University of Tennessee Athletics
Scooter McFadgon: No Time to Stop
February 16, 2004 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 16, 2004
You knew something was up when his name was being mentioned alongside Bernard King's.
Actually, Scooter McFadgon put his name directly behind the legendary King's the first time he wore a Tennessee basketball uniform and laced his orange and white Adidas shoes tight. It was against Wofford in the season opener when McFadgon scored 31 points, the most in a UT debut since King had 42 against Wisconsin-Milwaukee back in 1974. That's 30 years, and that's one heckuva way to start anew.
The Wofford game was a springboard that has flung McFadgon high atop the Southeastern Conference in more ways than most people know. It was also a pleasant gift that had been wrapped in street clothes, neckties and practice jerseys for a whole year due to him sitting out as a transfer.
Tennessee entered the 2003-04 season with just two men who had played a full season in Knoxville in Brandon Crump and C.J. Watson, and both were expected to haul the load when it came to producing points. Enter McFadgon.
After two years as a solid guard at the University of Memphis - he averaged 9.6 points for the Tigers while becoming a deadly outside threat - McFadgon wanted a new challenge. He had signed with Memphis virtually without even looking at another campus because he wanted to be with family - that includes his cousin, the Memphis Grizzlies' Lorenzen Wright. However, the thought of becoming a Vol had played with his emotions. "Tennessee was the school I wanted to come to out of high school," says McFadgon, who's from Memphis and played at Raleigh-Egypt High School. "But I made the decision to stay at home."
Two years at home was enough, and it was time to move on. Tennessee was a perfect choice. But with the transfer came the NCAA-mandated year of sitting out. McFadgon practiced with his new squad and got to know the area, players and coaches well. But on game days, he was benched.
Fast forward one year and McFadgon has it all at Tennessee, including family. His uncle, Clarence Swearengen, is the Vols' administrative assistant. By giving him advice and steering him down a narrower path, Swearengen has become closer to his nephew.
"It's definitely affected me in a positive way. I had the opportunity to come back to my old alma mater and to bring my nephew along with me, and it has had a great impact on my whole life," says Swearengen, who played for the Vols from 1988-89. "I've talked with him about becoming involved with people who are trying to do the right thing, who are trying to be the best they can be, who are trying to be a good player by working hard every day. If you connect yourself around positive people, you're going to have positive results."
The conversations have helped vault McFadgon to rank among the team's top academic performers. But Swearengen also hinted to McFadgon about competing in the SEC.
"He told me that everywhere you go, it's going to be hard," McFadgon says. "Every night, you're not going to go out and score big in the SEC."
That last part might not have penetrated McFadgon's easy-going head.
After reaching double figures in seven of the Vols' first nine games - he sat out the Tennessee Tech game with an injured shoulder - and leading Tennessee in scoring for three games, McFadgon was introduced to the SEC. And he was well received.
He matched his season-opening total and dropped 31 points on Georgia in his first conference game, partly due to 6-of-9 shooting from 3-point land. He equaled Crump's 20 points in the Vanderbilt win. Kentucky threw everything it had at McFadgon, but by the time he finished his inside-out display, he had a career-high 33 in the overtime loss to the Wildcats.
In a loss at Mississippi State, McFadgon and the Bulldogs' Lawrence Roberts went at it for a battle between the new guys. In a competition for the league's newcomer of the year and player of the year awards, the head-to-head match was a draw with McFadgon and Roberts both scoring 20.
"It's different because playing here, every night it's against a tough team," he says. But for the tough teams playing Tennessee, every night they've got to face McFadgon.
Through Tennessee's first 19 games, McFadgon averaged 18.5 points to rank third in the SEC. He was eighth in the league with his 34.9-percent 3-point shooting. But his most cherished mark was his free-throw percentage, which stood tops in the conference at 92.5. In the Vols' first 19 games, he had missed eight. "Free throws, they're free so I try not to miss," he says. "I know if there's no other shots falling, I can hit my free thows."
But most of his shots do fall. The few times he's struggled have been losses, and most of them have come on the road. He had seven points in a loss at Nebraska. He was held to 12 points in a loss at Florida, but was Tennessee's leading scorer. Seven was his total at South Carolina, another loss. In a nail-biter against Louisville, he had 10 on 3-of-15 shooting. He had eight in a loss to Georgia Tech.
It's simple - as McFadgon goes, so does Tennessee. And in the mid-season crisis against ranked rivals when the Vols hit a stretch where seven of nine opponents sat in the top 25, the team was bruised.
So was McFadgon.
The first sign of a problem was when he came out for the tip against South Carolina with his right hand taped, covering the wrist and entire palm of his trigger. He was 3-of-13 shooting. He followed with the career night against Kentucky, but didn't start because of his hand, according to coach Buzz Peterson. Then there was the frustrating night against Louisville.
He had a CT scan the following Monday to evaluate what turned out to be a deep bruise. His hand wasn't broken, and he could have used some extensive rest to allow it to heal. But that wasn't an option.
"You're going to have injuries, but you've got to tough it out," he says as he analyzes his hand. "As long as it's not broken, I'm going to continue to play. It's all about being tough and playing."
A specially made glove protected his hand at Mississippi State, and he said it felt better. Against Georgia Tech, he took the glove off during the game to get a better feel for the ball and try to break out of his shooting slump. But only he'll know when he hurts and when it doesn't. His face will never let anyone know he's in pain. The soreness from shooting, which results in McFadgon icing his hand after each game and the day following, betrays his tough demeanor. Sitting out a full season, however, can make taking time off for a mere bruise look like playing hooky. That's just not McFadgon's style.
"It's SEC time," he says, "you've got no time to stop."
After all, he just started.
Josh Pate
