MSP on 610am

is claiming Lutz is not going to the VOLs. Apparently Bruce Pearl is going to be named coach. Nice job Bobby you came in second again.

 

[size=-1] Monday, 03/28/05 [/size]

[size=-1] Tennessee plans to offer men's job to Pearl [/size] [size=-1] By CHRIS LOW
Staff Writer
[/size] [size=-1]KNOXVILLE — Unless there's a late snag, Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Bruce Pearl will be the latest coach to take his stab at resurrecting the Tennessee men's basketball program.[/size]

[size=-1]Pearl and his wife, Kim, plan to be on campus in the next day or two, and Tennessee hopes to finalize a deal to make him the Vols' next coach, two people familiar with the situation told The Tennessean last night.[/size]

[size=-1]''I think Tennessee has a good athletic program, and it's a place where you can play for and win championships,'' Pearl said last night on his final coach's show.[/size]

[size=-1]Pearl, who guided Wisconsin-Milwaukee to the Sweet 16 this season, was in Knoxville on Saturday and met with UT Athletics Director Mike Hamilton and UT President John Petersen. Pearl also met with Hamilton and UT Associate Athletics Director John Currie on Friday in Chicago.[/size]

[size=-1]The Tennessean reported yesterday that Pearl had moved to the forefront of UT's search after two other finalists for the job — Creighton's Dana Altman and Alabama-Birmingham's Mike Anderson — withdrew their names from consideration. They did so Saturday night when it became apparent that Pearl was the Vols' top choice.[/size]

[size=-1]Charlotte's Bobby Lutz is a fourth candidate to have interviewed with UT officials and remains a possibility should something fall through with Pearl.[/size]

[size=-1]That doesn't appear likely. Pearl, 45, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel yesterday that he was very interested in the Vols' job and was encouraged by his meeting with Hamilton and Petersen.[/size]

[size=-1]''(Tennessee) is very interested, and I want to bring Kim back to look at it,'' Pearl told the Journal Sentinel. ''They haven't made an offer yet, but I like the position I'm in. I feel like they are going to.''[/size]

[size=-1]Two people familiar with UT's search told The Tennessean that an offer was only a formality and that they hoped to have Pearl introduced as the Vols' coach early this week.[/size]

[size=-1]Wisconsin-Milwaukee officials were scrambling to sweeten Pearl's financial package there. He signed a five-year deal in October that will escalate to more than $300,000 annually by the end of the contract.[/size]

[size=-1]It's doubtful, though, that Wisconsin-Milwaukee would be able to match the kind of money Tennessee is willing to pay.[/size]

[size=-1]Buzz Peterson, who was fired on March 13, was making in the $850,000 range annually in total compensation. That's counting camps, radio/TV money and endorsements.[/size]

[size=-1]Hamilton has said he could go up to $1.5 million for the ''right'' coach.[/size]

[size=-1]Hamilton did not return phone messages last night, as has been his policy throughout the search. Tiffany Carpenter, UT's director of public relations, also did not return phone messages.[/size]

[size=-1]Pearl said he made it clear to his team that he would only leave Wisconsin-Milwaukee for a blockbuster deal.[/size]

[size=-1]''I told them I wouldn't leave for any job where they wouldn't say, 'Coach, you have to take this job,' '' Pearl told the Journal Sentinel.[/size]

[size=-1]''I think the University of Tennessee job rises to that level. UWM is the best job in the (Horizon) League, and I've said that before, and the people there just keep making it better.[/size]

[size=-1]''Tennessee is obviously a place where they win national championships in just about everything but men's basketball.[/size]

[size=-1]''From that standpoint, it's very appealing. They haven't done anything in men's basketball in a long time. The chance to compete for a national championship is very appealing to me.''[/size]

[size=-1]Pearl was 86-38 in four seasons at Wisconsin-Milwaukee and gained national notoriety after his Panthers upset Alabama and Boston College earlier this month to reach the Sweet 16.[/size]

[size=-1]Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a No. 12 seed, was eliminated from the NCAA tournament last Thursday in a 77-63 loss to No. 1-ranked Illinois.[/size]

[size=-1]One of Pearl's biggest proponents has been former Tennessee All-America Ernie Grunfeld, now the president of basketball operations for the Washington Wizards. Grunfeld endorsed Pearl to Hamilton at the outset of the Vols' coaching search.[/size]

[size=-1]Grunfeld and Pearl got to know each other when Grunfeld was in Milwaukee as the Bucks' general manager.[/size]

[size=-1]Pearl would become the Vols' sixth head coach in the last 16 years. Peterson was fired after going 61-59 in four seasons.[/size]

[size=-1]Before coming to Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Pearl was at Southern Indiana for nine seasons and won a Division II national championship there in 1995.[/size]

[size=-1]He was an assistant under Dr. Tom Davis at both Iowa and Stanford before getting his first head coaching job at Southern Indiana.[/size]

 

Nothing like being someone's backup bitch. Geez. :bananaban

 

My thoughts exactly.

 

which means he'll be returning to Charlotte... why say that when that means he'll return as the coach of your team?!

 

Oh well,,,,,

49ers coach Lutz staying at Charlotte

49ers coach Lutz staying at Charlotte

JENA JANOVY

Staff Writer


Charlotte coach Bobby Lutz said Monday he was not disappointed that Tennessee has opted to name Wisconsin-Milwaukee coach Bruce Pearl its next men's basketball coach.

Lutz, who was contacted by Tennessee shortly after the 49ers lost in a first-round NCAA regional game against N.C. State, said he wasn't looking for another job and never said he'd accept the Tennessee position if offered. Tennessee fired fourth-year coach Buzz Peterson after the SEC tournament.

Lutz said he didn't know what he would have done had he been offered the job. He said he knew he wasn't Tennessee's "lead guy." Other coaches in the mix were UAB's Mike Anderson and Creighton's Dana Altman.

In seven seasons as head coach at Charlotte, Lutz said, this was the first school he's ever been willing to talk with about a head coaching job. He said there were five other occasions when schools wanted to talk with him, but he didn't allow it to reach the point where he'd even consider talking.

He said he told athletics director Judy Rose that he wants to be at Charlotte, "but I felt like I needed to at least listen to what they were saying."

"I wasn't looking for a job," Lutz said. "The timing of this was different, though. We have a new chancellor. We're going to a new league next year (Atlantic 10). If you're ever going to look at a job, it was more just the timing of it."

Charlotte is 135-83 with Lutz as coach and has gone to the NCAA tournament five times.

Lutz said that during the past week while the job was open, he'd continued to work in his office, tutor student-athletes and work on recruiting matters. He said he'd been focused on preparing Charlotte for its move from Conference USA to the Atlantic 10.

Lutz said had "some issues with their situation," which he expressed to the Tennessee athletic representatives. He declined to elaborate on what those issues were, but said he wished Tennessee well and thought the team and the program have great potential.

"But I have a great job at Charlotte," he said, "and I look forward to coaching in the A-10 next season."

 

Sing us a song you're the piano man, sing us a song tonight. We're all in the mood for a melody and you got us feelin' alright. lah dee dah dee dee dah

I would like to hear just one coach say "damn right it was about the money."

Never happens.

 

huh?

 

Office Statements...

Lutz Will Stay

Lutz Will Stay
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jason Jordan
NinerReport.com Publisher

Charlotte 49ers head coach Bobby Lutz has issued the following statement concerning the Tennessee head coaching position:

"I feel it is important to address the Tennessee situation. First, I want our fans to know that I did not contact them. They called me. I was not looking to leave Charlotte but once contacted I felt it was a situation I should consider. I expressed some issues regarding their situation and we have obviously gone in different directions. While Tennessee has great potential, basketball will always be third behind football and women's basketball, while men's basketball should always be the primary focus at Charlotte. I wish Tennessee the best and I look forward to leading our program into the Atlantic 10 next season."

Statement from Charlotte Director of Athletics Judy Rose:

"Obviously, we are excited about Bobby's decision. He is an outstanding coach and certainly one that other programs find attractive. We know, firsthand, how much our program has grown and prospered with Bobby as head coach and we're thrilled with our prospects as he leads us into the Atlantic 10."

 

the part about coming in second again. Why say that?