Auburn HC Bruce Pearl goes viral for comments about the Tennessee Vols
Auburn Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl went viral this weekend for his take on the Tennessee Vols basketball program. Pearl, who joined CBS Sports' studio coverage of the NCAA Tournament after Auburn was eliminated by Yale, spoke about the Tennessee program, where he was the head coach from 2005 to 2011, on Friday night after […]
Auburn Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl went viral this weekend for his take on the Tennessee Vols basketball program.
Pearl, who joined CBS Sports' studio coverage of the NCAA Tournament after Auburn was eliminated by Yale, spoke about the Tennessee program, where he was the head coach from 2005 to 2011, on Friday night after the Vols' win against Creighton (which sent UT to the Elite Eight).
"We talk about Tennessee going to the Elite Eight, you know, if the Lady Vols didn't go to the Elite Eight [every year], it was a disappointing season," said Pearl. "But it's a big step for the men's program. It's a big step for Coach (Rick) Barnes. Coach Barnes is a Hall of Fame coach. He's one of the best coaches in all of college basketball and one of the best people in our game.
"He's got some criticism over not having great postseason runs, look, it takes players like Zakai Zeigler, who has that New York toughness — the will to be able to win. Coach Barnes said that no player he's ever had at Tennessee has had as much of an impact on the culture on the program (as Zeigler). I had a few of those guys back in 2010, who desperately wanted to sort of follow in the footsteps of the Lady Vols and do something really, really special. I know Ernie Grunfeld, I know Bernard King, I know Allan Houston, I know all the great Vols are really happy about this great run."
Lady Vols legend Candace Parker, who was also in studio for CBS Sports' coverage of the NCAA Tournament, responded to Pearl by calling the former Tennessee head coach "humble".
"Listen, he (Pearl) is being humble," said Parker. "He came in and transformed the entire Tennessee program. From the mentality, to the expectations, from the belief, from the brotherhood, from the camaraderie, you talk about bringing people together. So, Bruce Pearl is being very humble today, but I witnessed the transformation of the men's basketball program….I know you're being humble, but you meant a great deal to the Volunteer legacy and what you did in the postseason and what you got them back to."
It's clear that Pearl still has a lot of love for the Tennessee program. And it seems like he's genuinely rooting for the Vols' success. It's also clear that a Vols legend like Parker appreciates what Pearl did for the program.
Pearl might be on a rival sideline these days, but Vols fans can appreciate what he helped build at UT while also respecting the reverence that he has for the men's and women's programs at Tennessee.
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