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I am out on Cuonzo Martin. Hire Bruce Pearl Aug 23


I am out on Cuonzo Martin. Hate to say it. Martin is a high character person. He has overcome incredible personal challenges, being raised in East St Louis and winning his battle over cancer. His own playing career modeled toughness, adaptability and success. From all accounts, he's a great father and a great man. He's the kind of guy you want to represent your university. I wanted him to succeed.

But results matter. Inconsistency. Horrible offensive schemes. Poor response to the full court press. Not knowing how to attack a zone. Lack of coaching intervention during the game. Completely ineffective in influencing the officiating.

Steadiness under pressure and adversity is laudable but sometime 19 yr old kids need to see passion and be fussed at. Not a lot of charisma with the media. Those are all little things, but they add up.

For me, the disappointment of this year has done him in. This team has too much talent to wonder whether we will be in the NCAAs (#50 RPI, no opportunity for a quality win remains on the schedule). We should be competing with Florida and Kentucky for the league title. We were completely uncompetitive with Florida and outcoached by Calipari (which should NEVER happen).

More on the results: Two NIT appearances in a row when we should have been in the NCAAs. Less than stellar performances in each NIT. Two very slow starts. Well, now make that three with an up and down performance this year. Overall just 6-11 (0-3 this year) against top 25 teams. Too many losses against RPI 100+ teams.

The Inconsistency this season: (12-7; 3-3 SEC; 1-4 Away) Beat Virginia by 35. Lose to Florida by 32...(I won't count the 6-0 run in garbage time by the Vols that helped us break the 40 point mark). Lose to Xavier 63-67. Beat Xavier 64-49. Beat LSU 78-60. Lose next game to Texas A&M 57-56 by blowing double digit lead. Earlier, Lose to UTEP, which is just not a good basketball team (#109 Kenpom). Lose to NC State (#90)

Inconsistency in 2012-13: (20-13; 11-7 SEC) Lose to Georgetown 37-36 and Virginia 46-38 becoming poster children for lack of offensive production nationally. Start SEC 1-4; Lose to Georgia (#103 2013 Kenpom) twice; Lose critical SECT NCAA play-in game to Bama pushing us off the bubble. Inglorious first round exit from NIT by losing to Mercer (#119).

Inconsistency in 2011-12 (18-14;10-6 SEC): Lost back to back games against Austin Peay (#207) and College of Charleston (#162). Started SEC slate 2-5. Won 8 of last 9, salvaging tie for second in SEC. Lost in round 1 of SECT. Lost to MTSU in second game of NIT.

Bruce Pearl's Show Cause ends on August 23. Louisville hired Petrino and he did far worse things than lie about a BBQ to the NCAA.

If the administration doesn't have the guts for that, at least get Steve Forbes back here. He's at this little school called Wichita State, which beat us and everyone else so far this year.

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