But, there's no doubt in my mind Tennessee had to fire Pearl. He shamelessly lied to the NCAA, putting the Volunteer program between the biggest rock and the cruelest hard place imaginable.
Pearl broke the rules, and he did so in one of the more brazen manners ever. He'll coach again, and he'll win whenever he does, but staying in Knoxville just wasn't feasible.
So, now that Pearl is gone and interim coach Houston Fancher is in, with UT chancellor Jimmy Cheek reportedly pulling the plug (it definitely wasn't bumbling athletic director Mike "I fired Phil Fulmer" Hamilton, who should be the next guy out the door on Rocky Top, but that's another column), the school needs to find a new coach, and it'll have to do so under some pretty tough circumstances.
The fans, the vast majority of which still support Pearl, are enraged about the firing. When tempers cool, they'll accept it begrudgingly though, and then become adamant on landing a big name or rising young star to replace Pearl.
But, with a) the specter of Pearl's improprieties and the possible serious sanctions that will follow looming, b) the fact Tennessee's ability to be a premier program is in question without the power of Pearl on hand, c) a lack of a strong recruiting base and d) Hamilton still inexplicably having a job, that's going to be rather hard. I'm wrong a lot, but I don't think there's much chance a guy like Brad Stevens, Shaka Smart, Buzz Williams or any other trendy name would touch Tennessee with a 10-foot pole.
Unbelievably, of all the things I've written for this paper, I've never written a "hire/fire this guy/gal" column. It's amazing, considering I've written three disastrous Cinderella columns in the past three Marches, but I haven't offered any unsolicited advice on personnel decisions in print – until now, that is.
Here goes: Tennessee, hire Pat Summitt.
Well, it wouldn't actually be a hire, since Summitt is already is a university employee. It would be more of a reassignment. But forget the semantics. The best way for Tennessee to right the ship is to let the winningest college basketball coach ever, men's or women's, take over for the guy who once painted his chest in support of her.
Who cares that it means a woman would be coaching young men. It's 2011 and Tennessee can't screw this up.
Summitt brings instant credibility. Sure, those 1,000-plus wins, 31 combined SEC regular season and tournament championships, 18 Final Four appearances and eight national titles came coaching women. Big deal. It is undeniable Summitt can coach and teach the game of basketball. The hoop is still ten feet tall when the Lady Vols take the floor at Thompson-Boling Arena, after all.
Summitt would be a heralded choice. She won't have to fight for the trust of the UT community; she already has it. She will do what is in the best interest of Tennessee, and that includes running a clean program, as she has already done for over 30 years. The NCAA would only be sending letters of praise with Summitt around.
Summitt would have initiative to accept the challenge. What else does she have to prove in the women's game, especially since Geno Auriemma and UConn won't play her in the regular season? Plus, she would get the opportunity to coach her son Tyler, who just finished his freshman season as a UT walk-on, and free the UT women's job for one of her legion of acolytes.
Would Summitt take the job? Who knows. Would UT seriously consider offering her it? Unfortunately, I doubt it. But, it should. When the best option is in your house, you don't go outside. Tennessee is not a sexy job at the moment. There are numerous ones open that are better. So, UT shouldn't even waste its time jumping on the carousel, making a few fruitless go-rounds and likely get off with its umpteenth choice, which will already have two strikes against him in all likelihood.
It should just make the right move. That's hiring Summitt.
If Pat Summitt is good enough to be the namesake for the court Tennessee plays on, she's good enough to lead the Volunteers onto it.
