University of Tennessee Athletics
2004-05 Basketball Outlook - Post Players
July 13, 2004 | Men's Basketball
ROSTER | COACHING STAFF | QUICK FACTS | NOTEBOOK| PERIMETER PLAYERS
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| Brandon Crump |
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| Jemere Hendrix |
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| Major Wingate |
Post Players
While Tennessee may not have huge numbers in the post this season, the most experienced player on the Vols? roster has taken up residence in the paint over the last three seasons.
Brandon Crump, a 6-foot-10 senior power forward from Houston has been a mainstay in the lineup since his freshman year. Crump, who has started 74 of his 88 games since coming to Knoxville, enters his senior season needing just 39 points to become the 37th player in Tennessee history to score 1,000 career points. Making that feat more impressive, he will be just the fourth Vol 6-foot-10 or taller to reach the 1,000-point milestone.
In 2004 he enjoyed his most successful campaign for the Vols after averaging 14.8 points and a team-high 6.8 rebounds per game. He has steadily improved his statistics each season after averaging 7.1 points and 4.2 rebounds as a freshman to 11.0 points and 5.9 rebounds as a sophomore to his even more improved numbers as a junior.
?Brandon Crump is hoping he takes his senior year and his points and rebounding continue to go up like they have every year,? Peterson said. ?He?s got a chance to have a breakout year.
?I don?t think people realize how hard Brandon works. He has a lot of experience, he has played a lot of minutes so he knows how to take over inside. He is shooting the ball pretty well from the outside. When he gets that ball inside, he is going to score for us.?
A player the Vols saw steady improvement from over the course of his freshman year was 6-foot-10, 258-pound center Major Wingate. That steady improvement earned the Florence, S.C., native a spot in the starting lineup in 15 of Tennessee?s final 16 games last year. A defensive presence in the paint, Wingate?s statistics of 3.6 points and 2.5 rebounds do not do his all-around game justice.
?Major has to start looking to score when he gets the ball inside,? Peterson said. ?He is so big he is a force in there. He should be able to just bully his way into some points. His defense is way above his offense. We?ve got to get him thinking shot before pass when he gets the ball down low. We are making that post feed for a reason, for him to score in there.?
Jemere Hendrix, a 6-foot-8 junior forward, brought an unsurpassed emotional boost for the Vols when he was in the game in 2004. A transfer from Clemson, Hendrix was essentially a freshman in experience after playing just eight games for the Tigers before deciding to transfer. In his first season for the Vols, the Covington, Ga., native averaged 6.8 points while ranking second on the team with 6.2 rebounds per game.
?As a first-year player, I am pretty proud of what Jemere did for us by averaging more than six rebounds per game,? Peterson said. ?He is always going to give you the effort, he is going to work his tail off. He brings a lot of energy to the floor.?
A new addition to the Vols lineup will be Andre Patterson, a 6-foot-7 junior forward. Patterson, who sat out last season after transferring from UCLA, is an explosive leaper who has a good understanding of the game. As a sophomore he led the Pac-10 Conference in field goal percentage by making 60.8 percent of his shots while averaging 7.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
| Statistical Leaders Returning | ||
| Category | No. | Player |
| Scoring | 17.6 | Scooter McFadgon |
| Field Goals | 158 | Brandon Crump |
| Field Goal % | .566 | Brandon Crump |
| 3-Pt FGs | 65 | Scooter McFadgon |
| 3-Pt FG % | .411 | C.J. Watson |
| Free Throws | 134 | Scooter McFadgon |
| Free Throw Pct. | .912 | Scooter McFadgon |
| Rebounding | 6.8 | Brandon Crump |
| Assists | 145 | C.J. Watson |
| Blocked Shots | 37 | Brandon Crump |
| Steals | 45 | C.J. Watson |
?Andre plays a lot bigger than his size,? Peterson said. ?He is quick around the goal. We are looking for him to do things within 12 feet of the goal. He really can get a lot of rebounds for us. He averaged more than six per game as a sophomore at UCLA, so we are hoping he will be big on the boards for us.?
Rounding out the post players is senior walk-on Fred Smithwick. A 6-foot-7 forward from Memphis, Smithwick saw action in six games last year, scoring five points.
?Fred is a very hard worker,? Peterson said. ?He always comes to play and pushes our players hard in practice. He wants to do anything he can to make our team better.?
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