re: 3 more jumping ship at UT?

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Sure, it was always going to be bad either way, but having the few young, promising players that Cuonzo left transfer out can't be a good sign.

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The same thing happened to Pearl, as I said. Lost Hendrix, Yates, Thomas, Mason, Tyler Smith and Jamont Gordon in the first summer.

Here is a scout.com article from the summer when Pearl was hired.

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That's right -- four guards, two centers, no real swingmen, and only one forward. Bradshaw is the tallest returning guard at 6'4''. Pearl is squirming to make a big impression on people while he still has all of these seniors. The efforts to add Oklahoma State and Texas to the out of conference schedule demonstrate that Pearl knows that it is now or never if UT wants to get on the national stage. But don't worry this season doesn't pan out, Pearl does have a backup plan. He has a verbal commitment from Cordell Passley, who is -- get this -- one of the top 100 rising sophomores in high school. But that just begs the question -- if Pearl couldn't handle verbals from high school seniors, how does he expect to hold onto a 15 year old for three years? And who will be left in the UT locker room to greet this kid if he does sign? Bruce Pearl and Tennessee really need to suprise some people this season, or their program will be on life support. They have already slipped off the list of Brendan Wright, which might help Vanderbilt pitch the "hometown school" angle to the top-five rising senior. With Dennis Felton building the foundations of an impressive program at the University of Georgia, Tennessee might soon find itself locked in the cellar of the SEC East for many years to come.

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