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College basketball

A kinder, gentler Slay leads Vols

Though he still thrives off opposing fans, the senior has Tennessee competitive in SEC.

By ANTONYA ENGLISH, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published February 15, 2003

After missing the final 15 games last season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, Ron Slay is back and better than ever.

And the Volunteers are better because of it.

The man who admittedly thrives off the animosity of opposing fans and cannot help but end up the center of attention, is playing like his life depends on it -- or at least his final season.

The 6-foot-8, 240-pound senior forward leads Tennessee and the Southeastern Conference with 21.9 points per game. "He's a warrior," Tennessee coach Buzz Peterson said. "He's the type of person you want on your team."

With Slay at the top of his game, Tennessee (14-6, 6-3) puts a five-game winning streak on the line when it hosts No. 4 Florida (20-3, 9-1) at 5 tonight.

It's the Vols' longest winning streak since 2001 when they won seven straight. Tennessee has not won five consecutive league games since the last two games of the 2000 season and first three of 2001.

"We're looking to keep our streak going, but Florida is one of the best teams in the country," Peterson said.

Tennessee is one of the most improved.

The Vols opened the conference season 2-3, including a 77-64 loss to Florida on Jan. 15. An 81-76 loss to Georgia followed, then the Vols reversed fortune, winning against South Carolina, Auburn, Georgia and Wednesday at Arkansas.

"It's a tremendous challenge for us to go into Knoxville and win," coach Billy Donovan said. "They are a much improved team than they were earlier in the season."

Tennessee is second in the SEC in rebounding, beating opponents by 6.3 rebounds per game, 18th in the nation. The Vols backcourt of Jon Higgins, C.J. Watson and Thaydeus Holden are shooting 40 percent or better from the field in league games, and Holden and Higgins are shooting 47 and 43 percent, respectively, from 3-point range.

Then there's Slay. Along with leading the conference in scoring, he is fifth in the league in rebounds (7.2). He is attempting to become the first Vol since Allan Houston to lead the SEC in scoring and is trying to become the first Vol to average 20 or more points in a season since Houston.

"When the ball is in his hands, so many things can go wrong for you because of his skill level," Donovan said.

"He is the Charles Barkley of our times," Georgia guard Ezra Williams said.

But this is a different Slay than the one fans love to hate. He has toned down his act and is putting more energy into his game. Yet he still feeds off the crowd.

"When we go out there in warmups and they're talking and stuff, I usually come out and have a good game," he said. "When they're quiet, I usually don't do that well. Going out there and trying to play the way everybody else asked me to play, tone it down and stay away from the crowd and everything, that's not my game. I've got to interact with everybody -- even the refs, the fans, other players on opposing teams, opposing coaches, all of that."

To opposing fans, Slay is the enemy no matter how much he changes.

"Everywhere you go and you've got Ron with you, the fans just automatically start talking," Higgins said. "And that gets us fired up and it gets him fired up. So I don't really know if that hurts us or it hurts the other team.

"When we were freshmen and sophomores, he always had a saying: Don't ever wake the sleeping giant. If he goes out there and he's real laid-back and easy, I wouldn't say anything. Then the fans start talking to him and he gets riled up and he might go off for 25 that game."

The last time Florida and Tennessee met, fans were relentless but so was the Gators defense. Slay led the Vols with 17 points, but was held to 7-of-24 from the field and 1-of-8 from 3-point range. He said he was trying too hard to carry the team.

The challenge for the Gators today is stopping Slay in the paint. With his size, he is almost unstoppable when he backs opponents down in the low post. He shoots 54 percent from inside the paint. On a good day, he is a threat from beyond the arc, where he shoots 36 percent.

The Vols have played themselves back into third in the SEC East, making today's game critical for both teams. Florida is second.

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