UT basketball history

#51
#51
Mears was my AD at UT- Martin. Around him only a few times. After witnessing and observing dementia first hand, I can remember his behavior being somewhat early stages. He had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which back then got labeled with a huge stigma.

They were probably still treating depression with electro-shock therapy at that time. The meds hadn’t been invented yet. He could have been on the NCAA’s Mount Rushmore of head ball coaches.
 
#52
#52
They were probably still treating depression with electro-shock therapy at that time. The meds hadn’t been invented yet. He could have been on the NCAA’s Mount Rushmore of head ball coaches.
He is on Mt Rushmore of UT basketball. I guess all sports must include Neyland, Broussard and Black???!!!
 
#53
#53
Tennessee did not force him out in favor of Tyndall. Pearl was coming off his show cause, and in the middle of an under-achieving regular season, a petition was started to bring Pearl back. The team, which had to win a play-in to even make the tournament, wound up getting to the sweet sixteen. Pearl, figuring that UT would not fire a coach that just went to the sweet sixteen, took the Auburn job. A couple weeks later, Cuonzo took the Cal job after interviewing while on a recruiting trip. That left us with Tyndall. But maybe I remember it wrong.
Sounds correct. That was crazy times. Many like myself wanted CBP back, but a lot of fans didn't. Really have to move one in that situation I think. I didn't think Cuonzo was the right fit, but I really liked that guy and his mindset and history. Tyndall was the "best available" after CCM left.
 
#54
#54
Sounds correct. That was crazy times. Many like myself wanted CBP back, but a lot of fans didn't. Really have to move one in that situation I think. I didn't think Cuonzo was the right fit, but I really liked that guy and his mindset and history. Tyndall was the "best available" after CCM left.
Mike White was at Louisiana Tech and turned the job down before we offered Tyndall.
 
#55
#55
Tennessee did not force him out in favor of Tyndall. Pearl was coming off his show cause, and in the middle of an under-achieving regular season, a petition was started to bring Pearl back. The team, which had to win a play-in to even make the tournament, wound up getting to the sweet sixteen. Pearl, figuring that UT would not fire a coach that just went to the sweet sixteen, took the Auburn job. A couple weeks later, Cuonzo took the Cal job after interviewing while on a recruiting trip. That left us with Tyndall. But maybe I remember it wrong.

That fiasco was led by Handsome Dave Hart, who in my opinion was a wholesale disaster as an athletic director, hired solely to combine the mens and womens athletic departments, get sued into oblivion, try not to tear down everything that is standing, but he nearly did, with the Tyndall hire (which was a panic hire after Mike White changed his mind) the Butch Jones hire (which was a panic hire after Charlie Strong changed his mind) and the Holly Warlick hire (which was a favor to Pat Summitt, although Holly had been passed over on every head coaching position she applied for)

Hart did nothing to be supportive of Cuonzo, had absolutely no involvement in the Rick Barnes hire, Texas fired Barnes, the move to Tennessee was handled by the Nike regional office in Dallas, Texas, Hart would have done anything, signed everything and paid whatever it took to make people forget his hire of Tyndall, without a search firm and a pure panic hire.

Fulmer nearly ran Barnes off, blowing off his Naismith award ceremony and Baseball Randy saved the day by directing Fulmer to meet whatever contract demands came up, Hart signed the Barnes contract along with Jimmy Cheek, but they had nothing to do with the hire, but for Texas' short sightedness, Tennessee would have still been languishing in the cellar or worse of the SEC wallowing around with the rest of Hart and Fulmer's hires at Tennessee.
 
#57
#57
really good discussion on who is our greatest coach last week. Mears, Pearl and Barnes all have many accomplishments to their credit.


Mears came in after the 62 team went 4-19. He went 13-11 in his first year and beat UK both games. To put that in perspective we were 2-37 in our previous 39 games against the Kats. He also was 15-15 career against UK. Of course the knock on Mears is his 0-3 NCAA record. In 67 he lost to Dayton who went on to be the sacrificial lamb against UCLA in the finals. In 76 he lost to VMI without King and 77 lost to Syracuse who went on to lose by 22 to UNCC in the net round. Certainly his coaching was affected by his depression in 77 and probably 76. He retired after the 77 season.

Jerry Green inherited unbelievable talent from O'Neill but apparently never clicked with the players, fans and Dickey. Not a good idea to engage in a power struggle with Dickey, ask Johnny Majors.

Have to wonder what might have been when he blew a big lead against UNC in the 2000 sweet 16.

Pearl inherited a team with some talent and immediately coached them up. Revived the excitement at T-B and still is the only coach to get us to the Elite 8. Still have to wonder what might have happened if Tyler Smith hadn't been kicked off the team for the gun incident. The rest is history.

Cuonzo with all his detractors still came within a terrible call of making the Elite 8. Great guy, horrible fit after Pearl.

Barnes we all know about , took mediocre talent and in his third year had elevated us to the Top 10-12 of college BB. If he takes us to the Final 4 or beyond he is the GOAT of UT coaches. Until he does I would nominate Mears for taking over a program that went 4-19 and improved by 9 games including 2 against UK. But we have been fortunate to have all 3.

The story of UT hoops:

Of all the words of poets and men, the saddest is, "what might have been.:

Don DeVoe came to Tennessee after Cliff Wettig's interim season and he did a good job winning 204 games and beating Kentucky 3x in one season in 1979.

DeVoe was an average recruiter who detested the three point line.
 
#58
#58
Great topic and all have credentials to be top dog.
Loved Mears, but He had a great assistant and top notch recruiter in Stu Aberdeen that was instrumental in getting both Bernard & Ernie.
 
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#60
#60
If I'm not mistaken Cuonzo quit to take the California job because some fans said mean things about him not because he was forced out.Thicker skin maybe?
It was the petition to bring Pearl back that was the slap in the face. But then I was disappointed that CM played the race card which was completely irrelevant.

If we had brought Pearl back I would have never pulled for a Vol team that he coached. The fact that Auburn hired him says a lot about their character and integrity.
 
#61
#61
I was at the Vandy/UF game when the tennis ball came out of the
stands. I disliked both teams,but got a lot of mileage out of
ridiculing Vandy fans for being so stupid.
 

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