Pirates of the NCAA and the curse of the Bruce Pearl!

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Everyone has to have a breaking point. There has to be a limit to loyalty when it comes to potential job offers. It’s not a marriage! You are not making a commitment to the all mighty.  It’s employment, work, trabajo, a gig, or a plain old job. All bets are off. You are trading your services for compensation, period. If you’re very lucky sometimes that job is doing something you love.

I read a story about University of Tennessee men’s basketball head coach Bruce Pearl reportedly has been offered the job at Memphis now that John Calipari has left for Kentucky. Apparently some of the Volunteer faithful don’t think this is a great idea and they’re all up in arms about being possibly being abandoned by the coach. Let the name calling begin! I’ve read comments from fans featuring words such as “sell out” and other phrases attacking Pearl’s credibility. And for the life of me I can’t understand why?

Why shouldn’t Bruce Pearl consider a job that would potentially bring him more in compensation? Memphis is reportedly offering 21 million dollars to lure him away from his current job at Tennessee.  To my knowledge he doesn’t owe Tennessee anything.  From 78 until 92 he worked as an assistant coach and then was hired to be a head coach at Southern Indiana in 92 and then UW-Milwaukee in 2001. Tennessee seems to be the most high profile job on his coaching resume.  But it’s just another gig. He’s done a great job of turning the program around with three straight NCAA tournament appearances, Tennessee’s first outright SEC championship in 41 years and two sweet 16 berths.     

And I can only assume that Pearl got into to coaching to earn a living and as the jobs got better so did the pay. He’s now considered a big time coach so he should expect big time offers.  At one point Pearl was offered a great opportunity by the University of Tennessee and he took it and ran with it. Now Memphis is calling with a suitcase full of cash. This is a no brainer decision.