Be careful what you promise when shaking hands with Bruce Pearl

by Joel Hollingsworth on May 24, 2010 7:30 AM EDT in Rocky Top Talking Points

Talking Points for 5/24/10:

Did you know that basketball coaches apparently have an understanding among each other that when a kid commits to a school, the other schools back off and stop recruiting him? Really. No, seriously. Of course, you have to wonder if that's changing what with the growing number of decommitments in bball, most recently and notably Terrence Jones, who switched from Washington to . . . Calipari. In any event, watch what you're promising when you shake hands with Bruce Pearl:
"To me, it's consistent with contract law," Pearl said. "If a kid gives me a verbal commitment and, God forbid, he gets hurt and never plays a down or a minute, he's going to be on scholarship because that verbal contract is as good as signing a national letter of intent to me. I think that's how we should operate."
But seriously, I love that. I don't know that it's a winning strategy in this day and age, but I still love it.
Bruce Pearl says that the favorite to win the SEC in 2010-11 is . . . drumroll . . . Florida. The Calipari Wildcats, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and Georgia are all bunched up in a race for second, and it's sounding like Pearl thinks Calipari is bringing up the rear of that group. We'll see.

Eddrick Loften is apparently on his way to UT, having received the test score he needed to get qualified. He still has to await The Clearinghouse -- cue the dunh dunh dunh -- but he's planning to arrive July 1.

Quarkback on the radar. A little heavy for a quark, actually, but 5'7", 188-pound Jerron Seymour claims to have scored TDs on 22 of his 126 rushing attempts at Hialeah (Fla.) High School last fall. Math guys, some favorable extrapolating, please?

Video: Nick Reveiz's comeback in full gear.

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Comments

Does anyone think Calipari is an honorable coach?

-Florida will be very talented. But they have had a lot of talent the last couple years too. We’ll see if they can translate that to into wins.

-I think Rivals ranked Eddrick Loften as the hardest hitting safety in his class. With Darren Myles and Janzen Jackson… our secondary could have a good run going for them.

by golfballs03 on May 24, 2010 8:14 AM EDT reply actions

I think that's the first time I've ever seen "honorable" and "coach" in the same sentence as "Calipari" without a "dis" somewhere in there as well.

by memphispete on May 27, 2010 1:28 PM EDT up reply actions

"I'm still sort of moved by your "My word is stronger than oak" thing."

Also of note in that Pearl article on Florida is mention of playing Woolridge at the 3, and Pearl saying that Brian Williams has had “a very average career at Tennessee.” It’s motivation season.

Rocky Top Talk

by Will Shelton on May 24, 2010 8:40 AM EDT reply actions

"I had two slices of bad pizza and grew a conscience."

Great movie.

While I appreciate the honesty, I would still like to hear Pearl say that he thinks we’re the favorite in the SEC this year. That previous sentence might be the biggest criticism I’ve ever had of him as a coach.

So Sayth King Zach I

by kingofzachland on May 24, 2010 8:57 AM EDT up reply actions

I still like Coach Pearl's honesty - he really believes Florida comes in with better talent, so he says it.

He also has a lot of respect for Coach Donovan, even though he beats the snot out of him on a reglaur basis.

by memphispete on May 27, 2010 1:30 PM EDT up reply actions

Correct me if I'm wrong..

…but wasn’t Scotty Hopson a Mississippi State commitment when we were recruiting him?

by Getoffmyvols on May 24, 2010 10:10 AM EDT reply actions

i don't know

at the time, all of the coaches who recruited him after he re-opened his recruitment (Pitino, Gillespie, Pearl, etc) maintain that they don’t recruit players who are committed to other schools. Pitino went as far as to say that he wouldn’t even contact Hopson based on what was reported in papers, but had to hear it from Hopson’s own mouth that he was re-opening his recruitment.

by golfballs03 on May 24, 2010 10:28 AM EDT up reply actions

Yea it sounds familiar.

“We won’t call them unless they call us”….

by Getoffmyvols on May 24, 2010 10:39 AM EDT up reply actions

yeah... i know

i could see it being the case, like – “oh, i said that I wouldn’t recruit them, but I didn’t say anything about my assistants”

by golfballs03 on May 24, 2010 11:06 AM EDT up reply actions

Returning everyone from last year

Florida is definitely the favourite on paper. The question is whether they’ll turn it into a division title or not. My money is on not. But the top five in the SEC East will be very, very good. I wouldn’t be surprised if the SEC got 5 NCAA bids and each was for an East team.

by Incipient_Senescence on May 24, 2010 11:21 AM EDT reply actions

Using the British "ou?"

I guess you’re getting ready for the World Cup, right? All I ask is that you spell it “Futbol” instead of “Football” so there’s no confusion. And while I’m on the topic, GO USA, beat the Czech Republic tomorrow!

So Sayth King Zach I

by kingofzachland on May 24, 2010 12:34 PM EDT up reply actions

I will be in East Hartford cheering them on!

by Incipient_Senescence on May 24, 2010 12:49 PM EDT up reply actions

NICE

I wanted desperately to go to the one either in E. Hartford or Philly, but I couldn’t justify dropping the money for the plane ticket, game ticket, new jersey, etc. I still dropped $70 on the new away jersey, but I figure this will give me more dough to spend on beer all World Cup long at the local soccer pub.

So Sayth King Zach I

by kingofzachland on May 24, 2010 2:28 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah, plane tickets complicate things

I actually have tickets to both games (cheap seats, but still), but it’s only a 2 hour drive to Hartford and a 5 hour drive to Philly. GO USA!

Also, if you thought the football/football thing was confusing, I’m dating (or close to dating, I don’t think we’ve clarified) a Brit. That makes it even better. lol

by Incipient_Senescence on May 24, 2010 2:32 PM EDT up reply actions