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Pearl building another team

Putting together Maccabi squad

By Mike Griffith (Contact)
Originally published 01:04 a.m., June 28, 2008
Updated 01:04 a.m., June 28, 2008

Tennessee men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl had himself dialed down a little Friday afternoon in the Pratt Practice Pavilion.

Players raced up and down the court, sneakers screeching and Pearl barking orders, albeit, more subdued than one might hear at the average Vols' practice.

The players, however, weren't wearing orange. They were clad in the red, white and blue as they fought to secure spots on the USA's 18th World Maccabi Games team. The Maccabi Games represent a spiritual, cultural and athletic experience for Jewish athletes.

"This is about trying to pick the best 12 players we can and give them a taste of how we want to play,'' said Pearl, who will serve as Team USA's head coach for the games July 13-23, 2009, in Israel.

"It's about the guys watching the NBA draft together last night at BW3, and going to temple tonight as a team.

"(Today) they'll see our basketball camp and then go out on my boat."

The first tryout session was June 5 in New York City. The final tryout will be in Los Angeles in August.

ESPN basketball analyst Doug Gottlieb was alongside Pearl at Friday's workout serving as assistant coach.

"I've admired Coach Pearl from afar; his energy and enthusiasm for Judaism and for basketball,'' said Gottlieb, who played at Notre Dame and Oklahoma State. "This is a departure in styles from anything I've learned.''

Gottlieb, the MVP of the 2001 World Maccabi Games, said he volunteered for the coaching staff when he heard Pearl was coach.

"When they said Bruce was coaching, I said, 'What do you want me to do?' " Gottlieb said.

There were 17 players at Friday's tryout, including UT sophomore Steven Pearl, who played two summers ago in the Australian International Games.

Four of the 17 players hail from Ivy League schools. Five are playing overseas.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.

       18 Comments

Posted by mparker on June 28, 2008 at 1:56 a.m.

(This comment was removed by the site staff.)

Posted by VOLS85 on June 28, 2008 at 3:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Well, if nothing else, count Gottlieb as someone who will be on Tennessee's side come selection time in March...Another story of Bruce making connections. He's truly a great ambassador for UT. Go VOLS!

Posted by fencevol on June 28, 2008 at 4:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Coach Pearl/Coach Gottlieb: I'm Jewish and Proud of it, you Men are the epitome of what Israel and the Jewish Faith stands for.

Posted by tngeoff on June 28, 2008 at 8:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Very, very impressive. Coach Pearl has unlimited potential for taking Tennessee Basketball places we've never REALLY dreamed of before. Beyond that, he has create a sphere of influence that positively affects so many people and uses that in a VERY positive way. Thanks coach for being such a great Ambassador for Tennessee Athletics.

Posted by RichRollin on June 28, 2008 at 9:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Tngeoff, I agree 100%. Pearl has influenced so many people in such a positive way since coming to K-town. Since he does not bragg about his doings, who know's what this man has done for others before getting to K-town. A TRUE LEADER without a doubt! I also think that B-ball is not who he is but a way for him to reach and teach others in many ways. When it's said and done, he would probably want to be known for his accomplishments off the court rather than on!!!!

Posted by tngeoff on June 28, 2008 at 9:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)

DaddyVol.

Exactly. I got meet him a couple of years back when I was doing some work with the Boy's and Girl's Clubs of Knoxville. He came there with a couple of players and man...he was so humble and kind to the kids! Those kids will NEVER forget that experience! That is a great tribute to the man. It also one of the things that gives him so much potential to even attain higher levels of accomplishment! I have to say that Tennessee is Blessed with coaches that are humble in every major sport. Very impressive. A great thing for their athletes too.

Posted by TommyJack on June 28, 2008 at 11:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Kingsport: LOL

Posted by RJ_Vol on June 28, 2008 at 11:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Way to go, Bruce! Israel is an awesome place. It gets its far share of bad publicity - some deserved and some very undeserved. However, it has some of the most beautiful places on Earth - Med., Jerusalem, Negev, Golan, Galilee, Eilat, Tel Aviv, etc. What a great experience that team will have! Plus, the Israelis know basketball pretty well due to having their own leagues and will enjoy having Bruce and company around.

Posted by WorkinLikeHeck on June 28, 2008 at 12:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Pearl still making news...where's Foolmore?

Posted by THE_VOL on June 28, 2008 at 1:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)

VOLS85...are you kidding? Gottlieb has absolutely nothing to do with tournament selection other than his worthless opinion mixed in with the endless list of other blabbering heads. I'm really a bit disappointed that Pearl would even have him as an assistant since he's done nothing in basketball to warrant it - unless credit card fraud has taken on a new meaning!

Posted by General_Watermelon on June 28, 2008 at 2:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Kingsport - you are killing me.

Posted by bricker865 on June 28, 2008 at 3:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Gottlieb will have you believing one moment and have you yelling at the TV the next moment. He hasn't done anything to gain my respect. What other commentators (especially ESPN) are out there that annoy people, besides the obvious (Vitale). Maybe a semi-discussion will start for fun. Don't get me wrong there are some good ones out there too (like Erin Andrews). Ok, I set myself up on that one and didn't even realize it..lol..

Posted by marinevol on June 28, 2008 at 7:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Pearl has turned out to be UT's top ambassador. Is there any truth to the rumor that Fulmer is converting to judaism? I heard he was seen walking around campus wearing a yarmulka (skull cap).

Posted by BillVol on June 28, 2008 at 11:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Mazel Tov! Who is on the US roster BTW?

Posted by LadyVolsEighTimes on June 29, 2008 at 2:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I can't find the Interview on any site, but I vividly remember it.

Question, Coach Pearl after a few months as Tennessee's Men's BBall coach, what has impacted you the most about UT?

CBP Answer, No where else but UT can a Jewish Yankee BBall coach be welcomed so warmly, especially considering my background.

Posted by BigOrangeJeff on June 29, 2008 at 10:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)

LV8X,
Are you referring to the interview that was part of the HBO Real Sports piece on Pearl?

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