University of Tennessee Athletics
Harris, Hopson Declare for NBA Draft
May 09, 2011 | Men's Basketball
May 9, 2011
A pair of decorated Tennessee basketball players have declared their intentions to make themselves eligible for next month's NBA Draft.
Freshman forward Tobias Harris and junior shooting guard Scotty Hopson both plan to spend the coming weeks showcasing their talents for NBA teams with the hopes of hearing their name called at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on June 23.
In his lone season on Rocky Top, Harris earned Freshman All-America and second-team All-SEC acclaim while ranking fifth nationally among all "major" conference freshmen in scoring (15.3 ppg) and sixth nationally in rebounding (7.3 rpg). Tennessee's second-leading scorer, the Dix Hills, N.Y., native also earned NIT Season Tip-Off All-Tournament Team honors while helping power the Vols to the event's championship in Madison Square Garden.
Harris averaged close to a double-double in SEC play (14.7 ppg, 7.9 rpg), and his eight double-doubles tied for third-most among all SEC players.
Hopson spent three productive seasons at Tennessee and departs ranking 23rd on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,305 points. A first-team All-SEC performer this past season, Hopson joined Harris on the NIT Season Tip-Off All-Tournament Team but took it one step further by being named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. The Hopkinsville, Ky., native led the Vols in scoring (17.0 ppg; fifth in the SEC), 3-point percentage (.376) and minutes played (29.3 mpg) this past season.
For his career, Hopson--who helped lead the Vols to the NCAA Elite Eight in 2010--appeared in 103 games, making 98 starts and averaging 12.7 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. He also shot .354 from 3-point range (151-426).
Tennessee has produced 42 all-time NBA and/or ABA Draft picks, including seven first-round selections. However, a Vol has not been selected in the NBA Draft since 2002, when Marcus Haislip (13th overall pick) and Vincent Yarbrough (32nd overall pick) were selected by Milwaukee and Denver, respectively.
Active Vols on NBA rosters or in NBA front offices during the 2010-11 season were C.J. Watson (guard, Chicago Bulls), Ernie Grunfeld (president, Washington Wizards) and Allan Houston (assistant general manager, New York Knicks).
Some of the more well known Vols to suit up in the NBA include, Grunfeld, Houston, Bernard King and Dale Ellis.
