Walk-on point guard Michael Hubert fires up a shot in the Vols' preseason victory over Tusculum at Thompson-Boling Arena.

Michael Hubert always wanted to play college basketball.

He just never dreamed it would be at the University of Tennessee.

But there he was, bringing the ball up court as the Vols' backup point guard in the first half against Indianapolis on Nov. 3.

And, there was Hubert again, drilling a 3-pointer in the Vols' second exhibition game win over Tusculum last Friday.

"That 3-pointer felt good,'' said Hubert, a former standout at Hendersonville High School. "My body kind of went numb after I made the shot.''

And the crowd of 20,000 kind of exploded - many of those same fans wanted him to attempt a shot in the 10 minutes he played in the first exhibition.

UT fans are no different from other collegiate crowds that pull for walk-ons to score.

UT coach Bruce Pearl, who walked-on at Boston College, was pulling for Hubert, too.

"The bottom line, Mike went from being cut as a walk-on at Chattanooga to playing for Tennessee,'' Pearl said, raising his eyebrows and flashing his anything-is-possible smile. "And you know what? He hasn't turned the ball over in two games.''

Hubert has logged 22 minutes, hit 1 of 4 shot attempts, recorded an assist and committed two personal fouls.

Hubert's stat line isn't likely to increase much more; it appears junior J.P. Prince will be back when the Vols play host to Chattanooga at 7 p.m. Saturday and get most if not all of the backup point guard minutes.

Hubert understands

"I'll keep working hard, but I understand the other guys we have are more experienced and stronger overall players,'' Hubert said. "I never imagined that the last couple of games would have happened.''

Hubert's basketball dream started his freshman year at Chattanooga when the Mocs invited him to walk-on.

"They told me they usually kept 14 players, but they would keep 15 if I impressed them,'' Hubert said. "Then, they ended up getting a transfer from South Carolina. They gave me the option to stick around and by fall they would probably have a roster spot.

"But I was kind of upset, so at the end of that semester, I transferred to UT. If I wasn't going to play basketball, this is where I wanted to be, because I have a lot of friends here.''

Hubert, one of three players remaining from the Vols' walk-on tryouts a month ago, has obviously added a few more friends and fans to his repertoire.

Mike Griffith may be reached at 865-342-6289.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.