Is the Bruce Pearl magic gone?

[HerbTarlekVol]

Back to back 20 loss seasons, lower conference winning percentage in his first 2 years than Tony Barbee had in his last 2 seasons. 

Overall Pearl is 26-40 in his 2 years, while Barbee was 23-38 in his last 2.  No real difference there. 

My personal opinion is that Pearl misses Tony Jones, Jason Shay. and Steve Forbes.  They were a huge part of his success at UT. 

And maybe there is some karma involved for Pearl firing Jones in favor of a spot on his staff for his son? 

Looks like snake oil sales have trickled to a halt for the Tigers/Plainsmen/War Eagles. 

[Coupe De VOL]

Back to back 20 loss seasons, lower conference winning percentage in his first 2 years than Tony Barbee had in his last 2 seasons. 

Overall Pearl is 26-40 in his 2 years, while Barbee was 23-38 in his last 2.  No real difference there. 

My personal opinion is that Pearl misses Tony Jones, Jason Shay. and Steve Forbes.  They were a huge part of his success at UT. 

And maybe there is some karma involved for Pearl firing Jones in favor of a spot on his staff for his son? 

Looks like snake oil sales have trickled to a halt for the Tigers/Plainsmen/War Eagles. 

Seems like it, and it sure is surprising to me.  I don't know what the talent level is down there on the Plains, but can that really excuse back to back 20 loss seasons?  I guess I was wrong when I wanted Bruce back in orange & white.  I still think he's the greatest coach we ever had on the men's side, but he is just not the same dude judging from his comeback "tour".

[Tnphil]

I've heard they just don't have talent and one of the best players left the team? Also heard he's got a highly ranked class coming in with a 5* PG and a couple more highly ranked commits.

Pearl himself said on a radio interview about 3 weeks ago that there was a lot of difference in the UT team he took over and the Auburn team he took over. He said he took over a team with good talent when he got to UT.....not so at Auburn. Just what he said.

Pearl came to UT with a lot of energy and salesmen ship...got the UT fan base who was busting at the seams for a good program behind him and the team...and with some talent got off to a great start. I'm not sure folks at Auburn give a hoot about basketball.

[HerbTarlekVol]

I've heard they just don't have talent and one of the best players left the team? Also heard he's got a highly ranked class coming in with a 5* PG and a couple more highly ranked commits.

Yep.  He lost Canty, but that doesn't negate the fact that they lost to a Tennessee team minus its best player by nearly 40. 

[volsboy]

Kinda the same situation Jones inherited from Dooley.

[Clockwork Orange]

Well it's one of two things: Either there was "magic" and the magic is gone, or there wasn't magic and the shine is off what he accomplished at UT a little bit.

If that first UT team was much more talented than we all thought it was-- talented enough to be a 2-seed in year one as compared to 40 losses in two seasons at Auburn-- then maybe what he did that season to kick start things was less about him and his "magic" and more about somebody who simply wasn't Buzz Peterson.

Because if all that was what we all saw at the time, then he squeezed every drop out of that team and hasn't been able to recapture that-- or even come close-- at Auburn.

I think it's probably a little of both.

[Creek Walker]

Bruce inherited a good situation at Tennessee, but let's face it: you don't take a 14-17 team to the No. 2 seed in the NCAAT in one season without a heck of a coaching performance...and there has to be a lot more to that coaching than selling snake oil.

Towards the end of his career at Tennessee, I had convinced myself that Bruce would be incapable of getting a team to the Final Four or winning a national championship. But I hated to lose him, I'd take him back even now in an instant, and the fact that we've only been to one NCAAT with 3 coaches since he's been gone probably speaks volumes.

I don't know if his magic is gone, but clearly it isn't working at Auburn. Bruce Pearl on the hot seat...who saw THAT coming 18 months ago?

[volsboy]

I still can't get my head around how mediocre the SEC is in basketball. Why don't kids come south to play? How can the other P5 conference's do that much better. From as far back as I can remember, it has been UK and then everybody else. It seems like the BIG, Big 12, ACC always have multiple good teams. Why hasn't the SEC made more strides at being dominate in basketball? Are there just that much fewer good HS basketball players in the south. Or do they all go north to play as well. That just sounds strange. Why won't the inner-city kids from Chicago, Philly and NY come south more often to go to school?

[midtnvol]

I still can't get my head around how mediocre the SEC is in basketball. Why don't kids come south to play? How can the other P5 conference's do that much better. From as far back as I can remember, it has been UK and then everybody else. It seems like the BIG, Big 12, ACC always have multiple good teams. Why hasn't the SEC made more strides at being dominate in basketball? Are there just that much fewer good HS basketball players in the south. Or do they all go north to play as well. That just sounds strange. Why won't the inner-city kids from Chicago, Philly and NY come south more often to go to school?

They would have to break their gang ties. Only half joking.

[Black Diamond Vol]

For me, Bruce Pearl's first two years in Knoxville were, hands down, the most fun time I've had as a Vols fan.  The football success of the 90's was great- but damn, it was stressful.  My reaction to the 98 NC was less excitement, and more like a sigh of relief.  As if all those "close but no cigar" seasons had finally paid off.  Those Bruceball teams had no such expectations.  It was pure innocence and exuberance.  Maybe those teams were more talented than we thought (although by Rivals Ratings, the first team was dead last in the SEC).  But they certainly weren't as talented as some of the teams they beat- like UF, Texas, Memphis, and Kentucky among many others.  You don't take a roster full of 2 and 3 stars and consistently beat teams like that unless you're very, very well coached.

That said, I just had a feeling that Bruce wouldn't get it done at AU.  Maybe he will yet, if he gets some recruits.  But his time at UT just had a "right man, right place, right time" feel to it that we (and he) will probably never be able to duplicate again.

[BanditVol]

I agree that the thing at Auburn is probably a "little of both".  He not only inherited more talent at UT, he had a chip on his shoulder and something to prove.  Not the case at Auburn, the expectations were so much higher for him coming in.  And it's also true that they could give a flip about bball down there, while it's always been pretty popular at UT.  When I was in school in the late 80s the men's team had the second highest win percentage historically in the SEC and also the second most titles.  Granted we were so far behind behind Auburn that it was "best of the rest" but there was some pretty decent tradition.

Auburn had a brief run in the 80s with Barkley and Person, and that's about it.

I do think Bruce would definitely have gotten us to a Final Four though.  He was a whisker away in his next to last season, and IMO it was a matter of time.  NC?  Would probably have needed some luck on that one, but it was at least in the realm of possibility.

It's a shame really, he brought some really good times while he was here.