Playing on dad's team gives Steven Pearl bumps, bruises and plenty of satisfaction

Tennessee men's basketball walk-on Steven Pearl has probably lost count of how many times he has hit the floor over the past 2 1/2 seasons.

Maybe 800 or 900? Perhaps a drawn charge, a hard foul committed or a rebound for every field goal he has attempted?

Pearl's role with the Vols has certainly not been glorious, but it has been the path to take as the coach's son on an ultra-talented team.

"Last year I played mostly foul trouble minutes, because we were thin on the front line,'' said Pearl, who saw action in 19 games. "I'd get in, get a couple of rebounds, take charges and make hard fouls.

"This year my goal is to get into the rotation.''

A recent slew of injuries gives Pearl the opportunity to do just that when the Vols play host to Indianapolis at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Thompson-Boling Arena in their exhibition opener.

Bruce Pearl, UT's head coach and Steven's father, said his son was on the verge of cracking the rotation, anyway.

"Steven is absolutely competing to be in the regular rotation,'' Bruce Pearl said, two days before announcing that wing J.P. Prince will be out 3-to-5 weeks with a shoulder injury.

"Steven gives me great flexibility; he can play a number of positions, and I can count on him,'' Bruce Pearl said. "I know what I'll get: great defense, rebounding and hustle plays.

"But I think the best thing Steven has done is become one of our hardest workers and earn the respect of his teammates.''

Steven Pearl has done that twice. He came in with a recruiting class of Wayne Chism, Duke Crews, Ramar Smith, Josh Tabb and Marques Johnson.

Crews and Smith were talking during last year's European trip about how "Little Pearl would hit that shot from the corner,'' in the younger AAU ranks.

But now, most of that recruiting class is gone, and Pearl has had to prove his worth to a mostly new group of teammates.

He does it every day by playing against the player voted best in the SEC - Tyler Smith.

"Maaaan, he's a pain,'' Smith said with a laugh. "He's been guarding me since I got here, and it has definitely made me a better player.

"I've had to get better protecting the ball, because he's good at stripping it, and I've had to get better on my drives because I know he'll take the charge.''

Smith said Steven Pearl is "a lot like playing against Dane Bradshaw because he's smart, works hard and is a great defender.''

Though not recruited heavily out of West High School, Steven Pearl knows he could start at a lot of mid-major schools right now. Perhaps if his father were still at Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he'd be such a starter in the Horizon League.

But, Steven Pearl said, that's not what it's all about.

"It's about winning games, and I take it as a challenge to compete for my minutes here,'' he said. "I realize I wouldn't have gotten this much better playing at a mid-major school. Here, I've gotten to play against great players like Dane Bradshaw and Tyler Smith, every day.''

And Steven Pearl has made good use of the weight room at UT, bulking up from 6-foot-4, 195 pounds to 6-5, 230 over the past three years.

"That time spent in the weight room, and the fact that he played football, he's a tough kid,'' Bruce Pearl said. "When you go against Tyler, or Wayne, if you're not strong and tough, they will eat your lunch.''

Bruce Pearl said he's proud of his eldest son for far more than his improvements and achievements on the basketball court.

"We're in this together, and I'm blessed and fortunate to go to work and have my son there,'' Bruce Pearl said. " Steven has helped me recruit players at his position that were much better prospects than he dreamed of being.

"We feel like we've done this together. We've got history, and we've got these great experiences together.''

The Pearls will have another experience at the USA's 18th World Maccabi Games in Israel.

Pearl will serve as Team USA's head coach for the Jewish games, which take place July 13-23. Steven has been a standout in the workouts.

"Growing up I knew my dad was a good coach, but I didn't realize how great until these past few years,'' Steven Pearl said. "This (Tennessee experience) has been what I thought it would be and more.''

Floor burns, bruises and all.