Originally Posted by M&M Guy (Post 742389)

Before he became the coach at UW-Mil., Bruce Pearl was an asst. coach at Iowa under Dr. Tom Davis. Back in the day, both IA and IL were recruiting Deon Thomas. Supposedly he had a taped conversation of a phone call w/Deon where Deon supposedly admitted that IL had offered him cash and a Chevy Blazer to attend IL. Pearl and IA then turned in the info to the NCAA; they investigated, found no direct proof of any wrongdoing, but sanctioned IL anyway due to "lack of institutional control". Digger Phelps and ND were involved in the investigation somehow because ND and IL were also involved in the recruitment of Ellis at that time.

The main reason Pearl is hated around here is because the whole investigation was started under shady circumstances - it was a supposedly illegal wiretapped phone conversation, initiated by Pearl, that started the investigation, but that particular item was never publically addressed. Add to it the NCAA never found any direct wrongdoing, but the lead investigator at the time, and the NCAA, decided to punish IL for general violations after a year or two. Btw, the lead investigator was Mike Slive, who is now the commisioner of the ...wait for it... SEC.

Originally Posted by RichMSN (Post 742333)

Do I think that Pearl made a humongous mistake? Yes. Should they have fired him? Well, I think the answer is no. Others clearly think differently. We'll see where the program heads now.

Originally Posted by 26 Year Gap (Post 742393)

Fixed THAT part for ya. No charge.:D

Originally Posted by Judtech (Post 742361)

Why is there no comment of LaPhonso Ellis or U of I fans in Champaign?:eek:

Originally Posted by Snaqwells (Post 742387)

I believe the Illini faced some sanctions, but it's been 20 years (talk about holding on to your grudges), so the memories from my teenage years are fading.

Originally Posted by JRutledge (Post 742420)

I am on a site of HS and Illini fans and they never seem to let it go. But then again that is what Illini fans do, worry about things that have no relevance to them. They are still holding onto why Self left their program 8 years ago.

Peace

Originally Posted by Snaqwells (Post 742425)

Maybe they can blame Pearl for that, too?

Originally Posted by JRutledge (Post 742420)

But then again that is what Illini fans do, worry about things that have no relevance to them.

Originally Posted by JRutledge (Post 742420)

They are still holding onto why Self left their program 8 years ago.

Originally Posted by M&M Guy (Post 742434)

I'm not sure I follow you - how does not liking a scumbag who directly affected the program for several years afterward "have no relevence"?

Originally Posted by M&M Guy (Post 742434)

This one I don't understand as well. Not your comment, but the feeling that Self was some sort of "traitor". Not all IL fans actually hold that opinion, btw. He had ties to KS, and for him it was move up, along with being closer geographically to his family, I believe. Also, he didn't exactly go pursuing the job; the only reason it was open was because Matt Dougherty was fired at North Carolina, which opened up the job for Roy Williams to leave KS. I personally met him once when his son played Little League on a different team from my son - he was engaging and seemed like a class individual. He didn't do anything that I'm aware to screw the program or the school, other than leave for what he considered a better job. In the meantime, there might be some fans who thought they had found a long-term, top-level coach, and he didn't stay as intended.

Originally Posted by Snaqwells (Post 742435)

So, what were the actual violations that set your program back so far? Regardless of the reason the investigation started, it seems y'all were caught with something.

Originally Posted by Snaqwells (Post 742435)

So, what were the actual violations that set your program back so far? Regardless of the reason the investigation started, it seems y'all were caught with something.

Originally Posted by JRutledge (Post 742436)

Did he really affect the program that seriously? What Pearl happens in programs all over the country all the time, we just do not hear about the details to know. Heck the SEC has this happen almost every time a school gets on probation. Not sure why it has that much relevance when Illini is not a much better place to attend. Lou Henson could not recruit the state very well, that is the reason Illini has not been a great program. I think the "Pearl incident" was one thing in a long list of events that have hurt the program.




Of course not all fans feel that way, just stating that anytime these issues come up there is a very vocal contingency that is holding on to these things that have very little to do with the health or success of the program. I think Self brought the Illini program into a better light and gets more attention based on what he did when he was there. I do feel that when Collins was not hired by Illini when Henson left, the CPS schools did kind of "boycott" the school or tried to send their kids elsewhere, but that was more about Illini and their insecurity of the issue than what Pearl did or did not do while at Iowa.

Peace

Originally Posted by M&M Guy (Post 742442)

Maybe. But Pearl is the one that initiated the investigation that caused the probation, the suspension of Collins and some of the rest of the staff, and all the associated problems, without any apparent concrete basis. So he gets to be the scapegoat.

Originally Posted by JRutledge (Post 742439)

This is exactly my point. They were not clean and what Pearl might have reported was not the worst thing or unusual in any way from a competing program. Recruiting is sleazy in major college basketball, this was just something that got out and Coach Pearl was directly involved.

Originally Posted by JRutledge (Post 742439)

But if you talk to many Illini fans, they just will not let it go. They have relished in this situation with Pearl as if the situation is directly involved with the Illini situation.

Originally Posted by M&M Guy (Post 742449)

Exactly. This is the reason there's so much animosity about Pearl and the situation - it happens everywhere, but only penalized here. (True, "only" is not correct, but it certainly felt that way at that time.) Sleaze started the process, and apparently none of that sleaze was penalized. If IL did something wrong, they deserved to be penalized just like everyone else. Not different from everyone else.