What they're saying about John Pelphrey
COOKEVILLE - With the formal introduction of John Pelphrey as the 13th head coach in Tennessee Tech men's basketball history scheduled for Friday, April 12 in the form of a 3:15 p.m. CT press conference, Golden Eagle fans are about to hear all about the newest face of their program straight from the source.
By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE - With the formal introduction of John Pelphrey as the 13th head coach in Tennessee Tech men's basketball history scheduled for Friday, April 12 in the form of a 3:15 p.m. CT press conference, Golden Eagle fans are about to hear all about the newest face of their program straight from the source.
In the mean time, however, the purple and gold faithful have the opportunity to see what those who have coached, worked with and played for him have to say about the hire. Here's what they're saying about John Pelphrey.
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"John Pelphrey is a fabulous hire by Mark Wilson and Tennessee Tech. John has had great success as a head coach, as well as an assistant. He played right up the road in Lexington and will automatically bring credibility to Tennessee Tech. He will be able to get every door opened in recruiting throughout the southeast. As good a coach as John is, he and Tracy are even better people." - Greg Byrne, Director of Athletics, University of Alabama |
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"What a great hire for Tennessee Tech. John Pelphrey is an absolute wonderful human being, first and foremost. He will be an instant hit in the community. As a coach, John is tenacious and has all the tools and abilities to establish a winning tradition at Tech. Golden Eagle fans have a great reason to be excited." - John Calipari, Head Coach, University of Kentucky |
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"I think Tennessee Tech hired an outstanding coach and an outstanding person. John Pelphrey had a huge role in building the basketball program here at Florida under Billy Donovan. He has obviously been a head coach and done extremely well. He is just what I would call a big time person and coach. I'm very excited for him and certainly know that Tennessee Tech will be pleased with the job John does." - Jeremy Foley, former Director of Athletics, University of Florida |
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"John Pelphrey was a great addition to our program. I knew when we hired him we were going through a building program. In his first three seasons, he went 36-48, but never veered from his game plan. The next two seasons we were 24-7 and 20-12 with a regular season Sun Belt Conference Championships and a Sun Belt Tournament Championship. He and his wife Tracy were excellent in the community. John Pelphrey and his staff will impact the basketball community." - Joe Gottfried, former Director of Athletics, University of South Alabama |
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"John, Tracy and their family will be fantastic additions to the Tennessee Tech campus and the Cookeville community. John is an experienced coach who knows how to run a program the right way. His relationships with players and staff members make him stand out among the crowd. He has worked with a variety of coaches and has been exposed to many different coaching styles and philosophies. There's no doubt in my mind that when he puts his stamp on the program it will produce championship results." - Tom Hart, ESPN |
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"John and his family will be a great asset for the Tennessee Tech family. He has a tremendous amount of experience that is going to be very valuable with all of the players, parents, staff, alumni, student body, fans, donors and the community. He will work hard building character and competitive spirit in the team." - Avery Johnson, former Head Coach, University of Alabama |
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"Coach Pelphrey is like family to me. He recruited me at Florida and was like a father figure to me. He was a crucial part of my development as a player and a person. Without his help I wouldn't have had the career I did. The school, the fans and the players are all lucky to have a person like Coach Pelphrey be a part of their new family." - Mike Miller, Assistant Coach, University of Memphis |
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"John is an awesome hire for Tennessee Tech. He has a great mind for the game and is a tireless recruiter. He is one of my all-time favorites." - Rick Pitino, former Head Coach, University of Kentucky / University of Louisville |
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"When I coached John, he was a great competitor who thought the game extremely well. I always knew he would make a great coach someday." - Bill Runyon, former Head Coach, Painstville High School |
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Photo courtesy of Alabama Athletic Communications
