I am just wondering.....

[hatvol96]

hatvol, can you describe 'Pearl's system' for me and tell me what it is that you despise about it? I seem to keep missing that part.

Press out of the 1-2-1-1 and hope the other team doesn't get the ball in or throws the first pass away. If that fails, take the ball out of the net after a layup on the other end, come down run two flex cut sequences. If you don't get a layup out of that action, stand idly around and jack a three at the end of the clock.

 

[ballervol12]

He didn't press and run out of necessity; he did it because that was his system. What is doing now is not "his system." But hopefully, we continue playing this way as it is obviously much more effective.

I don't agree. Coaches don't necessarily have to have a particular system stamped on their forehead. Good coaches try to take advantage of their team's strengths while exploiting weaknesses of the opponent. Pearl has proven this season that he can adjust based on his personnel. And honestly, I think he's learned a great deal this year about coaching half court defense. It certainly appears that way.

 

[ballervol12]

Press out of the 1-2-1-1 and hope the other team doesn't get the ball in or throws the first pass away. If that fails, take the ball out of the net after a layup on the other end, come down run two flex cut sequences. If you don't get a layup out of that action, stand idly around and jack a three at the end of the clock.

You don't believe Pearl's token pressure on inbounds passes proved to be effective at times, especially the first few years when teams seemed to be unprepared for it? Maybe I'm forgetting but I don't recall Pearl ever running a full-court press, that pressured the length of the court, but maybe I have a short memory.


The flex cut sequences with a jacked up three at the end of the clock can certainly be frustrating, even this season -- albeit not as much. Possessions are too valuable in big games to waste them. Many times, however, I see that as a factor of personnel not playing effectively. But I agree it can be an issue.

Is that all the big disagreement is over around here? Someone, I imagined more.

 

[PoochPunt3rdDown]

I don't agree. Coaches don't necessarily have to have a particular system stamped on their forehead. Good coaches try to take advantage of their team's strengths while exploiting weaknesses of the opponent. Pearl has proven this season that he can adjust based on his personnel. And honestly, I think he's learned a great deal this year about coaching half court defense. It certainly appears that way.

I think you've hit on something here. A dynamic coach with multiple coaching tools will have a better shot at winning every game than a one dimensional coach, regardless of talent. I think Cal was exposed as being the one dimensional coach this evening. This year will go miles toward improving the future of UT B-ball and Bruce's cred, the latter of which is infinitely less important than the prior...

The dudes posting here have valid points.

 

[LawVol13]

I don't agree. Coaches don't necessarily have to have a particular system stamped on their forehead. Good coaches try to take advantage of their team's strengths while exploiting weaknesses of the opponent. Pearl has proven this season that he can adjust based on his personnel. And honestly, I think he's learned a great deal this year about coaching half court defense. It certainly appears that way.

You would be dead wrong, then. Go look at Pearl's teams every other year he's coached other than this year and last year. I think you'll see a familiar trend with the way they play.

 

[ballervol12]

You would be dead wrong, then. Go look at Pearl's teams every other year he's coached other than this year and last year. I think you'll see a familiar trend with the way they play.

Let me get this straight. You want me to consider Pearl's five years as coach at Tennessee. Take away the last two and use his first three as proof of a head-stamped trend?

Do you understand the meaning of the word 'trend'? Because statistically speaking, that's not a very good one.

 

[hatvol96]

Let me get this straight. You want me to consider Pearl's five years as coach at Tennessee. Take away the last two and use his first three as proof of a head-stamped trend?

Do you understand the meaning of the word 'trend'? Because statistically speaking, that's not a very good one.

Considering he played the exact same way at Southern Indiana and Milwaukee as he did his first three years here, until I see otherwise, I'll consider the last two years to be necessity based anomolies.

 

[ballervol12]

Considering he played the exact same way at Southern Indiana and Milwaukee as he did his first three years here, until I see otherwise, I'll consider the last two years to be necessity based anomolies.

I don't agree, but it's an interesting debate. I believe Pearl will make future decisions on style of play based on his personnel. Like I posted before, I truly believe Pearl has learned a lot about coaching defense this year. He, or his staff -- I can't remember which -- spent some time working with an NBA team over the summer on how to defend the ball screen more effectively. That proves to me he is willing to acknowledge his deficiencies and is working to improve them.

 

[zjcvols]

Do I expect to see mild pressing by Pearl against teams in the future (especially against inferior opponents)? Yes.

Having said that, I think this whole "controlled chaos" thing is done. Do I agree he did part of it by necessity those first couple years? Yes. But it also has been his style.

I really do believe that Pearl has realized you have to be effective in the half-court game both ways to win titles.