KNOXVILLE — Junior college All-American Bobby Maze committed to and signed with the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team Wednesday afternoon, according to UT officials.

Maze, a 6-foot-1, 175-pound point guard from Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College, averaged 20.7 points, 6.7 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game for the Dragons last season.

The Washington, D.C.-area native signed with Oklahoma two years ago as Rivals.com No. 135 overall prospect in the 2007 signing class. He started played 22 as a freshman for the Sooners, starting five times. He averaged 5.6 points and 2.5 assists per game at OU before mutually agreeing to part ways with the program after his first season.

Ironically, the Vols had room for Maze after Coach Bruce Pearl announced last week that point guard Ramar Smith (and forward Duke Crews) would not return next season.

Maze verbally committed to Maryland in December, but he recently re-opened his recruitment to consider Kentucky, Southern California, Cincinnati and St. John’s. UT was not thought to be a major contender until the Smith and Crews news surfaced, but the Vols recruited Maze before he committed to Maryland, and Hutchinson coach Ryan Swanson worked for Pearl at Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Pearl secured Maze’s commitment during an official visit to campus this week. Maze, like high school All-American guard Scotty Hopson, committed to Tennessee days before a planned official visit to Kentucky.

Maze is expected to receive his associate’s degree from Hutchinson and enroll at UT by July. He would then compete with incoming freshman Daniel West and possibly versatile Vols junior J.P. Prince for minutes at the point — which seems to be the biggest question surrounding a team otherwise appears ready for another Sweet Sixteen run.

An official announcement of Maze’s signing is expected later Wednesday evening.