July 2, 2007

By Dave Link

Knoxville News-Sentinel

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.-- It didn't take Andy Tipton and Tyler Gaskin long to find the old chemistry from their Maryville High School playing days.

After three years apart, Tipton and Gaskin are together again playing for Toyota of Knoxville in the Pilot Rocky Top basketball league.

They combined for 47 points Monday night and led Toyota to a 114-96 victory over Kingston Alley at Bearden High School.

"We haven't played together since high school," Gaskin said. "We have good chemistry. We're good friends. It's just fun to get to play with him again."

Tipton, a 6-foot-7 senior at Carson-Newman this coming year, led Toyota with 24 points and double-digit rebounds.

Gaskin, a 6-4 senior at Tennessee Wesleyan this year, added 23 points Monday. Former University of Tennessee players Damon Johnson and Dane Bradshaw scored 22 and 13, respectively, for Toyota.

JaJuan Smith, a senior guard at UT this coming season, led Kingston Alley with 27 points and former UT guard/forward Stanley Asumnu had 20 points.

Smith hit his first three 3-point shots -- two from NBA range -- but made only one of his next 14 to finish 4-for-17 from long range.

Toyota and Kingston Alley were both playing without their No. 1 picks.

Chris Lofton, a senior guard for Tennessee this season, was missing from Toyota's lineup, while UT sophomore forward/post Wayne Chism was missing from Kingston Alley's lineup.

Several of UT's players in the Rocky Top League will be missing games the rest of the season because the first semester of summer school comes to an end and they get a chance to visit their families at home.

Toyota played its third consecutive game without Lofton, who has been working Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant's camp as a counselor.

"We actually play pretty well as a team," Tipton said. "Everybody knows Chris will put up his 30 points a game. That's how good he is.

"Anytime we have an opportunity to shoot, that's our role on this team. It's not just a one-man show."

Tipton averaged 13 points and seven rebounds last season at Carson-Newman playing small forward, power forward and low post.

Gaskin averaged 18 points at small forward and earned NAIA All-American honorable mention honors.

They considered it a blessing when Toyota coach Rick Campbell picked them on the same team this summer. Tipton was Campbell's No. 5 pick and Gaskin No. 7.

"We've played together since we were 10 years old, or whenever we first started playing basketball," Tipton said. "That's how long it's been. After high school, it was kind of upsetting. We never thought we'd get to play together again. It's great to be his teammate again."

When they were seniors at Maryville High School in 2003-04, their careers ended with a loss to Clinton in the region semifinals.

"(Campbell) watched us play in high school and AAU together," Gaskin said. "He saw we were both available (during the Rocky Top draft) and he wanted us to get to play together again."

Also on the Toyota team is former Alcoa guard Nick Pasqua, who played against Gaskin and Tipton during high school. Pasqua is a senior guard at King College this year. He scored eight Monday.

"We've always had a friendship (with Pasqua)," Tipton said. "It was never a real serious rivalry with him."

Toyota took the lead for good on Bradshaw's 3-pointer with less than 6 minutes to play in the half. It started a 26-6 run to end the half, capped by Gaskin's 3-pointer from near half-court at the buzzer for a 66-48 lead.

Toyota led by 20 early in the second half. Kingston Alley cut the deficit to eight on several occasions in the second half.