'This week I'm going to lay it all out there for you on the basketball situation. Sit back and relax because this could take a while.
I'm going to tell you what I know, what I think and we're not going to leave any bases uncovered. We're going to talk about Cuonzo Martin's job security. We will address the growing wild fire that is the movement to return Bruce Pearl back to the sidelines of Thompson Boling. Is that real or is that just fan fantasy? We will have to revisit the past to get to the future where Bruce Pearl is concerned. We'll look at Dave Hart and the role he plays in all of this and we'll look at Chancellor Jimmy Cheek, everyone's favorite villain. When it comes to Dr. Cheek, I'm starting to have some mixed emotions. I have more questions than answers where he is concerned. Is he really the black hat we all make him out to be? Let's get down to the nitty-gritty, shall we.
Cuonzo Martin/Dave Hart/Job Security
This is a real situation that a lot of people in this town do not want to discuss in a real way. Some people are taking the let the season play out, this team can still make the NCAA Tournament, This is a not fair to Cuonzo and the players, approach. I get all that and I say, to each his or her own. Listen, I'm not a media member, I'm a supporter and a fan just like you. This is the conversation we are all having around the water cooler and among ourselves and I'm not shying away from it. Point Blank, I think Cuonzo Martin has to make the NCAA Tournament to keep his job. Now, do I know that with 100% certainty, absolutely not, but I do know Dave Hart is no idiot and whether you like him or not, he's not afraid to make big decisions and lay the hammer down.
I believe Dave is looking at this situation not only from a win/loss perspective, but he's also looking at the bottom line from a business perspective. Dave Hart has eyes and ears, he knows the growing sentiment among the fan base is to send Cuonzo packing. While he may not make tough decisions based on what the fans want, he also understands that if you bring Martin back next year, coming off of another disappointing NIT appearance with a team next year that looks .500 at best, those fans that want Martin gone are not going to break the doors down getting over to Thompson Boling to spend their money and fill up seats next season. This will be a business decision as much as any other factor.
Dave Hart strikes me as a guy who has an eye on the here and now, but also has a good eye on the future. Point and case, just mere days after a horrible loss in front of roughly 4,000 people at that NIT game last year, word leaked out that Cuonzo's agent wanted a raise and extension for his client. Dave took his sweet time and a few months later he threw Cuonzo a 50k raise which was really small potatoes when you consider the amount of money these guys make and when you consider Coach Martin is near the bottom in the SEC in salary. What I think is real telling with that move, no extension was given. I'm going to point out the reasons I think Coach Martin will be done at Tennessee short of making the NCAA Tournament:
These are in no particular order:
Reasons Cuonzo Is In Trouble Without NCAA Tourney
Dave Hart did not hire Coach Martin (never a real good thing for a sitting coach on the hot seat)
Hart denied Martin and his agent that contract extension.
Martin's teams have woefully underachieved and have been very inconsistent and this team is a veteran squad that had high expectations coming in.
Next year's team doesn't look to be very good and in your 4th year, that just doesn't sit well with anyone
He hasn't shown he can motivate and get the most out of his teams and when that's the case, you better recruit at a level high enough to overcome that. I think it's more than obvious, he hasn't done that.
He's never made the NCAA Tournament.
The fan base is in an uproar and support for this coach is waning with each and every passing day.
From a dollars and cents standpoint, It could actually cost less to buy him out, than to have apathy set completely in and deal with an arena full of empty seats and lost revenue next year.
Bottom line is that I think there's just too much going against this coach to bring him back next year. His agent wanted an extension after last season. Are you going to give him an extension after this season if he doesn't make the tourney? See, It's a real double edged sword, If you don't extend this guy after this year. He becomes lame duck #1 without that extension. He'd be a guy working next year with one year to go on his contract. How can you recruit under that circumstance? The answer is, you can't. Do you really want to rip this program to shreds and leave a mess for the next guy to clean up? It sure makes the job less attractive.. I feel certain, it's get in this year or you're done. Hart has the money in his back pocket to buy him out without ever having to squeeze the boosters for a dollar. He's got a 2 million dollar upfront check coming from NIKE this July on a deal that doesn't even start until the summer of 2015, that more than covers Cuonzo's buyout. I believe Hart is a forward thinker and one hell of a negotiator.
Bruce Pearl/Jimmy Cheek and The Bring Back Bruce Crowd
Tennessee fans sure love Bruce Pearl. Turn on any sports talk show in this town and state and you're going to hear Pearl's name come up early and often. This fire is burning and the flames are getting higher and higher each and every day. There are Twitter accounts for Bring Back Bruce that have been mentioned in article by the likes of Seth Davis. John Adams had the piece last month in the KNS and GoVolsXtra saying Bruce might be Tennessee's best option going forward. You have a online petition that's making the rounds to bring back Bruce and now Clay Travis is beating the drum on his show in Nashville and has written a piece on his website Outkick The Coverage that has also been picked up by another employer of his, Fox Sports.
This story isn't going away until Tennessee hires another coach or somehow hangs on to Cuonzo Martin and Bruce takes another coaching job somewhere else. Could Bruce Pearl return to Tennessee? Hell, I guess anything is possible. I'm a never say never until the fat lady sings type of guy, but I'm here to tell you, I do not see it happening and I think the chances are very, very slim.
I also believe for the most part, Bruce is the one who burned this bridge. It's easy to sit here and blame Jimmy Cheek, after all he's not one of us and he's our go to villain over there on the hill. I know some of you think Bruce was fired because of that BBQ at his house. I'm sure if you asked 10 people why Pearl was fired, 9 if not all 10 would say it was because of that cookout. It goes beyond that BBQ. This guy lied time and again not only to the NCAA, but he lied to his superiors at Tennessee. Once you get caught with your hand in the cookie jar and you come clean and shed tears at a news conference and swear up and down this will never happen again. You better walk the straight and narrow, especially with your superiors who have decided to keep you in light of the NCAA breathing down the athletic department's neck.
It just goes without saying you cannot afford to have any screw ups. That news conference where Bruce cried tears was on September 10th, 2010. On September 14th, 2010 just 4 days after that press conference Bruce committed a minor violation on a recruiting trip to Georgia. That was the "bump rule" violation. Now, I fully understand that bump rule the NCAA had, was and is (if it's still in the books) a complete BS rule. The rule basically was about impermissible contact with recruits. Bruce had a brief encounter/conversation with a high school junior while on this recruiting trip. Bruce knew this was a rule violation. Our compliance department makes damn sure these coaches and assistant coaches know the rules. Bruce should have followed procedure and made compliance and the athletic department aware this rule was violated so they could self report it. He didn't do that.
The NCAA made Tennessee aware of this violation in December of 2010. You'd think this guy would've had the sense to know, you can't hide things and just hope they somehow go away, especially with the NCAA watching like a hawk. That's just damn stupidity. There was also an incident with Brian Williams violating the athletic department's drug policy. Now mind you, this wasn't a NCAA violation but again procedure wasn't followed.
There was yet another secondary NCAA violation having to do with the guest pass list for the Kentucky game. I'll say it again, when you get in trouble and your University stands behind you, you better not have any screw-ups. It's almost like Bruce didn't get the memo. It's not hard to see why Cheek and the powers that be had to cut ties with Bruce. The guy was really his own worst enemy in a lot of ways. Don't get me wrong here, I'm no Jimmy Cheek fan. I have some mixed emotions about Cheek involving this Pearl situation.
