KNOXVILLE - The Tennessee Volunteers have a new coach, new style of play and a new attitude heading into the upcoming season.
Regular practice begins Oct. 15, but the players have been working out, lifting weights, practicing shots and conditioning themselves for an uptempo offense and fullcourt press defense that Bruce Pearl is implementing.
"The players have had a good fall. I say that by my standards, it's been a good fall," Pearl said Tuesday at basketball media day. "We're stronger and we're bigger. ...We're going in the right direction."
Pearl replaced Buzz Peterson, who was fired last spring after a 14-17 season. The Vols were ranked in the bottom half for nearly every Southeastern Conference statistic except 3-point shooting and free-throw percentage. Pearl is Tennessee's fourth coach in the past 10 years.
Pearl, who was wearing a new bright orange blazer for the occasion, believes he's forging a competitive team, but there will be challenges with a tough schedule and only nine scholarship players available.
He spent several hours earlier in the day with Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt and her staff discussing strategies.
"It was great, a lot of good give and take," he said.
The players looked like they had spent time in the weight room and said they were excited about Pearl's style of play.
"It's just playing basketball. You're not really thinking about what you're trying to do. You just basically try to get up and down the court and make things happen," said senior Stanley Asumnu, who figures to get more playing time this season.
"It's going to be an exciting year. Everybody is buying into it and working hard."
The Vols open the season Nov. 18 at home against East Tennessee State University. They travel to Texas and will meet Oklahoma State in Oklahoma City in December.
Tennessee is missing four scholarship players after the dismissal of Jemere Hendrix after he and Andre Patterson had a run-in on campus with a football player. Patterson has been indefinitely suspended. Another scholarship is taken by Anthony Passley, who will have to sit out this season after transferring. Pearl had another scholarship available but chose not to sign anymore players.
Pearl said he expects Patterson to rejoin the team but probably not in time for the team's first exhibition on Nov. 3. He said there is no timetable.
Fans will notice a change on the court. The word Tennessee that spans across the middle of the court is outlined in white instead of black and the court's new name is placed below it. University officials named it "The Summitt" after Summitt became the all-time winningest coach in NCAA history last spring.
The Vols will wear throwback jerseys for some games this season, including Feb. 18 at Alabama. SEC teams will wear them during the tournament.
Based on an Internet fan poll, Tennessee chose the jersey design wore by Bernard King and Ernie Grunfeld in the late 1970s. The numerals, names and Tennessee is outlined in light blue - similar to the Lady Vols' accent color - instead of black. But unlike those uniforms, these players have much longer shorts.
