Reality check

#1
Weezer

Weezer

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#1
I understand the love of Bruce Pearl, but I also understand a man must face the consequences of his actions. Bruce Pearl didn't invite these kids to his house believing it was okay for them to be there. He knew he was committing a secondary violation as he had done it before.

Bruce Pearl NCAA violation reported by UWM in 2004 - USATODAY.com

So he was knowingly breaking the rules. He was stupid enough to let a picture of himself and a recruit, that had no business being there, be taken. And yes I say stupid because what else would you call it when you allow photographic evidence of you breaking the rules? So there he is, caught with his pants down, and what does he do? He lies. "I don't know where that picture was taken. I don't recognize that woman in the background." Really? You're going to knowingly turn this into a major violation by lying about a picture? And make no mistake, every coach knows lying to the NCAA is a major violation. He had his chance to admit to a secondary violation and passed it up in an attempt to avoid being caught at all. Bad risk management.

For a summary of what Pearl's accused of, this is a decent reference.

Tennessee Volunteers coach Bruce Pearl cited by NCAA for unethical conduct - ESPN

I don't see mention of the impermissable phone calls, but I think it includes most everything else. Anyone know for sure if there are any allegations not mentioned?

So there's a summary of the allegations for those who don't have the full picture. The most severe charge is the unethical conduct, which stems solely from the lie itself. Pearl has admitted to the lie. There is no doubt he did it. He cannot be cleared of it.

So what normally happens when a coach is charged with unethical conduct?

Precedent indicates show-cause for Pearl - College Basketball Nation Blog - ESPN

The dreaded show cause penalty.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Show-Cause_Penalty_(NCAA)

So this is the reality UT basketball faces. Better for Pearl to leave now than hope he can rebuild later.

Love the man if you want. Hell, he deserves the praise for bringing UT to its current heights. But please don't delude yourself into believing this is just going to blow over. He created an absolute mess over a trivial violation. Now all of UT is feeling the storm. Let it go. Let him go. It's time to move on.
 
#3
#3
Though if a bad hire is made then program will be better of with Pearl sitting out 2 years bad hire sends program back to buzz ball era sitting Bruce out for 2 years won't
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#5
#5
I love pearl and all that he is done but I think too much damage has been done for a return.
 
#7
#7
Must be a tough debate. 2013. The people that have a say, sitting in a room with all the info, some of which we don't have, nor are we privy. A known commodity versus the unknown. I don't envy their position.
 
#8
#8
rfalliso said:
Though if a bad hire is made then program will be better of with Pearl sitting out 2 years bad hire sends program back to buzz ball era sitting Bruce out for 2 years won't
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Show cause means Pearl couldn't coach, recruit, or be around the team. No matter what, if Pearl is hit with show cause, we hit the floor with someone else as head coach next year. If we make the hire now, at least we have a shot at someone good. Pearl's missteps have already made the next couple of years extremely difficult.
 
#10
#10
vol66 said:
Must be a tough debate. 2013. The people that have a say, sitting in a room with all the info, some of which we don't have, nor are we privy. A known commodity versus the unknown. I don't envy their position.
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I don't know how much of a "known commodity" Pearl is now. No one knows what damage this will do to his ability to recruit. I can easily see parents not wanting their kid to play for a coach that asked a recruit and his dad to lie. Most kids we recruit don't wear the orange blinders so they will actually care about the facts. Every coach we recruit against will use this against us. To me, Pearl is now as much an unknown commodity as anyone who replaces him.
 
#11
#11
Weezer said:
Show cause means Pearl couldn't coach, recruit, or be around the team. No matter what, if Pearl is hit with show cause, we hit the floor with someone else as head coach next year. If we make the hire now, at least we have a shot at someone good. Pearl's missteps have already made the next couple of years extremely difficult.
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I'm good with Tony Jones for a year then a bad hire for 3 then another hire having to be made
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#12
#12
peyton=legend said:
This could have been merged with another one of these...
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I didn't merge it because there seemed to be an influx of posters who didn't have all the facts. All I was trying to do is introduce them to the parts they don't know. If a mod wants to merge it, so be it.
 
#13
#13
rfalliso said:
I'm good with Tony Jones for a year then a bad hire for 3 then another hire having to be made
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Aw...sarcasm. Sorry, I missed it. With some of the people currently posting, I hope you understand why, lol.
 
#14
#14
Weezer said:
I don't know how much of a "known commodity" Pearl is now. No one knows what damage this will do to his ability to recruit. I can easily see parents not wanting their kid to play for a coach that asked a recruit and his dad to lie. Most kids we recruit don't wear the orange blinders so they will actually care about the facts. Every coach we recruit against will use this against us. To me, Pearl is now as much an unknown commodity as anyone who replaces him.
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You raise good points in terms of recruiting. In terms of filling the seats at TBA, he is a known commodity. I haven't seen too many posts from the anti-Pearl crowd saying they won't return if Pearl remains. Maybe that's because it seems totally implausible that he would remain.
 
#15
#15
Too much has been done now to keep him. If you keep him, then the odds are against things getting back to where they were before. Players are going to be wondering if the coach they potentially commit to at Tennessee can survive with resistance from behind.

But Pearl isn't the only actor damaged in this setting. UTAD is very much damaged goods and it will take considerable convincing to bring in a proven commodity after what Hammy pulled this week.

What was once a definite Top 15 job has become a hard sell. If Dickey were around, then we would've seen some top level damage control at work.

Thank God this bunch wasn't in charge when the Jack Sells sh** hit the fan.
 
#16
#16
vol66 said:
You raise good points in terms of recruiting. In terms of filling the seats at TBA, he is a known commodity. I haven't seen too many posts from the anti-Pearl crowd saying they won't return if Pearl remains. Maybe that's because it seems totally implausible that he would remain.
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If Pearl returns and doesn't produce a winning team, attendance will drop drastically. If a new coach comes in and puts a wiining team on the floor, the seats will fill up quickly. Translation, fans will say what they will, but they'll show up if we're winning, no matter who the coach is.
 
#17
#17
rfalliso said:
I'm good with Tony Jones for a year then a bad hire for 3 then another hire having to be made
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Didn't the assistants lie too? I'm pretty sure they all fall under the scrutiny of the 'AA if we keep any of them.

There is not a scenario where keeping BP and staff is better than hiring a new coach. The sooner you all realize this, the sooner you can move on.
 
#18
#18
Domestic Silence said:
Didn't the assistants lie too? I'm pretty sure they all fall under the scrutiny of the 'AA if we keep any of them.

There is not a scenario where keeping BP and staff is better than hiring a new coach. The sooner you all realize this, the sooner you can move on.
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I don't think the assts were charged with unethical conduct, so they won't face the show cause penalty.
 
#19
#19
Weezer said:
I don't think the assts were charged with unethical conduct, so they won't face the show cause penalty.
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That makes sense. Still, I don't see Tony Jones being the answer.

Not to mention, who says Pearl is going to bring back the attributes that made him great to begin with? Call it what you want, but he was playing the "good guy" card and getting people excited with winning the right way and being proud of who you are. I don't know that he still has that power after all of this. I sure as hell didn't see any of that this year.

Lastly, all the players are now saying they want Pearl to stay and they'll leave if he doesn't come back. I sure as hell didn't see any of them fight for him during games, and they had roughly 36 chances to do so. That last one should show you everything you need to know.
 
#20
#20
Weezer said:
If Pearl returns and doesn't produce a winning team, attendance will drop drastically. If a new coach comes in and puts a wiining team on the floor, the seats will fill up quickly. Translation, fans will say what they will, but they'll show up if we're winning, no matter who the coach is.
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I agree with your final sentence. If you're winning, the coach is of little concern. In your first sentence, you might be right, but Pearl has shown, with no stars at all, or with the best players suspended and walkons, he can win. I agree with the second sentence, but you leave out, what if he too loses. What if Hopson and Harris leave. It would be starting over, completely.

I'm just saying it isin't black and white, and again, I don't envy the position those folks are in.
 
#21
#21
Domestic Silence said:
That makes sense. Still, I don't see Tony Jones being the answer.

Not to mention, who says Pearl is going to bring back the attributes that made him great to begin with? Call it what you want, but he was playing the "good guy" card and getting people excited with winning the right way and being proud of who you are. I don't know that he still has that power after all of this. I sure as hell didn't see any of that this year.

Lastly, all the players are now saying they want Pearl to stay and they'll leave if he doesn't come back. I sure as hell didn't see any of them fight for him during games, and they had roughly 36 chances to do so. That last one should show you everything you need to know.
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Good point. They certainly weren't motivated to give Pearl a good send off if it was his last game. Midas may have lost his golden touch.
 
#22
#22
OrangeVol79 said:
Hard to defend a someone who lies- even if he is a great coach!
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I don't believe I've ever met a man in my life that is so pure that they have never told a lie. The true men are the ones that own up to it afterward.
 
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