A Rare Offseason Pearl

[orange+white=heaven]

Bruce is always cracking me up. This weekend he was talking about the Gillispie 'up tempo' game he'd be bringing to Cat country...

tfpOnline:Sunday article

If imitation marks flattery, the Wildcats sent a nod to the Vols with job criteria stressing up-tempo basketball.
Texas A&M coach Billy Gillespie's first statements upon taking the UK job: "Our perfect style would be to play pressure, full-court man-to-man defense. I love to run at every opportunity."

Pearl scoffs at the notion Kentucky may have been mimicking Tennessee. He instead points out the SEC's most successful coach in his opinion -- Florida's Billy Donovan -- also prefers a run-and-gun approach.
"Leagues take on the personality of the top coaches in the league," Pearl says. "That's not for me necessarily to say who those top coaches are."

As for the up-tempo talk, Pearl noted that Tennessee beat Texas 111-105 in overtime this past season, and Texas A&M beat Texas 46-43 the previous year.
"Kentucky wants an up-tempo style of play," Pearl said. "Billy Gillespie has that in his background, but he also has, I mean, that's a halftime score for me."

:lol:

As to the larger point made above about style of play being contagious across a league... True?

 

[tidwell]

Those should be some good games in the following years.

Then again, the last 4 UT/UK games haven't exactly been low-scoring, save for the UK blowout of UT in Lexington this past season.

 

[utvolpj]

Makes me think he had that gem up his sleeve just waiting on the question.

 

[Deuce Dropper]

We don't have to worry about anyone pulling one on Bruce. I for one am glad he is on our side.

 

[Proud2BaVol]

"Pearl has been a candidate for at least one major head coaching job."

Uhm...no...he was at the top of someone's wish list, not actively trying to land the job.