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Chris Mack to Cal
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ctipton Offline
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Post: #21
RE: Chris Mack to Cal
Vols get what they don't want, but deserve
April, 15, 2014

By Dana O'Neil | ESPN.com

In the most deliciously ironic coaching carousel ride in some time, the University of Tennessee, both fan base and athletic department, somehow managed to get what they no longer wanted and exactly what they deserved.

Cuonzo Martin, the man they treated like a bad case of the flu for three years, essentially put his thumb to his nose, wiggled his fingers and said, "Stuff it." He is off to the greener, more welcoming pastures of Cal while Tennessee is left with a bare cupboard, no coach and, worst of all, the coach it longed for now working down the SEC road at Auburn.

[Image: ncb_u_martin_b1_600x600.jpg]
Cuonzo Martin will take his winning overall record to the West Coast. Randy Sartin/USA TODAY Sports

Using Grinchian vernacular, Martin even took the Who Hash. Seven-foot-1 center prospect Kingsley Okoroh, who committed to UT on Monday, tweeted within an hour of Martin’s departure that he, too, was off to Berkeley.

The Volunteers, apparently, would have been wise to look at the fine print when Martin said, upon removing himself from the Marquette search that, "Tennessee is where I want to be. That has never changed."

He made those remarks, after all, on April Fools' Day.

And now the joke is on Tennessee.

Or the joke is Tennessee. Take your pick. Both are applicable.

The school is now on its third basketball coach in four years, to partner with the four football coaches it’s hired in the past six seasons.

No one will argue that Tennessee is a plum job -- one currently unemployed coach called me within an hour of the opening to inquire about it -- but the administration and fan base are doing a helluva job turning Knoxville into a reality show.

This is now a place that has been jilted by both Lane Kiffin and Martin.

Except when Kiffin left, his players were furious.

When Martin hit the road, Jordan McRae took to social media: “Can’t treat people any kind of way and expect good in return,” he wrote.

No you cannot. Even in this weird, morally challenged world, the golden rule does still have some teeth. You can’t spend three years making a man feel like an unwanted interim coach and then, once he reaches the Sweet 16, expect him to return the warm and phony embrace.

Less than a month ago, 36,000 fans signed a petition to get rid of Martin and return Bruce Pearl to glory. Never mind the fact Martin spent his entire tenure trying to extricate the Vols from the NCAA crater that Pearl had dug them. Pearl was Pearl -- gregarious and fun, with an up-and-down style and he still lived in Knoxville.

In the days before the Sweet 16 game -- and after Pearl signed with Auburn -- came another petition. This one was aimed at getting Martin a raise, complete with an open apology for the first petition.

Prior to today's news conference, called after Martin already had left, Hart had given and offered Martin one measly raise -- $50,000 last year. That bumped Martin’s overall salary to $1.35 million, 11th in the 14-member SEC.

And then when the Vols thumped Mercer to go to the regional semifinal, there was Hart embracing Martin on the court.

Didn’t work for Judas.

Won’t work here.

Vols fans, no doubt, will say that Cal will fail and good riddance and that’s fine. Hell hath no fury like a fan base scorned.

And that’s OK, too.

But remove the anger and what you see is a coach who was far from an epic failure. He went 63-41 in his three seasons, finishing in the top five of the SEC in each season.

This despite the stain and strain of NCAA sanctions.

In a lot of places that would merit a raise, a contract extension and a heap of praise.

At Tennessee, it got Martin a heap of nothing. Impatient fans and lukewarm administrators never really gave Martin a chance -- Indiana fans, with a bit more basketball dog in the fight, gave Tom Crean a longer leash.

And now the Vols got what they stopped wanting and exactly what they deserved.

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketbal...y_MostSent
 
04-16-2014 10:27 PM
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bearcatmill Offline
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Post: #22
RE: Chris Mack to Cal
I do not understand Vol bball fans. Act as if they are a premier bball program. No NC's, no Final 4's and 1 Great 8 in the history of the program. For Dana to mention Indiana in the same line as TN is laughable.
 
04-17-2014 06:38 AM
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beck Offline
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Post: #23
RE: Chris Mack to Cal
(04-16-2014 10:27 PM)ctipton Wrote:  Prior to today's news conference, called after Martin already had left, Hart had given and offered Martin one measly raise -- $50,000 last year. That bumped Martin’s overall salary to $1.35 million, 11th in the 14-member SEC.

How do I sign up for a measley 50k raise? If you know, please post asap.
 
(This post was last modified: 04-18-2014 06:05 AM by beck.)
04-18-2014 06:04 AM
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QSECOFR Offline
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Post: #24
RE: Chris Mack to Cal
(04-18-2014 06:04 AM)beck Wrote:  
(04-16-2014 10:27 PM)ctipton Wrote:  Prior to today's news conference, called after Martin already had left, Hart had given and offered Martin one measly raise -- $50,000 last year. That bumped Martin’s overall salary to $1.35 million, 11th in the 14-member SEC.

How do I sign up for a measley 50k raise? If you know, please post asap.

Given how old I am, I should point out that a $50k per annum increase in salary ain't what it used to be.
 
04-18-2014 03:24 PM
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Marcus Offline
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Post: #25
RE: Chris Mack to Cal
(04-15-2014 09:42 PM)SuperFlyBCat Wrote:  "Can't treat people any kind of way and expect good in return," wrote Vols guard Jordan McRae.

There in lies the rub between a fan base with passion and one without it. Cal is milk toast. E Tennessee is
also devoid of black people, Oakland is not. You can be on the bubble at Cal and nobody cares. Me thinks if Painter
does not get it right at Purdue, then Martin would be Purdue's first look. UT has very good basketball fan support.

Tennessee has amazing basketball support and facilities considering the program has never been considered elite. Pearl had them well on their way to that level, but obviously that didn't end well.

Martin was just a bad fit for a passionate fan base. He was a good guy but he didn't have much of a personality at all, was not receptive at all to the fans, the alumni or the donors. And his overall tenure was underachieving IMO. He inherited a very good roster when he took over and missing the tournament 2 out of 3 years, and nearly all three was a monumental failure IMO. The Sweet 16 run was great this year, but people are forgetting they were one of the last 4 in the tournament. With that roster that should never have happened. Cal is a much better fit for him, he can go somewhere where the fan base and the AD dont really care about winning and are content with an occasional NCAA tournament berth.
 
04-24-2014 01:19 PM
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Marcus Offline
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Post: #26
RE: Chris Mack to Cal
O'Neil's article is incredibly off-base. It's amazing how these national writers are oblivious at the roster he inherited. You have to look at the full body for work and he missed the tournament his first 2 years and barely snuck in the tournament as one of the last 4 in his third year. This wasn't a rebuilding job like Crean had at IU. With the roster he had he under-achieved greatly and his recruiting was sub-par. And trust me, Tennessee's AD did not stop 'wanting' Martin to leave, that is why he got a "measley" raise. He also left the roster in a lot worse shape than what he inherited from Pearl. He's replacing all these 4 and 5-star guys he inherited from Pearl (McCrae, Maymon, Stokes, etc..) with the 49th ranked recruiting class - with 4 players? Says a lot.
 
(This post was last modified: 04-24-2014 01:31 PM by Marcus.)
04-24-2014 01:26 PM
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Bearcat Otto Offline
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Post: #27
RE: Chris Mack to Cal
(04-24-2014 01:19 PM)Marcus Wrote:  
(04-15-2014 09:42 PM)SuperFlyBCat Wrote:  "Can't treat people any kind of way and expect good in return," wrote Vols guard Jordan McRae.

There in lies the rub between a fan base with passion and one without it. Cal is milk toast. E Tennessee is
also devoid of black people, Oakland is not. You can be on the bubble at Cal and nobody cares. Me thinks if Painter
does not get it right at Purdue, then Martin would be Purdue's first look. UT has very good basketball fan support.

Tennessee has amazing basketball support and facilities considering the program has never been considered elite. Pearl had them well on their way to that level, but obviously that didn't end well.

Martin was just a bad fit for a passionate fan base. He was a good guy but he didn't have much of a personality at all, was not receptive at all to the fans, the alumni or the donors. And his overall tenure was underachieving IMO. He inherited a very good roster when he took over and missing the tournament 2 out of 3 years, and nearly all three was a monumental failure IMO. The Sweet 16 run was great this year, but people are forgetting they were one of the last 4 in the tournament. With that roster that should never have happened. Cal is a much better fit for him, he can go somewhere where the fan base and the AD dont really care about winning and are content with an occasional NCAA tournament berth.

And he was a black man.

Just like Tubby at UK.
 
04-24-2014 02:00 PM
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Marcus Offline
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Post: #28
RE: Chris Mack to Cal
(04-24-2014 02:00 PM)Bearcat Otto Wrote:  
(04-24-2014 01:19 PM)Marcus Wrote:  
(04-15-2014 09:42 PM)SuperFlyBCat Wrote:  "Can't treat people any kind of way and expect good in return," wrote Vols guard Jordan McRae.

There in lies the rub between a fan base with passion and one without it. Cal is milk toast. E Tennessee is
also devoid of black people, Oakland is not. You can be on the bubble at Cal and nobody cares. Me thinks if Painter
does not get it right at Purdue, then Martin would be Purdue's first look. UT has very good basketball fan support.

Tennessee has amazing basketball support and facilities considering the program has never been considered elite. Pearl had them well on their way to that level, but obviously that didn't end well.

Martin was just a bad fit for a passionate fan base. He was a good guy but he didn't have much of a personality at all, was not receptive at all to the fans, the alumni or the donors. And his overall tenure was underachieving IMO. He inherited a very good roster when he took over and missing the tournament 2 out of 3 years, and nearly all three was a monumental failure IMO. The Sweet 16 run was great this year, but people are forgetting they were one of the last 4 in the tournament. With that roster that should never have happened. Cal is a much better fit for him, he can go somewhere where the fan base and the AD dont really care about winning and are content with an occasional NCAA tournament berth.

And he was a black man.

Just like Tubby at UK.

Results speak for themselves. His teams consistently underachieved on the court relative to the talent he had and he left the program in worse shape than he inherited it.
 
04-24-2014 02:05 PM
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