Strange: Pearl's way indicates longer way back for Vols

Tyler Smith wants out of the national letter of intent he signed with the Vols last November.

The most high profile signee of the Buzz Peterson era took a stance Tuesday:

No Buzz, no Chuck Benson, no thanks. He'll even go to a prep school rather than play in Knoxville.

So Peterson's successor, Bruce Pearl, has a tougher rebuilding job on his hands, in the short run at the least.

Possibly, the long run as well. But name the last UT coach to have a long run?

It would be unfair, ridiculous even, to condemn the Bruce Pearl Era to failure based on his inability to keep Smith on board.

Even though losing Smith seemed avoidable, it doesn't mean UT has made the wrong hire in Pearl.

What it does mean is that Pearl has made it harder on himself -- and even with Smith it was no easy mission he faces.

Had Pearl retained Benson, an assistant coach from Peterson's staff, Smith would likely have gotten past the disappointment of Peterson's ouster and honored his letter.

Billy Smith, Tyler's dad, said Tuesday that Pearl giving Benson the boot wasn't a deal-breaker. Yet the family clearly preferred that Benson be around.

Benson had developed close ties to the family before either was affiliated with UT. Furthermore, keeping an assistant from the prior staff has been calming in the past.

Dean Lockwood stayed over from Don DeVoe to Wade Houston. Michael Hunt stayed over from Kevin O'Neill to Jerry Green at least long enough to help re-recruit Tony Harris.

Chris Ferguson bridged the transition from Green to Peterson.

Through all the disruptions of the past 16 years, the Vols never lost a November signee. Until now.

Harris wavered for nearly two months in 1997, but stayed on. Elgrace Wilborn wanted out in 2001, but came when Peterson wouldn't release him.

Had Pearl retained Benson, the hunch here is he keeps Smith. Perhaps, he even hits the daily double and gets Jamont Gordon, the former Glencliff standout who signed with Mississippi State.

Gordon, though, was a double maybe. Maybe he picks UT. Maybe he qualifies. Smith was a bird in the hand, a big one.

For whatever reasons, Pearl chose not to keep Benson. In doing so, Pearl surely weighed Benson's link to Smith, and his link, through his father Charlie Benson, to the state's best AAU program this side of Memphis.

It is no less than Pearl's duty to select the aides that best fit his vision for Tennessee basketball. For now, UT fans must accept that his track record at Southern Indiana and Wisconsin-Milwaukee indicates he knows how to assemble a staff.

Pearl chose Tony Jones and Scott Edgar for his lead recruiters. He obviously believes they will help attract the kind of talent to get the Vols to the Sweet 16, just as Pearl did with Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

However, they start their new jobs in damage-control mode.

Smith's change of heart will likely send ripples through the state's bumper crop of juniors. Smith was perceived as a beacon to attract top talent to Knoxville. If this gets ugly, he could become a red flag to detour it.

About this time last year, I told a media pal that I'd bet neither Smith nor Gordon ever played a minute in a Tennessee uniform.

I didn't have any inside knowledge that they wouldn't. It was just a jaded comment based on having watched UT basketball too often zero in on the worst-case scenario.

Now it appears the cynical prophesy will come true.

But we shouldn't be so cynical as to assume Pearl is already leading the Vols down another road to nowhere.

He's merely chosen his course.

If it starts off uphill, should we expect any less from Tennessee basketball?