By Matt NorlanderWould you like to own the property that's a part of NCAA investigation lore? A residence that helped lead to the firing of the most embraceable coach in the history of Tennessee men's basketball?
If you've got a gross income in the millions and don't mind the sticky Tennessee summers, then there's a bulky abode waiting for your signature. We're talking about the house where Aaron Craft and Josh Selby once improperly enjoyed an afternoon barbecue, only to later have Bruce Pearl deny said barbecue and its guests ever happened. A place that was temporarily unremembered.
That's a special kind of place. The undoing of Tennessee men's hoops all began in that brick-and-stone home you see to the right.
Pearl has put his lush, bold, modern (am I using the right real estate terms here? What really makes a house "move"?) 10,200 square-foot mansion in Knoxville, Tenn., on the market. According to the Knoxville News-Sentinel, the massive home sits on an acre and has five bedrooms, six and a half baths, eight (!!) fireplaces, three laundry facilities and a saline pool. Saline's much more expensive initially than chlorine, but there's no upkeep to it. It's really the wiser investment in the long run.
Pearl, who still hasn't accepted a job in the NBDL, is asking $2.69 million for it. He bought it three years ago for $2.1 mill. Uh, Bruce. Have you seen what's been happening all around the country?
Pearl said Monday that the property was "clearly my dream home", but that he needs to downsize. "Now that I'm not the basketball coach and may not be doing quite as much entertaining, it's bigger than what we need," he said. ... But when asked how he'll remember the home Pearl focused on better memories, saying he was married in the side yard and hosted a lot of charity events in it.
In fact, he said broker Debbie Elliott-Sexton, of Alliance Sotheby's International Realty, is "helping us with our next purchase." And what is he looking for? "We'd love something on the lake," Pearl said.
A lake is a natural fit for Pearl, as he's shown in the past.
So now I ask, what happens first: Pearl receives his punishment from the NCAA or his house gets a buyer? I'll go with the former.(H/T, John Clay, whose lead for his own blog post is the best possible one anyone could concoct for this particular story)
