GR8NESS
06-04-2007, 11:06 AM
This is from an article on Volquest. Each year Pearl sits down with Volquest to do an interview in the offseason about the state of the program and then what to expect next year. This is what Pearl had to say about UK and Gillispie (Pearl's quotes are obviously in the quotes):
That's a bit of major upheaval in a league where Kentucky still has to be considered a heavyweight, despite some recent slippage into the middle-class in recent years. Pearl expects the ripples of the move in Lexington to be felt immediately, and in fact, has already felt them on the recruiting trail.
"Billy Gillespie is going to bring a new energy to Kentucky basketball. He's already recruiting at a higher level with Patrick Patterson and Alex Legion (two spring signees) already coming on board this spring. The '08 class is a very strong class and there's no doubt in my mind that Kentucky will have a top-five recruiting year," Pearl said when assessing the ramifications of the coaching change of the Vols' biggest rival.
"There's no doubt in my mind that Kentucky will remain competitive and probably take a step up. We all know Billy can coach, so that's not going to get any easier.
"I think we reside in the toughest division in college basketball in the SEC East."
That's a bit of major upheaval in a league where Kentucky still has to be considered a heavyweight, despite some recent slippage into the middle-class in recent years. Pearl expects the ripples of the move in Lexington to be felt immediately, and in fact, has already felt them on the recruiting trail.
"Billy Gillespie is going to bring a new energy to Kentucky basketball. He's already recruiting at a higher level with Patrick Patterson and Alex Legion (two spring signees) already coming on board this spring. The '08 class is a very strong class and there's no doubt in my mind that Kentucky will have a top-five recruiting year," Pearl said when assessing the ramifications of the coaching change of the Vols' biggest rival.
"There's no doubt in my mind that Kentucky will remain competitive and probably take a step up. We all know Billy can coach, so that's not going to get any easier.
"I think we reside in the toughest division in college basketball in the SEC East."