NASHVILLE - The date was Feb. 6, and Tennessee’s Vols were on the bubble.
The NIT bubble.
UT had just lost back-to-back games and fallen to 11-10 overall and 3-6 in the SEC. The wheels were coming off. The Vols were headed nowhere.
But Cuonzo Martin didn’t flinch. His players didn’t, either.
The result: eight wins in the last nine games and a resume that should get the Vols into the NCAA Tournament as an at-large entry.
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Comments » 33
DwayneElizondoMountainDewHerbertCamacho writes:
Martin still needs to show up at the SEC tournament. The NCAA committee members will know to watch how the men play. The Vols men have historically been horrible at tournament play and a first round loss could see us playing in the NIT in no time. This group deserves better and I hope that they get it done. Two wins in the SEC tourney and I think we're in the big dance no problem.
John_10065 writes:
I don't think too many active coaches could do what Martin has done. He took a team over under the clouds of NCAA sanctions, picked to be next to the bottom in the league and took them to within one game of a NCAA at large bid.
Then this year he loses a SEC pre-season 1st team power forward and team leader and has to rebuild around what he has to end up in a position to go back to the NCAA after a 9-1 run.
There will always be Pearl wanters just like there will always be Fulmer wanters in football. But I personally think Martin has earned his spot as the coach of the Vols twice over.
I think we're going to see an era of BB in Knoxville that will be held in high reverence in the future.
miketn6 writes:
100% agreed!
Fall_Creek_Vols writes:
Offering further proof that even a blind squirrel occasionally finds a nut, Climer writes a passingly acceptable article. While easy for most folks, I'm sure he still found it difficult.
John 10065: I agree. Well-reasoned comment.
bosscat writes:
Here's another amen
BigBadVol writes:
I'm speechless. Climer wrote an article about UT and wasn't negative? It must be snowing in hell.
TommyJack writes:
Cuonzo is gonzo.
Snapshot writes:
I hope you are right. I think it remains to be seen if he can continue to recruit to keep the Vols relevant at a national level.
crappieking writes:
+1000
totoiv writes:
I am trying to stay positive. Some news services have UT out of the NCAA. UT needs to win one and maybe two in the SEC tourney to nail it down. If we miss, the great comeback will be for not. Just like last season. I recognize the loss of Maymon was huge. But, UT needs to play better in November/December. So far under Martin, we have lossed two or three at the beginning of the season that a program like UT shouldn't. Those are what can keep a team out of the big dance. But, hopefully UT is in the tourney. Depending on our seeding and match up this team could be trouble for some. Any team we play with a center the same size or smaller than Stokes will struggle against UT. If they have a solid 6'10" type center Stokes has struggled.
tnvol4ever writes:
Great to see the effort and improvement coach is getting from these guys.
Hopefully recruits and their parents will see what a class act CM is and the future of Vol basketball will be bright. What a refreshing change coach Martin is to the coaching industry. No flash, no bull, just a blue collar get the job done kind of guy. Funny to see Teflon John trying to shulder some blame after throwing his young kitty cats under the bus and the media calling him out for it.
1vavolfan writes:
I hope you are right on the new era of basketball. I was there Saturday and the atmosphere was awesome. That being said, CCM needs to finish the job and get this team into the tournament. UT fans should not be satisfied with an NIT berth, especially in consecutive years. I still think the jury is out on CCM. He has proved in the last month he can coach but you must also recruit to win at a high level. The 2014 recruiting class will speak volumes about Martin's ability to recruit, he will need to replace Golden, McRae, Maymon, and probably Stokes and 3 star recruits won't do.
johnlg00 writes:
I was thinking the same thing! That might be the best Climer article I have ever seen, not that that is such a high bar to clear.
johnlg00 writes:
If they make the Big Dance this year, and if next year is close to what I think it will be--top 10 or bust!--I don't think CCM will have any problem drawing some really good recruits. Let's face it. The Vols are just NEVER going to recruit the number of "WOW!" guys UK, Duke, UNC, and a couple of others do every year. But surely we have seen enough to know that CCM will recruit hard-nosed, hard-working, high-character guys who will give it their all and who will improve as they grow up in the program. Wisconsin and Butler, to name just two, are always in the top-20 mix with guys nobody ever heard of.
Let's suppose for a moment that the 2014 class is no better than average. Among the 2014-15 starters will be Moore, Richardson, Reece, Makanjuola, and possibly Hubbs. When you see how much Richardson and Makanjuola have improved from last year to this, how much Moore has improved from the start of the season til now, and how much room for improvement Reese has, I promise you that is a team that will contend for the conference championship. And I almost forgot about Chievous. And there is even a chance that STOKES will still be here. The Davis kid coming in next year will be better than Makanjuola by then. So with almost NO major reinforcements, the Vols will be competitive at a high level.
Anybody who wants to pooh-pooh that lineup because they weren't great stars in HS and aren't great stars yet, except for Hubbs, is welcome to react that way, but to do so is to ignore how guys improve as they mature and how deeply immersed into Martin's own never-say-die mindset they will be.
tovolny writes:
I didn't read this Climer article. Most likely, he didn't say much that was worthwhile.
However, Martin seems focused and getting the job done. I think he is a pretty good coach.
mocsandvolsfan writes:
I hope next year McRae and Stokes are here no matter what they hear from scouts and whoever! Can you imagine Stokes as a senior? lol You may have to.
But like you said Martin seems to understand latent talent. Next year I think we won't notice the lack of 5* players even if Stokes and McRae leave. I don't think they will leave for a second round chance but I may be wrong.
But this year's not over and I believe we'll make the dance. I don't mind getting a top seed early either. (national exposure and all especially in an upset). It could happen. Keeps me watching the dang sport.
mocsandvolsfan writes:
If Climer was badmouthing the Vols in this one I didn't see it. I liked the read.
Martin for 2 straight years has taken his team to a higher level than I expected. I don't think many here expected more than this # of wins with Maymon out. I was afraid of a 500 season. Yes we had some former 4* players that really haven't been showing their abilities until now. Injuries have hurt us beyond Maymon.
But somehow we have ourselves a miracle finish...maybe we will add to that. We can hope. I have to keep telling myself it's just a game.hehe
chipmurphy461 writes:
Cuonzo Martin coaching record at UT
2011–2012 Tennessee 19–15 SEC 10–6 NIT 2nd Round
2012–2013 Tennessee 19–11 SEC 11–7
2012-2013 Away record 3-8
mocsandvolsfan writes:
He's done very well in a very short time.
Last year we were picked to be what next to last?? This year WITH Maymon healthy we expected great things. ADD Golden's injury and McBee's shoulder??
We did very well considering all that. Golden, McRae, and Richardson have shown remarkable improvement. Stokes is a beast that learned to be aggressive. We may not have seen them at their best yet. I'm looking for a great run in the SEC tourney and a good showing in the NCAAs.
chipmurphy461 writes:
Martin inherited players and brought in players. When he took over for Bruce Pearl, Tennessee wasn't a "rebuilding" job or roster "overhaul". I give Martin a lot of credit for taking the UT job with pending NCAA sanctions, but he shouldve continued to succeed where Pearl left off...at the very least making it to the NCCA tournament last year (losing in the first round or not). Do players really need to tell a coach that something as obvious as applying pressure should be implemented in order to be successful? Isn't it the coaches job to notice these types of aspects and make changes accordingly? I like Martin, he's a good recruiter, but he's not that great of a coach and it shows. As a previous poster noted fans wanting "Fulmer" and fans wanting "Pearl". UT's football program was on the decline under Fulmer, under Pearl UT's program was doing well. There's really no comparison there. Pearl is a better coach than Martin and that's obvious. If you can have a better coach and know exactly what you're getting with that coach then why not hire that coach? We must all assume that no matter where Bruce coaches next, that he will follow NCAA guidelines. So why not bring him back to UT?
no1djkb#278630 writes:
First and foremost I am getting tired of the Pearl vs Martin thing. Pearl is not coming back and Martin is a totally different coach than Pearl.
I will say this though. Lets not forget how Coach Pearl's last team finished. Yes CP did some great things but his team vastly underachieved toward the end of his last season. Also lets remember people that the players Martin was left with did not get a lot of playing time. I think maybe Kenny Hall did but I believe that was it. I remember them saying that Maymom was not living up to his billing when Pearl was there. I don't think CM was left with great players and hey the jury is sill out on him but you can't deny he has gotten more out of these players then anyone thought he could. To his credit also he has players that HE coached up that are now looking like NBA players. Tobian Harris was a NBA prospect before he left highschool. We should all just sit back and enjoy the ride. We haven't had a lot to be proud of these past few years. Lets just enjoy this
chipmurphy461 writes:
Tennessee head coach Bruce Pearl announced Thursday that Midway, Ga., native Jordan McRae has signed with the University of Tennessee and will play basketball for the Volunteers beginning with the 2010-11 season. A 6-foot-6, 180-pound shooting guard, McRae is a senior at Liberty County High School and plans to enroll at Tennessee next summer. So Martin "coached" McRae up? Really? Obviously Pearl recruited McRae, but let's assume Martin's coaching is what did the trick, it had nothing to do with physically maturing. Stokes still needs some work. But then again Coach Martin wasn't left with great players, but what about all the starters minus Stokes? What about Maymon?
johnlg00 writes:
Pearl got next to nothing out of Golden, McRae, Maymon, or even Hall. It may be true that there were better and/or more experienced players ahead of them, but considering that there were constant complaints that Pearl's teams didn't shoot free-throws well, couldn't make outside shots reliably, and often looked disorganized on offense as a team, yet none of those named above could beat out anybody on those teams, they couldn't have been all THAT great coming in. Either that or Pearl didn't trust the ability of the guys that HE brought in.
The fact is that Martin's first team had NO full-time starters back from the previous year. It is irrelevant to say that either Pearl or Martin is a better coach than the other. No two combinations of teams, coaches, and seasons are exactly alike. This isn't a lab experiment in which all the conditions can be controlled. Pearl did some great things when he was here and most of us appreciate that. However, his own faults and some uncertain leadership from his superiors ultimately did him in. Martin came in when the UT situation was radioactive and restored the integrity while maintaining the competitiveness of a program many around the country had virtually left for dead. This year's team is not yet dead, and NEXT year's team will be one of the best UT EVER had.
Basketvol writes:
Actually, the 2012 - 2013 Away record is 4-7.
Without their star player, this team has improved from last year according to these numbers.
The season is not over yet. Worst case scenario is 19-13 if they lose in the SEC and first round of NIT or possibly NCAA. Middle of the road scenario. They win two in the SEC tournament and one in the NCAA, 22-13, which would be better than Bruce Pearl's final year. Even better scenario, win the SEC tournament and go to the Sweet 16, 25-12.
At least wait until the season is over to pass judgement.
johnlg00 writes:
Much of my previous comment was an implicit reply to you, but I will be more specific here. It is fair to say that Golden, McRae, et. al., were highly-regarded players when they came in. It might be equally fair to say that they didn't play more under Pearl because they were underclassmen on a senior-dominated team. The point is, until they DID get a chance to play major roles over a sustained period, nobody could say for SURE if they would be able to succeed in those roles. Most "experts" would say that no team--with a few possible exceptions such as UK's star-studded classes--without proven returning talent could reasonably expect OTHER than to be regarded with suspicion, and THIS year's UK team showed that even THAT kind of expectation isn't always fulfilled.
Even if Pearl had returned to coach those guys as starters, preseason expectations would have been low. It is not an effective denigration of Martin as a coach that those guys became good players at the same time as he became coach; bad coaching can ruin good players any time. I said in a previous post that there were a certain number of self-proclaimed UT fans who did not like Martin coming in and don't like him now. You would seem to be one of those, and that's fine. I just think some people who feel that way seem to do so out of OVER-valuation of Pearl's "genius" as a coach. Pearl was good, but he had his faults; Martin may have some faults, but that doesn't mean he just can't coach, it may just mean that you don't like HIM.
LSG410EC83 writes:
How much did any of these players play while Pearl was here oh great basketball genius. Let us see who got much playing time(out of a possible 71 games) McBee-64 games under Pearl with and average of 13 minutes per game. Golden played 33 games with an average of 13.3 minutes per game while under Pearl. Hall played a total of 70 games with an average of games with an average of 10.15 minutes per game under while Pearl was here. Maymon played 14 games with an average of 9.1 minutes per game under Pearl (not much playing time under Pearl for someone we missed so much this year). McRae, who should have been this years SEC MVP played in a whopping 10 games and only averages 5.3 minutes per game under Pearl. To look at these numbers, the only 2 that got consistant playing time under Pearl was McBee and Hall with Golden coming in 3rd. Sooooo, Martin inherited a lot of inexperience players and has turned some into some great players. Golden has come on strong, McRae has blossomed, Maymon was the man last year and will hopefully be when he gets healthy. Stokes is coming on.(Got to remember, this should actually have been his first year playing). Liked Pearl just as much as the next, but get over it, he will not be back. Martin had some cards dealt to him that many would have folded with. Look forward to the remainder of the year and the years to come. IT IS GREAT TO BE A TRUE TENNESSEE FAN. GO BIG ORANGE. CLASS OF 83
LSG410EC83 writes:
Sorry for the rant guys, just get tired of all the negativity, especially when our season has closed out on such a positive note.
John_10065 writes:
Martin also LOST recruits when Pearl was fired. Two of the play right down the road from me in Louisville.
But we don't count that much do we?
It doesn't matter that most of this team, including Maymon, did absolutely squat under Pearl to the trolls on this board.
But what chaffs me the most is why lie about a barbeque? Why then go to recruits parents and try to get them to lie too? It was at worst a minor infraction. Pearl, all on his own, turned it into a 3 year just cause penalty.
no1djkb#278630 writes:
I like to thank you guys for straightening out Chip Murphy out. You know it is so funny to see these guys post. Not one time did I ever say that Coach Pearl was a horrible coach. I did point how they went down the tubes his final year but there were a lot of bad things going on at that time. Anyway I can't understand why they don't like Coach Martin. Like I said the jury is still out on him but he is great for this university. After the Dooley project crashed and burned and Coach Pearl putting the basketball team under the microscope in a negative way, we all should welcome a guy that seems to be a straight arrow. A family man and a cancer survivor. This is a guy that young men can look up to. Oh yeah, he is also winning games too. If you guys really care about the university, stand behind him and hope that he represents TENNESSEE with pride and respect. Please Let Coach Pearl go! He is not coming back.
no1djkb#278630 writes:
AMEN John
no1djkb#278630 writes:
Johnlg your knowledge and vocabulary skills are on point! There are a few in here that speak well but I have to say that you are definitely in the top three maybe number one. You really know how to bring it.
no1djkb#278630 writes:
sorry for the bad typing guys
johnlg00 writes:
Thanks for the kind words. You have "brought it" pretty strong yourself a couple of times on this thread. Keep it up! GO VOLS!!!
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