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Now I definitely did not think CCM was doing a good job at the time, but I will apologize - he has redeemed himself. I did not sign the petition because I thought it was tacky.  I expected sweet 16 at the start of the season, and here we are

Yep, he's won me back.  I think he should get another season.  I'm still not overly optimistic about next year, but he deserves the chance to prove me wrong.

Sweet 16 was my expectation as well, and we did it without Hubbs. So I say he's exceeded my expectations. I did not expect this.

I realized recently that my irritation with Cuonzo was at least partly about Bruce and the UT administration, and that wasn't fair. I'm proud of him and of his players. We are playing some of the best basketball a UT team has ever played right now. No doubt about it.

Never signed it and never would...Not fair to the kids or staff during a season.

But.......I was ready for CCM to go just 4 weeks ago! I was wrong!

Also didn't sign it.   :thumbup:

I didn't sign it and wouldn't ever sign such a petition. They're silly. But I was convinced that Cuonzo wasn't the right guy for the job. For that matter, I'm still convinced. Although a strong tourney showing often lands up-and-coming coaches at mid-majors their first major job offer, I'm not convinced that a few tourney games are more indicative of a coach's ability than a 3-year body of work. Obviously, Cuonzo has earned himself another year...barring a complete crash-and-burn next season, he's earned himself two more years. But all of these people on Twitter/Facebook/messageboards/etc. who are suddenly coming out of the woodwork (after being completely silent in their defense of Cuonzo two and three months ago, btw) to mock his outspoken critics...I guess I'll just have to say that I'm not sold.

But I'll be more than happy to eat crow next season.

I would tend to agree with you, on all counts.

I don't understand this 3 year issue with Martin. In his first season, Tennessee was predicted to finish 11th in a 12 team league with only lowly SC below Tennessee. He landed Stokes against all expectations and finished tied for 2nd in the conference. This was over achieving in every aspect after the dumpster fire that was smoldering around the program after Pearl.

In year two, they were preseason picked 4th and finished tied for 5th after losing Maymon for the season with a knee injury. Then we have this season with a current Sweet16 game.

Next year the talent level will be down but other teams as well will have losses to graduation and the NBA. For sure next years team will be different and more athletic in the front court, a confident leader in Richardson, a recovered Hubbs, and a SOPH PG with experience. In addition, with this young team I think you will see an easier OOC schedule with no trips to places like Wichita, Xavier, and only one game with Florida (in Knoxville). What will happen is yet to be seen, but with a defensive philosophy that Martin seems to be employing you never know. Of course, JMO.

Success as a basketball program isn't about where you finish in the conference. It's all about the postseason.

* Expectations for that first year should have been NIT, and that's where we ended up after a horrendous start but a solid finish. He was on par there.

* Expectations for the second year should have been an NCAA bid, and he fell short of that (and our resume did not deserve it, IMO). He was below expectations there.

* Expectations this year were not just making the tourney but advancing. A few weeks ago it appeared we weren't even going to make the tourney, and we just barely did. But now here we are in the Sweet 16, so he has met expectations-- and just took a really odd, roundabout way of doing it by winning as an 11-seed.

So he's at about par or a bit lower overall, IMO. There's no way you get rid of him, and you just hope that this season's turnaround is a sign for the future. But a few weeks ago what did that look like? On par for one season, and below expectations for the next two (well below for this year if we hadn't been selected). So much of the criticism was justified, in my view.

Cuonzo had to prove a lot of us wrong, and maybe he's starting to. His emotional reactions recently are going to help endear him to the fans as well. I expect a reasonable level of patience from fans in 2014-15 with the likely loss of 3 of your 4 top players. We'll see what he does with it.

It would be the right thing to do for whoever started the petition to man up and make himself (or herself) known.  My opinion is that it is pretty much a chickenshizzle thing to do to start something like that anonymously.  At least have the gonads to stand behind your opinions.  

1) I'm thrilled with the success.

2) I'm disturbed a team with this talent almost didn't make the tournament.

3) I'm pulling for Cuonzo. If he does well, so does my team.

4) Pearl isn't coaching my team, but his resume as of today is far more impressive than Martin's. I get fans being intrigued by an unemployed top 15 coach living in the same city as their school.

I'd say that's as succinct an appraisal of the situation with the UT fanbase as you'll ever find. No more discussion required.

 

I signed it and am not afraid to admit it. Bruce is a better coach than Cuonzo and even though I knew it was irrational to think he would coach at UT again, he was in Knoxville, visible, and available, and I wanted to take whatever avenue I could to express my wish that he be our coach again.

After the petition, they really turned it around and I'm thrilled. That doesn't make any of my previous displeasure invalid, and like others I suspect next year will not be a very good year for Tennessee basketball. Hopefully he continues to prove me wrong.

What Revolver said!  :)


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Yep...gotta agree. A team with this much talent should not have played so poorly for most if the season, barely got in to the tournament in a play-in game...and we have been the beneficiary of mercer beating duke. Happy we are finally winning but i aint sold on zoe.

I actually think they would've beaten Duke the way they are playing but yeah I agree. Team should've been a 5 seed based on talent.

OK, here's the biggest issue I have with the petition.

As some have said, there was no hope in hell that Pearl was coming back.  He just wasn't.  Too many burned bridges from both his and the UT administrations sides for that to ever happen.  There could have been a million and thirty-six thousand signatures on the petition and it still wouldn't have happened.

That said, all the petition did was give opposing coaches ammunition to successfully negative recruit against Cuonzo Martin and UT.  To me, that was just downright stupid and it has backfired in a huge way.  

Passion and emotion are strong tools in life, but misguided passion and emotion are seldom effective.  From where I sit, this was one of those cases. Sometimes it's better to think long and hard before getting involved in a "cause" and especially a cause generated by somebody who didn't even have the intestinal fortitude to put his or her own name to the alleged petition.  

That said, I was as critical of Martin as anybody.  As we all know, this team definitely underperformed during the regular season.  Fortunately, basketball is a tournament game and we did just enough in the regular season to get in to the NCAAs, and as they say the rest is history.  
My two cents worth.  

To me it didn't do anything except give our opponents ammunition to recruit against us, and the national media to make us look bad as fans. Plus, I just didn't like the idea of a fanbase openly petitioning to essentially get a coach fired in the middle of the season. I don't know - it just seemed really wrong.

   

It seems the last several years a lot of (us) UT fan aren't happy unless someone is getting fired.  :dunno:

plus 1

It's been a really rough few years to be a UT fan. The attitude to which you refer may not be healthy, but it's also not surprising.