UT men’s basketball

[cncchris33]

Don't forget Keon's mom was a star basketball player at Auburn. We may think because he was a Tennessee kid, he shoud have been an automatic commit but he choose UT over Auburn even with that factor.

Excellent point that I neglected to mention.

 

[Vols8086]

Prep school for Mostella, you’re right...who’s Daniel? Kasongo was just inducted into the HOF.

The Ray Kasongo stories are stuff of legends. There are quite a few and I'm sure you guys have heard them all, but easily one of my favorites was him ordering a pizza and having it delivered during a live scrimmage. Barnes was not happy to say the least when the delivery guy walked in mid scrimmage. It's even funnier because they fed the guys before the scrimmage and Kasongo's response was something to the effect of "yeah I just didn't feel like eating then."

 

[Vol49er]

On the court, I'll give you that. Barnes (@TN) is 3-6 vs Pearl (@AU). That needs to get fixed.

But on the recruiting trail? Who are all these recruits Pearl has taken from Tennessee? Jabari Smith, and maybe Dylan Cardwell. Meanwhile, Keon Johnson, Jaden Springer, Corey Walker, Josiah James, and DJ Burns all had Auburn offers and chose Tennessee. Again, that sounds a lot more like recency bias than anything factual.

Don't let facts get in the way of his narrative!

 

[cncchris33]

Don't let facts get in the way of his narrative!

To be fair, he's half right. Barnes does need to turn things around in that H2H series, especially because of who the opposing coach is, although it's silly that it even matters. For CRB's detractors, though, it certainly matters.

On the recruiting side of things, however, that seemed like a manufactured issue.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

Typically? Ok. That is a complete diversion from what I challenged. For example, Pons didn’t contribute much as a freshman or sophomore. My judgment on him was premature.

Yep, recruiting is a tough game. Even tougher when your former coach is consistently whipping your ass on the court and recruiting trail.

Btw, why don’t you pull of some of my old comments on Fulk. I’ve always been a staunch advocate for him

Barnes should recruit ALL available possibilities. Not sure why that’s not something we’d all agree on.

Take a JUCO to potentially play 1/2 years behind Fulky and Anosike or look to transfer market or hold spot for 2021 class? Pretty easy call in my opinion, that was my point.

That’s a really dumb and shortsighted approach, would you rather be undefeated against Auburn but no NCAAT appearances? I’m sure you’d switch results with UK but Barnes has beaten him?

I was a defender of Fulk and giving him time, something you don’t want to do for some of our younger guys.

 

[JelloPuddinPup]

I really don't see optics and recruiting being a future pro or con. The idea we can predictably calculate what any recruit will do based on precedence is nil, in my opinion. Each individual recruit is highly different as to why they choose their school of choice.

I promise I'm legitimately not trying to be a jerk. I just don't understand what your first sentence's point is. I am probably reading it wrong.

 

[cardvolfan]

I promise I'm legitimately not trying to be a jerk. I just don't understand what your first sentence's point is. I am probably reading it wrong.

It was in response to your first sentence about optics and recruiting.

 

[JelloPuddinPup]

It was in response to your first sentence about optics and recruiting.

I see where I'm misreading it now, I kept wanting to read it as "future pro" instead of "future...pro or con".

 

[LampVol]

James Daniel grad transfer from Howard I think?

grad transfer from Hampton in VA.

 

[VolGee4]

Going was a JUCO, as was Pops Ndiaye.

Bobby Maze, Melvin Goins, Dwight Miller, D’montre Edwards, Pops Ndiaye, Detrick Mostella, Kevin Punter, Devon Baulkman, Ray Kasongo, Chris Darrington.


I would say there’s probably 1 guy out of that group that would be impactful now at Tennessee, Kevin Punter.

And Punter was good...on a bad team. With a decent roster, Punter is a nice shooter. I agree that you can't rely on Jucos, especially in basketball. Football is a little different, but you certainly can't build a program around them.

 

[VOLINVONORE]

Take a JUCO to potentially play 1/2 years behind Fulky and Anosike or look to transfer market or hold spot for 2021 class? Pretty easy call in my opinion, that was my point.

That’s a really dumb and shortsighted approach, would you rather be undefeated against Auburn but no NCAAT appearances? I’m sure you’d switch results with UK but Barnes has beaten him?

I was a defender of Fulk and giving him time, something you don’t want to do for some of our younger guys.

Don't forget that Fulky miss about two years with his sever injury. No telling how good he would have been if not injured.

 

[Roustabout]

Take a JUCO to potentially play 1/2 years behind Fulky and Anosike or look to transfer market or hold spot for 2021 class? Pretty easy call in my opinion, that was my point.

That’s a really dumb and shortsighted approach, would you rather be undefeated against Auburn but no NCAAT appearances? I’m sure you’d switch results with UK but Barnes has beaten him?

I was a defender of Fulk and giving him time, something you don’t want to do for some of our younger guys.

Uh, I defended Fulk and said give him time. Especially in light of his injury.

Nice false dichotomy.
Barnes has done VERY well. He’s also been owned by Pearl and losing another highly touted recruit to him sucks. Those two positions aren’t mutually exclusive. But, keep trying to make it so.

I’m always assuming some level of attrition. I doubt Barnes recruiting those three was any indication he’s concerned about those numbers.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

Uh, I defended Fulk and said give him time. Especially in light of his injury.

Nice false dichotomy.
Barnes has done VERY well. He’s also been owned by Pearl and losing another highly touted recruit to him sucks. Those two positions aren’t mutually exclusive. But, keep trying to make it so.

I’m always assuming some level of attrition. I doubt Barnes recruiting those three was any indication he’s concerned about those numbers.

Has Huntley-Hatfield not been on the board for quite awhile? Again, not sure many coaches get em’ all, K and Cal missed on Chandler, would you be criticizing them?

 

[cncchris33]

Has Huntley-Hatfield not been on the board for quite awhile? Again, not sure many coaches get em’ all, K and Cal missed on Chandler, would you be criticizing them?

More importantly, is he criticizing Bruce Pearl (his particular barometer for success) for missing numerous top targets this season? Jabari Smith is literally the first and only target he's landed. Barnes had landed Chandler and Mashack, both top priorities.

 

[Roustabout]

Has Huntley-Hatfield not been on the board for quite awhile? Again, not sure many coaches get em’ all, K and Cal missed on Chandler, would you be criticizing them?

Of course they don’t. Which is why a coach shoud never discount JUCO recruiting (like you suggested).

Barnes has killed it on the guard front. He’s also put us in with recruits we normally were never considered with. That is awesome, andI have no problem stating that as well. Still, when you have three touted posts, which at one point you lead for all of them, and you get none, that stings. Especially when the last one was to your former, disgraced head coach.

This also puts us behind in recruiting the next tier down due to the time and effort invested in those guys.

How quickly we forget articles like this.
Can Tennessee Really Land the Best Class in the Nation in 2021? | Sports Illustrated Tennessee Volunteers News, Analysis and More

 

[cncchris33]

Of course they don’t. Which is why a coach shoud never discount JUCO recruiting (like you suggested).

Barnes has killed it on the guard front. He’s also put us in with recruits we normally were never considered with. That is awesome, andI have no problem stating that as well. Still, when you have three touted posts, which at one point you lead for all of them, and you get none, that stings. Especially when the last one was to your former, disgraced head coach.

This also puts us behind in recruiting the next tier down due to the time and effort invested in those guys.

How quickly we forget articles like this.
Can Tennessee Really Land the Best Class in the Nation in 2021? | Sports Illustrated Tennessee Volunteers News, Analysis and More

Tennessee never outright led for any of those guys. The position we found ourselves in was supposedly in the top 2-3 for Banchero, top 2 for Smith, and whichever 3rd guy you're talking about, I'm not sure. Mutumbo was always Georgetown, IMO, and was adamant about that. Bediako, we didnt even make his top 5. We never "led" for either of those guys. Maybe I'm missing someone, but to my knowledge, none of these post players had ever come out and called Tennessee their leader. That's quite the false narrative.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

Of course they don’t. Which is why a coach shoud never discount JUCO recruiting (like you suggested).

Barnes has killed it on the guard front. He’s also put us in with recruits we normally were never considered with. That is awesome, andI have no problem stating that as well. Still, when you have three touted posts, which at one point you lead for all of them, and you get none, that stings. Especially when the last one was to your former, disgraced head coach.

This also puts us behind in recruiting the next tier down due to the time and effort invested in those guys.

How quickly we forget articles like this.
Can Tennessee Really Land the Best Class in the Nation in 2021? | Sports Illustrated Tennessee Volunteers News, Analysis and More

So your answer is to take a flyer on a JUCO and tie up a scholarship for 2 years? How many JUCO’s has Coach K taken?

Why don’t we wait and see before trying to make definitive statements about this class, if they land a transfer in the spring, or grad transfer, or Fulk and/or Anosike return and then they land a couple posts in the 2022 class what’s the issue?

 

[cncchris33]

So your answer is to take a flyer on a JUCO and tie up a scholarship for 2 years? How many JUCO’s has Coach K taken?

Why don’t we wait and see before trying to make definitive statements about this class, if they land a transfer in the spring, or grad transfer, or Fulk and/or Anosike return and then they land a couple posts in the 2021 class what’s the issue?

I think you mean 2022 class, but I absolutely agree with this. Especially with the new rules passed yesterday, there are a lot of potentially better options to pursue in the spring on the transfer market, grad transfer market, or potential returns of Fulk and EJA than pursuing the 2 or 3 JUCO players who could potentially make an immediate impact in the 2021-22 season. We're talking about the difference in a lake and a puddle with respect to the pool size of the two categories of player.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

I think you mean 2022 class, but I absolutely agree with this. Especially with the new rules passed yesterday, there are a lot of potentially better options to pursue in the spring on the transfer market, grad transfer market, or potential returns of Fulk and EJA than pursuing the 2 or 3 JUCO players who could potentially make an immediate impact in the 2021-22 season. We're talking about the difference in a lake and a puddle with respect to the pool size of the two categories of player.

Yes 2022, and exactly, much better options out there.

 

[vols 30]

Is the schedule accurate on UT's website? It says our 1st game is Nov 11th at Wisconsin.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

Is the schedule accurate on UT's website? It says our 1st game is Nov 11th at Wisconsin.

No

 

[vols 30]

No

Thank you.

 

[ColinS]

Excellent point that I neglected to mention.

And his first cousin plays football for Duke.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

Lol....some of this fanbase must still have issues with their high school girlfriends the way they keep obsessing with Pearl.

Yes it would be nice to win H2H against Auburn, and the last 3 games have been bad. We didn't show up for the SECTC in 2019 nor the last game last season, and we choked away the game at Auburn last year, and I was heavily critical of Barnes for the game at Auburn last year especially. But if we end up making a Final Four it won't matter. Pearl got owned by UK when he was here but it didn't ultimately matter because we made an Elite Eight finally. Hardly anyone remembers that aspect when they stroll down memory lane with Pearl; in fact most have Mandela Effect thinking Pearl "owned" Cal (he didn't).

Now Barnes can't beat Auburn but he consistently beats UK. Sometimes you can't have everything you want. I know as a long time UT fan, I would take beating UK over Auburn every time. The only "rivalry" in basketball with Auburn is because Pearl is coach, that's it. Otherwise there is no rivalry and whenever Pearl finally leaves it will go back to being a game largely ignored. This isn't football where 1 single regular season game really means that much.

 

[cncchris33]

The only "rivalry" in basketball with Auburn is because Pearl is coach, that's it. Otherwise there is no rivalry and whenever Pearl finally leaves it will go back to being a game largely ignored. This isn't football where 1 single regular season game really means that much.

This is really all that needs to be said.

If we were struggling to beat Kermit Davis at Ole Miss or Frank Martin at USCe, the majority of our fan base doesn’t bat an eyelash because they point out how successful we have been vs UK and Florida. It is the simple fact of who coaches on the plains that makes it a talking point for some people because they either privately or publicly still long for Bruce to be coaching here.