Vols Basketball: How Much Blame Should We Place On Dave Hart?

Let’s get the obvious out of the way first — hiring Donnie Tyndall as Tennessee’s basketball coach was not a good move by UT athletic director Dave Hart.

But it’s not because Tyndall was a bad coach. He proved, by exceeding the low expectations for the Vols in 2014-15, that he was actually a very good coach.

Tyndall was a bad hire simply because Dave Hart didn’t do the work he should’ve done in order to ensure that Tennessee wouldn’t be in the position they’re in today — once again searching for a head basketball coach.

If it weren’t for Tyndall’s infractions at Southern Miss, which ultimately cost him his job in Knoxville, then everyone would be praising Dave Hart for reviving UT’s football and basketball programs by making two solid coaching hires.

But that’s not the case.

Perhaps Hart was so intent on hiring a coach that fit Tennessee’s profile, someone that wouldn’t be insanely expensive, but could lead the Vols back to prominence, that he chose to overlook potentially big obstacles — such as Tyndall’s issues at Southern Miss — in order to make a “homerun hire”.

I don’t think Hart ignored any potential hangups with Tyndall. I fully believe that if someone would’ve told Hart that there would be issues if he hired Tyndall, that he would’ve went another direction.

However, I do believe that Hart chose not to look very hard. He was pressed to find a quality basketball coach after the Cuonzo Martin debacle ended with a hurriedly called press conference to announce that Martin was leaving for the West Coast.

Hart, in his haste to replace Martin, didn’t want to find any potential hangups. He didn’t want to find a reason NOT to hire Tyndall. Hart wanted to find every reason in the world to hire Tyndall.

With Tyndall, Hart thought he had found the Butch Jones of the basketball world.

And truth be told, he almost did.

Tyndall fit at Tennessee. He was a natural. But unlike Jones, Tyndall had a checkered past (no pun intended) that should’ve raised red flags to Hart.

But instead, Hart lightly asked around and after a few folks responded that Tyndall was clean, he was satisfied and considered him “vetted”.

Hart took a gamble on Tyndall and lost badly.

And just like in real life, when you start gambling, the losses add up quick.

That’s something that Dave Hart finally realizes, though it might be too late.

By announcing that Tennessee would use a search firm to help pin down the Vols’ next basketball coach, Hart has finally realized that he can’t leave the fate of UT basketball in only his hands.

Hart shoulders the blame for Donnie Tyndall and the current state of Vol basketball. But if he doesn’t connect on this next coaching hire, then Tennessee should show him the door.

Everyone deserves a chance to right their wrong, but Tennessee, at some point, has to quit playing the part of a fool.

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