Bobby Maze is now just 48 hours from his first start for the projected SEC champions, and if you think he's nervous, well, you don't know Bobby Maze.
"I don't feel any pressure," Maze said by phone. "I've always had confidence, always thought I was better than everybody. So when people ask if there's a lot of pressure on me, I always say 'No.' I was born to play basketball. I know what I'm supposed to do."
There are lots of interesting games to watch this weekend, everything from the debut of Southern California's DeMar DeRozan to North Carolina performing sans Tyler Hansbrough. But me personally, I might be most intrigued by what'll happen in Thompson-Boling Arena on Saturday night when the 14th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers open what should be another milestone year under Bruce Pearl with exactly one totally healthy and eligible point guard on their entire roster.
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| Vols fans get to see Bobby Maze in action Saturday. (UT Sports Information) |
He spent the offseason putting on for Tennessee -- you've seen the rap, right? -- and is now being thrust into a situation that will require him to run the point in Pearl's fast-paced attack with very little learning curve because he has no backup at the moment. Last season's primary point guards --Jordan Howell, Ramar Smith and J.P. Prince -- are (in order) graduated, dismissed and coming off injury. Then there's freshman point guard Daniel West, who was ruled academically ineligible earlier this week.
Add it up and it equals one.
And that one is the complex character nicknamed B-Maze.
On one hand, he's all tattoos and braids, the erratic personality who was essentially forced out at Oklahoma after his freshman season, which led to him playing last season at Hutchinson Community College, where he was named a junior college All-American. On the other hand, he's all smiles and hugs, the UT newcomer who will arrive at your child's birthday party with a toy and the time to make somebody's day.
Seriously, that's true.
I'll now turn it over to Jana Shay, wife of UT assistant Jason Shay.
"For (our son) Joah's third birthday we had a little party on a Sunday afternoon," Jana explained. "Bobby had called Jason to see if Jason could work him out, but Jason told him we were having Joah's party. So then Bobby ended up stopping by with a sleeve of Matchbox cars and a Spider-Man card that says 'You're a superhero today.' Joah loves that card.
"Bobby stayed and hung out, ate cake and ice cream and played (games with the kids)," Jana added. "We've never had a player do something that thoughtful."
To me, there are two interesting things about that story.
One is that Maze, unprovoked, called a coach on a Sunday because he wanted to get in a workout. That suggests he has a solid work ethic, and it compliments a moment from this summer when I was chatting with Pearl at an AAU game only to have our conversation interrupted by a phone call from Maze, who just wanted to let Pearl know how the latest pick-up game went, who showed up, who didn't and that Emmanuel Negedu was a dunking machine. Those are both good signs from a newcomer, particularly a newcomer with a questionable past.
The second interesting thing is that when Maze learned it was his coach's son's birthday, he immediately went to the store, bought a present and crashed the party, all on his own regard. Then he hung out and entertained the kids. And though this might be small and totally insignificant, I think it shows a side of Maze that doesn't jibe with his perception of a wild spirit who talks in the third person, thinks mostly of himself and constantly makes people shake their heads in bewilderment.
To be clear, both sides probably exist to some degree; Maze was, afterall, such a headache for Jeff Capel that the Oklahoma coach thought it would be best for B-Maze to move on. But two things even Capel would admit is that Maze works hard in the gym and has a personality that can make him extremely likable when he's not acting like a knucklehead. In fact, Capel told me once that Maze is the type of guy who does great in school just by showing up "because the professors fall in love with him," meaning people who get to know Maze tend to like Maze, at least until the point where he does something that makes you wonder whether he's lost his mind.
So that'll be the true test this season, starting Saturday night.
Which Maze will UT fans enjoy?
Will it be Bobby from the birthday party?
Or the same B-Maze who didn't last at Oklahoma?
I won't pretend to know the answer, because I'm not sure anybody does. But for what it's worth, Maze insisted he's learned from the past, matured and is ready to prove his naysayers wrong. For Tennessee's sake, he better. Because heading into this season there aren't any good alternatives.
"I think people just look at the braids and the tattoos and automatically check me off, but we live and we learn," Maze said. "I had a whole year to watch college basketball, and there were times I was almost in tears because I knew I was just there and I saw how fast it could be taken away from me. But I stayed humbled and kept working out and didn't let it distract me. And now I'm just going to make the most of this opportunity."
