Tennessee forward Duke Crews was cleared to return to the Vols more than a month after he was benched because of a heart condition.

"More than anything, we are pleased that Duke is able to return," Tennessee Coach Bruce Pearl said Friday. "We will try to get him up to speed as quickly as possible while keeping in mind that he has had no activity for more than a month."

Crews' heart condition was discovered during free echocardiograms given to all Tennessee athletes in the fall. The tests were given in hopes of catching any previously unknown heart conditions that could lead to sudden death.

Tennessee sports medicine staff benched Crews on Dec. 14. Since then, Crews rested and underwent monitoring and additional tests.