As he sat on the LSU bench as the youngest assistant coach in the SEC at age 25, Donnie Tyndall dreamed of one day traversing the sidelines of SEC arenas.
The 19-year journey in pursuit of that goal required multiple coaching stints in locations ranging from Moscow, Idaho to Hattiesburg, Miss., and finally culminated with him being named Tennessee’s head coach in April.
“I’m humbled to be your coach,” said Tyndall at his introductory press conference on April 22. “I think Tennessee is a special place. The success that has been passed on from year to year, so many great coaches and I’m proud to be one of them, or at least be a head coach grouped in with those guys at this point.”
No other UT coach, however, was handed the program the way Tyndall received it.
After replacing Cuonzo Martin, who had departed to fill the head coaching vacancy at the University of California, Tyndall was left with only four scholarship players remaining on the roster.
Nine newcomers later, the Volunteers squad was finalized, but the amalgamation of freshmen, junior college and university transfers and those who had returned was a combination that those from the outside wrote off as unsuccessful from the get-go.
The preseason SEC media poll provided the proof when the Vols were selected to finish 13th out of 14 teams in the conference.
The low expectation level, though, fits right in with Tyndall’s coaching style.
“My expectations are to win every game,” Tyndall said on Oct. 20. “I want to be 31-0, and that’s the way I’ve always coached and I think that’s why the programs I’ve been in charge of have probably overachieved every single year.
“With that being said, realistically, we are one of the least experienced teams in America and we are picked toward the bottom of the league for a reason, but I never want to put a ceiling on any team. We are trying to get better every day and be competitive every night we play.”
That philosophy has paid off for Tyndall in the past.
In his two previous coaching stints at Morehead State and Southern Miss, he went a combined 170-101 in the past eight seasons, including two NCAA tournament bids and two NIT quarterfinal appearances.
But his current situation is very similar to the one he faced when he arrived at Morehead State in 2006.
The program needs a reboot, and in his first year at the helm, Tyndall is poised to lead the charge.
“I’m a guy that is up for the challenge,” Tyndall said. “Everywhere I’ve been, we’ve been underdogs or overlooked in some way, shape or form. I’ll embrace that. The biggest thing is, I hope our players embrace that.”
Even if they do, they will have their fair share of bumps along the way.
Rebuilding the program will take its time, but Tyndall, who describes himself as being “as impatient as anyone,” knows it will be worth it in the end.
The wait to become Tennessee’s head coach certainly was.
“We are going to face a lot of adversity this season,” Tyndall said, “and I’ve certainly faced a lot of that when I was driving vans at junior colleges and sleeping in gas stations and rest areas recruiting at Morehead State, so there won’t be too much that will faze me.
“There will be good times and bad and as we grow, and this program will certainly have more good times than bad.”
