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Tuesday, March 19, 2024

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TUBBY: TERMINATED

The University of Memphis did what many – and arguably most – fans of the men’s basketball program thought was needed, firing head coach Tubby Smith and his staff.

And while professional decorum dictated the use of the term “agreement of separation,” Smith and crew were fired. Terminated!

“After considerable deliberations and in the best financial interest of the University of Memphis, an agreement of separation with Head Men’s Basketball Coach Tubby Smith has been reached. Details are to be finalized, and no further comment will be offered.”

That was it. The Tubby Smith “era” at the UofM was over, after only two years.

Neither Smith nor any of the members of his staff had been reached for comment by the TSD print deadline. With the firing of Smith, the University will owe $9.75 million to the now former coach and – maybe – Hall of Famer. According to his contract, that money can be paid over a six-year period.

Smith was let go in the wake of an overachieving 23-13 season in which a pre-season poll had the Tigers finishing ninth in the American Athletic Conference. They came in fifth, winning 8 of the last 10 games.

The buzz surrounding the future has a name, Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway. The current head coach of the East High School – and the highest profile of all resident Tigers legends – is in Murfreesboro, busy trying to coach his Mustangs to a third-straight state title.

Cold, hard cash is driving Smith from the Tigers’ headman slot. Nope, not the FBI investigation that has taken college basketball by the horns. Nope, not the graduate rate, it’s been good and he hasn’t been there long enough to serious affect it.

Attendance at the FedExForum for the Tigers’ basketball games is at its lowest point in nearly 50 years. The Tigers will not earn the $800,000 they could have earned from the Memphis Grizzlies because they could not muster up the required average of 8,000 fans. And, the total contributions to the athletic program are down $1.2 million dollars, according to the University.

Throw in a deafening lack of buzz and you get we’ve got: Smith out and…..

Last week, Smith’s lawyer did not do him any favors, using an interview to try and saddle Hardaway with the charge of keeping the local talent from playing basketball at the University of Memphis.

From water coolers at work to bus stops in Mid-town to televisions and radios and cellphones just about anywhere, the sentiment around the city has been pretty much: that Smith is a great coach and even better guy, but not the right person for the Memphis job.

Brian Cox, who was born in Memphis and has grown up here, is a graduate of the University of Memphis (2007) a big Tigers basketball fan. He had been season ticket holder since 2007 before he choose separation this hear. Yeah, he bought some single-game tickets this year, but he easily could have got in on the ones his friends were giving away.

“I love Tubby as a guy. He is a great guy. Unfortunately the University of Memphis is a for-profit organization. We have got to have money,” Cox said. “It was getting to the point where it would have trickled down to enrollment fees. At the end of the day it was a business decision.

“To get Memphis back to making the money it is almost an instant cure to hire the local basketball legend. I am excited, full steam ahead.”

Nicholas Burchett, a finance manager at Gossett Motor cars, is not a season ticket holder, but would strongly consider it, if Hardaway is hired.

“Whether or not Tubby was a good coach or not, that no longer is up for discussion. I think it (hiring Hardaway) will much bring needed life to the program and will create a lot of support. Whether or not he will be a good coach for the program is also yet to be seen, but it will help boost the energy to the city and fill the stadium.”

Burchett has been to dozens of games over the last two years.

“With the current roster I would not be able to identify the name of more than three players on the team, as compared to the years of former coaches. (That’s) mainly because we have not gotten many local recruits. There is no energy in the program.”

In an interview before the team headed to Orlando to play in the American Athletic Conference tournament, injured star player Jeremiah Martin, a former Mitchell High School player, met with the media.  Asked about Smith’s coaching situation, Martin said, “I just want what is best for the team.  Whatever happens, happens.”

Darrick Hawkins, a long time Tigers fan is not sad to see Tubby go and he thinks the athletic administrators fell short on the accountability meter.

“The athletic director should be held accountable for the hiring of Smith. Tubby has done exactly what he has always done. They should have known that Tubby would not be a good fit for Memphis.”

Like others, Hawkins does not dispute the fact that Tubby is a good coach. And, like others, he laments that Smith apparently didn’t have anyone on staff adept enough to lure top-notch players around the country or keep the good kids here in Memphis. He blames Tubby for not watching much basketball this year and is not looking forward to watching the upcoming NCAA tournament.

It’s unlikely that an announcement of the next head coach will come before next week. The East High Mustangs will be playing Friday at 11:30 at Middle Tennessee State University in the semi-finals after defeating Blackmon 52-33.

And if the UofM does not hire Penny Hardaway, well…

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