SEC Tipoff 2010
Tennessee Volunteers

Men’s Head Coach Bruce Pearl
On the six returning seniors…
"We have four guys Bobby Maze, Tyler Smith, Wayne Chism and J.P. Prince that are all returning. There are four teams in the league that return all five starters, and we are one of them. There are eight teams in the league that return four starters. So the league is going to be a lot better and part of the reason is because of returning players. That experience is going to put us in a position to not get too high when we win and not get too low when we lose, because this league is going to beat up on each other and I think the team that handles adversity and handles success the best is the team that is going to win the championship."

On Wayne Chism…
"The fact that he is in the discussion speaks a lot about how hard he’s worked, how much he’s improved every single year and I think Wayne’s got a strong upside for his senior year and to play professionally afterwards. He is one of the best defensive players in the country, he can really move his feet and he also has the ability to score inside and out on he offensive side."

Thoughts on Scotty Hopson…
"It depends on your expectations, so much more was expected of Scotty last year and yet he averaged ten points per game, shot almost 40% from the three-point line and made the All-SEC freshman team. So, how much more is expected of Scotty? Scotty is really good, but we are going to be a team of great balance. This not going to be a team that has a player average 22-23 points every night, well have that here in and here out but there won’t be huge numbers put up, but there will be an increase in productivity. There will be increase in making tough plays and making tough shots and being more of a factor on the defensive end."

Tyler Smith, F, Sr.
On returning starters…
"As far as our team’s chemistry, we are going to learn from last year to play together. We have Scotty (Hopson) and Renaldo (Woolridge) returning from last year and we are going to help them understand what it takes to compete in the SEC."
On the SEC…
"It is going to be tough this year with Kentucky, (Kentucky Coach John) Calipari and the number one recruiting class. Then there is the SEC West teams, but if we keep working hard and use our leadership, I think we will be fine."

Women’s Head Coach Pat Summitt
On the season’s expectations…
"I think we should be more experienced. We are a year older and hopefully that means we are a year wiser. The off-season was promising from a strength and conditioning standpoint. Once we hit the practice floor it was evident how hard our girls worked this off-season."

On what they learned from last season…
"I feel good about what I have seen from them in practice, which means they learned their lesson last season. Last year we did not have the defensive stoppers we needed and I created that issue by recruiting dominant offensive players. We have learned from last season’s mistakes that we need to be more unified and put forth a greater effort on the defensive end of the floor."

On the SEC…
"I think it (the SEC) will be really strong. Mississippi State keeps popping in my head. Sharon (Fanning) has done a great job and I think they will play at a level they never have before. But, that is something you can say for a lot of other schools. I think every team has improved this off-season."

Angie Bjorklund, G/F, Jr.
On pressures of playing without injured players last season…
"I expected our post players from the bench to come in the game and step up in place of the injured starters. Those who helped out off the bench last year realize that they need to be ready because injuries can always be a factor. With Shekinna (Stricklen) and Bri (Briana Bass) playing the way they are, that will take a lot of pressure off of me."
On growth since sophomore year….
"I have learned a lot about leadership from last year to this year. I am going to look at everything that I did or did not do last year. I think this year I need to be more of a vocal leader than I was last year."



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