The Drag of Swag: Marshall Henderson Needs to Get Over Himself

I assume I’m like most people when I say there is something about arrogance that is so irresistible. Extreme confidence. It sucks me in. I find myself rooting for or against teams or players based solely on their level of humility shown. It’s an asinine rationale since I’m coming to this conclusion of who these athletes are as people by what I can see on my 19 inch screen, but it happens almost every time I watch sports.

For this reason, Marshall Henderson has drawn more attention to Ole Miss than anyone not named Manning for both his 19 PPG and his apparent desire for an opposing student section to throw batteries at him. He’s so totally contrary to the humble, soup kitchen volunteer, athlete long glorified by the NCAA that his divisiveness has risen to Carmelo Anthony levels.

But Tuesday night was when Henderson’s extreme belief in himself came to a screeching halt. Against ultra-arrogant John Calipari and ultra-arrogant Kentucky, Henderson was a complete non-factor. He finished with 21 points, but in the same way Allen Iverson used to score in the 30s or 40s. He was just 5 of 19 from the floor, including 2 of 11 from range. It was one of those games you wish Bob Knight was announcing so he could rip apart what missing 14 shots can do to a team.

Bravado aside, Henderson is in reality a very mediocre shooter. He’s just 35 percent from the field in conference play, which is just slightly below his season average of 38 percent. He consistently misses double digit shots, and in the now infamous Auburn game, he was a putrid 26 percent from the floor. A performance hardly worthy of the performance he gave after the game.

But it was that show of cockiness to the Auburn student section that drew the national spotlight on Oxford last night, and left Ole Miss exposed as a team that’s not ready to join the nation’s elite. On how his team could handle Henderson, Calipari said he told his players:

“Oh, I’d like us to lose our composure. That’s what I’m looking for. Like, lose your composure. Get mad. Get angry. Be mad to be great. (Pretends to be moping, then getting bumped by someone) ‘Oh, sorry.’ What? Be mad. And if he talks to you, talk back to him. I mean, just be mad. Compete, fight, battle, toughness, swagger. It’s hard to have a swagger when you’re ducking and you’re running. You gotta dig your heels in. That’s why I’m saying all this stuff is good for our team. If we’re going to get it, it’s competing in games like this and learning and growing.”

This is what the Rebels can expect every game. Elite athletes hate to be shown up, probably more so than any other group of people, and Henderson has unfairly and selfishly put this target on his team. Ole Miss has great potential to do something special this season, but it will continue to underachieve unless it’s lead scorer learns to get over himself.

The NCAA has Become a Joke, Which Makes Them Even More Dangerous

To this day, Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal of Caesar in Gladiator is my favorite villian. He’s got everything in that role; equal parts powerful and bat-shit crazy. At any moment, he could either embrace you or rip off your ears, and both would be completely believable.

The NCAA is the non-murderous version of this. (unless you’re a Penn State or SMU fan, then they are definitely murderous.) While claiming to be the savior of the purity of college sports, President Mark Emmert could easily jump between statements like (concerning the Miami investigation) “I am deeply disappointed and frustrated, even angry about these circumstances,” and “AM I NOT MERCIFUL?!?!?!” It wouldn’t be that far of a stretch.

Emmert and Co. have been taking it on the chin for a while, and they’ve responded by puffing their chest and coming down even harder to prove they’re in charge (i.e. Penn State and USC). This is a frightening position for Miami, considering all the backlash might propel the NCAA to fight even harder and punish stronger to assure its control (like a dictator squashing a rebellion). Dan Le Batard of the Miami Herald said on The Herd;

“You don’t know whether to laugh at them or fear them,”... “These people have to justify their existence. They have to justify the time, money, and resources spent on the investigation over a couple of years, and it’s always scary when you’re looking for fairness from people who have to do this.”

But even with all this uncertainty hanging over them, you gotta love Miami’s “F--- you” message while blowing out Duke, the NCAA’s golden calf. Classic Hurricanes.

For What It's Worth: The Real Cost of Hiring Bobby Petrino

The desire to win will make you do crazy things, like inject yourself with a substance that will some day shrink your testicles and give you “man-boobs”. It’ll also make you say things like, “Hey, how about Bobby Petrino?”

Yes, rational, competent adult SEC fans have uttered such a phrase about this man. The man who hired his unqualified mistress to his staff at Arkansas, abandoned his NFL team after 13 games, and interviewed secretly for a position at Auburn while he was still head coach at Louisville. 

Yeah, that guy.

It’s difficult to believe Tennessee fans and boosters have such a short memory. Lane Kiffin anyone? Remember the train wreck? The carnage? The burning mattresses? This is what happened when winning was given precedent over integrity. Does anyone want to experience that again?

But fans at Tennessee are clamoring for Petrino, and they’re not the only ones. Fans at Auburn, Kentucky, and yes, even Arkansas are joining in on the Scumbag Sweepstakes. This irrational fervor is summed up nicely by Grantland’s Bryan Curtis. “The point is not that Petrino is an OK guy. It’s that college football has festered for so long that even Petrino’s awfulness seems pedestrian.” 

So if fans want Petrino, then fine. Sign him, but you have to own it. When he screws over the university for more money (a la Louisville AND Atlanta), or abandons the young men who trust him because a hot, co-ed gives him a second look (a la Arkansas), accept it. It’s happened everywhere he’s been. Why on Earth would it change at Tennessee or anywhere else?

I’d rather go 7-5 and wait for Jon Gruden to come save the day.

A Case for Derek Dooley: Why Tennessee Fans Need a Reality Check

Far be it from me to tell SEC fans to be reasonable. We’re a zealous bunch when it comes to football, and having a losing team is damn near the equivalent to wearing the “cone of shame.” This unrelenting passion is what pays Nick Saban $5 million per, has Gene Chizik on the hot seat less than two years removed from a national title, and it’s what motivates this guy. And this guy.

But this passion also breeds a culture where adaptation is seen as weakness and tradition is carried like a flag into battle. Even if that tradition is fading.

Such is the case of Derek Dooley at Tennessee.

After being about the eighth offer to replace one-and-done Lane Kiffin, Dooley’s two-plus years in Knoxville have been disastrous by Tennessee standards. He’s 0-12 against ranked teams and winless against conference rivals Florida, Alabama, South Carolina, and Georgia. He’s yet to earn a conference win on the road, and the 26 game win streak over Kentucky ended last season.
Ugh.

But for those clamoring for Dooley’s head, it’s time to wake up and face reality. The school and fan base need to redefine what it means to be a national power in modern college football.

It was easy to get spoiled after decades of winning the old way, when the Tennessee brand carried it’s own weight. But that world has gone the way of cable tv and paper back books. Now, college football is being shaped more by flashy uniforms and YouTube videos than anything you might consider traditional. Play in front of 102,000 in Neyland Stadium? Please... Try playing USC while wearing state of the art apparel fresh off the design floor at Nike in front of a TV/online audience of millions with LeBron and D Wade on the sidelines at Autzen Stadium while trending on Twitter.

This is the new college football; an NFL D-League where recruits are lured by amenities and “cool”-factor. Sell a high schooler on tradition? You might as well give them a Mel Torme album for its cultural significance.

Comparatively, Tennessee purists seem more like bitter old men stashing money in their mattress than forward thinking investors. Alternate uniforms? It’s happened only once and radio stations and message boards lit up with fans appalled by the change. (It was ironically the last time the team beat a ranked opponent.) Modern facilities? UT’s brand new, $45 million updates pale in comparison to Southern Cal’s $70 million John McKay Center. Recruiting without these advantages? Dooley has been left to rely on his charisma and personality... and we all know what that’s like...

Therefore, the university must decide what it wants to be. To maintain the present course is to accept a future somewhere in the median. But if years of invites to the Music City Bowl are ahead, then blaming Dooley for losing to programs who’ve made far greater investments into winning is asinine. No individual coach is powerful enough to overcome odds like these. Even those with household names like Saban and Spurrier  need major commitments from their respective universities to succeed. Without this, they might as well be coaching a high school team to state titles.

I don’t believe Dooley will ever be looked upon as a football genius or as a legend like his father, but neither will 99 percent of all coaches. If he’s fired this season, I’ll feel terribly for him because doesn’t deserve it. If the university wants to win now, then good luck making another Kiffin-esque hire. Desperation can lead to some very poor decisions. Just ask Arkansas.

New Opportunities with the Bleacher Report

I'll be taking a brief hiatus from the blog to focus my attention on new opportunities writing with the Bleacher Report. I've already written two articles on Tennessee basketball, hopefully the first of many covering the Vols this season.

My first article gave key points for the Vols to succeed in the SEC based on comparisons between early season losses to Pitt, Memphis, Duke, and Oakland. You can find the article here.

My second article focused on Tennessee point guard Trae Golden's struggles and its effect on the team, particularly in losses to Oakland and Austin Peay. You can find the article here.

Thanks so much for following my work!

Cuonzo: Patience is a Virtue

When Tennessee hired Cuonzo Martin to replace beloved coach Bruce Pearl, the announcement was met with a universal, “Who?”

After the messy and heartbreaking divorce from Pearl, Tennesseans waited anxiously for the UT administration to capitalize on the rebirth of big orange basketball and find a knockout coach to be the envy of the SEC. In his brief tenure, Pearl’s teams fought for a spot among the nation’s best, went toe to toe with legendary coaches and programs, and earned victories over Kansas, Pitt, Villanova, and Ohio State. Most importantly, Pearl finished with a 20-10 record against Memphis, Florida, and Vanderbilt.

So when Pearl’s replacement turned out to be a guy named Cuonzo, needless to say there were no parades or parties in the streets.

It doesn’t help that Martin was the final hire of the disastrous Mike Hamilton era, leaving increased pressure on a coach who’s previous position was in the Missouri Valley Conference. However, the Tennessee faithful would do well to be patient with Martin.

For a program whose better days go back to the “Ernie and Bernie” show, Pearl earned cult-like status (i.e. “The Bruce is Loose”) for his flamboyant personality and endearing ability to get under the skin of opposing coaches. But where Pearl’s personality earned devotees among even the most apathetic fans, Martin seems to want his results on the court to speak for him. He doesn’t seem interested in sound bites, endorsement deals, or even being well liked. At the first SEC media day of the season, Martin had the following exchange with a Kentucky media member after he was asked if he knew Bruce Pearl: (from govolsextra)

“‘I know Coach Pearl.’

‘Do you?’ the reporter replied skeptically.

‘Oh yeah,’ Martin said.

‘You look like I’m accusing you of something,’ the reporter said, fishing for something.

Martin unleashed a hearty laugh to end the exchange.”

(It helps Martin’s curt response was to a Kentucky reporter.)

Moments like this won’t mean a thing if the Vols don’t produce on the court, but they’re huge if they do. It says Martin is cool under pressure. It says Martin doesn’t give a damn what the media (or anyone else) thinks of him. It says Martin, like Pearl, is unwilling to back down to anyone, especially Kentucky.

And for Tennessee fans mired in the darkest era in its athletic history, it says Martin is worth getting excited over.

Martin took a Missouri State team from worst to first in their conference in just three years. He convinced freshman signees Quinton Chievous and Josh Richardson to stick with the Vols. He asserted himself with current Tennessee players with statements like, “I don’t know if there are many options outside of buying in.”

The players, so far, have responded. Newly christened point guard Trae Golden scored 46 points in the first two games of the season, and Jeronne Maymon earned his first double-double as a Vol against Louisiana Monroe.

And most importantly, his team has convincingly won the games they were supposed to win. It’s early, but a positive start was critical for Martin.

Tennessee may get crushed by Duke tomorrow in Maui, and the team may finish the season 11th in the SEC as predicted. But Martin has shown he can make progress with a struggling team, and time maybe all he needs to continue the success Pearl began.

Tennessee Football in Steady Decline

On August 24, Tennessee alum Gene Wojohowski wrote a column for ESPN.com, Trying Times for Tennessee Volunteers, contrasting Pat Summit’s announcement of her early onset dementia diagnosis with the Kiffin/Pearl debacles and the overall unrest within the athletic department.

That was before the hope surrounding Tennessee football began to fade.

That was before the lose to now underwhelming Florida, four straight conference loses, and a 42 point embarrassment at Arkansas. That was before perennial conference doormat Vanderbilt was declared a one point favorite against the Vols.

Obviously, Wojohowski’s “trying times” reference was meant primarily for Summit’s battle with dementia (as well it should), but the outlook for the Vols has never looked bleaker. From 1919 until 2004, Tennessee had nine losing seasons. Nine. Included in those years are two national titles and 16 conference championships. Unless the Vols can pull out wins over Vanderbilt and Kentucky, 2011 will be the team’s fourth losing season in last seven years. Out of 346 loses in the program’s history, 41 have come since 2005. And one of those was to Wyoming.

The most significant sea change, however, has been among the Tennessee fan base. Where UT was once among college football’s elite, media coverage now features reassurances our newly hired coach (who was hired after multiple candidates reportedly turned down the position) is committed to the university.

“How can you ask for anything more than the University of Tennessee,” Derek Dooley said upon being introduced as football coach. “The times of worrying about what happened are over.”

*Dooley is now 10-13 at Tennessee.*

The language was clear. The university that produced Peyton Manning and Reggie White is now the girl with a good personality. And high school recruits want prom queens.

Contrasting Tennessee’s decline is Vanderbilt, who have lost 27 of their last 28 meetings with the Vols. These, however, are not the same Commodores. Aside from being favored at Neyland Stadium, Vanderbilt lost to Georgia, Florida, and Arkansas this season by a combined 13 points. By comparison, the Vols lost to those same teams by 60. With bowl hopes for both teams on the line, John Adams Knoxville News Sentinel headline summed up the differing paths the two universities find themselves on:

“Vandy, Vols aren’t what they used to be.”

I was sitting in the student section in 2005 when the ‘Dores last beat Tennessee, the first in my lifetime. Late in the game, a student sitting behind me said, “Okay, I’ll take next semester off and graduate next fall so this won’t be my last football game.”

Even with that ridiculous statement, it came with an assumption next year won’t be so bad. Today, that belief is fading quickly.