Bruce Pearl or Ray Harper?

[EaglesPride]

Both had tremendous success at their respective schools. Pearl won a national championship at USI, Harper won two at Ky. Wesleyan. The two programs drew more than 9,000 fans to Roberts Stadium for a GLVC Tournament final and re-energized both fan bases. But Harper defeated Pearl five straight times in the final two seasons that Pearl coached at USI, three of those wins in postseason play. Before Harper became KWC's head coach, Pearl had owned the series. My question: Was Harper the reason for KWC's sudden dominance against USI those final two seasons? Or did USI's program just slip a bit as Pearl attempted to find a Division I job?

And, who was the better coach in Division II? Harper or Pearl?

[PantherExpress]

Re: Bruce Pearl or Ray Harper?

doc sinn

[EaglesPride]

Re: Bruce Pearl or Ray Harper?

doc sinn

Leave Dr. Sinn out of this discussion. Harper or Pearl? I say Pearl because of his early days at re-energizing USI basketball and the city of Evansville. Harper took over a dynasty at KWC. Pearl built one at USI. Yes, Harper overpowered Pearl in the later years, but it does not diminish what Pearl started at USI.

[kwcpantherfan]

Re: Bruce Pearl or Ray Harper?

Leave Dr. Sinn out of this discussion. Harper or Pearl? I say Pearl because of his early days at re-energizing USI basketball and the city of Evansville. Harper took over a dynasty at KWC. Pearl built one at USI. Yes, Harper overpowered Pearl in the later years, but it does not diminish what Pearl started at USI.

Check the head-to-head records and that'll answer your Harper vs. Pearl question. Also, what is your definition of a dynasty?

[EaglesPride]

Re: Bruce Pearl or Ray Harper?

Check the head-to-head records and that'll answer your Harper vs. Pearl question. Also, what is your definition of a dynasty?

Ky. Wesleyan is the greatest example of a Division II basketball dynasty I can think of. They have won eight national championships, have one of the best fan followings in all of Division II, and they have a 5,000 seat arena that dwarfs most schools at our level. I remember the Purple Wave or Bus People fans that always swarmed other GLVC gyms, giving KWC a big advantage even in road games. KWC is what every other D-2 basketball program would like to be, eight-time national champions. I am a USI graduate and fan, but I would say KWC's legacy is that of a dynasty that no other school can match in Division II.

[DJ Silky Panties]

Re: Bruce Pearl or Ray Harper?

False. You give it away too easily with your overemphasis I've been 35 Yr ticket holder and alum.
You're a phony and a HoTWoD surrogate

[EaglesPride]

Re: Bruce Pearl or Ray Harper?

False. You give it away too easily with your overemphasis I've been 35 Yr ticket holder and alum.
You're a phony and a HoTWoD surrogate

Actually, 31 years as a ticket holder. I even tolerated the Herdes years, his incompetence as a floor coach (two platoons, 10 players, no continuity, remember that season??!! lol) until he "resigned" amid NCAA violations. lol

[DJ Silky Panties]

Re: Bruce Pearl or Ray Harper?

Actually, 31 years as a ticket holder. I even tolerated the Herdes years, his incompetence as a floor coach (two platoons, 10 players, no continuity, remember that season??!! lol) until he "resigned" amid NCAA violations. lol

Yo daddy and Herdes both undefeated in the NCAA the past two seasons.

Since Herdes lost to Kennesaw in title game one year. My vote for best is HoTWoD!
When HoTWoD gets the SIU job he deserves Harper be too scared to play him.

[bkingbroker]

Re: Bruce Pearl or Ray Harper?

Pearl is a program builder plain and simple. He has proven that at every stop he has been and now has an Auburn program, one that has used the Under Armour shoe agreement as the reason for the decades of poor performance, on the verge of being a top 20 program.

Harper cannot do what Pearl can do and thus why he hasn't made it to the big show. But I will say this about Ray and that is he is one of the best floor cosches in the business. I think during their battles at the D II level Ray was better at the Xs and Os.

[EaglesPride]

Re: Bruce Pearl or Ray Harper?

Pearl is a program builder plain and simple. He has proven that at every stop he has been and now has an Auburn program, one that has used the Under Armour shoe agreement as the reason for the decades of poor performance, on the verge of being a top 20 program.

Harper cannot do what Pearl can do and thus why he hasn't made it to the big show. But I will say this about Ray and that is he is one of the best floor cosches in the business. I think during their battles at the D II level Ray was better at the Xs and Os.

I always believed Harper's ability to motivate his players in adverse situations was incredible. His Xs and Os were off the chart in making in-game adjustments, something I thought, at times, Pearl might have lacked. But Pearl could also motivate a team and crowd like no one I have ever seen before. The 1999 and 2000 battles in Roberts Stadium were incredible with 9,000 fans in attendance, all yelling at fever-pitch levels! I hope the USI/KWC rivalry can get back to that again one day.

[PantherExpress]

Re: Bruce Pearl or Ray Harper?

altstadt

[bkingbroker]

Re: Bruce Pearl or Ray Harper?

Agree with everything you have said here. I found myself rooting for Ray at WKU because it is great to see D II coaches succeed when finally given the opportunity to do so. These D I programs who continue to promote assistant coaches from the proverbial coaching trees make me sick since most of them fail miserably: Some of the best Xs and Os coaches reside in D II. Hesser and Scotty are two obvious ones and now you have to throw in the guy from Parkside, who in my opinion doesn't get near the respect he deserves.

I always believed Harper's ability to motivate his players in adverse situations was incredible. His Xs and Os were off the chart in making in-game adjustments, something I thought, at times, Pearl might have lacked. But Pearl could also motivate a team and crowd like no one I have ever seen before. The 1999 and 2000 battles in Roberts Stadium were incredible with 9,000 fans in attendance, all yelling at fever-pitch levels! I hope the USI/KWC rivalry can get back to that again one day.

[KnightStalker]

Re: Bruce Pearl or Ray Harper?

Hesser and Scotty are two obvious ones and now you have to throw in the guy from Parkside, who in my opinion doesn't get near the respect he deserves.

I guess the reason Reigel hasn't gotten the respect quite yet, has to do with this post season record. He has one win in five tries (and he needed the home court to get that one) in the NCAAs. He has only one final appearance in the GLVC tourney (both the NCAA win and GLVC final came last year) despite winning what most would consider the hardest division in DII four consecutive times. He probably has the best regular season record of anybody over the past four years though. That's got to count for something. I think he just needs a trip to the Elite 8 to get him to Hesser and Davenport territory.

[bkingbroker]

Re: Bruce Pearl or Ray Harper?

I don't think he is or should be in the same discussion with those 2. But he has done extremely well and done so without elite talent.

I guess the reason Reigel hasn't gotten the respect quite yet, has to do with this post season record. He has one win in five tries (and he needed the home court to get that one) in the NCAAs. He has only one final appearance in the GLVC tourney (both the NCAA win and GLVC final came last year) despite winning what most would consider the hardest division in DII four consecutive times. He probably has the best regular season record of anybody over the past four years though. That's got to count for something. I think he just needs a trip to the Elite 8 to get him to Hesser and Davenport territory.

[EaglesPride]

Re: Bruce Pearl or Ray Harper?

Agree with everything you have said here. I found myself rooting for Ray at WKU because it is great to see D II coaches succeed when finally given the opportunity to do so. These D I programs who continue to promote assistant coaches from the proverbial coaching trees make me sick since most of them fail miserably: Some of the best Xs and Os coaches reside in D II. Hesser and Scotty are two obvious ones and now you have to throw in the guy from Parkside, who in my opinion doesn't get near the respect he deserves.

I root for Ray Harper as well, though my wife and oldest son would be very angry to know this fact. I believe Harper is one of the best Xs and Os basketball coaches at any level. I also love his intensity during the games. If he would want to take the USI job, I would have no problem hiring him. I believe he is at a small Division I school now. If the USI job opens up after this season, would be interesting to see if Harper might throw his hat in the ring. He knows he can win national titles in D-2, and certainly at USI. It will be interesting if Coach Watson is terminated at season's end.