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It sounds odd to say that former Tennessee men's basketball player Aaron Green is improving his coaching resume this year by not coaching, but that exactly what he's doing.

"I guess you could say this move was a career move," Green said.

The move he made was from the sidelines at Cleveland High School, as head coach, to a spot behind the bench as a graduate assistant for the Vols.

"I told (coach) Bruce Pearl, before he ever coached a game at UT, that I wanted to be on his staff," said Green. "I wouldn't say that I'm a 'bandwagon guy,' jumping on after the program started to see national success. My goal has always been to be a college coach. So, when I saw the opportunity to get in the door at UT, I jumped at it."

The difference for Green is not being able to coach. If you watch a Tennessee game, you'll see Green sitting right behind Pearl. He's not allowed to coach, much less give any input at all. But, what he is allowed to do is watch and learn. Green says that watching and learning will help him when he does coach again.

"I've learned so many things from Coach Pearl," Green said. "I think his relationship with his players is what's had the biggest impact on me. Most coaches in college basketball right now don't care as much about their players as Coach Pearl does. I know that I never had a coach that cared about me like he does about the guys on this team."

For Green, a big reason for the move from high school to college was a change in career path.

"I loved my seven years at Cleveland, but my goal is to be a college head coach," said Green. "I knew that if I wanted to be a college coach, I had to make the move from high school to college, even if that meant taking a huge cut in pay."

With a wife and family, the move was a gamble to say the least.

"I'm lucky that my wife was a college basketball player at Vanderbilt and is an educator herself," Green said. "So, she understands what this move is all about. She sees what the future can hold by making this move.

"I won't rule out ever coaching high school again, but my plan is to make the move to the college level."

The most difficult thing for Green is to keep his mouth shut when it's crunch time and Pearl is just a few feet away from him on the court.

"I'd love to put my two-cents worth into the huddle and talk strategy," said Green. "That time will come again. But, you can't realize how valuable this experience has already been for me. This program is rolling right now. To be a part of what's going on, in any capacity, is exciting.

"People probably wonder what I'm doing, if I can't assist with the coaching. I tell them that I'm essentially in an administrative position. There's so much to learn about how to walk in Coach Pearl's shoes. It's a lot more than just X's and O's to being a successful head coach at this level.

"I hope to be a member of his staff someday. It would be a dream come true. I'll say this, being any kind of a part of Bruce Pearl's staff right now is a real good thing. His name carries a lot of weight in the college basketball world. There are a lot worse places to be.

"Sometimes in our careers we have to take one step back, over, then start stepping forward again. That's kind of what I'm doing right now. I was a head coach on the high school level. But, I stepped back to a graduate assistant to allow me the opportunity to take many steps forward on the college level. I'm just trying to enjoy every step of the way."

Mark Packer hosts the Locker Room, presented by Parkwest Medical Center, on Sunday at 10 p.m. on MyVLT2.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.