KNOXVILLE — So this is what the hype was all about.
It took a month and the addition of another point guard, but the Lady Vols' Super Six recruiting class is finally starting to look like it might be super for a long, long time.
Freshmen guards Alexis Hornbuckle and Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood wowed the Thompson-Boling Arena crowd in the first half, and senior forward Shyra Ely took over in the second as the ninth-ranked Lady Vols (7-2) eased past Texas Christian (7-4) 82-55 yesterday.
''It is exciting to think about the future that these young players have here at Tennessee,'' Coach Pat Summitt said. ''I sleep a lot better at night. I'll have a good night's sleep tonight after watching Gatewood.''
In her first game as a Lady Vol, Wiley-Gatewood played 21 minutes. She and Hornbuckle led a fast-paced offense with several no-look passes that even surprised their teammates.
They combined for 24 points, 10 assists, nine rebounds and nine steals.
''We're so athletic that if we can just run for 20 minutes in the first half and 20 minutes in the second half, it'll open up some doors,'' Hornbuckle said. ''And that's exactly what we did with about 10 minutes left in the first half, we just came out and started running.''
Ely had her best game of the season with 23 points and seven rebounds. More importantly, she was 9-of-12 from the floor.
Ely played power forward more than she has all year, and she said she thinks she will play both forward positions as the season continues.
''With Sa'de, I don't know that I'm open, but she thinks I'm open,'' Ely said. ''So I have to be ready for the ball at all times, and with Alexis, too. They did a great job pushing the ball, and I just got a lot of easy buckets underneath.''
All-America Sandora Irvin led TCU with 21 points and 16 rebounds, but 11 of those points came from the free throw line.
Tennessee's freshman class, which was called the best in women's basketball history by some recruiting services, has not always had it easy this year. Wiley-Gatewood came in with tendinitis, then disappeared last week for a few days to go home to Pomona, Calif., without notifying the coaching staff.
Shelbyville Central standout Alex Fuller will not play this year because of knee surgeries, and Candace Parker, the centerpiece of the class, is still out because of the knee surgery she had in the preseason.
Yesterday though, they weren't missed.
With TCU holding a 22-21 lead in the first half, Wiley-Gatewood and Hornbuckle sparked a 27-7 run where the Lady Vols looked more impressive on offense than they have all season.
''On paper, they were very individually talented, but yet they were a little bit out of sync,'' TCU Coach Jeff Mittie said. ''But offensively today, they looked very good.''
On one play in the second half, Wiley-Gatewood and Hornbuckle combined to force a steal. When Wiley-Gatewood came out with the ball, she fell backward. However, she still managed to flip the ball out in front of Hornbuckle, who made a lay-up and was fouled.
''When I first got out there, I was nervous,'' Wiley-Gatewood said. ''I was so nervous. Like the first two minutes that I was in, I got in a rhythm with my teammates. By me passing to them, it gave me a rhythm.''
Tennessee hopes to keep that rhythm when it hosts No. 2 Stanford (7-0) at 6 p.m. tomorrow.
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