The Bruce Pearl Thread

Would you be for Bruce Pearl's return if Martin is fired after next year?

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#4,002
#4,002
bleedingTNorange said:
I've read this a couple times now, am I missing something or is it basically what has been getting said for months?

People want Bruce, the 2 sides should talk, he was very successful and is a good coach, but it likely won't happen?
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Your coming around . You ended with a ? Instead of a !
 
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#4,004
#4,004
I am not supporting Martin by any means but contrary to what you may read on here I deal in my opinion and facts which are two different things. I am entitled to my opinion and facts are facts whether you like them or not. T Harris was not gone because of Pearl leaving. Below is a quote from Harris:

“(UT) Coach (Cuonzo) Martin was one of the reasons I’d been thinking about staying,’’ said Harris, who attended spring workouts
 
#4,009
#4,009
Maxwell said:
I am not supporting Martin by any means but contrary to what you may read on here I deal in my opinion and facts which are two different things. I am entitled to my opinion and facts are facts whether you like them or not. T Harris was not gone because of Pearl leaving. Below is a quote from Harris:

“(UT) Coach (Cuonzo) Martin was one of the reasons I’d been thinking about staying,’’ said Harris, who attended spring workouts
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#4,017
#4,017
Has some very good points, and I would be ecstatic if it happened. But, I believe it is a real longshot. If Hart really has aspirations to be the next SEC commissioner, then he is going to be cautious with his decisions.
 
#4,019
#4,019
Serious question for all the basketball gurus. If Martin is let go, will UT be the best opportunity for Pearl?
 
#4,022
#4,022
As to the OP's posted quote I offer this. Bama Dave planned to retain Dools for at least one more season if he had gone to a bowl. That was even after the debacle at UK the previous year along with fruit basket turnover of his coaching staff as well as Duh-rick and Bray's issues. He was backed into the corner and had to pull the trigger by the fan base and boosters. Then he and Cheek proceeded to embarrass the university by begging prominent coaches (Strong and Gundy among others) while dangling huge dollars in front of their faces. They lucked into Butch and came out smelling like a rose providing Butch/staff coach as well as they recruit.

So this Bama Dave/Cheek competency thing in the quoted comments is a problem to me. Cheek has presided over the downturn of all major men's sports at UT in recent years. Bama Dave lost his job at FSU over some smelly relations with the top brass and segments of their fan base. He did not make the move he had the authority and the opportunity to make after Dools' second season and as a result caused the program to go even further in the tank as well as costing the UTAD millions of dollars in funding. Hardly top notch performance by either Cheek or Hart.

So color me skeptical of anything those two can accomplish as it relates to the basketball program. I am squarely in the camp of hiring Bruce back, he never should have been fired to begin with and they should have resisted the NCAA with all they had. That would have spoken volumes to future potential coaches that they stood behind their coaches when relatively minor things go wrong. In that case Hamilton was 100% correct with his recommendations. Zo will determine if he comes back or not by how the season finishes. Maybe Hart can get lucky with an up and comer like the did with Butch. Will see. Not counting on it.

If they did come to their senses and patch things up and rehire Bruce, it would re-energize Vol fans and the program. The recommendation they have a brother's keeper to keep him out of trouble is excellent. I am sure Bruce would do things right and better both on and off the court. There has never been a more no-brainer hire in my book than hiring Bruce back.
 
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#4,025
#4,025
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.
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I doubt that a former federal prosecutor would make so many grammatical errors. JMO
 
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