an outside view

It was Friday afternoon. Not much was happening. I had plans for a quiet weekend, my first in a long while. The phone rang and there was an excited voice on the other end.

“Did you hear what happened to Duke Crews and Ramar Smith?” the caller asked in disbelief.

I was still trying to cope with the tragic death of a young college kid that I coached in baseball as a 10-year old.  I thought the worse. Another car accident. I reluctantly said, “No, what happened?” bracing for the news I didn’t want to hear.

“They’ve been kicked off the team and told they can take their talents elsewhere,” were the next words I heard. I was almost relieved.

“Is that all?” I asked showing little concern.                                   

“Is that all?” the caller protested. “Do you know what that will do to our team next season?”

My answer, “Nothing.” Therein may lie the ultimate reason Crews and Smith are no longer Volunteers. Crews and Smith were both good players but neither figured prominently in next season’s success.

Pearl hasn’t shared the exact reasons for the dismissals. We’ve heard this and that but the reasons really don’t matter to many. The only thing that matters to some is that Bruce Almighty has brought discipline back to Tennessee basketball. For the time being comparisons to Ray Mears have given way to comparisons to Don DeVoe. He is being elevated to hero status on talk radio.

“It’s great to have a coach with the courage to do something like this,” one caller boasts.

“Pearl deserves credit for setting high expectations for his player and being willing to take tough stands when they fail to live up to those expectations,” says another.

“I can’t see Phil Fulmer doing this,” quips yet another.

I must take exception with the last caller. Phil Fulmer has shown he is more than willing to play the role of strong disciplinarian when it comes to second stringers.  I don’t mean to tug on Superman’s cape, but isn’t Pearl’s actions very Fulmer-esque? He has two players who are problem children. Next year’s team will win 20+ games and compete for the SEC title with or without them. He has more players than minutes to go around so he cuts his losses and sends two of them packing. And oh yeah, he scores some major PR points with fans and alumni.

I don’t mean to trivialize what Pearl did. It’s never easy to cut loose a player that you recruited. But I would be a lot more impressed if it had been Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism, two players who hold the keys if the Men in Orange are to make a serious run at the Final Four. Now, that would have taken courage.

Let’s not forget that this is the same Ramar Smith whose play deteriorated so badly he lost his starting job after the NCAA Tournament got underway. A year ago, the Vols needed a basket against Ohio State to advance to the Elite 8 and Pearl called on Smith to take that shot. Vol fans figured he would be bound for the NBA after another year of seasoning. Instead, he was bound for the bench and now has a one way ticket out of town.

Crews was the big catch for Pearl in his first full recruiting class. He started as a freshman and quickly became a fan favorite. But his minutes were declining and Pearl had other big bodies such as Tyler Smith, Wayne Chism, Brian Williams, Ryan Childress, and heralded freshman Philip Jurick to do battle under the boards.

Pearl’s actions are more puzzling in light of his recruitment of Bobby Maze, a JUCO star who started at point as a freshman at Oklahoma before getting kicked off the team.

Why trade in one problem for somebody else’s problem? If Pearl was truly wanting to take the high road, would he be trying to get a player who was invited to leave Norman much the same way as Ramar Smith was invited to leave Knoxville?

This certainly doesn’t rise to the level of what Georgia coach Dennis Felton did. Prior to last season, Felton, knowing his job was on the line, kicked off his two best players. Until a miraculous run in the SEC Tournament, it appeared that decision may have cost Felton his job. Pearl’s job, on the other hand, is totally secure.

I’m not second guessing Pearl’s actions or the reasons behind them. Heck, I’m his biggest fan. I’m just not ready to praise him for busting a couple of bench warmers when he had absolutely nothing to lose by doing it.