After transferring to Tennessee from the University of Memphis on Aug. 22, all Dominic Woodson and the Vols could do was wait and see if he would be eligible to play this season.
On Thursday, the wait was finally over as Tyndall officially announced that the 6-foot-10 forward had been cleared to play by the NCAA.
Tyndall, however, was quick to point out that Woodson is far from seeing the court as a Vol.
“As glad as we are that Dom has been cleared and will play this season, if we tipped it up today, he would not check in the game,” Tyndall said. “He’s got a million miles to go from a conditioning standpoint … His work ethic has improved, but the consistency to work the right way isn’t there yet, and quite simply, guys are ahead of him.”
Woodson has already dropped “17-18 pounds” in his five weeks on campus, and Tyndall said he would like to see him shed another 12-15 pounds.
If Woodson reaches his coaches’ desired weight, his presence will provide a boost to a UT roster lacking in size – the Vols’ projected starting center is Willie Carmicheal, who stands at 6-foot-8, 210 pounds.
“He’d be our biggest guy, by far,” senior guard Josh Richardson said. “He’s made a lot of progress, but he still has a long way to go before he can come in and start dominating people like we want him to do.”
Moore in the works: It didn’t take long for head coach Donnie Tyndall to realize that Armani Moore would be an impact player for his Tennessee Volunteer basketball team.
As an athletic 6-foot-5, 215-pound guard-turned-forward, Moore is a perfect fit for Tyndall’s offensive and defensive systems.
“We have one guy in our program that has scored 10 points or more in a game, so his (Moore) role is certainly going to increase,” Tyndall said. “When I talk about him being my type of guy, I’m talking from a work ethic standpoint and a toughness standpoint. He has a physicality about him and he’s not afraid to challenge guys and lead.”
And Moore will be asked to do a lot of leading.
As one of only six returning players on the Vols’ roster, Moore is a rarity on this Tennessee team–with nine newcomers, leadership is at premium.
That said, Moore has accepted his leadership role, even if it is a little strange being on the other side.
“It’s been a big change, especially coming off of last year when I was one of the guys looking up to the older guys,” Moore said. “Now, I’m an older guy with much more experience, so it’s been a very big role change, but I’m ready to the job.”
In his two years at UT, Moore has proven just how disruptive he can be on the defensive side of the ball, recording 20 blocks and 15 steals in a reserve role last year. However, his offensive game has not always been as productive. In 33 games last year, Moore averaged just 3.1 points per game on 47 percent shooting.
But as the season nears, Moore is continuing to work with the coaches to become a more consistent producer on offense.
“(I have to be able to) get to the rim and create my shot in certain situations,” Moore said. “And most importantly, I have to make my teammates better.”
