Steven Pearl had all kinds of success on the basketball court at Nicolet High School in Milwaukee, Wis.

There, the 6-foot-5, 210-pound Pearl helped win three conference championships.

But when his father accepted the University of Tennessee men's basketball coaching job last March after leading WisconsinMilwaukee to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament, Pearl's life changed.

He became the new kid at West High School. He became the new wing on the boys' basketball team, which finished the 2004-05 season with a 3-24 record.

Still, West appealed to him, when he could have attended other schools with more-storied basketball programs.

"I could have gone to Bearden, Catholic, Webb or West," he said. "(But) I didn't have very good experiences with private schools back in Milwaukee. (So) I really didn't give Catholic or Webb a chance. I heard Bearden had a really good team, and I heard West had a really struggling team last year.

"I went to one open gym at West, and I met Coach (Gary) Petko and all the guys. And I was like, 'I want to go here,' because I liked all the guys right away."

Pearl also saw potential in the West players.

"I played with them over the summer," Pearl said. "I knew they had talent. I thought with this talent, and adding me and a couple of other guys, I thought we could really turn it around and do something special."

After a 6-9 start to Pearl's senior season, that "something special" happened.

West (13-10, 6-5 in District 3-AAA) started winning.

"At the beginning of the season, we had a couple of new guys come in -- me and Valentin (Zaharie) from Austin-East," said Pearl, who's averaging 21 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. "I think we're starting to understand each other's game a lot more than we did at the start of the year, and we're putting our problems aside and playing as a team."

But before the Rebels roll into the postseason, Pearl must answer these 10 questions:

1. Can you describe what your first day of school was like at West? Did it take long for people to realize who you were?

It didn't take long, because they had all heard that I was coming to the school. People were looking at me and going, "That's the Pearl kid." I had already met some of my friends (during the summer), so I walked around with them. ... It was weird, because in my classes I didn't have any of my friends. So, I had to meet all new people.

2. Now that you've been down here a while, what are some of the differences between Knoxville and Milwaukee?

The girls. That was a big difference, I thought.

How are they different?

Oh gosh. They're much better looking, and they're a lot nicer. They're easier to get along with.

3. What was it like for you seeing your dad's team do so well in the NCAA tournament last season?

I went to all three of the games, and it was just awesome. I missed a lot of school, but it was well worth it. Just going to every game and seeing how they were the smaller team -- the mid-major team -- that was beating all the big schools like Alabama and Boston College, it was something to see. It showed that anybody can play with anybody. ... It was a good experience to see how his players played, and how my dad and his coaching staff developed game plans and won.

4. How did you find out the UT-Kentucky score? You were playing a game at the same time.

I saw most of the first half in the locker room, during the girls' game. During the guys' game, one of the dads from the girls' team was listening on the radio. I would look up every so often, and he would tell me the score with his fingers. I was keeping track. There were four minutes left in our game, and I looked up at Pat Ryan and the girl's dad and they gave me thumbs up that we had won it. So, that's how I kept track of it. And, they kept announcing it over the speakers, how UT was doing.

5. What about your dad's orange coat? You like that?

Oh gosh. ... Oh man. ... It's a sight to see. It's bright.

Where does one find something like that?

I have no idea. I came home one day, and it was in his closet. I was like, "What the heck is that?"

6. Did you ever play any other sports besides basketball?

I played football this year. Then I fractured my ankle. That probably wasn't a very good decision. It was a good way to meet a bunch of people. And, I used to play baseball and football when I was younger. But during high school, it's been mainly basketball.

Wait a minute. You played football casually or for West High School this year?

For West's team. Some of my best friends played football. When I first got here, the guys I met all played football, and they convinced me to do it. It helped my strength and my quickness, but then I fractured my ankle (before the season began) and I had to do rehab for a while.

7. Your younger brother Michael, do you ever play him one-on-one?

Oh yeah. When we go to UT, I always play one-on-one with him. I let him score a couple of buckets, but then I'll throw his stuff into the fifth row just to make sure he knows who he's playing.

(Note: Michael Pearl is 10 years old.)

8. Your older sister Jacqui sang the national anthem at the Big Orange TipOff Club a few weeks back. Will you be making a singing appearance there any soon?

(Laughs). No, they haven't asked me yet.

How come?

They don't want me to show up Jacqui. (Laughs).

9. Is the plan to play for Tennessee or do you want to go elsewhere?

I don't know. I'm keeping my options open. I mean, walking on at UT is definitely an option. But, I'm going to play a couple of tournaments in the spring with my old AAU team. And, I'm going to go to some showcases in the summer, like one in Las Vegas, to see if I can get my recruiting up. But Tennessee is always an option.

10. When you get done playing basketball, is there something you're aspiring to be?

I told my dad that I want to be a coach, and he told me, "You don't want to do that." He's always wanted me to be a doctor or something. But I told him, "I wanted to be a coach. I want to be your assistant coach." I've been around basketball my whole life, and I don't want to change that anytime soon. Being a coach would be one of the best jobs in the world, because you get to do something you love.