Coaching Search Thread

#1,053
#1,053
Yankee_Vol said:
A lot of them wouldn't. Im jot that impressed with NIT appearances.
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Well unfortunately he's in a 1 bid conference and gotten clipped by a few hot teams in their tournament. He wouldn't need to win the sec championship game to get UT into a good seed in the ncaa tournament. When you look at ALL the games he's coached he's been impressive. 1st place 4 out of 5 years he's coached
 
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#1,055
#1,055
papatomany said:
Well. Cuonzo averaged 21. Most folks on here (I have no idea about the majority of actual Tennessee basketball fans) weren't happy with that.
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Just in case there is any doubt we have one of the dumbest fan bases in America (and the AD to match it) here is another SI article to remind us (below the quote is the link to full article):

After Tennessee lost to Michigan in the Sweet 16, Martin’s three-year record (63-41) was the best of any SEC coach not named John Calipari or Billy Donovan. How did Tennessee respond? By offering Martin a half-million dollar raise, making him the eighth or ninth highest-paid coach in the league.

Tennesee AD Dave Hart under pressure after firing basketball coach Donnie Tyndall - College Basketball - SI.com
 
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#1,057
#1,057
From a buddy that works in the Valpo ad.

"Drew has been in contact with tenn.

Trust me you want him.

We were about as average athletically as a team could be. One of youngest teams in country- lost 4 games

He can flat out coach. Would be a great hire"
 
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#1,058
#1,058
I'll start with I would be happy with either. (Or Bobby Hurley). But I just don't see that Barnes is a better fit for UT. Look at what Byrd has done at Belmont. Imagine he had the talent that has been through Texas the last 16 years. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say he would have several final four appearances and NC or two. He is a much better floor coach. Barnes is a better recruiter, but anyone can recruit in Texas with the size of the state and talent pool.

Everyone says Byrd is too old... They are the same age.

If I have a choice I take Byrd. Let him coach the next 5-10 years in Knoxville and be ready to hand the program off as a great job and established winning program. That's the long play here.... IMHO!!
 
#1,060
#1,060
Agree with being the better floor coach but you don't know what your gonna get as far as recruiting goes with Byrd. Would be happy with either one
 
#1,061
#1,061
I don't think Byrd wants to come here tbh. Plus it's not like Barnes only recruited well in Texas. Durant and PJ Tucker are from the east coast. He has connections to Findley Prep which is in Nevada which has loads of current NBA players (Tristan Thompson and Cory Joseph were a few) Avery Bradley is from the north west in Washington. He can recruit anywhere not just the state of Texas. He has connections everywhere.

Byrd for sure is the better floor coach though.
 
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#1,063
#1,063
Stoked said:
I don't think Byrd wants to come here tbh. Plus it's not like Barnes only recruited well in Texas. Durant and PJ Tucker are from the east coast. He has connections to Findley Prep which is in Nevada which has loads of current NBA players (Tristan Thompson and Cory Joseph were a few) Avery Bradley is from the north west in Washington. He can recruit anywhere not just the state of Texas. He has connections everywhere.

Byrd for sure is the better floor coach though.
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This. Recruiting is half the battle. Sure, Byrd may be the better floor coach, but how can you assume he would have gotten the same recruits as Barnes?

As Stoked said, Durant, Avery Bradley, DJ Augustin, PJ Tucker, Corey Joseph, and Tristan Thompson are all current NBA players, who were from outside the state of Texas. Joseph and Thompson are actually originally from Canada.
 
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#1,064
#1,064
My problem with Barnes is this:
"He has won only one post-season conference tourney championship (Providence, 1994 Big East) in his 21 years as a collegiate head coach. He has an overall record of 20–20 (.500) in the NCAA tournament (18-14 at Texas). In nine of his fourteen years at Texas, the Longhorns went on to lose to a lower seed in the NCAA Tournament." (from Wiki page).

So my question isn't whether or not he can recruit. The question is what can he do with the talent. Are we going to be content as a fan base as long as we make an appearance in the NCAA Tournament? or are we looking to go further?

It would shock me if we opened the checkbook so knowing how this school has spent in the past I think I would much rather take my chances at an "up and comer" rather than a "soon to be retired".
 
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#1,065
#1,065
Rooting for anyone but Pitino at this point.

I did the same thing for Tyndall last year though and look where it got me.
 
#1,067
#1,067
TGVol said:
Just in case there is any doubt we have one of the dumbest fan bases in America (and the AD to match it) here is another SI article to remind us (below the quote is the link to full article):

After Tennessee lost to Michigan in the Sweet 16, Martin’s three-year record (63-41) was the best of any SEC coach not named John Calipari or Billy Donovan. How did Tennessee respond? By offering Martin a half-million dollar raise, making him the eighth or ninth highest-paid coach in the league.

Tennesee AD Dave Hart under pressure after firing basketball coach Donnie Tyndall - College Basketball - SI.com
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A three good game stretch doesn't excuse two and a half years of underacheivement with a top 3 SEC roster talent.
 
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#1,068
#1,068
VolGee4 said:
This. Recruiting is half the battle. Sure, Byrd may be the better floor coach, but how can you assume he would have gotten the same recruits as Barnes?

As Stoked said, Durant, Avery Bradley, DJ Augustin, PJ Tucker, Corey Joseph, and Tristan Thompson are all current NBA players, who were from outside the state of Texas. Joseph and Thompson are actually originally from Canada.
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Yeah... I think Barnes is a better recruiter. I'll be okay with either. I think either way this is the last coaching stop for either if they have any success
 
#1,069
#1,069
Either one. An experienced hand is required to overcome the mess Hart in large part created.

I think Byrd is the kind of coach who can win on any level. His career at Belmont alone, working on different levels of the basketball world, is indicative of that. He started out in the NAIA with them and has since took that program up the basketball ladder. With each move forward, Byrd has taken full advantage of the expanded recruiting pool available and has built winning programs. He would do the same at Tennessee.

The last four years under Barnes were inconsistent. Sometimes this is a matter of things at a program growing stale over time and sometimes it is an aging coach losing the energy and drive to win that existed earlier in his career. There is a certain amount of risk with him (Was it a case of being at a job too long or was it a John Thompson/Phil Fulmer-like loss of drive?). The body of Barnes' work, however, is impressive. He is a national name in the basketball profession and his hiring would take some sting out of the damage done by the AD to the program. He is definitely a national presence in recruiting and would be able to bring in a level of player at Tennessee we haven't seen in quite some time.

Both men being from this area, Byrd from Knoxville and Barnes from across the mountains in Hickory, would be beneficial. The know the area, understand the interest in basketball in this region in particular, and would be able to sell the advantages of Tennessee to recruits in the urban areas we must go in to recruit talent.
 
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#1,070
#1,070
JMSqb11 said:
A three good game stretch doesn't excuse two and a half years of underacheivement with a top 3 SEC roster talent.
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To be fair, Tennessee had incredibly awful luck in close games in 2013-14. (And yes, close games is more about luck than "the will to win" or whatever the heck people want it to be.) They were much better than what the record said, and they finished 7th in KenPom. But, the cupboard coming into 2014-15 was...uh...yeah.
 
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#1,071
#1,071
I would love to see Rick Byrd come to UT. I know Rick personally and he is a terrific coach. I knew him when he was at Maryville College. He was interested in the UT job in the past, but I doubt he would even consider coming now. Rick can take "average" talent and get every ounce out of his players, and he develops his players extremely well. Rick would be an excellent choice even with mediocre talent because the better talent would eventually come with his coaching abilities and success.
 
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#1,072
#1,072
I would take Byrd over Barnes but at this point it would be hard to get him IMO. Last coaching search we wasted his time and he felt disrespected. I don't think he's as interested this time around
 
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#1,074
#1,074
govols120 said:
To be fair, Tennessee had incredibly awful luck in close games in 2013-14. (And yes, close games is more about luck than "the will to win" or whatever the heck people want it to be.) They were much better than what the record said, and they finished 7th in KenPom. But, the cupboard coming into 2014-15 was...uh...yeah.
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With our roster, most of the close rosters were inexcusable. Martin will get no sympathy because he vastly underachieved with a decent roster in a two team league.
 
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#1,075
#1,075
SmoothCriminal said:
I would take Byrd over Barnes but at this point it would be hard to get him IMO. Last coaching search we wasted his time and he felt disrespected. I don't think he's as interested this time around
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Unfortunately, I agree. But you've got to think it's still appealing to him on some level. To end your career putting Tennessee Basketball back on the map would create a legacy.
 
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