Yes please.

Getting warmer...

Maybe before we get to excited about any potential candidates we should know which candidates would even be interested in IU. I'm as big a fan as any and can't fathom not want to coach in Assembly Hall but all lets get real for a minute and realize that not every coach wants to walk away from the program that they've built and come to Bloomington to repair a broken Indiana Basketball and unite a divided Hoosier Nation.

Don't get me wrong I love dreaming about some of these coaches stomping up and down the sidelines of Assembly Hall, but lets hold off on the dreaming and new coach chatter until the young men wearing INDIANA on the front of their jerseys are done playing for the year.

Broken Indiana? With a new practice facility under construction and trustees voting for a new arena, seems like the school is supporting the program.

Divided Hoosier Nation? Seems like we're all on board here- only fools like Dukie V want RMK back. And I think the fan base will be patient not to put too much pressure on the incoming coach to win right away and allow him to build a program for the long haul.

Not to mention getting the top in-state recruits will get you a Final 4 every few years.

Any coach who is qualified for the job will know IU is a premier job. The future is bright at IU. (But then again, it wouldn't surprise me if the Committee hired someone who sucks balls like Alford.)

Indiana on their jerseys.....K.S. on their shoes.

It doesn't matter that the players are putting Karen Sampson's initials on their shoes. The current roster is irrelevant to the school and the prospective coaches. Half of the current roster will be gone in a year anyway which is fine. Any coach who wants to build for the long haul can't wait to turn over the roster (e.g., UK) so his recruits can play as freshmen.

The year Tennessee hired Pearl, I said that IU had blown their chance by not getting rid of Davis and hiring Pearl.

I have no idea if Pearl would be interested in IU but we should put together a package that will be hard to refuse. If you want to win you must hire a winner and Pearl is a winner.

Big Time Winner!!!

I was just thinking, IU has problems with the NCAA and Pearl helped the NCAA take care of their problem. Maybe IU and Pearl can help each other.

I'm no college bball guru, but i was curious what ITH readers thought about Scott Drew, current coach of Baylor. I feel like Pearl is associated with Tennessee much like Knight is associated with Indiana (no, I am not Dick Vitale! I'm just saying ...). So I feel getting Pearl may be tough. But I think it would be great to get someone who is on the rise and can make a name for himself at IU. Anyways, just curious ...

I would hope the decision would be up to Pearl....If he wants to come IU should give him the job. If it he doesn't, well that's too bad, we need to find someone else, someone eager to turn around IU.

that old saying "wish in one hand and crap in the other."

see which ones fills up first.

are we so totally against getting a coach with indiana roots (indiana high school coach approval), who will go after every single top home state prospect?

i like bruce, but i don't think he is what we need. get rich quick schemes don't tend to work in business either.

Must disagree strenuously. The Indiana-first mentality is unnecessarily parochial. Get the best coach who will bring in the best players, recognizing that Indiana nurtures among the best. Pearl is an excellent coach and recruiter and would restore enthusiasm and confidence to a program that badly needs it.

One very big caveat, however. I'm old enough to remember the Pearl incident with Illinois in the late '80s and the environment in the conference that created it. Pearl "turned in" Illinois over an alleged violation regarding the recruiting of eventual Illinois star Deon Thomas that was never substantiated by anyone, let alone the NCAA. The NCAA began to investigate Illinois after Pearl turned over tapes of conversations that he had made without Thomas' permission. The NCAA rejected the tapes and only after they began to investigate Illinois found administrative sloppiness and an unwarranted contact between an Illinois assistant with a recruit that led to a postseason ban for a year. This latter "contact", BTW, was not even as serious as one of KS' illicit phone calls. It involved an incidental "hello" at a restaurant

Pearl and his boss at Iowa, Tom Davis, had a nasty edge to them and were desperate to create an edge because Iowa constantly trailed IU and Illinois in BT recruiting out of the Chicago market (where Thomas attended Simeon.)

Pearl earned his pariah status in the coaching community for his conduct in the Thomas matter. He has redeemed himself with the passing of time and his performance at UWM and UT. But don't think for a moment that if we hire him that he won't carry that 18-year-old stain around with him through the conference, not only when he visits Champaign.

For that reason, although I think he would be a great coach at IU I have my reservations about his fundamental character... there's a few of Sampson's win-at-all-costs stripes on this tiger.

Well, I tend to agree with the article...because he earned his name as a snitch, he has most likely felt more pressure to keep clean. And BECAUSE they hate him in Champaign, I like him even more!

Nothing wrong with win-at-all-costs if "all-costs" doesn't include breaking rules.

I've got no problem with a win-at-all costs coach if it leads to NCAA investigations elsewhere, especially Champaign. And we've seen what being on bad terms with the NCAA can do to a school's tournament seeding.

I watched the Brian Gumbel HBO sports/talk show and Bruce Pearl said "he knew Indiana would come calling" but that he had no interest in the job..not on tape but retold by the sportswriter/reporter/talking head

Also read that Pearl has a Rocky Top graduation rate of 33%.

Graduation rates are mostly bogus. They count transfers and JUCOs against you. So if a kid transfers in as a sophomore, graduates, you still don't get credit. They do it by who comes in as a freshman and who leaves as a graduate. Transfers/dropouts/left teams...all that hurts you. It's as flawed as the NCAA Selection Committee.

Technically the Trustees didn't vote for a new arena, they just voted against renovating Assembly Hall because it would cost almost as much as building a new arena. Not the same thing, unfortunately. I think a new arena would depend on a home run hire in BB this time around and sustained success in football. Hope it happens, but a tall order.

Drew has a "negative recruiting" problem in his background--just ask Big 12 coaches (and no, I don't just mean against Knight--ask the Kansas staff).

Pearl: I still haven't seen any credible evidence that he's truly interested in the IU job. Same for Izzo, Crean, Barnes and Pitino. Sorry, but Kravitz is not a "reliable source" on much of anything IMO.

Technically you're correct, and I stand by my point that the Trustees are behind the program in a way that would have been unimaginable when Miles was here. Here's the story:

GARY, Ind. - Indiana University trustees say the school should build a new basketball arena rather than spend millions of dollars renovating the 35-year-old Assembly Hall.

The board, meeting in Gary Thursday, approved a resolution saying the university would go forward with replacing the building "when appropriate."

University President Adam Herbert and other administrators told the trustees that it doesn't make sense to do a full renovation of Assembly Hall, something that could cost $115 million.

An architect says a new 18,000 seat arena would cost between $130 and $160 million.

PostmanE and R...where are you watching the game at on Friday. Get at me.

RD:

Sadly, probably watching it at home -- I have to blog for The Dagger all weekend (which you should all be reading ;)), so I'm not sure if I'll be heading out of not. If Chicago people want to put something together, though, we're always open to it.

i don't think we have a shot at him, but coach pearl just jumped to the top of my list. the ability and willingness to sell his school and it's program to anyone anywhere is impressive. you can tell when you hear him talk that he is an incredible motivator. (too bad we couldn't have made a run at him six or seven games ago)! i'm writing "bp" on my shoes right now.

ps - anyone who would make the illini fans hate iu even more should be the top candidate.

Bruce Pearl should be out first attempt. He is a salesman and a coach. The salesman image makes some nervous. As far as I can tell, he runs and has run a clean program.

Our biggest mistake was that IU should have hired Pearl the year before Davis left. We could have had him but as usual IU was slow and indecisive and has paid the price.

Good point....... And he is known for grinding with Erin Andrews which is never a bad thing.

Type your comment here./Users/bruceallan/Desktop/BRUCEPEARL.jpg

Hire this guy. Bruce Pearl has Indiana blood. He wants to come here, he just needs to be asked.

I agree...it probably won't happen unless somehow we gather up close to 3 mil a year. But it sure is nice to think about.

I think he would consider for three reasons:
1. Banners
2. Better facilities coming
3. Pat Summitt's name is currently on the floor he plays on every single night

I'd say Pearl's only interest in the IU job will be for the purpose of getting a hefty raise at Tennessee.

I can't be the only one who believe Pat Forde to be a complete and utter hack. There was a better Pearl profile in SI about a year ago.

patrickdonohue.freedomblogging.com

For a writer, and professional blogger, you sure don't read too well.

NO ONE WANTS TO VISIT YOUR BLOG.

Pearl is the man. I live in Evansville and went to USI during the time Pearl was there. Like Pat Forde said he was a beloved individual. I would be surprised if he ends up at IU, largely because of the money he would demand as well as a possible buyout from Tennessee. I would love to see BP in Bloomington, but I think trying to grab a young up and comer (like Tennessee did with Pearl) would be the better choice.

It makes me proud that Pearl coached at my alma mater... when people ask where I went to school, I can always say where BP started out coaching, then they usually get it.

The two longest sentences... ever.

hahaha PRO BLOGGER PATRICK DONOHUE ladies and gentlemen.