Coming after Vitello

#1,526
#1,526
Christian Lowe said:
We’re down on ourselves because it’s been proven over the last decade or so that good coaches leave, bad coaches get fired, and we repeat that process.
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This is actually a talking point I keep hearing that is simply not true. There is one instance of a "good" coach leaving us and that is Kiffin. And, depending on who you talk to, many don't think he is actually a good coach.

Pearl got fired for NCAA violations. Tyndall got fired for NCAA violations. Dooley got fired for being horrible. Butch the same thing. Pruitt got fired for being terrible AND being bad at cheating. Cuonzo got fired for making 1 Sweet 16 with a team that had 3 NBA players on it. Raleigh and Serrano were fired for being bad and not producing.

I cannot think of a single instance outside of Kiffin where a coach left Tennessee for "greener pastures." Barnes chose to stay. And Vitello will choose to stay. Tennessee isn't a mid-major. Good coaches don't leave SEC programs for another SEC program hardly ever.
 
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#1,527
#1,527
TheMookieMonster said:
This is actually a talking point I keep hearing that is simply not true. There is one instance of a "good" coach leaving us and that is Kiffin. And, depending on who you talk to, many don't think he is actually a good coach.

Pearl got fired for NCAA violations. Tyndall got fired for NCAA violations. Dooley got fired for being horrible. Butch the same thing. Pruitt got fired for being terrible AND being bad at cheating. Cuonzo got fired for making 1 Sweet 16 with a team that had 3 NBA players on it. Raleigh and Serrano were fired for being bad and not producing.

I cannot think of a single instance outside of Kiffin where a coach left Tennessee for "greener pastures." Barnes chose to stay. And Vitello will choose to stay. Tennessee isn't a mid-major. Good coaches don't leave SEC programs for another SEC program hardly ever.
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Barnes didn’t choose to stay. He’s said he would have left had UCLA elected to pay his buyout. They just didn’t.
 
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#1,529
#1,529
Christian Lowe said:
You’re going to have to explain your reasoning on that one
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I think TV can recruit elite players to come to Tennessee.
I don't think home field advantage is the same in baseball as it is in football.
I think TV will have the money to recruit and retain the best staff at Tennessee--if this wasn't the case, I'd say that would be the primary reason it would be easier to win titles at LSU.
 
#1,530
#1,530
Christian Lowe said:
Barnes didn’t choose to stay. He’s said he would have left had UCLA elected to pay his buyout. They just didn’t.
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Listen, you can choose to believe what you want. It's a free country. But, the facts do not support "good coaches always leave us". That narrative is trash.

EDIT: He said he thinks he might have left, so fair enough, but I think it's mostly coach speak.
 
#1,531
#1,531
TheMookieMonster said:
I challenge you to find a quote of Barnes' saying that because in fact he never did, and it was pure baseless speculation by our fanbase and the rumor-mill.

Listen, you can choose to believe what you want. It's a free country. But, the facts do not support "good coaches always leave us". That narrative is trash.
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Rick Barnes explains how close he was to leaving for UCLA

When asked directly if he would have left if UCLA had covered the buyout, Barnes said, "I think I would have been the coach at UCLA."

challenge accepted.
 
#1,533
#1,533
youcancallmeAl said:
That's a good question and no doubt one that Vitello is asking himself. Right now it would be LSU because of facilities and the warmer weather. There's nothing we can do about the weather, but with an upgrade to the facilities here, it might be that we close the gap enough for CTV to stay.
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It’s also access to talent. I had a MLB scout tell me that Vitello could field a team with AA type talent at LSU. He also said he would like to see Vitello stay at UT because it improves college baseball with the passion of our fan base. He said the success of Vandy really doesn’t do much for the game because they get very little support.
 
#1,534
#1,534
DownTheField said:
I think TV can recruit elite players to come to Tennessee.
I don't think home field advantage is the same in baseball as it is in football.
I think TV will have the money to recruit and retain the best staff at Tennessee--if this wasn't the case, I'd say that would be the primary reason it would be easier to win titles at LSU.
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he'd have all of that at LSU, and more.. plus the name "LSU" on the front of your jersey is something that kids dream about from the time they pick up a bat.
 
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#1,536
#1,536
Christian Lowe said:
Rick Barnes explains how close he was to leaving for UCLA

When asked directly if he would have left if UCLA had covered the buyout, Barnes said, "I think I would have been the coach at UCLA."

challenge accepted.
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Fair enough, but you know what's also true? He didn't leave. We paid him $5 million and made him the 3rd highest-paid coach in the country, and now we have fans complaining about that because all we do is complain.

You can choose to have this pessimistic and "we're screwed" outlook about everything, but if you look over the last 30 years of Tennessee athletics (maybe longer) there is 1 single instance that supports your narrative of a good coach leaving, and I have yet to see Lane Kiffin win anything important.
 
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#1,538
#1,538
DownTheField said:
What's the more? About the kids dreaming about LSU, you may be right, but I don't believe it.
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i live in upstate South Carolina, about 45 minutes from Clemson and an hour from Columbia.. you'd think all the kids I played travel ball with would have dreamed of Clemson or USCe recruiting them, right? Especially with the success that South Carolina was having at the time. Nope. About half the kids on my team were LSU baseball fans, but Clemson or SC football fans.


For added context, that "success" was the three straight years of 11-2 for the football team and 3 straight years of finals appearances in the CWS.. and they won two of them.
 
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#1,539
#1,539
Christian Lowe said:
i live in upstate South Carolina, about 45 minutes from Clemson and an hour from Columbia.. you'd think all the kids I played travel ball with would have dreamed of Clemson or USCe recruiting them, right? Especially with the success the South Carolina was having at the time. Nope. About half the kids on my team were LSU baseball fans, but Clemson or SC football fans.
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That's interesting for sure.
 
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#1,540
#1,540
DownTheField said:
Honest question: is a coach more likely to win titles at LSU than at Tennessee?
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Yes without a doubt. You have no in state competition for recruits at LSU. LA Tech is a decent program and was a national seed this year but they aren’t going to get kids LSU wants. Here you have to compete with Vandy who has been the premier program in the sport for the last decade.
 
#1,541
#1,541
SGMVols said:
Yes without a doubt. You have no in state competition for recruits at LSU. LA Tech is a decent program and was a national seed this year but they aren’t going to get kids LSU wants. Here you have to compete with Vandy who has been the premier program in the sport for the last decade.
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To be fair, every school is competing with Vandy whether they are in-state or not. With their scholarship advantage, they can go into any state and poach who they want.
 
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#1,542
#1,542
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#1,543
#1,543
TheMookieMonster said:
This is actually a talking point I keep hearing that is simply not true. There is one instance of a "good" coach leaving us and that is Kiffin. And, depending on who you talk to, many don't think he is actually a good coach.

Pearl got fired for NCAA violations. Tyndall got fired for NCAA violations. Dooley got fired for being horrible. Butch the same thing. Pruitt got fired for being terrible AND being bad at cheating. Cuonzo got fired for making 1 Sweet 16 with a team that had 3 NBA players on it. Raleigh and Serrano were fired for being bad and not producing.

I cannot think of a single instance outside of Kiffin where a coach left Tennessee for "greener pastures." Barnes chose to stay. And Vitello will choose to stay. Tennessee isn't a mid-major. Good coaches don't leave SEC programs for another SEC program hardly ever.
Click to expand...
We didn’t fire Zo. On board with every other point.
 
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#1,545
#1,545
butchna said:
We didn’t fire Zo. On board with every other point.
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You're right. I guess my brain was making the weird leap of fan pressure on him to leave essentially meaning he was fired, but no he did leave for Missouri of his own accord even if it was a mutual parting of ways.
 
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