The CheckerBoard

I'm shocked, but will reserve judgement pending results keeping would-be defectors, recruiting & style of play. Really didnt know much about Pearl either at the time. Kudos on the scoop though.

I think UT ended up getting the sleeper coach in the bunch. If it is true that Mike Hamilton and the adminstration wanted to have a new coach in place by April 4 as the story on govolsxtra said last night then Brad Stevens and Shaka Smart were out of the running as soon as Butler and VCU made the Final Four.

It won't surprise me if neither of those guys leave their respective schools this year. One of them might go to N.C. State, Georgia Tech or maybe Oklahoma, but I woud guess it depends on the timing.

And I think timing had everything to do with hiring coach Martin now. If it's true that he's on the short list of a lot of schools it seems as if maybe Mike Hamilton did beat some other programs to the punch in getting Martin.

Not a big deal, Wes, but isn't he the 15th coach of the Vols? I remember Pearl holding up a #14 jersey at his press conf because he was supposedly the 14th HC. Maybe I'm doing my best Roger Clemens and misremembering.