It's that time of year: College coach carousel!

Pearl out at Tennessee: http://gary-parrish.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/6271764/28018503?ttag=gen10_on_all_fb_na_txt_0001

 

I thought they had already fired him. *shrug*

Tennessee should be a good job, but it isn't.

 

The Vols haven't had a coach last more than five years there since Don DeVoe (78-89).

 

It's a tough job because in most year's they'll be playing for third in their own Division.

Pearl was a complete douche, but he was also a good coach and a pretty good fit there.

 

Pearl was there six seasons.

 

Men's hoops at UT will always be behind the women and football.

Yet folk wonder why it's hard to recruit there.

And I find it funny that a guy who narced other coaches for violations is getting the hammer, something fierce.

 

Do you think he gets another college job anytime soon? The guy can definitely coach. I think his best bet would be going to the NBA as an assistant.

 

I was visiting family in Fresno over the weekend. The two candidates that people seemed the most interested in were Bob Cantu and Ernie Kent. Cantu has California ties and has been a very well-respected assistant at USC (he coached the PAC-10 Tournament game against Arizona after O'Neill turned into Drinky McDrunkerson). I'd be shocked if he doesn't land a decent head coaching job in the next few years.

Kent comes with the endorsement of Boyd Grant, the Fresno State head coach during the "Red Wave" days of the 1980s. I know a lot of Oregon fans felt the team underperformed his last few years, but it's hard to argue with his overall track record.

People seem indifferent to Reggie Theus. If they hire a current/former Fresno City College coach like Vance Walberg or Ed Madec, that's a sign that the AD has completely lost it and that they've given up on basketball.

I think it's interesting that Steve Cleveland is sticking around for one year and said that he's going to be involved in the hiring process. When a top executive at a Japanese company gets demoted, they give him a fancy title and ship him to an office with no windows, where he can sit and find a graceful way to exit. Steve Cleveland has the office with no windows at Fresno State.

I honestly have no idea what kind of job the Fresno State position is viewed as nationally. You have an historically good fan base, although they've been burned by years of mediocre results and sleazy coaches. They are moving into the MWC (which will help basketball more than football), but they haven't really been good since Boyd Grant was recruiting the hell out of Chicago. Still, there's enough good local talent that I think it's a job you can turn into a solid, NCAA tournament team on a yearly basis.

 

Pearl at Providence, as terrier hinted at, would be interesting, but how could a power conference school even touch this guy? He's more toxic than Todd Bozeman was, and how long did it take him to get a low-level D-1 job?

 

Fresno State is one of those jobs where if they have a big-name coach (Tarkanian), people care. If they don't, nobody pays attention.

Theus, for better or worse, is a former NBA star and coach. Granted, he might be one of the worst NBA coaching hires in recent memory, but still... Fresno could do worse...

 

I'm not sure Pearl has entered Bozeman territory yet, but that may only be because all the facts aren't out there yet.

I think it took Bozeman a decade to get back. I think he went to the NBA as well. I don't remember if he was an assistant or a scout.

 

Pearl will be back in 3-4 years. He's toxic right now. But who takes the Tennessee job? It's like Arkansas in that you have support, but you aren't going to have much of a local recruiting base to build a team that will live to expectations. Part of the power of Pearl was he was able to land a Scotty Hopson and a Tobias Harris along with the in-states like Tyler Smith. Heck, two of his best players were Kentucky Mr. Basketballs (Hopson and Chris Lofton, although Lofton was recruited by Pearl's predecessor, if I'm not mistaken).

This is a place that needs a really dynamic recruiter to win. That's what Pearl was/is.

Pearl