SINCE WE LAST SPOKE: 4-17-14
EARLY BIRD: Sorry for the premature appearance at
tonybasilio.com but I felt events of the day dictated that I get my sentiments posted early. If I’m not swamped or brain-dead I will try to post an addendum prior to Friday’s appearance. Failing that I will be looking forward to speaking with (or at) you Friday and I hope you have a blessed Easter.
CALIFORNIA HERE HE COMES: Cuonzo had obviously had enough. For most of us that had come much sooner than it did for him. I am sorry that he leaves with bitter memories of the Bring-Back-Bruce petition and bad feelings toward the Tennessee fan base and the area of the country we call home but I am glad for him and the Vol Basketball Program that both can get a fresh start. It was not going to work here for Cuonzo Martin. He was the unfortunate heir to Bruce Pearl’s kingdom and he was not in the same stratosphere as a coach, teacher, recruiter, motivator, strategist or promoter. Bruce Pearl was a perennial NCAA Tournament level coach; Cuonzo was a twice-a-decade dancer at best. I wish him, his family and staff nothing but the best. They and the players they recruited represented my university with class and dignity and I will always admire the type of man he appears to be. He is, was and remains however an average basketball coach who in my opinion is very fortunate to have now been given the reins of two power conference basketball programs with a Mid-Major resume. Cuonzo will ultimately be hugely successful in life due to his morals and integrity. I’m just not certain those triumphs will be at side court of a major university.
THE STAKES OF LOSING STOKES GREATER THAN LOSING MARTIN: With Cuonzo Martin escaping to Cal, Jarnell Stokes off to whatever his professional life has in store for him and the last vestiges of Bruce Pearl’s Tennessee past vanished for the first time the program was about to be All-Cuonzo. On the surface I’d say that’s as good a reason for his departure as any. He didn’t exactly leave the cupboard overflowing so here’s hoping that Dave Hart and company prove to be much better recruiters than the man they are tasked with replacing. Coach Martin should be commended for extracting more from Jordan McRae and Jeronne Maymon than I thought Bruce would have -based solely on their freshman contributions- and though the previous staff did the leg work Stokes still chose to play for the newly departed regime. Now however with the vast amount of scoring and rebounding that Tennessee has relied on since Coach Martin’s arrival either out of eligibility or choosing not to exhaust it we will see if there has been more clear vision and astute evaluation on the recruiting front than meets the eye of the average fan. The roster for the 2014-15 season doesn’t exactly prompt visions of another second weekend run in the NCAA Tournament as a matter of fact the collection of returning players have most racking their brain for the names of the two tournaments below the NIT (that would be the CBI;
College Basketball Invitational and the CIT
College Insider’s Tournament).
That is unquestionably a premature and hopefully inaccurate projection of what the new coaching staff can make of the roster but it appears that several things must happen to brighten the dim view that most envision for the basketball season to come. Assuming that mass defections do not accompany Cuonzo’s abrupt departure these include a continuance of Josh Richardson’s aggressive, game-changing; play-maker performance he debuted in the NCAAs. Robert Hubbs needs to prove that injury prohibited him from being anywhere close to the 5-star player he was reputed to be and Darius Thompson and/or Larry Austin must be solid floor-leaders. A.J Davis has to fulfill the promise flashed prior to a mid-season injury and the Vols need Phillip Cofer or C.J Turman to be prematurely effective as freshmen in the post. Armani Moore and Derek Reese need to simultaneously provide bigger-than-they-stand, inside-outside presence and multi-purpose contributions. With M.J Rhett eliminating Tennessee as his next destination that’s a lot to fall in place for a program that too often has more adversity than good fortune.
Thankfully with a new man at the helm if the above fails to materialize there will be no repeat of the fan unrest and Cuonzo Martin job status deliberations that were quieted by the late-season run of success. Had Cuonzo stayed and delivered the expected subpar season supporters would have said that Year Four was a gimme rebuild due to natural attrition. The detractors would have -with some merit- retorted with
“Rebuild? Do you realize it’s Year Four? You’re LOOKING at his rebuild!” One thing is undeniable; whoever the Vols next Head Coach is needs to sign a couple of immediate impact players in the fall signing class. Barring further defections they have two 2014-15 scholarship and two for the 15-16 campaign available. They MUST not miss on ANY of those.
SPRING FORWARD: Last week in this spot I described what I would be watching closely in the Orange and White Game hoping to find a rare glimpse of something that could prove to be a harbinger of good things to come in the fall. I still believe few if any revelations came forth from the scrimmage but my thoughts are below. (Last week’s entries are
italicized with my post-game comments
bolded)
WHO BE THE Q-B? I will be anxious to see if there is a marked difference in the physical/mental maturity evident in both Riley Ferguson and Josh Dobbs from last season and if both have made significant arm strength advances.
The race for the starting QB position –as we knew it wouldn’t- appeared no closer to being decided and may have been further muddled. The rumored depth chart (1-Worley 2-Ferguson 3-Dobbs 4-Peterman) could well have been flipped based on game results with Josh Dobbs (6-9, 199, 3 TDs, 0 Ints) appearing to perform the best and Nathan Peterman (8-11, 81, 1, 0) looking to be no worse than bracketed with Justin Worley (11-13, 151, 1, 0) at 2nd. Meanwhile the hope of most of the Big Orange Nation –mainly because we have yet to see him fail- Riley Ferguson (7-12, 83, 1, 1, 1 fumble lost, 3 sacks) had clearly the worst day among the combatants showing a big arm but also a concerning carelessness and lack of awareness.
Other random QB thoughts:
-This season I refuse to suggest who the staff chooses to go under center. I wanted Peterman -based on what I had seen from him in the open summer practice and how unimpressive Worley had been to that time- to start against Florida. Be careful what you wish for; I’m convinced it cost us a bowl invitation.
-I hope Peterman is not forever banished to the bench due to his performance that day in Gainesville. Based on the two O&W games and the summer practice I’ve seen him participate in I believe he’s obviously a much better player than we witnessed that day. I’m not suggesting he be the starter but if the staff has as little confidence in him as most of the fan base I hope they are honest enough to allow him to seek other opportunities.
-I believe Josh Dobbs has the potential to be a solid QB in the SEC. Last season’s shortcomings were more about physical immaturity and premature opportunity than limited promise. He looks to be a bigger and stronger version than we saw close out the 2013 campaign.
-As I will expound on below with our increase in playmakers at other positions this may be the season that a manage-the-game; don’t-get-you-beat QB like Worley may be the best –though not my preferred- option.
SEE WHAT I’VE HURD Since Montario Hardesty took his act to the NFL the Vols have handed the football to one serviceable RB after another. The SEC regardless of the style of attack implemented requires that you be able to run the football to extend and punctuate possessions. That requires a combination of speed, power and innate ability missing in orange for a number of years. Jalen Hurd is supposed to possess those qualities. An underwhelming and undermanned offensive line may distort the view but I think I’ll recognize a stud RB if I see one.
I saw one. Jalen Hurd has the size, ability and based on one viewing moxie to be the SEC RB we have so desperately needed to move the needle. He can make people miss and get additional yards after contact. He needs to get to the point where he is NEVER shoestring tackled as he was once Saturday but the projection for him is very good.
Even more impressive was Josh Malone; his ability after the catch jumped out at you after seeing his very first reception. Barring injury, if he fails to be a big-time player here I will be stunned. Put him with Marquez North and fellow newcomer Von Pearson and the starting WR unit at UT will take a backseat to no other receiving corps in the league in 2014.
POP EM and DROP EM The Vols simply must tackle better than they have in past seasons to make any ascension in the SEC standings. Getting more bodies around the ball would certainly help but modern spread-you-out offenses make it even more essential to be proficient in one-on-one tackling.
The most disappointing aspect of an otherwise promising day was team tackling. Butch Jones lamented the lack of bringing ball carriers to the ground immediately after the game and his assessment was spot-on. I saw more guys knocked flat in the VFL flag football game at halftime.
ALIVE-n-KICKIN: I never thought I would pen these words but I sure hope George Bullock and Matt Darr can be as solid in the PK and P duties as Michael Palardy was last season.
Bullock and Darr did nothing to cause wide-spread panic but the jury is certainly still out since no kicking game aspects were truly live. Based on the metamorphoses of Michael Palardy under the current staff I can confidently say I am more optimistic than I would be if Derek Dooley and his underlings were still working their magic.
VOL BASEBALLERS BETTER BUT HOW MUCH? There will be no Sabermetric gobbledygook used to support my contention but Tennessee has a much-improved baseball team than what we have unfortunately been forced to witness since their last NCAA appearance in 2005. Even more depressing is the fact that only once (2007) during the appalling stretch have the Vols qualified for the SEC Tournament which was expanded from an 8 to a 10 team event after the additions of Texas A&M and Missouri in 2012 with two additional spots made available last season. At the midway point of this season another SEC Tournament exclusion is a distinct possibility. Sitting at 6-9 at the midpoint of the SEC season places the Vols in a tie for the worst record in the league with Auburn who beat the Vols two out of three in Knoxville and Missouri who the Vols did the same to in Columbia. Tennessee sits in a similar position to the first two seasons of the Dave Serrano era when they were 7-8 in 2012 and 5-10 in 2013. The stretch run both seasons left much to be desired with a 3-10 finish last season (two games versus Georgia were cancelled due to inclement weather) and a dreadful 1-14 in 2012. The Vols five remaining conference series are against Baseball America’s #8 Alabama (4/18-20); @ #12 LSU (4/25-27); #19 Kentucky (5/1-3); @ #24 Miss State (5/9-11) and #9 Florida (5/15-17). It is –as SEC Baseball always is- a killer stretch but the Vols must find a way to navigate it. What will it take to make it to Hoover? I believe a 7-8 stretch run to a 13-17 SEC record will do the trick. That equates to winning two of their three remaining home series and avoiding a sweep in the others. That probably won’t be enough to make an NCAA Regional but a long-awaited return trip to the SEC Tourney would be a welcomed step in the right direction. Serrano’s first two units lacked the talent and mindset to make that step. I think his third will prove to be more prepared and resilient.
IN A PERFECT WORLD: We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. Romans 6:4
HAPPY EASTER
