The basketball season ended in March. This season’s recruiting was wrapped up in April.

Finally — after a whirlwind, wildly successful first season as Tennessee’s head coach — Bruce Pearl could take it easy.

Sure he could.

It’s as though his idea of relaxation is a deep breath. Just one. There’s not time for two.

If you think May is a down month for Pearl, you don’t know his schedule. I was curious enough to ask. That was a mistake. Just hearing it wore me out.

Remember, he still has a basketball program to manage. This is all extra.

A week ago, he and a few of his players did a fundraiser at Powell Park. Then he was off to Rockwood for another fundraiser, this one for St. Jude’s hospital.

It was a golf outing. But don’t get the wrong idea. Pearl didn’t actually play golf. He’s too busy signing autographs, shaking hands and making new friends.

"We raised a ton of money," he said.

And he finished just in time to make the second game of a UT baseball doubleheader.

He spoke at West High School’s baccalaureate Sunday morning. That night, he addressed a group of community leaders at a United Way gathering at Blackberry Farm. The following night, he attended a Boys & Girls Club fundraiser in Morristown. The next morning, he had breakfast with the Oak Ridge Rotary Club.

As he recounts his schedule, he interjects enough commentary to indicate what might sound like a grind isn’t a grind to him.

"They raised $70,000 (for the Boys & Girls Club)," he said proudly.

And the next morning’s Rotary Club meeting in Oak Ridge wasn’t just another breakfast. The food was so good, Pearl said, "I might go back to that breakfast."

Kendall Phillips, Pearl’s administrative assistant, frowns on repeat engagements. So does UT public relations director Tiffany Carpenter. They do their best to lighten the coach’s load.

"I have a hard time saying no," Pearl said. "Kendall and my wife try to get me to say ‘no’ more."

Now, he has no choice. His "off-season" season schedule has reached the saturation point.

"I can’t take anything else on," he says.

Phillips understands that better than anyone. All the requests go through her.

"The minute the season was over, everyone wanted him," Phillips said. "Cub Scouts, Garden Clubs, schools. It was amazing."

Not all of the requests were in-state — or in-country.

A man who identified himself as a "big-time fan of Coach Pearl’s" wondered if Pearl would mind speaking to his community group. His community group was in Canada.

Carpenter remembers where it started. She first heard Pearl speak on UT’s goodwill caravan in the spring of 2005, shortly after he was hired.

"That was in Memphis," she said. "They just fell in love with him. I knew he was golden."

Pearl’s reputation as a speaker spread quickly — long before he won his first game, led UT to the NCAA tournament and was named national coach of the year.

"The demand has been incredible," Carpenter said. "I’ve never seen anything like it.

"When he first got to town, I was working on trying to get him out in the community. We were calling them. Then, all of a sudden, people were flooding our phone lines."

Phillips will clear her Pearl-related phone messages in the morning, go to class, then recheck her phone at the end of the day. It’s sometimes full with another 20 messages.

Eventually, Pearl will see all the requests.

"Coach Pearl wants to see everything," Phillips said. "Even from the little clubs."

He was scheduled for the Chattanooga Rotary Club on Thursday and back here that evening for a child-advocacy meeting. Friday’s itinerary included a Gatlinburg-Pittman High School graduation in the morning and a YMCA event that afternoon.

The rest of the month isn’t much different. There’s a breakfast somewhere and a luncheon somewhere else almost every day. He’s booked up through the last weekend of the month, which he will spend with his family in Sandestin, Fla., before the SEC meetings.

But he doesn’t regret the off-season schedule.

"Every time I go do these things, I’ll call Kendall or Kim (his wife) and say, ‘I’m glad I went. Those people really appreciated it.’ "

Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knews.com.