The buzz around the UT men’s basketball team, or should I say the coach, seems to be heard all around Knoxville.
That there Jerry Green just ain’t good for our team! He oughta be fired! Why, he ain’t done a thing since he’s been here!
It seems like that’s the popular thing to say lately. Especially since the Vols are a disappointing 18-6. (Note the sarcasm.)
If you don’t follow college basketball, 18-6 is a good record.
As a matter of fact, Tennessee hasn’t played bad basketball. It’s just that the opponents happen to play their best game of the year against UT. In Saturday’s 87-71 loss to Ole Miss, UT shot 45 percent from the floor. Against most teams, that’s good enough to win, but not when Ole Miss shoots 56 percent in the first half alone.
At any rate, Green and his staff seem to be the scapegoat for the recent drought that the basketball team has suffered.
It’s true that UT is not playing like a top-10 team, especially when conference-leading Kentucky can’t even break the polls. All of the Vol losses have been on the road and the Vols were capable of winning each of them, excluding the 107-89 loss to Virginia.
A good team has to win those games. At the same time, let’s try to keep the big picture in perspective.
In light of the last seven games, several critics want Jerry Green’s head, especially after the Vols have dropped five of their last six SEC road games. All of a sudden, people want to fire Tennessee’s head coach.
For those of you, I have one question: Are you crazy?
Jerry Green has established something at UT that has been nonexistent since the early 80s a good men’s basketball team.
This is Green’s fourth year at Tennessee and his teams have compiled an 85-31 record. That equals success.
I guess that’s the price you pay for stepping in and winning 20 games your first year here. Oh yeah, his teams have won 20 games each year he’s been here and is two wins away from a fourth 20-win campaign in as many years.
You’ve got to go back to the Don DeVoe days before you find such an extensive 20-win streak. DeVoe won 20 or more games from the 1980-81 season to the 1984-85 season.
But Green’s not a good coach, right? (There’s that sarcasm again.)
And while we’re at it, let’s bring back Kevin O’Neil and the slow-motion offense.
Remember when 45 points was an offensive explosion? What about the 1993-94 season when the Vols went 5-22 followed by three consecutive below-.500 seasons?
Remember when the players’ seats had to be moved out to the foul line during timeouts because O’Neil’s cursing could be heard clear up to the sixth and seventh row?
It’s funny how people quickly forget those days after they’ve tasted a little success.
The fact of the matter is that Green is the best thing for UT basketball since Ray Mears.
Deep down, I enjoy a little chuckle when somebody complains to me about how it’s all the coach’s fault when UT loses.
Well, in each of Tennessee’s six losses, how many bad shots did Jerry Green take? How many turnovers did Byron Samuels have? What about Chris Ferguson, how many 3-pointers did he miss? And Eric Pauley, how many times did he forget to box out?
The answer to each question is zero, my friends.
The bottom line is that all the blame should not fall of the coaches’ shoulders. The coaches guide the players but it’s up to them to do the work.
