University of Tennessee Athletics
''We Go as JaJuan Smith Goes''
January 26, 2008 | Men's Basketball
Tennessee head coach Bruce Pearl knows exactly how important JaJuan Smith has been to the Vols success the past three seasons. He has publicly stated it numerous times.
???We go as JaJuan Smith goes,??? he says.
The senior from Cleveland, Tenn., has always been an important part of the Vols??? offensive attack. But this season, with defenses swarming around Chris Lofton, Smith has had to carry the Vols offensively at times.
Through 18 games, Smith is leading the team with just under 15 points per game while grabbing three rebounds and posting a pair of assists and steals per contest as well.
Smith notes that most of his numbers aren???t up though. They???re just higher compared to his teammates??? than in years past.
???I am playing really well,??? Smith said. ???But I???m not putting up crazy numbers. I???m just going out there and taking what the other team gives me. We have enough guys that score on this team that we all will get our looks eventually. I???ve just been taking advantage of opportunities.???
The addition of Tyler Smith and J.P. Prince to the lineup has also impacted Smith???s game for the better.?? He has registered 45 assists thus far this season, which is only one fewer than in all of the 2006-07 season and puts him on pace to eclipse the 57 assists he posted in 2005-06.
???There is never a point in the game when we don???t have five guys on the floor that are a threat to score,??? Smith said. ???It hasn???t always been like that. There is less pressure on the guys who have had to do the scoring in the past, so there are opportunities to look around and see what else we can come up with.???
Smith has also answered the call on defense. He leads the team with 35 steals and has been given tough defensive assignments against Xavier, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt and played well each time.
???JaJuan has worked to improve defensively throughout his career,??? Pearl said. ???He is a guy that goes out there and tries to make things happen on the defensive end, but who can also be a shut-down guy if we need him to be.???
Smith???s senior campaign has not been about staggering numbers. It has been about meshing into a new role as a go-to scorer, a distributor of the basketball and a play-making defender.?? It also brought about increased notoriety, which Smith is handling quite well.
???Coach Pearl says we go as I go, and that???s the quote everybody uses in the newspaper,??? Smith said. ???It???s a challenge every time I walk on the court, but I wouldn???t have it any other way.???
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