KNOXVILLE -- Two high-profile returners on the Tennessee men’s basketball team landed on CBSSports.com’s list of the nation’s top 100 players, published Monday. The Vols’ frontcourt duo of Jarnell Stokes and Jeronne Maymon were listed at Nos. 25 and 69, respectively.
Tennessee is one of 22 schools (and one of four in the SEC) to place multiple players in the list’s top-70 players.
Stokes and Maymon headline what CBSsports.com college basketball expert Gary Parrish touts as “one of the nation’s best front courts.” The pair weighs in at 530 pounds and combined for 22.3 points and 15.5 rebounds per game a season ago.
CBSsports.com’s Top 100 Players: http://cbsprt.co/Q8ZxGx
A native of Memphis, Tenn., who graduated high school early and enrolled at UT in January, Stokes made a huge impact for the Vols during the second half of last season. He averaged 9.6 points and 7.4 rebounds while shooting .534 from the field en route to SEC All-Freshman Team honors. Stokes also led the Vols in blocked shots (1.4 bpg) and logged a pair of double-doubles – including a 16-point, 12-rebound performance in Tennessee’s win over defending national champion UConn.
Stokes was one of 11 underclassmen to make the list’s top 25. In total, the list included 38 seniors, 28 juniors, 22 sophomores and 12 freshmen.
A second-team All-SEC forward from Madison, Wis., Maymon enjoyed a breakout campaign for the Volunteers last year. He averaged 12.7 points and a team-best 8.1 rebounds while shooting .558 from the field. In SEC play, he led the team in scoring, rebounding, field-goal percentage and steals. He also recorded nine double-doubles on the year and led Tennessee with 18 charges drawn.
The CBSSports.com college basketball staff defined it’s top-100 list as the staff’s “best guess at (each player’s) talent plus impact for their team, their league and the sport in the 2012-13 season.”
LIMITED NUMBER OF HOOPS FAMILY PLAN SEASON-TICKET PACKAGES REMAIN
The Tennessee basketball team has its sights set on an eighth consecutive national top-five finish in regular-season home attendance, and the Volunteers “Family Plan” can put you right in the center of the action at an incredible value.
A limited number of Family Plan season-ticket packages are still available. The package includes a minimum of four seats to each of Tennessee’s 17 home games (sections 312, 313 or 314). This value-packed plan allows fans to cheer the Vols on to victory against opponents such as Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Memphis, Missouri, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Wichita State and Xavier – all for just $5.59 per ticket.
To purchase, visit UTtix.com or call 1-800-332-VOLS.
Tennessee’s home schedule is arguably the most impressive in school history. With the recent expansion of the Southeastern Conference, the Vols will host nine league games for the first time. Eight of UT’s home opponents appeared in last season’s NCAA Tournament, and nine of those teams posted a year-end RPI of 75 or better.
In his second year at the UT helm, head coach Cuonzo Martin boasts a talented and experienced roster that features four returning starters. The Volunteers are ranked 22nd in Blue Ribbon Yearbook’s preseason Top 25.
With less than one month until the 2012-13 campaign tips off, Tennessee has already sold more season tickets than there are total seats at five opposing SEC arenas.
For the most up-to-date information about the Tennessee basketball program, visit UTsports.com/basketball and follow @Vol_Hoops on Twitter.
(E-mail Stan Crawley at wscrawley@earthlink.net)