Martin: A few indisputable facts to remember...

[RedStickVOL]

I have not read all of the articles and threads surrounding this so I don't know if this has been mentioned. However, I'm curious about something and would love some feedback. I heard that one of the factors contributing to Martin leaving was that he didn't have an extension in place, and it seemed that Dave Hart was dragging his feet in getting this done. I also heard the football contracts were done by this point. Is it at all plausible that Hart allowed the contract negotiations to drag out so that Martin would leave on his own?

 

[VolGee4]

While the circus surrounding Coach Martin's departure from knoxville has been highly entertaining, I would like to point out a few things that seem to be consistently missed by those who've succumbed to the media frenzy.

1. Coach Martin was the last of the Mike Hamilton hires in the major sports.

2. All the major sports suffered some form of embarrassing controversy during Hamilton's tenure.

3. The UTAD devolved from a thriving, rich athletic department under Dickey, to a relative poverty stricken third world disaster by the end of Mike Hamilton's reign. It is still struggling to rebuild.

4. One of the primary reasons for the decline in UT athletics was Hamilton's inability to negotiate contracts that didn't leave the AD in a precarious position down the road.

5. Dave Hart refused to do what Hamilton did.

6. UT BBall was going to struggle next year to live up to the fan base's expectations. Martin has not recruited well and all the key players were leaving.

7. The likelihood of Hart having to fire Martin next year and pay a large buyout was fairly high.

8. The petition was never going to "Bring Back Bruce", but it appears to have served to expedite the process of removing Martin now before the program was set back even further, and it likely saved the AD millions.

9. I did not sign the petition.

10. The media exists to sell words and pictures. Drama, exaggeration, sensationalism sells. If something news-worthy happens at a place with a large, passionate fan base, writers will take the most extreme position they can to get people reading, watching, listening. Its how they make a living.

11. Besides the petition, nothing that happened with Martin is all that unusual in the world of sports.

So in summary, anyone getting caught up in all the media nonsense need to relax and enjoy the fact we have an AD who knows what he's doing. Yes we had a dysfunctional AD under Hamilton, but this is the final fallout from his regime. If you feel the need to blame someone, blame him.

Martin is a good guy and decent coach, but he was following a successful, fan-favorite coach, which very rarely works out long-term. Even if the next guy turns out to be mediocre, this divorce needed to happen anyway, given all of the above.

Good luck Coach Martin and Go Vols!

Pretty much agree with all of that except that barring a disaster, Martin was not getting fired after next year. I said thousands of times that Hart had to decide whether Martin was going to be the coach of the future. The S16 run bought Martin at least 2 more years and maybe more.

While I understood the Dooley comparisons, now that Martin made that run, I don't believe he can be compared to Dooley. Dooley was a talker who failed on the field; Martin is not a talker who actually beat some good teams and finally made a run. Say what you want about Martin being mediocre, but in this case, mediocrity was much better than what Dooley did.

I am not sure I agree with your final sentence. If the next guy is mediocre, then we are back to hiring a new coach in 4 years. We need to pay the money to hire a proven head coach.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

The OP makes very good points about former AD Mike Hamilton, the man who gave us the moniker Buyout U.



More good points.

Demeanor-wise, Cuonzo is on par with Kevin O'Neil. Connecting with the fans and boosters is just not his bag. And yeah, maybe we've been spoiled by the exuberance of CBP...and currently by CBJ...but so what?
Rub our belly a little and we fill up TBA and Neyland Stadium...prid pro quo, ya know?

Actually, he's on par with the typical UT basketball coach. Pearl was the exception, and Peterson wasn't quite as stoic, but Martin was actually along the same lines of DeVoe, Houston, O'Neil, and Green. None of them were outgoing or had particularly exciting personalities. Peterson was a tad better but mostly only because he came across as a "good 'ol boy". Plus he couldn't talk for crap.

 

[Morpheus]

I have not read all of the articles and threads surrounding this so I don't know if this has been mentioned. However, I'm curious about something and would love some feedback. I heard that one of the factors contributing to Martin leaving was that he didn't have an extension in place, and it seemed that Dave Hart was dragging his feet in getting this done. I also heard the football contracts were done by this point. Is it at all plausible that Hart allowed the contract negotiations to drag out so that Martin would leave on his own?

I guess its plausible, but Im not sure he necessarily wanted him to leave. Think he just didn't want to risk having to fire him next year. In other words, it could be that Hart gambled on some low ball figures, reduced the buyout and let the chips fall.

I'm guessing Hart probably would have rather Martin walk away after next season than this one, but either way, as long as they don't have to pay him to walk away.

 

[Morpheus]

Pretty much agree with all of that except that barring a disaster, Martin was not getting fired after next year. I said thousands of times that Hart had to decide whether Martin was going to be the coach of the future. The S16 run bought Martin at least 2 more years and maybe more.

While I understood the Dooley comparisons, now that Martin made that run, I don't believe he can be compared to Dooley. Dooley was a talker who failed on the field; Martin is not a talker who actually beat some good teams and finally made a run. Say what you want about Martin being mediocre, but in this case, mediocrity was much better than what Dooley did.

I am not sure I agree with your final sentence. If the next guy is mediocre, then we are back to hiring a new coach in 4 years. We need to pay the money to hire a proven head coach.

I'm not sure what part of my post you're referring to here, regarding Dooley. I didn't mention him, but I agree with you in general, Martin produced much better than Dooley.

As far as the next guy, yes, I hope they find a way to get a proven coach. Was just saying, the fan base will be more patient with the next one than with Martin, because the shadow of Pearl will have been lifted.

 

[therealitytheory]

Actually, he's on par with the typical UT basketball coach. Pearl was the exception, and Peterson wasn't quite as stoic, but Martin was actually along the same lines of DeVoe, Houston, O'Neil, and Green. None of them were outgoing or had particularly exciting personalities. Peterson was a tad better but mostly only because he came across as a "good 'ol boy". Plus he couldn't talk for crap.

I chose O'Neil as a comparison, but I'll grant you that Green, Houston et al were in the same category demeanor-wise.

We had BP for 6 years, and the guy was outgoing to the extreme. He sold the program on campus, off campus - anywhere someone would listen. People appreciated the effort (along with the NCAAT runs and the #1 ranking).

Maybe Cuonzo would have had the appearance of being happier if his first two teams here hadn't stb in the first rnd of the NIT against no-names. For most of season three he looked pretty dour, too, as did our post-season hopes.

With a new lease on life (and more starters returning) at Cal, CCM might show a new side. Let his hair down, laugh out loud, joke around...grab Erin Andrews.

 

[Volinnooga]

10. reads more like a description of VN than an indisputable fact.

 

[Volinnooga]

12. Martin sucks so who cares.

Well reasoned opinion, sir. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Godfatha]

Kevin O'Neill was funny. He did make an effort with his post game shows.

He didn't know what offense was though.