Welcome to Monday. It's Nine days out from the first ever Early signing period for major college football. Plus it's the first full week for the new Jeremy Pruitt regime.
Programming Note: 
Due to a medical procedure, I will miss today's Tony Basilio Show. I hope to be back on the air tomorrow with you!!! Beano will be joined by Brock and Philly for what promises to be a fun program.
Orange Throat leads things off on this Monday.
Orange Throat
'Basilio Nation:
Random musings as we have fun with a great basketball start and watch new HC Jeremy Pruitt and his talented staff get after it on the recruiting trail:
NEW ATHLETICS DIRECTOR Phillip "Moses" Fulmer was warmly welcomed at Saturday's Tennessee basketball game with Lipscomb, as he introduced his new head football coach. Fulmer's popularity with Vols fans probably hasn't been this high since he delivered a natty at Phoenix in early 1999. He took over for John Currie on Dec. 1 and delivered his hire six days later.
PRUITT IS ASSEMBLING a staff long on SEC experience and one that boasts strong recruiting resumes. His decision to keep RB coach Robert Gillespie was applauded inside the Anderson Center, as was the hire of VFL Terry Fair from Colorado State.
RECRUITING IN STATE: Of course, the status of Vol legacy and #1 rated Cade Mays is being watched by everyone but that situation doesn't look promising. Lots of rumors about what's going on with Mays and the family but all indications is the talented OL is going out of state. Pruitt and staff may have a better shot at flipping #2 DE Jordan Davis from Alabama. The Memphis DE has a great frame and upside. #5 in Tennessee Alontae Taylor, once a Vol commit, should be a good bet to recommit to the Vols and his skills are much needed at WR and in the return game next season. Massive OL Jerome Carvin, probably way underrated at #15 in the state, would be a quality add.
GEORGIA ON PRUITT'S MIND: Recruiting the state of Georgia effectively was a key ingredient in Phillip Fulmer's successful strategy to win a national title and was the weakest part of Butch Jones' recruiting performance in five years. In fact, the best Georgians signed during Jones' tenure were QB Josh Dobbs and CB Cam Sutton from the 2013 class, although Evan Berry (2014) was a great KO returner, Quart'e Sapp (2015) flashed potential last season and 2016 signees Nigel Warrior and Marquez Callaway could blossom into true stars with good coaching.
JONES' 2017 CLASS netted only two Georgians and one of those, Marquez Bembry, had to go the juco route. Pruitt will undoubtedly target the Peach State and work it much harder and it makes sense that new coach Tracy Rocker, a former All-American at Auburn from Atlanta, can lead the charge in recruiting.
RICK BARNES' 2017-18 Basketball Vols continue to make Keith Hatfield look smart in running their record to 7-1, with a much-anticipated rematch with North Carolina at The Thommy next Sunday. Hatfield defied the SEC Hoops media's 13th pick and forecast the Vols would be 5th in the SEC this season.
BARNES' TEAM is playing above its talent level by playing great defense (3rd in the league in opponent FG%) and being very efficient from the 3-point line (1st in SEC in %).
PLAYING A QUALITY SCHEDULE and beating a highly-regarded team like Purdue has catapulted the Basketball Vols to a 22nd in the nation rating as ranked by the respected Ken Pomeroy. ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi has the Vols comfortably in the SEC Tournament as a #7-seed and the fourth of seven SEC teams in his bracket.
NEXT SUNDAY's game with North Carolina at The Thommy promises to be one of the most anticipated non-conference home games in several years.
HOLLY WARLICK'S 11th-ranked Lady Vol basketball team capped off a nice weekend yesterday with a 82-75 upset of #2 Texas. Looks like it will be a fun winter following both of our basketball teams.
Orange Throat
IGYTUB'
Throaty:
So many great points. I love your observation about the vibe around Phillip Fulmer. I can't help but love how much leadership he showed last week in hiring a guy that he felt was the right guy instead of the one that would thrill folks around him. Do you know how hard it must've been for Fulmer to choose somebody other than Kevin Steele? That's called leadership. Sir Phillip Fulmer is my new name for him.
Your entry on UT hoops has me thinking about great home games in the history of TBA. Tennessee/ UNC this year will roll into Knoxville with a team certainly not as talented as the one UT saw last year but Carolina is Carolina. There's something about that Carolina Blue to those of us that take college hoops seriously. Though 9-1 on the season, Carolina is largely untested. Sunday might be their toughest game to date. Considering that they haven't played a game since December 6th, Carolina could end up being rusty. The Vols have a real chance to make some magic here. It sure is fun to dream.
Speaking of which, wouldn't it be fun if Tennessee could land Austin Thomas for this new staff? Thomas would be such a wonderful asset as these guys get their feet on the ground.
Speaking of Magic: Throaty mentioned Cade Mays. The more I hear about that situation the more of a long shot keeping him home becomes. I'm not going to hold this against Pruitt and staff if they're not able to land Mays. Whether its 9 days or 6 weeks, Pruitt just doesn't have ample time to solidify a relationship with that guy.
Road Warrior Fulmer: I love that Phillip Fulmer said last night that he's passed his NCAA Recruiting Test and will be hitting the road in the interim ahead of the December 20th Signing Day. Classic.
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'On Saturday #VolTwitter brought awareness to the football team about a video showing Keaton Jones sharing his heart-wrenching story about being bullied, specifically in the lunchroom at school. He said kids poured milk on him and put ham down his shirt. I cried when I watched it. My mom heart and my teacher heart hurt terribly for him. He showed wisdom beyond his middle school years as he shared advice to others who experience bullying, to try to not let it bother them and maybe it will get better someday.
The support he received was incredible. First, several prominent players of the UT football team came together and are planning on eating lunch with him on Tuesday. Then a Titans player tweeted about him. It spiraled. Personally, I saw Millie Bobby Brown, Bernice King, Patricia Arquette, Sean Hannity, among others tweet words of encouragement to him. Patton Oswalt started a gofundme for him. The support rained down and it was wonderful to see.
But I saw some things that troubled me. An internet mob started on his behalf, and while I know people mean well, some of it was not good.
First, people seemed to assume that his teachers and principals knew about this and were doing nothing. I'm sorry, but I do not believe that for one minute. Educators aren't in their field for the paycheck. They love their students. There are a few possibilities here. 1) The bullies were taking advantage of a teacher not watching. It is 100% impossible for teachers to pay 100% attention to 100% of kids. Especially in a lunchroom. 2) Kids who are bullied are often scared to tell their teachers for fear of being bullied further as a "baby" or a "tattletale." It's very possible the teachers didn't know.
Secondly, there seemed to be a mob out for blood on the bullies. Please consider a few things. These kids are middle schoolers. If you haven't been around middle schoolers lately, let me enlighten you: they are hormonal psychopaths. They make terrible choices. Some of them are abused at home. Most importantly, they are children also. These students are 100% responsible for their behavior. But wanting vengeance on a 12 year old is a childish stance itself. These kids need education and direction, not revenge.
The loving support for Keaton was amazing. The mob going after teachers and administrators who "didn't care" and the desire for revenge on a group of middle school bullies was not.
Just my two cents.
Heidi'
Heidi....Social media and especially Twitter is a double edged sword. I've personally participated in behavior I'm proud of, plus times I wish it could be lost to history. As for Vol Twitter rallying to this young man, I couldn't be more proud. The cherry on top of this story is that a few current Tennessee players have reached out this young guy and will be eating lunch with him at his school! Can you imagine the looks on the faces of the rest of those kids when they see this? What a great statement!
Here's the magic of social media. Young Keaton is now a part of the incomparable Bill Russell's journey.
Link
What the heck...That young guy won the weekend.
Link
This is worth celebrating. God Bless Swainey!!!
Link
Chico IS The Man:
'Chico, don't get discouraged,
The Man he ain't so hard to understand.
Chico, if you try now,
I know that you can lend a helping hand.'
WELCOME ABOARD COACH PRUITT AND WELCOME BACK TO ALL THE VOL FAITHFUL THAT WERE AT THE END OF OUR ROPE
FREE THOUGHT FRIDAY
WHO’S OUR NEXTUN, JIMMY SECTION?
LET’S DO IT WITH PRUITT:
CAN’T AND WON’T TRY TO SELL IT:
JUST ME ON TEE:
PHILLIP FULMER:
PRUITT PRESSER:
FINAL FRIDAY THOUGHT:...[more]
I'm really thrilled to see the Lady Vols are back to being the Lady Vols after beating #2 Texas yesterday. Tony Robinson promised me that Bridgette Gordon was going to instill some toughness in Tennessee by her return and he wasn't lying. I'm thrilled for Holly as she gets to take a breath in the early going and hopefully get UT Women's hoops back to the Summitt.
Ah...I'd think I'd be running.
Link
Go Vols
Tony
A New Direction At TonyBasilio.com: Here at Tonybasilio.com we’re creating a series of programming with little to mostly zero commercial sponsorship. In other words, you will be digesting the following programs in coming days with almost no interruption. This is unprecedented in the history of my business. Nobody has ever done this. Here are the offerings coming your way.
Our Family Of Offerings:
‘X-Cast: A Recruiting Podcast’: Featuring Tony Basilio & ‘X’ where we discuss the latest moves, behind the scenes machinations and all the intrigue from the world of recruiting. This will hopefully be offered twice monthly with lengths varying. If this takes off perhaps we can even do some live offerings of this show. THIS IS BEING OFFERED COMMERCIAL FREE!!!
Fifth Quarter Fan Reaction: Back for season 4. Sponsored by Marcos Garza. This year with NO OTHER SPONSORS. This will be pure content for you. I’m taking a chance here but I know you will reward me for not bombarding you with messages Vol Network style. This program will run for at least 3 hours following Tennessee Football Games. We will have new visual presentation of this feature as well that we’re investing in. Thanks to Jayson Swain for helping me with the technical side of our visual presentation.
Southeastern Sunday Night: 7p to 9p on Sunday Nights airing on Periscope/Facebook Live and other platforms including your Tony Basilio Show App. This will be a regional program that aims to keep it real. We will tell the truth on us, them and all with you. This could be a lot of fun if you help me spread the word across the region. This hopefully will turn into a free for all that is free for all. ZERO SPONSORS. COMMERCIAL FREE OFFERING.
Vol-Scars: A podcast featuring Vol Historian Tom Mattingly and Eric S where we go back in time and commemorate the painful losses in UT football history that left a mark. These shows are extremely time intensive to put together. I’ve worked all summer on these offerings and am really proud of what we’ve compiled thus far. I think you’ll really enjoy this. COMMERCIAL FREE.
Gate Twenty Won: A podcast Featuring Vol Historian Tom Mattingly where we celebrate the greatest wins in UT history in time capsule form. These are a breath of fresh air and the type of programming I’m aiming to bring to you . COMMERCIAL FREE
Chill Cast: Tell Me A Story: A podcast where I grab folks from the sports world and our community and allow them to share their stories with us. This will be done in the spirit of the
recent re-launch programs that I did. We’ll aim to go deeper here. Stay tuned. COMMERCIAL FREE.
Tennessee Basketball Overtime: Back for year 5! Immediately following Tennessee Basketball Games. A Tennessee Basketball Call-In show featuring ONLY ONE SPONSOR…GARZA LAW FIRM. Therefore we keep the conversation going without bombarding you Vol Network style. What a concept!!!!
Garza On The Law: A Podcast dealing with the legal issues that invade the sports world featuring the great Marcos Garza. We will go deeper here. I promise that you will find this interesting. Presented by Garza Law Firm.
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FAQ's Asked Of Tony Per Our Relaunch Announcement:
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A: Absolutely not. I will bring this up a few times heading into the football season as we attempt to meet our financial goals and create new programming. I'll also mention it in the post-game format as well as the regional programming. I will not however wear you out with this. Either you feel the need to help us or you don't. This is why I'm taking today to field some question I received after day one.
Q: What happens if this doesn't generate the revenue you're seeking?
A: We will scale back our online offerings accordingly. The blog itself could even disappear. I really don't want this to happen but will be forced to spend my time in the most profitable way necessary. That's why we're having the conversation. All my cards are on the table here.
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A: Click on "Podcast" wherever you see it on the site, and it will take you to our Podcast page.
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