Tennessee hires Cuonzo Martin; hire is much better than UT fans think

Bruce Pearl was arguably the single biggest storyline through out the season.

What were his violations? What was his punishment going to be? Was he going to be fired?

With that in mind, it was almost a shock when Cuonzo Martin was announced as Bruce Pearl's replacement.

"Cuonzo is among the most promising young coaches in the game, and we are excited about the coaching ability, toughness and energy that he brings to our program," Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton said. "He has a proven track record of success as a head coach at Missouri State and an assistant at Purdue as well as an outstanding career as a college basketball player."


The hiring was shock because it happened so quickly and without much warning, but also because it didn't involve Tennessee getting shot down by too many bigger names.

You see, the rumors and speculation involving Tennessee's coaching search included much bigger names that Martin, who had spent the previous three seasons at Missouri State. The wish list that was leaked included Jamie Dixon, Jay Wright, Anthony Grant, Mark Turgeon, and Gregg Marshall.

And the Vols ended up with a guy whose resume includes three seasons at an MVC school, a CIT title, and a single win in the NIT.

So you can understand why the reaction from those in Knoxville has been less than enthusiastic. (Read the comments here. The message board trolls are out en masse.)

When you have a passionate, rabid fan base that expects a homerun hire, they are not going to be excited when they end up with a bloop double.

But before you trash Martin, Vol fans, I urge you to do a bit of research. When Martin took over Missouri State, the Bears had just five scholarship players. He took a team that was 3-15 in the Missouri Valley in 2008-2009 to the regular season conference title this season. He may not be the kind of coaching commodity that Brad Stevens, or Shaka Smart, or Chris Mooney is, but Martin was a guy that was on the radar for a lot of high major programs.

An example? A lot of Purdue fans had Martin pegged as a possible replacement for Matt Painter should the Boilermakers head coach bolt for Missouri.

There is more to Martin than just what happens on the court. He made it out of St. Louis' rough east side. He beat life-threatening cancer when he was 26 years old. Read this, and tell me that Martin isn't a guy that you want to root for.

This hire will only send the wrong kind of shockwaves through Knoxville.

It shouldn't. Cuonzo Martin is far from a bad hire. And given the circumstances at Tennessee, any Vol fan with some sense should, eventually, be pleased.