Cuonzo supporters put to rest

#76
#76
Me might be an alright guy personally, but it seems to me he runs when there's pressure. First us for Cal when he got some backlash when it looked like we weren't going to make the tournament... Again...with that talent. He took it personally. Then he leaves Cal for Mizzou (granted Mizzou spent some coin for him and that is close to home for him). I just don't get the impression he's the kind of person who can fight through the pressure of being at a big time program. I could be wrong.
 
#77
#77
Cuonzo is a pretty good coach and got dealt a bad hand while at TN. Being that we're TN, as soon as we had a modicum of success, we expected it to be indefinite with no excuses for failure. While one should always desire to be better and the best if possible, we certainly had not earned the right to expect such high expectations, and were not grateful for what Bruce had done. It simply became an expectation just like that. Cuonzo was treated like trash, and deserved better. He might not have been the best, but he certainly didn't earn the ire he received while at TN. I would have bailed the 1st chance I had.

We have a tendency to do this, as Tennessee fans. We're often the equivalent of a spoiled kid who feels entitled to whatever he/she wants. There's nothing wrong with demanding more, and one could argue that's why we are where we are now, with Barnes. But the childishness that seems to always persevere is evident in our fanbase.
 
#78
#78
Me might be an alright guy personally, but it seems to me he runs when there's pressure. First us for Cal when he got some backlash when it looked like we weren't going to make the tournament... Again...with that talent. He took it personally. Then he leaves Cal for Mizzou (granted Mizzou spent some coin for him and that is close to home for him). I just don't get the impression he's the kind of person who can fight through the pressure of being at a big time program. I could be wrong.
I think he escaped from Knoxville after some off campus interactions with our worst fans. The Mizzou move for him was coming home. I wouldn’t expect him to leave Missouri early unless Purdue comes calling.
 
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#79
#79
Me might be an alright guy personally, but it seems to me he runs when there's pressure. First us for Cal when he got some backlash when it looked like we weren't going to make the tournament... Again...with that talent. He took it personally. Then he leaves Cal for Mizzou (granted Mizzou spent some coin for him and that is close to home for him). I just don't get the impression he's the kind of person who can fight through the pressure of being at a big time program. I could be wrong.
I think you are spot on. The man just doesn't seem to handle criticism very well. Not a good trait for an average at best coach.
 
#80
#80
The way he was treated by Tennessee fans was not something that we can be proud of.

Fire away

You're using a very wide brush as you paint that picture of racist Tennessee fans. A vocal minority doesn't speak for all.

Critics also skip over the wording of the petition. It wasn't to fire Cuonzo. It was to bring back Bruce IF Martin left.
 
#82
#82
I've loved Cuonzo since he was feeding the "Big Dog" (my all-time favorite college player, not named Tony White (get well)) at Purdue. I think he is a pretty good coach and a great recruiter. I, also think he is a good man and I always root for him and his team against everybody but the Vols. He did a pretty good job at UT, but I hated the style of play we played under him. Although, I really enjoyed that run in the NCAA Tourney, his last year. 3 wins and a last second shot away from beating Michigan. Only Pearl can say he led the Vols to 3 wins in the Tourney. Still, I'm glad everything worked out the way it did or we wouldn't have this coach and this team
 
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#83
#83
You're using a very wide brush as you paint that picture of racist Tennessee fans. A vocal minority doesn't speak for all.

It doesn’t take a majority of the fans being terrible for it to have a huge effect on the coach. If enough kids at school repeat things said at home to his kids, it will affect him plenty regardless of how the majority of fans act. Cal strikes me as exactly where you would want to go to get away from that, since Cal basketball doesn’t have the same intensity of fandom.
 
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#84
#84
Cuonzo is a pretty good coach and got dealt a bad hand while at TN. Being that we're TN, as soon as we had a modicum of success, we expected it to be indefinite with no excuses for failure. While one should always desire to be better and the best if possible, we certainly had not earned the right to expect such high expectations, and were not grateful for what Bruce had done. It simply became an expectation just like that. Cuonzo was treated like trash, and deserved better. He might not have been the best, but he certainly didn't earn the ire he received while at TN. I would have bailed the 1st chance I had.

We have a tendency to do this, as Tennessee fans. We're often the equivalent of a spoiled kid who feels entitled to whatever he/she wants. There's nothing wrong with demanding more, and one could argue that's why we are where we are now, with Barnes. But the childishness that seems to always persevere is evident in our fanbase.
I never saw the man make one ounce of effort to endear himself to the fan base. A lot of his issues in Knoxville can be placed squarely on his own shoulders.
 
#86
#86
The way Cuonzo left and the subsequent interviews he gave as to why he left makes me glad he's gone. Many are speaking of his high moral character. But someone with high morals doesn't use university funds and resources to secretly interview elsewhere. Someone of high character doesn't pull the race card to justify why they left.

He was getting heat for underachieving and he knew it. He has as much moral character as Bruce.
 
#87
#87
The way he was treated by Tennessee fans was not something that we can be proud of.

Fire away
CCM was aloof. He has zero interest in the traditions. He was cold shouldered with donors who had grown use to the chummy Pearl. When donors pulled away and, for example, stopped letting him use their personal jet, the racism card got played.

Hart wasn’t stepping in at that point and did nothing about all the fandom crap regarding hiring pearl back. Granted, he probably should have.
 
#89
#89
CCM was aloof. He has zero interest in the traditions. He was cold shouldered with donors who had grown use to the chummy Pearl. When donors pulled away and, for example, stopped letting him use their personal jet, the racism card got played.

Hart wasn’t stepping in at that point and did nothing about all the fandom crap regarding hiring pearl back. Granted, he probably should have.

If the donors didn't realize that his personality was not the rah-rah type of Pearl, that's their fault.
 
#90
#90
Zo is a good coach.

Barnes is a great coach. Better than any we have had by far.

Both came in expected to be last or next to last in the conference but finished higher. Yet Zo never gets credit for over achieving like any other coach has. Both took three years for a NCCA appearance.

People claimed Zo should have been going to the tourney because of the laughable claim he had "3 NBA players." Ignoring that they needed development and we had a season during that time that we were without our best player who never came back 100%.

Now we will probably have 4 or even 5 "NBA players" going by the same standards yet the same Zo bashers haven't complained about Barnes tourney misses with just as much or more talent.



Zo never played the race card.

For one it's not a thing. Just something racists made up to try and silence people bringing up examples of racism.

Two he never once himself said anything at all about race.

Other people wrote about known racism directed at him. Even the players talked about it.

I know for a fact he got racist death threats. I know for a fact his wife did at home and work and he never once brought it up in the media.

A bunch of clowns that have bias are just mad that the reporters covering the story called them out.

We would have been good with Zo. We would have had Jaylen Brown and several more players.

Barnes is the better coach by far. Glad we have him.


Zo was held to different standards by some fans. Racism played a part. If that wasnt why you didn't like him shut up about it.

It was a factor for others. You can't speak for them.
 
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#91
#91
Martin's problem is and was always offense. Definitely good on defense, terrible on offense. I said to my wife during the Missouri game when they were hitting all those 3s to start the game that there's no way they would keep it up. They hit like 2 threes the rest of the game after the first 6 minutes. He's a good coach, he will make the tournament every once in awhile, but a lot of his teams are just better than mediocre. He's like Andy Kennedy from ole miss but with defense and no offense.
 
#93
#93
I'm not going to waste my time quoting the poster who is insinuating people are racists.

People are quick to scream racism and it's a huge problem with our society. It's their easy way to deflect the argument at hand.

CM is smart enough not to say the actual word. But his interviews on why he left heavily implied he and/or his family was treated poorly due to the color of his skin. True...there may be some idiotic fans who said something but they would be the far minority of fans but the overwhelming majority of fans didn't care for his under performance and personality that rivaled that of a fence post.

People didn't like him because he was paid millions to do a poor job with a team the fans dearly love. And he had no personality to fall back on.
 
#95
#95
Zo is a good coach.

Barnes is a great coach. Better than any we have had by far.

Both came in expected to be last or next to last in the conference but finished higher. Yet Zo never gets credit for over achieving like any other coach has. Both took three years for a NCCA appearance.

People claimed Zo should have been going to the tourney because of the laughable claim he had "3 NBA players." Ignoring that they needed development and we had a season during that time that we were without our best player who never came back 100%.

Now we will probably have 4 or even 5 "NBA players" going by the same standards yet the same Zo bashers haven't complained about Barnes tourney misses with just as much or more talent.



Zo never played the race card.

For one it's not a thing. Just something racists made up to try and silence people bringing up examples of racism.

Two he never once himself said anything at all about race.

Other people wrote about known racism directed at him. Even the players talked about it.

I know for a fact he got racist death threats. I know for a fact his wife did at home and work and he never once brought it up in the media.

A bunch of clowns that have bias are just mad that the reporters covering the story called them out.

We would have been good with Zo. We would have had Jaylen Brown and several more players.

Barnes is the better coach by far. Glad we have him.


Zo was held to different standards by some fans. Racism played a part. If that wasnt why you didn't like him shut up about it.

It was a factor for others. You can't speak for them.
What ****ing part did racism play??
Name me what ****ing part it played?

You mean as opposed to the Jew who was freaking loved?
Get over it clown.
 
#97
#97
Martin is a good coach, just not as good as Barnes.
I want to see Martin in his 4th season in the same place before giving him any praise. Right now, it looks like his career objective is to always cut and run ahead of the ax. His tenures at Tennessee and California were very similar. He made the NCAA tournament once, and left a bare cupboard after 3 seasons.
 
#98
#98
What ****ing part did racism play??
Name me what ****ing part it played?

You mean as opposed to the Jew who was freaking loved?
Get over it clown.
The part where he left because people were sending racist death threats to his wife maybe?


Pearl is white. Judaism is a religion or ethnicity. Race and ethnicity are two different things. There are Jews of every race. Pearl is a white Eastern European Jew. So not the same thing. Good try though. Race is phenotype and ethnicity is shared culture, history, and language.


So it played a part. Not all people that didn't like Zo had those reasons. Some obviously did. If that isn't you why are you so offended? Hit too close to home?

It was a factor.

Maybe not for you. Good then.
 
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#99
#99
Ignore Button is nice.

Trolls like K-town King are the reason racism is still prevalent. They stir the pot to keep it active so they still have a platform. Let it go or take it elsewhere.

Take people's race out this conversation and what do you have? A coach that underachieved at a job he was paid millions to achieve at. Then he left it in shambles.
 
The part where he left because people were sending racist death threats to his wife maybe?


Pearl is white. Judaism is a religion or ethnicity. Race and ethnicity are two different things. There are Jews of every race. Pearl is a white Eastern European Jew. So not the same thing. Good try though. Race is phenotype and ethnicity is shared culture, history, and language.


So it played a part. Not all people that didn't like Zo had those reasons. Some obviously did. If that isn't you why are you so offended? Hit too close to home?

It was a factor.

Maybe not for you. Good then.
Do you have a link to any source which confirms that Cuonzo Martin's wife was the victim of "racist death threats" while in Tennessee ? I assume you know of one, since you are speaking about this as though it's publicly held common knowledge.
 
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