Too Late to Save Bruce?
It has come to this. His name painted on a rock. It's never a good sight around here.
Six years ago, Bruce Pearl was hired to save Tennessee basketball.
He was part coach and part pitch-man, reaching out to students, fans, and anyone else willing to buy into it.
Given the depths Tennessee basketball had fallen to, it wasn't an easy job.
Pearl went beyond hype. In his first season at Tennessee, he took a team that had won 14 games the previous year and guided them wins over Florida and Kentucky. The Vols won 22 games that season, and played in the NCAA tournament.
In his second season, Pearl won more games and UT went even deeper into March Madness leading No. 1 Ohio State by 18-points in their Sweet 16 matchup in San Antonio. UT lost the game, but Tennessee basketball was back on the national map.
Pearl's personality often overshadowed his coaching ability. There was his no-shirt appearance at a Lady Vols-Duke game, and later, a rap video that became a cult hit.
Pearl's best move was making a tradition of wearing an orange blazer for games against the Vols two biggest rivals-- Vanderbilt and Kentucky. He did so in honor of UT's winningest coach, Ray Mears, and he asked Mears for permission before he did it.
Pearl kept winning. Thirty-one games in his third season, including a close victory over Memphis and the school's first-ever No. 1 national ranking. The Vols made another Sweet 16 appearance that year and played in the NCAA tournament for the fourth straight season in 2009.
Pearl's crowning achievement on the court came in 2010, when he guided the vols to a 28-win season and an Elite 8 appearance. The Vols missed the Final 4 by just two points, losing to Michigan State 70-69.
Pearl made saving Tennessee basketball look easy. But saving his job might be impossible.
Comments
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Comments
I just wonder if Mike
I just wonder if Mike Hamilton knows that if he fires Bruce, there goes millions of dollars. The donation, season tickets, single game tickets, parking passes, money from food, money from souvenirs, and most importantly, there goes the fans.
Mike must not realize how much Knoxville loves Bruce, even if he lied. I'm sure there are other coaches out there that have done the same thing but haven't been caught.
mike hamiton
I THINK MIKE HAMITON SHOULD BE FIRED INSTEAD OF BRUCE PEARL,LOOK HOW MANY HE HAS LET GO,WHY DONT ANYBODY LOOK IN TO HIS LIFE.
Bruce Pearl & Mike Hamilton
We have a problem in the basketball program that we
must resolve - We have a very #capable and #dedixated
basketball #coach, who is at a low in his life - We must help him recover to the point we all know he can be.
We also have a #capable AD, who is performing below
his capabilities - We, the fans must come together and
show them the way - We know they are #capable because they have proven that in the past - It seems that the powers to be, should bring them together and help them work out their #differences - I think it isn't too late to accomplish this and it would result in the #better for us all;
Blackburn
What are the chances that Hammy is replaced by Blackburn, and Pearl is retained? Probably the best case senario for our program's future.
Forgive and move on Tennessee
Have we not all made mistakes????? Do we wish we could have done different--probably only if we hadn't got caught! How about if we ask the players--do they want to retain Bruce Pearl? Would they still play their hearts out for him or have they lost confidence in his ability to coach?
I would rather that we followed all the rules right down to the smallest detail. Bruce Pearl lied about what he had done. Now he has taken on the responsbility of his errors in judgement. He has paid moneywise and game suspension. To me, that's enough punishment.
Let's move on and if Bruce Pearl will stay, I say let's keep him. He has brought men's basketball back to the excitement it used to be in Ray Mear's basketball years.
bruce pearl
If Hamilton was going to fire Pearl, he should have done it when the transgressions were first revealed. His failure to do so sent a clear message that lying and cheating could be overlooked as long as you are successful and generate money for the Athletics Dept.
His current public position on Pearl's future is so at odds w/ his previous statements, one can only assume that something or someone has pressured him into changing his stance.
The saddest thing was Hamilton going public with his new outlook just before the NCAA tournament game. He didn't give his players a fair chance.
So much for bing in the business for the student athletes.
Sad
I am really sad to see this going down. This is a dark day in Tennessee Men's Basketball. Regardless of the money Pearl generates for the program or the way he lied to "not get caught" he is still a wonderful basketball coach. Whether we get rid of him or not we are still going to be on some kind of probation more than likely. What coach is going to want to come to a school who can't play in the NCAA Tournament? We might as well ride the ship out on this one in my opinion.
Hamilton has to go on this one. After the Lane Kiffin problem, Bruce Pearl was the only thing saving his neck. With all the impact the media is having on the Bruce Pearl story, Hamilton has only one place to go and that's out the door. However, you never get what you really want so worst likely scenario is Pearl is gone and we're stuck with Hamilton. Let's hope that does not happen!
GO VOLS!