TN Vols' Cuonzo Martin reported to California

[jbcarol]

Ben Frederickson ‏@Ben_Fred ·29 secs
Hart said he met with Cuonzo for 1.5 hours the day the team returned from the NCAAt. Said he offered Zo a "significant reward."

[Hoggish1]

Does one Final Four outweigh multiple tournament runs?

If you offered gave 10 coaches the choice between Tennessee and Wichita State, how many chose Wichita State?

WSU has been to two final fours that I can remember.

[donkey]

You know what would NOT be fun?  If Brad Stevens ended up leaving the Celtics and going to Knoxville.

[jbcarol]

Ben Frederickson ‏@Ben_Fred ·2 mins
Hart: "It was a tough year for Cuonzo and Roberta. There were a lot of distractions. You know what they were. You reported on them."

[The_Iceman]

You know what would NOT be fun?  If Brad Stevens ended up leaving the Celtics and going to Knoxville.

Not gonna happen. Brad Stevens is going to get the chance to rebuild Boston.

[jbcarol]

Patrick Brown ‏@patrickbrownTFP ·13 mins
Hart said he did not know Cuonzo was involved with the Cal job until this morning.

[jbcarol]

Wes Rucker ‏@wesrucker247 ·2 hrs
I was planning to leave town today. At 2 p.m. For a few days. Go. To. Hell. Everyone.

Wes Rucker ‏@wesrucker247 ·1 hr
I'm nothing if not candid. There are times I absolutely hate this place.

[Brass Knob]

Not gonna happen. Brad Stevens is going to get the chance to rebuild Boston.

Even if he got fired he would have far better offers to return to the college ranks than Tennessee.

[jbcarol]

Ben Frederickson ‏@Ben_Fred ·3m
#Vols current leading scorer RT @J_Rich1: Best of luck to coach at Cal. Did what he had to do

Gary Parrish ‏@GaryParrishCBS ·33m
That UT players seem to be publicly siding with Cuonzo Martin should tell you they didn't like the way their coach was treated.

Jarnell Stokes ‏@JarnellStokes ·40m
@GaryParrishCBS agreed

[jbcarol]

Ben Frederickson ‏@Ben_Fred ·8 mins
That wraps up the Dave Hart press conference about Cuonzo Martin leaving for Cal. Get caught up here: http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2014/apr/15/espn-cuonzo-martin-leaving-ut-california-press-con/ ... #Vols

[HOGINTENNESSEE]

And Wichita St. is a better program now than Tennessee has ever been.

I tend to agree with this. UT has been to 1 elite 8 ever.  Before Bruce Pearl they were never anything.

And they have had great players and still Sucked.

[Inhogswetrust]

WSU was always a better program than TN...

WSU does not have football looking over the shoulder of BB like Tenner has. Men's BB is the TOP sport at WSU and probably always has been even when WSU had football before.

[Jackrabbit Hog]

Living in Tennessee, I get a pretty close up look on things here, not only from the media but also from friends who are long time fans.  Say what you will about Martin, but he absolutely did not deserve the crap he had to deal with during his last couple of years at UT.  And he handled it all with class.  If Tennessee loses a recruiting class and can't find a top tier replacement as coach, then they are getting exactly what they deserve.  Martin got no love from the fans and no support from the administration.  They didn't want to keep him so there's no way they should act shocked that he took another job.

I hope he does well at Cal.  And I hope Tennessee sinks back to the bottom of the SEC for a few years. 

[jbcarol]

Dylan ‏@The_Dylan_Lane ·2h
IT'S OKAY JORDAN WE DIDN'T WANT HIM BACK IT'S COOL MAN."@JordyMac52: Can't treat people any kind of way and expect good in return."

Jordan McRae ‏@JordyMac52 ·2 hrs
@The_Dylan_Lane point exactly

[nextlevel]

...

[Paul]

I'd pick living in Northern California over Knoxville any time!

[jbcarol]

Ben Frederickson ‏@Ben_Fred ·2m
Talked to father of #Vols 5-star G Robert Hubbs. Says his son is still a Vol and wants to see who UT hires before locking in anything final

[The Boar War]

Jordan McRae ‏@JordyMac52 ·24m
Can't treat people any kind of way and expect good in return.

Boom goes the dynamite

[The_Iceman]

Ben Frederickson ‏@Ben_Fred ·2m
Talked to father of #Vols 5-star G Robert Hubbs. Says his son is still a Vol and wants to see who UT hires before locking in anything final

Another Frank Haith recruit?

[jbcarol]

Ben Frederickson ‏@Ben_Fred ·9m
#Vols signee C.J. Turman found out from HS coach. "I'm going to have to sit down and think about it," he said when asked about his future.

[jbcarol]

Wes Rucker ‏@wesrucker247 ·50m
#Vols AD Dave Hart "surprised" by Cuonzo Martin taking the job at Cal: (FREE READ) http://bit.ly/1eFgqZx  #bolts

[jbcarol]

Reggie Miller ‏@ReggieMillerTNT ·31m
Congrats to new California Bears Men's BB Coach Cuonzo Martin, "One man's trash is another man's treasure".... You got a gem Cal

Cheryl Miller's brother

[jbcarol]

Cal Bears ‏@CalAthletics ·27m
You can watch coach Martin's press conference today at 2:15pm PT on @Pac12Networks and online here: http://goo.gl/9SF3tQ

[jbcarol]

Ben Frederickson ‏@Ben_Fred ·1m
UT executive senior associate athletic director Jon Gilbert will be in charge of the #Vols hoops until interim coach is named.

[jbcarol]

The Tennessean ‏@Tennessean ·2h
Social media reaction to Cuonzo Martin leaving the #Vols for #Cal http://tnne.ws/1qEY1O4

Hugh Francis@hfrncis Retweeted by @batman
"Tennessee is where I want to be." -Cuonzo Martin, April 1, 2014. Most elaborate April Fools joke of all time. @GaryParrishCBS


Kory Keys@KoryKeys Retweeted by @batman
By the way, props to Cuonzo Martin. Get while the gettin's good and stay one step ahead of the posse. Savvy.


Jon Solomon@jonsol Retweeted by @batman
Cuonzo Martin clearly wanted out of Knoxville. Can't blame him after 36K fans signed petition wanting Pearl back.

[-Blu]

Ben Frederickson ‏@Ben_Fred ·3m
#Vols current leading scorer RT @J_Rich1: Best of luck to coach at Cal. Did what he had to do

Gary Parrish ‏@GaryParrishCBS ·33m
That UT players seem to be publicly siding with Cuonzo Martin should tell you they didn't like the way their coach was treated.

Jarnell Stokes ‏@JarnellStokes ·40m
@GaryParrishCBS agreed

Wow this says a lot.

[jbcarol]

 Gabe DeArmond @GabeDeArmond  ·  2h 
Cuonzo signs new deal, gets a commit, leaves next day. Bar raised for coaches' exits.

[jbcarol]

 Hugh Kellenberger @HKellenbergerCL  ·  2h 
You know who would do well at Tennessee? Frank Martin. Recruit, play aggressive style and not give a crap what the fans/media say.

[-Blu]

Jon Solomon@jonsol Retweeted by @batman
Cuonzo Martin clearly wanted out of Knoxville. Can't blame him after 36K fans signed petition wanting Pearl back.

Wow, didn't know they did him like that.  Happy for Martin to get a good job.  I read the Vol 247 message board a couple times during the year, and the fans were just nasty towards him. 

I bet they feel so silly now.  Not only do they not get Pearl back, they get the pleasure to face him every single year now.  And, the coach they wanted gone, just lead them to a sweet 16, now he really is gone, and their best player just declared for the draft.  Not a good day to be a Vol fan at all.

Anybody got any speculation on who the next coach will be?

[Inhogswetrust]

I'd pick living in Northern California over Knoxville any time!

Technically it is central California bay area and MUCH more expensive to live in then eastern tenn. I bet he can afford it though. Knoxville is a good city except for all that d!@% orange everywhere. As for Berkeley I can take it or leave it. It's nothing special except the usually mild year round weather.

[Hawg Red]

WSU has been to two final fours that I can remember.

That has nothing to do with what he said. He said Wichita State right now (meaning under Marshall) is better than Tennessee has ever been. A Final Four in the '80s does not apply.

EDIT: Take that back -- A Final Four in 1965 does not apply.

[Hawg Red]

Wichita State and Tennessee over the last 20 years:

Tournament Appearances
Wichita State - 4
Tennessee - 11

Sweet 16s
Wichita State - 2
Tennessee - 5

Elite 8s
Wichita State - 1
Tennessee - 1

Final Four
Wichita State - 1
Tennessee - 0

But, definitely, Wichita State was better in the 1960s.

[latrops]

Wow, didn't know they did him like that.  Happy for Martin to get a good job.  I read the Vol 247 message board a couple times during the year, and the fans were just nasty towards him. 

I bet they feel so silly now.  Not only do they not get Pearl back, they get the pleasure to face him every single year now.  And, the coach they wanted gone, just lead them to a sweet 16, now he really is gone, and their best player just declared for the draft.  Not a good day to be a Vol fan at all.

Anybody got any speculation on who the next coach will be?

I suspect most Vol fans who weren't Martin fans two months ago still have a relatively low opinion of him.  He was an underwhelming hire who had been mediocre or worse until the final six games of the regular season.  He finished strong...but many had already made up their mind about him.   There is a reason fan and administration support was tepid or worse...he didn't do anything until this March.

[TNhawgfan]

I'd pick living in Northern California over Knoxville any time!

Well I love living outside of knoxville, I just hate vols fans. Things like this make life even more enjoyable

[nextlevel]

That has nothing to do with what he said. He said Wichita State right now (meaning under Marshall) is better than Tennessee has ever been. A Final Four in the '80s does not apply.

EDIT: Take that back -- A Final Four in 1965 does not apply.

Right now as of today.

WSU- strong program great spot for a coach with support from boosters and fans.

TENN- middle of the pack program, players siding with the HC who just left, stories about boosters hampering the HC ability to do a good job.

[roothog229]

I may be wrong but I don't think Marshall would leave Wichita St. for Tennessee. Honestly why would he?

Wichita Eagle says Marshall makes $1.6 million this year and $1.75 million the next at Wichita State. This plus the fact he has serious job security and at a school where his program is top billing.

At Tennessee, even if they bump it to $2.5 mil he goes to a school with an athletic program that seems to be a bit in disarray, with a somewhat delusional fan base (watch Clay Travis defend otherwise) that even the players are upset with that expects instant results.

It's why Shaka Smart has turned down multiple jobs. Marshall will too. He's got a good thing going @ Wichita. It'd take a traditional power to lure him out now.

[Hawg Red]

Right now as of today.

WSU- strong program great spot for a coach with support from boosters and fans.

TENN- middle of the pack program, players siding with the HC who just left, stories about boosters hampering the HC ability to do a good job.

You said "better than Tennessee has ever been." I disagree. I think Tennessee at its best with Bruce Pearl was a better program.

Please do not mistake what I've said -- Wichita State is in better shape than Tennessee right now. But what's gone on at Tennessee lately wasn't going on with Pearl and it was considered a good job, a better job than Wichita State in the Missouri Valley.

[HawgnCorona]

Aaaaand there goes that commitment.

Ben Frederickson ‏@Ben_Fred 1m
Per those last two tweets, Cuonzo Martin is taking his 7-1 center Kingsley Okoroh to Cal. He committed to UT yesterday.

Hahahaha!!! You go Cuonzo.

[jbcarol]

Ben Frederickson ‏@Ben_Fred ·1h
Cuonzo Martin had a different take on The Petition during his AP interview: "They just woke up a hungry bear." http://sports.yahoo.com/news/cal-hires-tennessees-cuonzo-martin-181213167--ncaab.html ...

Ben Frederickson ‏@Ben_Fred ·1 hr
Cuonzo Martin told the AP he will bring "quite a few" of his assistant coaches from UT to Cal once his contract is complete.

Ben Frederickson ‏@Ben_Fred ·3 hrs
Cuonzo Martin asked about The Petition at Cal presser: "It didn't bother me at all. I thought it was a great teaching point for our players"

Ben Frederickson ‏@Ben_Fred ·3 hrs
Zo: "I want to thank my TN basketball family. I spent 3 years there, gave my life to the program ... I appreciate everything they gave me."

Ben Frederickson ‏@Ben_Fred ·3 hrs
Cuonzo Martin: "This is a great, great opportunity. A beautiful place. I got off the plane, and i was like 'Ahhhh.'

Ben Frederickson ‏@Ben_Fred ·3 hrs
Cuonzo Martin's press conference at Cal is up and running. Moderator pronounced his name right, so that's a start.

[nextlevel]

You said "better than Tennessee has ever been." I disagree. I think Tennessee at its best with Bruce Pearl was a better program.

Please do not mistake what I've said -- Wichita State is in better shape than Tennessee right now. But what's gone on at Tennessee lately wasn't going on with Pearl and it was considered a good job, a better job than Wichita State in the Missouri Valley.

Pearl didn't leave on his own, now did he? Tennessee at its height may have been considered a better job than WSU, but Tennessee is no where near its height, TBD if WSU has peaked or if they can retain the current level of success which has been better than Tennessee at their height.

Tennessee is a dumpster fire across the board in their athletic program.

[Dropkick]

Tad Boyle is on the clock, at least what I am hearing.

[jbcarol]

Cal Men's Basketball ‏@CalMensBBall ·
Coach Martin addressed his team moments ago #GoBears pic.twitter.com/uvofQ0AMJE

[Hawg Red]

Pearl didn't leave on his own, now did he? Tennessee at its height may have been considered a better job than WSU, but Tennessee is no where near its height, TBD if WSU has peaked or if they can retain the current level of success which has been better than Tennessee at their height.

Tennessee is a dumpster fire across the board in their athletic program.

Pearl was fired, but we both know it was hardly because of the results on the court. And the fanbase loved him. They were a nationally relevant program. Right now, Wichita State looks like they could get to that stage, but they're not even at Gonzaga level right now and no one really fears Gonzaga in the tournament anymore.

[Hawg Red]

Tad Boyle is on the clock, at least what I am hearing.

Solid hire, if it goes down.

They could do muuuuuuch worse.

[nextlevel]

Pearl was fired, but we both know it was hardly because of the results on the court. And the fanbase loved him. They were a nationally relevant program. Right now, Wichita State looks like they could get to that stage, but they're not even at Gonzaga level right now and no one really fears Gonzaga in the tournament anymore.

It had everything to do with the NCAA and a thing called a show-cause.

Tennessee was also quick to sacrifice the basketball program when infractions were also found in football...

[Inhogswetrust]

Cal Men's Basketball ‏@CalMensBBall ·
Coach Martin addressed his team moments ago #GoBears pic.twitter.com/uvofQ0AMJE

Surely they have more players returning than 5.

[Inhogswetrust]

You said "better than Tennessee has ever been." I disagree. I think Tennessee at its best with Bruce Pearl was a better program.

Please do not mistake what I've said -- Wichita State is in better shape than Tennessee right now. But what's gone on at Tennessee lately wasn't going on with Pearl and it was considered a good job, a better job than Wichita State in the Missouri Valley.

What everyone thinks is a better job is subjective.

[jbcarol]

Cal Men's Basketball ‏@CalMensBBall ·
Coach Martin addressed his team moments ago #GoBears pic.twitter.com/uvofQ0AMJE

He may bring in David Lee to work with his QB on the court.

Jerry Palm ‏@jppalmCBS ·14 hrs
Going to need a few more guys RT @CalMensBBall: Coach Martin addressed his team moments ago #GoBears pic.twitter.com/478heoRsCz

[jbcarol]

Gary Parrish ‏@GaryParrishCBS ·16 hrs
Cuonzo Martin bolts for California, leaves Bruce Pearl's shadow and that online petition behind. Column: http://cbsprt.co/QaNXiP

Dana O'Neil ‏@ESPNDanaOneil ·17h
Tennessee gets what doesn't want, but deserves http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/98518/tennessee-gets-what-doesnt-want-but-deserves ...

[Inhogswetrust]

Ben Frederickson ‏@Ben_Fred ·1m
UT executive senior associate athletic director Jon Gilbert will be in charge of the #Vols hoops until interim coach is named.

Wow. Executive Senior Associate........................I bet they win the NC next year!