2/23/2008

#2
#2
I happened to be in Memphis visiting family that week. Watching that game with them, especially my Dad, is one of the top Vol memories I have.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#4
#4
Whoa! Did a decade just pass? :eek:hmy:

What a great night that was. Gotta hand it to Bruce. That guy could prepare and motivate.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#5
#5
Has it been 10 years?

I still love the guy!

Bruce Pearl pre-game speech at Memphis - YouTube

Man, that was the moment Tennessee owned the sport of basketball. The state I mean, not just the school. And Pearl knew the right way to sell it. He always did. He was great at speaking, great at motivating.

I think it started in earnest with that first Florida home game, what with the students camped out for tickets for unranked Tennessee versus #2 Florida, and Pearl got up above the crowd outside TBA, started all humble by saying "we've done nothing to deserve this," and then followed that up by yelling "we are your basketball team, I am your basketball coach, and WE WILL KICK FLORIDA'S ASS!" Just a smooth speaker. Knew exactly what he was doing. And to his great fortune, Tennessee *did* beat them -- with that, the era was on. That Florida game was the start, and the #1 vs #2 Memphis win was the high water mark. The two biggest bookends of the best era in modern Tennessee basketball history. Sure, they had success later, with the Elite Eight and that big Kansas upset, and so on, but man oh man. I wanted him there forever. I realize the reality of what came after, but I remember being tuned in and willing to travel to great lengths for Tennessee basketball during his time there.

I certainly hope we get back to that kind of level (sort of like we have this year with our rep for being a hard game). Barnes is a really good coach too. Just, not going to ever look back on Pearl with anything other than a smile. He put Tennessee front and center on the map during his years there.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 5 people
#6
#6
Probably the most excited for a win as I have ever been, the way in which we won and late game back and forth was awesome, great memories.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#11
#11
He held a BBQ at his house with Aaron Craft. Yeah he lied to the NCAA. You gonna call him a cheater over that then I’m confused. Pearl took Tennessee to the top something we haven’t seen since his departure.

I mean dude cheated and lied. No matter the severity of the cheat and lie, if you cheat and lie people are going to call you a cheater and a liar. Especially when the outcome was bad for a university that a lot of people love. If we didn’t luck out in getting Barnes who knows where we’d be right now. Half of the reason we haven’t seen UT on top since his departure is because of how he departed. I loved Bruce, but I don’t sugarcoat how detrimental that stupid lie was.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#13
#13
I mean dude cheated and lied. No matter the severity of the cheat and lie, if you cheat and lie people are going to call you a cheater and a liar. Especially when the outcome was bad for a university that a lot of people love. If we didn’t luck out in getting Barnes who knows where we’d be right now. Half of the reason we haven’t seen UT on top since his departure is because of how he departed. I loved Bruce, but I don’t sugarcoat how detrimental that stupid lie was.

You think Rick Barnes has ever broken a rule to get a player?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people
#15
#15
You think Rick Barnes has ever broken a rule to get a player?

I don’t think many care he threw a bbq to help land a player(doubt that’s even why he had the bbq), what people have an issue with is the fact he continued to lie about the topic which only made things 100x worse than they ever had to be.
 
#17
#17
I don’t think many care he threw a bbq to help land a player(doubt that’s even why he had the bbq), what people have an issue with is the fact he continued to lie about the topic which only made things 100x worse than they ever had to be.

I just wish the he never got caught or our admin protected him.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#18
#18
You love a lying cheater?

Lies about cooking a hamburger and hotdog for a junior, when UNC and Syracuse were taking tests for players. UTAD left him out to dry because of football black cloud, when should have been a hand slap. I'm glad we have Barnes but nothing but respect for what pearl did for UT basketball.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4 people
#23
#23
Man, that was the moment Tennessee owned the sport of basketball. The state I mean, not just the school. And Pearl knew the right way to sell it. He always did. He was great at speaking, great at motivating.

I think it started in earnest with that first Florida home game, what with the students camped out for tickets for unranked Tennessee versus #2 Florida, and Pearl got up above the crowd outside TBA, started all humble by saying "we've done nothing to deserve this," and then followed that up by yelling "we are your basketball team, I am your basketball coach, and WE WILL KICK FLORIDA'S ASS!" Just a smooth speaker. Knew exactly what he was doing. And to his great fortune, Tennessee *did* beat them -- with that, the era was on. That Florida game was the start, and the #1 vs #2 Memphis win was the high water mark. The two biggest bookends of the best era in modern Tennessee basketball history. Sure, they had success later, with the Elite Eight and that big Kansas upset, and so on, but man oh man. I wanted him there forever. I realize the reality of what came after, but I remember being tuned in and willing to travel to great lengths for Tennessee basketball during his time there.

I certainly hope we get back to that kind of level (sort of like we have this year with our rep for being a hard game). Barnes is a really good coach too. Just, not going to ever look back on Pearl with anything other than a smile. He put Tennessee front and center on the map during his years there.

Very well said.
 
#24
#24
I don’t think many care he threw a bbq to help land a player(doubt that’s even why he had the bbq), what people have an issue with is the fact he continued to lie about the topic which only made things 100x worse than they ever had to be.

The BBQ was already planned, not for Craft, who was already a commit, so no advantage gained. It was a team function. And Pearl told Craft and his father that per NCAA rules, because Craft was still a junior, they were technically not allowed to attend functions off campus. But, both agreed that "I won't tell if you won't."

That is the part that should sour people on Craft and his father as much as Pearl. Pearl should have played by the rules, especially since he had broken the same rule at UW-MILWAUKEE (and this is why he initially lied about the BBQ...he was a repeat offender). However, Craft and his father, after decommitting once childhood favorite Ohio St offered...despite not giving then the time of day early on...The Crafts gave Thad Matta photographs of the BBQ and basically told him to do what you want with them. The assumption is that Matta, for whatever reason, turned them over to the NCAA, and the rest is history.

The irony is, Pearl has his current team on the cusp of a 2 seed in the NCAAT and Matta is on his couch watching after "mutually agreeing to step down"...aka, being forced to resign.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person

VN Store



Back
Top