Former Tennessee men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl turned analyst briefly into storyteller Monday night, delivering some dirty about Candace Parker’s college years during TNT’s broadcast of the Volunteers’ win over Rutgers.
Pearl, who coached the Vols from 2005-11, overlapped with Parker’s historic career from 2004-08. The three-time All-American dated a Tennessee player in that period, a relationship Pearl joked carried strategic importance.
“Some stories we can talk about and some stories we can’t talk about, but Candace was a beautiful young student athlete at Tennessee,” Pearl said on air. “She was dating one of my guys and she was talking to two of the others at the same time.”
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Pearl recalled intervening for the sake of his lineup. “Candace, you remember there were a couple of times I would come to you and say, ‘Honey, don’t break up with him tonight’, right?” he said. Parker burst out into laughter sitting next to him. “She would be like, ‘OK.’ We had that relationship. Candace was mature beyond her years.”
Parker admitted to being in Pearl’s office, but did build a relationship with him over the years. “That will stay in 2004 to 2008,” she responded.
Parker led Tennessee to consecutive national titles (2007-08), earning Naismith Player of the Year honors for the 2007-08 season. She averaged 19.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.9 steals and 2.5 blocks per game with the Lady Vols.
Selected No. 1 overall in the 2008 WNBA Draft, Parker built a great professional career with three championships and two MVP awards. She has since transitioned into broadcasting, becoming a staple on TNT’s coverage of both the NBA and college basketball.
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