Pearl Jam For Vols

Former LA Dodger skipper Tommy Lasorda once said a good baseball manager is only responsible for about ten wins a year. That's not much over the course of a 162 game season, but enough to make a difference in a close race for a division pennant. And let's face it, it's the big decisions that matter most. Ask former Red Sox (and current Dodger) manager Grady Little.

Coaches impart wisdom, technique, and if successful, get paid handsomely. But rarely do we see their impact play-out in dramatic fashion almost immediately. Except this year. We've got two great examples-- and one of them is in Knoxville.

It's now beyond obvious the impact Charlie Weis has had on Notre Dame football. Granted, the Irish won seven games and went to a bowl in 2004 under Ty Willingham. But Notre Dame football is judged by national championships. In his first season, with essentially the same players as last year (uh, quarterback Brady Quinn), Weis has the Irish in a BCS game. There was no honeymoon -- Weis went to work and succeeded right away.

Remarkably, the same can be said of Bruce Pearl. It's easy to get caught up in the euphoria of the Vols beating Texas. And while the Longhorns were an injured team that day, Tennessee won because Pearl has pushed all the right buttons. Like Weis, Pearl is winning with the same players Buzz Peterson had last year. In fact, he's winning with even fewer experienced players than Buzz had.

Pearl told me this about making the same players better.

They're playing different roles. They're trying to be put into positions to be successful. Make sure they know what they're good at. Make sure they know what they're not good at. Get them to go to their strengths and stay away from their weaknesses. Play hard. Play unselfishly. And so far, so good.

Two players have new-found purpose under Pearl's system.

Last year, Stanley Asumnu average 8 minutes and 2 points per game. This year, the senior forward is averaging 22 minutes and 10 points per game. In 2004, Dane Bradshaw was playing 17 minutes a game with limited production. This year, the junior forward is averaging close to 30 minutes and his production is way up. He's averaging 7 rebounds a game.

Pearl is actually more than a button pusher. He can evaluate talent. He can stratagize. He can motivated. And so far, he can win.