Tennessee sophomore Scotty Hopson came into his freshman season at Tennessee as one of the most highly touted freshman in the country.

He was the first McDonald's All-American to sign with Tennessee and was the fifth ranked player in the 2008 recruiting class.

He admitted to feeling the pressure and expectations of the fans during his freshman season which led to him being timid at times on the court.

"There was definitely some pressure coming in, especially with me being an All-American, but now the pressure is off me," Hopson said. "I know a lot of people have high expectations for me, and I'm going to fulfill as many expectations as I can."

"I think I've grown into a basketball player that I need to be," Hopson said. "It's the sense of confidence, and the sense of knowing I have the ability to get the job done."

Head coach Bruce Pearl believes that Hopson handled all the expectations extremely well.

"He was the first McDonald's All-American we have ever signed," Pearl said. "There were tremendous expectations put on a freshman, but he averaged 10 points per game, he was second on the team in three point field goal percentage, and he was on the all freshman team."

Hopson finished his freshman year averaging 9.2 points per game, the fourth highest total on the team, but he says adjusting to the college game led to an up and down freshman season.

I think I've grown into a basketball player that I need to be. It's the sense of confidence, and the sense of knowing that I have the ability to get the job done.  Scotty Hopson

This summer, Hopson spent most of his time in the gym working on specific areas to improve his game, while leading the Rocky Top League in scoring with 37.1 points per game.

"I want to get to the free throw line more and make my free throws," Hopson explained. "I want to be a more consistent jump shooter and finish at the rim."

To be a more consistent jump shooter, Hopson has even gone as far as altering his shooting motion to lower the arc on his shot.

"I can't even count the number of shots I took this summer to lower the arc on my shot," Hopson said. "I shot thousands and thousands of shots over the summer."

If Scotty Hopson has the season the Tennessee fans and he expect he will have, many people will start to raise the question if Hopson will make the jump to the NBA.

"I haven't really thought about that." Hopson explained. "I want to stay focused on getting as many wins and going as far as I can for the season."