Tyler Smith Returning to School: Vols Serious Contender in '08-'09

Tyler Smith announced this morning that he will be returning to the University of Tennessee for his junior season. Smith had been considering entering the NBA draft, but decided that he would rather play one more season in Knoxville.

Most mock drafts had Smith being picked between 20-30.

Smith was an Associated Press honorable mention All-American this year. He was third on the team in scoring with 13.6 points per game. Smith led the team in rebounds, at 6.7 per game, and assists, at 3.4.

With Tyler Smith returning to school, Tennessee will put one of the most talented squads on the court in the 2008-2009 season. Tennessee's likely starting lineup will consist of Ramar Smith, five-star recruit Scotty Hopson, J.P. Prince, Tyler Smith, and Wayne Chism.

Ramar Smith will be looking to build on an up-and-down season. Smith started the season as the back-up to Jordan Howell, but was able to win the starting job midway through the year. Smith showed flashes of excellent play, however, along with the spectacular plays came the turnovers, resulting in him losing the starting job for the NCAA Tournament.

Scotty Hopson comes to Knoxville as one of the most highly touted recruits in school history. In the final Rivals.com rankings, Hopson was ranked as the number five player in the 2008 class. Hopson will look to come in and fill the starting spot of Chris Lofton, which will be no easy task. After watching the Jordan Brand Classic on Saturday, Volunteer fans have a lot to get excited about. Hopson led the Blue team with 21 points and showed his explosiveness with a huge dunk through contact.

J.P. Prince joined the Tennessee basketball team in the middle of the 2006-2007 season after transferring from Arizona. Prince had to sit out until the middle of December last season and he made an immediate impact on this team. Prince is a great leaper and finisher around the rim. In the NCAA Tournament, Bruce Pearl tried him out at the point guard position, but don't expect him to start the season there.

Wayne Chism made arguably more positive strides than anyone else on the team last season. During his freshman year, Chism was characterized as an inconsistent player. His sophomore season was much better, as he added the ability to score in a variety of ways. Chism makes some bad decisions on the floor, but the good plays definitely outweigh the bad.

There may not be a more athletic starting five in the country.

The thing that will make this Tennessee team great instead of good is the depth they will have. They may have the chance to go 13 players deep.

Coming off the bench, the Volunteers will have big men Duke Crews, a former five-star prospect who missed some time this season with a heart condition, and Brian Williams, a post player who lost 100 pounds before he came to school and began to produce more as the season progressed.

Tennessee will feature another post player this season in four-star signee Phillip Jurick. Jurick averaged 16 points and 15 rebounds per game during his junior season in high school.

Josh Tabb and Ryan Childress will also come of the bench and spell the starters. Both are considered role players who will play tough defense and provide offense in spurts. Both are also capable of stepping out and knocking down the occasional three.

Cameron Tatum was the big signee of the 2007 class, but was sidelined the majority of the 2007-2008 season because of a knee injury. Tatum is a 6-6 guard who averaged 23 points and 8 rebounds his senior year.

Head coach Bruce Pearl really got out on the recruiting trail during the season and managed to land arguably the best class he has had during his short tenure at Tennessee. Pearl ventured out to California and was able to steal Renaldo Woolridge from North Hollywood. Woolridge was a 6-1 guard his freshman year of high school and will come to Knoxville as a 6-8 forward. People are still unsure of whether he is done growing or not. Woolridge is an ultra-athletic wing player and slasher that will fit perfectly into the Tennessee run-and-gun system.

Pearl also landed 6'"1 point guard Daniel West from Detroit, Michigan, who should sure up some of the point guard concerns the Vols has down the stretch a year ago. West will come in right away and challenge for the back-up point guard spot after the graduation of Jordan Howell.

Tennessee may be a team that starts slow in November and December because of the adjustment they must make without Chris Lofton on the floor. However, come January through March, once they have had a chance to gain team chemistry, this is a team that will be a serious contender for a trip to the Final Four.