Post by UTLovesPearl on Mar 29, 2005 7:36:14 GMT -6
Interesting that his base salary was actually more at UWM. Also, I can't blame you guys for your feelings on Grunfield after reading this.
Tuesday, 03/29/05
Pearl has a vision for UT
By CHRIS LOW
Staff Writer
KNOXVILLE — Bruce Pearl figures it's about time the Tennessee men's basketball program upheld its end of the bargain.
He's the latest in the Vols' merry go-round of coaches who will get a chance to make that happen.
''We plan on getting this thing up to speed,'' said Pearl, who became Tennessee's sixth head coach in the last 16 years yesterday when he was officially introduced during a news conference at Thompson-Boling Arena.
''Everything is here to get to the NCAA Tournament on a regular basis and compete for championships, and I don't see any reason why we should have to wait. It's been a dream of mine to run a program like this.''
Pearl, who guided 12th-seeded Wisconsin-Milwaukee to the Sweet 16 two weeks ago, has won everywhere he has been.
He was 86-38 in four seasons at UMW and earned Horizon League Coach of the Year honors three of his four years.
While at Southern Indiana for nine seasons, Pearl won the Division II national championship in 1995 and finished second in 1994.
He was also an assistant at Iowa, Stanford and Boston College for 14 years under Dr. Tom Davis.
But this is Pearl's first head coaching shot at a big-time school from a power conference, and those who know him best said his hunger is off the charts.
''The guy has unbelievable energy,'' said Tony Jones, who will be Pearl's associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at Tennessee.
''The players are going to love him. He's dynamic. He's good with the press. He's going to be good with the students. We're going to be in the dormitories creating excitement and be wherever we need to be speaking.
''He's not going to be outworked. He's tedious in his preparation and is not going to let anybody in the SEC outwork him. His players are going to play hard for him, too. That's the key.''
Pearl, 45, received a five-year contract from Tennessee that will pay him $800,000 per year — $225,000 in base salary, $225,000 in equipment and apparel money, $250,000 in radio/TV commitments and $100,000 in endorsement and appearance money. That's not counting camps or bonuses. He made $275,000 last season in base salary at UWM.
The hefty raise was nice, Pearl conceded. But the chance to put Tennessee men's basketball on the same national stage with football and women's basketball was something he couldn't pass up.
''It doesn't matter what fiddle we play, whether it's third, fourth or fifth,'' said Pearl, who will attend the Lady Vols' game tonight in Philadelphia. ''People will judge us for what we are. If we're successful, then they will support us. If we're not, then they won't. It doesn't matter where we rank.''
Pearl pointed out that he had Marquette, Wisconsin and the Bucks, just to name a few, to deal with while he was in Milwaukee.
''I'm not sure, I might have been the sixth or seventh fiddle,'' Pearl said. ''When we were successful, people were excited about us and got behind us — and that is what will happen at Tennessee.''
Tennessee Athletics Director Mike Hamilton said Pearl was on his list even before the endorsement from Ernie Grunfeld, the former Tennessee All-American and current president of basketball operations for the Washington Wizards.
Grunfeld and Pearl became good friends when Grunfeld was in Milwaukee as the Bucks general manager.
Before leaving the country to go scouting a few weeks ago, Grunfeld called Pearl and quipped, ''By the way, if you can beat Alabama, it might help your chances to get the job.''
Sure enough, Wisconsin-Milwaukee upset Alabama and Boston College to reach the Sweet 16, and Hamilton's interest in Pearl only grew.
''I think basketball coaches can coach basketball,'' Hamilton said. ''There were so many signs that this guy could be successful given the lack of resources and what he accomplished in winning a national championship. Winning in Division II is not easy.''
Hamilton said there were several ''big names'' on the Vols' original list of names. One of those was Texas Tech's Bob Knight, although UT Associate Athletics Director John Currie said it was more ''mutual curiosity'' between the parties than anything.
Ultimately, Hamilton said the final four was narrowed to Alabama-Birmingham's Mike Anderson, Creighton's Dana Altman, Charlotte's Bobby Lutz and Pearl.
''There were some names there, but we never went to the final four with them,'' Hamilton said. ''We chose what we felt like was the best fit for our program right now.''
Hamilton said the Champ Search firm helped the Vols weed out coaches who had large buyouts or were possibly trying to use the Tennessee job to get a raise at their current school. Pearl's buyout at UW-Milwaukee was $194,000, which UT paid.
''I felt like going into the interview with him (on Friday) that he was going to be the leading candidate and the choice, but I needed to confirm that by physically sitting in front of him,'' Hamilton said. ''I think all four of the candidates interviewed could have come here and had success. I just think, ultimately, that Bruce was the total package that I was looking for.''
Despite Tennessee's lack of success in men's basketball the last 20 years, Hamilton said he didn't need to do much convincing.
''I told Bruce, 'Look, you can be a hero here. You can be an absolute, freaking hero,' '' Hamilton said. ''There's no doubt in my mind.''
Part of the Champ Search firm's role was conducting background checks, and Hamilton said he leaned heavily on former NCAA president Cedric Dempsey.
Pearl was involved in an incident 16 years ago as an assistant at Iowa where he taped a phone conversation with Deon Thomas concerning potential recruiting violations at Illinois.
The Fighting Illini were placed on two years of probation, and Pearl is still despised by Illinois fans for his role in those sanctions.
Hamilton said he thoroughly checked into the matter and said it was a non-factor in Pearl's hiring.
''It's one of those situations that is very similar to Phillip's (Fulmer's) situation, frankly, where a coach is trying to do what is right as it relates to a compliance issue and it's blown up pretty big,'' Hamilton said. n
''I talked with the NCAA. I talked with Cedric Dempsey. I talked with Bruce extensively about it. I talked to some other folks about it. I actually had a great comfort about it after I talked with him.''
Tuesday, 03/29/05
Pearl has a vision for UT
By CHRIS LOW
Staff Writer
KNOXVILLE — Bruce Pearl figures it's about time the Tennessee men's basketball program upheld its end of the bargain.
He's the latest in the Vols' merry go-round of coaches who will get a chance to make that happen.
''We plan on getting this thing up to speed,'' said Pearl, who became Tennessee's sixth head coach in the last 16 years yesterday when he was officially introduced during a news conference at Thompson-Boling Arena.
''Everything is here to get to the NCAA Tournament on a regular basis and compete for championships, and I don't see any reason why we should have to wait. It's been a dream of mine to run a program like this.''
Pearl, who guided 12th-seeded Wisconsin-Milwaukee to the Sweet 16 two weeks ago, has won everywhere he has been.
He was 86-38 in four seasons at UMW and earned Horizon League Coach of the Year honors three of his four years.
While at Southern Indiana for nine seasons, Pearl won the Division II national championship in 1995 and finished second in 1994.
He was also an assistant at Iowa, Stanford and Boston College for 14 years under Dr. Tom Davis.
But this is Pearl's first head coaching shot at a big-time school from a power conference, and those who know him best said his hunger is off the charts.
''The guy has unbelievable energy,'' said Tony Jones, who will be Pearl's associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at Tennessee.
''The players are going to love him. He's dynamic. He's good with the press. He's going to be good with the students. We're going to be in the dormitories creating excitement and be wherever we need to be speaking.
''He's not going to be outworked. He's tedious in his preparation and is not going to let anybody in the SEC outwork him. His players are going to play hard for him, too. That's the key.''
Pearl, 45, received a five-year contract from Tennessee that will pay him $800,000 per year — $225,000 in base salary, $225,000 in equipment and apparel money, $250,000 in radio/TV commitments and $100,000 in endorsement and appearance money. That's not counting camps or bonuses. He made $275,000 last season in base salary at UWM.
The hefty raise was nice, Pearl conceded. But the chance to put Tennessee men's basketball on the same national stage with football and women's basketball was something he couldn't pass up.
''It doesn't matter what fiddle we play, whether it's third, fourth or fifth,'' said Pearl, who will attend the Lady Vols' game tonight in Philadelphia. ''People will judge us for what we are. If we're successful, then they will support us. If we're not, then they won't. It doesn't matter where we rank.''
Pearl pointed out that he had Marquette, Wisconsin and the Bucks, just to name a few, to deal with while he was in Milwaukee.
''I'm not sure, I might have been the sixth or seventh fiddle,'' Pearl said. ''When we were successful, people were excited about us and got behind us — and that is what will happen at Tennessee.''
Tennessee Athletics Director Mike Hamilton said Pearl was on his list even before the endorsement from Ernie Grunfeld, the former Tennessee All-American and current president of basketball operations for the Washington Wizards.
Grunfeld and Pearl became good friends when Grunfeld was in Milwaukee as the Bucks general manager.
Before leaving the country to go scouting a few weeks ago, Grunfeld called Pearl and quipped, ''By the way, if you can beat Alabama, it might help your chances to get the job.''
Sure enough, Wisconsin-Milwaukee upset Alabama and Boston College to reach the Sweet 16, and Hamilton's interest in Pearl only grew.
''I think basketball coaches can coach basketball,'' Hamilton said. ''There were so many signs that this guy could be successful given the lack of resources and what he accomplished in winning a national championship. Winning in Division II is not easy.''
Hamilton said there were several ''big names'' on the Vols' original list of names. One of those was Texas Tech's Bob Knight, although UT Associate Athletics Director John Currie said it was more ''mutual curiosity'' between the parties than anything.
Ultimately, Hamilton said the final four was narrowed to Alabama-Birmingham's Mike Anderson, Creighton's Dana Altman, Charlotte's Bobby Lutz and Pearl.
''There were some names there, but we never went to the final four with them,'' Hamilton said. ''We chose what we felt like was the best fit for our program right now.''
Hamilton said the Champ Search firm helped the Vols weed out coaches who had large buyouts or were possibly trying to use the Tennessee job to get a raise at their current school. Pearl's buyout at UW-Milwaukee was $194,000, which UT paid.
''I felt like going into the interview with him (on Friday) that he was going to be the leading candidate and the choice, but I needed to confirm that by physically sitting in front of him,'' Hamilton said. ''I think all four of the candidates interviewed could have come here and had success. I just think, ultimately, that Bruce was the total package that I was looking for.''
Despite Tennessee's lack of success in men's basketball the last 20 years, Hamilton said he didn't need to do much convincing.
''I told Bruce, 'Look, you can be a hero here. You can be an absolute, freaking hero,' '' Hamilton said. ''There's no doubt in my mind.''
Part of the Champ Search firm's role was conducting background checks, and Hamilton said he leaned heavily on former NCAA president Cedric Dempsey.
Pearl was involved in an incident 16 years ago as an assistant at Iowa where he taped a phone conversation with Deon Thomas concerning potential recruiting violations at Illinois.
The Fighting Illini were placed on two years of probation, and Pearl is still despised by Illinois fans for his role in those sanctions.
Hamilton said he thoroughly checked into the matter and said it was a non-factor in Pearl's hiring.
''It's one of those situations that is very similar to Phillip's (Fulmer's) situation, frankly, where a coach is trying to do what is right as it relates to a compliance issue and it's blown up pretty big,'' Hamilton said. n
''I talked with the NCAA. I talked with Cedric Dempsey. I talked with Bruce extensively about it. I talked to some other folks about it. I actually had a great comfort about it after I talked with him.''
It does mention Pat's most recent extension, though.