Is there any limit to what new Tennessee men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl can do? Vol fans are getting ready to find out.

In only his first season as on the Big Orange bench, Pearl has wins at Texas, Kentucky and a season sweep of Florida. Pretty impressive for a coach who comes across as a regular guy. I mean, come on, who else can sweat through his suit on national television and then joke about it.

After waiting in the rain, I too found myself wearing a soaking-wet light-gray suit. Pearl found it amusing, appreciated my hard work and then proceeded to say he has to be smarter and shy away from wearing light-colored suits on the bench.

But then again, it's that type of candid approach to basketball and life which has Pearl winning over the fans. While waiting at the airport early Thursday morning for the team to return from Gainesville, I encountered an employee who shared his thoughts with me about the game, but was more interested in telling me about a recent encounter with the coach and how Pearl took the time to speak with him.

Success is built one fan and one game at a time, and so far the coach is building on that philosophy in Knoxville. This is his 13th 20-win season in his last 14 years as a head coach.

You get the feeling there's more to come for a coach whose ability to sweat the little things has already paid off in a big way.

Rick Russo is sports director for WVLT Volunteer TV Sports Overtime. Read his blog on govolsxtra.com.