I might regret this...
I've been very reluctant to publicly weigh in on the basketball coaching controversy. I have supported the UT basketball program through thick and thin and I would never want to appear unhelpful to Coach Martin, but it is really painful to read all of the misinformation about our former coach and even the possible motives of our current athletic and academic administration. There are no conspiracies or villains in the "perfect storm" calamity that led to Bruce's dismissal. There were mistakes made by Bruce and UT and both have suffered greatly for it. Posters on this board have made up conspiratorial lies about Mike Slive, Dave Hart, Dr. Cheek, and (most of all ) Bruce Pearl. If anyone is interested I would like to add a little bit of perspective:
Mike Slive:
The common perception among Tennessee fans is that Slive hates UT and especially hates Bruce Pearl because he was the attorney who defended Illinois when Bruce was the "whistleblower" in the Deon Thomas case in1989. I have never read anything that mentions the actual facts. Illinois eventually fired Slive because they felt like he essentially believed Bruce and he was simply trying to get them to fess up and accept lesser penalties for co-operating. Illinois was guilty as sin. Bruce had a tape of the kid admitting that he was supposed to receive over $100,000 in benefits in exchange for a commitment. The kid even admitted that he was flattered because he was going to be the highest paid kid in the history of the program. Illinois eventually hired a different firm that decided to focus on discrediting Bruce and they absolutely HAMMERED him in the Chicago press. They eventually found out that Bruce gave Thomas a warm up suit and that he was encouraging one of his friends to apply for a manager position that would have resulted in a scholarship if the kid got the job. To this day, Illinois fans cannot distinguish between a logo sweat suit and a SUV and $80,000. Dick Vitale commented that Bruce had committed career suicide.
Dave Hart:
Dave Hart is a very smart and respected guy. I hate this term, but he walked into a dumpster fire. Tennessee should be an overall Top 5 athletic department and I absolutely hate it when people on this board say that we should accept mediocrity. Tennessee is a heavily populated and growing state that has the luxury of only one major athletic program in its boundaries. We have huge arenas and stadiums for a reason. Tennessee and Ohio State are the only two schools to ever finish in the top 5 in attendance for football and basketball in the same year. Forbes magazine does an annual ranking of the value of college athletic brands. When Doug Dickey retired ,Tennessee was in the top 4 with Ohio State, Florida, and Texas. We are currently in the 20's and dropping like a lead balloon. There is absolutely no excuse for the massive decline in our on the field performances, but absolutely none of that is Dave's fault. He is part of the solution and he deserves tremendous credit for beginning to fix the complicated relationship with the academic side.
It is important to remember that everyone associated with the athletic department believed that the basketball team would have a very good season this year. The Bruce Pearl dilemma was a non-starter because we have a coach and Bruce would definitely be coaching somewhere else next year. It was very easy to say that Bruce would never coach here because it looked like the timing wouldn't allow the possibility. The circumstances have obviously changed and Dave is in a very uncomfortable spot.
On one hand, he can't win by hiring Pearl. Bruce is not his guy and he gets no credit for his success and he will be lampooned in the unlikely event that Bruce fails. There is the added theory that the move could be unpopular in the SEC offices in Birmingham and many people think that Dave could be in line for a shot at SEC commissioner.
On the other hand, it could be argued that he can't lose by hiring Pearl. In the unlikely event that Pearl fails, everyone would know that this was a "booster" hire and Dave would escape responsibility. In the very likely scenario (that Bruce restores the program), Dave is in the very enviable position of having a top notch basketball program run by a loyal coach. We can simply enjoy the ride until Bruce retires. We would likely be a perennial top 10 basketball program when he's done.
I've had a lot of business success, and one of the tenants we live by is that we would rather build a cage around a lion, than try to teach a lamb how to hunt. Bruce is a lion and he understands that he needs a strong administrator to help cage him. Bruce has a very hard time telling people no. He is the most generous person I know and he needs someone from the athletic department to protect him from his natural kindness. John Currey was attached to Bruce's hip until he left for Kansas State. He protected Bruce and Bruce appreciated it.
Dave is going to hear from a lot of people in the next few weeks. Bruce has so many friends in Knoxville and many of them are the key donors. I am sure that there is a major donor that doesn't support him, but I don't know who that is and I know almost everyone in that group. If a change is made, and it is not Bruce, it is going to further dampen the (already) muted support that the department is getting. I love my alma mater, and I want to blindly support her decisions, but I am now to the point that I feel like I am hurting the program by continuing to feed mediocrity. I have always found that if you reward bad behavior, you get more of it. I can no longer pay top dollar for horrific results and I'm not alone.
With all of that said, I think that a conversation will take place at the very least.
Dr. Cheek:
I don't know Dr. Cheek personally, but a lot of people I respect, think highly of him. I've seen a lot of people who want Bruce to return, write incredibly cruel and unflattering things about a man that they want to win over to their perspective.....not smart.
I am certain that Dr. Cheek probably doesn't live and die with every missed free throw like most of the basketball fanatics that are passionate towards UT hoops, but I do think he wants to win and that he would love the added revenue associated with a Pearl led basketball program. It is pretty clear that Bruce and Dr. Cheek need to meet. There needs to be assurances that even minor infractions won't occur. I think this is best accomplished by having an aide with Bruce at all times that reports directly to compliance. One $70,000 employee would yield tens of millions of dollars to the university. I am fairly certain that Bruce would welcome this condition where ever he coaches next year. He should never have to go through this again and he will always invite extra scrutiny because of his popularity and perceived whistleblower status.
Bruce Pearl:
I am not objective or rationale when it comes to Bruce Pearl. I love the guy. I could write a novel accurately disputing the false accusations that two or three very dedicated posters spew on here daily, but I don't have the time and another poster said it very briefly in another post:
Originally posted by ltullock:
As a former federal prosecutor, I would normally be the first person to argue against rehiring someone at an institution where he has committed an offense or was caught in a series of lies. And yet, if Cuonzo does not pull a miracle out of his hat to reinject life into this basketball program, I am firmly on the bring back Bruce train. Here are my reasons:
1. He was punished harshly for his stupid mistakes and has served his penalty with class - neither embarrassing himself, UT, or the NCAA in the process.
2. In my 60 yesrs of watching UT basketball, there have been only 2 coaches that had the full package to succeed at UT, inject excitement, and fill the seats consistently - Ray Mears and Bruce Pearl. You have to be a great recruiter because we do not have an easy close strong recruiting base. You have to be a master marketer because we have a very large arena to fill. And you have to be a good x and o coach to win close games.
3. Bruce has continued to be loyal to Knoxville and UT during his time in purgatory. He loves it here and loves UT - he has supported the present coach and team and has been nothing but positive in his comments and representation of our area on ESPN. Ignoring a proven perfect fit who lives in our backyard and would not require a buyout would be idiocy.
4. The violations Bruce was involved in were very minor to begin with, followed up by stupidity in a coverup caused by loyalty and overreaction. I see people talk about a prior pattern of lying early in his career, but I instead see someone who cooperated with the NCAA to expose cheating, thereby making him unpopular in the good old boy coaching fraternity. I see no ongoing pattern of blatant cheating or dishonesty on his part. In other words, I see mistakes that are correctable, not ongoing major character flaws. A very tight contract can limit any risk UT has in rehiring Pearl.
5. I can't stand the thought of UT playing against him, watching him on the sideline of Alabama, Georgia, or Memphis. It is inconceivable that he is not going to be hired by someone when his show cause is over.
I do believe Dave Hart will need to broker fence mending between Pearl and the UT administration, Mike Slive, and the NCAA, but I believe Hart has that capacity.
