As an energetic Donnie Tyndall bounded up to the stage for his introductory press conference Tuesday afternoon, he quickly made it known that same upbeat demeanor would find its way onto the basketball court as well.
Tyndall, who was officially announced as Tennessee’s 19th head basketball coach in front of a hefty crowd at Pratt Pavilion, enjoys pushing the tempo.
A lot.
“Offensively, we are going to push the basketball on misses and long rebounds,” said Tyndall, who compared his ball-scoring style to that of Kansas. “In the half-court, we are going to run a high-low motion with a ton of ball screening, trying to give our guards the freedom to create and make plays.”
On the defensive end, Tyndall models his game plan after another one of college basketball’s perennial powerhouses — a squad the 43-year-old upset in 2011 for arguably his most monumental and noteworthy victory during his nine-year head coaching career.
“Our defensive philosophy is much like Louisville,” said Tyndall, who as head coach of Morehead State toppled the fourth-seeded Cardinals in the second round of the 2011 NCAA tournament. “It is an aggressive, attacking type of basketball. We full court press on every made basket and dead ball. We get after people form end line to end line. We fall back to an aggressive matchup zone.”
Alumni acknowledgment
As was the case when current head football coach Butch Jones was hired in December 2012, Tyndall carved out a portion of Tuesday’s press conference just for saluting a plethora of former distinguished UT basketball stars.
“When you look back at all the great pros,” Tyndall said, “(there’s) the All-Stars, the All-Americans, from the ‘Ernie and Bernie Show,’ Tony White — who I grew up watching — and Allan Houston.
“And then recent guys like Chris Lofton — one of the best shooters to ever play in the SEC — C.J. Watson, Tobias Harris, the list goes on and on. I hope we have a few more that will be added to that list in the future.”
In the interview process with Athletic Director Dave Hart, Tyndall — without hesitation — chalked up welcoming back any former UT players as a primary goal during his tenure.
No matter the era, everyone who donned the orange is invited.
“I didn’t have to initiate that conversation,” Hart said. “Donnie talked about that, and the fact that he wants everybody who has ever touched this program to feel special, that’s a priority for him.”
Bonus breakdown
Just hours after the opening press conference ended, the University released the Memorandum of Understanding — the official agreement signed by Tyndall and school officials Hart, Chancellor Jimmy Cheek and Chief Financial Officer Charles Peccolo.
As well as outlining his official salary numbers and buyout figures, the MOU details various financial incentives Tyndall can acquire by reaching certain levels of on-court success. For in-conference milestones, the Vols’ new head coach will receive a $50,000 incentive for an SEC regular-season title — outright or shared — and a $25,000 bonus if he can lead UT to a conference tournament championship.
As far as NCAA tournament achievements are concerned, Tyndall is due $50,000 if the Vols crack into the field of 68, $75,000 if he can navigate UT back to the Sweet 16 and $100,000 if Tyndall can take UT to just its second Elite Eight in school history.
The incentives will max out if Tyndall can guide the program to uncharted postseason waters as the Grand Rapids, Mich., native will obtain $150,000 for a Final Four appearance and $250,000 for a national championship
“This is the University of Tennessee,” Tyndall said. “You can compete to go to the Final Four and you can compete to win a national championship.
“And that is my plan.”
For a full recap of the MOU, click here.
