The Cuonzo Martin Tenure As Of Today

#101
#101
steelejacs said:
You for real. You got high sources for that information. If so that's garbage. The athletic department is broke. Damn. How long do you think it will be until we start winning again?
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With Butch I think it'll be 2015 or 2016. I think unless some drastic changes occur Butch will need a new OC come 2015. Again, totally my opinion from what I observed this year, and many will disagree with that. With the B-ball team we just need a coach who's not so lethargic and has a better handling of offensive strategies. I like Cunzo and have defended him, but his seat is real warm. He needs to drastically change this team and come out in SEC play and dominate. SEC is a weak conference in basketball, but it's better then what it was last year. Cunzo's job will come down to how well we play bottom feeder teams in the SEC on the road. We can't lose anymore easy games as that will hurt us come march.
 
#103
#103
whocaresgobobcats said:
but you cant say good coaches wouldnt come here vs not being willing to pay for good coaches.

thas two separate arguments. i guarantee UT could get a really really good, established coach if they paid them.
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Again, I'd already resigned myself to the fact that UT was going to hire on the cheap, so to me, one of the two separate "arguments", as you call them, was already decided. It's not a debate of whether they COULD have gotten a proven coach if they paid him enough, because they were never going to do that to begin with.

Good coaches weren't coming here because we had an unsettled NCAA issue, a questionable roster, and any coach willing to come in spite of that, was going to be paid peanuts vs his contemporaries. That's how you get Cuonzo Martin instead of Shaka Smart.
 
#104
#104
keckjm said:
Bud with all do respect you are wrong. You are a great poster on here man, but donors will pay for big time guys. The donor I know said that UT came close to hiring a top notch/top 10 football coach in country. He'd never tell me or his family who, but this guy isn't a BS type guy. He's a make millions of dollars guy and tell ya about it. My man is very involved with the hiring process and he loves him some UT basketball. He owns press box seats and everything. Our problem is our donors don't chose who the AD and president are. Hart wants to budget cut until all former coaches have been repaid. That's Pearl, former baseball coach, and Dooley. Hart and Cheek are also in the process of redoing much of the UT campus image by helping fund money made by sports to the university to start reinventing UT campus to a more modern look, which I'm very down with. UT is NOT broke. With the Haslems and guys like my man, they could fund a small militia if they wanted too. The problem is there is a conflict of interest between big donors and Hart and Cheek. Hart knows he has the money to spend on a huge hire, but what he wants to do is nail that hire on a low budget offer. He wants to low ball proven coaches. He tired this approach last year and we were a few coaching prospects away from hiring another Dooley 2.0 who had never proved one thing. The donors won't support Hart unless he proves he can negotiate and seal a contract with a proven winner, my man said that Butch was considered pure luck from a lack of options by most high up people at UT. These donors want a proven young coach. I'm talking Shaka Smart, Steve Prohm, Andy Toole, Mike Rice, etc., but there confidence in Hart's ability to land one is slim to none as of now.
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Saying donors are willing to pay for a coach and saying the AD is willing to pay for a coach are two different things. Donors are fans like you and I, and despite the clout of their $$$, they don't choose the AD and chancellor, just as you said. Those are the guys with the final say. It's even more complicated if the AD and chancellor are as inept as you are inferring. Having the money doesn't necessarily equate to spending the money.
 
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#105
#105
HardKnoxVol said:
Dude, give me a break. If we had made our free throws and layups, we would've beat them by 10 or 15. The guy can't coach.
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What do our missed free throws and missed layups have to do with Martin's ability to coach? If you want to question his philosophy offensively or defensively, have at it, but saying his coaching ability is predicated on our players' ability to make shots is ridiculous. It's up to them to work independently to improve that. All the coaching in the world won't make someone a better free throw shooter, unless it's a form issue.
 
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#106
#106
He has done well considering the NCAA and talent situation when he arrived. If we hit free throws we are undefeated. If we were undefeated people would still complain. I do think he has to make the NCAA this year and will. We should have gotten a bid last year.
 
#107
#107
There are 2 types of coaches...those who take little and make more and those who take more and make little. Martin held his own his 1st year...the last 2 he has not shown major improvement...
 
#108
#108
k-town_king said:
He has done well considering the NCAA and talent situation when he arrived. If we hit free throws we are undefeated. If we were undefeated people would still complain. I do think he has to make the NCAA this year and will. We should have gotten a bid last year.
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Why should we have gotten a bid? We lost 2-3 to Bama and we're swept by UGA in conference play. We failed to score 40 pts against Georgetown AND Virginia. On too of that, we showed in the NIT that we couldn't even compete with bubble teams.

Hindsight shows that the selection committee got it right last year.
 
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#109
#109
cncchris33 said:
What do our missed free throws and missed layups have to do with Martin's ability to coach? If you want to question his philosophy offensively or defensively, have at it, but saying his coaching ability is predicated on our players' ability to make shots is ridiculous. It's up to them to work independently to improve that. All the coaching in the world won't make someone a better free throw shooter, unless it's a form issue.
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A coach that doesn't push his players to be better is a bad coach. Half the time, our players look uninterested.
 
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#111
#111
Outside of Jordie Mac this team doesn't have any other clutch shooters/scorers. Maymon is still feeling his legs, the new rules hinder Stokes at times, Richardson is a glue guy, but just doesn't finish well at the basket. Everyone else is like a role player. It is what it is. This was a game they needed and looking at their schedule there isn't a lot of other bonus games for dancing. A win in Rupp would do wonders, but do you really see this team winning that game?
 
#112
#112
Damn, we have the same threads and conversations after every game....I didn't see where the coach was the problem yesterday..I don't know what he is supposed to do when 2 of his best players and the strength of the team, (Maymon & Stokes) can't score over length, make layups or hit free throws...If u haven't noticed, that are beasts against inferior talent and size, but when it comes to the big boys, look like B-team players...Watch, either or both will have several double doubles this year, but when they go up against teams with length ie UK, u will not even know they are in the game..Blame Martin for believing that those guys can get it done, but the only way he got out coached in this last game was, the other coach's stars could hit layups and free throws, and nothing Martin can do about that..
 
#113
#113
fall2hb86 said:
Damn, we have the same threads and conversations after every game....I didn't see where the coach was the problem yesterday..I don't know what he is supposed to do when 2 of his best players and the strength of the team, (Maymon & Stokes) can't score over length, make layups or hit free throws...If u haven't noticed, that are beasts against inferior talent and size, but when it comes to the big boys, look like B-team players...Watch, either or both will have several double doubles this year, but when they go up against teams with length ie UK, u will not even know they are in the game..Blame Martin for believing that those guys can get it done, but the only way he got out coached in this last game was, the other coach's stars could hit layups and free throws, and nothing Martin can do about that..
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So your saying Martin has no direct effect on the development, or should I say lack there of, in terms of players like Stokes? I'd rethink that stance if I were you.
 
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#114
#114
Maymon went up like a little tulip on that play where the guy blocked it! No bro, don't go up like a MAN and try and dunk it and at least get a foul at the very worst!!

FIRE MARTIN...PRETTY PLEASE...WITH A CHERRY ON TOP
 
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#115
#115
UTVolWarrior98 said:
Maymon went up like a little tulip on that play where the guy blocked it! No bro, don't go up like a MAN and try and dunk it and at least get a foul at the very worst!!

FIRE MARTIN...PRETTY PLEASE...WITH A CHERRY ON TOP
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Fire Martin because one of his players plays like he's injured!
 
#117
#117
knowthevols said:
You are talking about the best player on the team aren't you or at least you were calling him the best player on the team last year, remember. Just another excuse.
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Maymon isn't the reason to fire Martin, he almost had a double double yesterday. Blame Martin for Stokes' play (maybe) or the lack of press breaking (probably better area to criticize), etc., not for how one guy can't jump. Martin isn't a physical therapist.

I still think Maymon is the second best player on the team because he actually stays on the court when he is needed every game, even with the blocked shots. McRae improved enough to be the best, obviously.

For the criticism record, I hope Martin or the post players have noticed how much our posts struggle against length and have decided to do something other than shoot difficult fades (or get their shots blocked). When we face these teams, we need a gameplan other than posting up and expecting Stokes to score, like having them consistently take the double team and kick it to Rich or McRae or Barton, or doing a lot of screening/high post stuff.
 
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#118
#118
Jordan is the only experienced player not playing soft. It is a matter of time before this will pass over to Davis, Hubbs, and Thompson. It is the coach's responsibility to teach them to play more aggressive. Why would our two post players continue to shoot 2 foot layups when they should jam it home? Sounds like coaching to me!
 
#119
#119
Purplehaze26 said:
Jordan is the only experienced player not playing soft. It is a matter of time before this will pass over to Davis, Hubbs, and Thompson. It is the coach's responsibility to teach them to play more aggressive. Why would our two post players continue to shoot 2 foot layups when they should jam it home? Sounds like coaching to me!
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Does it really? It sounds like a player with bad knees/hops to me. Anyone with bad knees who played basketball want to share their opinion?
 
#120
#120
k-town_king said:
He has done well considering the NCAA and talent situation when he arrived. If we hit free throws we are undefeated. If we were undefeated people would still complain. I do think he has to make the NCAA this year and will. We should have gotten a bid last year.
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What exactly makes free throw shooting so difficult ?
 
#122
#122
Okay, time to get a new head coach for the men's basketball team! Would like to ee the Vols as a top 20 team and hopefully a top 10 again, if possible? Our previous coach knew how to recruit and use the players.
 
#123
#123
keckjm said:
Dude I'm not going to throw out the name of a top donor of the University of Tennessee that I know on the internet just for your entertainment. I'd care less what you and everyone else think I know, I'm just telling you that we don't get top coaches because our AD and president refuse to pay up. The donors give full support and there's no shortage of money, but unless it's a credible 100% great hire our donors refuse to pay top dollar for mediocrity. Donors don't make contracts, they have a vote, but it's up to the AD to make it impossible for guys like Kiffy to leave. Our top donors don't believe in Hart. Don't believe the BS you hear, I'm telling you I know a big time donor and he's said Hart isn't trusted with the ability to make a great hire. We are lucky to have Butch, but I can promise you he was our 7-8th option. I got a phone call saying Strong was our coach even, it was around midnight, the contract was being finalized by Hart and by the end of the night he had ruined negotiations so much that Strong said I'm done. Donors had a set amount they thought he was worth and Hart wouldn't pay it. Jones accepted the job two days later. My guy said it was "amateur work" at best by Hart and Cheek. Us getting Cunzo had NOTHING to do with sanctions by NCAA. We simply will not pay up! The money is there. The guy I know could pay Butch's salary and still have everything he ever wanted. The donors don't trust Hart and Cheek right now, and why should they? Who's Hart and Cheek every hired that's been so grand?
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I've heard the exact same thing. I'll go a little further and say it has more to do with Cheek than it has to do with Hart. Cheek is Hart's direct supervisor (unlike it used to be) and Hart is simply an extension of Cheek. Expect the same until a more pro athletic chancellor replaces Cheek or the UTAD is placed back under the University president. It is truly a screwed up mess over on the hill.
 
#124
#124
If Martin doesn't start making all of his free throws he has to go. Give me a break. He has recruited good talent and has more on the way.
 
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#125
#125
VNkid said:
If Martin doesn't start making all of his free throws he has to go. Give me a break. He has recruited good talent and has more on the way.
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His recruiting is way overrated....he has not had a top 25 class yet. This yr he is below 30 in all the major services and has been steadily dropping in ESPN down to 19 right now.
 
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