Pearl hits some bumps in first 10 weeks as Tennessee's coach

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Talk about Tennessee&#39;s basketball team hasn&#39;t subsided since Bruce Pearl became head coach 10 weeks ago, mostly fueled by the loss of two signees and an investigation into possible NCAA violations.<br> <br> It may not be the kind of publicity athletic director Mike Hamilton wanted, but it&#39;s better than the apathy that has plagued the program in the past.<br> <br> ``Thank goodness somebody is finally talking about Tennessee basketball!&#39;&#39; Hamilton said Thursday during an interview with The Associated Press. ``We&#39;re acting like we care about Tennessee basketball. That&#39;s been the most enlightening and special thing to me is that people care about Tennessee basketball. I think we have a coach that can get us where we want to go.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Pearl was hired from Wisconsin-Milwaukee on March 28 to replace Buzz Peterson, who was fired two weeks earlier.<br> <br> Pearl made an immediate impression with his enthusiasm and went to Philadelphia to support coach Pat Summitt and the Lady Vols in the NCAA regional in his first week as coach.<br> <br> He brought in his own assistants and decided to not retain Chuck Benson, one of Peterson&#39;s assistants who stayed to oversee the program during the coaching search, all while jumping into the recruiting game late.<br> <br> Pearl could not convince star recruit Tyler Smith of Giles County High School, who signed with Tennessee in November, to come to Knoxville, and then refused to release him from his scholarship.<br> <br> Smith&#39;s decision prompted speculation there may have been some sort of improper benefits promised during his recruitment.<br> <br> The athletic department began its own investigation several week ago to find out if there were any violations. Hamilton would not say whether the investigation was spurred only by rumors, which have been rampant on the Internet, or also by a tip from someone.<br> <br> Hamilton said he didn&#39;t know how much longer the investigation would take or if he thinks it will yield any findings.<br> <br> ``I can&#39;t comment on anything related to an ongoing investigation,&#39;&#39; he said.<br> <br> Tennessee&#39;s athletic department routinely investigates rumors and tips, if only to provide proof later if the NCAA ever asks about a situation.<br> <br> ``We need to be able to say we looked into that and this is what we found or did not find. That&#39;s part of the institutional control process,&#39;&#39; Hamilton said.<br> <br> Most recently, Pearl lost another member of Peterson&#39;s last recruiting class, Matthew Dotson of Centerville. Dotson was released from his scholarship this week.<br> <br> The timing of the decision has been criticized because it didn&#39;t happen until Dotson was ready to attend the second session of summer school at Tennessee instead of soon after Pearl was hired.<br> <br> Hamilton said there are some misconceptions about what happened. First, Pearl needed time to assess the team.<br> <br> Dotson&#39;s father, Roger, asked Pearl a few weeks ago if he thought his son would be successful at Tennessee.<br> <br> ``Bruce gave what he felt to be an open and honest answer to that,&#39;&#39; Hamilton said.<br> <br> Pearl then told Dotson to hold off enrolling in classes until the second session while both sides thought about the situation. Dotson asked to be released from his scholarship, Hamilton said.<br> <br> ``The scholarship offer was never retracted,&#39;&#39; Hamilton said. ``He could still come, but I can understand why he would not want to come if the coach has been honest said, &#39;I don&#39;t know if this is going to work.&#39;&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Pearl was traveling on Thursday and did not immediately return calls seeking comment.<br> <br> Hamilton admits losing two recruits is ``not the best-case scenario,&#39;&#39; but he says the transition between coaches is expected to be bumpy.<br> <br> ``It&#39;s very easy to make a judgment call,&#39;&#39; he said. ``We haven&#39;t even played our first game yet.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> On the Net:<br> <br> Tennessee basketball: www.utsports.com<br> <br> (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)