Just looking through the War Room comments from this time last year, around the tourney and Martin leaving, and about the Tyndall search/hire. Interesting stuff.
3-21-14 War Room:
HOOPS
It's hard to overstate how much
Wednesday night's win over Iowa meant to this Tennessee team. The
players themselves have done a great job of saying the right things
(mostly) and tuning out all the pressure that comes with being a
prominent bubble team in the late stages of the season. But Wednesday's
winning locker room, which was just exuberant, revealed how much weight was lifted off this group.
It should also have lifted a great deal of weight
off of Cuonzo Martin's shoulders. In an exceedingly weird week around
the program, Martin saw his team and it's NCAA tournament appearance
become the second lead on Tuesday when Bruce Pearl was hired by Auburn.
At
no point in time since he's been in Knoxville has Martin ever said
anything remotely controversial about Pearl, but still, it's got to be a
relief to at least have him out of town. The downside, for the
Tennessee family in general (from a certain perspective) is that he's
still in the SEC.
As we've noted on the board many times, despite
the fervent wishes of many fans ? and some prominent donors ? Pearl
returning to Tennessee as head coach was never an option from the
administration's point of view according to multiple sources.
Though
the schedule hasn't been finalized yet, Auburn is slated to come to
Knoxville next year during conference play. That, ladies and gentlemen,
will be a scene to say the least.
As for Martin's status, it
seems obvious that he's safe from Tennessee's side of things, and truth
be told, was his job security was probably never as tenuous as some
segments of the fan base would like to believe.
Now, what that
means in terms of his long-term status remains to be seen. The fact that
Dave Hart chose not to add an extra year to his contract (which runs
out in 2016) last spring has been widely discussed. A conservative move
on Tennessee's part would be to offer a one-year extension without
increasing the buyout total. How appealing that would be to Martin,
particularly if his team wins another game or two, remains to be seen.
And then 3-28-14:
HOOPS:
Tennessee may be a surprise entrant in the Sweet
16 in the eyes of many, but what jumps out at you in being around the
team this week is that they're not looking at themselves as underdogs in
a region that still contains Michigan, Kentucky and Louisville. Three
teams that have ended the season in the national title game with the
last two years, including both of last year's participants.
The
Vols have all bristled a bit at the notion that they're a 'Cinderella
squad, and that's understandable, but the fact remains, if they pull
this one off tonight and move on to Sunday, it will turn this bracket on
its head.
It should go without saying at this point that all the
consternation over Cuonzo Martin's job security is in the rear view
mirror. The only suspense now is how long of an extension he'll be
offered and how much of a raise.
The guess here is that he'll be offered at least a two-year extension and a $500,000-$600,000 raise up to $1.7-1.8 million.
There
has been some speculation that due to the difficult nature of this
season--on a lot of fronts--that Martin might look to leave for another
job if he could get involved somewhere. We do not think that was just
idle talk, however, given the way things have worked out to this point,
it seems like it's going to be difficult for Martin to walk away from
the payday that looks to be headed his way.
Martin has taken the
high road all season long, not mentioning the fan criticism or the
awkwardness that a highly-publicized petition calling for the re-hiring
of Bruce Pearl caused in his program.
The fact that it's made
recruiting difficult is an understatement. As we noted on the board
today the petition was certainly something that Peyton Allen's
family was aware of, and certainly didn't help Tennessee as he chose
Texas A&M after officially visiting Knoxville. The lack of an
extension combined with the fan unrest was also a factor in losing 2015
commit Camron Justice.
Also, from what we've
gathered recently from a couple of off-campus sources, Martin and his
staff have been battling some resource issues behind the scenes as well.
Apparently, in February, multiple donors indicated to the athletic
department that they no longer wished to allow their private planes to
be used for basketball recruiting purposes.
That doesn't mean
recruiting trips don't happen, the staff flies commercial when
necessary, but it is hardly a strong message of support to a head coach
who's fighting to get his team into the NCAA Tournament.
That
sort of thing, in addition to the petition, make the chatter that Martin
might have been looking for an out easier to believe.
Then 4-18:
When the week began no one around the Tennessee athletic
department thought they'd be spending Easter weekend conducting a search
for a new basketball coach. But, as it turns out, that's exactly the
case.
Less than three full days into the search to replace Cuonzo
Martin, very little concrete info has leaked out about his possible
replacement. Considering the clandestine manner in which Dave Hart
conducted the hunt to find Butch Jones, that should surprise no one.
The fact that Dave Hart
spent Thursday in Knoxville with his grandchildren doesn't mean that
Hart wasn't always accessible for the search. However, it should be a
clear indication of exactly how this process is being conducted: Hart's
staff is tasked with vetting the pool of candidates, and then Hart will
enter into a more prominent role in any progression of events. So who's
primarily running this show? The same person that Tennessee announced is
presently in charge of the Vols' basketball program: John Gilbert. UT's
Executive Senior Athletics Director, a Hart hire, Gilbert is
intricately in the cockpit of this search. There are others on campus
with a voice, of course, but outside of Hart this is much about Gilbert
executing the search. Gilbert is widely viewed as a person who without
question is expected to become an A.D. in a big-time athletics program.
There's even been speculation Gilbert ultimately could emerge as a
replacement for Bill Battle at Alabama whenever Battle retires permanently from collegiate athletics.
As noted, Hart was in Knoxville all day on
Thursday and Gilbert was for at least part of the day and maybe all day
on Thursday from all the information we can gather, and at this point we
think this weekend or early next week is the earliest any face-to-face
discussions with candidates will take place
Right now everyone
wants to know about 'frontrunners,' but it doesn't feel to us like we're
to the point where Tennessee is looking at two or three finalists.?
Based
on everything we can put together, it seems like they're talking to a
lot of people, gauging different interest levels, researching different
candidates and looking to put together a very short list of guys to talk
to in a real and serious manner.
At this stage it's difficult to
confirm specifics, but we strongly feel that Tennessee either is
interested in speaking with, or in a couple of cases may have already
reached out in some way likely third party to Tad Boyle, Richard Pitino, Mike White, Tim Miles, Archie Miller, Chris Mack and Donnie Tyndall.
We're
in no way calling that group front runners, though Boyle, Pitino, Miles
and Mack could fit that bill if they express serious interest, but
those are some names we're hearing consistently.
Money is a major
component of this search, without making an absurdly obvious statement.
What does that mean? That Tennessee could, a number of sources told us,
have gotten say Gregg Marshall or Tad Boyle to the
negotiating table if the Vols could pay well north of $2 million. The
simple fact is that UT doesn't believe it's in that position; sources
have indicated it would be an extremely rare or unforeseen scenario that
would force Tennessee into doling out a new deal that exceeds $2
million annually. As someone indicated to VolQuest.com this week, $1.3 million from Martin's buyout represents about half of the Vols' continued ridiculously low reserve funds.?
Back to hoops, one
thing we've heard consistently from everyone we've spoken to in regards
to what the successful candidate will bring to the table is an exhibited
proficiency in recruiting. That's been a repetitive message from the
administration and frankly looks to be the first and biggest priority in
many ways. If other words if you are interviewing for this job. Your
recruiting plan better be good and it better be extensive.
Wrapping up a couple of quick things on Cuonzo Martin.
Timing, not the ultimate result, is basically all that surprised anyone
this week on campus. Plenty had indicated Martin had privately told
folks it was clear he wasn't viewed as Tennessee's long-term solution;
the relatively low proposed buyouts for both parties in the new proposed
deal released earlier this week spoke volumes. Hart was ready to reward
Martin from a salary standpoint in the immediate future; he was not
willing to shackle Vols' hoops long-term off one NCAA run. As plenty
noted, if next year went badly, that same press release issued a few
weeks ago claiming Martin would stay could just as easily be reworded
next year to note that Tennessee wants to compete at a certain level and
had missed the NCAA Tournament in three of four years --- had that
scenario actually unfolded instead of new simply being a potential
outcome.?
Cal is going to pay Tennessee the 1.3 million for the
buyout so look for Martin's first year number at Cal to be low. It will
likely be around 1.5 million and then jump a great deal in year two.
Also, one of the key factors in the Bears hiring Martin was the
Chancellor of the University. He really liked and pushed Martin.
Lastly this jewel from the 5-9 War Room:
In a little house cleaning if you will with the coaching
search: Before meeting with Tyndall on Monday afternoon, Tennessee did
make a final call to White. They didn't meet face to face again, but
they did have a final discussion on Monday. After six hours of meeting
Monday afternoon/evening, Tyndall was giddy when Volquest spoke with him
Monday night. The deal wasn't done at that point, but it was getting
close and Tyndall made it clear he wanted the job and the only thing
keeping it from being done at that point was just a couple of
clarifications on the contract. There was never really any haggling over
anything as clearly both sides wanted a deal done and done that night.
3-21-14 War Room:
HOOPS
It's hard to overstate how much
Wednesday night's win over Iowa meant to this Tennessee team. The
players themselves have done a great job of saying the right things
(mostly) and tuning out all the pressure that comes with being a
prominent bubble team in the late stages of the season. But Wednesday's
winning locker room, which was just exuberant, revealed how much weight was lifted off this group.
It should also have lifted a great deal of weight
off of Cuonzo Martin's shoulders. In an exceedingly weird week around
the program, Martin saw his team and it's NCAA tournament appearance
become the second lead on Tuesday when Bruce Pearl was hired by Auburn.
At
no point in time since he's been in Knoxville has Martin ever said
anything remotely controversial about Pearl, but still, it's got to be a
relief to at least have him out of town. The downside, for the
Tennessee family in general (from a certain perspective) is that he's
still in the SEC.
As we've noted on the board many times, despite
the fervent wishes of many fans ? and some prominent donors ? Pearl
returning to Tennessee as head coach was never an option from the
administration's point of view according to multiple sources.
Though
the schedule hasn't been finalized yet, Auburn is slated to come to
Knoxville next year during conference play. That, ladies and gentlemen,
will be a scene to say the least.
As for Martin's status, it
seems obvious that he's safe from Tennessee's side of things, and truth
be told, was his job security was probably never as tenuous as some
segments of the fan base would like to believe.
Now, what that
means in terms of his long-term status remains to be seen. The fact that
Dave Hart chose not to add an extra year to his contract (which runs
out in 2016) last spring has been widely discussed. A conservative move
on Tennessee's part would be to offer a one-year extension without
increasing the buyout total. How appealing that would be to Martin,
particularly if his team wins another game or two, remains to be seen.
And then 3-28-14:
HOOPS:
Tennessee may be a surprise entrant in the Sweet
16 in the eyes of many, but what jumps out at you in being around the
team this week is that they're not looking at themselves as underdogs in
a region that still contains Michigan, Kentucky and Louisville. Three
teams that have ended the season in the national title game with the
last two years, including both of last year's participants.
The
Vols have all bristled a bit at the notion that they're a 'Cinderella
squad, and that's understandable, but the fact remains, if they pull
this one off tonight and move on to Sunday, it will turn this bracket on
its head.
It should go without saying at this point that all the
consternation over Cuonzo Martin's job security is in the rear view
mirror. The only suspense now is how long of an extension he'll be
offered and how much of a raise.
The guess here is that he'll be offered at least a two-year extension and a $500,000-$600,000 raise up to $1.7-1.8 million.
There
has been some speculation that due to the difficult nature of this
season--on a lot of fronts--that Martin might look to leave for another
job if he could get involved somewhere. We do not think that was just
idle talk, however, given the way things have worked out to this point,
it seems like it's going to be difficult for Martin to walk away from
the payday that looks to be headed his way.
Martin has taken the
high road all season long, not mentioning the fan criticism or the
awkwardness that a highly-publicized petition calling for the re-hiring
of Bruce Pearl caused in his program.
The fact that it's made
recruiting difficult is an understatement. As we noted on the board
today the petition was certainly something that Peyton Allen's
family was aware of, and certainly didn't help Tennessee as he chose
Texas A&M after officially visiting Knoxville. The lack of an
extension combined with the fan unrest was also a factor in losing 2015
commit Camron Justice.
Also, from what we've
gathered recently from a couple of off-campus sources, Martin and his
staff have been battling some resource issues behind the scenes as well.
Apparently, in February, multiple donors indicated to the athletic
department that they no longer wished to allow their private planes to
be used for basketball recruiting purposes.
That doesn't mean
recruiting trips don't happen, the staff flies commercial when
necessary, but it is hardly a strong message of support to a head coach
who's fighting to get his team into the NCAA Tournament.
That
sort of thing, in addition to the petition, make the chatter that Martin
might have been looking for an out easier to believe.
Then 4-18:
When the week began no one around the Tennessee athletic
department thought they'd be spending Easter weekend conducting a search
for a new basketball coach. But, as it turns out, that's exactly the
case.
Less than three full days into the search to replace Cuonzo
Martin, very little concrete info has leaked out about his possible
replacement. Considering the clandestine manner in which Dave Hart
conducted the hunt to find Butch Jones, that should surprise no one.
The fact that Dave Hart
spent Thursday in Knoxville with his grandchildren doesn't mean that
Hart wasn't always accessible for the search. However, it should be a
clear indication of exactly how this process is being conducted: Hart's
staff is tasked with vetting the pool of candidates, and then Hart will
enter into a more prominent role in any progression of events. So who's
primarily running this show? The same person that Tennessee announced is
presently in charge of the Vols' basketball program: John Gilbert. UT's
Executive Senior Athletics Director, a Hart hire, Gilbert is
intricately in the cockpit of this search. There are others on campus
with a voice, of course, but outside of Hart this is much about Gilbert
executing the search. Gilbert is widely viewed as a person who without
question is expected to become an A.D. in a big-time athletics program.
There's even been speculation Gilbert ultimately could emerge as a
replacement for Bill Battle at Alabama whenever Battle retires permanently from collegiate athletics.
As noted, Hart was in Knoxville all day on
Thursday and Gilbert was for at least part of the day and maybe all day
on Thursday from all the information we can gather, and at this point we
think this weekend or early next week is the earliest any face-to-face
discussions with candidates will take place
Right now everyone
wants to know about 'frontrunners,' but it doesn't feel to us like we're
to the point where Tennessee is looking at two or three finalists.?
Based
on everything we can put together, it seems like they're talking to a
lot of people, gauging different interest levels, researching different
candidates and looking to put together a very short list of guys to talk
to in a real and serious manner.
At this stage it's difficult to
confirm specifics, but we strongly feel that Tennessee either is
interested in speaking with, or in a couple of cases may have already
reached out in some way likely third party to Tad Boyle, Richard Pitino, Mike White, Tim Miles, Archie Miller, Chris Mack and Donnie Tyndall.
We're
in no way calling that group front runners, though Boyle, Pitino, Miles
and Mack could fit that bill if they express serious interest, but
those are some names we're hearing consistently.
Money is a major
component of this search, without making an absurdly obvious statement.
What does that mean? That Tennessee could, a number of sources told us,
have gotten say Gregg Marshall or Tad Boyle to the
negotiating table if the Vols could pay well north of $2 million. The
simple fact is that UT doesn't believe it's in that position; sources
have indicated it would be an extremely rare or unforeseen scenario that
would force Tennessee into doling out a new deal that exceeds $2
million annually. As someone indicated to VolQuest.com this week, $1.3 million from Martin's buyout represents about half of the Vols' continued ridiculously low reserve funds.?
Back to hoops, one
thing we've heard consistently from everyone we've spoken to in regards
to what the successful candidate will bring to the table is an exhibited
proficiency in recruiting. That's been a repetitive message from the
administration and frankly looks to be the first and biggest priority in
many ways. If other words if you are interviewing for this job. Your
recruiting plan better be good and it better be extensive.
Wrapping up a couple of quick things on Cuonzo Martin.
Timing, not the ultimate result, is basically all that surprised anyone
this week on campus. Plenty had indicated Martin had privately told
folks it was clear he wasn't viewed as Tennessee's long-term solution;
the relatively low proposed buyouts for both parties in the new proposed
deal released earlier this week spoke volumes. Hart was ready to reward
Martin from a salary standpoint in the immediate future; he was not
willing to shackle Vols' hoops long-term off one NCAA run. As plenty
noted, if next year went badly, that same press release issued a few
weeks ago claiming Martin would stay could just as easily be reworded
next year to note that Tennessee wants to compete at a certain level and
had missed the NCAA Tournament in three of four years --- had that
scenario actually unfolded instead of new simply being a potential
outcome.?
Cal is going to pay Tennessee the 1.3 million for the
buyout so look for Martin's first year number at Cal to be low. It will
likely be around 1.5 million and then jump a great deal in year two.
Also, one of the key factors in the Bears hiring Martin was the
Chancellor of the University. He really liked and pushed Martin.
Lastly this jewel from the 5-9 War Room:
In a little house cleaning if you will with the coaching
search: Before meeting with Tyndall on Monday afternoon, Tennessee did
make a final call to White. They didn't meet face to face again, but
they did have a final discussion on Monday. After six hours of meeting
Monday afternoon/evening, Tyndall was giddy when Volquest spoke with him
Monday night. The deal wasn't done at that point, but it was getting
close and Tyndall made it clear he wanted the job and the only thing
keeping it from being done at that point was just a couple of
clarifications on the contract. There was never really any haggling over
anything as clearly both sides wanted a deal done and done that night.
