Sports Information Basketball SID Craig Pinkerton (Kansas State 1994) Home Phone (865) Cell Phone (865)

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1 Quick Facts Location Knoxville, Tennessee Founded 1794 Conference Southeastern Enrollment 26,033 Home Court Thompson-Boling Arena Capacity 24,535 Record In Arena (.701) 16 Years First Game 12/3/87 (Tennessee 82, Marquette 56) Largest Crowd 25,610 vs. Kentucky (1/21/89) Colors Orange & White Nickname Volunteers Mascot Smokey Band Pride of the Southland President Dr. John W. Shumaker (Pittsburgh 1964) Faculty Representative Dr. Anne Mayhew (Texas 1958) Athletic Director Mike Hamilton (Clemson 1985) Athletic Department Phone (865) Ticket Office Phone (865) History First Year of Basketball Overall All-Time Record 1, (.607) NCAA Tournament Appearances 13 ( ) Last NCAA Opponent Charlotte (3/16/01) Result L, National Invitation Tournament Appearances 10 ( ) Last NIT Opponent Georgetown (3/18/03) Result L, Sports Information Basketball SID Craig Pinkerton (Kansas State 1994) Home Phone (865) Cell Phone (865) Associate AD/SID Bud Ford (Tennessee 1966) Home Phone (865) Associate SID Jeff Muir (Arkansas 1993) Associate SID John Painter (Tennessee 1988) Internet Comm. Dir. David Grim (Tennessee 1984) Dir. of Special Pubs. Tom Mattingly (Tennessee 1970) SID Office Phone (865) SID Office Phone (Night) (865) SID Office Fax (865) Press Row Phone (Scores & Updates) (865) SID Mailing Address P.O. Box Knoxville, TN Overnight Address 1720 Volunteer Blvd., Room 255 Knoxville, TN Web Address Media Information Originating Radio Network WIVK/Vol Network Edwin Huster P.O. Box Knoxville, TN (865) Radio Play-by-Play Announcer Bob Kesling P.O. Box Knoxville, TN (865) Radio Color Announcer Bert Bertelkamp P.O. Box Knoxville, TN (865) Coaching Staff Head Coach Buzz Peterson (North Carolina 1986) Record at Tennessee (2 Years).533 Pct. Career Record (7 Years).637 Pct. NCAA Appearances (Career / at Tennessee) 1/0 NIT Appearances (Career / at Tennessee) 2/1 Head Coaching Experience School Yrs Seasons Record NCAAs NITs Appalachian State Tulsa Tennessee Totals Basketball Office Phone (865) Basketball Office Fax (865) Best Time To Reach Coach Contact SID Assoc. Head Coach Chris Ferguson (Cumberland 1981) Assistant Coaches Ed Conroy (The Citadel 1989) Chuck Benson (Carson Newman 1991) Director of Basketball Operations Al Daniel (Furman 1979) Strength Coach Roderick Moore (Morehouse 1997) Basketball Trainer Chad Newman (Tennessee 1994) Head Manager Brian O Neill Basketball Secretaries Janice Harper, Janet Reynolds Table of Contents Season Outlook 2-5 Buzz Peterson 6-7 Coaching Staff 8 Roster 9 Returning Player Bios Justin Albrecht Stanley Asumnu Brandon Crump Pee-Wee Gash Boomer Herndon Fred Smithwick C.J. Watson John Winchester Newcomer Bios Dane Bradshaw 26 Jemere Hendrix 26 Jordan Howell 27 Scooter McFadgon 27 Major Wingate 28 Lou Wright Season Review Statistics Results 31 Statistics 32 Superlatives 33 Team Game-By-Game 34 Individual Game-By-Game 35 Miscellaneous Statistics SEC Standings SEC Postseason Results SEC Statistics SEC Notes 42 Game-By-Game Review Team Information Overall Record Home / Away / Neutral 12-4 / 4-6 / SEC Record 9-7 Home / Away / Neutral 5-3 / 4-4 / SEC Finish 4th (East) Final Ranking (AP / USA Today) None / None Starters Returning/Lost 2/3 Letterwinners Returning/Lost 8/7 Newcomers 6 All-Star Candidates Brandon Crump C.J. Watson Starters Returning 4 Brandon Crump F Jr. 29/ C.J. Watson G So. 29/ Starters Lost 10 Thaydeus Holden G Sr. 29/ Ron Slay F Sr. 29/ Jon Higgins G Sr. 27/ Other Lettermen Returning 0 Boomer Herndon C So. 12/ Stanley Asumnu G/F So. 28/ John Winchester G So. 25/ Pee-Wee Gash G So. 5/ Fred Smithwick F Jr. 3/ Justin Albrecht F Jr. 2/ Other Lettermen Lost 2 Drew Clemmons G Sr. 5/ Elgrace Wilborn F So. 29/ Derek Stribling F So. 27/ Zach Turner F Sr. 6/ Newcomers No. Name Pos Ht Wt Cl. Hometown (Previous School) 1 Major Wingate C Fr. Florence, S.C. (North Gwinnett [Ga.] HS) 2 Scooter McFadgon G Jr. Memphis, Tenn. (University of Memphis) 23 Dane Bradshaw G Fr. Memphis, Tenn. (White Station HS) 33 Jemere Hendrix F So. Covington, Ga. (Clemson University) Jordan Howell G Fr. Madison, Ala. (Bob Jones HS) Lou Wright G/F Jr. Memphis, Tenn. (Southwest Tennessee CC) UTSports.com BuzzPeterson.net The University of Tennessee Basketball Preseason Outlook is published by the Department of Athletics. The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN This guide has been edited and designed by the University of Tennessee Sports Information Office. Publication number: E Tennessee 1 Basketball

2 Vols Get Early Start To Season Youthful UT returns two starters from 2003 s NIT squad To say that Buzz Peterson s third season at the University of Tennessee will feature a young team would be somewhat of an understatement. For the second time in as many years the Vols will field a team that has no more than two players with much more than one full season of experience. In Peterson molded a team that featured just two players with more than 32 games of playing experience at the University of Tennessee into one of the top teams in the Southeastern Conference. This year he is faced with the challenge of leading a team that has just one player who has been at Tennessee for more than one season. I hate to describe us as a young team, but that s what we are, said Peterson, who is in two seasons at Tennessee and in seven years as a head coach. It is a team that is fairly young as far as minutes go, but it is talented enough. We are trying to build a program. The great thing about this team is that everyone will return the following year. The Volunteer roster is void of any seniors and lists just three scholarship juniors, five sophomores and three freshmen. The most experienced player in the Tennessee lineup is redshirt junior Brandon Crump. The 6-foot- 10 forward has started 46 of his 59 games while averaging 9.0 points per game during his career. The player with the second-most experience is sophomore point guard C.J. Watson. In his rookie season at Tennessee, Watson led the team and the Southeastern Conference by averaging 35.8 minutes per game. Last year there was a lot of concern about the point guards, especially with a true freshman point guard coming in. Peterson said. We didn t know how he was going to do. Now, there is a little more sense of stability that we have our point guard coming back. He now has a year of experience along with playing on the Junior World Championship Team so he should come in with some confidence. With a proven post player, one of the top point guards in the conference and several talented youngsters, the Vols have a strong foundation for a great program. We ve got a great foundation, Peterson said. Everyone on the team will accept their role and understand their role. I think this team has tremendous chemistry. I m excited about this year s team. I ve asked Brandon Crump to step up his numbers again, similar to what he did between his freshman and sophomore years. We don t have a lot of depth in the post so the emphasis on (Major) Wingate, (Boomer) Herndon and (Jemere) Hendrix will pick up a little bit more. Looking For Leadership After losing established leaders such as Ron Slay and Jon Higgins last season, leadership will be the key for the Volunteers to be successful. Both C.J. Watson and Brandon Crump will be looked for to help mentor some of the younger players on the squad. By playing point guard, C.J. has to provide some kind of leadership, but the key will be Crump, Buzz Peterson said. He s had more minutes and he s been in this program the longest. He is someone who has to be the guy for us. He has to be a coach for us and hold everyone else accountable for their actions. Crump and Watson won t be asked to shoulder the entire load though. This year will be an opportunity for several of the younger players to make a name for themselves. Returning players Stanley Asumnu, Boomer Herndon, John Winchester and Justin Albrecht all made key contributions to the team last season and will be asked for more this year. We ve got a lot to prove, Peterson said. We ve got a lot of points to prove. A lot of individuals have something to prove. We ve seen it in practice, now it is time for them to do it in games. Vols Must Replace Key Losses, Including SEC Player of the Year Tennessee loses seven lettermen, including three starters, from last season s squad. While suffering such heavy losses may cause the Vols to have an inexperienced squad, it does create the opportunity for the younger players to step up an assert themselves. Among the key losses from the squad were stalwarts Ron Slay and Jon Higgins. During their four-year careers the twosome combined for 170 starts, 233 games, 492 assists, 1,080 rebounds and 2,467 career points. Additionally, the Vols must replace three-point threat Thaydeus Holden. It s tough to replace the SEC Player of the Year, Ron Slay, and Jon Higgins, who was a kind of coach on the floor, Buzz Peterson said. Thaydeus Holden had a very good January and February for us. It will be hard to replace those guys. Behind the efforts of Slay, who was named the SEC Player of the Year and third team All-America by the Associated Press, the Vols received an invitation to play in the National Invitation Tournament. It was the fifth postseason appearance in the last six years for the Vols. The biggest thing we lose with the loss of Ron is his leadership, Peterson said. That is the one thing that can hurt us more than anything else. I think that is the biggest question mark for us right now: Can someone step up and provide the leadership that he provided for us. Capsule Outlook Record: Home: 12-5 Road: 4-6 Neutral: 1-1 SEC Record: 9-7 (4th East) Home: 5-3 Road: 4-4 Neutral: Postseason: National Invitation Tournament Starters Returning/Lost: 2/3 Lettermen Returning/Lost: 8/7 Newcomers: 6 Starters Returning (2) Brandon Crump (6-10, F, Jr.) Stats: 11.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.0 bpg C.J. Watson (6-3, G, So.) Stats: 9.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 5.5 apg Other Lettermen Returning (6) Stanley Asumnu (6-5, G/F, So.) Stats: 2.9 ppg, 1.7 rpg Justin Albrecht (6-6, F, Jr.) Stats: 2.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg John Winchester (6-3, G, So.) Stats: 1.5 ppg, 0.8 rpg Boomer Herndon (6-10, C, So.) Stats: 1.3 ppg, 1.8 rpg Pee-Wee Gash (5-6, G, So.) Stats: 0.0 ppg, 0.2 rpg Fred Smithwick (6-6, F, Jr.) Stats: 0.0 ppg, 0.3 rpg Starters Lost (3) Ron Slay (6-8, F, Sr.) Stats: 21.2 ppg, 7.8 rpg Jon Higgins (6-3, G, Sr.) Stats: 8.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.9 apg Thaydeus Holden (6-0, G, Sr.) Stats: 8.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg Other Lettermen Lost (4) Drew Clemmons (6-2, G, Sr.) Stats: 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg Elgrace Wilborn (6-8, F, So.) Stats: 2.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg Derek Stribling (6-6, F, So.) Stats: 2.7 ppg, 1.6 rpg Zach Turner (6-7, F, Sr.) Stats: 0.3 ppg, 0.8 rpg Newcomers (6) Dane Bradshaw (6-3, G, Fr.) Led White Station HS to state championship Jemere Hendrix (6-8, F, So.) Redshirt in 2003 after transfer from Clemson Jordan Howell (6-3, G, Fr.) Late signee, Alabama Mr. Basketball finalist Scooter McFadgon (6-5, G, Jr.) Redshirt in 2003 after transfer from Memphis Major Wingate (6-10, C, Fr.) Participated in Global Games in July Lou Wright (6-6, G/F, Jr.) Sat out 2003 after playing two years of JC ball Tennessee 2 Basketball

3 Vols Get Early Start To Season With Trip To The Dominican Republic Buzz Peterson will get a preview of the version of the Vols when they take a preseason trip to the Dominican Republic. Tennessee will play three exhibition games on the Caribbean island during the University s fall break, October With three freshmen and two transfers joining the Vols this season, the timing for this trip couldn t have been better. This is a great time to take the trip we are going on, Peterson said. With only one guy on the team having played more than one year, this will let our team get more experience early in the year. The following year we ll have everyone back. Then, we should be well on our way. NCAA rules allow schools to have 10 days of practice before embarking on their trips overseas. By taking their trip in mid-october, the Vols will be able to begin their practices before the official first day of practice for schools on October 11. The good thing about this year is that with the Caribbean trip, we will be able to start practice early, Peterson said. That will give us a chance to get to know some things early on before we come back and start exhibition season. That is a big advantage for this year. Statistical Leaders Returning Scoring 11.0 Brandon Crump Field Goals 127 Brandon Crump Field Goal % 56.4 Brandon Crump 3-Pt FGs 24 C.J. Watson 3-Pt FG % 36.4 C.J. Watson Free Throws 79 C.J. Watson Free Throw % 75.3 Brandon Crump Rebounding 5.9 Brandon Crump Assists 160 C.J. Watson Blocked Shots 30 Brandon Crump Steals 36 C.J. Watson Minutes 1038 C.J. Watson What Returns Although the Vols lost the Southeastern Conference s top scorer in Ron Slay from the season, they return two of their top three scorers for the campaign. Brandon Crump is Tennessee s top returning scorer and rebounder with 11.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game as a sophomore. C.J. Watson was one of the top assist men in the Southeastern Conference with 160 assists (5.52 per game) while averaging 9.1 points and 4.2 rebounds. Total Return Lost Return Points % Rebounds % Assists % Blocks % Steals % Minutes % Starts % Two Transfers Work Towards Scholarships After Spending Season As Walk-ons While three freshman figure to play major roles for the Vols, it is a pair of transfers who may make the biggest impact on the court. Scooter McFadgon, a transfer from Memphis, and Jemere Hendrix, a transfer from Clemson, attended Tennessee during the season practicing with the Vols while attending school as walkons. Now, they both will earn scholarships and will look to contribute in games. It is a huge advantage for them to have been able to practice with us last year, Buzz Peterson said. It is very impressive that they paid for their own education last year. That shows a certain level of desire to become better players. When they came here I told them they would have to prove themselves to us to receive a scholarship. They did all of the things we asked of them and will be awarded scholarships this fall. McFadgon was the third leading scorer on Memphis 2002 NIT championship team with 9.9 points per game. An outside threat who is not afraid to take the big shot, McFadgon made 37.2 percent of his three-point attempts as a sophomore for the Tigers. Hendrix played just eight games at Clemson before suffering a season-ending stress fracture in his right foot early in the season. Although he averaged just 2.4 points and 1.5 rebounds as a freshman for Clemson, Hendrix established himself as a relentless offensive rebounder in UT s practices last season. I am very anxious to see Scooter and Jemere suit up after having a year with us getting stronger and practicing everyday, Peterson said. Now it is their time to go out on the court. I really felt like last year was very valuable to them and I am excited to see how they respond when they get out there in real action. Jemere used the redshirt year to really bulk up. Scooter really has shown some great signs of offense in practice. With his size playing the wing, he is capable of posting some smaller guards up and he is also tall enough to defend most of the guards in our league. Busy Summer For The Vols No sooner was the season over that the Vols began preparing for the next campaign. Tennessee is coming off one of the busiest summers in recent memory as virtually all of the players were on campus for at least one session of summer school and others were playing in various tournaments around the world. I am a big believer that you win games with what you do in the offseason, Buzz Peterson said. I can t make them stay here but our guys have shown a lot of commitment by staying here to get stronger, play some pickup ball and work out on their own. C.J. Watson may have received the biggest boost from his summer experience. The Las Vegas native was named to the 12-player 2003 USA Basketball Men s Junior World Championship Team that competed in the Global Games in Dallas and in the FIBA World Championships in Thessaloniki, Greece. I am excited for him in being able to have the USA Basketball experience, Peterson said. The reason being is that I believe that he will get a lot of confidence out of it. This is an exciting time for him getting to play against that type of competition. He will have gone against some of the best players in world that are not in the pros this summer. Also receiving experience playing in the Global Games over the summer was freshman center Major Wingate. The 6-foot-10 Wingate helped lead the Global Select team to the championship game of the games, where they fell to Watson s Team USA squad. Going against that kind of competition should give Major a lot of confidence, Peterson said. We are going to need him to come in here with some confidence because he will be counted on early. A pair of Tennessee s frontcourt mates will also get added experience in August when they attend Pete Newell s Big Man Camp in Las Vegas. Brandon Crump and Boomer Herndon will be attending the legendary coach s camp before the end of summer. Crump will be attending the camp for the second year in a row while Herndon will be attending for the first time. It is encouraging that there are so many guys who want to dedicate so much to their games during C.J. Watson was named to the 12-person USA Basketball Junior World Championship Team that played in Greece over the summer. Tennessee 3 Basketball

4 the summer, Peterson said. Boomer and Brandon, what they are doing is exceptional. There is nothing we can do to help them financially for the trip. Boomer got a summer job just so he could go to the Big Man Camp in August. Perimeter Players Nine of Tennessee s 14 squad members play on the perimeter so the Vols will have a lot of depth outside the paint. Depending how each of the players develop, the Vols could have as many as four perimeter players on the court at a time. We are a guard-oriented team, Buzz Peterson said. We have a lot of guards. We ll have to go to our strengths. There may be an opportunity to play four guards at once. There are so many options that we can go with. When you do that, you have a much quicker team, a better defensive team. We ll have to look at that some. Despite the quantity of returning and new players, Tennessee lost two of its three starting perimeter players from last year s squad. The Vols outside scoring threats took the biggest hit with the loss of Jon Higgins and Thaydeus Holden. Higgins finished his career at Tennessee ranking fourth all-time with 209 career three-pointers and fifth by making 39.8 percent of his attempts. Holden s 82 career treys rank 10th all-time at UT and his career three-point percentage of 37.3 is sixth alltime. Point guard C.J. Watson, UT s only returning starter on the perimeter, returns to anchor the backcourt. An SEC All-Freshman team selection last season, the 6-foot-2 Watson led the league in assists with 5.44 dimes against conference teams. Watson, who is coming off a summer where he was selected to play for the 2003 USA Junior World Championship Team in Greece, will be counted on to continue to take his game to the next level. He understands the system now that he has been here for a year, Peterson said. He knows what we want. He understands what we need to get done. He is a quiet leader but he really leads by example. We are going to ask C.J. to be more vocal but he may need to step his scoring up a little more than he did last year. I think he will be one of the best point guards to play at the University of Tennessee when his career is over. While Peterson and the rest of the Vols expected good things out of Watson when he arrived on the Knoxville campus, the Las Vegas native surprised a lot of people with his knowledge and understanding of the game. As a rookie he averaged 9.1 points and 5.52 assists while playing a staggering 35.8 minutes per game. His 160 assists on the season rank seventh all-time on UT s single-season charts and are the second-best effort by a Vol freshman. I felt like he was a really good player but I didn t think he would play that many minutes and be that successful, Peterson said. He played some really big games for us. He really gained confidence as the year went on. I thought he had a tremendous freshman year. Joining Watson in the backcourt will be Scooter McFadgon, a transfer from the University of Memphis. A shooting guard, McFadgon spent the season as a walk-on while sitting out the campaign after transferring. While not eligible to play in games for the Vols, the 6-foot-5 Memphis native was able to practice with the team. It was there he developed a reputation as a scorer who wasn t afraid to take the shot when the game was on the line. After proving himself in practices all season, McFadgon will be awarded a scholarship. Scooter has got to come in and be a threat from the perimeter for us, Peterson said. He s somebody who s got to knock down some open shots. He is going to come in here as a weapon for Tennessee as far as a perimeter player. I saw it a lot of times in practice last year. A lot of players on this team looked at him as a go-to guy. He doesn t have a problem stepping up and hitting a shot late. He wants the ball then. I like his attitude. One of the most versatile players in the Tennessee lineup is 6-foot-6 junior forward Justin Albrecht. Although the junior college transfer is not very familiar to Tennessee fans after suffering through an injury-plagued season, the Omaha, Neb., native showed that he was a fundamentally sound player. He is someone who wasn t afraid to do the little things on the court like draw charges to help his team win. Stanley Asumnu is an athletic guard who is one of the quickest players on the Vol roster. Justin is someone who can play at the post and extend the defense a little bit like Ron Slay was able to do, Peterson said. He has good size. He s got a good shot. We may play him some at post and some on the perimeter. He started off last year really well. He knocked down some shots and drew charges. He did those little things, the savvy things that win ball games. We are going to ask him to do those little things for us again. Sophomore Stanley Asumnu from Houston showed the Vols some bright spots from his position on the wing and could be poised to make a big impact on the Vol lineup this season. The 6-foot-5, 200- pound Asumnu saw action in 28 games and drew six starting assignments as a true freshman. A hero in UT s road win at Ole Miss when he grabbed an offensive rebound and then put it in the basket for the winning bucket with 2.6 seconds left, Asumnu averaged 2.9 points for the Vols as a freshman. We saw some bright spots from Stanley last year, Peterson said. He just needs to be more consistent. He is one of the quickest players we have. He just needs to get on the floor and relax and let the game come to him a little bit. Stanley s on his way to being a very fine player for the University of Tennessee. John Winchester, a versatile 6-foot-3 guard from Stamford, Conn., showed a lot of athleticism in playing 25 games as a true freshman last year, but he struggled to find his shot consistently. The thing I like about John is that he is a combo guard, Peterson said. He can play the point or the two guard if we need him to. His defense is a little ahead of his offense right now. I d like to see his offense pick up some. I know last year was a frustrating year for him, but I really believe that if he comes in and works hard that a lot of playing time will come for him. Dane Bradshaw was Tennessee s first signee in the Class of He is a 6-foot-3, 215-pound point guard who will be able to provide Watson with a breather off the bench, a luxury that Watson did not have last season. A product of powerhouse White Station High School in Memphis, Bradshaw won three state championships in his four seasons with the Spartans. The 2003 Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year, Bradshaw led White Station to a 36-2 record while averaging 10 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists as a senior. The big things about Dane are that he wants to win and he gets everyone involved in the game, Peterson said. He is a lot like Higgins was for us as far as being a coach out there. Guys like to play with him because he is going to distribute the ball, he s going to get you the ball at the right place. He knows the game; he knows people s strengths and weaknesses. He comes from a well-coached program with Terry Tippett at White Station. There is a lot to be said about taking some- Tennessee 4 Basketball

5 one off a team that has won three out of four state championships. A late signee for the Vols was 6-foot-3 guard Jordan Howell. Although the Madison, Ala., native originally signed with Georgia out of Bob Jones High School, Howell was granted a full release by the NCAA and the Southeastern Conference to attend another school without having to sit out. An all-state selection in the state of Alabama, he will play a key role for the Vols as an outside threat after averaging 17.5 points on 47-percent shooting from three-point range as a senior. Jordan has a great knowledge of the game and a great feel for it, Peterson said. If someone plays a zone and we reverse the ball, it doesn t take very long for him to get that shot off. He s got a very quick release. He is known as a good shooter. Asheville, N.C., native Pee-Wee Gash returns for his second season as a walk-on for the Vols. The speedy 5-foot-6 Gash proved himself as one of the best long-range shooters on the Vol squad while quickly becoming a fan favorite. We were excited about him last year, Peterson said. He was one of the fan favorites. He s got a nice shot from the outside. He is one of our better shooters from the perimeter. Pee-Wee is someone who really puts pressure on C.J. We are going to ask him to make C.J. better, which is going to make this team better. Joining Gash as a walk-on in the backcourt is Lou Wright. A top-100 recruit coming out of high school, Wright played two seasons a Southwest Tennessee Community College where he help lead the Saluqis to a third-place finish in the 2000 NJCAA Tournament. The younger brother of NBA star Lorenzen Wright and cousin of teammate McFadgon, Wright played three seasons at west coast high school power Westchester High in Los Angeles before completing his prep career at Raleigh-Egypt in Memphis. Lou is a good shooter, which is something we need, Peterson said. You can never have enough good shooters on your team. He was a top-100 recruit coming out of high school and has two years of junior college experience so he could come in and really contribute. Post Players While the numbers may be a little thin in the paint for the Vols, Buzz Peterson will have a proven performer in Brandon Crump upon which to build a strong foundation. The numbers aren t what we want them to be, Peterson said. But, with Brandon being one of the only ones with experience coming back there, we are going to count on him to be the guy in there. We are going to need him to pick up his scoring and rebounding more. Crump, a 6-foot-10 junior power forward from Houston is UT s only returning starter in the paint following the graduation of Ron Slay. Last year Slay had a dream season, leading the Southeastern Conference in scoring with 21.8 points per game while earning SEC Player of the Year and All- America honors. Crump will be joined in the frontcourt by Boomer Herndon, a 6-foot-10 sophomore; Jemere Hendrix, a 6-foot-8 sophomore transfer from Clemson; and Major Wingate, a 6-foot-10 freshman who grew up in South Carolina. Brandon is the guy who has got the experience and can set the tone in there, Peterson said. We hope one of the other three guys comes along and can give us some help in there. A starter in each of his first two seasons at Tennessee, Crump improved his numbers significantly between his freshman and sophomore campaigns. After averaging a solid 7.1 points and 4.2 rebounds as a redshirt freshman, he added some new wrinkles to his game to become the team s second-leading scorer and rebounder with 11.0 points and 5.9 boards as a sophomore last season. Brandon added a new dimension to his game last year when he had some games where he hit some free throw line jump shots, Peterson said. He added that and picked up his free throw percentage. He just needs to keep on improving. I ve always told him that I want him to be that guy in there to rip down that rebound and be tough. He can do it. He s heard us say it enough. I think he is getting tired of hearing it. Herndon, one of just two true centers on the Vol roster, didn t see much action on the court as a freshman last year but gained valuable experience in practice and, most importantly, in the weight room. The 6-foot-10, 235-pounder from Nashville saw action in 12 games last season, including seven against Southeastern Conference foes. Boomer s got a nice shot from 15-feet out facing the basket, Peterson said. His hands are pretty good. He just needs to get better with his footwork, get a little quickness there. This summer he has worked hard in the weight room and has put on some weight. Hendrix didn t see much action in an injuryshortened season at Clemson in , but he made his presence known at Tennessee s practices last season. An extremely athletic big man who can run the floor as well as any guard, Hendrix spent the season as a redshirt at UT. Following a year of hard work while sitting out and attending school as a walk-on, Hendrix will awarded a scholarship in the fall. Jemere is a workhorse, Peterson said. He is a hard worker with a lot of energy. He is an excellent offensive rebounder and he s got a nice shot. I am real excited about him. He is going to make everyone around him work just as hard as he does. Although just a freshman, the 6-foot-10, 245- pound Wingate could be pressed into early action for the Vols. One of the highest rated big man recruits for the Vols in several years, Wingate spent part of the Brandon Crump is Tennessee s top returning scorer and rebounder after averaging 11.0 points and 5.9 rebounds last season. summer playing for the Global Select Team at the 2003 Global Games in Dallas. There is a little more emphasis on him and the rest of the post players this year without much depth at that position, Peterson said. He s going to be counted on. We re glad that he has the big body. I ve always said that you need a big body to come in and play your first year. I am really happy that he has that strength and size to be able to take that pounding inside. A top-50 recruit coming out of North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee, Ga., Wingate led North Gwinnett to a 26-4 record while averaging 17 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game. Junior walk-on Fred Smithwick will provide added depth to the Vol frontline. A 6-foot-6 forward from Memphis, Smithwick saw action in three games last season. Fred has been a big help for us, Peterson said. He gets in there and challenges the big guys. He comes to play every day. He is proud to be associated with University of Tennessee. Fred really works hard, as hard as anyone on this team. Tennessee 5 Basketball