Tennessee had eight all-time NCAA Tournament wins when it hired Bruce Pearl as its basketball coach in 2005. In six seasons, he matched those eight wins while never failing to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
That’s the dramatic difference he made in Tennessee basketball before he was fired for an NCAA recruiting violation after the 2010-11 season. He had a similar impact at Auburn, which plays the Vols Saturday at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Before he returned to Knoxville, I asked my literary contributors if they still shoot for Pearl, except when he was playing in Tennessee.
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Here is a sample of the responses:
Mary writes: I LOVE Bruuuuce! He alone made me watch and learn basketball (with Wayne Chism).
AU and UT basketball is “Sophie’s choice” for me – barely. I leeeeean towards AU and Bruce though. If UT really believed in the VFL program, Bruce would be at Tennessee Orange and not AU Orange.
My answer: You weren’t the only Tennessee fan Pearl introduced to basketball. He looked a lot like former UT coach Ray Mears.
Both could coach, market and promote.
Pearl embraced what Mears did for Tennessee basketball in the 1960s and 1970s. When Mears died, Pearl brought his entire team with him to the memorial service.
As for the “Sophie’s Choice” reference, if Meryl Streep had had a third choice, she would have chosen Pearl.
Phil writes: I still support Bruce Pearl and wish we could rehire him. Tell him we’ll put a statue of him next to Pat Summit’s. In fact, tell him we’ll put statues of him all over campus since we don’t do very well in other sports either.
My answer: A statue of Pearl should show him with his chest painted orange.
Mike writes: Now that Bruce Pearl is a coach at Auburn, I only encourage him when Auburn plays at Kentucky or Alabama. Otherwise, no, I do not encourage it.
My answer: Your rooting interest has not been wasted. Pearl has beaten Alabama twice and Kentucky once this season.
Daryl writes: I shoot a lot for Bruce Pearl in every game except against UT.
Bruce made a stupid mistake knowing it was wrong and then lied about it, but UT did little to provide adequate legal advice on Pearl’s behalf. Pearl had exhausted her welcome to UT by then, and her teams were already beginning to fade.
But Pearl paid off the Piper, and he’s currently kicking ass and taking no hostages.
By far, Pearl is a better coach than Rick Barnes. But I will shoot for UT to win, always. And I would have rehired Pearl instead of Barnes.
My answer: Pearl is 7-3 against Barnes since they were both in the SEC. Auburn has won the last six games of the series.
Dave writes: I absolutely shoot for Bruce. In my lifetime, he is one of the best coaches UT has ever had in any sport. A nice guy to boot.
My answer: Pearl’s first season at Tennessee reflected just how good a coach he is.
Pearl took the players that former coach Buzz Peterson left behind and immediately turned them into an NCAA Tournament team.
Gordon writes: Very ambivalent about Pearl. I shoot for him especially when he’s outside the SEC.
He made Tennessee relevant in basketball. Rick Barnes never had to stand in a Student Union chair and beg students to come to his games.
One only has to look at Auburn’s ratings to imagine the heights we could have reached under Bruce. But the cheating and subsequent lying to the NCAA was simply unforgivable.
My answer: What Pearl did in Auburn even surpassed what he did in Tennessee.
Not only did he make it to the Final Four, but Auburn now has one of the most enthusiastic basketball fanbases in the country.
My answer: Pearl is a good coach, annoying, but a good coach, he would have made a fortune as a used car salesman.
My answer: He tried to sell me a vintage Edsel. If I hadn’t run out of money, I would have bought it.
Shemp writes: With apologies to Whitman’s “All is Truth.”
“Where did Pearl fail a perfect comeback, unconcerned with lies or truth?
Is it in the field, or in the locker or the barbecue in the garden? or in the mind of man.
I never encourage Auburn (AKA Clemson without a lake) unless they play in Alabama.
With Pearl putting UT on probation, it’s a case of Pearl before the pig
My answer: Shemp again proves why he is the Poet Laureate of this column.
Jim writes: Yes, I’m shooting for Bruce. The only problem I ever had with Bruce was when he knowingly tried not to lie to the NCAA. His penalty would have been much less had he not done so, and had other staff members also lied.
He is a great promoter and genuinely loves his players.
My answer: Without his fib, he could still coach Tennessee.
Jerry writes: I’m not shooting for Bruce Pearl. Although he is a fantastic promoter, he is still a cheater. Sure, all college basketball programs cheat to some degree, but Bruce takes it to a whole new level.
My answer: He was grilled for what he did with the Vols. Many other coaches played fast and loose with NCAA rules and weren’t punished as harshly as Pearl.
John Adams is senior columnist. He can be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.