Just one semester into what was supposed to be a smooth transition to the collegiate ranks, Drew Kelly already needed a new home.

Despite cruising through his senior season at Centennial High School on the way to being named Tennessee’s 2009 Mr. Basketball, the Franklin, Tenn., native was transferring from Miami University.

So in swooped an individual, who despite having no knowledge of Kelly or his situation, was more than willing to lend a helping hand.

That man was Donnie Tyndall.

“It was pretty much just a shot in the dark,” Kelly told The Daily Beacon by phone on Wednesday. “I kind of just asked him if he would let me walk on for a semester and try to earn a scholarship. Basically he didn’t really recruit me out of high school.

“He ended up giving me a scholarship after that spring semester of my freshman year, taking me in, teaching me his defense, teaching me how to become a better person, a better man and a better basketball player. He just really kind of took me under his wing.”

That was in 2009, when Tyndall was the head coach at Morehead State — a position he manned for six seasons from 2006-12.

On Tuesday afternoon, the 43-year-old Michigan native was introduced as Tennessee’s 19th head basketball coach in front of a packed house at Pratt Pavilion — a crowd that included a hoard of UT donors, boosters and alums.

“Knoxville is a much bigger town than Morehead is, so there’s a lot more people to get in touch with,” Kelly said. “But I feel like he’s going to be great fit. I feel like he’s going to do well. It’s going to be tough and he knows that, and I think he’s prepared.”

Many view that task as an excruciating one. The lack of unity among UT’s fan base developed into a hotbed for discussion both during and after the tenure of former Vols head coach Cuonzo Martin. A belabored petition begging for the return of ex-UT head man Bruce Pearl swirled through Knoxville, racking up more than 36,000 signatures along the way.

The petition, along with countless other negative aspects of those donning orange, only gained momentum after Martin bolted for the University of California on April 15.

Based on past experiences though, Kelly sees that problem coming to an end.

“He wins (over) the community wherever he goes,” said Kelly, who in two years under Tyndall started 47 of the Eagles’ 68 contests, averaging 10.2 points per game as a redshirt sophomore. “He’s always doing community service events. He’s always meeting big time vendors and supporters of the program.”

The extensive to-do list, however, extends well beyond trying to mend a wounded fan base. With Jeronne Maymon graduating in May and Jarnell Stokes already departed for the NBA draft, the Vols will undoubtedly have a gaping hole to fill on the interior as Tyndall’s inaugural season swiftly approaches.

Kelly, whose time at Morehead State was spent as a low-post presence at the forward position, had a firm message for those looking to replace the UT duo often referred to as the “Bruise Brothers.”

“You have to be physically able to guard on the perimeter,” Kelly said. “He runs that 2-3 matchup zone, but it really has a lot of man-to-man principles.

“You have to be able to move your feet, but you also have to be able to bang with the biggest guys in the country.”

In order to reach that level of extreme physicality, Tyndall feverishly scours the country, recruiting players who “aren’t prima donnas” and “don’t think other people owe them something because they’re playing basketball.”

Much of that successful development has already come within the state of Tennessee as Kelly – along with Nashville-area products Arthur McMillian and Demonte Harper as well as Knoxville’s own Deandre Mathieu – heavily contributed to the Eagles’ 43-25 record during Kelly’s two years under Tyndall.

Out of that “Volunteer State” quartet, half began their Morehead State careers as walk-ons.

“That’s one of the key things that I think he’ll really impress people with when he gets down there and actually gets starting to work,” Kelly said. “He can just go get someone off the street and get him to work for you and get him to work that much harder than everybody else around him.

“I’ve played for 20-something different coaches in my college career, including assistants, and coach Tyndall is probably the hardest, most demanding coach I’ve ever played for.”