TN Vols' Cuonzo Martin reported to California

[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 ...

Here's the take from CBS and ESPN College Basketball writers:

Dana O'Neil ‏@ESPNDanaOneil ·19 hrs
Cuonzo Martin to Cal... big hire for Cal; big lesson learned for Tennessee. Do unto others and so forth.

Gary Parrish ‏@GaryParrishCBS ·11h
I don't know if Cal is a better job than Tennessee. But it's definitely a better situation for Cuonzo Martin...

[jbcarol]

Ben Frederickson ‏@Ben_Fred ·9h
$1.3 million. Dropped from $2.6 on April 1 MT @tngarrett: @Ben_Fred what is current buyout Cal will be paying?

[jbcarol]

Wes Rucker ‏@wesrucker247 ·8h
@Culpepper19 @sbterry247 There hasn't been a single year without a major search in a while. Bad for #Vols, good for #bidness. Such is life.

[jbcarol]

Wes Rucker ‏@wesrucker247 ·13 hrs
Personally I think Cuonzo just really wanted to work for this dude on the far left here: pic.twitter.com/6OA2XIErIL

[jbcarol]

Cuonzo Martin, the new coach at California, must have really wanted out of Tennessee.

But then, when 36,000 of your school's fans sign a petition that they wanted the old coach back, in this case Bruce Pearl, not surprised that Martin would really want off Rocky Top.

http://www.kentucky.com/2014/04/15/3197470/john-clays-notes-pro-pearl-petition.html

[jbcarol]

Seth Davis ‏@SethDavisHoops ·23 hrs
Cuonzo Martin fired his fans.

[jbcarol]

Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN  3h
Tennessee has Minnesota coach Richard Pitino on its short list of top candidates, multiple sources told ESPN.

Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN  2h
Tennessee also looking at Southern Miss coach Donnie Tyndall, sources told ESPN. No leader has emerged yet.

[jbcarol]

Ben Frederickson ‏@Ben_Fred  Apr 17
@wesrucker247 Hey, when an AD says his coach isn't going anywhere, he isn't ... Oh. Wait.

[jbcarol]

Ben Frederickson ‏@Ben_Fred  Apr 17
MT @YahooForde: Can't tell you who will be #Vols' next hoops coach. But it surely won't be Shaka Smart and probably won't be Richard Pitino.

[jbcarol]

Ben Frederickson ‏@Ben_Fred  Apr 17
Former #Vols coach Cuonzo Martin addresses departure for Cal, his relationship w/ UT during Knoxville radio interview http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2014/apr/17/cuonzo-martin-hallerin-hilton-hill-show ...

[jbcarol]

Gary Parrish @GaryParrishCBS  ·  1h
Tennessee's search to replace Cuonzo Martin has now turned toward Louisiana Tech's Mike White, a source told @CBSSports. Story coming ...

[jbcarol]

Meet Tennessee's one-man search committee for finding a replacement for departed basketball coach Cuonzo Martin. David Climer gives the lowdown on Dave Hart. "Hart has been down this road before. His search for a football coach was a bit of a mess, but it turned out fine. He spent far too much time pursuing Mike Gundy, who wasn't going to leave Oklahoma State, and then made the mistake of offering the job to someone he assumed — incorrectly — would accept it: Louisville's Charlie Strong."

http://johnclay.bloginky.com/2014/04/18/big-blue-links-for-april-18

[jbcarol]

Just a few days after watching a coach who led Tennessee within a shot of the Elite 8 walk out the door for the California job, Tennessee basketball has apparently narrowed its search. One of the primary targets according to many reports? Louisiana Tech's Michael White. If Tennessee fans were unhappy with Cuonzo Martin's work for the Vols, I'm not sure this hire will fulfill the wishes for a "sexy" name or an exciting hire like Bruce Pearl.

Michael White does have some SEC experience, having played at Ole Miss as well as working for the Rebels as an assistant before being hired by Louisiana Tech. White has been successful at La Tech, putting up a 74-31 record. 56 of those wins have come in the last 2 seasons.

According to sources who have talked to CBSSports.com, the Vols had their sights set on some more A-list coaches, but the attractiveness of the Tennessee job is apparently not high enough to lead to many bites.

"... at least one potential candidate expressed no interest only because Tennessee's roster is in bad shape given that the Vols are losing four of their top five players from a Sweet 16 team."

http://kentuckysportsradio.com/basketball-2/tennessee-basketball-coaching-search-turns-to-michael-white

[jbcarol]

Cuonzo Martin ‏@CuonzoMartin  Apr 19
"It was great to see my first @Cal_Baseball game and meet the guys last night #GoBears" pic.twitter.com/M7L4iUCbgO

[jbcarol]

Ben Frederickson ‏@Ben_Fred  3h
Belmont's Rick Byrd told @MikeOrganWriter he doesn't foresee a future with the #Vols http://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/columnist/mike-organ/2014/04/19/belmont-coach-never-realized-ut-dream-job/7920827/ ...

[jbcarol]

Tennessee writers covering Vol basketball are puffing Michael White, the current LaTech coach, Ole Miss player and son of Duke AD Kevin White.

Here is LaTech's team profile:

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/team/_/id/2348/louisiana-tech-bulldogs

They knocked UGa out of the NIT and came up just short of a 30-win season out of C-USA.  Frank Haith joins the conference next season.

[jbcarol]

Dave Foster ‏@DaveFoster17 ·Apr 19
Unlike a few years ago with Dooley, my Louisiana media friends have high praise for the job White has done at Louisiana Tech.


Vince Dooley's son coached at LaTech b/4 landing in Knoxville.

[jbcarol]

Wes Rucker ‏@wesrucker247 ·10 hrs
Just a man running a business, IMO. RT @Alansdon8: @wesrucker247 do you think Dave Hart is just a cheap person when it comes to basketball?

Wes Rucker ‏@wesrucker247 ·10 hrs
Fascinates me that #Vols hoops has so many perception problems, when looking at their facilities and past decade on the court. Kinda weird.

[jbcarol]

Chad Withrow ‏@withrowzone ·14 hrs
A source is telling me that Mike White will be the next coach at Tennessee. Things can change, but he looks like the guy.

[The_Iceman]

Chad Withrow ‏@withrowzone ·14 hrs
A source is telling me that Mike White will be the next coach at Tennessee. Things can change, but he looks like the guy.

And down goes Tennessee. Reminds me of the Dooley hire.

[jbcarol]

Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN ·2h
Mike White will not go to Tennessee, sources told ESPN. Has decided to remain at Louisiana Tech.

Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN ·2 hrs
Been told by sources that the contract offer and, in particular, the buyout was a stumbling block with Tennessee landing Mike White.

[jbcarol]

Gary Parrish @GaryParrishCBS  ·  5h 
By the way, if Tennessee hires from C-USA, Donnie Tyndall is the better fit anyway. Check his credentials here: http://cbsprt.co/1fgCB2N

[jbcarol]

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

Austin Kim @AustinKKim  ·  12m
A source tells me former Rock Bridge and former #Mizzou player Ricky Kreklow will transfer from Cal, confirming previous reports.


Player closest to ladder.

[jbcarol]

J Lord ‏@RealJLord ·11 hrs
@CuonzoMartin I hope you recruit better at cal than you did at UT

Cuonzo Martin ‏@CuonzoMartin ·11 hrs
"@JordyMac52: Going out isn't fun for me any more" good to hear!

[jbcarol]

Ben Frederickson ‏@Ben_Fred  3h
Looks like 2015 G Malik Beasley picked up a Cal offer this weekend, based off his tweets. Martin's staff offered him before it left UT.

[jbcarol]

Cuonzo Martin ‏@CuonzoMartin Apr 26
"@CalCoachG: Got my run in, coffee in hand, Cal shirt on, heading to the gym...it's going to be a great day!" Me too except for the run. Lol

Cuonzo: I choose not to run.  Coach G is the Cal Women's coach.

[jbcarol]

Gary Parrish ‏@GaryParrishCBS  2h
Sounds like Vanderbilt is about to lose another assistant. I'm told Yanni Hufnagel is set to leave and join Cuonzo Martin's staff at Cal.

[jbcarol]

Tennessee granted releases to two freshmen on Monday, as new head coach Donnie Tyndall could move on without freshman guard Darius Thompson and freshman forward A.J. Davis.

The 6-foot-5 Thompson was a key reserve last season, as the backup point guard ran the offense off-the-bench and appeared in all 37 games for Tennessee, registering 10-12 minutes a game in 33 of those contests. The light-shooting Thompson averaged 2.6 points, two rebounds, 2.4 assists and one steal per game in 16.4 minutes a game last season. Thompson also led the team in steals and was second in assists.

The 6-foot-9 Davis is the son of former NBA All-Star forward Antonio Davis and appeared in 25 games for Tennessee last season, but saw his minutes decline significantly during SEC play. Davis averaged 1.3 points and 1.6 rebounds per game in the 2013-14 campaign.

Although both Davis and Thompson should improve over the next few seasons, neither looked like a sure thing to be starters in the SEC based on their freshman seasons.

Thompson was serviceable as a backup ball handler because of his steadiness with the ball (34 turnovers in 620 minutes), but he only shot 38 percent from the field and 19 percent from the three-point line

[jbcarol]

Ben Frederickson @Ben_Fred  ·  7h

Talked w/ very happy @CuonzoMartin tonight. He's thrilled for Stokes, McRae. Called both high character guys who turned dreams into reality.

[jbcarol]

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

After missing the final seven games of the 2013-14 season due to a stress fracture in his left foot, California center Kameron Rooks entered the offseason with hopes of not only getting healthy but also becoming a more integral figure for the Golden Bears. And with Richard Solomon out of eligibility, the door was open for the rising sophomore to step forward and earn more than the seven minutes he averaged as a freshman.

Unfortunately for Rooks and new head coach Cuonzo Martin there's a good chance that the 7-footer won't be able to play this season, with multiple outlets reporting that Rooks suffered a torn ACL in his left knee last week. And considering who the Golden Bears have in their front court, the loss of Rooks is a significant one.

Looking for a new AD as well.

[jbcarol]

Gary Parrish @GaryParrishCBS  ·  11h
In Berkeley this morning. Watching the Cal Bears workout.

[jbcarol]

Gary Parrish @GaryParrishCBS  ·  12h

I spent a day with Cuonzo Martin in Berkeley. We talked about his exit from Tennessee. This column is the result: http://cbsprt.co/1r5nuSi

Tennessee's administration was admittedly caught off-guard. So were Tennessee's players. And yet none of them was publicly critical of Martin the way players often are when a coach leaves, which was fascinating. More often than not, there's a sense of betrayal rooted in promises broken. But there was none of that with the Tennessee players, far as I know, and I remember thinking, back in April, how that was interesting, if not unprecedented.

"Jordan McRae, Jarnell Stokes, they were all like, 'Coach, you gotta get out of here,' " Martin tells me, his point being that what they proclaimed publicly matched their private words. "The guys were like, 'It's time to roll.' And it was time. I think everybody knew that."

Forty-five Division I basketball programs made changes this offseason, for one reason or another, and there were some surprises in the bunch -- most notably Frank Haith leaving Missouri for Tulsa. In hindsight, that move makes lots of sense for lots of reasons. But, at the time, it was a little shocking because, at the time, it was not common knowledge in basketball circles that Haith was looking for an escape route ASAP.

But Cuonzo Martin?

Yeah, it was common knowledge that he was looking for a new home.

The only silly thing would've been if Martin wasn't looking for a new home given everything he had been dealing with at UT -- like crazy criticism from fans, prominent boosters working against him in tangible ways and, yes, that online petition signed by 40,000 folks requesting that Martin be fired so that the man he replaced, Bruce Pearl, could be rehired.

Do you remember how nasty it got for Martin at Tennessee?

Martin's problems in Tennessee were mostly two-fold:

    He was never going to be Bruce Pearl in UT fans' minds.
    Bruce Pearl was about to be back on the coaching market.

Jordan McRae @JordyMac52

Can't treat people any kind of way and expect good in return.
1:45 PM - 15 Apr 2014

[jbcarol]

Cal 73,  Syracuse 59 in Madison Square Garden.

Cal Bears advance to 2K Classic Finals playing Texas later today.

Good for Cuonzo.

[Inhogswetrust]

Cal 73,  Syracuse 59 in Madison Square Garden.

Cal Bears advance to 2K Classic Finals playing Texas later today.

Good for Cuonzo.

I don't know all the details of what happened at tenner and I'd bet few people do but I think he got a raw deal there and wasn't treated well.

[jbcarol]

With just over two minutes remaining in No. 10 Texas' win over Iowa in the semifinals of the 2K Sports Classic, sophomore starting point guard Isaiah Taylor hit the floor hard after being fouled on a layup attempt by Iowa's Gabe Olaseni. Taylor would be subbed out of the game after shooting the resulting free throws, and unfortunately for the Longhorns the injury has sidelined Taylor indefinitely according to Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com.

Per the report the school will take another look at the wrist when the team returns to Austin following their game against California Friday night at Madison Square Garden. And while the injury is expected to sideline Taylor for "several weeks," it isn't expected to be a season-ending injury...


Cuonzo Martin's team plays Tejas in the early season tournament championship.

[jbcarol]

Texas won the 2K Classic, defeating California 71-55 despite learning earlier in the day that Isaiah Taylor will miss 4-6 weeks with a wrist fracture. Eventually that will be a problem, but tonight it wasn't as Texas' size inside was just too much for the Golden Bears.

Played in Madison Square Garden.

[jbcarol]

Clay Travis @ClayTravisBGID  ·  17 hours ago

Cuonzo Martin tearing up the Pac 12 this year. Guy can flat out coach and recruit: http://pac-12.com/sport/mens-basketball/standings ...

California   1-6   0.143

Clay Travis @ClayTravisBGID  ·  Jan 22

Cuonzo Martin's Cal team down 25 at home to last place, 9-9 Arizona State. Cal now 1-5 in Pac 12. Zo's a hall of fame coach.

Whatever you do, Cal fans, don't sign a petition to replace him with a much better coach...

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria  ·  23m 23 minutes ago
NBA Scout on Cal: "There will probably be a scout at every game this year and certainly every conference game"  http://zagsblog.com/articles/with-addition-of-jaylen-brown-cal-comes-away-as-big-winner-in-recruiting/ ...

[jbcarol]

 Michael Carvell @Carvell_AJC  ·  19h 19 hours ago

Jaylen Brown of Wheeler HS drops from No. 1 to nation's No. 4 overall prospect in final http://Scout.com  rankings, per @EvanDaniels

[jbcarol]

Cal lost two commitments, including a top 75 recruit, on Wednesday

Wednesday night was a busy one for Cal basketball, as their 2015 recruiting class looks drastically different this morning from what it looked like 24 hours ago.

It started with three-star forward Roman Davis committing to play for the Golden Bears this season, a move that caused Davon Dillard — who had yet to sign with Cuonzo Martin's coaching staff — to decommit from the Berkeley school. Dillard is now headed to Oklahoma State.

Then late on Wednesday, the school announced that Tyson Jolly would not be enrolling at the university this summer. Jolly, the No. 73 player in the class, according to Rivals, will instead attend prep school for the 2015-16 season. He's still committed to Cal for the Class of 2016...

Losing Jolly and Dillard is a blow for the Bears, but those aren't the most important members of their recruiting class. Ivan Raab and Jaylen Brown, two top ten prospects, are. And with Jabari Bird, Jordan Mathews and Ty Wallace all returning to school, Martin still has a roster that will be ranked in the preseason top 25...

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/MizzouHoops/status/842131565014581248