Posted by alfrizzle097 on April 18, 2008 at 12:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)

High achievement should be lauded, but not treated as a remarkable feat. The fact that we look at high performance in the classroom as an anomoly lowers expectations in and of itself.

I attended Roane County High School myself a year ahead of this group of students and Chancey Carothers. The primary problem there is low expectations. The instructors expect little of the students and the students expect little of themselves.

The primary difference between a school like Roane County and, say, Oak Ridge is the expectations. The students' natural abilities are generally equal.

It is nurture, not nature.

SUMMATION: Good job to these students, but don't become complacent.

Posted by DandyVol on April 18, 2008 at 7:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I guess the grade point average must be on a different scale now. When I went to school, the highest grade point average that could be achieved was 4.0

Posted by stumpy on April 18, 2008 at 8:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Those GPAs are on a weighted scale. You get high marks for honors and advance placement classes.

Posted by SmokyMntHiker on April 18, 2008 at 8:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Valedictorian and he's going to Tusculum? That school is one of the worst in this region academically. Not a "smart move" for an apparently bright student.

Posted by rayhjenkins on April 18, 2008 at 8:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Interesting this is in the "Sports" section. The only connection to sports is the fact Pearl is the Men's Basketball coach.

The focus of the article - and the event - had nothing to do with sports.

Posted by jopad on April 18, 2008 at 9:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)

bflynn has obviously lost sight of what the education system is about!! It is about educating students to prepare them for life, NOT PROVIDING SETTINGS FOR ATHLETIC DEVELOPMENT. It is unfortunate so many people place athletics above the education system itself. A national championship in any sport is to be enjoyed, an education with good grades is to be cherished throughout life. bflynn try eliminating sports and see what happens--then try eliminating the education system and see what happens. I am a UT fan (and have been for over 65 years) but I know education is far mor important than sports--in fact I firmly do not believe ANY athletic coach should be paid more than a class room teacher!! A teachers job is far more important than a coach.

Posted by wvuvolfan on April 18, 2008 at 9:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)

the article in the KNS paper was in the local section.

Posted by vol88 on April 18, 2008 at 10:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)

bflynn2...do you work at the Kingston Pike McDonalds or the one on the strip?

Posted by rbromley7 on April 18, 2008 at 10:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I would hope that Coach Pearl could improve his group of players so that they would demonstrate some academic achievement. At times, I wondered if they were a smart enough group that could exhibit discipline or skill in having a half court game or at least be able to execute screening skills for their best shooters, especially from the 3-poing range. While we played with the big boys this year, our graduation rate does not come close to others. There are universities that are in he top 20 every year and still manage to have excellent graduation rates. Why can't UT? The women's program seem to meeting that standard.

Posted by General_Watermelon on April 18, 2008 at 10:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)

vol88 - always putting down the little man.

Eat more fritters!

Posted by VOLS85 on April 18, 2008 at 10:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)

rbromley - kudos to you...excellent point

Posted by LazhilUT on April 18, 2008 at 11:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)

rbromley7, the latests rankings on graduation rates were numbers that do not show Pearl's teams...they all showed Jerry Green's and I think maybe the first year os Buzz's.
Since Pearl got here, other than Wingate that he kicked out, who left early? does anyone know?

Posted by ggriggs939 on April 18, 2008 at 11:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)

It is noteworthy that we have a coach who will stand up and encourage students to work hard to achieve success in the classroom. Many are interested only in the athletic skills of their group. Having Coach Pearl address the group was a good stroke since he is not only articulate, but is honored and respected as a person and in a position that is easily and quickly criticized. We continue to denigrate and destroy our heroes because we lack confidence in ourselves and want to put them and their accomplishments below our own so we feel good about ourselves. We don't want to believe we are building a house of cards.
Without heroes, we have no basis for expectations
in any area of our lives, thus it is great to have Coach step forward and speak to this group. His selection as the speaker was appropriate based on his record of accomplishment in his relationship as a coach and educator of young people.

Posted by itsme53792 on April 18, 2008 at 12:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)

This is really rich; Pearl is "encouraging academic achievers". He wouldn't know one if such an achiever painted the back side of his fat ass orange...based on the uthugs' academic standing. Memphis has graduated 16 of the last 19 players that did NOT go pro. The uthugs haven't had any early pro travelers...and have the worst recent (including Pearl's time) graduations. Funny.

Posted by hcjournals on April 18, 2008 at 1:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Hey itsme......I'm from Memphis, and I resent you trying to represent my city.......Back off, junior and keep it real in Frayser............

Posted by TurboFan on April 18, 2008 at 3:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I can only think of 6 UTBB players (5 Buzz recruits, 1 CBP) that have finished playing during CBP's tenure. One was dismissed before his first season, two were dismissed before his second season, two graduated, not sure about the last one but he was a transfer thus was in school for 5 years. Anyone with better memory than me?

Posted by ggriggs939 on April 18, 2008 at 4:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Wimp Sanderson said that every player graduated who wanted to do so.
That generally holds true whoever the student might be. Strict personal discipline is needed to complete the work required for a degree with the exception of the real brains, but many of them do not really apply themselves.
If a player wants to goof off or sandbag during the time he should be studying, it is not the fault of the coach. Coaches are not allowed nowadays to sit in class or arrange for someone to take an exam for a student, at least at UT.
Many are in school just to get a shot at the pros. Some return later when they realize they need a degree to earn a decent living.
It is a mystery why athletes are held to a standard different from the general student population. The average graduation rate of the incoming freshman class is about 35 percent, so anything above that is a plus.

Posted by birddogtails on April 18, 2008 at 4:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I did a quick check between Coach Roy William and Coach Bruce Pearl contract. Williams has a months salary perk if his players meet the student body grad. rate.

Posted by bricker865 on April 18, 2008 at 4:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)

ewww...another outsider from Armpit U.

Posted by itsme53792 on April 18, 2008 at 4:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)

...hcjournal...must know Frayser well. But Frayser is a high step above the academic and cultural levels of the uthugs athletes, and such orangeneck supporters as yourself. And brickbrain...figuratively speaking, the armpit is the highest view of elite programs that your little band of thugs (and supporter such as you) can achieve. Kudos to WD40 for accurate and straightforward acknowledgement of the problem(s) in snottxville. Therein lies the difference: Memphis graduated 16 of the last 19 that did NOT go pro (a new outhouse for the volgirl fan who can name the last uthug bball player to go to the NBA?) and that INCLUDED the players dismissed. Woe is organge and your petty jealousies.

Posted by jopad on April 18, 2008 at 9:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)

bflynn I have never answered a response to one of my posts before but have to respond to your latest telling me to "shut up". I do get a check each month for retirement and for SS. Do you have any idea why---because I went to college, earned my B.A. and M.A, which prepared me to succeed in life and make my senior years financially stable. I owe much of this to teachers and professors who took an interest in their students. I owe nothing to a national championship. The unfortunate thing is there are too many people like you who seem to need national championships or sucessful athletic seasons to make life worthwhile. Understand, sports are a form of entertainment, not a basic need in life. I do feel sorry for people like you who must have their sports teams be the very best in the land in order to find fullfillment in their lives. Kudo's to those who posted here in support of Coach Pearl and his commitment to academics.

Posted by bricker865 on April 18, 2008 at 9:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)

itsme....jealously's a bitch isn't it?? Otherwise why would you be here? As far as thugs go, we're not quite there but we're trying to get ourselves up to Mempiss standards.

Posted by TurboFan on April 19, 2008 at 12:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I didn't acknowledge anything. Where I was going was to show that Pearl got rid of the problems pretty quickly (only one of which did he bring to UT) and two (possibly three, don't know about Patterson) of three graduated.

Calipari has been at Memphis 5 years (what was Memphis grad rate prior to Calipari?). Let's see where Bruce is in two more.

Posted by itsme53792 on April 20, 2008 at 9:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Now WD..that sounds like a Calipari compliment. For brickbrain, go to the Tennessean and read Mike Hamilton's interview. The uthugs have lost a scholarship because your little thugs--shall we say--"underperformed" as measured by the NCAA's APR (academic performance ratio). So brickbrain, Memphis graduated 16 of the last 19 that didn't go pro early (they do that at Memphis). Memphis has an NBA coach while you have a directional school coach. Memphis has been to 3 consecutive Elite 8s, the Final Four and the Title game. Been ranked number 1 for 5 weeks. Calipari is the Naismith Coach of the Year. Nationally known and recognized as one the the ELITE programs. We might be jealous of something, but it isn't the ignorance and impotence of your little uthug bball program.