I just want to start off by saying that I’m glad to have the opportunity to write for LWS, and I figure I might as well navel-gaze a bit and tell you to head on over to Sons of Sam Malone (my blog), after you’ve read everything here of course…

Now onto the blogging…

As I’ve mentioned over at SoSM, I’ve attended a couple sessions of the Rocky Top League, and I’m blown away simply thinking about how deep Bruce is going to be able to go…It’s almost a problem, if that’s at all possible. There are so many top-notch players to try and give PT…Don’t believe me?…Well here’s a list of the guys that will legitimately deserve playing time: Chris Lofton, JaJuan Smith, Ramar Smith, Tyler Smith, Wayne Chism, J.P. Prince, Duke Crews, Josh Tabb, Ryan Childress, Jordan Howell, and Cameron Tatum…Throw in Brian Williams, the freshman big man, who will get time when they need extra size and Stephen Pearl, who is a solid player, and what do you have? 13 guys that all should and/or will get regular playing time…Now you could just take my word for it, but just to further clarify how deep this ’07/’08 team will be, I’ll throw out a few numbers and links to back up my claim…I don’t think anything needs to be said for Chris, JaJuan, Ramar, Wayne, Duke, Josh, Ryan, and Jordan, all of whom were major contributors to last years Sweet 16 team…But that leaves Bruce Almighty with five more guys to throw into the mix…I’ll start with Tyler Smith, who averaged 14.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg, and 3.6 apg in his freshman season at Iowa…Not to mention he was the 15th ranked prospect in his class for his junior year of high school…J.P. Prince didn’t have the best numbers or PT while at Arizona, but he’s Tayshaun‘s cousin…You’re just gonna have to trust me on J.P. because he’s the real deal Ally McBeal…Cameron Tatum will be a true freshman, and from watching him play, I’m really excited about his potential…Tatum went to prep school last year, but in 2005 he averaged 20.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg, and shot a ridiculous 70% from the field…Brian Williams is 6 foot 9 on a short day and has lost weight from his 300 lbs that he carried in high school…He will be able to match up well in situations where Chism and Duke were undersized last year…Stephen Pearl is a solid player, not to mention the coach’s son…Pearl’s a good slasher and should turn out to be a talented scorer…

I’m going to go out on a limb here and venture to say that I don’t know of any coach that has ever had the problem of having too many players worthy of significant playing time…If Brucey Bruce can get a system figured out to get all these guys their time, and I believe he will, The Big Orange are going to be a force to be reckoned with in the SEC in ’07/’08…Not to mention the NCAA tournament…I foresee an improvement from the Sweet 16 season of a year ago, and that makes me feel like it’s great to be a Tennessee Vol!

Go Vols!

P.S. Posts from here on out will be funnier…I just had to give the analysis after watching last night and being blown away…

-DSW
Sons of Sam Malone