The Ray Mears Room is multi-functional. Only 15 days ago, Tennessee basketball celebrated its sixth consecutive NCAA tournament bid.
But on Monday, the occasion had taken a 180.
Already, a larger-than-life photo of the new coach had replaced Bruce Pearl next to Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt on a wall mural. By the miracle of computer graphics, he was even wearing an orange tie.
Soon, the flesh-and-blood Cuonzo Martin walked into the room, wearing a genuine orange-striped tie.
Martin is a big man, a good thing since he has big shoes to fill.
In another lifetime, Pearl once recruited Martin, hoping to persuade the high school star to play at Iowa. It didn’t take.
Now, the school that fired Pearl has successfully recruited Martin to take over and do the right things both on and off the court.
That last part is especially important in light of the circumstances that led to Pearl’s ouster.
UT chancellor Jimmy Cheek, who had a voice in the call to cut ties with the popular Pearl, made that crystal clear.
When Cheek met with candidate Martin on Sunday, he listed four criteria: play by the rules; be competitive on the court; represent the university with integrity; stress academics.
“If we can do those things, we can be very successful at Tennessee,’’ Cheek said Monday, “but the first thing is you’ve got to play by the rules.
“And (Martin) said, ‘That’s what I do.’ He convinced me without a shadow of a doubt that he is that kind of coach.’’
Martin said it himself Monday:
“Right is right. Wrong is wrong.’’
He also said he didn’t dwell greatly on the looming NCAA sanctions as he pondered leaving Missouri State.
His pondering included not only if but where. Tennessee wasn’t the only school expressing interest.
Knowing that, UT athletic director Mike Hamilton had a heightened sense of urgency.
“You don’t want to run the risk of finding the person, then him taking the job somewhere else because you didn’t act swiftly enough,’’ Hamilton said.
“There were a couple of other jobs open. We knew he was possibly involved in at least two of those, so we decided to move ahead.’’
One job that could come open soon is Purdue, Martin’s alma mater. Purdue coach Matt Painter is Missouri’s leading target.
Martin acknowledged the what-if scenario crossed his mind.
“But I felt like this is the best situation for me,’’ he said.
“I went to Purdue University. I love Purdue, but I’m a Tennessee Vol.’’
A Tennessee Vol with a hefty buyout in the memorandum of understanding he signed.
The process that led to the signed memorandum and the computer-enhanced orange tie included a new player, Cheek, the chancellor who was handed oversight of athletics last July in a university system reorganization.
He said his role in a coach search was no different than in a dean search. Ultimately, he emphasized, this was Hamilton’s hire.
When Hamilton goes looking for a coach, he doesn’t mess around. If this search seemed quick — less than a week from Pearl’s firing — it wasn’t as quick as the one 14 months ago that chose Derek Dooley to replace another alleged NCAA rule-bender, Lane Kiffin.
So, like Dooley, Martin is charged with running an especially clean ship.
“That’s a given,’’ Cheek said. “That’s not negotiable.’’
Yes, but another given is that you have to beat Kentucky, Florida and Vanderbilt on something approaching a regular basis.
Let’s not lose sight of that. In about 50 weeks, UT would like the Ray Mears Room to host another NCAA bracket party.
Mike Strange may be reached at strangem@knoxnews.com or 865-342-6276. Follow him at http://twitter.com/strangemike44 and http://blogs.knoxnews.com/strange
Oregon sends Lady Vols home from…
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 25
Witch_Doctors writes:
Witch Doctor say we should host a cookout in honor of the NCAA!
Go Vols
Bones never lie.
KJVol writes:
Really excited about this hire. Coach Martin is certainly a high character guy, and, hopefully, he'll be a winner also.
VOLliven2it writes:
The quickness of the Dooley hire was obvious. This one was not so obvious. But we have Cuonzo Martin as head coach and a new era begins. When do we get a new AD?
volsfan74 writes:
WD lets just make sure potential recruits do NOT attend.
volspaws writes:
Earlier today, Wes Rucker quoted Jimmy Cheek as saying that it was Hamilton's call to fire Pearl....now Mike Strange reports that Cheek "had a hand in the call to cut ties with..Pearl".....so what gives?? bad reporting or waffling between Cheek and Hamilton on who made the call?....I think there is a lot to like about Coach Martin, but Cheek and Hamilton continue to look like Larry and Moe.
vol75 writes:
"When Cheek met with candidate Martin on Sunday, he listed four criteria: play by the rules; be competitive on the court; represent the university with integrity; stress academics."
Don't forget world peace.
I will have to say that restoring integrity and doing things the right way via Dooley and now Martin is a welcomed change. It's good to be a Vol again.
VOLS_SEC_RULES writes:
Fire Hamilton.
thevoice writes:
Great idea. Just leave the cameras at home.
brauhuff#295403 (Inactive) writes:
I really don"t care if we do not win the sec but every 10 years or so as long as we have a winning conference and overall record every year and we play fair and draw at least 15 thousand per game. Going to the NCAA 6 out 10 years. That is a realistic goal for Tennessee but most fans live through orange tinted glasses as I have learned by leaving Tennessee 2 years ago. Oh and bye the way Mike Hamilton should be fired.
tomkats3242 writes:
Are you happy Mike Hamilton. You took away from the only team with a chance to win a national title by getting into he news with your stupid hire of the boys coach. If UT does not fire you than you will catch the wrath of the witch doctor who ever that sick person is. We should have been thinking of a national title not hiring a minor league coach just so you could get your name in the paper again. May you suffer the rest of your life as you don't deserve to wear orange except in prison.
mhsvol writes:
There are three coaches at UT who will never, ever be fired by the AD alone - the football coach, the men's basketball coach and Pat Summitt. To think that Pearl was fired by MH alone is insane. That one went all the way to the Board, and beyond. I'm speaking of Jim Haslam, of course. Since the leadership above MH is so impotent, Cheek and others are naturally going to try and deflect responsibility for unpopular decisions and place them on subordinates whenever possible. What's really curious about all this is that Joe DiPietro has been noticeably absent from the conversation about all this. But, I don't believe for a second, that he hasn't had his fingerprints all over it. Regrettably, all the suits took way too long to grow a pair. And now, along with MH, that's part of their legacy.
movol77 writes:
Tell us kat. How many "major league" coaches has UT hired in the past?
BTW, "wrath?" You seem to be filled with it.
volspaws writes:
Great points, mhs....i think you pretty much nailed the reality of what actually happened
Witch_Doctors writes:
Witch Doctor worry you dont own carbon monoxide detector...
Bones never lie.
VolFaninDC writes:
He "pondered" leaving a $140k/year job for a $1.3million/year one with a five year minimum, extended if we get penalties? Am I wrong in thinking he doesn't have to really worry about what sort of penalties we face; he's getting roughly $1.1 million more per year than where he was for at least five years? I wouldn't have to ponder that deal in the least.
FWBVol writes:
UT doesn't have a boys' basketball team, it has a men's basketball team.
I doubt seriously if Mike Hamilton naming a new men's coach had anything to do with the Lady Vols losing tonight. They were in Dayton when the news was announced last night and still in Dayton when the press conference was held today.
And, FYI, UT has separate men's and women's athletic departments.
Martin is not a minor league coach. He was a big-time player at Purdue and is one of the up and coming young coaches in the game. Several other schools were coirting Martin too so Hamilton couldn't wait for the Lady Vols to play out their run in the women's tournament.
AlphaMan writes:
Your anger is over the top but your point is fundamentally valid.
I fear that we just took a major step down in the program, one that we may never recover from. Hamilton and Cheek made a politically correct hire instead of going after the best coaching talent.
movol77 writes:
The $140k is just bad reporting.
Fact. "Martin signed a five-year contract extension with MSU last June for a total package of $300,000." (Springfield News Leader)
movol77 writes:
Furthermore...
"Martin was offered, and declined, a 'substantial' increase in his compensation package, through privately raised funds, on March 7." (Springfield News Leader)
westknoxrepub writes:
We need to win the SEC more than once a decade and we need to be in the tournament every year.
Witch_Doctors writes:
Witch Doctor yawn....who are you?
Bones never lie.
FWBVol writes:
Actually the $140,000 is accurate because it's his base pay that the Missouri State actually paid him. The other $160,000 comes the shoe and clothing contracts as well as camps and whatever radio or TV shows they do.
So, by the same token, the $1.3 million is probably his total package that includes the adidas deal, the coach's show, camps and other add on revenues. I'd be interest to see what the base pay is. I'd guess it is probably in the $900,000-$1 million range.
crockett1836 writes:
sarcasm. it's when someone says something they know is wrong. they don't care because it's funny. the older a person gets, the less they like sarcasm. that's my generalization for today.
movol77 writes:
Agreed to a point, but the reporting was that he only made $140k. That was incorrect. And the report didn't tell that he turned down more private $$$ offers just three weeks ago.
jarvol writes:
Fire Hamilton.
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