slay had 18 and Harris Walker had 12.
* Ron Slay made his second start of the season and just the third of his career. Slay started at small forward while Vincent Yarbrough started at the shooting guard position.
* Isiah Victor moved into UT's all-time top 20 scorers list with 2,137 career points. Last Time Out
Jenis Grindstaff found Vincent Yarbrough driving to the basket for a bucket and a two-point lead with 4.3 seconds left at Vanderbilt on Saturday. Chuck Moore's desperation three-pointer at the buzzer rattled around the rim but fell out to give the Vols a 67-65 win at Memorial Gym. The final buzzer signaled the end to a furious second half that saw Tennessee lead by 20 points with 12:54 left to play but the Commodores went on a 36-16 run to tie the score at 65 with 18 seconds left. The Vols held a 39-22 advantage at halftime and the two squads battled back-and-forth for the first seven minutes of the second half before the Commodores made their run. Moore cut the Tennessee advantage to 64-62 with a three-pointer with 33 seconds left. After Grindstaff made one of two free throws to give UT a 65-62 lead, Moore drained another three-pointer to tie the score with 18 seconds left in the game.
* Vincent Yarbrough led the Vols with 21 points, nine rebounds and three steals. Marcus Hailsip added 18 points and six rebounds while Brandon Crump had 12 points and five rebounds and Jenis Grindstaff threw in 10 points, six rebounds and five assists.
* Brendan Plavich scored all of his 12 points in the second half to lead Vanderbilt while Brian Thornton was the only other Commodore in double figures with 10 points.
* A total of 33 personal fouls were called between the two teams with 26 of them coming in the second half.
* The Vols won their third game in a row that has been decided by four points or less.
* It was just the fourth win for the Vols in Memorial Gym in their last 15 visits.
* Tennessee shot 51.6 percent from the field and 45.5 percent from three-point range in the first half while Vanderbilt was just 27.3 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from behind the arc. Staying Ahead Of The Game
In Tennessee's last two games, the Vols have trailed their opponents for a combined total of just 55 seconds. On Jan. 30, Tennessee trailed LSU 2-0 for 25 seconds before a Vincent Yarbrough three-pointer gave the Vols the lead. Later against the Tigers, LSU took a 9-7 lead but held it for just 30 seconds before Jon Higgins hit a three-pointer to give the Vols the lead. UT never trailed again in Baton Rouge. At Vanderbilt on Feb. 2 the Vols never trailed in their 67-65 win. Vols Are Crashing The Boards
Over their last eight games the Vols have outrebounded their opponents 321-252. That is an average advantage of 8.6 rebounds per game.
* UT outrebounded eighth-ranked Syracuse 49-27 on Jan. 19. The Vols recorded 22 offensive rebounds in the game.
* Against MTSU the Vols held 48-29 edge on the boards, including 19 offensive rebounds.
* Over their last six games, the Vols are averaging 16.7 (100) offensive rebounds per game. Haislip Leading The Vols In Blocks
Marcus Haislip's presence has been felt since his return to the lineup against Memphis on Dec. 15. The junior is averaging 15.9 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in the 15 games since his return.
* In Southeastern Conference action he is averaging 16.8 points and 6.3 boards.
* Despite missing UT's first six games, Haislip leads the team in blocked shots with 32.
* Although he has not played enough games to be eligible for the SEC statistics for all games, his 32 blocks are tied for the second highest number in the league.
* He ranks 10th on Tennessee's career blocked shots list with 104 career rejections. He needs nine more blocks to pass Rob Jones (112 from 1982-86) for ninth on the career list.
* Last year his 51 blocks led the team and ranked fifth on UT's single-season charts despite playing just 13.2 minutes per game.
* Had a career game Jan. 16 at Mississippi State when he led UT with a career-high 27 points. Grindstaff Takes Over The Point
Senior guard Jenis Grindstaff has steadily made a case to join the starting lineup. Once inserted into the lineup the 6-foot-2 senior made a statement. Making his first start of the season against eighth-ranked Syracuse on Jan. 19 he turned in a performance that netted career-highs in nine statistical categories including a career best 18 points.
* Against Syracuse he had career-highs or tied his previous career-best for points (18), rebounds (5), field goals made (5), field goals attempted (11), three-pointers made (3), three-pointers attempted (6), free throws made (5), free throws attempted (6) and minutes played (32).
* Since being inserted into the starting lineup against Syracuse he is averaging 8.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Yarbrough Climbing Scoring List: Ranks 12th with 1,564 Points
Vincent Yarbrough has led the Vols in scoring this season and continues his ascent up the Tennessee career scoring lists.
* He moved into 12th place on UT's career scoring lists with 1,564 career points.
* He became just the 12th player in UT history to score 1,500 points when he reached the milestone against South Carolina on Jan. 23.
* He entered his senior season 28th on the school's scoring list with 1,177 points.
* He leads the Vols with 387 points this year.
* His 18.4 points per game leads the Southeastern Conference. Yarbrough Breaks Steals Record
Senior forward Vincent Yarbrough became Tennessee's all-time steals leader when he tied a season-high with five steals against West Virginia on Dec. 22. Yarbrough, who now has 193 career pilfers, passed Fred Jenkins (177 steals from 1983-87) for first on the list. Yarbrough leads the Vols this season with 40 steals.
| Individual Career Steals | | 1. | 193 | Vincent Yarbrough, 1999-present | | 2. | 177 | Fred Jenkins, 1983-87 | | 3. | 173 | Tyrone Beaman, 1980-84 | | 4. | 154 | Dale Ellis, 1979-83 | Yarbrough Joins 700 Rebound Club
Vincent Yarbrough became the 13th player in Tennessee history to record 700 career rebounds when he reached that plateau against Wisconsin on Dec. 29. The senior forward currently ranks eighth on Tennessee's career rebounding list with 782 career caroms. This season he is averaging a team-best 7.3 boards per game.
* Yarbrough needs 18 rebounds to pass Isiah Victor (799 from 1998-2001) for seventh on UT's career rebounding list.
* He became just the seventh Vol to have 1,300 or more points and 700 or more rebounds. Troubles From Behind The Arc
After beginning the season by making 46.5 percent (53-of-114) of their three-point attempts through their first six games, the Vols have struggled from three-point range since then. Over their last 15 games Tennessee has made just 30.9 percent (84-of-272) of its three-pointers. Free Throws The Difference in SEC Play
In Tennessee's Southeastern Conference wins this season, the Vols are shooting a combined 77.0 percent (77-of-100) from the free throw line. In UT's conference losses, the Vols are shooting just 60.0 percent (51-of-85) from the charity stripe.
* Tennessee's 88.6 percent shooting against Ole Miss was its best effort at the free throw line since making 12-of-13 (92.3 percent) of its free throws against South Carolina on March 10, 2000.
* The Vols shot just 46.7 percent (7-of-15) from the line in their loss at Georgia. Vols' Schedule 10th, SEC No. 1 In RPI
It hasn't been an easy road for the Volunteers and the computers are backing that up. According to collegerpi.com, Tennessee's schedule ranks as the 10th-most difficult in the nation this year. The Southeastern Conference is rated as the toughest conference by the website. Tennessee is ranked 62nd in the Feb. 4 RPI. Following is a listing of the top conferences according to the Feb. 4 RPI: | ? | Conference | Record | Overall RPI | | 1. | SEC | 116-32 | 0.5980 | | 2. | ACC | 79-28 | 0.5830 | | 3. | Big 12 | 100-39 | 0.5763 | | 4. | Pac-10 | 66-26 | 0.5729 | | 5. | Big Ten | 83-47 | 0.5692 | | 6. | Big East | 124-43 | 0.5689 | Slay Out For The Year With Knee Injury
Junior forward Ron Slay is out for the rest of the season after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee late in the first half of UT's win over eighth-ranked Syracuse Jan. 19. The 6-foot-8, 235-pound Slay underwent successful surgery to repair his ACL on Thursday, Jan. 31, at the UT Medical Center. The 2001-02 season was an injury-plagued year for the Nashville native. He missed UT's first two games of the season and was limited through the Vols' first five games after suffering a stress fracture to the fibula in his right leg in October.
* Slay averaged 14.8 points and 6.5 rebounds before the injury.
* He needs just 47 points to reach the 1,000 career point mark. He has scored 953 points in 80 career games.
* He had led or tied for the team lead in rebounding in six of the eight games before the injury.
* At the time of the injury his 32 offensive rebounds ranked second on the team.
Crump & Wilborn In For Slay
With Ron Slay out with a knee injury, it is up to freshmen Brandon Crump and Elgrace Wilborn to step in for the junior. While filling in for Slay in the middle of the treacherous SEC schedule may be daunting for most freshmen, both Crump and Wilborn gained valuable experience for the Vols early in the season.
* Crump started six of UT's first seven games while Marcus Haislip was out because of academics. During that time he averaged 9.6 points and 6.0 rebounds in 26.6 minutes of action.
* Wilborn started four of Tennessee's first five games for the injured Slay. In those first five games he averaged 5.4 points and 6.2 rebounds in 24.2 minutes of play.
* Since Slay's injury Crump is averaging 8.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game while Wilborn is pitching in 6.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. Did You Know?
As of Feb. 4, the 10 teams that have defeated the Vols this season have a combined record of 148-66 (69.2 percent).
Opponent Record Opponent Record
Marquette 19-3 Wisconsin 12-11
St. John's 14-7 Florida 16-4
Memphis 19-4 Georgia 17-5
Louisville 13-7 Mississippi State 17-5
West Virginia 8-12 South Carolina 13-8 Last Second Losses Sink Vols
For Tennessee this season, the difference between being 11-10 on the year and potentially 18-3 is a matter of 16 points and less than 10 seconds. Four times this season a Vol opponent has hit a three-pointer at the end of regulation that has helped decide the game while one time a UT three-point attempt at the buzzer that would have tied the game rimmed out. Seven of UT's 10 losses this year have been decided by a combined total of 16 points. Following are Tennessee's games that went down to the last possession.
* At Memphis, Thaydeus Holden made the first free throw of a two-shot foul to bring UT to 69-71 with 1.9 seconds left. He intentionally missed the second but Memphis was able to grab the rebound to seal the win.
* Louisville's Reece Gaines hit a three-pointer for the lead with 1.8 seconds left in the game to give the Cardinals a 73-72 win.
* West Virginia's Jonathan Hargett hit a three-pointer with 4.3 seconds remaining to give the Mountaineers a 74-72 victory.
* UT's Thaydeus Holden had a three-pointer that would have tied the game at the buzzer rim out against Wisconsin. The Badgers took a 65-62 win in Madison.
* Florida's Brett Nelson hit a 25-foot three-pointer with 3.1 seconds left in regulation to tie the game 94-94. The third-ranked Gators went on to a 104-100 overtime win.
* Georgia's Ezra Williams picked up a loose ball and fired up a three-pointer as time expired to give the Bulldogs a 73-70 win.
* Mississippi State's Timmy Bowers hit one of two free throws with nine seconds left in overtime to give the Bulldogs a 92-91 win. Marcus Haislip's shot at the end of regulation was off the mark and then Jan Higgins' three-pointer at the end of the overtime also missed.
* Vincent Yarbrough hit a driving shot with 4.3 seconds left to give Tennessee a 67-65 lead at Vanderbilt. Chuck Moore's three-pointer as time expired rimmed out to give the Vols the win. Reversal of Fortune: Vols Won Last Three Close Calls
Until recently, Tennessee had struggled to win the close games this season. The Vols are 3-7 in games that are decided by four points or less on the year. UT went 0-7 in its first seven games decided by less than five points. Since then the Vols have won their last three by that margin.
* Tennessee fell at Louisville (72-73 on Dec. 20) and at Mississippi State (91-92 in overtime on
Jan. 16) by one point and has two-point losses at Memphis (69-71 on Dec. 15) and to West Virginia (72-74 on Dec. 22). UT fell at Wisconsin by three points (62-65 on Dec. 29) and at Georgia (73-70 on Jan. 12). The Vols lost to third-ranked Florida by four points (100-104 in overtime on Jan. 9).
* Since losing their first seven games decided by four points or less, the Vols have won their last three games decided by that margin. UT has wins against No. 8 Syracuse (66-62 on Jan. 19), at LSU (61-58 on Jan. 30) and at Vanderbilt (67-65 on Feb. 2). Yarbrough: All-America Candidate
Although not on the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 30 list, Vincent Yarbrough is still making a strong case for being on the final list released by the committee. Despite not being on the midseason poll of voters for the award, the SEC's leading scorer is still being considered for the award. It is the second consecutive year Yarbrough was on the John R. Wooden Award's preseason list of its top 50 candidates for the Wooden Award All-America team. Yarbrough, who was one of six SEC student-athletes on the preseason list, has been a second team All-SEC selection each of the last two seasons. The Wooden Award committee will announce its All-America team on March 26, 2002 and then the recipient of the Wooden Award Trophy on April 7, 2002. Holden Named SEC's "Best Junior College Import"
The Sporting News named Tennessee junior guard Thaydeus Holden the "Best Junior College Import" in the Southeastern Conference in its Jan. 7 issue. Holden, a transfer from Seward County (Kan.) Community College, is averaging 7.0 points for the Vols this season. Higgins Named To SEC Good Works Team
Jon Higgins is being featured as the SEC Good Works Team Player of the Week on Jefferson-Pilot's telecasts this week. Higgins served as a tutor for the 21st Century Club that helps inner city youth in Cleveland, Ohio. He participates in April Play Day with the Knoxville Boys & Girls Club and regularly reads to children at local schools. It is the second time that Higgins has been named to the Good Works Team. He also received the honor last season. Vols Have Three Players Score 20+ In Back-To Back Games
When three Vols scored 20 or more points in UT's game against Ole Miss on Jan. 6, it was the first time since the 1993 season that it had happened. Their next game against Florida on Jan. 9, the Vols did it again. Three players recorded 20 or more points in the same game in back-to-back games.
* Against Ole Miss, Vincent Yarbrough paced the Vols with 24 points while Marcus Haislip and Ron Slay each had 21 points.
* Against Florida, Yarbrough once again led the Vols with 26 points while Marcus Haislip and Ron Slay each had 20 points.
* The Ole Miss game marked the first time since the 1993 season that three Vols had 20 or more points in the same game. The last time it happened was on Feb. 10, 1993 in UT's 107-111 loss at South Carolina. Allan Houston led UT with 29 points while Lang Wiseman had 26 and Corey Allen contributed 22 points. Versatile Vincent
In his fourth season at Tennessee, Vincent Yarbrough has proven that he can do most anything on the court for the Vols. Entering his senior campaign, Yarbrough has proven himself worthy of being a two-time Wooden Award candidate. Following are some of his accomplishments:
* Holds the UT record for career steals with 193.
* Has scored 1,564 career points to rank 12th all-time at Tennessee.
* Ranks eighth all-time with 121 career blocks.
* Ranks among the Top 10 at Tennessee in three-pointers made and attempted.
* Ranked among the Top 10 in 10 different categories against SEC teams in 2001.
* Has led the Vols in scoring, rebounding and steals in each of the previous two seasons.
* Has 263 career offensive rebounds to his credit, an average of 2.2 per game.
* Scored in double figures 80 times and has 17 career double figure rebounding efforts.
* Led Tennessee in scoring 37 times and rebounding 45 times in his career. Four Join Vols As Walk-ons
Drew Clemmons, Micquan Ferguson and Fred Smithwick have joined the Vols following campus-wide walk-on tryouts this past fall. C.J. Fayton joined the squad on Jan. 14 after spending the fall as a redshirt quarterback for the football team.
* Clemmons, a 6-foot-2, 170-pound junior from Knoxville, played for Bearden High School where he led the Bulldogs to district championships each of his two seasons on the varsity squad. His senior season he earned all-region honors. Following his prep career he played two seasons at King College before transferring to Tennessee.
* Ferguson, a 5-foot-9, 195-pound senior from Nashville, previously played baseball at Austin Peay and baseball and basketball at Aquinas Junior College in Nashville. He averaged 15.1 points per game at Nashville's Stratford High School and 10.6 points at Aquinas.
* Smithwick, a 6-foot-7, 205-pound freshman from Memphis, averaged 8.4 points per game at the center/forward position for Christian Brothers High School.
* Fayton, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound freshman from Virginia Beach, Va., averaged better than 20 points per game for Princess Anne HS. He finished the 2001 football season listed third on the depth chart at the quarterback position but did not see any game action. Homecourt Advantage
Thompson-Boling Arena has been one of the most difficult places for opponents to play over the last four seasons.
* Since the 1998 season, the Vols are 62-10 (.861) in Thompson-Boling Arena.
* Tennessee is 48-8 (.857) since the 1999 season at home. UT recorded a 14-1 record in 1999, a 15-1 mark in 2000 and 12-3 in 2001.
* The Vols are 27-9 against SEC teams at home over the last four seasons.
* UT's 38-game winning streak against non-conference games at home came to an end earlier this season with a 72-74 last second loss to West Virginia on Dec. 22.
* Last season Tennessee was 12-3 at home. Five Sign With Vols In Early Period
Buzz Peterson officially announced during the early signing period that five student-athletes have signed national letters of intent with Tennessee to join the Volunteer basketball team beginning with the 2002-03 season. Joining the Vols are Stanley Asumnu, C.J. Watson, John Winchester, Justin Albrecht and Justin "Boomer" Herndon.
* Asumnu, a 6-foot-4 wing from Hargrave (Va.) Military Academy, is rated as one of the Top 10 fifth-year prep school players this season. Last year he averaged 23 points and five assists while playing for Westbury Christian School in Houston, Texas.
* Watson, a 6-foot-2 guard from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nev., who is a consensus Top 100 player, was the 2001 Nevada State Player of the Year after averaging 15 points, four assists and three steals per game.
* Winchester, a 6-foot-3 guard from Milford Academy in Milford, Conn., who is a consensus Top 75 player, Winchester averaged 20 points and six rebounds last season at Marist School in Bayonne, N.J.
* Albrecht, a 6-foot-6, 215-pound forward from Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa, averaged 10 points, six rebounds and three assists as a freshman last season. A starter in every game last year, Albrecht led Iowa Western with 44 charges drawn.
* Herndon averaged 22.8 points, 13.3 rebounds and 7.7 blocks at Donelson Christian Academy in Nashville, Tenn., last year. The 7-foot, 240-pound center increased his scoring average from 12.4 points to 22.8 points per game between his sophomore and junior season.
* The Vols' recruiting class not only represents some of the best players from the state of Tennessee, it also reaches to some of the best talent around the nation. In all, five states are represented in UT's recruiting class.
* Tennessee's recruiting class is ranked among the Top 10 recruiting classes in the nation by several recruiting services. The Bob Gibbons All Star Report lists Buzz Peterson's first class as the No. 9 recruiting class in the nation. |
