Pearl Fired By Tennessee. Is PC Interested?

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Monday, March 21, 2011

Scott Cordischi, GoLocalProv Sports Editor

With word out of Knoxville that Tennessee men’s basketball coach Bruce Pear has been fired, Friar fans are wondering if there might be any interest here in the embattled coach.

Pearl, 51, is to go in front of an NCAA Committee on Infractions in June for recruiting violations which he has since admitted to. Pearl admitted to those infractions only after lying to NCAA investigators about them initially.

Pearl served an 8-game suspension handed down to him by the Southeastern Conference this past season, his sixth at the school. In all six of his seasons coaching the Vols, he has led the program to the NCAA Tournament. His overall record at the school was 145-61.

This year, Pearl’s team was ousted by Michigan 75-45 in their first game of the Tournament after which he stated his preference to remain the Tennessee head coach “for a long time.”

Pearl was born in Boston, Massachusetts and attended Boston College. Might those local ties and his overwhelming success at both Tennessee and Wisconsin-Milwaukee be enough for PC officials to take a look at him?

Most believe that the answer is “no.” The specter of impending discipline by the NCAA makes him somewhat of a risk. Although, in most cases, violations and the penalties handed down for committing them often stay at the school and do not follow the coach.

If PC were to be interested in Pearl there would be a bit of irony in such a move. Pearl spent 6 years as an assistant under Tom Davis, the father of ousted coach Keno Davis, at Iowa.

With former Big East Commissioner Mike Tranghese spearheading the search for a new head coach at Providence College, the belief is that he is looking for someone who would truly embrace coaching the program and not necessarily view it as a stepping stone. Which leads back to Providence native Ed Cooley who could ultimately be named the Friars new head coach in a matter of days.