What if? (Bruce Pearl Edition)

[FleeceItOut]

Sometimes I like to play the what if game, and earlier I was thinking of one involving the once beloved Bruce.

What if Pearl had the character of Barnes, and was never fired from UT for being a complete jackwagon?

Would he still be here today? Did he already hit his ceiling? Would he have gotten UT past the Elite 8? Would he have ever won a championship?

Just curious to see what you all think he would have accomplished, or if you think he would have flamed out.

Assume that he was high character but still able to recruit at a high level. Nothing about his coaching changes.

 

[terrypedigo]

We would be a top 20 team every year and make a run at the final 4 or elite 8 every 2 or 3 year's and be in the sweet 16 year in and year out he was fixing to take this program where it has never been before i remember Ray Mears people by now would say Ray who.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

I can't begin to imagine Bruce Pearl without serious character flaws. That's who he is.

But to play along with the fantasy, Ray Mears kind of fits the mold. Unlike Pearl, he built the program from nothing. He was making it better even after being the HC for over a decade. And his character was the exact opposite of Pearl's.

 

[vols 30]

I can't begin to imagine Bruce Pearl without serious character flaws. That's who he is.

But to play along with the fantasy, Ray Mears kind of fits the mold. Unlike Pearl, he built the program from nothing. He was making it better even after being the HC for over a decade. And his character was the exact opposite of Pearl's.

Your hatred for Pearl is showing. I'll celebrate 6 years of NCAA tournament appearances instead. Bruce's character never concerned me since he won, and won a lot.

Now, we can't even make the f'ing NIT without a struggle

 

[vols 30]

We would be a top 20 team every year and make a run at the final 4 or elite 8 every 2 or 3 year's and be in the sweet 16 year in and year out he was fixing to take this program where it has never been before i remember Ray Mears people by now would say Ray who.

Pretty much this ^

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Your hatred for Pearl is showing. I'll celebrate 6 years of NCAA tournament appearances instead. Bruce's character never concerned me since he won, and won a lot.

Now, we can't even make the f'ing NIT without a struggle

I don't hate Pearl. I'm glad he's gone. I didn't say I wish he never arrived. I wish he had left a year or two earlier before he left the program in shambles.

Character is very important. He wasn't bigger than the institution, but he thought that he was.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Here are some mostly wise words composed by a poster called hoyavol (on a different forum):

I loved the Pearl years just like most fans; however, in retrospect, Pearl's "magic" seems to have been a combination of high energy, innovative coaching and PT Barnum self-promotion. Pearl's weakness appears to have been his own arrogance. No one caused his problem for him. He brought it on himself. The deceit he displayed in the end was unacceptable to the University and, to its credit, it seems that UT rejected an opportunity to participate in it by not giving him a head's up that he was about to do himself even more damage during the NCAA investigation. His problem was of his own creation and it appears to have revealed a significant flaw. I loved the ride, but I sure wouldn't want him back, particularly given that his contribution to the "magic" may have been all showboat and bluster while the real coaching may well have been the work of Forbes and Shay. They have continued to perform at a very high level. Bruce, not so much. If Currie decided to go looking for a new coach---and he shouldn't---I would call Johnson City long before I'd call Auburn, Alabama.

 

[Volman1970]

I can't wait to see Auburn in the dance this year.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

We would be a top 20 team every year and make a run at the final 4 or elite 8 every 2 or 3 year's and be in the sweet 16 year in and year out he was fixing to take this program where it has never been before i remember Ray Mears people by now would say Ray who.

The NCAA penitentiary?

 

[vols 30]

I don't hate Pearl. I'm glad he's gone. I didn't say I wish he never arrived. I wish he had left a year or two earlier before he left the program in shambles.

Character is very important. He wasn't bigger than the institution, but he thought that he was.

The AD has more to do with that(leaving it in shambles) . They made the tourney under Cuonzo. He left and then they made the move that set the program back to where it is now. They hired the sleazy Tyndall.

 

[rtb1983]

All depends how many barbques he had.

 

[FleeceItOut]

Welp, that snowballed quickly.

 

[orbs son]

We would be a top 20 team every year and make a run at the final 4 or elite 8 every 2 or 3 year's and be in the sweet 16 year in and year out he was fixing to take this program where it has never been before i remember Ray Mears people by now would say Ray who.

I would think top 25 year in and out. Top 5 in the conference yearly. We may have been able to have a magical season and reach the elite eight, but we would have been in the tournament 4 out of 5 years.

 

[jjay2518]

IMO he had peaked, and his system suffers from the emphasis on touch fouls on the perimeter that was implemented during his show cause. Pretty sure he said as much during one of his TV appearances around that time.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

The AD has more to do with that(leaving it in shambles) . They made the tourney under Cuonzo. He left and then they made the move that set the program back to where it is now. They hired the sleazy Tyndall.

I can connect the dots. TN had to settle for Cuonzo after Bruce left the program in worse shape than it was when he began. When Cuonzo didn't have the program instantly repaired, the grumbling over his stumbling grew too loud for Hart's feeble mind to deal with. Which led directly to Tyndall and then the dumpster fire was blazing hotter than it ever was in the history of UTBB.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

IMO he had peaked, and his system suffers from the emphasis on touch fouls on the perimeter that was implemented during his show cause. Pretty sure he said as much during one of his TV appearances around that time.

Wise words from a poster that gets it.

 

[DeepSpringsVol]

We would be perinniel top 4 in SEC. He was a master of working the RPI. so he would schedule the good teams from smaller leagues we could beat and a couple powers that losing doesn't hurt you but winning gets you huge publicity. I can't say we would make a Final Four as in a tournament sport so much could be gained or lossed by regional fan travel or matchups of teams. But we would occasionally make our way through to sweet 16 or Elite 8.

 

[BigZiti09]

Bruce had it rolling here. He would still be winning if he never got popped by the NCAA.

The NCAA investigation and show cause was when he got Buster Douglas'd. Happens all the time in sports when a guy gets knocked down and never gets back up off the mat.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

We would be perinniel top 4 in SEC. He was a master of working the RPI. so he would schedule the good teams from smaller leagues we could beat and a couple powers that losing doesn't hurt you but winning gets you huge publicity. I can't say we would make a Final Four as in a tournament sport so much could be gained or lossed by regional fan travel or matchups of teams. But we would occasionally make our way through to sweet 16 or Elite 8.

However, I think that he had little respect from most of the top coaches in the NCAA. I don't know if he was really good at getting top out of conference home-and-homes. Ironically, one of his biggest was with CRB at Texas.

Didn't Memphis tuck tail and run from Bruce as well?

 

[fatvol]

Loved Bruce. But...He gone. Time to back the coach we got now. I may be wrong on this one, but I believe we've got a great one.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Bruce had it rolling here. He would still be winning if he never got popped by the NCAA.

The NCAA investigation and show cause was when he got Buster Douglas'd. Happens all the time in sports when a guy gets knocked down and never gets back up off the mat.

I wonder just how much longer he could have held on to Forbes and Shay though.

 

[VolGee4]

IMO he had peaked, and his system suffers from the emphasis on touch fouls on the perimeter that was implemented during his show cause. Pretty sure he said as much during one of his TV appearances around that time.

I loved Pearl and couldn't believe the university didn't fight more for him. I was pissed. However, I am beginning to think this as well, but also, I believe that Forbes would have gotten a HC job and Shay would have moved on. Pearl would have had to hire new coaches that may not have been as good. He would have probably still recruited at a decent level and been better than we have been, but I don't know that we're were looking at more Elite Eight's or any Final Four's.

 

[VolGee4]

However, think that he had little respect from most of the top coaches in the NCAA. I don't know if he was really good at getting top out of conference home-and-homes. Ironically, one of his biggest was with CRB at Texas.

Didn't Memphis tuck tail and run from Bruce as well?

Memphis did it because it was UT. Pastner didn't want UT coming to town.

 

[DeepSpringsVol]

However, think that he had little respect from most of the top coaches in the NCAA. I don't know if he was really good at getting top out of conference home-and-homes. Ironically, one of his biggest was with CRB at Texas.

Didn't Memphis tuck tail and run from Bruce as well?

Calipari didn't want us in Memphis. Pearl's team taking #1 in Memphis steals headlines. Memphis wanted to keep playing but in neutral sites like Nashville. Pearl got several players from that area. That's a big reason they didn't want us there. But as big programs. He got us against Texas as you mentioned, Kansas, Gonzaga, Georgetown, Memphis and some other out of conference games. Schools that other coaches would be afraid of putting on schedule for fear of a loss.

 

[VolGee4]

I can connect the dots. TN had to settle for Cuonzo after Bruce left the program in worse shape than it was when he began. When Cuonzo didn't have the program instantly repaired, the grumbling over his stumbling grew too loud for Hart's feeble mind to deal with. Which led directly to Tyndall and then the dumpster fire was blazing hotter than it ever was in the history of UTBB.

Bruce left some talent, and he helped lay the groundwork for Stokes. The problem was that Bruce didn't leave a PG and Cuonzo couldn't find one. If Cuonzo had found a true PG, then Trae Golden could have played off the ball. He was not a good PG. I think Bruce makes the NCAAT in year 2 under Cuonzo.