Can Bruce Pearl bring UT basketball a national title?

[Unimane]

I guess we'll find out

Well, I know I've been enjoying the ride for the last five years. It sure beats the hell out of what I was doing in Thompson-Boling for the previous 20.

As for as the OP, winning a National Title takes a lot of fortunate bounces and is extremely difficult for even the best coaches. Ask Jim Boeheim. Can Pearl win one? Yes. Will he win one? Maybe.

 

[lylsmorr]

Well, I know I've been enjoying the ride for the last five years. It sure beats the hell out of what I was doing in Thompson-Boling for the previous 20.

As for as the OP, winning a National Title takes a lot of fortunate bounces and is extremely difficult for even the best coaches. Ask Jim Boeheim. Can Pearl win one? Yes. Will he win one? Maybe.

It's been fun and frustrating to watch us lose games we shouldn't. It happens though

 

[emainvol]

I swear, this system argument will get discussed and butchered as long as Pearl is at UT. I'm tired of the faulty logic against the "controlled chaos" style of Pearl. First of all, this "crap offense" has been the highest scoring offense in the SEC much of the time since Pearl arrived. Secondly, the UT teams under Pearl haven't ever played the "40 Minutes of Hell" style pressing defense. As often as not, the press has been lifted after one pass or the press is merely a token press in order to disrupt tempo or create a false sense of security for the offense in order to have an effective press late in the game.

As it has been shown, this style UT used more often in Pearl's first three years can lead to success and will with higher calibur players that we are recruiting.

That's all fine, but you can't tell me the team wasn't markedly better when they learned how to play in the halfcourt effectively. They spent the better part of that 5 years looking incompetent in the halfcourt offense and in halfcourt defense.

 

[NYC Vol]

He's not talking about the offense we run; he's referring to the press. Tennessee's press and Arkansas press are two different animals. Arkansas was a damn good defensive team under Richardson; however, when Tennessee's has employed the 1-2-1-1 as a staple in the defensive arsenal, our half-court defense absolutely sucks.

Our defense had absolutely nothing to do with pressing. How was our defense against OK St last year when we lost? We weren't pressing in that game and we got shredded.

Our defense was pretty good in '06 when we played a pressing style. Sure, we lost that game to OSU but that was playing two top 5 picks. Otherwise, we played pretty solid defensively all season.

Pressing does not preclude a team from playing great defense. Kentucky played unreal defense back in '96. They pressed the hell out of teams but also suffocated them in the halfcourt.

So no, I don't believe that we have to stop pressing to win. I do agree that we have to maintain that same commitment to playing defense. Of course, it helped that Pearl had Chism (great halfcourt defensive player) and JP Prince (for all his faults, he was terrific in halfcourt defense). Goins and Maze were also very good.

We had great length on the perimeter which allowed us to defend the 3 pt line very well. Shooting over Maze, Hopson and Prince was no picnic for opposing teams.

Our defense was not great this year because we stopped pressing. Our defense was great because we finally had a team Pearl was trying to put together. Long and rangy, tough and willing to play D.

Anyway, my answer is yes, Pearl can win a championship at UT. Will he? Who knows? It's a crapshoot. But UT will constantly be in position and that's the only way you can.

 

[#92]

If that system is his garbage controlled-chaos crap, then no, he can't.

Need I remind you that Arkansas won a title playing that so called controlled chaos. It's all about getting the better players that will buy into the defensive side of the ball. Getting within reach of a final four is all about defense.

 

[zjcvols]

Need I remind you that Arkansas won a title playing that so called controlled chaos. It's all about getting the better players that will buy into the defensive side of the ball. Getting within reach of a final four is all about defense.

There's a reason why we didn't sniff one till this year. Because Pearl was teaching halfcourt D finally.

 

[MikeHamiltonFan]

There's a reason why we didn't sniff one till this year. Because Pearl was teaching halfcourt D finally.

Didnt sniff one? False. Oden is correctly removed because he has blood all over his jersey and UT gets past them that year.

Anyone who thinks that Pearl just decided this year for the first time to teach halfcourt D needs to buy some timeshares from me on the Gulf, I can get you a great deal.

 

[LawVol13]

Our defense had absolutely nothing to do with pressing. How was our defense against OK St last year when we lost? We weren't pressing in that game and we got shredded.

(1.)Our defense was pretty good in '06 when we played a pressing style. Sure, we lost that game to OSU but that was playing two top 5 picks. Otherwise, we played pretty solid defensively all season.

(2.)Pressing does not preclude a team from playing great defense. Kentucky played unreal defense back in '96. They pressed the hell out of teams but also suffocated them in the halfcourt.

So no, I don't believe that we have to stop pressing to win. I do agree that we have to maintain that same commitment to playing defense. Of course, it helped that Pearl had Chism (great halfcourt defensive player) and JP Prince (for all his faults, he was terrific in halfcourt defense). Goins and Maze were also very good.

We had great length on the perimeter which allowed us to defend the 3 pt line very well. Shooting over Maze, Hopson and Prince was no picnic for opposing teams.

(3.)Our defense was not great this year because we stopped pressing. Our defense was great because we finally had a team Pearl was trying to put together. Long and rangy, tough and willing to play D.

Anyway, my answer is yes, Pearl can win a championship at UT. Will he? Who knows? It's a crapshoot. But UT will constantly be in position and that's the only way you can.

1.) Wow. If you really think our defense was good that year, that's sad.

2.) That's true generally; however, when Tennessee has pressed, our half-court D has struggled. That's just a fact.

3.) Are you kidding? Did you see our D early in the year when "Controlled Chaos" still reigned supreme? Go back and watch the USC game and come back and talk to me.

 

[LawVol13]

Didnt sniff one? False. Oden is correctly removed because he has blood all over his jersey and UT gets past them that year.

Anyone who thinks that Pearl just decided this year for the first time to teach halfcourt D needs to buy some timeshares from me on the Gulf, I can get you a great deal.

Please. Why did the exact same roster plus Tyler Smith play absolutely pathetic halfcourt defense the year before?

 

[arTfuldodger]

He still hasn't recruited a very capable PG. He still hasn't put in any of his recruits in the league and it's been five years. His "big-time" recruit before Tobias is a big-time bust. Brian Williams hadn't done crap before the NCAA Tourney. He still is not a great recruiter.

If you think BWilliams was supposed to be a "bigtime" recruit then you are sadly misinformed. Iirc he started playing bball his sr year of hs.
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[MikeHamiltonFan]

well if anyone's an expert....

and I wasn't questioning his recruiting but saying "give him time" about a coach that's been here for 5 years is just a silly statement....
how many years does he get to "get the talent"?

Are you serious? Either you need to work on expressing yourself in English or just admit that you were questioning his recruiting and that you were wrong.

I see several other people are now following up the brilliance of questioning whether or not Pearl can recruit by casting their lot with him not being able to.

Go back and reread. He came to a program that had NO stud recruits. We hired a terrible coach because his son was great. Ernie and Bernie and Dale Ellis and...Allan Houston....No one since (other than CJ Watson and he does not fit anyones definition of NBA star). V Yarborough was supposed to be good so we brought in his half brother and then he came and smoked lots and did not produce.

Pearl came from Div 2, to UWM, had 1 sweet 16 run without NBA talent on his roster and all of a sudden he is supposed to be bringing in lottery picks? Because UT was so great tradition wise that we would have been in the NCAA tournament for many of the years we missed if darn Kentucky had not taken the only conference bid?

Bruce Pearl will in all likelihood have 3 of the top 5 classes in the history of the TN basketball program by the time the 2012 class is here.

2010, Tobias Harris is an absolute STUD, but McRae and Golden and the connection to GA talent is not bad at all either.

Jurick seems to me to be his worst miss, because he never fit Pearls system at all, but Pearls best player the whole time he has been here was a guy KY passed on in Chris Lofton. One of his other better players was a walk on in J Smith. He had to get transfers like JP and Tyler Smith even though no one wants to build a program that way. One of his best frontcourt players potentially (and a VERY highly rated player which was based on upside because he was raw as an African who was new to basketball) had a massive heart attack. He got rejected by tons of top PGs before he took the murdering criminal who should be fed to Vick's dogs Ramar Smith.

Bruce Pearl 2011 class he is starting with Chris Jones and Kevin Ware which is VERY strong and he is still in the running for TONS of big names like K Caldwell, Quincy Miller, Adonis Thomas, Johnny O'Bryant, Michael Chandler...
If we missed on all of them, we could still have guys like Tyler Harris, Kedren Johnson or Rodney Hood.

We are in a position where we are not offering a guy like Dominique McCoy and we may not need a potential star (who experts on here said was just riding on his brothers name and would not be highly ranked) like Tyler Harris in 2011 because we have too many great players and not enough ships...

2012? Jarnell Stokes, Poythress, Tony Parker, Jordan Price, the list goes on...and Robert Carter and Willie Clayton do not have the AAU ties but are even more GA studs to go after.

 

[LawVol13]

Are you serious? Either you need to work on expressing yourself in English or just admit that you were questioning his recruiting and that you were wrong.

I see several other people are now following up the brilliance of questioning whether or not Pearl can recruit by casting their lot with him not being able to.

Go back and reread. He came to a program that had NO stud recruits. We hired a terrible coach because his son was great. Ernie and Bernie and Dale Ellis and...Allan Houston....No one since (other than CJ Watson and he does not fit anyones definition of NBA star). V Yarborough was supposed to be good so we brought in his half brother and then he came and smoked lots and did not produce.

Pearl came from Div 2, to UWM, had 1 sweet 16 run without NBA talent on his roster and all of a sudden he is supposed to be bringing in lottery picks? Because UT was so great tradition wise that we would have been in the NCAA tournament for many of the years we missed if darn Kentucky had not taken the only conference bid?

Bruce Pearl will in all likelihood have 3 of the top 5 classes in the history of the TN basketball program by the time the 2012 class is here.

2010, Tobias Harris is an absolute STUD, but McRae and Golden and the connection to GA talent is not bad at all either.

Jurick seems to me to be his worst miss, because he never fit Pearls system at all, but Pearls best player the whole time he has been here was a guy KY passed on in Chris Lofton. One of his other better players was a walk on in J Smith. He had to get transfers like JP and Tyler Smith even though no one wants to build a program that way. One of his best frontcourt players potentially (and a VERY highly rated player which was based on upside because he was raw as an African who was new to basketball) had a massive heart attack. He got rejected by tons of top PGs before he took the murdering criminal who should be fed to Vick's dogs Ramar Smith.

Bruce Pearl 2011 class he is starting with Chris Jones and Kevin Ware which is VERY strong and he is still in the running for TONS of big names like K Caldwell, Quincy Miller, Adonis Thomas, Johnny O'Bryant, Michael Chandler...
If we missed on all of them, we could still have guys like Tyler Harris, Kedren Johnson or Rodney Hood.

We are in a position where we are not offering a guy like Dominique McCoy and we may not need a potential star (who experts on here said was just riding on his brothers name and would not be highly ranked) like Tyler Harris in 2011 because we have too many great players and not enough ships...

2012? Jarnell Stokes, Poythress, Tony Parker, Jordan Price, the list goes on...and Robert Carter and Willie Clayton do not have the AAU ties but are even more GA studs to go after.

Wow. No one had any idea that Pearl's best player was Lofton and Jajuan Smith was a walk-on.

Negedu had a heart issue? No way.

Nothing you said adds anything to the discussion other than to state unbelievably obvious things that anyone that remotely follows UT basketball already knows.

 

[MikeHamiltonFan]

Lawvol I am pleased you agree that Pearl came into a very difficult recruiting situation and only now has the reputation to get top players. Thanks also for your piercing insights into the 2011 and 2012 classes.
People saying Pearl cannot recruit makes you believe you have to repeat the obvious.
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[junebug]

I'm torn on the issue. Before the 2010 NCAA Tourney, I would have said no, but the way he coached in the tourney, I'm not as much of a doubter as I use to be. I would say no, but I believe he can get us to a Final Four or two hopefully, then everything goes out the window.

If UT didn't think at some point he will win a NC then they should start searching for another coach. Personally I think He will win a NC, but no prediction when that will happen.

 

[LawVol13]

Lawvol I am pleased you agree that Pearl came into a very difficult recruiting situation and only now has the reputation to get top players. Thanks also for your piercing insights into the 2011 and 2012 classes.
People saying Pearl cannot recruit makes you believe you have to repeat the obvious.
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If anyone is disputing that Pearl came into a difficult recruiting situation, then they don't have a clue. However, Pearl's evals of some players have been less than great.

 

[BasketvolsFan]

Wow. No one had any idea that Pearl's best player was Lofton and Jajuan Smith was a walk-on.

Negedu had a heart issue? No way.

Nothing you said adds anything to the discussion other than to state unbelievably obvious things that anyone that remotely follows UT basketball already knows.

Unless my memory serves me wrong, Lofton and Smith were on the team when Pearl arrived. He had nothing to do with the recruitment of either.

 

[NYC Vol]

3.) Are you kidding? Did you see our D early in the year when "Controlled Chaos" still reigned supreme? Go back and watch the USC game and come back and talk to me.

Really? We pressed that game? With our missing 17 straight shots in the 1st half and shooting 2 for 22 from 3 pt range. When, exactly, did we have time to press in the 1st half? When we made our 8 shots?

Why is that the only game you refer to when we were pressing? What about Purdue? What about Memphis? You cite our 1st road game of the year in a game that we shot 2 of 22 from 3 and gave them tons of run out opportunities.

 

[arTfuldodger]

Valid point, NYC.
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[BasketvolsFan]

Really? We pressed that game? With our missing 17 straight shots in the 1st half and shooting 2 for 22 from 3 pt range. When, exactly, did we have time to press in the 1st half? When we made our 8 shots?

Why is that the only game you refer to when we were pressing? What about Purdue? What about Memphis? You cite our 1st road game of the year in a game that we shot 2 of 22 from 3 and gave them tons of run out opportunities.

You are correct that our shooting was horrible. However, we also played absolutely no defense in that game.

 

[LawVol13]

Really? We pressed that game? With our missing 17 straight shots in the 1st half and shooting 2 for 22 from 3 pt range. When, exactly, did we have time to press in the 1st half? When we made our 8 shots?

Why is that the only game you refer to when we were pressing? What about Purdue? What about Memphis? You cite our 1st road game of the year in a game that we shot 2 of 22 from 3 and gave them tons of run out opportunities.

The USC game most highlighted our utter failures defensively. They were one of the worst teams on our schedule, and they killed us.

Maybe you're not understanding. Despite missing a lot of shots, most of our emphasis on defense was clearly on pressing. That clearly wasn't working. When we decided to go to a straight half-court game, look at the improvement.

It was all about what the coaching staff put an emphasis on. When we put it on stopping people in the half-court, we a vastly, vastly better team. That's no coincidence.

 

[emainvol]

You are correct that our shooting was horrible. However, we also played absolutely no defense in that game.

Are you kidding? Gary Payton and Bruce Bowen couldn't have stopped the great MG if we had them on the team in their prime and double teamed him.

As for the shooting, we should have just continued to jack up threes. I mean, come on you gotta play the odds
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[NYC Vol]

The USC game most highlighted our utter failures defensively. They were one of the worst teams on our schedule, and they killed us.

Maybe you're not understanding. Despite missing a lot of shots, most of our emphasis on defense was clearly on pressing. That clearly wasn't working. When we decided to go to a straight half-court game, look at the improvement.

It was all about what the coaching staff put an emphasis on. When we put it on stopping people in the half-court, we a vastly, vastly better team. That's no coincidence.

No, we didn't play any defense that game. It was one of the worst defensive games I've ever seen......by anyone. Maze, who is ordinarily a solid defender, was run circles around by Gerrity. No hands up, no penetration was stopped, poor rebounding, etc.

But one game doesn't make a sample. Our team, for the most part, played great defense all year. Sure, we had a few off nights. But it wasn't due to pressing. How bout the UK last 10 minutes in Lexington. Was it pressing that led to them making that run and our defense falling apart? What about against UK in the SEC semis? The entire game at Vandy? The 2nd half at Fla?

Those weren't bad defensive games because we pressed. What do all of those games have in common? We were on the road (SEC Tourney was neutral...but not really). It was poor defense, not because we pressed, but because we just played bad defense. They were games late in the season when we never even thought about pressing.

 

[LawVol13]

No, we didn't play any defense that game. It was one of the worst defensive games I've ever seen......by anyone. Maze, who is ordinarily a solid defender, was run circles around by Gerrity. No hands up, no penetration was stopped, poor rebounding, etc.

But one game doesn't make a sample. Our team, for the most part, played great defense all year. Sure, we had a few off nights. But it wasn't due to pressing. How bout the UK last 10 minutes in Lexington. Was it pressing that led to them making that run and our defense falling apart? What about against UK in the SEC semis? The entire game at Vandy? The 2nd half at Fla?

Those weren't bad defensive games because we pressed. What do all of those games have in common? We were on the road (SEC Tourney was neutral...but not really). It was poor defense, not because we pressed, but because we just played bad defense. They were games late in the season when we never even thought about pressing.

Man, this is just a stupid argument. We pressed for 4 years, and our half-court defense sucked. We went to a completely different style one year, and we were a really good half-court defensive team. It's as simple as that.

 

[BasketvolsFan]

Agreed. However, you can be good defensively at both the press and half-court. We just haven't shown that we can do that yet.

 

[zjcvols]

Didnt sniff one? False. Oden is correctly removed because he has blood all over his jersey and UT gets past them that year.

Anyone who thinks that Pearl just decided this year for the first time to teach halfcourt D needs to buy some timeshares from me on the Gulf, I can get you a great deal.

You are right. I mean, not blowing a 20 point lead or anything had nothing to do with that.

Really? I didn't know 08-09 team played defense. I still think Bryon Eaton is tearing up Bobby Maze.