Article: Calipari v. Pearl

#1
orange+white=heaven

orange+white=heaven

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#1
The game within the game. Does Calipari really find travelling to Knoxville so beneath his team?

I'd love to see this rivalry explode!

tfpOnline:Like It Or Not, Tigers In Knoxville
if Memphis’ polished coach had his way, he wouldn’t be here. Nothing personal, Calipari stressed. It’s all about recruiting.

"Now if Tennessee wants to come to us every year," Calipari said, "we’ll pay them 50 grand, 60 grand. That’s OK. ... Outside of Memphis, we concede the state to Tennessee. We’re not going to beat Tennessee in this state on a player. In Memphis, they’re not beating us."
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Pearl, who has said he wants to play this game, has taken Calipari’s complaints about the series and run with them. "There is no program in the country that respects us less than Memphis," Pearl said, "and that’s because we haven’t done enough to earn their respect. That should bother our fans enough that we should try to show Memphis we are indeed a national program."

Calipari chuckles in response.

"There may be people in Memphis that think that," he said. "I’m not one of them."
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Their staffs clashed soon after Pearl’s arrival at UT while recruiting touted prospect Willie Kemp of Bolivar Central near Memphis. In particular, Calipari protested that Pearl never backed off Kemp after his commitment to the Tigers. Kemp is now Memphis’ starting point guard.

"We can go around the country and get players, which we have," Calipari said, "but we don’t come to Knoxville to recruit. I probably won’t go to Nashville to recruit."
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More history: During a joint television appearance during last spring’s Final Four, Calipari ribbed Pearl about the Tigers’ 88-79 victory in last season’s game, prompting a reddening Pearl to counter that the margin should have been larger.

Soon after, Pearl was cornered during a trip to Memphis by a television reporter who tried to get him to concede the Tigers were the top program in the state. Pearl wouldn’t do it, growing angry and firing an expletive when the reporter wouldn’t let the topic die.
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...The Tigers appear to have the talent to roll past the Vols again.

If only it wasn’t in Knoxville this time.

"Playing at home means it’s got a chance to elevate your play," Pearl said. "It’s got a chance to inspire you, give you confidence and courage, and maybe, maybe bother the opponent and see if you can rattle them.

"It was once said of this building that this was not a tough place to play, and (today) will be a difficult place to play for Memphis."
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"It was once said of this building that this was not a tough place to play, and (today) will be a difficult place to play for Memphis."
-Bruce Pearl

Go Get 'Em Bruce!!!

Go Vols!!!


 
#2
#2
I have a good feeling about this game for some reason.
 
#3
#3
Should be a pretty exciting game.

Always cool to see a rivalry being built, as well...
 
#5
#5
I live close to Memphis, it will be so sweet when the Vols shove it down Coach Cal and the kittycats throats tonight.
Alot of our so called football fans around this area are tiger fans in BB. That just bothers me. It should be an awesome game ........... GO VOLS
 
#7
#7
It almost sounds like Cali is scared of UT which baffles me... Maybe he is looking down the road a few years. If you Pearl and Cali equal talent.... Pearl would win 9 times out of 10.

Go Vols

PS If Cali wont pkay UT then Fulmer should kick the them off the football schedule.
 
#8
#8
i think memphis is to talented right now. give our young guys a year or two and we will beat memphis ne time. spruce bruce will have ou r boys as a top ten year in and year out
 
#9
#9
I like this rivalry. Hope Bruce and the team takes it to Memphis tonight. I am hoping for a huge crowd tonight. Hopefully, something similar to the crowd we had at last year's Florida game. Should be an exciting fast paced game! Go Vols!
 
#10
#10
I hope Pearl shoves those words down Calipari's throat tonight. And I live in Memphis. People around here kill me with their avid support of Arkansas, Florida, UM etc.. Very little love for UT that I have seen in my years here.
Go Vols!!
 
#11
#11
Don't they realize that no matter what, they are still just Memphis. Sounds to me like they think they are Duke or something.
 
#12
#12
patrick said:
PS If Cali wont pkay UT then Fulmer should kick the them off the football schedule.
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That actually happened. Memphis didn't want to play UT in basketball so they didn't schedule it for a few years. Then when the football schedule came up, to M Hamilton's credit, he said no to RC Johnson (mem ad) regarding scheduling a FB game. This kills MEM to not play UT. The UT game in MEM is the only game they sell out every other year. In fact, there is some more bad blood in that all MEM tix were like $10 a game except the UT game - they reemed us for $45.

Personally, I'd have no problem with UT and MEM playing bball every year in Nashville. I think CBP even suggested this when he came on board.
 
#13
#13
Calipari wouldn't be so narrow minded as to hurt the athletic program so that he could make a statement, would he?
 
#14
#14
I think that Cal is more than a little worried about Bruce Pearl being in Knoxville. He knows that Pearl being successful could change recruiting in Memphis a little..
 
#19
#19
biganbad said:
I live close to Memphis, it will be so sweet when the Vols shove it down Coach Cal and the kittycats throats tonight.
Alot of our so called football fans around this area are tiger fans in BB. That just bothers me. It should be an awesome game ........... GO VOLS
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I stand guilty !
 
#20
#20
VolBeef88 said:
You mean Memphis State! :)
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Better known as Tiger High...Cal is the most overrated coach in the country...if he was half the coach he thought he was...he thinks of himself as a god....good recruiter average bench coach..very average!
 
#21
#21
bigorange#1 said:
Better known as Tiger High...Cal is the most overrated coach in the country...if he was half the coach he thought he was...he thinks of himself as a god....good recruiter average bench coach..very average!
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Yeah, average coaches take over a program that lost the most games in D-I in the decade leading up to his hiring and leads it to the Final Four. Happens all the time.
 
#22
#22
hatvol96 said:
Yeah, average coaches take over a program that lost the most games in D-I in the decade leading up to his hiring and leads it to the Final Four. Happens all the time.
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The poster said he's a great recruiter. Heck, one or two big time recruits can completely change a program. Heck, it changed his. He's still a mediocre coach he now holds the Dean Smith memorial "wins less with more talent" award.
 
#23
#23
hatvol96 said:
Yeah, average coaches take over a program that lost the most games in D-I in the decade leading up to his hiring and leads it to the Final Four. Happens all the time.
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That was a long time ago. Regardless, he comes across like he thinks he is coaching a top tier program or at least a program that plays in a big time conference.

Last year was the first time he accomplished anything at Memphis unless you count his three NIT final fours. He's done a nice job there but not near as good as he thinks.
 
#24
#24
vol_freak said:
That was a long time ago. Regardless, he comes across like he thinks he is coaching a top tier program or at least a program that plays in a big time conference.

Last year was the first time he accomplished anything at Memphis unless you count his three NIT final fours. He's done a nice job there but not near as good as he thinks.
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Your right Freak...cal has been there for 6 or 7 years and has done nothing until last year...he has had alot of talent he juat can't coach...if Hat would get his nose out of cal's crack he could see that...all the talk show host & 90% of the fans in memphis will tell you the same thing...Good recruiter avreage coach...all though i will admit cal is one of the best NIT coaches ever!:birgits_giggle:
 
#25
#25
bigorange#1 said:
Your right Freak...cal has been there for 6 or 7 years and has done nothing until last year...he has had alot of talent he juat can't coach...if Hat would get his nose out of cal's crack he could see that...all the talk show host & 90% of the fans in memphis will tell you the same thing...Good recruiter avreage coach...all though i will admit cal is one of the best NIT coaches ever!:birgits_giggle:
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The fact you take into account the opinions of talk show hosts tells me all I need to know about you.
 
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