Posted by johnlg00 on April 4, 2008 at 11:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)

A key criterion for a Coach-of-the Year is that he did better than expected. By that measure, Davis deserved it. I'm sure that CBP is happy for the son of his friend and mentor. We and indeed the whole country knows what a great job CBP did this year, and the Rupp award shows that others recognize it, too. There are lots of awards out there these days for coaches and players and lots of deserving candidates, so it is good to spread them around.

Posted by HotlantaVol on April 4, 2008 at 11:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)

CBP is still number one in my book!! Go Vols!!

Posted by VOLS85 on April 4, 2008 at 11:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Great job coach, you've brought us from the ashes...stay and you'll be a legend

Posted by bowerst on April 4, 2008 at 11:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Coach Pearl got great mileage out of the talent he had during his first three seasons at UT. Lofton and Jujuan Smith will always be remembered as winners and for the tremendous effort they gave every day. But the talent that Pearl has coming in should allow Tennessee to continue climbing up the mountain into the company of elite programs at the very top.

Tyler Smith needs one more year under Pearl to achieve his NBA dreams. Bigger and better awards await the Vols, their coach and their fans.

Posted by pdhuff on April 4, 2008 at noon (Suggest removal)

Kudoes, BP.

Posted by murrayvol on April 4, 2008 at 12:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Can't argue with Davis as COY. He did a great job as did Ryan and "Pear" (paragraph 5) but I wouldn't swap Pearl for any coach in D-1.

Posted by wewhite on April 4, 2008 at 12:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)

It's hard to argue with Davis' accomplishments this year, but I would've liked to have seen Bruce in at No. 2. What the Coach of the Year award couldn't measure, however, is the effect that Bruce has had on Vol fans everywhere. Men's basketball is fun to watch now! Everybody loves a winner, and though Buzz and Jerry had their good teams, there wasn't that extra spark of excitement and execution in their play that Bruce's teams have had. No team pep talks by Michael Jordan could ever do that!

Besides, any coach that's willing to paint himself orange and act like a 23-year-old college student for an evening to support his university's women's athletic program is a No. 1 in my book. Sure, occasionally, we'll see Fulmer in the second row behind the bench of the Lady Vols, and sometimes he actually looks like he's interested in the game, but does he ever go half naked, painted orange, with a big white "O" on his chest? No. On second thought, let's not conjure up that imagery.

Posted by smokymtman on April 4, 2008 at 12:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Is his coaching deserving of the credit or is the fact that he had some really good players more deserving??????? The coaches at Xavier and Davidson certainly did better jobs than Pearl and got their teams closer to the final four.

Posted by bowerst on April 4, 2008 at 1:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Let's see smokymtman, aka legions of the miserable, Xavier and Davidson both had easier match-ups as low seeds than UT did as a 2 seed. Plus we beat Xavier at their place during the season.

The same talent we have used to beat Florida 5 out of 6 with Pearl coaching was there when Buzz couldn't make the NIT field.

Pearl is a great coach, and if you don't know that you either know nothing about basketball or you aren't paying attention.

Posted by THE_VOL on April 4, 2008 at 1:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)

So if I have all this voting stuff right - ALL the old retired farts love BP hence the Rupp award,,,the current media like him alot given his 3rd place finish...and the current coaches despise him without even an honorable mention.

Posted by bowerst on April 4, 2008 at 1:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)

The_Vol, I think you are partially correct. Coaches don't just not like him, they are terrified, b/c he is the prototype of what every program wants -- an unrelenting promotional spokesperson with top-notch basketball knowledge and motivational abilities that work even with today's 'seen-it-all, can't-impress-me' kids. See Brady, formerly at LSU and Frankenst… excuse me, I mean Stallings at Vandy for details.

Posted by jimr07 on April 4, 2008 at 3:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)

smkymtman--it is disappointing to see a post like yours. i take it you are memphis state fan. when i see someone like you post something like that.....i cringe. hope you can find that village somewhere that needs an idiot

Posted by Jshoop on April 4, 2008 at 4:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)

To even have a coach mentioned in a national vote is great. Third is very good. Three years ago, the Vols basketball program wasn't mention for anything. BP has put us on the map. Now it the time for a little polish to get over the 16 into the 8 group.

I think BP made some mistakes in the tourney changing point guards and not matching up better with Louisville during their run in the first half but I also think he would admit those mistakes and he will learn from them. I like the fact he openly says something didn't work. Most coaches don't do that. Go Vols and Coach Pearl.

Posted by General_Watermelon on April 4, 2008 at 5:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Bruce Bruce Bruce Bruce!!!!

Posted by txvolsfan on April 4, 2008 at 5:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)

nafslov, You are surly forgetting the Great Ray Mears, that man was a coach.
I love Coach Pearl, but you can never forget Coach Mears!!!
GO VOLS
TXVOLSFAN

Posted by jimr07 on April 4, 2008 at 5:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)

txvolsfan-- don't waste your breath on an idiot like nafslov. he is, too, is looking for a village that needs an idiot. he cannot get attention anywhere else but here so he comes on and trashes someone like Ray Mears. that way, people will actually notice and pay attention to him. i know his mother loves him, though.

Posted by jimr07 on April 4, 2008 at 6:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)

nafslov--can you say anything else besides bruce pearl is the only bb coach in tennessee history? you are so narrow minded in your posts. i do not thing there is a single reader of this blog that does not appreciate the great job he has done, frankly, i bet people on here are really tired of hearing that from you. may i call you an idiot one more time just so you will know what i think about you

Posted by TommyJack on April 4, 2008 at 6:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Jimr: Don't be too sure about that Mom thing.

Posted by jimr07 on April 4, 2008 at 7:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)

you did jerk by your very statement. the implicationn is clear. No one said Bruce Pearl was not a genius. whooaaa. sweet sixteen? tell me the score of the genius. Hey Bruce Pearl is a great coach and we are lucky to have him. Yes, you bash Ray Mears by making the statement that Bruce Pearl is the only basketball coach tennessee ever had.

Posted by jimr07 on April 4, 2008 at 7:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)

and, by the way while you are at it, i do not recall Bruce Pearl taking us to the final four either. unless i have missed something. what was the score of the game in the elite 8? hmm didn't make that one either. not too good for a genius. and remind me of the score in the sweet sixteen. was that the score of a genius?

Posted by jimr07 on April 4, 2008 at 7:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)

nafslov--i don't need to watch film of Ray Mears team as i actually was able to watch up close and personal. i am sure there are other guys on here that saw his teams in action. i guarantee you this, Ray Mears did more with little talent. He was able to get one good player a year and built a team around that player. he was able to take an awkward, overweight guy like Tom Boerwinkle and develop him well enoght that Tom plaed in the NBA. so far, i do not know a player in the NBA coached by Bruce Pearl. I agree that he is an outstanding coach. it is a shame that no one pays you much attention and you have to come on here and makes comments about so people will actually pat attention to you. sad. do both of your friends feel the same way about Ray Mears?

Posted by jimr07 on April 4, 2008 at 8:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)

nsfslov-you also have to remember that both coaches coached a different style of basketball. Mears knew with the talent he had that he could not run and gun. He played a slow deliberate style of offense and stressed playing defense. Bruce Pearl on the other hand, has the talent to run with anyone. I have never said that Ray Mears was a better coach. My objection is your saying Bruce Pearl is the only coach tennessee ever had. that is deragatory to a great man and an outstanding coach that actually brought basketball in tennessee that we had never experienced. Bruce Pearl is a genius, sir, compared to Wade Houston. Not Ray Mears

Posted by dcvolfan98 on April 5, 2008 at 8:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I'm sorry to say that Billy Gillespie didn't get any votes for COY. I guess that great turnaround for his Cats didn't resonate with the national media like it did for SEC coaches.

Congrats on a great year Coach Pearl and the basketball team. I'm still in awe of a team that won 31 games in a single year. (I think it took four years to do that when I was in school.) Let's get 'em next year!!

Posted by iowavol on April 5, 2008 at 9:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Can't wait to see what CBP can do with his new recruits. Sure hope Chism's draft report says he needs another year.

Posted by THE_VOL on April 5, 2008 at 10:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Here's a HYPOTHETICAL QUESTION FOR ALL -

What will your reaction be at this time next year IF the Vols go 29-7, finish 2nd in the East, lose in the semi's of the SEC tourney, and lose again in the Sweet 16 round of the dance?????

Just curious.

Posted by jimr07 on April 5, 2008 at 10:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)

THE_VOL-- man you are just as negative discussing basketball as your eternal optimism is for football

Posted by johnlg00 on April 5, 2008 at 11:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)

THE_VOL, considering that 29-7 would be one of the top two or three season records in school history, I would probably consider it a very good if not great season, much as I felt about this year. If the past few years are any guide, that record would include victories over several nationally-ranked teams. There are far too many variables over the course of a season to evaluate it in advance against an arbitrary number. As we saw this year, seeding is everything in the NCAAs. We can't know in advance if any key players get hurt or flunk out or something. Just as we were this year, many of us would be disappointed that the team didn't go further, but most of us would still be supportive. Of course, if we went 20-16, that might change(;-P)!

Posted by rpoll1095 on April 5, 2008 at 12:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)

CONGRATULATIONS TO BRUCE PEARL AND THE ENTIRE VOL TEAM!! Coach Pearl certainly deserves to be mentioned in the company of all the great coaches this year. I am somewhat surprised the Davidson Coach did not place a little higher. That team was a super team to watch play. Except for the Vols, they were my favorite team in the tournament.

Posted by OwensboroVol on April 5, 2008 at 3:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)

A well deserved award. He did a fantastic job of putting together a unit with high individual talent. A lesser coach could have let the situation slip into an ego bout between the players. That said, I am deeply disappointed We didn't go further in the tournament. I always questioned if we could reach the final 4. That is like winning the NC in football. You must be very lucky not to incur any injuries or other problems which affect all the things you must achieve to be a championship team. You also must win games against lower opponents where you play worse than your opponent. I did think the elite 8 was very possible and probably should have been achieved. Tennessee appeared to have peaked in the Memphis game. The people who selected the teams and seeded them ignored what many would consider an impossible win on a very hostile floor. I think everyone will agree that there was numerous teams in the east regional who were under seeded. I don't hesitate to say that UT deserved a No. 1 seed. A lot of the experts agreed with that. I am looking forward to next year in a way which is usually reserved for Football season. I believe next years team may be more talented than this year.

Posted by VOLS85 on April 5, 2008 at 4:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)

THE_VOL, still waiting on a positive comment about tennessee athletics...is that going to come sometime in the near future? nah, probably not

Posted by rockytopron on April 7, 2008 at 1:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Pearl should have won that award.

Posted by Colliervol on April 10, 2008 at 10:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Frankly jimr, given some of nafslov's prior gems of wisdom and his normal logic, I'm surprised he didn't say that Wade Houston was the only decent coach we've ever had. Maybe Coach Pearl's tan has him fooled.

Side note: The Atlanta Tip-Off Club gave their Naismith Coach of the Year award to Calipari. I have to assume that vote was taken before the last 10 seconds of the championship game.