Guitar Shots to the Head: The Quotable Bruce Pearl

I have been a Lexington resident for nearly eighteen years now. For the majority of that time entering the stretch run of the college basketball season meant only one thing. Listening to the pundits talk about where the Cats will be seeded. That was until Bruce Pearl picked up the Orange blazer.

Without too much allusion to other UT athletic endeavors, I encourage the Volnation to allow the here and now to soak in. Sure we all want a huge tourney run, but right now the UT men’s basketball program is on top of the world. I don’t know how long the ride will last, but I sure am enjoying it. Viewing a few gems from the mouth of Bruce Pearl offers a fun look back, and an idea of how fortunate we are to be a part of this historical time in Tennessee men’s basketball.

Shortly after The Hiring:
“I’m going to earn the fans’ trust and respect,” he said. “I’m not going to ask for it right now. People have every right to be skeptical. It has been a revolving door here.”

“The thing I would say to those skeptics is don’t add to the problem. Just give us a chance.”

“People say the arena is too big,” he said. “Well, let’s fill it. If it’s too big we have an opportunity to draw more than anybody in the SEC, even Rupp Arena.

“If Kentucky’s fans are going to fill up Rupp Arena, then our fans have to fill this place. They have a job to do and so do I. It’s a team.”

“If I don’t give them anything to cheer about then they won’t come. I understand that.”
-Knoxville News Sentinel April 5, 2005

On Tennessee Tradition and addressing Kevin Stallings comments about Bruce’s son Steve:
“They expect to win here at Tennessee, and they win at everything,” Pearl said. “And they don’t just win; they win championships.”

“I’d love to have a son at Vanderbilt,” Pearl said. “One, it’s a great school, and two, if that’s the best they could get, they’d be in trouble.”
-KNS July 19, 2005

On his style of play:
”We are going to be the aggressor. We are going to be the attacker. We are going to be more physical. There are some nights we’re going to get run out of the house because of it. But we’re going to recruit players that want to play that way. I think our players in the program right now will play better because of that.”
-KNS October 29, 2005

Pearl a few days after Tennessee’s fourth win EVER at Rupp in 2006:
“I don’t remember the last few days. I don’t remember traveling to Lexington. I don’t even remember traveling home,” Pearl said. “I remember the game. … That is the best we’ve played.”
-KNS February 13, 2006

What Bruce Pearl has accomplished in the last 2-½ years is nothing short of amazing. Wildcats, Gators and other jealous fan bases can call it organized chaos if they so choose. Take your perceived weaknesses of this UT team and hound away. Talk about our lack of an “inside game” and tell us that this team is one cold shooting night away from an early exit in the tourney. We can handle it.

Be sure to note this as your jaws are jabbering. The UT men’s basketball team is number one in all the land. Bruce Pearl is a showman…with a plan. He has done nothing but win on the Hill. I am taking the time to savor every minute of it. Go Vols!