Pearl's Magic #

[talon]

If BC has made overtures towards BC and Bruce Pearl said no, he would have said something to Dan Patrick.

I don't buy this. If Pearl had turned them down, he would have done so quietly so as not to disgrace his alma mater. Obviously GDF is pursuing Pearl, but if he is rebuffed, it won't be done publicly like the St. John's mess.

What disgraces BC more? Not offering Bruce Pearl? Or getting turned down by him? Because if he doesn't end up coming to BC, one of those two things has to have happened.

I'd think that if BP isn't going to come here, it makes BC look better if it looks like BC was willing to pay, provided Pearl stays with TN for a long time.

[DuchesneEast]

Plus wouldnt Pearl use this to get more $ from TN.

If Pearl doesnt get a raise BC didnt go after him hard. If he does, I would guess BC put in a competitive offer.

[Brooklyneagle]

I want to believe too. But, given how many once successful coaches end up being tossed once they're not so successful (ask Fulmer or closer to home), you have to consider that Pearl would not be averse to giving his current employer an opportunity to beat a BC offer. And bank more money against a future change in fortune. But then again he hasn't used his other opportunities to play that game. We'll have to see.

If I were GDF, I sure would be tempted to secure my BC legacy by the eclat of a Pearl hire, and damn the cost. (It being understood that no coach's success -- or an AD's legacy -- is ever guaranteed.)

[Brooklyneagle]

Duchesne beat me to it.

[BC923]

But the silence from Pearl and GDF is eerie. And nothing from Patrick was eerie too. Got to believe Pearl told him not to mention BC. And for all we know, Katz is tighter with GDF and BC than he is with Al - and is creating an even bigger smoke screen with his "Pearl is not going to BC" rhetoric.

Two things:

1) GDF mentioned that Pearl wasn't a candidate "at this point" on WEEI. I know this is an obvious smoke screen, but he hasn't exactly been silent.
2) Katz pretty much call for GDF's termination in his latest article. I doubt that they are "tight." I don't think Katz has access to GDF.

If that's the case, there should be term limits for athletic directors, too. DeFilippo has turned over the football and men's and women's basketball programs within the last few years. When is there culpability for the AD, too?

Yikes. Had not read that Katz article. Scratch my comment that Katz and GDF might be friends.

You know how I know that article is bullshit? Andy Katz said 1) Al was recruiting 2) In California 3) against UCLA.

[cvilleagle]

I want to believe too.

listen up, gentlemen. It's "always believe in BC", not "sometimes believe in BC" or "always want to believe in BC"

WE CAN DO THIS!

[bcaddict]

I find this "three day break" during the final four to be odd timing....me thinks Gene is heading to the Final Four to interview other candidates quietly.

[Pahreen]

I find this "three day break" during the final four to be odd timing....me thinks Gene is heading to the Final Four to interview other candidates quietly.

That's definitely possible. For what it's worth, Bruce Pearl will be there (he's going to be on-set with CBS before the Butler-Michigan State game on Saturday).

[cvilleagle]

I find this "three day break" during the final four to be odd timing....me thinks Gene is heading to the Final Four to interview other candidates quietly.

That's definitely possible. For what it's worth, Bruce Pearl will be there (he's going to be on-set with CBS before the Butler-Michigan State game on Saturday).

Quick someone head to Indy and look for the tail number of gene's private jet!

[flyingelvii]

All this Pearl talk couldn't help but remind me of this.

[dtwalrus]

Pearl on the Dan Patrick show today.

Dan Patrick: "You contacted by Oregon?"
Bruce Pearl: "No, no, no contact by Oregon...I'm an Adidas guy."
Dan Patrick: "What about St. John's?"
Bruce Pearl: "No."
Dan Patrick: "Are you insulted?"
Bruce Pearl: "No, no, no because I put it out there very, very, very, very openly that I'm happy at Tennessee. That Tennessee has created a situation here where we can do, we can do some (?) at Tennessee and anything I can do at anyplace else."
Dan Patrick: "Well, you can get a blank check at Oregon, Bruce."
Bruce Pearl: "Yeah, well there's more to it than that. You know, my family is here. Tennessee has given me the opportunity of a lifetime."

Link. It's about 3/4 of the way in.

Ok, not to be dash anyone's hopes -- I would love to see Pearl brought in just as much as the next guy -- and not to get into the back-and-forths of some other threads, but I think you guys are crazy for reading anything positive into this interview.

Put yourselves on the other side -- as a Tennessee fan -- and then listen to this interview again. From that perspective, I would be nearly 100% convinced BP isn't going anywhere. There's just so much enthusiasm for what he's doing for the program. You can feel it when he says "we're going to get back [to the Elite 8]", when he speaks of the importance of continuity in college basketball, and when he talks about how much he feels indebted to Tennesse for offering him this opportunity. You can take sentences here and there and see hope for BC, but the overwhelming tone and context of this interview is that he's not even thinking of going anywhere else.

Hope I'm wrong.