Would Pearl Have Done Better Than Cal with Kentucky's Players? And Vice Versa?

[PandamoniumReigns]

Just sitting here thinking about the past year. Record year for Tennessee Basketball. Sub-Par year for Kentucky based on their expectations and talent.

I was wondering if Pearl coached the Kentucky players, would he have taken them farther in the tourney than Cal did?

Also - Where would Cal have taken the Vols if he coached them?

I realize this is all purely hypothetical, but could make for some good conversation. We have a couple of "classy" Kentucky posters on here as well so I would be curious to hear their thoughts.

Thoughts?

 

[YankeeVol]

Who really cares? It's a pointless discussion

 

[PandamoniumReigns]

Who really cares? It's a pointless discussion

Hence the words "hypothetical". If you don't care to share in the discussion then don't post in it. Pretty simple.

Thanks for the opinion.

 

[getyopopcornready]

I'm having deja vu.

 

[SDV]

Yes. Pearl > calimari
Posted via VolNation Mobile

 

[PandamoniumReigns]

I am not really trying to get into a "is Pearl better than Cal" conversation.

But based on their styles - would Pearl have gone farther with Kentucky's roster than Cal did. and Vice Versa.

 

[SDV]

I answered your question, yes
Posted via VolNation Mobile

 

[Hardwood_fanatic]

Just sitting here thinking about the past year. Record year for Tennessee Basketball. Sub-Par year for Kentucky based on their expectations and talent.

I was wondering if Pearl coached the Kentucky players, would he have taken them farther in the tourney than Cal did?

Also - Where would Cal have taken the Vols if he coached them?

I realize this is all purely hypothetical, but could make for some good conversation. We have a couple of "classy" Kentucky posters on here as well so I would be curious to hear their thoughts.

Thoughts?

Even though hypothetical, its hard comparison to make because both coaches seem to utilize such different styles with a different kind of player.

First of all, it depends on whether you believe Bruce Pearl is done with the controlled chaos theory and has decided to build his program on what you saw the last 2 months of your season. Or, will go back to that style of ball that consistently put UT out of the tourney in early rounds.

I'm not sold on Pearl yet as a great X/O coach, although he certainly impressed me this last season. I am sold however, on the fact that Calipari just isn't a great sideline coach. He just isn't. Looks like a duck, sounds like a duck, lets call it a duck.

However, one thing Cal has that Pearl doesn't (or at least to Cals level, IMO) is the ability to harness the ego's and all that comes along with one and done players. I believe if you threw all those players under Pearls umbrella, it would be a cluster **** for quite some time into the season, if not all of it.

Before every Vol fan jumps on me and calls me a Pearl hater, I am not. I'm just in the group that believes he still has not sustained a certain level of success, for me to make one prediction either way. The latter part of last season was a masterpeice, but it is the opposite of the other seasons. Gotta see more. Call me neutral.

Pearl has shown the ability to not "outcoach" Cal, but certainly neutralize his style of play to give his team a chance.

I feel like I'm rambling trying to justify either argument, when again I feel its too hypothetical to try and tackle.

I would say neither coach would have made it to where they ended up in this years tourney. Hows that.

 

[BasketvolsFan]

Cal will never have better talent than he had this year. He is, without question, a great recruiter, not so great as a floor coach. I agree with you that meshing the personalities of a group of 5* players into a team is quite a task and Cal did a good job with that aspect of the KY team this year. Who knows if Pearl could have gotten them to play together as a team. If he was successful in that aspect, he likely would have gone farther than Cal as I believe he is the better floor coach. However, to take the other argument, Cal has a better overall record and has had better success in the tournament than Pearl. Time will play this out and we will know who the better coach is.

 

[Special Ed]

Pearl is the jewel in the crown.

 

[volwarrior33]

Yes. Vice Versa Cal would’ve struggled to make the ‘AAs IMO. Though it means absolutely nothing as Cal got those players.

 

[EricberryFAN]

Yes pearl would have imo, but who care's now anyway.

 

[eyebleedorange]

Even though hypothetical, its hard comparison to make because both coaches seem to utilize such different styles with a different kind of player.

First of all, it depends on whether you believe Bruce Pearl is done with the controlled chaos theory and has decided to build his program on what you saw the last 2 months of your season. Or, will go back to that style of ball that consistently put UT out of the tourney in early rounds.

I'm not sold on Pearl yet as a great X/O coach, although he certainly impressed me this last season. I am sold however, on the fact that Calipari just isn't a great sideline coach. He just isn't. Looks like a duck, sounds like a duck, lets call it a duck.

However, one thing Cal has that Pearl doesn't (or at least to Cals level, IMO) is the ability to harness the ego's and all that comes along with one and done players. I believe if you threw all those players under Pearls umbrella, it would be a cluster **** for quite some time into the season, if not all of it.

Before every Vol fan jumps on me and calls me a Pearl hater, I am not. I'm just in the group that believes he still has not sustained a certain level of success, for me to make one prediction either way. The latter part of last season was a masterpeice, but it is the opposite of the other seasons. Gotta see more. Call me neutral.

Pearl has shown the ability to not "outcoach" Cal, but certainly neutralize his style of play to give his team a chance.

I feel like I'm rambling trying to justify either argument, when again I feel its too hypothetical to try and tackle.

I would say neither coach would have made it to where they ended up in this years tourney. Hows that.

This coming from a Kentucky fan looks pretty bias IMO

 

[hatvol96]

Yes. Vice Versa Cal would’ve struggled to make the ‘AAs IMO. Though it means absolutely nothing as Cal got those players.

Cal's '92 UMASS team had less talent than this Tennessee group and made the Sweet 16.

 

[bowlinggreenvol]

This coming from a Kentucky fan looks pretty bias IMO

Sounds fairly rational and about as non-bias as you can get, considering he's only seen Calipari in action for one year at UK and has seen Pearl for 5 years, and its coming from a UK perspective.

I personally agree that Pearl would have a hard time harnessing the ego's that Calipari annually has, granted he hasn't had much of an opportunity. Even though Calipari isn't a great sideline coach he never manages to under-achieve in a season, in my opinion. Yes, he usually has extremely talented teams, but I believe its a testament to be able to get those guys up to play game in and game out, especially in the tournament when so many opponents have nothing to lose. FTR I do not believe this past year's UK team underachieved, just b/c they were talented they were still inexperienced freshmen for the most part, that held their own. On the other hand, Pearl and/or his teams have underachieved on numerous occasions, i.e. blowing the OSU game in '07, being run out of the gym by UofL in '08 and the debacle that was the '09 season.