re: VQ mod: Tennessee targeting Anthony Grant for basketball coaching search

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I think its a bunch of bare-foot, sister dating ridge-runners pretending their program will still be relevent after this weekend.

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I'll take my chances with a program with elite facilities, who is willing to pay their coach 2.5-3M/year.

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The past five years UT has turned into a major basketball brand. Pearl single handidly turned this program into a major cash cow. Forbes has listed Tennessee as a top ten revenue grossing basketball program each of the last 4 years. The AD is going to at the very least attempt to make a big name hire.

We have a top 3 practice facility in the SEC, and arguably the nicest arena. We've been top 5 in attendance the past five years, and TN produces enough highschool talent to be competitive on a national level. It's a good job. There will be a drop off once Pearl is out, but the AD is committed to sustaining the program.

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I agree with a lot of this

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I just don't understand the idea that all things being equal that Tennessee supports the basketball program any better than Alabama.

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This year Alabama was of similar quality to Tennessee

UT drew about 19K per game. Alabama drew just short of 11K per game

LINK

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Alabama historically supports the basketball program AT LEAST as well as LSU does theirs and as well as anyone besides Kentucky and Arkansas.

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probably not a worthwhile argument IMO. LSU support for basketball of late has been very middling (somewhat understandable this year with a god awful product - but still)

Obviously KY is the gold standard for basketball fan support... but IMO UT is clearly the #2 in the conference when it comes to fan interest and support for basketball

I'm sure Grant is looking foward to working for Fulmer.

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This thread amuses me. Bunch of Bama fans seem to be laughing about how bad Tennessee basketball is going to be while acting as if their coach is some deity.

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Where's has ANY Bama fan said UT is going to be bad or that our coach is a deity? You guys are the ones that act like Grant can't wait to resign the Alabama job to go to UT.


"Obviously KY is the gold standard for basketball fan support... but IMO UT is clearly the #2 in the conference when it comes to fan interest and support for basketball"

Let's put this in perspective though. Alabama played an abysmal HOME non-conference schedule coming off a sub .500 2010 SEC season and with little fanfare. With a mediocre at best season outlook and terrible early season home games, we drew crappy crowds (maybe 6 or 7 thousand in Bama's case) like basically everyone but UK and Arky does under similar circumstances. Those crowds skewed what was a strong attendance showing during the SEC schedule (14,265, or 92.7% of capacity to be exact). From the UK game on Bama sold (15,383) out most of the rest of the home schedule for an at best NCAA tourney bubble team.

Tennessee, on the other hand, came in with Top 25 expectations coming off an Elite 8 run the year before with a nice HOME non-conference schedule. To compare those two situations as some kind of barometer of fan support historically for each respective school is a bit unfair. Should LSU's fan support historically be based on IT'S home attendance #s from the 2010/2011 season?

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Where's has ANY Bama fan said UT is going to be bad

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Maybe I read too much into the probation/sanctions comments, but going from Bama to UT isn't a step down like some have indicated.

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You guys are the ones that act like Grant can't wait to resign the Alabama job to go to UT.

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I don't think he would come and I definitely don't think he would be the first choice.

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What's the word on possible sanctions for the bball team? Have to think that would affect any coach who would consider coming to UT.

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It's hard to say for sure, but once Pearl is out, I don't think the NCAA is going to do too much.

Not entirely, but we most likely will not be facing a post season ban.

Sanctions will probably consist of a couple of scholarships over a couple of years and probation.

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I've actually gained a little respect for Tennessee with the way they're handling Pearl. I know y'all hate having to do the right thing by getting rid of him but at least you ARE in fact doing the right thing. That's in contrast to the laughable, hypocritical, and downright pathetic way tOSU is handling the Tressel situation. I'd love to see tOSU's and the NCAA's justification for not coming down hard on Tressel (and tOSU) after UT fires Pearl and suffers some sort of NCAA sanction (however punitive it is or isn't) not to mention have to part ways with a very popular coach. I can't wait to hear tOSU fans try to justify their school's position.

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Here in Columbus, most seem to have forgotten about it and it's almost as if the situation is over.

The rest say he was doing what the FBI told him.