Strange: Bright spots hard to find for Vols fans

Mike Hamilton hired him to restore a program to national prominence.

By his second year, his team finished ranked in the top 10 for the first time since 2002.

His third team is even better. It's ranked No. 4 and has boosted his winning percentage to a hefty .795.

Mission accomplished.

Then there's the women's program with a rich tradition. March brought another national championship.

See, Tennessee fans. Things aren't so grim.

You're living large in men's tennis and women's track and field.

The 2008-09 school year will not be venerated as Tennessee's finest hour on the playing fields of intercollegiate sports.

That's not to say their isn't excellence to be found. Sometimes you just have to look past the crowded stadiums and arenas.

Bruce Pearl and Lane Kiffin are the Hamilton hires everybody talks about. Much less fuss has been made about the job coach Sam Winterbotham has been doing in his three seasons at UT.

"I feel great about tennis,'' said Hamilton.

Do Vol fans feel great about tennis? They should.

Indoor track and field goes all but unnoticed. It climaxes in March when basketball rules our collective psyche.

Coach J.J. Clark and the Lady Vols won the SEC title for the third time in five years, then captured an NCAA championship to match the one they won in 2005.

OK, so nobody's going to rename a street on account of tennis or track. Granted, it hasn't been a banner-hanging year for the big sports that draw the big crowds.

"Typically,'' Hamilton said, "football and basketball are what drive opinion.''

Opinion and money. There is no net revenue from the 17 sports other than football and men's and women's basketball.

Football was a train wreck: 5-7, coach Phillip Fulmer fired in November. The 13-7 loss to Wyoming was the most jaw-dropping Tennessee outcome of the academic year.

First runner-up would be the 71-55 thumping the Lady Vols received from Ball State in the opening round of the NCAA women's basketball tournament - the earliest exit in Pat Summitt's 1,000-win tenure.

Men's basketball went 21-13 and, at 10-6, shared first place in the SEC East. While a 13-loss season was a surprise, keep in mind UT's men had lost at least that many games in 11 of the 16 seasons preceding Pearl.

Pearl's Vols also reached the SEC tournament championship game for the first time since 1991. However, after back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances, a first-round NCAA tournament exit left an empty feeling.

Can anything that happens in the non-revenue sports fill the hole left by the big three?

While the UT men and women are competitive in nearly every endeavor, the answer is:

Not really. None of UT's non-revenue sports appeal to a broad enough base to match the passion that football and basketball incite.

Baseball could come closest, but it's no help this year. Coach Todd Raleigh's second edition is saddled with scholarship restrictions and on pace for Tennessee's worst SEC finish in 20 years.

"Baseball is building,'' Hamilton said. "I continue to see a great number of trends telling me we're headed in the right direction.

"Now, like everyone else, I'd like to be winning more ball games right now.''

UT's men and women do win a lot of games. Meets and matches, too. However, it hasn't been much of a year for enhancing the championship tally.

Aside from women's indoor track, there's only one other championship in the books: the Lady Vols won the SEC soccer tournament.

There are still trophies out there for the taking. Golf, tennis, softball, rowing and track are yet to be determined. I'm not sure how many UT fans could tell you when or where.

But they darn sure know when the Orange & White Game kicks off at Neyland Stadium.

That's the unofficial start to a new year, maybe a better one.

Mike Strange may be reached at strangem@knoxnews.com or 865-342-6276.

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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