Cuonzo Feeling Unwanted

[IPleadInsanity]

There are racists in the south, he did not know that before he took the job? The mainstream fans did not like his demeanor on the sidelines. He just sat there, emotionless for the most part, as his highly favored teams lost to mid-major after mid-major. He finally got animated when fans brought the heat but it was out of character and probably one of the reasons he bolted.

 

[OrangeInKy]

Because he is winning the argument with facts, that's why it matters. The anti-Cuonzo group will continually sing praise to Bruce Pearl but slam Cuonzo Martin. Maybe, just MAYBE, Cuonzo was a half-decent coach at spotting, evaluating and developing talent. Hmm..

I was pro-Cuonzo for the most part and thought the petition was stupid. The guy was mediocre here, had a late rum after barely getting in tourney, went to interview for another job under guise of recruiting, turned fans against players, and continues to allow an entire city and fanbase to be labeled racists because he couldn't handle criticism for underperforming. Add to that he left the cupboard bare. I have turned anti-Cuonzo since he left. The "good man" talk is old. By most accounts he is, but he isn't blameless and he is handling this like a whiny little kid. He was never in danger, nor was his family. Facts.

 

[OrangeBalls]

Because he is winning the argument with facts, that's why it matters. The anti-Cuonzo group will continually sing praise to Bruce Pearl but slam Cuonzo Martin. Maybe, just MAYBE, Cuonzo was a half-decent coach at spotting, evaluating and developing talent. Hmm..

Facts? What facts? The fact that he underachieved and barely made it into the tourney one time out of three years? The fact that he never could recruit a point guard? The fact that he is an average X's and O's coach at best?

 

[OrangeInKy]

Look at Basilios blog today if you want facts. That ESPN article was a hot piece and some of us who were born and raised in Knoxville get a little irritated by the guy fueling this narrative that paints that city in an inaccurate manner. It's garbage.

 

[OrangeBalls]

And if you want some real facts, Basilio provides plenty of them in this article. Yet, Medcalf was either too damn lazy or ignorant to figure them out.

The Tony Basilio Show

Some excerpts:

I believe Cuonzo Martin is a fine guy. He was always great toward me. At the same time I believe Cuonzo has loved having it both ways with his allies like yourself in the press. Cuonzo Martin RAN from the UT job because he was going to get fired after last season. For whatever reason, Cuonzo Martin loves to paint Knoxville as a racist place to his buddies in the media. You're not the first and you won't be the last to hear his whining about his time here. That Cuonzo had very little fan support here had little to none to do with the color of his skin. What you fail to understand that if it wasn't for that Pearl petition, Cuonzo Martin's 3rd Tennessee team would've ended up with another disappointing NIT berth. His final team here in Knoxville was listless and uninterested until that petition dropped. I had plenty of callers of color on my air saying the guy stunk as a coach but this doesn't fit the narrative. Why didn't you speak to me or anyone in my profession of talk radio before publishing that piece? With your selective use of obscure history around the program it seems you only wanted to present one side of the story in that piece.

It's interesting that one of Cuonzo's ongoing beefs with UT continues to be the one-time restriction on use of the private plane. It's also interesting that your story failed to note that Cuonzo interviewed for the Cal job under the guise of a recruiting trip to the left coast. This happened. Do you realize that? Do you care to hear the truth?

Do you realize that Butch Jones has told some that his family has gotten threats this year during a losing stretch early in the football season. Do you think race has anything to do with this?



From where I sit Cuonzo Martin is a perpetually underachieving basketball coach that ran from this job before it swallowed him. I don't blame him for jumping ship but the constant crying has to stop. Cuonzo Martin is getting to have his cake and eat it while you're doing his bidding. Open your eyes.



Cuonzo Martin was a bad fit for the Tennessee job because he wasn't a promoter. Plus his teams played mostly life-less and boring basketball. It wasn't until mid-way through his final year that he acted anywhere like an engaged basketball coach in game.


The Tennessee job demands an extrovert coach. Jerry Green won 20+ games for 4 straight seasons back in the late 90's and he was run out of here. I didn't read that in your story because he's an old white guy and it doesn't play. I get it.

Rick Barnes has been relatively invisible here since taking the helm and I've been critical of him because that approach doesn't work here. Is this a racist take by me? Give me a break. I refuse to see my world through color. There's so much more to the picture. Here's hoping you'll take some time to re-evaluate before you rehash this story one more sickening time.

 

[vol66]

Article is bringing up stuff from 29 years ago and from 40 years ago. WTF does that have to do with Cuonzo? Nothing but race baiting BS and Cuonzo enables it.

Bernard made poor decisions that resulted in several run ins with the law. It's not like a cop randomly pulled him aside and roughed him up. Bernard teared up for the camera talking about the cop being mean to him... but BK first decided to be intoxicated. BTW, BK was one of the producers credited in that ESPN 30 for 30. Don't suppose he had any influence to make him look like the victim do you? And before I get slammed for hating on Bernard, he's my favorite Vol of all time in ANY sport.

Last comment was because somebody on here said that racist whites like to be entertained by black people... so don't give the TBA crowd any credit for filling up the arena. 15,000 average was top ten in the country. The mostly white crowd wants TN to win... they didn't give two ****s that the team had no white players on the roster. But again, ESPN and that clown are depicting TN fans as racist rednecks.

You previously said Majors was outraged and gave up his membership...

Then-UT President Lamar Alexander - a former Republican governor now seeking a third term in the U.S. Senate - asked then-football coach Johnny Majors and athletic director Doug Dickey to resign their university-paid memberships in the all-white club.

"The university cannot be a party to any membership of any organization that even raises the possibility that a white coach can be treated one way and a black coach another," Alexander said at the time.

From KNS April, 2015

Cinderella moment: Debutante balls strive to preserve tradition, civility - Go Knoxville Story

While there is no application process — the Dogwood Ball is by invitation only — there are at least three criteria young women must meet to be considered: they must be sophomores in college and unmarried. They also must be white. Trent said she does not see a problem with the event being segregated.

This set off a mini firestorm that no one in the national press would care about because it doesn't include any high profile individuals.


Article about Dogwood Ball raises race questions in Knoxville | WATE 6 On Your Side

“We stand by our article and stand by our reporter who wrote it. Before publication, the editor involved and myself reviewed what was said in the interview. We went over her notes and what was said in the conversation. The reporter made another phone call to Anne Trent to make sure everything was clarified. And at that point, Anne’s response was, ‘If you’re going to deal with race, I don’t want the article to be published.’ We were not willing to take that step,” said Knoxville News Sentinel Editor Jack McElroy, explaining the back story.

That has now sparked a conversation questioning how much progress we have or have not made with race in Knoxville.

The Dogwood Ball is not affiliated in any way with the Dogwood Arts Fest going on right now in Knoxville.

Folks can sit around and moan about articles or face up to the fact that Knoxville has not handled discussions about race and diversity all that well and you don't have to look any further than the school system and minority populations.

 

[OrangeBalls]

Look at Basilios blog today if you want facts. That ESPN article was a hot piece and some of us who were born and raised in Knoxville get a little irritated by the guy fueling this narrative that paints that city in an inaccurate manner. It's garbage.

Heh. Look above. Tony makes great points. Yet, Medcalf is too big of a puss to come on his show. Typical.

Just like Cuonzo's coaches have their panties in a bunch. Enjoy Oakland boys. We'll enjoy it here. With the talent Cal has, anything less than a Sweet 16, or hell, an Elite 8 should be expected. We'll see how he does.

 

[OrangeInKy]

Heh. Look above. Tony makes great points. Yet, Medcalf is too big of a puss to come on his show. Typical.

Just like Cuonzo's coaches have their panties in a bunch. Enjoy Oakland boys. We'll enjoy it here. With the talent Cal has, anything less than a Sweet 16, or hell, an Elite 8 should be expected. We'll see how he does.

Yeah you posted right after me. You actually were kind enough to copy and paste, I was too lazy

 

[RikidyBones]

Heh. Look above. Tony makes great points. Yet, Medcalf is too big of a puss to come on his show. Typical.

Just like Cuonzo's coaches have their panties in a bunch. Enjoy Oakland boys. We'll enjoy it here. With the talent Cal has, anything less than a Sweet 16, or hell, an Elite 8 should be expected. We'll see how he does.

Yeah the guy is a fraud and will be called out. I'd do the same if I was on radio.

 

[DD4ME]

Counzo may want to worry about feeling welcome at Cal instead of a former employer. He finished 8th in the conference with a .338 conference record last year. Didn't make NIT where they had the year before.



from one of their message boards which was so exciting OP was the only post.

BluesandGold2
Looks like it was a disappointing turnout for midnight madness

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

You previously said Majors was outraged and gave up his membership...



From KNS April, 2015

Cinderella moment: Debutante balls strive to preserve tradition, civility - Go Knoxville Story





This set off a mini firestorm that no one in the national press would care about because it doesn't include any high profile individuals.


Article about Dogwood Ball raises race questions in Knoxville | WATE 6 On Your Side




Folks can sit around and moan about articles or face up to the fact that Knoxville has not handled discussions about race and diversity all that well and you don't have to look any further than the school system and minority populations.

I did NOT say that Majors was "outraged". I said that the public was outraged. That public outrage resulted in Cherokee CC changing their membership criteria.

Anne Trent says that she absolutely did not say that.

 

[vol66]

I did NOT say that Majors was "outraged". I said that the public was outraged. That public outrage resulted in Cherokee CC changing their membership criteria.

Anne Trent says that she absolutely did not say that.

I bet she does, that would be outrageous.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Is the strength coach (Nicodermous) still attempting to win the Twitter fight with UT fans?

 

[vol66]

I did NOT say that Majors was "outraged". I said that the public was outraged. That public outrage resulted in Cherokee CC changing their membership criteria.

No. the public was outraged because of Dickey's comment that he told Houston, before he was hired, that membership at Cherokee CC was "not an option".

Alexander had to clean up the mess.

Here is the actual article.

https://news.google.com/newspapers?...AIBAJ&sjid=2isEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3608,2933314&hl=en

 

[OrangeBalls]

Is the strength coach (Nicodermous) still attempting to win the Twitter fight with UT fans?

All of his tweets were deleted.

 

[tnvols72]

Because he is winning the argument with facts, that's why it matters. The anti-Cuonzo group will continually sing praise to Bruce Pearl but slam Cuonzo Martin. Maybe, just MAYBE, Cuonzo was a half-decent coach at spotting, evaluating and developing talent. Hmm..

You lost me at spotting talent. Who did he develop ? Martin will flame out at Cal and he will be back coaching in the juco schools.

 

[OrangeBalls]

No. the public was outraged because of Dickey's comment that he told Houston, before he was hired, that membership at Cherokee CC was "not an option".

Alexander had to clean up the mess.

Here is the actual article.

https://news.google.com/newspapers?...AIBAJ&sjid=2isEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3608,2933314&hl=en

It's a good thing that Houston didn't have a membership. I would've hated to see how much worse we would've been if he were spending valuable time on the golf course. We can all thank Lamar for that boneheaded hire. Houston was a coach who was hired because of his color and it backfired immensely.

 

[vol66]

it's a good thing that houston didn't have a membership. I would've hated to see how much worse we would've been if he were spending valuable time on the golf course. We can all thank lamar for that boneheaded hire. Houston was a coach who was hired because of his color and it backfired immensely.

wow!

 

[vol66]

The sad reality of racism in Knoxville | Blue Streak

 

[OrangeBalls]

wow!

Were you around during that time? Lamar made it clear why he was hired. He wanted diversity. Most people were just excited to get his son. Then they found out his dad couldn't coach a lick nor could he recruit. The absolute worst hire in the entire history of major UT sports.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

No. the public was outraged because of Dickey's comment that he told Houston, before he was hired, that membership at Cherokee CC was "not an option".

Alexander had to clean up the mess.

Here is the actual article.

https://news.google.com/newspapers?...AIBAJ&sjid=2isEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3608,2933314&hl=en

Dickey's comment is what started the **** storm, but the outrage was directed at the club and UT... not Dickey. Dickey just being Dickey and was stating a fact. Alexander of course was fine with UT paying for CCC memberships until the public got wind of it.

 

[vol66]

Were you around during that time? Lamar made it clear why he was hired. He wanted diversity. Most people were just excited to get his son. Then they found out his dad couldn't coach a lick nor could he recruit. The absolute worst hire in the entire history of major UT sports.

Actually, Dooley is worse, he never had a winning season, his winning percentage was .417 and Houston's was .419...at least modern era coaches to choose from.

 

[OrangeBalls]

Dickey's comment is what started the **** storm, but the outrage was directed at the club and UT... not Dickey. Dickey just being Dickey and was stating a fact. Alexander of course was fine with UT paying for CCC memberships until the public got wind of it.

Dickey was never known to be a great PR guy. He was a football coach that became AD. He was about as blunt as one could be. He'd be hard pressed to be one in this PC era.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Were you around during that time? Lamar made it clear why he was hired. He wanted diversity. Most people were just excited to get his son. Then they found out his dad couldn't coach a lick nor could he recruit. The absolute worst hire in the entire history of major UT sports.

Pat Kennedy at Florida State was Dickey's choice, but Alexander forced him to hire either Wade (Wade was from Blount County... same as Lamar) or Leonard Hamilton. Hamilton was the HC at Ok State but had taint all over his @ss from his association with the scandals at Kentucky. Wade had no HC experience but was an excellent recruiter for Denny Crum at Louisville (recent Natty at UK). Alan was committed to Louisville. Kennedy was the hottest candidate in the country. TN basketball history would have been totally different over the last 25+ years had Lamar allowed Dickey to go get his guy.

 

[OrangeBalls]

Actually, Dooley is worse, he never had a winning season, his winning percentage was .417 and Houston's was .419...at least modern era coaches to choose from.

I've lived through both. My money is on Houston. They were both atrocious. He won 5 games out of a possible 27 his last year. How is that even possible? You could trot out any one of us that could at least equal that. The Houston hire torpedoed the hoops program for many years.