KNOXVILLE — It’s hard to describe Wayne Chism to people who have never met him.
Here’s the abridged version: He’s 6-foot-9. He’s goofy and often obnoxious. He’s unpredictable. He’s dramatic.
Then there’s that awkwardly placed headband that often flies to the floor.
Chism is just fun.
The wacky West Tennessean banks in 3-pointers with such ridiculous regularity that it looks intentional. It’s probably not, but it wouldn’t shock anyone close to him if it was. Either way, Chism laughs about it.
His most recent window work came in the first half of Tennessee’s win at then-No. 1 Memphis. Chism didn’t just laugh then. He also put three fingers in the air as he jogged down to the defensive end to “let everybody know that was a 3 ball.”
Basically, Chism is a big kid — a really big kid — and you’d be hard pressed to find anyone in the Volunteers program who doesn’t love him.
They roll their eyes at him from time to time, but they love “Wheezy” — the asthmatic’s affectionately dubbed nickname.
“I can’t tell you how proud I am for Wayne and the way he’s matured and grown,” said UT coach Bruce Pearl, who called Chism one of the most fun players he’s been around in his 20-plus years in the profession.
“I appreciate his closeness,” Pearl continued. “Wayne does a great job with me because he’s able to kind of — he senses my moods and is able to keep me on balance. He’s a wonderful, wonderful child.”
Naturally, it’s easy to smile around Wheezy. Coaches and teammates do it. Classmates do it. Even referees and media representatives often do it.
Occasionally, it’s easy to forget that Wheezy can be a beast. At least it was until the past few weeks, when Chism has emerged as a consistent cog in the machine Pearl hopes to ride into April.
Chism has scored in double figures in five of UT’s past six games, and his postseason numbers have been more than solid. In two SEC tournament and two NCAA tournament games, he’s averaging 14 points and 5.3 rebounds on 58 percent shooting from the field and nearly 42 percent marksmanship from 3-point range.
“Wayne’s a big-time player,” Vols senior guard Chris Lofton said Sunday after UT’s 76-71 overtime victory over Butler. “He’s stepping up and maturing, and he’s going to be a great basketball player.”
There it is: “going to be” great. Consistently great. Even Chism knows inconsistency is the biggest thing keeping his name from the same breath as college basketball’s elite big men. His athletic gifts have never been a question. He’s a 6-9, 242-pounder with quick feet, solid leaping ability, 3-point shooting skills and an arsenal of low-post scoring moves. That combination makes him a potentially elite power forward and a potentially perfect 5 man in Pearl’s high-octane system.
And that makes him extremely important with Louisville’s large, athletic frontcourt playing its best basketball of the season heading into Thursday’s 9:45 p.m. Sweet 16 matchup.
And if the Vols conquer the Cardinals, national player of the year Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina could be waiting for Chism on Saturday.
Chism said before last week’s first-round NCAA game against American that he “couldn’t wait to ... shut up” the analysts who say UT can’t compete with the nation’s best frontcourts. He’d have difficulty singling one out, though. That’s become a commonly referenced roadblock for the Vols’ national championship chances.
“A lot of people are going to start talking about how we have no inside presence again. Same old junk,” Chism said Sunday after being reminded that Louisville and North Carolina have formidable big men. “I guess we’ll just have to step up inside again and show them that we do.”
Undersized post Duke Crews and inexperienced freshman Brian Williams also have important roles for the Vols this weekend, but Chism will almost surely be the centerpiece of Pearl’s plan at center. One of the SEC’s best post defenders — one of the nation’s best, Pearl says — will likely be counted on to serve as an anchor around the rim.
Offensively, his role probably won’t change, which means he’ll be asked to bring opposing centers away from the basket and make them uncomfortable by shooting 3s or driving past them to the rim.
“Wayne’s always been big-time,” said UT sophomore Tyler Smith, an All-SEC forward. “Sometimes, we just don’t go to him enough. We’ve got so many great guards that Wayne gets overlooked a lot. He’s always been that player who could get it done for us inside.”
Whether Chism knows that remains the mystery. He claims 100 percent confidence in his abilities, but his words come seconds before a typical “Wheezy” grin.
Lofton said he think Chism “sometimes” forgets how dominant he can be inside.
“But really, I think it’s just us,” Lofton said. “He just needs to get more touches. ... We need to make sure he gets them.”
If Chism and Smith play well and avoid foul trouble, Pearl and his guards have confidence they can compete with anyone in the country, and indeed they’re 4-1 against Sweet 16 participants this season.
When asked about Chism’s chances against 6-foot-11 Louisville center David Padgett — a strong, skilled, savvy senior whose role in the Cardinals’ offense has caused some to call him a “point center” — Pearl said, “Now that’s a matchup right there.”
Reading between the lines, that’s a matchup UT isn’t conceding.
“Since Coach Pearl got here, people keep saying that we’re going to lose big games because we’ve never won them before,” Chism said. “All I can say is that’s not going to happen.
“We’re trying to get a lot further than this. We’ve got a lot of goals. First, it’s the Elite Eight. Then the Final Four, and then a national championship. But right now, it’s the Elite Eight. It’s all about heart now.”
Chism was hopping around the locker room and laughing moments after that comment.
That’s just Weazy being Weazy.
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