Cuts for Team USA weren't easy, Gottfried says
Three months from the start of basketball practice, Tennessee already appears to be the consensus favorite to win the Southeastern Conference title, a fact of life that coach Bruce Pearl has accepted. On Monday, during a media teleconference with the league's coaches, Pearl said he expects as much.
"I think our team is going to play for it this year," he said. "We like to think we can do that every year, but some years it's more realistic than others. This year, people should expect us to compete for an SEC championship."
After suffering a second-half collapse against Ohio State in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament last season, the Vols should have depth, experience and talent, three ingredients that Pearl said helped launch Florida to consecutive national titles the past two seasons.
"Florida, last year, was clearly a team that had all those things," Pearl said. "If you look at our roster, we're as deep and talented and experienced as we've been the last couple of years. So certainly, we're going to be picked by a number of people to be competitive."
Senior guard Chris Lofton, who averaged a league-leading 20.8 points last season, is expected to lead a precocious group that includes four returning starters; former White Station standout Dane Bradshaw was the lone senior on last year's team, which went 24-11 overall, 10-7 in the SEC.
On Sunday, Lofton was cut from the United States team that will compete at the Pan American Games from July 25-29. Pearl said he spoke to Lofton during and after the tryouts, and Lofton indicated to his coach that he felt that he did not play well enough to make the team.
"Chris said he didn't shoot the ball very well, and he played better with the ball than without it, which has not been his MO," Pearl said. "He was disappointed. He wanted to represent his country and the University of Tennessee."
Regardless, the Vols could have one of the best frontcourts in the country, highlighted by sophomore forwards Duke Crews and Wayne Chism and Iowa transfer Tyler Smith.
"I think they probably lost less than anybody else in the division," Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings said.
And nobody lost more than Florida, which said farewell to its six leading scorers, including three lottery picks in last month's NBA Draft. The Gators will return just three scholarship players. The circumstances are similar to the situation the Gators faced following the 2004-05 season, when they lost David Lee, Anthony Roberson and Matt Walsh -- their top three scorers. With loads of inexperience but lots of depth, Florida went out and won its first national title.
The common factor? Coach Billy Donovan, who said his choice to return to Gainesville after he spent less than a week as the Orlando Magic's head coach this summer hinged on plenty of "soul searching."
"To me," he said, "the decision was a lot more about, 'Where am I supposed to be in life?'"
Donovan added that he expects great things from an old friend, John Pelphrey, Arkansas' first-year coach. Pelphrey should benefit from an experienced group that includes sophomore guard Patrick Beverley, the SEC's newcomer of the year, and senior center Steven Hill, the league's defensive player of the year.
Pelphrey said the state of affairs in Fayetteville is far different than the one he faced at South Alabama, where he was charged with rebuilding the program. The Razorbacks could be forecast to win the SEC West.
"Can we compete to be a championship team in our league?" Pelphrey asked. "That's something that's going to go back to being able to use experience level and having our guys make the decision about whether we're going to make a maximum effort on a daily basis."
At Alabama, ample attention is being paid to senior point guard Ronald Steele, who underwent surgery on both knees in April after an injury-plagued junior season. Coach Mark Gottfried said Ronald Steele has yet to participate in pickup games or even any light running.
"We're still a couple of weeks away from letting him do a little bit more," Gottfried said. "We're hoping he can be 100 percent, but we're not there yet."
Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy said he will rely on sophomore guard David Huertas to help fill the hole vacated by departed guards Todd Abernethy, Bam Doyne and Clarence Sanders. Kennedy said Huertas, who sat out last year after transferring from Florida, has gained strength and confidence.
"I think he approached his time off, even though he's only a sophomore, with a real sense of urgency," Kennedy said, "and he did a really good job of transforming his body. He's probably in the best physical shape of his life."
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