Mike Strange: Robert Hubbs stayed the course for Tennessee

To play for three different coaches, Lew Evans had to bounce to three schools, Tulsa, Utah State and Tennessee.

All Robert Hubbs III had to do was stay put. He let turmoil come to him.

Saturday is senior day for Evans and Hubbs. They'll will be recognized prior to the regular-season finale against Alabama.

Hubbs stood for interviews Friday, saying he'll be "very excited," and "very emotional'' on senior day.

But how will we know?

Throughout his four years Hubbs has been a man with a poker face. Steady Eddie. Never too high, never too low.

At least that's the outward projection. I found highlights of the 2015 win at Vanderbilt in which Hubbs sent the game to overtime with a driving basket at the buzzer, maybe the best highlight from his career. No backflips. No look at me. While his teammates celebrated around him he walked to the Tennessee bench with a look on his face that said, "Yes!" The expression did all the talking.

"Sometimes people think leaders have to be loud and that's not necessarily true,'' Rick Barnes, Coach No. 3, said Friday.

Hubbs has never been loud. Only as a senior has he become a real leader.

"He's a guy that calms everyone down,'' Evans said. "He has a calming attitude.

"Even though he doesn't talk a lot, he really knows the game. These younger guys get frustrated that they're not doing something right. He's a guy that calms 'em down and tries to teach 'em what to do.''

To appreciate the stoic senior leader, the latest and 48th member of the career 1,000-point club, it's necessary to retrace the journey.

Hubbs was a coveted recruit with the Dyer County High School Choctaws in far west Tennessee. The population of Newbern, his hometown, could fit in an end zone of Thompson-Boling Arena.

Cuonzo Martin won a fierce recruiting battle for the 6-foot-5 shooting guard. Ranked No. 20 in the nation by 247Sports, Hubbs was one of the most highly acclaimed signees in UT basketball history.

To UT fans who expected five-star results, Hubbs' career has been underwhelming. But if you ditch the hype and just take Hubbs for who he is, Tennessee has gotten a solid, productive player. His scoring, rebounding, field-goal percentage and free-throw percentage have grown with each passing season.

A season-ending injury curtailed his rookie year after 12 games. Exit, Martin, enter Donnie Tyndall, Coach No. 2. After Hubbs' sophomore season, exit Tyndall, enter Coach No. 3.

"It was kind of tough,'' Hubbs said. "The right thing was for me to stay here.''

Hubbs and Barnes clashed through much of his junior season. Barnes wanted more commitment. Hubbs lost his starting job.

Finally playing a second season for the same coach, Hubbs the senior has been all in. He's battled a painful knee situation. He's accepted that he had to go out of his comfort zone and be more vocal for his new, young teammates.

"I had heard all the things about Robert,'' Barnes said. "When you look at what he's done this year, the way he's gone about it since the end of last season, I can only speak volumes about Robert and what he's tried to do.

"The last three weeks he's been as courageous as any player we've been around in a long time.''

Hubbs was asked Friday how he'd like to be remembered. Typical Senior Day question.

"Just a person who gave his all for Tennessee,'' Hubbs said. "He never ran away from the circumstances, no matter what it was.''

The hype was always there. Coaches came and went. Injuries came and stayed. Hubbs never ran away.

It's Senior Day and Hubbs is still here. Good for him.

Mike Strange may be reached at mike.strange@knoxnews.com. Follow him on Twitter at Strangemike44.

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Hubbs' career numbers

Year GP-GS Pts. Rebs.

2013-14 12-0 5.0 1.5

2014-15 33-20 7.2 2.9

2015-16 30-16 10.6 3.9

2016-17 30-30 14.2 4.7