KNOXVILLE -- So many young basketball players are concerned with making it to the NBA.

Tyler Smith wants to stay in the NBA, and the best way to do that, he said Thursday, is to return for his senior season at the University of Tennessee.

The 6-foot-7, All-Southeastern Conference player confirmed the news in front of coaches, teammates and friends gathered in Pratt Pavilion.

"It's been a great past few weeks for me, working out and it being a dream to pursue a career in the NBA," Smith said. "But consulting with my family and my friends, and a lot of my teammates I've talked to here recently, I've decided to return for my senior year at Tennessee."

After a loud ovation subsided, Smith and UT coach Bruce Pearl outlined specifics of a process that essentially ended with a Tuesday night conversation.

Smith declared for the draft weeks ago but never signed with an agent and reportedly stayed in solid academic standing. NBA teams paid for his expenses when he worked out for them, which NCAA rules allow.

"Coach Pearl talked to a lot of people that he believes are trustworthy, and that I believe in also," Smith said. "It came to a spot where I wasn't really happy with where I was going (in the draft).

"With my teammates being here and a lot of them coming to me -- me not asking them; they were coming to me -- telling me a lot of things, that they wanted me back and things like that, that really helped me make my decision."

With Smith's return the Volunteers are on track to return every significant contributor from last season's SEC Eastern Division champions.

"We've got a great team coming back," said Smith, who averaged 17.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game last season. "A lot of guys have grown up, as you can see, and I came back to play with these guys. I think we have a great chance of making something special."

Pearl expressed hope that Smith would use lessons learned from the evaluation process to improve himself and his teammates.

"He felt like going through it was going to make him a better player and a better person," Pearl said. "He knows now, much more clearly, exactly what he has to do, and he's going to be able to bring that back to his teammates, as it relates to the way we train.

"This was still a tough decision, because Tyler would get drafted ... and Tyler would make a team. He would just put a coach in a position where he'd have no choice but to keep him. But so often, it's not whether you can make the league, but whether you can stay in the league. And so often how you start, with the contracts and the (financial) guarantees -- it's just ... he wanted to put himself in a better position a year from now. And he knows the couple of things he needs to do."

Those things, according to Pearl and Smith, were targeted toward his future as an NBA wing player. NBA teams wanted Smith -- primarily a power/point forward hybrid in Pearl's scheme -- to extend his shooting range and improve his one-on-one perimeter defense. Without those attributes, he wasn't considered a sure bet for the first round, where three-year contracts are guaranteed.

Smith said he could make the necessary adjustments without changing his role in Pearl's system, arguing that "we spread it out, anyway."

Off the court, though, Smith said the process opened his eyes to the NBA lifestyle.

"I just learned how to be a professional," he said. "A lot of things have got to change when you take it to that level. You've got to eat right. You've also got to train hard -- harder than ever. It's something that I think I can bring back good and teach these guys something."

Pearl said scouts viewed Smith's versatility, athleticism and character as "major pluses."

"(Scouts) said things to me like, 'Of all the guys that came in, nobody trained harder, nobody was on time more, nobody interviewed better,'" Pearl said. "All the little intangibles that we as a university can be proud of as a student-athlete, Tyler went out and represented very, very well, and in a very professional manner. They felt really good about where he was, and they understood what another year in college could go for him."

Chattanooga Roller Girls ready for first "bout" next month