Bruce Pearl’s name may be among the most high profile of those circulating the IU coaching replacement rumor mill. With the national attention his Tennessee Volunteers are garnering this season, it’s no surprise.
In just his third year as head coach at UT, Pearl has led the Vols to a 26-3 record so far this season, the SEC Eastern Division title and a win against the previously unbeaten Memphis Tigers. He also led the Vols to a number one ranking, the first in the school’s history.
But Pearl’s success turning around Tennessee’s program should come as no surprise to those who have followed his career.
Coaching History
The first part of Pearl’s coaching career was spent under the guidance of well-known head coach Dr. Tom Davis. Pearl started under Davis at Boston College, followed him to Stanford and then to Iowa as an assistant. Pearl got his big break as a head coach in 1992, for Division II Southern Indiana.
Pearl took over a team that had won just ten games the year before he arrived, but won 22 in his first season as head coach. He spent nine more years with the school, leading the Screaming Eagles to nine straight Division II tournament berths, four Great Lakes Valley Conference titles and a Division II NCAA Championship in 1995. In his nine years, he posted a 231-46 record as head coach. Finally, in 2001, he broke through to Division I ball as he was offered the head coaching position at UW-Milwaukee.
In four seasons at UW-Milwaukee, Pearl became the Horizon League’s all-time leader in winning percentage, with a 51-13 record in those four seasons. He was the league’s coach of the year in 2003, 2004 and 2005 and led UW-Milwaukee to the Sweet Sixteen in 2005. The Panthers’ 26-6 record that season was the best in school history. Soon after, Pearl was offered the job at Tennessee.
Since taking over at Tennessee, Pearl has quickly turned a traditionally football-minded school into one with a great basketball program as well. Pearl has made a name for himself as a great recruiter with a big personality. He has 34-14 record in the SEC so far, a conference which has been among the best in the nation since Pearl has been at UT.
The Deon Thomas Incident
If Bruce Pearl ended up at IU, he would simply be following in Kelvin Sampson’s footsteps of being a head coach hated by the University of Illinois. While in most situations, fans would probably be against that, after seeing the way Bruce Weber handled the Eric Gordon controversy, it’s safe to say that some wouldn’t think it’s that big of a deal.
Pearl’s controversy came when he was an assistant coach for the University of Iowa back in 1988. Illinois and Iowa were both heavily recruiting Deon Thomas, a standout player from Chicago. Iowa and Pearl eventually lost the battle, but Pearl didn’t let it end when Thomas committed to Illinois. Pearl called Thomas, still a high school student at the time, and though Thomas was unaware, Pearl recorded a conversation in which he asked if an Illinois assistant coach had offered Thomas an SUV and cash to play for the Illini. Thomas answered yes and Pearl turned the tapes over to the NCAA.
What Pearl did was perfectly legal in the state of Iowa, but the NCAA investigation resulted in no penalties for Thomas or Illinois. Interesting to see a coach doing some policing himself though, isn’t it?
Fit for Indiana University?
Pearl once said on ESPN Radio that coaching at IU would be his dream job. After working at Southern Indiana for so long, he has strong ties to the Hoosier state. But would he leave his successful job at Tennessee for the Hoosiers? That’s uncertain.
IU could offer Pearl a lot of money, but Tennessee could likely match it. Assembly Hall is a great playing atmosphere and IU is working on building new practice facilities, but Tennessee is working on a new arena and already has state of the art facilities of its own.
What the issue comes down to is simply esteem. The Hoosiers have one of the most storied basketball programs in the NCAA, while the Vols lacks any major milestones. Pearl is already making a name for himself as a great coach. Will he want to go to a program that appreciates basketball more and become a legend? Only time will tell.
But there’s no denying that Pearl’s track record warrants intense consideration from Hoosier fans and the selection committee. He’s a recruiter, a spirited individual and most of all, a winner.
For more on Bruce Pearl, check out these stories:
CoachPearl.com
Bruce Pearl - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
UT Sports Official Site
Columnist endorses Pearl for Indiana job : Men's Basketball : GoVolsXtra.com
Unsolicited advice for IU in hiring its next coach | IndyStar.com
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