Bruce Pearl

I loved the picture of Coach Bruce Pearl in today's Knoxville News Sentinel. It was a perfect expression of total, absolute disbelief, surrounded by his players, who were in absolute, total joy.

In living rooms across East Tennessee and the Vol Nation, shock was followed cheers and high fives. I watched the bracket show with my dog Fred. Even he was surprised at the high seed. How in the world did Tennessee get a number two seed in the NCAA basketball tournament? Wow!

Tennessee basketball has come a long way in a short time. Fans were hopeful that Coach Pearl would bring a new passion - if not immediate victories - to the BasketVols. A decent showing and a trip to the NIT would've been a fan's best case scenario.

All that changed during the season. This Volunteer team - undersized and outmanned - rarely is ever out hustled. This team wins by hard work and passionate coaching.

I've been around Bruce Pearl only a couple of times. I met him at a golf tournament last Fall. His personality fills a room, but not in an obnoxious way. He's a talker and a story teller and he makes you feel, for that one moment when he's talking to you, that you're the most important person in the room. I saw him do that time and again with just about everyone he came in contact with, including me. If I wasn't a Pearl fan before I met him, I sure was afterwards.

It's amazing what the right person at the right time can do for a program. What he's done for Tennessee in one year has been phenomenal. AD Mike Hamilton should be very proud.