Pearl discussion (split)

[MinisterofDef#92]

The culture Pearl brought never left just because we had a few bad coaching years.
Our fans stil had high expectations and a drive for success that was ingrained by Pearl.
Being mediocre in Basketball was and is no longer acceptable from Tennessee men's basketball. Things changed here at UT because of him.
Barnes is held to a higher standard because of Pearl’s success.

Ask Jerry Green if our fans expected to win...lol.

 

[MB_Vol]

Ask Jerry Green if our fans expected to win...lol.

Hello everyone. I've stalked this forum for years. Finally joined to throw some thoughts on the white board. I'll give a shout out to Reggie
Johnson. The Ernie and Bernie years are a bit fuzzy in my childhood memories, but I clearly remember listening to John Ward talk about my
favorite player in the late 1970s. I am not a UT insider by any stretch. My father went to school there, so I have been a fan from day one.

UT has had some great coaches over the years. Surely Mears, DeVoe, Green, Pearl, Martin, and Barnes all deserve some recognition, and that list just
covers my lifetime which started in 1969. The five names I left out basically had .500 winning percentages or worse. Doesn't make them bad people,
but you pretty much need to win some games and get to the NCAA tournament to elevate the program.

I was a huge fan of CBP when he coached UT. I am an even bigger fan of CRB...there isn't much not to like about the man. But reading the Pearl vs.
Barnes discussion led me to take a look at all the coaching records back to Mears. I think both Pearl and Barnes deserve a ton of credit for elevating
the program, just as Mears and DeVoe (especially his first 5 years) deserve tons of credit. But looking at the data on Wikipedia, something caught my
attention...how much success Jerry Green had, compared to the long lack of success that preceded him.

I have no insider info on CJG. I did meet him once on a Big Orange Caravan. But just to throw some sats out there... In the 14 seasons before he took
the helm, UT made the NCAA tournament 1 time (and 13 of those years the field had been expanded to 64 teams). In those years under CDD, CWH, and
CKO they averaged 14.6 wins per season, and had a combined .481 winning percentage. It's notable that DeVoe did have a winning record for his 6
years of those 14, but Houston and O'Neill were mired in the low .400s.

Then Green comes along and wins 22.3 games per year at a .712 percentage, and makes the dance 4 years in a row. Admittedly, he did not have a ton
of tournament success, only reaching the sweet sixteen once. Then UT goes right back to mediocrity with Jordan's roommate. Buzz's record was right
at .500, with no dancing in 4 seasons.

I remembered that CJG was quite successful, but I'm not sure I gave him the proper credit for leading UT out of the men's basketball wilderness. Just
my thoughts.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

Jerry Green was like Pearl without the showmenship and personality, while having a much better situation and not as good of a coach. I believe Green would have lasted a few more years at least if he had any kind of personality at all and was more likeable. He just wasn't likeable at all. And his K-mart comments just made it worse. Him and Pruitt seemed to have a similar personality that just rubs you the wrong way.