Tennessee basketball: Vols top 10 greatest players in the 2010s decade

KNOXVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 29: Grant Williams #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers and Admiral Schofield #5 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrate on the bench during the second half of the game between the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles and the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena on December 29, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won 96-53. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /

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Scotty Hopson. 9. player. 534. Pick Analysis. Guard. 2008-2011. Scouting Report

He played three years for Tennessee basketball under Bruce Pearl, and half of that time was in the previous decade. On top of that, Scotty Hopson was considered a bit of a disappointment given the five-star hype he had coming onto campus back in 2008, on the heels of what was the greatest men’s basketball season in UT history.

However, Hopson was still a key player in taking UT to new heights. He led the Vols to two straight NCAA Tournament appearances this decade and was a part of them making the Elite Eight in 2010, which is the greatest run in school history. Of course, he could have been higher on this list, but what he did accomplish was pretty impressive.

For his career, Hopson averaged 12.7 points per game on 44.4 percent shooting and 35.4 percent shooting from three. As a a 6’7″ 200-pound, he was the perfect type of athlete who could find ways to drive to the basket and score from the midrange or the outside.

Now, other key players like Bobby Maze, Jordan Bone, Wayne Chism, J.P. Prince and Cameron Tatum were part of that crew. But only Chism, Maze and Prince contributed what Hopson did in 2010, and Hopson helped the Vols make the NCAA Tournament again in 2011 with Tobias Harris on board, as the other three were seniors in 2010. His role in both earned him the spot on this list.

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