KNOXVILLE — Junior college All-American Bobby Maze committed to and signed with the University of Tennessee men's basketball team Wednesday afternoon, according to officials from UT and Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College.

A 6-foot-1, 175-pound point guard, Maze had been one of the nation's top unsigned prospects at a position where the Volunteers needed immediate help. Maze averaged 20.7 points, 6.7 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game for HCC last season, and he has high-level Division I experience. The Washington, D.C.-area native signed with Oklahoma two years ago as Rivals.com No. 135 overall prospect in the 2007 signing class, and he played 22 games 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 Smith and Crews left the team, 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 receiver 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 ready for another Sweet Sixteen run.

An official announcement of Maze's signing is expected this afternoon.