University of Tennessee Athletics
TATUM AND WILLIAMS SIGN WITH VOLS
November 08, 2006 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 8, 2006
Tennessee basketball coach Bruce Pearl announced today that Cameron Tatum and Brian Williams have signed national letters of intent to play basketball at the University of Tennessee beginning with the 2007-08 season.
Tatum, a versatile 6-foot-5, 190-pound wing from Patterson Prep in Lenoir, N.C., can put the ball on the floor and create, hit the 3-pointer or take the ball to the rim. Rated as a four-star prospect and the No. 13 shooting guard in the nation by Rivals.com, he averaged 21 points and 7.7 rebounds as a senior at Tucker High School in Tucker, Ga.
"I have liked Cameron Tatum for the last two years," said Pearl, who was named the 2005-06 national coach of the year by The Sporting News. "I saw him during the summer of 2005 when he was just 6-3 and loved the way he slashed to the basket. He needed the extra year of prep school to work on academics and his body. He has made a lot of progress in both of those areas."
A 6-9, 300-pound post player at Harmony Community Prep in Cincinnati, Williams will give the Vols much needed depth and size in the paint. A player with exceptional hands, good feet and a soft shooting touch, he attended Christopher Columbus High School in Bronx, N.Y., before going to Harmony Prep where he was a teammate of current Vols freshman Josh Tabb.
"Brian has a great deal of potential because he has a high basketball IQ and moves really well for a man his size," said Pearl, who led the Vols to a 22-8 overall record and the SEC Eastern Division championship in 2006. "That said, if he can get his body a little leaner, he has the physical strength and the skills to contribute early in his career, which is something we need."
