Bruce Pearl: The journey from Rocky Top to The Plain

[jbcarol]

 Matthew Stevens ‏@matthewcstevens 11h11 hours ago

BLOG (w/VIDEO) Auburn not pressing...literally - Pearl admits he can't with this team - http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/sports/college/auburnauthority/2016/01/13/bruce-pearl-admits-he-cant-press-auburn-team/78731062/ ...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In the beginning of his post-game media conference Tuesday night, Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl apologized for a style of play that fans can't be familiar with.

After watching fans in the Volunteer state have watched Pearl's teams consistently be known for a 94 feet of defense for nearly the entire 40 minutes of play, he knew to see his team not press at all might be jarring.

"You're probably used to seeing my teams press for 40 minutes and I had a lot of family and friends here tonight that probably thought they'd see that tonight," Pearl said. "Not that the pressure always worked but they've seen my teams fly around."

After the disappointing 75-57 loss at Vanderbilt Tuesday night, Pearl said the injuries to guards Tahj Shamsid-Deen (shoulder) and T.J. Dunans (knee) and New Williams (knee) have not just limited but completely eliminated any full-court defense options from the Tigers game plan.

The press is Pearl's trademark and what made him a nationally recognized college basketball coach at Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Tennessee but that has yet to show itself with the Auburn program.

"When you have three scholarship guards, it's challenging," Pearl said.

[jbcarol]

Matthew Stevens ‏@matthewcstevens 52m52 minutes ago

ICYMI: 7-foot-2 Trayvon Reed re-enrolls at Auburn; won't play or practice in 15-16 season - http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/sports/college/auburnauthority/2016/01/14/trayvon-reed-re-enrolls-auburn-wont-play-15-16/78817344/ ...

AUBURN –Trayvon Reed has enrolled in classes for the spring semester at Auburn but will not practice or play with the team throughout the 2015-16 season.

Auburn announced Thursday night the 7-foot-2 center from Mobile is enrolled in school and an Auburn official confirmed to The Montgomery Advertiser that Reed is on scholarship.

"It's good to have Trayvon Reed back with the program," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said in a university statement. "He will not play this year, but will begin training, individual workouts and focusing on his academics."

Reed left the program and was absent for the fall semester because of what team officials called "personal reasons" and NCAA rules require all student-athletes to pass at least six credit hours each semester in order to be eligible for competition during the following semester.

[jbcarol]

Brandon Marcello ‏@bmarcello 37m37 minutes ago

Yet another top guard could miss remainder of season at Auburn

http://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/index.ssf/2016/01/another_top_guard_could_miss_r.html ...

Auburn guard T.J. Dunans could miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury.

The newcomer underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee recently, but complications, including excessive bleeding, and the time it will take to heal the knee could keep him out for the remainder of the season.

"It pushes his return date out to very late in the season with the possibility of not being able to return," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said.

[jbcarol]

Tom Green ‏@AUBlog 1h1 hour ago

Pearl on Tony Barbee's return to Auburn Arena: "I can only speak to my emotions, and I know that going back to any place you've been you definitely leave a peace of your heart and soul there. ... but you clearly are moved on. ... I'm sure his focus is all Kentucky"

[jbcarol]

Tom Green ‏@AUBlog 32m32 minutes ago

UPDATED: Auburn's Tahj Shamsid-Deen out for year; T.J. Dunans could miss remainder of season http://www.oanow.com/sports/college/auburn/basketball/men/auburn-s-tahj-shamsid-deen-out-for-year-t-j/article_6997b152-bbbc-11e5-8fd3-b3d4dc7c94ff.html ...

One of Bruce Pearl's biggest fears the last few weeks became reality on Friday, leaving Auburn shorthanded for the second half of the season.

Auburn junior guard Tahj Shamsid-Deen will undergo shoulder surgery next week and miss the remainder of the season, Pearl announced. Shamsid-Deen has sustained three separate shoulder subluxations since late October, with the most recent occurring Dec. 19 against Xavier.

The update on Shamsid-Deen is just the latest blow to Auburn's backcourt, which has dealt with a string of injuries all season as well as the lingering eligibility issue with Danjel Purifoy. Pearl opened up his Friday press conference with "the good, the bad and the ugly," classifying the Shamsid-Deen news as "the bad." The ugly came afterward, when Pearl disclosed that guard T.J. Dunans, who has been sidelined with a left knee injury since Dec. 23, underwent a knee scope and the timeline for his return is going to be longer than anticipated.

[jbcarol]

Final from Auburn:

UK 70  Auburn 75

[jbcarol]

Tom Green ‏@AUBlog  17m17 minutes ago
Auburn ... knock off No. 14 UK and snap an 18-game losing streak to the Wildcats. Will be first win vs. Top 25 team since 2/18/12

[jbcarol]

Matt Jones ‏@KySportsRadio  22m22 minutes ago
Bruce Pearl in tears after the game

[jbcarol]

Wesley Sinor ‏@WesleySinor  7m7 minutes ago
Auburn fans rolling the trees at Toomer's Corner after the upset over Kentucky http://al.com/auburnbasketball ...

[jbcarol]

Matthew Stevens ‏@matthewcstevens  6m6 minutes ago
Auburn coach Bruce Pearl: "I'm happy for our students because I haven't been able to provide a return on the investment yet."

Kyle Tucker ‏@KyleTucker_CJ  10m10 minutes ago
Calipari says changes coming. Guys who don't deserve the minutes are done getting them.

[jbcarol]

Tom Green ‏@AUBlog  19m19 minutes ago
For the record, that court-storming will end up costing Auburn $100K under the SEC's policy, which was amended in May.

[jbcarol]

Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein  3h3 hours ago
One thing to remember about Auburn's win over Kentucky? Tigers are without two projected starters in T.J. Dunans and Danjel Purifoy.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/matthewcstevens/status/688745119189569537

For Pearl, the feeling of Saturday is not new. The man who transformed a rebuilding project at Wisconsin-Milwaukee into a Sweet 16 appearance and is the only coach to ever take Tennessee to No. 1 ranking in the nation knows how to do this.

"It does help recruiting because it does send a message to a lot of really good prospects that have signed and are committed that we have warranted their belief of what we can do," Pearl said.

[jbcarol]

 Tom Green ‏@AUBlog 2h2 hours ago

REEEEEEEWIND: Auburn upset No. 14 Kentucky yesterday for first win vs ranked team in 4 years http://www.oanow.com/sports/college/auburn/basketball/men/we-just-made-history-auburn-upsets-no-kentucky/article_26024488-bcc1-11e5-b406-5bf69737b5e4.html ...

[jbcarol]

Tom Green ‏@AUBlog 18m18 minutes ago

Pearl: I'm extremely impressed with the job Avery Johnson is doing.

Bruce knew Avery Johnson a little bit through ESPN. Said as a coach he was a huge fan of Avery as a player.

Pearl: "My guys needed success. My staff needed it. ... That (UK) game came at an important time."

Pearl: "When you're winning, you coach them hard. When you're losing, it's hard to coach them hard."

Pearl: "We're not pressing full court because I can't expend that energy" due to shortened rotation.

Pearl: Rivalry win is big. It's big, no denying it.

[jbcarol]

Brandon Marcello ‏@bmarcello 19m19 minutes ago

Auburn fined $100K for fans storming court after Kentucky win http://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/index.ssf/2016/01/auburn_fined_100k_for_fans_sto.html ...

This is Auburn's second offense dating back to 2004, when the SEC instituted a fine structure (and later upgraded it) for fans storming fields of competition. Auburn famously stormed the field following its Kick Six victory against Alabama in the 2013 Iron Bowl.

"The Conference has unanimously approved a policy requiring fines be applied when spectators enter the playing court after a game," SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement. "While understanding the enthusiasm following an exciting victory, fans need to remain in the stands and avoid the safety concerns associated with rushing on to the playing floor. We want to have exciting experiences around SEC games, but also want to maintain a safe environment for student-athletes, coaches, spectators and officials."

Auburn athletics director Jay Jacobs told AL.com no one was hurt during the celebration and said the school will happily pay the fine.

[jbcarol]

Auburn Basketball ‏@AuburnMBB  20m20 minutes ago
Tonight's attendance is 9,121. That is the seventh sellout of the Bruce Pearl era and 12th in the six-year Auburn Arena history.

Bama 68  Auburn 71  5:00 2nd

[jbcarol]

Kevin Scarbinsky ‏@KevinScarbinsky  4m4 minutes ago
Serious foul trouble here. This game may end with each team sending out walk-ons and volunteers from the stands.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/bmarcello/status/689654864750714881

[jbcarol]

Final from Auburn Arena

Auburn 83, Alabama 77

[jbcarol]

After beating Alabama, Auburn players declare it's their state

It wasn't the Iron Bowl, but there was certainly plenty at stake when Alabama and Auburn met on the hardwood Tuesday night.

Auburn outlasted Alabama, 83-77, to move to 9-3 on the season and improve to 3-3 in SEC play.

The Tigers have reeled off back-to-back wins at home — over a ranked Kentucky team and now, in-state rival Alabama —

Auburn and Alabama will clash again on Feb. 27, this time in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

[jbcarol]

Wesley Sinor Verified account
‏@WesleySinor

Auburn's Tahj Shamsid-Deen goes under the knife again http://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/index.ssf/2016/01/auburn_guard_tahj_shamsid-deen_3.html ...

Auburn junior guard Tahj Shamsid-Deen has undergone another surgery after suffering a right shoulder injury in the 85-61 loss at Xavier Dec. 19 that will sideline him for the remainder of the season.

"Had his surgery yesterday and he's doing well," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said Friday.

Shamsid-Deen's string of shoulder injuries dates back to last season, when he missed 12 total games. He reinjured his shoulder just weeks before this season's opener against UAB. He managed to recover in time to play five games before going down against Xavier.

Shamsid-Deen is considered one of the team's best perimeter defenders...

"How much Dr. (James) Andrews is going to be able to tighten it up will determine whether or not he plays again because we have to make sure that he's not only healthy to return to play, but also healthy to continue for the rest of his life," Pearl said last week. "It's really difficult."

[jbcarol]

Bruce Pearl has a solution to make court storming safer

"I would like a delayed rush," Pearl said. "We could have them put 30 seconds on the clock ... we're gonna let the officials get off the floor, let the opponents off the floor and our  players maybe get off the floor if they choose. Then bam, blow the whistle, hit the buzzer."

Pearl, whose Tigers are 9-8 overall and 3-3 in the SEC and play at Florida on Saturday, said safety is always a priority.

"Let's celebrate together, but let's get the opponent and refs off the floor," he said. "I called a timeout with two seconds left (against Kentucky). We only had a four-point lead, and I said let's get (bench players) off."

Auburn was happy to pay the fine, and Pearl figured it would be OK, too.

"I'm sure that is a check they would prefer not to write, but if you look to the check we got from the SEC," he said, "I think we're going to be OK."

[jbcarol]

Matthew Stevens ‏@matthewcstevens 19m19 minutes ago

If Florida scores 100, it will be 3rd time Pearl's Auburn program has given up century mark. Previously had given up 100 3 times in career.

[jbcarol]

Auburn officials recoiled when big man Cinmeon Bowers said that Kentucky was not as good this season as last season.

Auburn did not want Bowers giving Kentucky bulletin board material.

Bruce Pearl suggested that reporters not publicize possibly inflammatory comments made by players.

"You guys are always trying to give me advice on how to coach," Pearl said, "so I have to give you advice about writing."

Bowers and team backed up the talk last Saturday. Not yesterday.

[jbcarol]

Kevin Brockway ‏@gatorhoops  16h16 hours ago Hollywood, FL
Pearl on Florida -- "They physically dominated us. They got anything they wanted."

[jbcarol]

Wesley Sinor ‏@WesleySinor 18h18 hours ago

Auburn looks to rebound against Ole Miss following worst loss of season http://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/index.ssf/2016/01/auburn_looks_to_rebound_agains.html ...

Auburn has lost six straight to Ole Miss, but the Tigers may catch a couple breaks this week. Stefan Moody, the SEC's leading scorer at 24.3 points per game, is questionable for the Rebels after missing the team's 83-77 loss to Mississippi State Saturday. Ole Miss forward Sebastian Saiz, who averages 12.8 points and 9.8 rebounds, has been ruled out for the game.

The Tigers, meanwhile, will focus on putting forth a better performance from top to bottom after shooting a combined 35.8 percent from the floor against the Gators. It was the fifth straight game Auburn shot below 40 percent.

"We talked about playing hard, we talked about playing better," Pearl said. "I do think the energy, the effort, the intensity, all that that was expended on two great wins for us against Kentucky and Alabama. But again, if you look back at those games almost everybody really played well. There's just no margin for us, and our guys know that that's what it takes."

[jbcarol]

 Tom Green ‏@AUBlog 21h21 hours ago

Auburn swingman Danjel Purifoy's eligibility remains unresolved http://www.oanow.com/sports/college/auburn/football/auburn-swingman-danjel-purifoy-s-eligibility-remains-unresolved/article_0f60cd30-c392-11e5-b603-ff4208e3dbac.html ...

With 12 games remaining on Auburn's regular-season schedule, the team still has not received any resolution on the eligibility of star guard Danjel Purifoy.

"I have not heard anything," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said Monday morning.

Pearl initially hoped for news on Purifoy, whose eligibility remains up in the air while the ACT Testing Center reviews his high school ACT scores, by the start of the new year. When the calendar turned to 2016, Pearl still had not received any word about Purifoy's situation and added that he was hoping for resolution by the end of January.

Purifoy has been enrolled in classes at Auburn and participating in practice.

At the point of no return

[jbcarol]

 Brandon Marcello ‏@bmarcello 47m47 minutes ago

Live updates, analysis: Auburn vs. Ole Miss http://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/index.ssf/2016/01/live_updates_analysis_auburn_vs_ole_miss.html ...



Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein 2h2 hours ago

Ole Miss guard Stefan Moody (hamstring) will play tonight against Auburn, Andy Kennedy told @CBSSports.

[jbcarol]

Jay G. Tate ‏@JayGTate  54m54 minutes ago
Easily audible on ESPN: Pearl imploring Cim Bowers to get into the paint for the final shot. Big man didn't move an inch.

[jbcarol]

Ole Miss Basketball ‏@OleMissMBB  1m1 minute ago
Behind Moody's 24 points and Hymon's double double, Ole Miss routes (sic) Auburn 80-63

[jbcarol]

Auburn officials recoiled when big man Cinmeon Bowers said that Kentucky was not as good this season as last season.

Auburn did not want Bowers giving Kentucky bulletin board material.

Bowers and team backed up the talk last Saturday. Not yesterday.

Tom Green ‏@AUBlog  7h7 hours ago
Effort, attitude issues led to Cinmeon Bowers' benching as Bruce Pearl seeks consistency from the senior forward http://www.oanow.com/sports/college/auburn/basketball/men/effort-attitude-issues-led-to-cinmeon-bowers-benching/article_ad8d89e2-c6b9-11e5-a75c-b789dd3891d2.html ...

Running out of time

[jbcarol]

Tom Green ‏@AUBlog  24h24 hours ago
Auburn still awaiting word on Danjel Purifoy's eligibility http://www.oanow.com/sports/college/auburn/basketball/men/auburn-still-awaiting-word-on-danjel-purifoy-s-eligibility/article_a2dee368-c6bb-11e5-9068-e7e772fd642b.html ...

Brandon Marcello ‏@bmarcello  Jan 29
If you're wondering: No news today on Danjel Purifoy's eligibility.


This breaking news just in  – "Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead!"

[jbcarol]

Tom Green ‏@AUBlog  47m47 minutes ago
Auburn's Cinmeon Bowers out for Oklahoma State game http://www.oanow.com/sports/college/auburn/basketball/men/auburn-s-cinmeon-bowers-out-for-oklahoma-state-game/article_344e3d04-c7b0-11e5-8db7-0b44508eb8c4.html ...

Auburn will be without Cim Bowers tonight against Oklahoma State. Suspended by Bruce Pearl for conduct detrimental to the team

[jbcarol]

Tom Green ‏@AUBlog  27m27 minutes ago

TJ Lang fouls Tyree Griffin on a three-point attempt with 0.6 seconds left in the half. Griffin makes all three, Cowboys lead 40-31.

Bruce Pearl also received a warning from one of the officials. A very audible "STOP" from the ref directed at Pearl

As Pearl walked off the court for halftime, he stopped in the corner and stared down the officials as they went to their locker room.

[jbcarol]

Adam Sparks ‏@AdamSparks 32m32 minutes ago

Bruce Pearl standing on the table to defend/promote LSU's NCAA tourney resume on SEC coaches teleconference

[opineonswine]

Pearl is an embarrassing clown.

[jbcarol]

Tom Green ‏@AUBlog 50m50 minutes ago

Simmons, LSU hand Auburn 4th straight loss http://www.oanow.com/sports/college/auburn/basketball/men/simmons-lsu-hand-auburn-th-straight-loss/article_8e2d4936-ca27-11e5-a2b0-13b26d8ca445.html ...

FINAL: LSU 80, Auburn 68 Auburn drops its fourth straight following back-to-back wins against Kentucky and Alabama

Pearl: "Our gameplan was to wall (Simmons) off and make him take contested shot. We never really built that wall."

[jbcarol]

Tom Green ‏@AUBlog 51s51 seconds ago

Auburn coach Bruce Pearl on @purifoy_danjel: "The reality is we don't have the final word from the NCAA." http://www.oanow.com/sports/college/auburn/basketball/men/no-final-word-on-danjel-purifoy-as-bruce-pearl-clarifies/article_a263d474-cb6c-11e5-9d88-6b6f5116d8de.html ...

[jbcarol]

Pearl clarifies his Danjel Purifoy 'redshirt freshman' comments

Auburn coach referred to Purifoy, who is awaiting word from the NCAA and ACT testing center about his eligibility, as a "redshirt freshman" next season on Auburn's football signing day show Wednesday.

A day later, he clarified his comments and left open the opportunity Purifoy could be declared eligible during the final month of the season.

"In the recruiting show yesterday I probably slipped and said next year Danjel Purifoy would be a redshirt freshman, so I said that," Pearl said. "But the reality is we don't have the final word from the NCAA. We're still going through some processes with the testing agency and the NCAA. Now clearly, it's very, very late in the game. Again, I appreciate our fans' and the media's patience in the sense that until I can tell you that it's a done deal that he is not going to be declared a qualifier and would be eligible for competition, I really can't say. He's eligible for practice. He's eligible to travel. He's eligible for scholarship. He's eligible for a lot of things. He's not been officially cleared for competition and that's why we've not been able to play him. There's really no change on his status."

[jbcarol]

James Crepea ‏@JamesCrepea  2h2 hours ago
Cinmeon Bowers will be Auburn's starting PG, per Auburn. You can't make this up.

AUB 30  UGa 53  7:55 2nd

[jbcarol]

Final from Athens:

Auburn 55,  Georgia 65

[jbcarol]

Matthew Stevens ‏@matthewcstevens  15h15 hours ago
Matthew Stevens Retweeted Auburn Basketball
Auburn shoots 25.9% in 8th straight road loss. Tigers fall to 9-13, 3-7 in SEC. Auburn will be at Tenn. Tuesday. 

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik ‏@Steve_Walentik 7m7 minutes ago

Auburn Coach Bruce Pearl said PG Kareem Canty remains suspended and will not play at Tennessee on Tuesday.

[jbcarol]

Patrick Brown ‏@patrickbrownTFP 56m56 minutes ago

Bruce Pearl is coaching against Tennessee in TBA tomorrow & there seems to be very little buzz about it. Normalcy (finally) settling in?

[jbcarol]

@GrantRamey
‏@GrantRamey

From @Strangemike44: Pearl is 24-33 in 57 games at Auburn. He was 40-17 in his first 57 at Tennessee http://www.knoxnews.com/sports/vols/columnists/mike-strange/mike-strange-bruce-pearls-back-but-vols-tigers-are-not-2b3681b5-20a6-030b-e053-0100007ff862-368112431.html ...

Rick Barnes spoke to the media for more than 17 minutes on Monday, during which he fielded eight questions.

None of them were about Bruce Pearl.

Both Barnes and Pearl did a stint on the SEC coaches' teleconference Monday. Nobody asked Barnes about Pearl. Nobody asked Pearl about Tennessee.

So Pearl returns to Thompson-Boling Arena on Tuesday night with his Auburn Tigers and we greet this with ... a shrug?

Already?

Surely there will be more reaction when Pearl is introduced prior to the 7 p.m. tipoff. After all, he's not just, say, one of the Kennedys, Billy or Andy. This is the guy who took down No. 1 Kansas on this floor with one hand tied behind his back.

Pearl, the man who led the Vols to a No. 1 ranking in 2008 and an Elite Eight in 2010 and then got fired in 2011 for NCAA violations, has incited more passion among UT men's hoops fans than any coach since Ray Mears.

Of course, Pearl and UT have already danced the homecoming waltz once. Last year his first Auburn team lost here 71-63. A crowd of 18,439 cheered Pearl then cheered Donnie Tyndall louder. It was an emotional day for Pearl, an emotional man.

Less so was Auburn's 83-77 win over Tennessee last month at Auburn. Pearl was in his new house, surrounded by his new extended family.

So Tuesday night, Pearl is back again in the visitors locker room, down the hall from the one in which he celebrated many a victory. Been there, done that.

But there's another reason his return wasn't a big talking point Monday. Two reasons, really.

One, Tennessee is a shadow of the program it was in Pearl's heyday.

Two, Auburn is also a shadow of Tennessee's program in Pearl's heyday.

In short, we've got a couple of flawed teams scrapping to avoid playing on the first night of the SEC tournament. Not exactly No. 1 Memphis vs. No. 2 UT.

[jbcarol]

Wes Rucker ‏@wesrucker247 5m5 minutes ago

Bruce stopping by to shake hands and hug with some of #Vols' boosters. #Memories

[jbcarol]

@GrantRamey ‏@GrantRamey 8h8 hours ago

From @johnadamskns: A night of worsts for Bruce Pearl http://www.knoxnews.com/sports/vols/columnists/john-adams/john-adams-a-night-of-worsts-for-bruce-pearl-2b497d26-14b2-2ab9-e053-0100007fa926-368269091.html ...

The best part of Tuesday for former Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl was visiting with his old Bible study group in the morning.

The worst part was fully displayed on the Thompson-Boling Arena scoreboard Tuesday evening: Tennessee 71, Auburn 45.

"That was ugly," Auburn's second-year coach said as he entered the postgame media room. "We're better than that.

"That team wasn't competitive."

The stats supported his assessment. Auburn shot 23.7 percent from the field, missed half of its 24 free throws, and only freshman guard Bryce Brown scored in double figures (18 points).

Pearl didn't have to think long when asked if any of his teams had shot so poorly.

"Probably the worse shooting performance ever," he said.

The wayward shooting was magnified by the venue, where All-SEC guard Chris Lofton once launched 3-pointers on Pearl's behalf.

In his six seasons (2005-11) at UT, Pearl's worst loss at Thompson-Boling Arena was by 18 points. That came against Kentucky. This came against a Tennessee team that has lost as many as it has won (12-12) and has developed a bad habit of matching a good half with an awful one.

Tennessee's bad half produced a 34-23 halftime lead. In the second half, the Tigers trailed by as many as 33 points as their record dropped to 9-14 and their losing streak was extended to six.

You need a vivid imagination to envision the losing streak ending anytime soon.

@GrantRamey ‏@GrantRamey 9h9 hours ago

Bruce Pearl quotes after tonight's game.

[jbcarol]

Matthew Stevens ‏@matthewcstevens  31m31 minutes ago
In the short-term, if Auburn F Tyler Harris (back) can't play vs. Vanderbilt on Sat., Auburn will have 7 scholarship players available.

BLOG: Supended junior G Kareem Canty leaving Auburn to enter NBA Draft - http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/sports/college/auburnauthority/2016/02/11/kareem-canty-leaving-auburn-enter-nba-draft/80264828/ ...

[jbcarol]

Tom Green ‏@AUBlog  10h10 hours ago
Pearl: TJ Dunans is getting closer to coming back. Quad strength still a work in progress.

Pearl when discussing Dunans' knee: "I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night; I'm not a doctor but..."