TREMENDOUS conversation with Beano and our listeners yesterday regarding a ton of interesting topics. It was fun and cleansing getting some stuff out there. If you read the projected totals we published yesterday, you probably saw that I put myself on the clock. For the first time since I've done a daily show in Knoxville, I'm thinking about perhaps doing something different. Or maybe I'm thinking of doing things differently. Stay tuned here for updates as I'm trying to hash out in my mind what the next chapter holds for me. We all have to do what we feel we must. Rest assured that I love the opportunity you've given me. Even if you're a hater, you've made it possible for me to have a terrific run here. And hey, nothing lasts forever, right?
Vol Colonel now leads things off for us as we get serious on this Tuesday.
Vol Colonel
I missed everyone last week as I had a bout with the flu. It's great to be back this Tuesday with another Vols Report for you. So without further ado, let's get down to it!
First up this week I want to say bye to Dave Hart and hello to John Currie. Actually with Dave Hart good riddance may be more appropriate. Hart was brought in here to do a tough job at a tough time in our history. Dave had the task of consolidating our Athletics Department into one entity. Everyone knew going in consolidation wouldn't be easy and there was bound to be some feathers ruffled. Hart got the job done, but instead of gutting the excess in the house, he burned it down completely, making many enemies along the way. He picked fights that were just unnecessary and the collateral damage caused by his overreaching attack is one of the big reasons he was relieved of his duties as our Athletics Director.
Hart doesn't leave much of a legacy behind. I guess his crowning achievement's were consolidating the Athletic Department, getting us back on a path to financial stability and I guess he deserves some credit for getting us back to being a Nike brand, though when I look at some of the deals Nike has made with other schools, it's clear to me the nice folks at Nike low-balled Dave in negotiations.
As far as our athletic programs go, Hart didn't do anything to move the needle. Our athletics right now are in the worst shape in my lifetime and I'm so old I fart dust. The jury is still out on Butch Jones and Rick Barnes, but to this point I believe both have under achieved and under performed. Baseball is nothing short of a dumpster fire and there would be just cause if Dave Serrano was relieved of his duties tomorrow. To say Holly Warlick has under-achieved would be an insult to the very word. To this point the Lady Vols program looks to be a sinking ship under her watch!
Enter John Currie. John wasn't my choice for AD, but I promise you he has my full support. In fact, I think it's very important that John has all of our support. I know a lot of people including some former players that are still bent out of shape because Phillip Fulmer or David Blackburn didn't get the job. I say to those folks, what's done is done and it's time we all pull together as one united family. We are at the crossroads. I'm fearful if John Currie can't get this ship steered in the right direction, our ship is going to be forever lost at sea, mired in middle of the pack mediocrity.
In my lifetime I don't ever recall an Athletics Director at the University of Tennessee with more on his plate than Currie as far as getting our big athletic programs back on track. I have no doubt John will excel in fund raising and handling business on the administrative end of the things, but John is going to have to hit home runs with the hires he makes. He's also going to have to hold the coaches he inherited accountable.
When Butch Jones gets in front of a microphone and starts spewing on about life champions and all of that other BS that makes us look stupid from coast to coast, John is going to have to tell Butch to put a lid on it.
When assistant basketball coaches tell the world that our head basketball coach has earned the right to sit on his ass instead of hitting the road to recruit, John needs to step in and tell Coach Barnes that won't be tolerated here.
John knows what the standard is at UT. Now it's his job to uphold that standard and to make sure our coaches know what that standard is and what's expected from them.
I know as fans we all pretty much feel like we've been given the short end of the stick. I've probably said, I'm done, 500 times, but we're going to have to suck it up and continue supporting this University and these athletic teams that have always been near and dear to our hearts. If you get season tickets, I would ask you to renew. If you make financial contributions, I would ask you to continue giving. Right now, we need all hands on deck. We all need to pull in the same direction!
John Currie, we are counting on you to right this ship! Don't let us down! Also, here's some food for thought, John, bring back the Lady Vols to all women's athletic programs. I promise you that would be a great first move. There's no way to lose on that deal!
Y'all know where I stand!
Have a Great Day and Go Big Orange!
Your Vol Colonel
Vol Colonel...Amazing report my friend. So glad you're back. It's terrific that your feeling better. Don't scare me like that.
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Noted sports researcher Mike McCurry had an eye popping tweet on the competitive imbalance in major college basketball. "UNC, Kentucky, Louisville, Duke, UCLA, and Kansas have been to the Final Four in each of the last 30 seasons." Look at that and think it over for a second. These programs have several things in common.
1) Demanding Fan Bases
2) Rabid Boosters Willing To Pay For Success
3) Star Players...Star Players and more Star Players
4) Pretty Good Coaching
The bottom line is this....It's about players. And in college basketball, these schools have a ravenous addiction to landing the best ball players money can buy in America. This goes back generations. It's called a stone cold fact. Kansas has been rogue for years through multiple coaches. John Wooden was like dear old grand pa and he turned his saintly head as superbooster Sam Gilbert paid tons of players. UNC had a fake college for decades. Coach K plays the game and he always has (see the truthaboutduke.com). Louisville? Come on man? Kentucky? Dare I say more? I'll say this...I'd rather attempt to operate in this world than watch our Vols spin endlessly in search of our first Final Four appearance in school history.
Geno < Pat: Geno may have broken Pat's record for the most wins in NCAA Women's Tournament history, but he's still not what she was in Women's hoops. Why? Because Pat created Geno. She allowed him to succeed by inviting him to the party. Without Pat agreeing to play UConn when they were a fledgling regional program in the mid 90's, this run for Geno NEVER happens. I hope the Pat/Geno deal isn't reduced through history to only numbers. As we've seen here, numbers can be deceiving.
Geno's Success = Pat's Success: Do you know why Pat Summitt won championships? It's the same reason Geno is now winning them with aplomb. It's called the best players. Basketball is a funny game. Then again, it's not. Most times the team with the best players is going to win. Especially in that sport where one power program can stockpile blue chip players thus creating a competitive disadvantage for everybody in their wake. Are Geno and Pat both excellent coaches? Sure. Especially when they had more ballplayers than anyone.
Geno By The #'s: 111 Straight Wins
18 Final Fours (Tied W/ Pat Summitt)
10 Straight Final Fours
113 NCAA Tourney Wins (Most Ever Women's Hoops)
A Terribly Young Team in 2017
Ain't No Stopping Him Now
Geno making fun of Napheesa's defense was comical post game.
Roy Williams =?????? Roy Boy is college basketball's Phil Jackson. The only problem is Roy will never get a shot with the college hoops equivalent of the Knicks. Therefore we will never see Roy Williams get exposed. As with Pat/Geno and any other great coach you can think of, it's all about amassing players. When Roy Williams (who I will remind you is boys with Jerry Green) beats people in hoops, he ain't outsmarting them. This is a fact. Say it with me. Roy Williams is a glorified college hoops version of Phil Jackson. Jackson has been exposed in New York. The talent and management of the 90's Bulls and the early 2000's Lakers ain't showing up any time soon.
Vegas Raiders!! I love the ring of the Vegas Raiders. It's about time major league sports came to Las Vegas. Gambling fuels professional sports. This is a fact. The NFL was founded by gamblers for gamblers. All the while the guys that choose to play gamble with their health. Now that Vegas is coming to Vegas it's time for professional sports to get real. Wouldn't it be wonderful if a person could place a bet on a professional sport at an actual stadium or arena? This very thing goes on during soccer matches in UK.
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