Bruce Pearl

Bruce Pearl

Bruce Dean-Fredrick Pearl (born March 18. 1960 to Earl the Pearl and Minnie Pearl) is an American basketball coach who is currently the head coach of the University of Tennessee men's team, the Volunteers. He is the first coach to lead the Volunteers to a national #1 ranking. Pearl, who is Jewish, also served as the head coach for the Maccabi USA basketball team in the 2009 World Maccabiah Games.

Early life and family

A native of Boston, Pearl attended Sharon High School in Sharon, Massachusetts and is a 1982 graduate of Boston College, where he served as the manager of the men's basketball team. He and his ex-wife, Kim, have two daughters, Jacqui and Leah, and two sons, Steven, who is on the Tennessee basketball team, and Michael.

Coaching career

Before coming to Tennessee, Pearl was the head coach at Milwaukee and, prior to that, at Southern Indiana, where he won a Division II national championship. He also served as an assistant coach at the University of Iowa under then-head coach Tom Davis.

Among his accolades, Pearl is the second-fastest NCAA coach to reach 300 victories, and needed only 382 games to reach this mark (Roy Williams, the current coach at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, needed 370 games at the University of Kansas to reach this milestone). It should be noted, however, that all of Williams' victories came at the Division I level, whereas a portion of Pearl's victories came in Division II, and contributed to his rise to the Division I ranks.

Against division rival Kentucky and in-state rival Vanderbilt, Pearl chooses to wear a brightly colored orange jacket in honor of the late UT coach, Ray Mears. To show the importance of the game, Pearl wore the jacket during the 2009 SEC Men's Tournament Final.

Pearl/Thomas incident

During the 1988-89 basketball season, Pearl, then an assistant coach at the University of Iowa, was at the center of a recruiting scandal involving the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Both Illinois and Iowa were recruiting Deon Thomas, a top high school player from Chicago. Pearl lost this recruiting battle when Thomas committed to Illinois. Thereafter, Pearl called the high school student and recorded a phone conversation with Thomas. During the conversation, Pearl asked Thomas if he had been offered an SUV and cash by Illinois assistant coach Jimmy Collins, and Thomas indicated he had. Pearl then turned over copies of the tapes to the NCAA, accompanied by a memo describing the events. During the subsequent NCAA investigation, Thomas denied the allegations and said the story was false; a lie detector test supported Thomas' claim. The NCAA did not find Illinois guilty of any wrongdoing relating to Thomas' recruitment, finding that the proof provided was not "credible, persuasive and of a kind on which reasonably prudent persons rely in the conduct of serious affairs." However, since the investigation uncovered other violations, including Illinois' third major violation in six years, the NCAA cited Illinois with a "lack of institutional control" charge and implemented several recruiting restrictions and a one-year post-season ban. The event led to a "blackballing" by many coaches in D-I, and even led ESPN commentator Dick Vitale to call Pearl's actions "career suicide" during a telecast.

When Pearl and Collins were both head coaches for four years in the Horizon League, the two men never engaged in the traditional postgame handshake, reportedly due to lingering feelings over the incident. When Thomas was asked about forgiving Pearl in a 2005 interview, he was quoted as saying "It's hard to forgive a snake." Thomas went on to play basketball at the University of Illinois, becoming its all-time leading scorer.

Success at Southern Indiana

Pearl picked up a Screaming Eagles team at USI in 1992 that had won just 10 games in the previous season. Pearl posted a 22–7 record in his first season, and led the Eagles to nine straight NCAA D-II tournaments in addition to winning four Great Lakes Valley Conference titles.

In 1994, USI finished with a 28–4 record en route to a loss in the D-II championship game; in 1995, the Eagles won 29 games and claimed the D-II championship. A team from the GLVC played for the National Championship every year after his first season at USI. Pearl was named the NABC Division II coach of the year after his national championship. He left USI with a 231–46 record over nine years.

"Sweet" success at Milwaukee

Pearl took over as head coach of Milwaukee in 2001. In just four seasons, he compiled 86 wins (including a school-record 26 in 2005, and a new Horizon League record for winning percentage) and led Milwaukee to their first NCAA tournament appearances in 2003 and 2005. Pearl led Milwaukee to the Horizon League tournament title in both of those years. He also led the school to its first ever NIT bid, as well as its first-ever NCAA D-I postseason victory, in 2004. Milwaukee's 2005 NCAA Tournament run capped the best season in school history, as the Panthers won both the regular season and conference tournament titles, defeating rival Butler University in the championship game. Using an intense full-court press, the Panthers scored two upsets in three days over University of Alabama and Boston College en route to the Sweet Sixteen, where they fell to eventual national runner-up University of Illinois. The Panthers finished their season 26–6 and were ranked in the coaches poll at the end of the season for the first time ever (# 23). Pearl left Milwaukee after the 2005 season, his fourth, as the Horizon League's leader in all-time winning percentage (51–13, 79.7%).

Moving on to Tennessee

2005-06

On March 28, 2005, Pearl was named as the new head coach at Tennessee, succeeding Buzz Peterson. He got off to a rocky start when Jamont Gordon and Tyler Smith, two highly-rated in-state recruits, one of whom (Smith) had signed with the Vols under Peterson, decided not to attend Tennessee. Gordon went to conference rival Mississippi State. Smith opted for a season of prep school before heading to Iowa, though later transferred to Tennessee and became a starter. Pearl stirred up more controversy when he released Matthew Dotson from his scholarship.

Expectations were low for the Vols in Pearl's first season. Having lost their two leading scorers from a team that had been just 14–17 the previous season, Tennessee was picked to finish fifth in the six-team Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference. However, the season started off well, and Tennessee entered the national rankings in December, when it routed then No. 2-ranked Texas, 95–78.

The Vols went on to lead the SEC East for virtually the entire season, with other highlights being a win over Kentucky at Rupp Arena and two wins over eventual national champion Florida. But after entering the AP Top 10 in February, the team lost six of its last nine games and dropped to a ranking of 18th. Although Tennessee won the SEC East, it was upset in the second round of both the SEC and NCAA Tournaments, the latter as a No. 2 seed. The team's 22-8 record was one of the best in school history. Following the season, Pearl drew accolades from national recruiting services for signing one of the nation's best recruiting classes, featuring three top-50 recruits in Duke Crews, Wayne Chism, and Ramar Smith.

2006-07

On January 22, 2007, Pearl attended a Lady Vols game in Knoxville, shirtless. He had his upper body painted orange, and with a few of his players spelled out "V-O-L-S" (Pearl was the "V"). Pearl stood in front of the student section and cheered for the Lady Vols as they came out. Pearl's actions brought national media attention to the Tennessee program, and highlighted efforts to support women's collegiate athletics. Lady Vols basketball coach Pat Summitt returned the favor on February 27, 2007, by coming out as a cheerleader, complete with uniform, and rallying fans. The seventh-largest crowd in school history also witnessed Pearl's squad rout the then No. 4-ranked and defending National Champion Florida Gators.

Pearl's team went on to finish tied for second in the SEC East with Vanderbilt, earning a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Vols crushed Long Beach State by 35 points in the first round, then rallied to upset Virginia to reach Pearl's second Sweet 16. The Vols were defeated in the next round by the nation's top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes, losing by a point though the Volunteers led the majority of the game. Tennessee's 24 wins were then ranked third in the program's history. Pearl was rumored as a candidate for the head coaching position at Iowa, but indicated on March 27, 2007, that he was not interested in leaving Tennessee.

2007-08

On February 23, 2008, Pearl led the second-ranked Vols into in-state, undefeated rival Memphis to play the # 1 ranked Tigers. After a back and forth, emotionally heated contest, Tennessee defeated Memphis 66–62, handing the opponent its first loss of the season and its first home loss in 47 games. The win also cemented UT with a # 1 rank the following week. The rank became the first time the school was ranked # 1 in the country. However, three days later, the # 1 Vols were upset by the Vanderbilt Commodores 72–69.

On March 5, 2008, Pearl's team defeated the Florida Gators 89–86 to claim Tennessee's first outright SEC Regular Season Championship in 41 years. On March 16, 2008 Tennessee was chosen as a #2 seed in the East region of the 2008 NCAA basketball tournament. Pearl's Volunteers advanced to the quarterfinals (Sweet 16) of the East Regional. They ended their season losing to the Louisville Cardinals by a score of 79–60. The 31 total victories that season was the most in school history.

2008-09

December 3, 2008, marked a significant date for Pearl as he was able to win his 400th game by defeating UNC-Asheville. In doing so, Pearl became the 6th-fastest basketball coach to ever reach the 400 mark and 2nd-fastest among active head coaches (behind Roy Williams). The night was also very important for the Tennessee basketball program. It marked the 35th consecutive victory at home for Pearl and the Vols, beating the previous streak of 33 wins which extended from Jan. 2, 1966 to Feb. 24, 1968. In addition, Tyler Smith recorded the school's first ever triple-double when he had 12 points, 10 assists, and 10 rebounds. In March Pearl would lead the Vols to their first SEC Tournament Final in 20 years, where they would lose in a controversial finish to Mississippi State. The Vols went on to earn a 9 seed in the NCAA tournament where they were eliminated by Oklahoma State 77-75 on March 20, 2009. On April 2, 2009 a report from a Memphis news station reported that the University of Memphis was preparing to offer Pearl a 7-year, $21 million contract to become their next head coach, days after John Calipari left the school to become the head coach at UK. However, later that night, UT announced that they and Pearl just agreed to a six-year extension for Pearl to stay with the university. "It's great to be a Tennessee Vol!", proclaimed Pearl.

2009-10

On November 17, 2009, Pearl was able to record victory number 100 at Tennessee, the second fastest UT coach to reach the century mark, as his team defeated UNC-Asheville 124-49. The 124 point total was the most ever scored by Tennessee in a regular season game. Tennessee's 34 assists also set a school record and its 16 3-pointers tied another.

On January 10, 2010, Tennessee defeated the #1 ranked Kansas Jayhawks in Knoxville, 74-68. This was the first time that Tennessee defeated a #1 ranked team at Thompson-Boling Arena.

On February 27, 2010, Tennessee defeated the #2 ranked Kentucky Wildcats in Knoxville, 74-65, cementing the Vols (all 5 years that Pearl has coached) for its 5th straight NCAA tournament appearance.

On Bruce Pearl's 50th birthday, March 18, 2010, Tennessee defeated San Diego State in the first round of the NCAA basketball tournament by a score of 62-59. The Vols followed this victory with a second round defeat of Ohio University, 83-69, to advance to the Sweet 16 for the third time in four years and Pearl's fourth Sweet 16 in six years.

Division II Career Record

Career record

School	Season	Wins	Losses	Postseason
Southern Indiana	1992-93	22	7	NCAA Division II Regional 3rd Place
Southern Indiana	1993-94	28	4	NCAA Division II Runner-up
Southern Indiana	1994-95	29	4	NCAA Division II Champions
Southern Indiana	1995-96	25	4	NCAA D-II Sweet 16
Southern Indiana	1996-97	23	5	NCAA D-II First Round
Southern Indiana	1997-98	27	6	NCAA D-II Sweet 16
Southern Indiana	1998-99	26	6	NCAA D-II Sweet 16
Southern Indiana	1999-00	25	6	NCAA D-II Sweet 16
Southern Indiana	2000-01	26	4	NCAA D-II First Round
Career	Totals	231	46	N/A

Division I Career Record

Statistics overview

Season	Coach	Overall	Conference	Standing	Postseason
Milwaukee (Horizon League) (2001–2005)
2001–02	Milwaukee	16-13	11-5	3rd
2002–03	Milwaukee	24-8	13-3	2nd	NCAA 1st Round
2003–04	Milwaukee	20-11	13-3	1st	NIT 1st Round
2004–05	Milwaukee	26-6	14-2	1st	NCAA Sweet Sixteen
Milwaukee:		86-38	51-13
Tennessee (SEC East) (2005–Present)
2005-06	Tennessee	22-8	12-4	1st	NCAA 2nd Round
2006-07	Tennessee	24-11	10-6	2nd	NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2007-08	Tennessee	31-5	14-2	1st	NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2008-09	Tennessee	21-13	10-6	T-1st	NCAA 1st Round
2009-10	Tennessee	27-8	11-5	3rd	NCAA Sweet Sixteen
Tennessee:		125-45	57-23
Total:		210-83
National champion         Postseason invitational champion         Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion       Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion       Conference tournament champion

NCAA Career Record

Total: 441-129

Versus the SEC

Within two years Bruce Pearl's team had recorded a win against each of the other teams in the SEC.

SEC record at Tennessee

SEC School	Wins	Losses
Alabama	4	2
Arkansas	4	2
Auburn	4	2
Florida	8	2
Georgia	9	1
Kentucky	4	7
LSU	4	3
Mississippi	4	2
Mississippi State	5	1
South Carolina	10	2
Vanderbilt	6	4
TOTAL (As of March 13, 2010)	62	28
Sec Tournament Record	5	5

External links

• Official biography from Tennessee Volunteers website
• Bruce Pearl's memo to the NCAA
• Interview with Bruce Pearl from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum