John Currie will be officially introduced this afternoon at UT. Personally I can't wait because then we can get on with talking about sports again. It's always wise to go into any relationship with your eyes wide open. Toward that end we reached out and had Ryan Wallace, K State Recruiting Editor for Gopowercat.com and the Rivals Network, on the show yesterday breaking down what UT has gotten in John Currie.
Ryan Wallace on John Currie: 
'When he arrived here he did some wonderful things from a fundraising standpoint and a buildings standpoint. The facilities he bestowed on Bill Synder were night and day from what they were. This is for football and basketball. Even rowing has a terrific facility. And even soccer.'
'Then there's the CONFRONTATIONAL side of things. Bill Snyder got sideways over John Currie because was always trying to market that program. Currie wanted night kickoffs. Snyder wanted to play in the afternoon. That's a minor part.'
'Then there was an incident with Norman, Oklahoma where John Currie wanted the Cats to take a 5 hours bus ride to Norman for a road game. It's all about saving a buck or staying in the surplus. That's just one minor example. The two came to an agreement that they would bus down and fly home.'
'The other story that I just learned about over the last 48 hours is that Bill Snyder wasn't taking to things Currie was telling him. When Snyder wanted to get up and leave Currie told him curtly to SIT DOWN. It wasn't said politely. It turned into a lose-lose situation for Currie.'
'Looking around at people that were below him there and they're no longer there. He had a rotating group of people. One guy rumored to be next in line as AD took a lateral move to Texas Tech. It didn't seem to make sense. Reid Sigmon is another guy that was well-liked and he took a job with the college football playoff.'
'Let me be clear on this....it's not just football, but there are many other coaches that were hired by John Currie but they don't get along with John Currie because he's constantly meddling in their business. I'm talking about guys like Jeff Mittie, the woman's Coach that he just hired, and also Bruce Webber staff. They aren't sad to see him go.'
The coaching pool is now wider for Kansas State with Currie gone. Everyone knows Bill Snyder. When you get word from a guy like that that you don't want to work for this guy. It became clear that Snyder was going to do EVERYTHING HE COULD DO TO OUTLAST JOHN CURRIE.
John Currie was 100% the reason Frank Martin left K State. Martin is connected through Huggins and throughout that industry saying here's why you don't want to take that job.
Stand With The Tony Basilio Show
Join the T Club
Make a One-Time Donation
Send Us A T-Mail. Click Here.
Click to subscribe on Apple Podcasts
Former UT Assistant Head Coach Tony Jones on John Currie: I can't speak to his dealings with others, but I reported to John when he was at UT when it came to scheduling and we had a great relationship. He was always great toward me. In fact, I will be at today's press conference to welcome John back to UT,' Jones said.
Dr. Sean Sinclair On The Currie Hire: 'Folks inside the athletic department told me they were disappointed because this hire was a chance for healing and a chance to bring back some sense of family. This place has been beaten down with very little success on the field.'
'My father taught me that you can tell a lot about a person by the way they treat their subordinates. John Currie failed mightily during his first go around at UT in this regard.'
'Kansas State had to hire a liaison to go between HOF Head Coach Bill Snyder and John Currie. This is a fact.'
Basketball Vols Fall Hard: Lost to a team that lost 15 straight games. Only win before last night for LSU was Mizzou.
Vols are 14-15 overall and 7-10 in the SEC.
The need for a point guard has NEVER been more glaring.
Played purposeful first half for the first time in a few games.
GREAT to see Jordan Bowden back in the game. Hit 2 big 3's early. Great to see him back.
Tennessee had 10 assists and 6 turnovers at halftime.
Problem was Tennessee was lifeless on defense. I mean absolutely not there. Vols trailed 78-68 with 3:46 left in the game.
Turner is still way careless with the basketball. He plays way too fast. Parker had dribbled a ball off his foot. It can be tough to watch.
Grant Williams had another struggle as teams continue to press him offensively. He just hasn't looked comfortable in the past several games.
Tony Jones Has A Theory on Hoops Vols Nosedive: 'Rick Barnes has historically been a players' coach. But he's really had his thumb on this team. You're talking about 18 to 22 year old teams and the message can get overbearing and you can eventually lose kids. This is the thing. They don't have a point guard. Bone needs to get stronger. If they're going to be better next year they need a 5th year senior PG to handle that job,' Tony Jones said.
So Excited For Changes @ The New WVLZ: If you love Tennessee talk, check out The Orange & White Report! Starting on Monday, March 6th, Charlie Burris, Brad Matthews, and Tyler Wyatt will bring you all of the best news, notes, and opinion on Tennessee and the entire sports world. Check it out on AM-1180 WVLZ from 10-11 a.m. every weekday, right before The Tony Basilio Show! The station EASILY has the best lineup it's had since I've been affiliated with them. I'm surrounded by real pros.
Final Thought: Here's hoping John Currie can prove me wrong and have a long and prosperous run here leading our Volunteers.
Get the app!
Droid |
iPhone
Tony B
Share This Blog
