Voluntary Dismissal

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No, Bruce Pearl has not stepped down at Tennessee. The title is for another reason.

If today was in fact Bruce Pearl's last game as the top guy with the Tennessee mens hoops program, his team  could have sent him out on a worse note. Don't get me wrong. I do hold Pearl accountable...very slightly. You hold him accountable because it's his program. He runs the show. But the healthy majority rests on the shoulders of his players.

It really was an utter disgrace to watch. Close at the half, but Michigan blitzed the Vols in the second half. The players appeared as if they could care less. I saw very little effort. Very little. If there was any sense of pride, it was not even close to being evident.

And I felt sorry for Pearl. He's not on my list of fave coaches, but despite the issues surrounding the Volunteers program (caused by Pearl's own actions and missteps), he deserved far better. He deserved at least a 40-minute effort from his team. He got 20. I believe you could refer to the effort as "half-assed". You could almost read their minds as if they were saying "He's not gonna be back. Why bother?".

I tell you why you "bother". The man that you turned your back on gave you the opportunity to play Division I basketball. He presented you with a chance to get an education. He expressed a desire for you to wear Tennessee orange. Sure, there were mistakes, but he never quit on you. And this is how he's repaid.

There's still a chance Pearl is retained. Even more unlikely after today. While Pearl has yet to be dismissed (and I believe he will be), it appeared that his team has dismissed him. Pearl's ship ultimately left at halftime.

I wonder if those players feel bad for the mutiny of their captain.