Time again to talk Bruce Pearl

Following an SEC Championship, Bruce Pearl is now leading Auburn on a deep NCAA Tournament run. Any time Pearl has success, there are plenty of BC fans who wonder "what could have been." I was one of those fans for a long time. While I still love watching Pearl, I know that BC was right to never really pursue him as a BC coach.

Regardless of what people say, the only real window to ever get Pearl was when Donahue was fired. All the other times, either BC had a successful coach in place or Pearl had a job that could pay more than BC. When Donahue's final season was falling apart a strong AD could have locked up Pearl and dealt with the internal politics of getting him hired. Clearly Brad Bates was not that AD. Maybe Gene could have pulled something like that off. Maybe Jarmond. But Bates clearly didn't have the foresight or understand the politics to get BC to sign off on Pearl. That was probably for the best.

Pearl's time at Auburn has been filled with basketball success but plenty of off the court issues. Two different assistants have been arrested for illegal bribes. Pearl didn't talk to or work with former Auburn AD Chris Myers. He also hasn't been afraid of using the media to fight for a raise or get his named mentioned for other openings.

I am for changing the system and suspicious of BC's purity, but had BC hired Pearl we would be dealing with a whole host of problems and embarrassments. I want change and success, but Pearl was never going to do things in an acceptable way for BC.

I was probably wrong about Bruce Pearl

For years I dreamed of Bruce Pearl returning "home" to his Alma mater as Boston College Head Basketball Coach. I knew it would never happen. First, the timing was never right. When the job opened up after Skinner, I knew Pearl would not take a pay cut to leave Tennessee. When it opened up after Donahue, I knew his NCAA show clause would be a non-starter with BC's Administration. Yet during both of those windows, I would have gladly taken him. I would have overlooked his shady reputation for the chance at him winning big at BC. In hindsight, I realize now how wrong I was. College Basketball is a corrupt cesspool where nearly everyone is dirty, but Bruce Pearl is clearly an elite level rule breaker and his unwillingness to cooperate with Auburn is just another example that he is more trouble than he is worth.

Now I know Pearl has every right to protect himself. His former assistant Chuck Person facing federal charges. If I were Pearl, I wouldn't talk to anyone from the FBI to the NCAA without a lawyer present. However, Auburn is his employer and he is under contract. I am sure there could be some lawyer supervised cooperation that he could contribute. If history is any indicator, he is going to get a big payout when Auburn gets around to firing him. He is probably not going to get another college coaching job in his life. Why not be gracious and cooperative on your way out the door?

As I have written a lot lately, I don't think BC is perfectly clean in all of this. But now I understand how Pearl would never have been welcome as Coach. BC might be place where we look the other way on small issues, but we were never going to let someone like Pearl do his own thing and take down whoever is around him. College coaches tend to be a self-centered bunch, but Pearl is only thinking about Pearl and that hurts all the coaches he employed, players he recruited and the University that paid him. BC is lucky that after he left, he never came back.

What NCAA Basketball scandal means for BC

Two days into the scandal and so far there doesn't seem to be any connection between BC and the FBI's corruption investigation into College Basketball. I personally don't know of any wrongdoing by BC. And there are plenty of people out there saying neither BC nor Jim Christian buy players. So assuming BC is in the clear, what ripple effect will this have on BC sports?

1. The football schedule will probably get a bit easier. This remains a basketball scandal, but all of Louisville is going to take a beating. They lost their AD. Bobby Petrino would seem to be the best thing going about Louisville sports. But without his guardian angle Jurich around, what are the odds that he stays? His buyout contractually becomes much smaller without Jurich around. Petrino will be a target for SEC schools looking to make a move. Replacing him will be tough, especially with the black cloud hanging over the program.

2. The ACC Basketball schedule will remain a gauntlet unless other schools get dragged down too. I doubt Louisville hoops will get the Death Penalty but they are likely to get hit hard. It also appears that Miami is facing charges. Having both schools struggle helps BC, but still leaves plenty of heavyweights around. Unless the FBI takes down Duke, UNC, and Syracuse, the ACC hierarchy won't change.

I am cynical and believe that if the going rate for 5-stars was 100K, all the big boys are paying. As much as kids want to play for Duke and UNC, I don't see dozens of them bypassing payments to play for Roy Williams and Coach K. This is just speculation on my part, but would it surprise anyone? UNC already corrupted their academics for basketball. Is paying players a line they won't cross?

3. This won't change BC's recruiting or status. I am sure there are some people on campus feeling self-righteous about BC doing things the right way. If BC truly did follow the rules, I am glad. But following the rules doesn't explain away all the bad basketball we've seen. For basketball, you only need 12 guys and really only about 6 who need to be ACC level players. Even if we are hurt by our shoe deal and not bribing, a BC staff should still be able to find enough players worldwide who could help BC win. We haven't. That's on both the recent BC coaches.

4. BC won't take a leadership stand in fixing college sports. BC made a pretty big statement about not paying players last year. Even with new leadership, I don't expect BC to lead the charge to add salaries to revenue sports. I wish they would. As I have mentioned before, we are in a unique spot in that we are part of the Big 5, but do things a little differently. BC should have a perspective that could hopefully help the athletes, yet not disrupt college sports to the point where it is unrecognizable.

Assuming BC is in the clear, I hope they don't walk away thinking everything is fine. Leadership needs to ask themselves hard questions. Do we know exactly what assistants are doing? Do we bend the rules as we need to yet still take a holier than thou stance? If all our competitors are cheating and we are not, what is the point of all of this? If we paid athletes, would all the black market stuff go away?

I know what I would do. I don't know what Martin Jarmond and Father Leahy plan to do.

BC beats Auburn! (Maybe it was a good time to play Pearl.)

If last week was a disaster for the basketball team, this week is off to a good start. BC upset Auburn in Madison Square Garden 72-71. There was a lot to like about this game and still some things of concern. However, I don't want to diminish this win. It is was against a Power 5 team on a big stage and against a team with momentum. I don't expect this to mean BC turned a corner. This could still be a fluke. Most likely this is the "two steps forward" process of progression. Here are some other likes and dislikes:

Likes
-- Clutch plays from Popovic. When BC needed a basket, he made a beautiful post move. The tip in to win was also nice. It seems like he has a good basketball IQ.
-- Bowman creating in traffic with the game on the line. He wanted the ball late and got his shot off. That seems like a simple thing, but when was the last time we had someone who wanted the ball like that, could actually get a shot off and we didn't wince when he did?
-- Not letting the game get away from them. BC had a ton of mistakes down the stretch (see below). Yet they didn't fold. That is progress.

Dislikes
-- So many turnovers. Pearl pressures. We know that. But things were really sloppy, especially for Robinson.
-- Trouble with a two man game on D. Auburn kept getting open shots with just two guys on the perimeter. Do our guys not talk to each other out there?
-- Christian calling a timeout as BC drove for an open shot. And BC made what would have been the go ahead basket. Thank god that didn't come back to haunt us.  

Bruce Pearl on the schedule at the wrong time

I don't think BC put a ton of thought into playing Auburn Monday night. It was really driven by our shared apparel partner Under Armour. But the timing and Auburn's coach make things that much more interesting. Because Bruce Pearl could just as easily be coaching BC right now.

Based on his first two years back in college basketball at Auburn, there is no guarantee that Pearl would have turned BC around. Pearl has struggled to integrate transfers (sound familiar?) and win meaningful conference games. This year is off to a more promising start although they've played a favorable schedule thus far. 

Although he was available when BC made their last coaching change, Pearl was never a real candidate. Despite his ties to the school, his NCAA show clause made him an automatic no with BC's leadership. And given what we know about Brad Bates now, I don't think he had the political instinct nor desire to get support for Pearl among BC's leadership. Plus, I don't know if Pearl would have wanted to return to BC as it was set up then. Why go to a Power 5 program where you will have to fight battles on budgets and admissions, when those same obstacles don't exist at another school offering you a job?

As BC decides what to do with the Athletic Department, the Athletic Director and our major coaches, the school has to think about Pearl and other coaches like him. Can we give those coaches what they want without compromising who we are? I believe we can. It will start a commitment from the Board. Then the AD change. Finally finding another Bruce Pearl. 

Hoops at MSG and other links

BC Basketball announced a game with Auburn next year. The game -- part of a doubleheader at Madison Square Garden -- is sponsored by Under Armour. Both schools are with UA. Aside from keeping Under Armour happy, the game is smart scheduling. Auburn is rebuilding too and we get to play them on a neutral court. Hopefully BC fans in New York will turn out for the game.

Both of our coordinator changes (offensive | defensive) are under the spotlight.

The Colts seem interested in Justin Simmons.

Coaching Profiles: Bruce Pearl

We all know the issues BC needs to address with regards to Bruce Pearl. But as other schools ready to fire their coaches, it is also important to ask "would Pearl come back to BC?" Behind closed doors I wonder if Pearl would prefer going back to the SEC where he knows the coaches, never has to worry about recruits graduating and can stay relatively close to his family. Auburn is likely to make a change. Alabama could also be looking for a new coach. If both decide to suck up their pride and hire a former Tennessee coach (and if Mike Slive doesn't blackball Pearl), I would think Pearl would prefer those jobs to BC.


Pros
-- Instant excitement and energy around the basketball program
-- Pearl's style would probably suit the current roster and be a reasonable transition
-- Pearl is willing to sell the program to recruits, media and fans
-- Great redemption story
-- Bringing in an established winner

Cons
-- Unless a comprise can be worked out on the show clause, BC would voluntarily place itself on probation until August 2014
-- Unless the show clause is adjusted, Pearl cannot recruit until August
-- Pearl's baggage will be used against BC in recruiting
-- Any basketball issue (on or off the court) will be overly scrutinized because of Pearl's history

Overall
If you are basing the decision purely on basketball, Pearl is the obvious choice. However, it is not that simple. Can he be contrite and say the right things to BC? Will he overplay his hand with any new suitor and end up alienating all the major programs? Will Brad Bates put his reputation in the line with the BC trustees for this one hire? I still think it is all unlikely. Who knows? We are approaching Lent. Maybe the story of the Prodigal Son will strike a nerve with the right people when it comes time to pursue Pearl.

Guest Blog: Tim Epstein on NCAA rules and show clauses

"After last week's post on Bruce Pearl, Tim Epstein '99 and I had an offline conversation regarding show clauses and NCAA penalties. Tim, who teaches sports law and runs a sports law group, agreed to clarify some of the issues. His explanations run below."

What is a show-cause penalty and what does it entail?
-- NCAA bylaw 19.02.03: Show-Cause Order. A show-cause order is an order that requires a member institution (i.e. school or conference) to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Committee on Infractions (“COI”) why it should not be subject to a penalty or additional penalty for not taking appropriate disciplinary or corrective action with regard to an institutional staff member or representative of the institution’s athletics interests found by the Committee as having been involved in a violation of the NCAA Constitution and Bylaws.

This rule potentially leaves any school that wishes to employ an individual subject to a show-cause order, within the term of said show-cause order, to potential NCAA penalties at the institutional level. Therefore, if a school wishes to hire Bruce Pearl prior to the conclusion of his show-cause penalty, the school that hires him could face NCAA penalties based on Pearl’s NCAA violations while he was at Tennessee.

As a result, if BC hires Bruce Pearl as head coach and fails to show-cause for hiring him, BC could face NCAA penalties for violations that occurred while Pearl worked at a different school both in the form of

Pearl's penalties remaining in place as well as additional sanctions on BC.
So, to clear up a couple misconceptions: (1) a show-cause order does not require a NCAA member institution to fire the employee, nor does it (2) serve as a ban against a member institution from hiring the penalized coach/staff member.

What was the actual penalty against Bruce Pearl and the reason for the penalty?

Pearl received a three-year show-cause order, and three of his assistants were given one-year show-cause penalties. The COI singled out Pearl and his staff for giving misleading information about a cookout in 2008 that involved a junior in high school (current Ohio State guard Aaron Craft). Craft was on an unofficial visit and was not allowed to be at Pearl's home. The COI noted that Pearl said that attendance at the cookout was an NCAA violation and encouraged those who were there not to disclose it to others. Pearl then lied about the incident and called Craft's father to ask him to do so as well before finally telling the truth to NCAA investigators.

Pearl’s show cause penalty expires Aug. 23, 2014.


How would hiring Bruce Pearl prior to the expiration of his show cause penalty effect BC?

If BC wishes to hire Bruce Pearl before the expiration, BC must appear before the COI to show cause why BC should not be subject to penalties for hiring Bruce Pearl prior to the conclusion of his show-cause order.
If BC fails to show cause for hiring Pearl, (1) Pearl's current penalty would continue through the expiration date of the show-cause order, and (2) BC could face additional disciplinary actions and penalties from the COI.

Therefore, the far majority of the time, a member institution will not hire an individual currently serving out a show-cause penalty.



Would Bruce Pearl’s past transgressions still be penalized now?

Yes it would be. 13.02.4 defines what a contact is. A contact is any face-to-face encounter between a prospective student-athlete or the prospective student-athlete’s parents, relatives or legal guardians and an institutional staff member or athletics representative during which any dialogue occurs in excess of an exchange of a greeting. Any such face-to-face encounter that is prearranged (e.g., staff member positions himself or herself in a location where contact is possible) or that takes place on the grounds of the prospective student-athlete’s educational institution or at the site of organized competition or practice involving the prospective student-athlete or the prospective student-athlete’s high school, preparatory school, two-year college or all-star team shall be considered a contact, regardless of whether any conversation occurs. However, an institutional staff member or athletics representative who is approached by a prospective student-athlete or the prospective student-athlete’s parents, relatives or legal guardians at any location shall not be regarded as a contact, provided the encounter was not prearranged and the staff member or athletics representative does not engage in any dialogue in excess of a greeting and takes appropriate steps to immediately terminate the encounter. (Revised: 1/11/94 effective 8/1/94)

NCAA Bylaw 13.1.1.1.1: in men’s basketball, off-campus recruiting of contacts shall not be made with an individual (or his relatives or legal guardians) before the opening day of his junior year in high school.

Contacts that occur during a prospective student-athlete’s junior year during recruiting periods other than the April recruiting period may occur only at the prospective student-athlete’s educational institution. During the April recruiting period of a prospective student-athlete’s junior year, contacts may occur at either the prospective student-athlete’s educational institution or residence. (Adopted: 10/27/11 effective 8/1/12)

At the time of Aaron Craft’s unofficial visit he was only in 11th grade. Therefore, the barbeque at Bruce Pearl’s house would still be a NCAA violation today, as would Pearl’s lying to NCAA investigators.
What may have changed if the violation occurred in 2014 is that the penalty levied against Pearl would have been shorter in duration.

Reading into the Pearl media narrative

Bruce Pearl got the featured spot in Seth Davis' latest column. Of course BC is the first school mentioned as a possible destination. There is also reference to SEC schools and even a return to Tennessee. Pearl then goes into great lengths to explain his situation and how he has so many reasons not to return to coaching (family, comfort in Knoxville, etc.). I don't doubt that family is a factor in his decision. But I do doubt that it will keep him from coaching again. I think as with this CBS column, Pearl is really just laying out the factors to a potential return and preemptively saving face if he is still blackballed by major programs. You don't cooperate with these sorts of columns unless you want your name out there and want to be mentioned as a coach. But does any of this matter to BC?

I don't think Pearl is bold enough to drop the BC reference to Seth Davis. Davis isn't dumb. He's probably just putting two and two together and rehashing gossip and speculation. Pearl is out there and his Alma mater's team is floundering. It is only natural to link the two. However, that still doesn't mean that BC will approach Pearl or that Pearl would take the job. Pearl has baggage and that matters to some vocal factions at BC. In the coming weeks I will write more about Pearl and BC, but for now know that he is talking about a return to coaching because he wants to coach a major program again.

Tweets of the Week

Learn. Learn. Learn. thank you #BC #internationalmarketing Education never stops.

— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) January 17, 2014

@kobebryant thank you for representing @BostonCollege #amazing pic.twitter.com/gDxsAHs0Z6

— Josh Reed (@jreed0614) January 17, 2014

WHY DIDN'T THIS HAPPEN WHEN I WAS AT BC? http://t.co/9YHFnOgyCR

— Andrew Sharp (@andrewsharp) January 17, 2014

Pearl lied about a BBQ. (Which is now legal under NCAA rules). Petrino lied about having an affair with an employee he hired.

— Clay Travis (@ClayTravisBGID) January 12, 2014

Amen. RT @kelleyri: Good article on Al Skinner, a quality coach and a better man. http://t.co/N14paQCxjf

— Warren K. Zola (@WarrenKZola) January 12, 2014

This. #WeAreBC pic.twitter.com/5TjyUBgded

— BC Alumni (@BCAlumni) January 13, 2014

RT @BCAlumni: The last time Syracuse visited Conte Forum?This happened: http://t.co/ZAl28U8G6k We remember it. Do you, @JaredDudley619(yes!)

— Jared Dudley (@JaredDudley619) January 13, 2014

Pearl bandwagon lost this blogger

Despite watching his UW-Milwaukee team knock off one of Skinner's better squads, I've been a Bruce Pearl fan since he arrived on the national scene. When Gene decided to fire Al, I openly campaigned for Pearl to get the job. He was a little more showy than most around BC would have liked, but I thought his persona and work ethic would energize BC basketball. But it was not to be (for a variety of reasons) and we made the more appropriate hire in Steve Donahue. Even when the NCAA infractions surfaced there was a part of me rationalizing Pearl. "It was only illegal calls." "He lied to NCAA investigators about a cookout." From afar I deemed it minor rule bending. No cash changed hands. No grades were changed. The violations were the type that seemed fitting with everything we know about Pearl -- hard working, aggressive, personable. With the NCAA's recent report, that's all changed.

Investigators found that Pearl kept making illegal calls after he was busted by the NCAA this summer. That is brazenly arrogant and dumb. It is one thing to push the envelope. It is another to continue to break rules after you have been caught. When the dust clears Pearl is headed for the broadcast booth. No real program will touch him for a few years. He's a winner, so after his time in purgatory he will probably get a second chance, but it won't ever be at BC...and we are better for it.

Hindsight is 20/20: Did BC dodge a bullet on Bruce Pearl?

Image courtesy of Vinny's temporary Pearl blog from last spring.

Since he arrived on the national scene, I've been a big Bruce Pearl fan. Part of me hoped that he would one day come back to Heights to coach BC basketball. Even though I knew it was a long shot, when the BC job opened up this spring, I prayed that a miracle would happen and Pearl would return to his Alma mater. We are lucky he didn't.

Tennessee has just self-imposed sanctions on Pearl and his staff for recruiting violations and lying to the NCAA. Although the staff and coach have fallen on the sword and cut Pearl's salary, the NCAA can impose additional sanctions too. It is going to be messy for Pearl for a while and he will have the cheater tag for the rest of his career. If he had come to BC, the sanctions wouldn't have followed him, but the black cloud would have. BC would have been in a situation similar to when Kelvin Sampson coached Indiana while his old school suffered for his misdeeds.

Instead we now have Steve Donahue and his squeaky clean image. He's not as charismatic as Pearl, but Donahue has the chance to build a program the right way. And doing it the right way is probably healthier than any emotional shot in the arm that Pearl might have provided.

I guess my biggest disappointment in all of this is losing faith in Pearl. I knew he wasn't great at keeping his kids out of trouble, but assumed that as a former whistle blower he would at least play by the rules. Now he is just another shady coach of a big-time program.

Pearl served his career penance for being a whistle blower. Maybe now this experience will be another humbling lesson and chance to rebuild. I will be rooting for him, but will never pine for him to return to BC as a coach and basketball savior.

No Pearl and predictions

As expected Bruce Pearl is not coming to BC. Gene had to have the conversation but too many factors were lined up against Pearl coming back to the Heights. This way saved face and gets Gene off the hook.

So far three guys have formally interviewed for the position (Donahue, Cooley and Mooney). Thankfully Tommy Amaker did not and will stay at Harvard. Bill Coen will interview Monday. Now there is supposedly an under the radar candidate whose name has not been leaked. (I am not buying that by the way. These things never stay quiet for long.) Of the three that interviewed, I think you can cross off Mooney. Supposedly it is "not a good fit at this time" for either side. This is second hand gossip, but I guess Mooney didn't express enough passion for the opportunity nor have the same ideas when it came to running a program.

Donahue is very enthused about BC and the opportunity. The question surrounding his candidacy is staff. Will he bring his Ivy Leaguers? Will he keep some of Skinner's guys? Can he find assistants that have competed and recruited at the ACC level?

Cooley exceeded expectations in the interview and would be willing to sell the school. He would also be a relatively seamless transition. Gene and Ed get along. But can you fire Skinner only to replace him with one of his long time assistants? Does Gene care about the hypocrisy? Will Cooley give the program a shot in the arm?

Coen is well liked and has the media (Katz and Bob Ryan) in his corner. But he is yet to interview. We will know more next week.

My prediciton
Despite the growing Donahue whispers, I still think it will be Cooley or Coen. I also think Pat Duquette will remain on with Cooley or Coen. If forced to pick between Cooley or Coen, I would say Cooely, only because he has interviewed and interviewed well.

Stay tuned...

Bruce Pearl bandwagon

Yesterday's post on the ACC teams generated a few emails about who I was actually rooting for this year. I hopped on the bandwagon of the original SuperFan Bruce Pearl '82. He's a BC Guy whose teams play an exciting brand of basketball. He's also winning at a school with a dormant basketball tradition. If it can't be Al cutting down the nets, it might as well be another Eagle.