Photo by Michael Patrick // Buy this photo
University of Tennessee men’s head basketball coach Bruce Pearl speaks to graduates of the Knox County Sheriff’s Office Regional Training Academy.
Photo by Michael Patrick // Buy this photo
Class president James Ramsey, right, gets his certificate from Sheriff Jimmy “J.J.” Jones during the graduation ceremony at the Knox County Sheriff’s Office Regional Training Academy.
The teamwork that University of Tennessee basketball coach Bruce Pearl talked about Thursday with graduates of the Knox County Sheriff’s Office Regional Training Academy was clear to cadet James Ramsey from the start of the 11-week training program.
“I knew from day one that this was going to be a ride when I saw my classmates in the push-up position, on a hill, upside down, in the mud because I forgot some important paperwork,” Ramsey, the class president, told his 28 classmates as they became official law enforcement officers at a graduation ceremony at the Knox County Detention Facility.
“I knew that’s when ‘I’ became ‘we.’ … We’re all family. We’re willing to die for each other.”
Ramsey described tough training that required strong discipline — “It’s hard being able to get up at 5 a.m. and go until 9 p.m. and then get up and do it all over again,” he said — and Pearl contrasted his work with the new officers’ in his keynote address.
“For me it’s just about winning games,” Pearl said. “For you guys, it’s about life or death.”
Pearl said although he tries to help improve the lives of his young people, the officers are helping the lives of everyone.
“I’m here because you all have a tough job, and you know it. I’m here on behalf of the community to say congratulations,” Pearl said.
After Pearl’s address, several new officers were awarded for their achievements at the academy. Ramsey was awarded the Physical Fitness Award; the Firearms Proficiency Award went to Jonathan Shipley. James Doran received the Academic Achievement award while Preston Huddleston took the James Kennedy Outstanding Officer Award. The Mark Currier Memorial Achievement Award was given to Toby Champion.
The academy began with 31 cadets. Training included arrest procedures, community policing, physical fitness and points of law, as well as firearms and driving coursework. In the end, 29 cadets graduated as officers — 26 from Knox County, two from Claiborne County and a pretrial and probation officer.
Ramsey said he felt relief and happiness now that training is over, and he’s ready to begin his job.
“We’re all people answering a call,” he said.
Lindsey Ziliak can be reached at 865-342-6336.
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Comments » 9
GreyhairedVol writes:
Hopefully Pearl will start taking his job as serious as these new officers! We can only hope.
Waldorf writes:
I hope he takes his job much more seriously than the typical KCSO/KPD officer takes his.
Drive slow on the way home today. New egos out there ready to write you a ticket and see what else they can bait you into.
golfballs03 writes:
Watch out for Ramar Smith!
Ironcity writes:
Then go root for another team. I for one am pretty excited about having all starters return from a NCAA tournament team after we lost 80% of our scoring from the year before. If you can only be happy AFTER we win 25 games in a season then quite frankly, UT doesn't need a fan like you.
Colliervol writes:
I'll respond to the 10 year old just this once. If you actually read my posts, the only thing I've said is that Pearl has brought this program a long way in four years versus what we've had to witness in the last 30 and especially after the damage inflicted by your illustrious Tar Heel graduate. And I've also said that Pearl has certainly brought it to a higher level and that I'd like to see it go a step higher now. After four years of success, we should be able to start to look for that. I don't "worship" any coach but I darn sure will support the ones the enhance our program and jump all over those that don't.
Glad I can assist you in translating what I say because you obviously can't read. Of course, what would I expect from a 10 year old? You are also obviously too young to understand the depths this program came from so your comments really are irrelevant. Not to mention a confused fan who doesn't know if he supports North Carolina or Tennessee. Would you like me to continue?
Colliervol writes:
Typical What-have-you-done-for-me-lately "fan". (And I use that term loosely.) I don't call it "worship" when you simply give credit to somebody who has raised the program far above where it was when he took it over. I call it giving credit where credit is due. Were you even paying attention during Buzz Peterson's tenure or, outside of Jerry Green's time, any of the coaches since Ray Mears? Probably not. I've been a fan of this program since the Mears days. (First game I ever saw was at Stokely when Dan Issel came to town.) I've seen the few "ups" and all of the "downs" that this program has had. And, trust me, there have been a lot of downs. Something you newbies (or Pearl Haters) don't care to understand.
"A little excitement". Four NCAA appearances and several Sweet 16 appearances in the first four years? I think it might be fair to give a guy a little more time to get a Final Four, don't you? Remember, it took John Calipari four years at Memphis to get out of the NIT and they were ready to fire him. But they were patient and they were rewarded. I think I'll use the same logic here. It's called "Building A Program". From the ground up.
Thank you for your attention. If I can be of additional service, please don't hesitate to ask.
Colliervol writes:
Trolls to the left of me, dim bulbs to the right. Here I am, stuck in the middle with you. Wasn't that a song back in the '70's? Good theme song for what this site has become.
Colliervol writes:
And while I'm at it, it is also a bit odd that you would "feel sorry" for someone who would express an opinion about a basketball coach.
A little education for you junior. You evidently have a very limited scope in life. Feel sorry for someone who just lost a loved one. Feel sorry for someone who just lost a job. But don't waste your time feeling sorry about opinions on sports. That may be the silliest thing I've ever heard. And that's hard to do on here. It just ain't that important.
GreyhairedVol writes:
I will play devils advocate and say this, Pearl has done this while there was little expectations for the program. Last year when the team was projected to be one of the better teams in the nation they failed miserably.
This was with players he recruited as well.
While his so called success was not with players he recruited.
With this being said I am still torn on Pearl. While he does recruit better athletes he is a very poor bench coach whose teams do not show a lot of improvement over the course of the season.
So I am not going to be to critical of him but I am not ready to say UT basketball has arrived either.
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