There is no easier debate in sports than arguing for the late Pat Summitt as the greatest coach in Tennessee women's basketball history.
What about the men's side? Well, now, that's a bit more fun.
In a history that began with a 20-10 loss to the Asheville YMCA on Jan. 22, 1909, the Volunteers have produced three coaches — Ray Mears, Bruce Pearl and Rick Barnes — who clearly have separated themselves from the rest. Here is the case for each:
RAY MEARS: Mears arrived in the spring of 1962 from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, to take over a program coming off a 4-19 record. He went 13-11 in his debut season, which included a sweep of Kentucky, and was 20-5 by just his third year. Despite having to battle Kentucky's Adolph Rupp for the first decade of his time in Knoxville, Mears still managed to compile a 278-112 career mark with the Vols and is easily the winningest coach in program history. Seven of his 15 Tennessee teams won at least 20 games in an era of shorter regular seasons and no Southeastern Conference tournament, and he finished third or better within the league a whopping 13 times with titles in 1967, 1972 and 1977. Mears took Tennessee to its first three NCAA tournaments in 1967, 1976 and 1977, with his early success surpassed by the grand finale of the "Ernie and Bernie Show." Behind the play of future NBA stars Ernie Grunfeld and Bernard King, the Vols went a combined 43-12 in his final two seasons, which included a 30-6 mark in SEC contests. The pregame antics of the Vols in those days, including the dimming of the lights during introductions and the orange and white striped warm-up pants, are still implemented by today's Vols.
BRUCE PEARL: Pearl's six seasons at Tennessee represent the shortest tenure of the three contestants, but what a six seasons they were. Taking over a program that had gone four straight seasons without an NCAA tournament bid and had struggled through a 14-17 record in 2004-05, Pearl went 22-8 in his first season and won the SEC East division with a 12-4 mark. His Tennessee teams qualified for NCAA play all six seasons, with three of those teams reaching the Sweet 16. Tennessee's run ended at the Sweet 16 in 2007 and 2008, but the 2010 team knocked off Ohio State 76-73 to reach the Elite Eight, where the Vols then succumbed to Michigan State 70-69. Pearl is the only Tennessee coach to take the program to an Elite Eight and was the first to guide the Vols to a No. 1 ranking, which they earned in 2008. Pearl compiled a 145-61 record and was a combined 3-1 against Florida during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons, when the Gators won consecutive national championships. More than anything, Pearl reignited an atmosphere that had gone dormant, even painting his chest in support of Summitt's Lady Vols. The ending of the Pearl era was less than desirable, as he lied to NCAA investigators and lost eight of his final 12 games during the 2010-11 season, including a 75-45 debacle against Michigan in the 2011 NCAA tournament's first round.
RICK BARNES: Barnes was certainly the most decorated hire in Tennessee basketball history and arguably Tennessee athletic history, as he arrived in 2015 with 22 career appearances in the NCAA tournament that included a run to the 2003 Final Four. Barnes took longer than Mears and Pearl to get things going, but his current stretch of six consecutive NCAA tournaments matches Pearl, and his 201 triumphs with the Vols trail only the 278 by Mears and the 204 by Don DeVoe, who produced five straight NCAA trips from 1979-83 but didn't go again until 1989. Barnes led the 2018-19 Vols to a No. 1 ranking for a month, and he has equaled Pearl with a third Sweet 16 berth, with this one taking place Friday night against Creighton in Detroit. The Vols are 11-10 against Kentucky under Barnes, and five of the eight 25-win seasons in Tennessee history have transpired under his watch. Should Tennessee win Friday, Barnes would have nine NCAA tournament wins with the Vols, breaking the tie with Pearl.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.