The Next Coach

The last coach Tennessee hired from Richmond didn't work out so well.

But don't hold that against Chris Mooney.

Mooney has surfaced as a possible candidate to replace Bruce Pearl as Tennessee's next basketball coach. If the Vols make a move on Mooney, it will be the second time they've tapped Richmond. The last was in 2008, when the Vols hired UR head football coach Dave Clawson as offensive coordinator. We all know how that worked out (and for those who don't: not good, is an understatement).

Whether it's Mooney or not, it's certainly go-time for UT's version of the Committee of Secret Correspondence-- the school's search panel that grows by one or two members each day. 

They're beyond cryptic. It's hard to crack a code of silence.

Mooney makes sense, so does Wichita State's Gregg Marshall. They're both available now. If the CSC wants to pursue VCU's Shaka Smart, or North Carolina's Roy Williams for that matter, they'll have to wait a few more days.

Ok, the Roy Williams comment was a joke, I think. 

Tennessee has also hired a search firm to help find a coach. The last time they did this, they paid $50,000 to a company that vetted prospective candidates. It's wasted money. Butler's Brad Stevens has intimated he's not interested in leaving for another school. I found that out for free, at a press conference.

I realize coaches say stuff like that all the time. The $50K keeps the conversations clean. The school hires a company. The company contacts an agent. The agent asks the coach. It buys an opportunity for denial.

Nobody lies-- which in a way, is how this whole mess started.