All-American Swingman a Volunteer
Words. HShoop
In terms of athleticism, Scotty Hopson is second only to the McDonald’s dunk contest champ DeMar DeRozan. The 6-6 wing who averaged 24.4 points and 11.4 boards per night at University Heights (Hopkinsville, KY) floundered on his original commitment to Mississippi State ever since Billy Gillispie arrived in Lexington. But Hopson won’t be wearing Kentucky blue next year. Instead, he’s going to be the biggest name in Bruce Pearl‘s Tennessee Class of ’08.
“I felt there were two (frontrunners) in Mississippi State and Tennessee,” said Hopson’s UH coach Randy McCoy. “As it went on, he was very intrigued. He was intrigued by the University of Kentucky, and then Louisville and Texas had legitimate chances.
“But it came down to distance, and it came down to him wanting to play right now. I got a sense from his teammates about a week ago, this might be what he wanted. This is what Scotty wanted to do.”
One factor in Hopson’s decision was the impending departure of another Kentucky-bred standout – UT’s star senior shooting guard Chris Lofton. While Lofton will leave Tennessee as the SEC’s all-time leader in three-point field goals made, Lofton wasn’t athletic enough to shake himself free from Louisville’s tight D to get an open shot. He couldn’t get a good look at the basket even when he didn’t have the ball in his hands – Lofton went 3-15 from the field and 2-11 from deep, capping off a dismal 7-33 shooting performance through the Dance.
Hopson might not be able to nail all of the open shots that Lofton did, but he will surely find a way to get loose. Playing alongside another monster guard J.P. Prince, Ramar Smith and Wayne Chism next year, Hopson will make Tennessee one of the most athletic teams in the nation.
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