Bruce Pearl ending career
- Thread starter NYShoreGuy
- Start date
Just like this creep to pull this sort of thing as a final act. And at this point, what can Auburn really do but go along with it?
Reminds me of Raftery resigning to join ESPN just before the season started and handing the HC job to his long time assistant Hoddy Mahon.
What's next for Bruce Pearl after turning Auburn program over to son, Steven, addressing possible Senate run
What's next for Bruce Pearl after Auburn handoff? Senate rumors on hold -- for now
The younger Pearl will take over his father, who says he will remain at Auburn in an ambassador's role
www.cbssports.com
Some guy named Smith did this at some school in North Carolina as much to ensure his long-time assistant was his replacement as anything else.
Also wonder if there is some personal or health issue that hasn’t surfaced, especially with the timing.
Goodman has said on the After Dark podcast that Pearl was positioning his son for that job and would step down sooner if Auburn guaranteed his son would get the job.
Goodman has said on the After Dark podcast that Pearl was positioning his son for that job and would step down sooner if Auburn guaranteed his son would get the job.
I didn't love that, either, but at least in that case, 1) Smith was synonymous with UNC hoops, and 2) Bill Guthridge was as seasoned an assistant, and as steeped in Tar Heels basketball, as you could be. And not Dean Smith's son.
Correct. So, at least by law of averages, the outgoing coach willingly compromises the program by placing his personal agenda ahead of the university that has generously compensated him for many years.
Exactly what Bill Raftery did yet he's revered around these parts.
I considered him. One mitigating factor was the opportunity that, I think, came up very suddenly to work for ESPN. Raf, again per my recollection of the story, surmised he had more of a future in that than he did at Seton Hall. I was too young to recall this firsthand, but that is the way I have recalled reading about it. Said another way, it was more about the sudden chance to pivot more than it was hamstringing Seton Hall to set up Hoddy.
But I could definitely be wrong about that.
Maybe, but I don't know if that's certain. It's a pretty big job, especially now.
Bill Raftery left Seton Hall in the mid-1980s to pursue a full-time career in broadcasting, accepting an offer from Big East commissioner Dave Gavitt to call games on television. Though it was a difficult decision, he chose the burgeoning opportunity in broadcasting, which eventually led him to work for networks like CBS and ESPN.
- Long-Standing Interest: Raftery had long been interested in broadcasting.
- The Offer: Big East commissioner Dave Gavitt offered him a television broadcasting opportunity.
- Limited Timeframe: Raftery was given only two days to decide, but he chose to pursue broadcasting.
- Emotional Departure: He described leaving his Seton Hall players, whom he had recruited, as the hardest thing he ever did.
- Early Success: Raftery quickly found success in broadcasting, calling a large number of games in his first season.
- Longevity: He went on to become a fixture in college basketball broadcasting, calling games for networks like CBS, ESPN, and Fox Sports.
- Continued Work: He worked a "day job" at a bank for the first dozen years while also building his broadcasting career.
Billy Lange just left St Joes for a Knicks assistant job rather than get fired in a year or two since the Hawks had Steve Donahue already in the building as associate coach. The former UPenn, BC, and Cornell coach was given an extension before coaching his first game as the head coach. This timing reminds me of the Raftery situation except Donahue is more capable than Hoddy with a much longer resume.
His son has already coached high major programs and as the current Xavier coach, I'm not sure that St. Johns is that much of a jump up. Certainly a few years ago, X would have been considered the better job. Although with Mike Repole ready to pony up, who knows now.
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Jay Wright and his departure from Nova. Clearly, Neptune was hired with Jay's strong influence. And we see how that worked out. He may as well have been Jay's son.
Left Seton Hall in the fall of 1981.
Started calling Nets games in 1982,
Didn't start with CBS calling college games until 1983.
I think Pitino is going to be there until he can't physically handle the job, unless he misses Europe and decides to go back there.
Xavier is a better job IMO, but in this landscape the combination of NYC, MSG and resources will make that job attractive. The media coverage and fan support Pitino has been able to garner in a short period of time is astounding for a program that was up-and-down for decades. They are a big deal in a market that normally puts college sports about 50 tiers below professional sports because it has iconic franchises across the 4 majors. Didn't think I would ever seen that again. Now they are being treated like another one of the professional teams, and frankly ahead of some of them.
According to a couple sources I've seen (including, but not limited to, Wikipedia), he began working as a (part-time?) studio host at ESPN for College Hoops Tonight in 1980 while still employed at Seton Hall. Again, it's before I was paying attention, but I do recall about his association with ESPN beginning either simultaneously or concurrently with the end of his coaching career.