Tennessee head coach Bruce Pearl fulfilled one of his professional dreams Wednesday, as he led Maccabi USA’s Open Men’s Basketball Team to a gold medal with a 95-86 overtime triumph over Israel at the 18th World Maccabiah Games.
Fittingly, it was the son of a legendary former Vol who led the way for the red, white and blue. Dan Grunfeld, son of two-time Tennessee All-America Ernie Grunfeld (1973-77), scored a game-high 25 points Wednesday.
Grunfeld converted a three-point play with 20.7 seconds left in regulation to tie the game. He then paced the Americans with six points in overtime en route to earning MVP honors.
The win gave the U.S. Maccabi Team just its third gold medal at the quadrennial Games in the last 24 years, as teams from nations such as France, Israel and Russia have risen to prominence in recent years. From 1950-81, USA won gold seven times. Israel was the gold-medal-winner at the 17th Games in 2005 but was forced to settle for silver this year. Canada won the bronze.
“It was a very, very good basketball game,” Pearl said of the final. “(Israel is) a big team. They really hurt us on the offensive boards. But there’s something special about these (American) kids—great chemistry.
“For the rest of their lives, they can say they’re gold-medal winners.”
The Americans led by as many as 13 points in the third quarter, but Israel rallied to tie the game at 65 with under seven minutes to play in the fourth. The defending gold medalists used another late spurt to build a 73-67 lead with 4:46 to play.
Back-to-back baskets by Grunfeld and Seth Hauben later cut Israel’s lead to one point, 77-76, with 48.8 seconds left in regulation. Then after an Israeli basket with less than a minute remaining, Grunfeld was fouled while making a runner down the lane; he converted the three-point play to tie the score at 79.
Team USA denied Israel on a pair of shot attempts with less than 10 seconds left in the fourth quarter, forcing overtime.
In its six contests at the Maccabiah Games, the U.S. Maccabi Team outscored its opponents by an average of 35.8 points per game (104.8 to 69.0) en route to a 5-1 record. Pearl had Team USA playing an up-tempo style of basketball.
“This is one of the highlights of my career,” Pearl said. “I’m proud to be an American, and I want to say thanks to the Tennessee fans for understanding what these Games mean to me and for encouraging me to coach this team.
“I’m leaving Israel shortly and will be on the road in the USA recruiting for UT in the morning. Go USA, and go Vols!”
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Comments » 36
senracjr writes:
Way to Go Brucey!
OrangeMan_86 writes:
Way to go big guy! Selby can go .... himself.
UltraVolDavid writes:
Congratulations! And I know I what I am, so no one else can make a rear end of themselves.
UltraVolDavid writes:
Heh, guess I already did. GO VOLS!
BxVol writes:
Congratulations U.S.A. and proud of our Tennessee connection.
mytrifecta writes:
What a great personal and professional achievement. Winning a Gold medal for your country is a crowning achievement for most any athelete/coach. We're extremely proud of you coach Pearl.
vol4gzus writes:
2 posts and two negative comments. Where is your USA pride of country?
Congrats to the American players for winning the GOLD for their country!!!
Thanks Coach for leading them to victory! Now come back ,as you say you will, and reel back in Selby or Jackson or others who want to wear the Orange and White!!!
armyvol22 writes:
If kids don't want to be coached by this guy then it is their loss.
Go Vols.
bugman (Inactive) writes:
:-( tear drop
TommyJack writes:
You're sick.
vol4gzus writes:
No we're not drinking Orange kool-aid. I believe this is one dog that needs to be curbed or put on permanent behavior training til it can be sensible. Answer me this if you will. Do you want Coach Peterson or Coach Pearl? Whose recruits has Coach Pearl enjoyed his greatest success with? So I'm saying let him get a full complement of his in and then cheer or rant about the results. Hopefully his current complement will stay healthy and mature to get a decent read on this years results after 2009-2010 is over including the post season.
BasketVols writes:
Good luck at your unemployment meeting! Tell them that you've almost locked down a job as the Co-Chief Resident Basketball Troll.
WorkinLikeHeck writes:
Bruce is a GOD!!!!!!!! Book IT!
LDDFC912 writes:
Is it me or posters on this page are waiting to throw stones at any news to suit their agenda? Selby and games for his religious fellowship have nothing in common. 3 out of 10 are always haters. Grow up.
newtonrail writes:
Do you still belong to the Skin Heads?
cobbwebb writes:
look, im all for pearl, but, he needs to handle his bidness! so far this off season he has been to mexico twice on vacation, he was on nba tv for 2 weeks predraft, blogging on nba.com predraft, he coached in the maccabiah games, all the while, we have lost 2 recruits, one of whom is a complete stud! i dont think bruce is as hungry as when ut first made him coach. i think bruce is pretty comfy right now! maybe if we dont reel in these recruits, and have a subpar season, someone(mike hamilton) needs to rattle pearls cage a lil! pearl, you are still the man! go vols!!!!!
ArealVolFan writes:
Were you against Coach K coaching in the Olympics?
ArealVolFan writes:
I love people with ironic screen names.
rthestar#368358 writes:
HEY weinschenker good words and R u my old friend Larry??? rthestar@aol.com asked
MillisaAnn writes:
Congratulations Coach Pearl! Go USA!!! Go Vols!!!
dvols writes:
what happenned?
volball7222 writes:
Don't be offended, on second thought...please be offended...hope you get carple tunnel. It's obvious you have a bad case of brain strain.
SmokyMTNVol writes:
You must be a big Aerosmith fan as well.
cc623 writes:
People trying to rain on other people's parade are usually the same children that pulled the wings from flies just to watch them suffer and die.Pretty sad that a great coach can't be respected enough for the things he does here as Tennessee's coach but,yet some of you idiots have to be internet warriors and talk bad about him for bringing a gold medal home.
If you simple minded haters think for one minute that it was CBP's fault that Selby left or even Craft then you need to wake up.Just wait and see where Selby ends up and what shoe company supports that school or better yet wait until WWW finally gets what he deserves....
SmokyMTNVol writes:
CC263 You were talking about a great coach getting respect here at Tennessee. Pat Summitt did not coach in this worthless tourney. It was coach Pearl. Make sure you check this stuff before you post.
ArealVolFan writes:
Grow up dude and stop acting like a Vols fan, or quit being one.
cobbwebb writes:
can i not call it like i see it? i dont bash people for sticking up for pearl. i am a huge pearl fan, and stand by him all the way. with that said, i liked the blue collar bruce, better than the rock star bruce. pearl has accomplished great things at our university, but i want him to be 100% commited to TENNESSEE. what would happen to you or i, if we left our job for 1 month to pursue an interim position for another company, and lost two major potential accounts, or clients while doing so? i hope pearl is our coach 20 yrs from now, and i hope we have national titles, and conf titles to show for it. but right now i am not happy with rock star bruce. it doesnt mean i dont like him, or dislike UT, or want the man fired. this is just simply my opinion, take it for what it is. also coach k. has accomplished a little more than bruce pearl has.
TnScooby writes:
Congratulations CBP!
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Personally, I was fine with Coach K coaching the Olympic team. However, I live in ACC country and I can tell you that all Duke fans--of which I am not one--are not all that happy with it. They were complaining about Duke's recruiting before this national team business even came up. With the departure of Elliot Williams, they have only two experienced guards and one experienced post/wing player returning--not all starters, just guys who have played before. Duke will do well to finish higher than 4th in the ACC, even with North Carolina losing nearly everybody from their NCAA champion team.
I agree with much of what cobbwebb said about CBP. In a way, I can't blame him for wanting to enjoy his new wealth and celebrity a little bit, but at the same time I would feel better about the future of the program, both this coming year and the next, if I knew he was working a little harder on UT this summer.
Bigger_Al writes:
Nice work, Bruce! Congratulations, and Go Vols!
Bigger_Al writes:
Bruce will make up the time in recruiting with his superior work ethic.
I mean Bruce Pearl of the Vols, not Bruce Weber of the Cheating Illini...
DaVols writes:
Come on Xtra staff, we've had enough of Tarhole's expletives and filth. Ban that Dude right down to his ISP address. He adds nothing to the conversation only excrement, hence the name! Every article he posts on has at least one removed.
Vol_Jokes writes:
Am I see this right? The headline is Pearl's team wins gold and the competetion was Israel? Ok..sure.. You guys have to celebrate what you can over here.
Wonder when he's going to lead you to the SEC tourny championship or get you past the sweet 16?
BxVol writes:
Yes "The Kid" aka "The Star" the one and only.I`m looking foward to the upcoming football and basketball seasons.If things go our way feel the hoops team can go real far come tournament time.Hope all is well with you, LW
Vol_Jokes writes:
Pearls gone a bit too far this time. First getting all touchy touchy with Erin Andrews in Memphis last year and now the key hole video. He needs to get his act together and apologize.
oldsmokey67 writes:
How is Bruce Pearl a fraud.Did he promise you anything.Voice of Reason you are the FRAUD.You heard it here first.The Josh Selby saga is not over.Book it,mark it,and write it down.
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