MEMPHIS - Cause: John Calipari goes from Memphis to Kentucky as basketball coach, Tennessee's Bruce Pearl is rumored at the top of the Memphis shopping list.
Effect: Pearl gets a renegotiated six-year deal, with thickened wallets for him and his staff.
Conclusion: "I called Cal a couple of weeks after it happened and said, 'Listen, me and my staff just want to thank you because you helped us get a nice raise', " said Pearl, who was in Memphis on Tuesday along with new Vols football coach Lane Kiffin as part of the annual Big Orange Caravan spring tour stop at the Hilton.
Ironically, Pearl said no one involved from the University of Memphis in charge of the coaching search contacted him directly or indirectly through his agent.
But what if they would have? Would he have entered into contract negotiations on the vacancy that eventually went to Josh Pastner on April 6?
"I would not, out of respect for Tennessee," Pearl said. "That just wasn't an option for me. Memphis is a rival, a competitor, a team on our schedule.
"I think everybody knew what could have been, but I think we (Pearl and Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton working on a contract extension) moved as quickly as possible so it never was."
Until the Calipari-Kentucky situation exploded, Pearl wasn't going to get an extension or raise, since he just got one last July.
And though the Vols went 21-13 this past season and shared the SEC's Eastern Division title for the third time in four seasons under Pearl with another NCAA tournament bid, by all accounts his team underachieved.
It was the preseason favorite to win the league, but sort of flopped around most of the year, because it didn't have dynamic floor leader at point guard, and almost zero outside shooting.
It wasn't until the last couple of weeks of the season when the Vols began playing up-tempo and freshman Scotty Hopson provided some outside firepower.
The Vols managed to get to the finals of the SEC tournament, but lost to Mississippi State.
Then, they lost to Oklahoma State in the first round of the NCAA tourney.
Pearl hopes his incoming recruits will steady his backcourt problems, especially junior college point guard Melvin Goins, who started two years ago at Ball State as a freshman.
The Vols also could receive a boost if All-SEC forward Tyler Smith comes back for his senior season. Smith has entered the NBA draft, but didn't sign with an agent, leaving him an opening to return to Knoxville.
"The decision to make him eligible and get evaluated is a no-brainer," Pearl said. "If he's able to move into the first round, then he should leave. If he's not and he doesn't want to go to Europe, then he should stay."
Kiffin On the Road: After his first spring football practices in Knoxville, Kiffin and his staff have been busy recruiting. His staff has been at high schools, watching practice and evaluating prospects.
Kiffin has had some of his assistants use a small handheld camera to record prospects practicing, just to get some film to evaluate.
"We're always going to find the best ways to do things," Kiffin said. "Everything we can to get better, we figure out a way to do it. I think we operate on the highest level on recruiting evaluation."
Ron Higgins is a sports writer for the Commercial Appeal in Memphis.
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Comments » 79
DirtyVolsack writes:
Any one with a brain would know he WAS NOT going to leave for Tiger High
DirtyVolsack writes:
Oh and one more thing....FIRST. Haha couldn't help my self brothers. So go ahead and get all angry at me now.
cobbwebb writes:
speaking of, has anyone heard from our memphis friends lately? didnt think so!
VAvolfanRON writes:
is this article like a month late?
Slystone writes:
I still think somebody is lying. What is interesting is that the article stated this "Ironically, Pearl said no one involved from the University of Memphis in charge of the coaching search contacted him directly or indirectly through his agent." Perhaps the Media wanted him, I still think the truth is untold here. It's history now. What will be interesting is can Pearl covet that elusive prize recruit out of Memphis. 2010 has several recruits coming out in Joe Jackson, Tarik Black, Chris Crawford and others. All of which have UT on their list.
tweetdriver63#346474 writes:
UT should always be on the list of any athlete in Tennessee. Let's face it, all the others have their little enclaves, but Tennessee sports IS UT. They don't call us the Knoxville Vols, do they. That's the same reason the Titans chose to be the Tennessee Titans and not the Nashville Titans.
AppStVol writes:
Im actually pissed that Bruce would even check in with that sleaz bag. We all know that Calaparri is a thug. I hope he never gets any of Tennessee, we will own his sleazy wanna be coaching azz.
teampenny#658108 writes:
The truth is if Memphis did not need a coach Bruce would not got the pay increase. Pay increase and more wins do not always go hand and hand. Phil got a nice pay upgrade and was fired the next year. All in all we put a lot of money in coaches salaries and do not have the championships other SEC schools have. All sports trophy forget about it! Go Vols
ravensearay writes:
Correctomundo..............
give_him_6 writes:
Hmmm, now that you mention it, it has been suspeciously quiet. LOL!!!
eefor10c writes:
Pearl played Hamilton like a banjo. Won 61% of his games and gets a big raise and extension.
Volumni writes:
I also think the Phone Call never happened. Story sounds better this way.
daved writes:
I said it before big time money comes with winning big time it was wrong too bragg Pearl you should have kept your conversation with Cal to yourself..
wlvol writes:
This shows how STUPID Hamilton is and how ARROGANT pearl is. Why was not going to Memphis an option but pearl gets a raise? Pearl HASN'T DONE ANYTHING lately. Pearl is lucky fans don't treat him like fulmer was treated. He DOESN"T win in postseason when it MATTERS. UT fans are soooo damn dumb when it comes to coaches. I bet if lane wins SIX games you sheep will cry out "raise for him" so he doesn't leave.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
P.T. Barnum would be proud.
HtownVol writes:
I hate it when people like you talk phooey about Pearl. Where would we be without him? We wouldnt have been in the tourny 4 years in a row! The man has saved UT basketball. He will continue to raise expectations at UT. And people like you hold it against him. We tied for 1st in the east and made it to the SEC championship game. Thank You Bruce Pearl!!! 99% of the real UT fans support you, and we are happy to have one of the BEST coaches in the country!
VolDog25 writes:
If kids don't graduate do there professors get raises?
IdahoVol writes:
I guess by "hasn't done anything lately" you mean didn't win a championship? True, the team struggled some this year. But the team was very young and didn't pick up on Pearl's pressing style. Oh, and they were still competing for the conference championship - something we didn't do very often before Pearl.
Pearl has only been here four years, and I think most fans are extremely pleased with the overall body of work. My guess is, next year's team will be back to the Sweet 16 or better, and I'll take that.
VolDog25 writes:
Pearl deserved this raise for one reason and one reason only. He brought excitement back to UT basketball. I am not like the rest of the VOL fans who think Pearl is a great coach. Just the opposite actually, I think he is a subpar coach that gets little out of his players. I watched Chris Lofton bomb away impossible 3's to keep the Vols in games. Now Lofton is gone and so are those big wins.
Rip away Vol fans.
VolDog25 writes:
Honestly you should be worrying about what is happening in gator land!
daved writes:
If Kif wins six games it would be a improvement form last season. We understand Pearl not done much yet but he's getting his fair chance, I hope Pearl understand this is his chance to coach big time D1 ball if he can't win big time it's back too the minor..
daved writes:
funny
LifetimeVolFan98 writes:
You may be a gator fan, but I'm still laughing at that comment - too funny....
Ironcity writes:
I hope you are judged on your last days work everyday. Your statement really shows how ignorant you are. If coach Pearl had done poorly over the last 3 years then I would be concerned. If coach Pearl and the Vols had not made the NCAA's, I would say it he didn't have a good year.
Your expectation is that UT should be where it has never been every year. You think because coach Pearl is the 25th highest paid coach in the country that we should be a top 5 program every year. If this is all you can contribute to this forum, save your time and ours.
crappieking writes:
Hey Hire, don't worry. There is no "us" when it pertains to you. You are certainly not a Vol fan, you miserable KY fan imbred.
TommyJack writes:
Call him sleezbag, scumbag, whatever. But the reality is, Calipari will do a stellar job at KY. Sad but true.
VolMoment writes:
How stupid you are, boy. Mike Hamilton is running a big business. UT basketball is competitive, I guess you think Duke should fire Coach K. This is not middle school basketball, I love to win as much as anybody, Pearl gives us that chance and we haven't had that since Coach Ray Mears and Coach Don DeVoe (before they put the shot clock in on Devoe). Wake up and enjoy what we have. Keep sacking those groceries.
eldee writes:
You're an idiot! Do you remember his first year here? He inherited a team that lost something like 3 starters and 60% of the scoring from a 14-16 team and won 22 games with them. Last year Lofton's production was way down from his sophomore and junior years and yet a school record for wins was set along with a 1st ever #1 ranking. If Pearl has a downfall it will be due to recruiting deficiencies and not coaching ability.
VolDog25 writes:
What has Pearl done with his players? Nothing. The team underavhieved miserably this year. Recruiting is the only thing keeping this program on the upkeep. Pearls coaching is atrocious!
Did you not watch the games this year? How does a kid from Kentucky go for 54 against us? How does this team lose to a Kentucky team that was in total turmoil? So before you call someone an idiot take off those bright orange glasses and face the truth.
If you would watch the games with an open mind you would realize that the players were out of position all the time. That is the coaches fault. It does not matter how much talent is on the floor. If the players are not put in a position to win then it all boils down to coaching. This team did not improve at all this year. Again it all falls on the shoulders of the coach.
Voluvr writes:
Hamilton split the difference to keep Pearl. Ham protected his job by keeping him but he didn't give away the farm to keep him. I'd say Ham did a good job to keep a coach that has brought Tennessee out of the cellar.
Now as not every player that Calimari tried to recruit to Kentucky before he announced his graduation from Tiger High, he's actually going to have to work to get players. Kentucky will join Florida as just scrimmage for Pearl.
chargervol writes:
The baby blue boys team have lost alot of firepower this year. Your team could actually be the third best team in your state this year. Just saying. GO VOLS!!!
OrangeMan_86 writes:
So troll, aka TarNuts. You feel Kentucky is better than Tennessee for destroying them twice and will do it again? You do realize Calipari's style plays into Pearls hands unlike Billy G's. Memphis had a far better team than Kentucky when Pearl beat #1 Memphis in Memphis. They ended a 47 game home winning streak. Calipari brings his style and players to Kentucky and suddenly because the names on the jerseys change, Kentucky is better? The sad thing is Kentucky played the #64 SOS compared to Tennessee's #2 SOS, had a two game advantage on Tennessee by sweeping them and still finished below Tennessee for the fourth year in a row. Kentucky(Billy G) may have been better than Tennessee head to head but you're stupid if you believe they were better overall. If you do in fact believe they were better than Tennessee last year then you believe Tennessee was better than back to back National Champions Florida right? Tennessee was 3-1 vs. those two teams. If I'm Florida I'll take losing to Tennessee and winning championships. If I'm Tennessee I'll take losing to Kentucky and finishing ahead of them/making the tournament. But what do I know...
CheckerboardPhilosopher writes:
Check out this hilarious fark of Kiffin one of our 3sib guys did for this Pearl blog.'
http://www.3sib.com/2009/04/29/pearl-...
PaulTheVol writes:
Don't be so naive - Pearl said that no one contacted him or his agent either directly or indirectly. That still leaves a lot of people who could have been contacted by Memphis or some other school. Hamilton didn't throw money at Pearl because he likes it, he gave Pearl a new contract because he knew there was interest and he did what he needed to do. It wasn't a matter of whether Pearl deserved the money, it was a matter of whether UT wanted to keep him.
As for Kentucky "owning" us, Calipari was already attracting elite talent and had a top 5 program at Memphis and we had success against them. He can't do much better than that at Kentucky, what's he going to do - recruit from the NBA? There is a big difference between playing SMU and Tulsa back-to-back on the road and playing Florida and Tennessee back-to-back on the road. We'll see how things work out.
Those cameras the coaches are using - Coach O used those 3 years ago at Ole Miss. It really helped them in evaluating which juniors to offer early.
tennezz writes:
No, this shows how stupid you are! Under Pearl, we have won the SEC Championship, we have been to the NCAA playoffs every year! He has upgraded our recruiting and our basketball facilites and we even won 21 games in an off year! If you want to see who is dumb go look in the mirror!
daved writes:
I think your Pearls Ex. you sound like a person looking for revenge..
CrankE writes:
AMEN! Pearl says of going to Memphis, "I would not, out of respect for Tennessee." But not enough respect apparently to share that sentiment with UT before getting a raise. Nor enough respect to tell UT them no one from Memphis actually called.
I'll respect you in the morning. Pearl will do some more great things at UT, but I think it's safe to say that the honeymoon is over.
OrangeMan_86 writes:
I know you're a Florida or Kentucky fan so this will be my last response to you gatorz/dc/f***ing loser. If Tennessee is a nobody in basketbal then why are you here? You care enough about Tennessee to sit in your basement all day talking ****. Come talk **** to one of our faces kiddo. We'll be glad to knock some teeth down your throat. Hide behind your computer and get your jollies off like the useless loser you are though. Have fun because no chick is pathetic enough to get in bed with you. If she is, she is obviously fat or missing teeth or something. You have no life... good job.
murrayvol writes:
"There's a sucker born every minute." Sometimes two.
tennezz writes:
You must se a dumbazz, you are not smart enough to be a smartazz!
Reason writes:
"Out of respect for Tennessee, I used Memphis to play Mike Hamilton and get more money."
VOLstuckINky writes:
Higgins .... go @#%@ yourself ....
myfollower#555763 writes:
Since I am a Vol on a Vol thread, I am taking the liberty of shifting this to a football discussion...hope you dont mind.
The following article on Rivals.com basically shows that most experts believe that we have the highest rated safety prospect for the NFL in the last 20 years in Eric Berry. They are even considering the possibility of Eric Berry being the top pick of the draft next year. Now THATS respect!
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football...
Go Vols!!!
daved writes:
Im having a hard time waiting GO VOLS
tnboystuckinkentucky writes:
Yeah, you're not a Tar Heel fan are you? All you ever do is kiss Calamari's azz...by the way, who's he gotten outside of Cousins (good recruit who will have someone take his SAT for him, so he can def play next yr) and Orton (which Gillespie actually recruited) that can make an immediate impact? That's right, he's not done much since he left Mempiss except lose the recruits he had b4 taking the KY job. HAHAHA!!!
daved writes:
Cal will do the same at Ky as he did at Memphis no championship..
murrayvol writes:
And the truth hurts.
I hear Memphis fans are using even more colorful language to describe Cal these days.
Vol_Jokes writes:
So fun reading all the posts for delusional vol fans. You read this story and then you want to criticize Cal and Memphis? Love is blind right. This story said exactly what I told you clowns awhile back. Your coach used the situation to get a big raise. He was never going to go and he knew it and Memphis didn't want him. Your stupid athletic director freaked at the thoughts of Memphis stealing your coach and he did some stupid things. Maybe just maybe he should have waited to see if it were true instead of wasting UT's money on an under performing coach that has not done much of anything in over 1 year now. Pearl thinks so much of Tenn. that he would never leave to go to Memphis yet he didn't think enough of you to not get a
lot of money that he didn't deserve. Do you think maybe he should have acted correctly and refused a raise based on his performance last season and that he had no intentions of leaving and Memphis had not even contacted him. Not Mr. Pearl. He took it and smiled. He's loving it. He can do no wrong there. Bad seasons and the fans still think he's the greatest. Only in volville. What's even worse now is that he's admitting all of this about the raise and going around bragging about it. He thinks it's all funny now. Memphis may have gotten screwed but at least we don't have Pearl. At least we have a chance. Something tells me in spite of everything that has happened we're going to climb right on up ahead of the vols again. That's the way it's always been, why change it.
Colliervol writes:
Non UT fan. Opinion irrelevant.
Colliervol writes:
You are not among "us". Don't even bother.
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