The Latitude 35 Postgame Report.

#76
#76
Incipient said:
Which is, of course, the absolute worst thing he can possibly do and will set our program back years barring a miracle.

If he actually makes a move in the next couple weeks, I might have hope for him, though perhaps only a fool's hope.
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In all honesty, if there is any way that we could keep Pearl I would like to have him stay around. He has his faults, but he's been responsible for making UT hoops fun to watch for the first time in my lifetime, and honestly, I kind of doubt we can do any better. UT just isn't going to be able to attract an elite coach becuse we simply don't have the history and tradition to get someone like that to come to Knoxville. All that said, my gut feeling is that once the committee on infractions makes their ruling, it is going to be impossible for us to keep Pearl and we'll just have to make due with whatever we can get. I have a feeling that our best days are probably behind us.
 
#77
#77
bleedorange0037 said:
I suppose the argument could be made that if we were afforded a full on recruiting effort this year, we could have signed some big time players that could have contributed immediately. Basketball is the one game where truly elite freshmen can come in and be stars from the second the set foot on the court. Just look at UK last season.

Now would that have happened? Probably not. Like you said, we were probably going to be in for a pretty rough year next year either way.
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No doubt that the recruiting outlook would be better without the NCAA stuff, but man oh man that's a whole lot of weight to be putting on an incoming recruiting class. Bruce can't count on World Wide Wes to deliver two or three elite players every single year like Calipari can.

There's going to be a lot of ebb and flow in basketball just because the rosters are so small, but the roster situation for next year just looks horrible regardless of the coaching situation.
 
#78
#78
bleedorange0037 said:
In all honesty, if there is any way that we could keep Pearl I would like to have him stay around. He has his faults, but he's been responsible for making UT hoops fun to watch for the first time in my lifetime, and honestly, I kind of doubt we can do any better. UT just isn't going to be able to attract an elite coach becuse we simply don't have the history and tradition to get someone like that to come to Knoxville. All that said, my gut feeling is that once the committee on infractions makes their ruling, it is going to be impossible for us to keep Pearl and we'll just have to make due with whatever we can get. I have a feeling that our best days are probably behind us.
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I'm not so pessimistic about our ceiling. We have wonderful facilities and a big athletic budget. However, I am pessimistic about the immediate future. Bruce Pearl has done plenty of good things and I wouldn't mind him sticking around if the NCAA doesn't come down too hard on him. Even though I wonder what the hell he was thinking was going to happen next year when Kentucky-style departures without Cal-style recruiting.

But I expect that they will come down hard, and if they do, we'll be killed either way. A reactionary hire in June won't net anybody good, and keeping Pearl in the face of major penalties won't make things better either.

So whatever happens needs to happen in the near future. And I don't trust Hammy to make it happen in the near future.
 
#79
#79
bleedorange0037 said:
I honestly don't think Hamilton will fire him though. He's got to be aware that letting Pearl go will all but seal his own fate as well. Hamilton has already shown during LK's departure that being proactive is not his strong suit anyway. He'll most likely wait for the chips to fall from the NCAA infractions committee over the summer, and then react in whatever way he is forced to at that time.
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ed zachary
 
#80
#80
Incipient said:
I'm not so pessimistic about our ceiling. We have wonderful facilities and a big athletic budget. However, I am pessimistic about the immediate future. Bruce Pearl has done plenty of good things and I wouldn't mind him sticking around if the NCAA doesn't come down too hard on him. Even though I wonder what the hell he was thinking was going to happen next year when Kentucky-style departures without Cal-style recruiting.

But I expect that they will come down hard, and if they do, we'll be killed either way. A reactionary hire in June won't net anybody good, and keeping Pearl in the face of major penalties won't make things better either.

So whatever happens needs to happen in the near future. And I don't trust Hammy to make it happen in the near future.
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The Ohio St AD has also committed to keeping Tressel and now it may be that Tressel has done worse than Bruce.
Point is, MH isn't the only one to stand with a coach.
 
#81
#81
bleedorange0037 said:
In all honesty, if there is any way that we could keep Pearl I would like to have him stay around. He has his faults, but he's been responsible for making UT hoops fun to watch for the first time in my lifetime, and honestly, I kind of doubt we can do any better. UT just isn't going to be able to attract an elite coach becuse we simply don't have the history and tradition to get someone like that to come to Knoxville. All that said, my gut feeling is that once the committee on infractions makes their ruling, it is going to be impossible for us to keep Pearl and we'll just have to make due with whatever we can get. I have a feeling that our best days are probably behind us.
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I don't think we need history and tradition. We have fantastic facilities and money, neither of which we were willing to devote to basketball during the Doug Dickey years. We will clearly support a winning team and we're pretty close to Atlanta HS talent.

Just because most of us grew up while UT had an athletic director that didn't give a shat about basketball means that it has to be that way forever.
 
#82
#82
kw7pd4 said:
The Ohio St AD has also committed to keeping Tressel and now it may be that Tressel has done worse than Bruce.
Point is, MH isn't the only one to stand with a coach.
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Does that make it any better? If it works, great. But I'm afraid that it's going to get us burned.
 
#83
#83
Incipient said:
Does that make it any better? If it works, great. But I'm afraid that it's going to get us burned.
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Wasn't implying that at all.
Just noting that MH isn't the only one trying to support a coach.
Also, NCAA rulings aren't likely dependent on whether MH supports the coach or not. I would think they somewhat expect that to a degree.
 
#85
#85
kw7pd4 said:
Also, NCAA rulings aren't likely dependent on whether MH supports the coach or not. I would think they somewhat expect that to a degree.
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No, never implied they were. But whether MH should stick with the coach is dependent on NCAA rulings. Only trouble is that he has to make his decision in March/April, and the NCAA can take their sweet time.
 
#86
#86
You would think that after the timing of the Kiffin thing, and seeing how that coaching search went, that Hamilton would understand that any coaching change needs to be made immediately after the season ends. Waiting until June would be deadly.
 
#87
#87
Vercingetorix said:
You would think that after the timing of the Kiffin thing, and seeing how that coaching search went, that Hamilton would understand that any coaching change needs to be made immediately after the season ends. Waiting until June would be deadly.
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fingers are crossed
 
#88
#88
He has already committed publicly to Pearl, so he really has little choice now but to wait. Good or bad as it is.
 
#89
#89
kw7pd4 said:
He has already committed publicly to Pearl, so he really has little choice now but to wait. Good or bad as it is.
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How the hell does that follow? He committed publicly to Pearl six months ago before he got slapped with the unethical conduct charge. No reason he can't react to the situation now. Waiting it out is the worst possible response. Whatever he does, he'd better damn well have foresight.
 
#90
#90
Incipient said:
How the hell does that follow? He committed publicly to Pearl six months ago before he got slapped with the unethical conduct charge. No reason he can't react to the situation now. Waiting it out is the worst possible response. Whatever he does, he'd better damn well have foresight.
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Hey man, just my opinion.
He would take a big hit for changing his mind at this point.
IMO, the only thing that gets him off the hook would be for Bruce to step aside before the penalties are announced.
 
#92
#92
kw7pd4 said:
Hey man, just my opinion.
He would take a big hit for changing his mind at this point.
IMO, the only thing that gets him off the hook would be for Bruce to step aside before the penalties are announced.
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Take a big hit from whom? There are only a handful of people whose opinions matter to Hamilton, and he's not going to make any move without consulting with those guys. The media will laud Hamilton if he dumps Pearl immediately after the season; they will retroactively decide that Hamilton couldn't make a move in September and that he had no choice but to stick with him for a year, void his contract, and then dump him. The fans won't like it, but all they ultimately care about is winning. And ripping off the bandage and starting anew is probably the quickest way to start winning again anyway.
 
#93
#93
kw7pd4 said:
Hey man, just my opinion.
He would take a big hit for changing his mind at this point.
IMO, the only thing that gets him off the hook would be for Bruce to step aside before the penalties are announced.
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It's cool. Just because I disagree with your point doesn't mean I got any problem with you.

Anyways, Bruce stepping aside would ease the pressure on Mike, but in the event that that doesn't happen, Hammy has to guess the NCAA's penalty. If he fires Pearl, he might take a short-term hit for changing his mind. But if June rolls around and Pearl is hit with serious penalties, then any negative opinion for changing his mind will be gone. Everybody will understand that he made the right call, nobody will fault him.

If he keeps Pearl and Pearl takes serious penalties, then he's up a creek. Riding it out is a mess (since his coach has serious penalties), making a change is a mess (since there's not much market in June).

If he keeps Pearl and Pearl doesn't take significant penalties, good for him. But Hammy needs to have a good idea of what to expect. He can't just stand behind Pearl and hope for the best. The risk is too high. If he sees stiff penalties coming, he needs to make the change now. If he thinks Pearl will come out alright, he had better be right.
 
#95
#95
oversensitive referees or not, out of desparation or good sense Pearl has to run a full court press in the NCAAs.

this team sucks in half court, yet is deep (10+) with athletes.

gotta go our with a bang.
 
#96
#96
WiseOlVol said:
oversensitive referees or not, out of desparation or good sense Pearl has to run a full court press in the NCAAs.

this team sucks in half court, yet is deep (10+) with athletes.
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Aren't we one of the worst teams you've seen at finishing in transition?
 
#97
#97
Vercingetorix said:
I don't think we need history and tradition. We have fantastic facilities and money, neither of which we were willing to devote to basketball during the Doug Dickey years. We will clearly support a winning team and we're pretty close to Atlanta HS talent.

Just because most of us grew up while UT had an athletic director that didn't give a shat about basketball means that it has to be that way forever.
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Exactly.
 
#98
#98
Vercingetorix said:
This is the part that drives me a little crazy. Imagine the cookout never happens; the coverup never happens. Nobody on the board is calling for Pearl's head. What the hell was his plan going to be for next year? This team is going to regress badly regardless of what happens.
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I'd hope we would have recruited better without all of this garbage. Regardless, your point still stands. It doesnt matter if Pearl stays, goes, gets suspended, etc... Next year does not look good no matter who we put out there as coach.
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#99
#99
CardassianVol said:
I'd hope we would have recruited better without all of this garbage. Regardless, your point still stands. It doesnt matter if Pearl stays, goes, gets suspended, etc... Next year does not look good no matter who we put out there as coach.
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Plus teams have down years. UNC missed the tourney last year. Bruce is also know to pull few rabbits out of his hat when the roster looks awful.

The one good thing about the team sucking next year is that a 1 year postseason ban won't be much of a punishment. The glass is half full.
 
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