PROVIDENCE - Though he considers himself a Tennessean now, Bruce Pearl said Boston still has a big place in his heart.
“I’m a diehard Red Sox [team stats] fan,” the Tennessee men’s basketball coach said yesterday. “I’m a Faneuil Hall guy, I’m a North End guy. I grew up at a time with forced busing and I grew up a time when I knew the different neighborhoods. I worked summer jobs at Casey & Hayes - the red (moving) trucks in downtown Boston. I have a love and a great passion for Boston.”
Pearl grew up in Sharon and attended Boston College, where he was a student assistant coach on Tom Davis’ staff for four years. Pearl steadily worked his way up the coaching ranks before landing the head job at Tennessee in 2005.
Though it’s been 28 years since he lived in the area, Pearl said growing up around Boston had a major impact on his life.
“Being at Boston College gave me the foundation,” Pearl said. “It gave the education and the foundation through being an assistant for Dr. Tom Davis to be able to learn and be able to go off on my own and be able to continue coaching college basketball.”
Obviously this doesn't mean he wants to come back to BC, but it's definitely encouraging nonetheless.
