Kinda slow in here hey look a Cuonzo article

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/24624246/new-faces-new-places-cuonzo-martin-knew-it-was-time-to-go-when-he-left

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I read that. My biggest issue with it is the Gary Parrishes of the world for some reason thinking we should've been lavishing praise and appreciation on what was essentially three years of mediocre basketball.

 

"Martin acknowledged, openly, that he realized a few months after taking the UT job that it probably wasn't the right job for him."

If he acknowledged that than move on and quit blaming the ending and being a victim as the reason for the departure. I agree with many of you (which makes the 8th different, aside from Bassman) that the petition and bringing back Bruce was ridiculous but clearly Cuonzo wanted out and was a bad fit long before that mess came up.

 

he and his agent really need to stop the victim tour

 

In truth I think that mess was out there as soon as he walked on to campus, but didn't really publicly hit the fan until the show cause was nearing its end, and the 2.5 seasons of ball up to that point hadn't made many people forget.

 

I think there were fans out there, and not a few, who sincerely believed that somebody was just coming in to keep the seat warm for 3 years until the show cause was up.

 

Duh. Not enough technicals.

 

You think?

 

I say it that way because it's too depressing to say it as a certainty

 

Obviously

 

Comes off in the article as the classy person he is and will always be. Still regret what went down, but he's made his bed now.

 

Eh. Can't say I have any regrets. He got a job above his pay grade and parlayed a decent postseason stretch into erasing three years of average coaching and getting another gig. Had he stuck around he'd just have gotten fired after next season.

 

As I said, being a cal fan I could do without the victim tour. Time to start selling cal

 

yeah best thing happened for all parties IMO

 

I'm embarrassed at how the fan base and some higher ups acted. I'm glad Cuonzo was able to leave for another job. I don't see Tyndall working out here but Cuonzo wasn't either.

 

I don't think race had anything to do with anything in regards to Martin. Why did it take the fans getting on the coach and players for them to get a spark up their ass and play to their potential? He was a mediocre coach who had us treading water in a weak conference and got a quixotic little run in a tourney he barely qualified for. The petition was stupid, but, hey, that's what our fan base does best, stupid.

 

NB: I'm going in.

 

Cuonzo, Racism, and BBB: Parrish the Thought

In his article, Gary Parrish trots out the canard of the petition demanding Cuonzo's firing and throws in some nice unsubstantiated racism claims as well. I thought that was lazy and/or reprehensible on his part, though his position is certainly not unique among his peers (looking at you Dana O'Neil).

Anyways, with regards to the petition and racism: who ultimately made the decision to not make a bigger, longer-term commitment to Cuonzo? It's Dave Hart, right? I'm sure there was some booster influence, and perhaps a lot of it, but at the end of the day Hart has seemed pretty OK with alienating boosters and calling his own shots, leaving a bloody trail of UT-leveraged raises and extensions in his wake. Another day at the office.

So claims about the fanbase regarding racism may or may not be true to any significant degree. Claims about the petition, though forever misstated and exaggerated they may be, likely are fair enough for many UT fans. But for either of those two factors not to be obfuscations, they would have to also apply to the decision maker, Dave Hart, who did not fire Cuonzo but clearly did not provide him with a tenable situation.

Do lots and lots of people, quite frankly (I see you Stephen A. Smith), think Dave Hart finds the color of Cuonzo's skin an issue? Does Gary Parrish think there is any truth to that?

And as for the petition, the article itself mentions Dave Hart's vow to never rehire Pearl. Also, Dave Hart in fact did not hire Bruce Pearl. It would appear to me that Dave Hart may not have given much consideration to the petition, seeing as how the lone purpose of the petition was to BBB (bring back Bruce) and Hart ended up DDD (dumpster diving Donnie - sorry, that's a cheap shot).

Dave Hart's primary motivation is simple. It's even stated right there in a paraphrase attributed to Cuonzo (in so many words). Not good enough. Simple as that. Recruiting? Not good enough. Assistants? Not good enough. Future of the program after losing three key players? Not good enough. The culmination of histenure, bolstered by a 5th year senior leader returning from a season-long injury to align everything for one final push? Not good enough (or at least not convincingly so).

Couch it in terms of fit or not the right job or whatever you like. Timing is everything. Maybe there's something to that. But when push came to shove, Cuonzo shoved off to Cal. To be sure, there is an honor in recognizing one's shortcomings, in making a mutually beneficial decision to part ways. At the same time, it's an odd trait to have for a Division I collegiate coach.

Martin acknowledged, openly, that he realized a few months after taking the UT job that it probably wasn't the right job for him. From early on. My god, man! Those were halcyon days! Making a run at the tournament with a collection of Pearl castoffs? Landing Jarnell Stokes? Yet no self belief? No singular focus to overcome the obstacles? This certainly doesn't match the biography. Very curious indeed.

But apparently good enough for ex-Cal AD Chaz Bono. So good luck with that. And actually, sincere best wishes as well.

So anyways, what does 2 + 2 equal, Gary (and not to exclude, any other media members with similar takes on Cuonzo and UT... or I guess that's everyone who's written anything about Cuonzo and UT)? Hint, the answer is in your article. No, it's not the KKK. Hey, give it another try though. Change.org? Where do you guys even come up with this? Not even close.

In fact, not good enough.

Other points:

Nice publicist line. Also, the SEC was rancid trash for the entirety of Cuonzo's tenure. Come on. You sure you didn't just take that from an infographic?

Because of attendance, itself because of a worse product.

Leave it to Vanderbilt to set that bar sky high. Cusp of the tournament? You don't say? Enjoy that one too, Cal.

Would certainly be a banner year for Kevin Stallings though, to be sure (tell 'em Franco).

 

*drops mic*

 

needed a balls deeeeeeep in there somewhere