Tennessee Hires Cuonzo Martin as Basketball Head Coach
by Gamecock Man on Mar 27, 2011 8:06 PM EDT
in SEC Basketball
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PrintSuffice it to say that this is not what I would consider to be the most intimidating hire Tennessee could possibly make. Martin is coming off a very strong season in which his team went 26-9, won a regular-season conference championship, and earned an NIT berth. However, his overall record at Missouri St. is only 61-41, hardly a history of mid-major dominance. Granted, I know little about what kinds of rebuilding challenges he faced in his former position, or what attracted Mike Hamilton to Martin's approach and philosophy. The guy may be a very solid coach. That said, he doesn't come with the credentials Pearl had when he was hired a few years back, and it's difficult to see him as being equal to Pearl. I would speculate that Hamilton may have known this job would be a hard sell with sanctions looming, and this is the result. It's not a worst-case scenario for Gamecocks fans, by any means.
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Nice hire by the Vols
1) he has excellent coaching credentials; 2) he is young – just 39 – and can coach through some lean years if UT is sanctioned.
They wore garnet helmets.
I def. expect he will have to coach through some lean years.
The question to me is whether or not not UT retains this guy long-term or if they let him be a placeholder until they’re ready to go out and make a splashier hire.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Mar 28, 2011 9:07 AM EDT up reply actions
He's part of the same coaching tree that produced the guy at St. Johns.
I’m impressed by Martin’s still growing resume, but if I’m UT, I would have wanted my program to go after someone who’s more proven. This guy is a promising young coach, and nothing more.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Mar 28, 2011 11:18 AM EDT up reply actions
Being part of a coaching tree means nothing to me.
What you do is what I care about. To that end, although Martin’s teams improved under his tutelage, his overall performance can’t really be described as anything beyond “above average.” Now, he may turn out to be an excellent hire…but UT made this hire b/c it knew it wasn’t going to have a shot at any of the “hot” coaches b/c of the turmoil surrounding the program.
They settled on Martin. If UT thought it had a shot at some of the other coaches, there is little doubt that they would still be in Springfield, MO.
I like a coach with a good pedigree.
I consider it kind of like having good letters of recommendation, which go a long way in my own field. That said, I consider a good pedigree useful for getting one’s foot in the door, not for getting a plum job, and I think the fact that UT went with Martin over candidates who have both the pedigree and the resume says a lot about Hamilton’s view of how attractive the UT job is right now. I agree that UT definitely settled on this candidate. He’s not one of the premier coaching prospects in this year’s crop of candidates.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Mar 28, 2011 12:23 PM EDT up reply actions
Maybe 'excellent' is too much
but solid/strong works. I don’t see him as much more (or less) qualified than Darrin Horn. GM is right that very few coaches can demonstrate a body of work like Bruce Pearl did at Div II Southern Illinois or Milwaukee. But then maybe he was cheating all along, too.
They wore garnet helmets.
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