Tennessee men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl will be wearing another ring come July.
All he wears now is his wedding ring, but recruiting is a different story.
"Occasionally, my (assistant) coaches make me wear one of the rings we've won,'' Pearl said. "I usually don't wear them. I want the kids to, though, especially the ones that move on.''
July, however, is about the prospects who might be coming to Tennessee.
Pearl has four rings won at UT to choose from: 2006 SEC East Division championship, 2008 SEC championship, 2009 SEC East Division championship, 2010 Elite Eight.
Image won't be everything when UT coaches hit the road for various AAU basketball tournaments around the country, but it's certainly worth something.
"Every marketer and every company is looking for a brand, or something they are known for,'' Pearl said. "There had been so much (coaching) turnover (at Tennessee), when you thought of men's basketball here, what did you think of?''
Pearl has created a clear-cut image.
High-scoring televised games. Top-notch schedule. Crowds of 20,000 in orange. An enthusiastic coach.
There's still progress left to be made, however.
"I've seen a complete and total change nationally in our image,'' Pearl said. "Memphis is a different animal. There's a love-hate relationship with the Vols in Memphis. They love us, or they don't.
"But Dane Bradshaw, J.P. Prince, Wayne Chism - you can't ask for better poster children.''
Early Look At SEC: Pearl said Florida is the team that will be picked to win the SEC, even with Kentucky landing another monster recruiting class.
"Billy Donovan has had several years of really, really good recruiting,'' Pearl said. "They will be by far the most talented team in the SEC.''
Pearl said Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Georgia will be lumped together in a race for second and NCAA tournament bids.
"And Georgia is not going to be picked to finish fifth (in the SEC East) on my list,'' Pearl said.
That means Vanderbilt or Kentucky will be picked fifth, and based on thoughts Pearl has shared on the Wildcats, it would seem he'll pick the Commodores fifth.
"Kentucky brings in another No. 1 recruiting class,'' he said. "They lost more than anybody, but they brought in more than anybody.
"They're not going to be as talented as they were; that's why I put Florida in front of them.''
Quick Takes: Pearl's not shy about putting returning center Brian Williams on the spot.
"Brian benefited greatly from playing next to J.P. (Prince), Tyler (Smith) and Wayne (Chism),'' Pearl said. "He flourished at the end, but Brian has had a very average career at Tennessee.''
Pearl said Williams has performed as expected, but taking his game to another level will be a challenge.
"Brian will get a lot more attention,'' Pearl said. "Can he score more, can he do a better job at the foul line?''
Pearl said junior Cameron Tatum is first in line to take over on the wing, while Renaldo Woolridge also will compete there.
"Scotty (Hopson) has gotten more consistent shooting, but he's still more of a breakdown guy,'' Pearl said, referring to the shooting guard position. " Melvin Goins (point guard) can get in the lane and score, but can he get in the lane and make others better?''
Pearl repeatedly drilled Goins on court awareness last season, telling him it's not a matter of passing when Goins is ready, rather, when his teammates get open.
"Tobias (Harris), you get the ball in his hands and he can make plays for himself and others,'' Pearl said, referring to the incoming freshman power forward, whose role will likely mimic that of Tyler Smith's.
The New Guys: Pearl hasn't said Harris will start at the four, but it's likely the New York recruit is penciled in.
The other two signees, guard Trae Golden and wing Jordan McRae, have work to do if they are to see significant playing time.
"Trae is more physically ready to play in the SEC . . . he has to work on his quickness,'' Pearl said. "His body would remind people of Chris Lofton; a little stocky, looks a little slow, but gets the job done. He has a toughness about him.''
McRae is built more like former UT player JaJuan Smith.
"Jordan is physically not as ready, but he's a jumping jack, long and athletic,'' Pearl said. "Potentially, he's a great shooter.''
Mike Griffith covers Tennessee men's basketball. He may be reached at griffithm@knoxnews.com.
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Comments » 39
orangeJACKET writes:
can't wait for the rocky top league. when does it start?
easleychuck writes:
Coach Pearl has made UT basketball relevant and for that I thank him.
orangecountyvols writes:
Bruce gave the Gators some glowing compliments. Hope he is just talking like a coach as most of them are generous with the kindly predictions for their opponents. And again, he may be right. However, U F has had good talent before but somehow hasn't lived up to expectations. Could be a wide open race as he said. Hard to believe U K would be 5th with another
NBA class coming in.
hdhurst writes:
If Jordan ends up playing like Jajuan and Trae ends up playing like CLO, then I have no complaints.
licknpromise777#651578 writes:
Our outside shooting was not very productive last year.Without Wayne this will be a different team..His importance to our success was big time..I believe Harris will have an immediate impact..We scored a lot of points inside the paint and our big guards learned how to really drive to the basket well..I can't count how many times Prince used the baseline to jam down 2 points..Maze also was pretty fearless driving through the heart of the defense for a nice lay up..Unfortunately Wayne;Prince and Maze are gone!!To be successful next year bruce may have to play with Williams at center and develop 2 forwards..By January Harris will be SEC ready but who will be the other forward?? Hall had a few good moments but his ball handling was awful and he has no moves..Iam hoping Maymon is the answer..Throwing up 25 3 point shots a game is no way to win;especially when a lot of them don't even hit the rim.
NoSirRee writes:
Way to go Pearl. I hope we can keep you the rest of your career.
fan_vol#1382657 writes:
What's next on your list Coach Peral hmmmmm, "FINAL FOUR"
fan_vol#1382657 writes:
I Hope So. GBO
MidTennVol writes:
Love the coverage, Mike. Our basketball team deserves KNS's best reporter.
RockyTopVolFan writes:
Go VOLS!
Coach Pearl has things going in the right direction. The future of the men's program is very bright under Coach Pearl. I hope he loves it here.
nola_vol writes:
About two-thirds of the way through this article, I realized something: Most quote-heavy (a good thing, to me) articles I read so I can learn "what's going on."
When I read a Coach Pearl article, I'm reading to learn "how it's done."
Thanks Mike Griffith (and Mike Hamilton) for delivering the goods!
txvolsfan writes:
Never get trolls on B-Ball articles?
golfballs03 writes:
Comparisons to JaJuan Smith??? oh man! I miss him and Lofton in the backcourt. Those two were dynomite!!!
Cldvols1 writes:
I think we'll have another stellar season up on the Hill! UT bball has become relevant. Go Vols!!!
99gator writes:
florida should be really good next season.
SEC championship good? i don't know about that.
utfan15govols writes:
When I read Pearl saying "Kentucky brings in another No. 1 recruiting class,'' he said. "They lost more than anybody, but they brought in more than anybody."
I actually thought it said, Kentucky brings in another No. 1 recruiting class,'' he said. "They lost more than anybody, but they BOUGHT more than anybody."
I think what I thought was true, actually. Ben Franklin.
PoochPuntOn3rdDown writes:
So, what are your early predictions for the SEC next year?
VolunteerLifer writes:
What do you think of this roster?
5) Williams/Hall/Maymon
4) Harris/Maymon/Woolridge
3) Hopson/Woolridge/Pearl
2) Tatum/McBee/McRae
1) Goins/Bone/Golden
Hopson and Tatum are probably interchangeable at the 2 and 3. I think that starting lineup gives us the most inside/outside offensive firepower, but I'm not sure how good it would be defensively.
CoverOrange writes:
Didn't Maymon leave Marquette because he didn't want to play the 5? I see Tatum as a good replacement to Prince at the 3, adding long range shooting ability Prince didn't have. Pearl won't play the 3. Hopson won't play the 3. If Woolridge doesn't get his craop together, McRae may take his place at the 3. If McRae is physically not ready, we may be in a world of hurt at the 3 for depth.
johnlg00 writes:
IIRC, Hopson played a fair amount at the 3 last year. Maymon appears to want to play at the 3 as well. I don't really see a depth problem at any position, though we will be lacking experience and proven production at several spots.
CoverOrange writes:
At 250 lbs, I kinda figured Maymon was a bit round for flyin to the hoop from the corner, but maybe he can. I just wonder what promises CBP might have made to him.
As for Hopson playing the 3, I guess it didn't make enough of an impression on my old eyes that I noticed him there. But what do I know.
1vavolfan writes:
Maymon's problem at Marquette was that he was having to play in the post with his back to the basket. At Tennessee he can play the 4 and still handle the ball and shoot outside jump shots.That is the appeal of Pearls system to big men, you can do more than stand under the basket.Look at Chism's game, he often played the 5 but often had more 3 attempts than anyone on the team.
VolunteerLifer writes:
Yes, Maymon left Marquette to avoid the 5. I have him there only as insurance if something happens to Williams or Hall. Pearl was often overmatched in height trying to defend at the four, he would do better trying to defend against a three. He is listed only as insurance also.
I don't see problems at the three. Any one of three players on my roster there can play it: Hopson, Woolridge, or Tatum. All are juniors next year and all are talented players. Woolridge and Tatum need to muscle up so they can play defense. Also, Harris could play the three if needed, but I see him at the four. Yes, Hopson played some three last year, and the coaches said they liked him there.
CoverOrange writes:
From what I've read (internet yeah), if Maymon had played out the year and come back next season he would be where he wanted to be. He played the 5 because injuries depleted the position. He comes here where he will have to compete with Harris at the 4. I'm afraid of what he might do if he doesn't get enough playing time.
DarthWilson writes:
Your so witty, funny, and intelligent... NOT!
you fail
Irwin_Linker writes:
From what I've read, Harris is a huge reason Maymon is at UT to begin with.
orangecountyvols writes:
Remember fellow Vols, try not to repond to the familiar trolls. By now, we know who most of them are. Game plan is to recognize the troll, don't read the post, just ignore it and hit suggest remove and
move on. That should work much better than trying to
reason with these head cases.
GO VOLS and the real Vol fans !!!!
AtLeastMyTeamHasPerfectSeasons writes:
Because he only pulls for one sport. Yeah that fb NC was great for there fans and the SEC byt THEN WHAT? What did he do from January 8th till April? Oh wait, NOTHING!!!!! We had basketball and womens basketball. Now baseball, well, sorta. Tennis, softball, golf, etc.
It's Great to be a Tennessee Vol!
VolGrad writes:
You are also a "loser that only Tennessee wanted." Without you, these comments would get pretty boring at times. I just hope the "takes one to know one" addage doesn't hold true in this case.
Thanks again for all your contributions.
johnlg00 writes:
I agree that Maymon's published height and weight would seem to make him a post prospect. As I understand it, his main objection at Marquette was that they wanted him to play low post, which means exclusively between the low blocks in their offense. Maybe he would be satisfied to play the 4 in CBP's offense. But Harris seems to be penciled in as the starter there. So it appears to me that if Maymon can shoot from outside and can handle the ball a bit, he might get more meaningful playing time at the 3, perhaps as a Ron Artest type, i.e., pretty husky but with a serviceable outside shot. I certainly agree with you that Scotty didn't set the world on fire from the 3 last year, but I think he did get some minutes there.
johnlg00 writes:
Good post. Sorry I didn't read it before writing my own.
Chris4Vols22 writes:
You have lost all credibility for claiming MJ. You're a disgrace.
DigitalVOL writes:
Amen. Get 'em Bruce
"Enjoy Yoselves"
blazeglory07 writes:
Pearl picked UF to win the east because he is 8-2 against them,3-1 vs. the great back to back national championship teams they had his 1st and 2nd year of coaching.I think he has a dislike for Calipari more than we know.
Tennessee all time first team.
Allan Houston guard
Chris Lofton guard
Dale Ellis Forward
Bernard King Forward
Reggie Johnson Center
Bench
Ernie Grunfeld
Gary Carter
Wayne Chism
Ron Slay
Michael Brooks
Marcus Haislip
CJ Watson
johnlg00 writes:
It would be nice to put that team on the floor, wouldn't it? My only quibble might be to make CJ Watson a starter, since he is the best true PG on that squad. On your first team, I would be inclined to run the offense through Dale Ellis. IMHO, both Houston and Lofton were better when they could just catch and shoot rather than create their own shots or set up others for scores. I didn't consider either one of them selfish, but there was seldom a better shot available for anybody on the floor than a wide-open 3-pointer for either Lofton or Houston. Unless it was a dunk by BK, of course! It's always fun to BS about fantasy teams like this.
Wheatgerm writes:
UK fan here. It's good to hear UT fans excited about their program. The conference needs good teams and good rivalries.
UF has missed out on a lot of recruits. But you never know what a team is going to be like until they start playing some games. Hardly matters what anyone thinks at this point.
Waynesworld writes:
I am from Wisconsin and am a vols fan. But as for maymon, his only problem was his dad chirping in the coaches ear. He'd show up for practices and yell at buzz during practice... So maybe with his old man far away it will help. As for maymons abilities, he is very good at getting to the basket. He has surprising quick ups for a "round" guy as i saw it put before... I hope hes successful here
johnlg00 writes:
Thanks for the input. Many of us have been warned about Maymon's dad. Hard to blame a parent for having an interest in his kid's career, but many seem to cross the line between caring and meddling. Let's hope CBP is successful in drawing and defending that line in the case of Maymon, and in Harris' case for that matter.
Ralph_Crampton writes:
I think most coaches in the SEC pick Bernard King as easily the top all-around player ever the SEC. Of course we don't know for sure and will never know. The former LSU player "Pistol Pete" Maverich many thought was the best. He was just as tough in the pros,also. Pete, bless his heart died suddenly shortly after retiring from the pros. Pete was born with only two main arties to the heart...the normal amount of arties is three.
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