GOINS, A NEW PLAYER UPON RETURN

Midway through the SEC regular season, Tennessee has taken some lumps, but some players are starting to show significant improvement. At the top of that list is JUCO transfer PG Melvin Goins. Goins's role with the Vols most of the season has been to come off of the bench and play solid defense and give Bobby Maze rest minutes. Anything offensively that the team got from Goins was considered a bonus and unexpected.
Against Vanderbilt, with the team struggling to get anything going, Melvin found himself in his familiar role heading into the game for Maze. Upon entering, Goins showed aggressiveness from the moment he stepped on the court. Goins, who is built like a miniature Sherron Collins of Kansas, short in stature at 5'11" but incredibly strong in his upper body made two tough floaters in the lane that many players could even get off. "Melvin is a factor when he is on the floor, and I think that by him missing a few games, he has a greater appreciation for the playing time that he gets now. Melvin seems a lot more dedicated and you can see that in his defense as of late," said Coach Pearl.
Goins's stat line against Vandy of 11 points, 5 assists, and a steal doesn't necessarily blow you away, but if the Vols could get these numbers from him on a consistent level, it would be greatly beneficial. "Tonight's game was a huge confidence booster that I hope to build on, but I still wish we could have come out with the W. We have a huge game coming up this weekend against Kentucky, so I can't get too caught up in how well I played against Vandy," said Goins.
Melvin is no stranger to being a scorer. While in high school, he averaged 18 points per game, and in junior college at Mt. San Jacinto College in California, he put up 17.2 ppg. "I know that I can score and hope that I can keep making shots and doing anything I can to help out my team," Goins said. When asked about the daunting challenge facing him in Rupp Arena this weekend, Melvin said "I always love playing against the best competition and it pushes me to play stronger and harder. With ESPN Gameday being there, I mean this is any college player's dream to play on this big of a stage and I am really looking forward to it."
Goins is not underestimating the talents of Kentucky PG John Wall or SG Eric Bledsoe at all. He knows that he could be matched up at some point against either of them and feels that he is ready. "John Wall is a great player, arguably the best in the nation right now and Kentucky has a #2 ranking, so we are going to have to scrap for everything against them," Goins added.
Coach Pearl also knows the importance of Goins continuing stellar play. "Few guys can make the kinds of tough shots that Melvin makes. Add to that the way that he plays tough, hard-nosed defense and I think that he will be vital to us having success on Saturday night," said Pearl. Melvin Goins is a star that is just starting to shine and both he and Volnation hope that shine continues glowing brighter and brighter.