Karns/Hardin Valley Shopper news • March 22, 2017 • A-9
last words
Basketball outlook similar to past Tennessee basketball is now two weeks in the general direction of next year, No. 3-to-be for Rick Barnes. Wouldn’t it be great to believe good times are just around the corner. Through my binoculars, the outlook appears much like the past. I hope I am wrong. The coach said the team that failed in February just wasn’t tough enough, physically or mentally. Fixing that is part of the coach’s job. Careful now. Some psyches are fragile. Shooting stats made me wonder if the Vols were trying to hit a moving target. Tennessee was No. 282 in America in field goal percentage. It was 301 in threepointers. The coach is in charge of shooting. In truth, 16-16 against a good schedule and 8-10 in the Southeastern Conference (if you don’t count the tournament loss) fits Barnes’ recent pattern. In his last four years at Texas, his conference record was 35-37. That’s why he is at Tennessee. But wait, you say, 8-10 exceeded expectations. Indeed it did, by a basket or two. Experts predicted UT would be next to last in the league. They erred. Effort alone made the team better than that.
Marvin West
For much of the season, the Vols were fun to watch, even with flaws. They started some games as if they didn’t know when was tipoff. They blew big leads but never quit. February was fatal. Scoring sagged into the 50s. Shooting percentages slipped into the 30s. These were hints of exhaustion. Opponents may actually have read scouting reports and adjusted to what Tennessee could do. The Vols had no place to go. There was no inside game. Likely 2018 problems: There is no projected SEC star. No not one. Grant Williams is interesting. If he were two or three inches taller, he wouldn’t be here. He’d be engrossed in March madness. Tennessee does not have even a mid-level post player. No matter what you hear, there is a place for a good big man. For some strange reason, young point guards did not develop as expected. The coach seemed surprised.
He never stopped searching. The combination of disappointment and no answer means adequate floor leadership is yet to be confirmed. No question about defensive deficiencies. Guards couldn’t guard guards. There is no more Robert Hubbs, dearly departed senior. He exceeded a thousand points but left us wondering what might have been. If the roster holds, Tennessee will have no scholarship seniors, three juniors, four sophomores, two important redshirt freshmen and at least one newcomer who might make a difference. Barnes may know which player or players will provide leadership. I don’t. Well, Admiral Schofield and Williams might. The coach may know who will start. I don’t. Williams is one good bet. He was a delight in some games. He will be offered video seminars in what SEC officials are likely to consider a foul. Jordan Bone has talent and a lot to learn. If Jordan Bowden is going to be a key shooter, he must gain consistency. If John Fulkerson really gets well, if Jalen Johnson gains endurance, if, if, if. It would be almost wonderful if Tennessee could be-
come a championship contender. John Currie would order the removal of covers that hide empty upper-level seats at Thompson-Boling arena. Enthusiastic crowds would provide a home-court advantage. Foes would fear the Volunteers. Think how much young players must improve for that to happen. Consider the difference in three-star recruits and what top teams sign. Incoming Zack Kent, a project in rivals’ eyes, is 6-10 until remeasured. Derrick Walker, 6-8, says he will bring toughness and fast-motor. The scholarship that once belonged to Detrick Mostella goes to 6-6 young Frenchman Yves Pons. Interesting story: born in Haiti (Port-au-Prince), adopted at age 4 by a French couple, surprisingly mature at 17, genuine international experience, great potential but not nearly ready for prime time. Thank goodness Barnes, 63 in July, still sees the future. He has tournament history, 22 NCAA appearances. One thought related to returns: A couple of better, bigger players would speed up the process. Tell the recruiters. Marvin West invites reader reactions. His address is westwest6@netzero.com
Could city council become all white? The map of Knoxville City Council’s sixth district looks like a cartoon drawing of a long-nosed, pointyheaded man stretched out on an east/ west axis from Burlington to Lonsdale, nose pointed south. The district was drawn to encomBob Booker pass Knoxville’s African-American neighborhoods and business districts in 1969 with one clear objective in mind: “So that a black person would stand a chance,” said Knoxville historian and longtime political activist Bob Booker, who, thanks to a similar redistricting in 1966, was serving in the state Legislature when the city redistricting took place. “To give us a seat at the table,” said Rick Staples, who occupies the state House seat that Booker pioneered. Same thing happened when the old County Court morphed into the modern day County Commission a few years later, and minority citizens have been electing minority officeholders ever since. The few African-Americans who have sought other seats
Betty Bean have had no luck, to date. But now, Booker and other East Knoxville community leaders are growing apprehensive, as shifting populations and evolving voting patterns are changing the district’s makeup. Downtown is booming and Parkridge is growing. In last year’s elections, turnout in those precincts swamped that of the traditional black wards. “We are in danger of losing our representation,” Booker said. “I’ve said that some time ago about all of our seats. All of those positions (the sixth district council seat, the first district commission seat and the 15th district state House seat) are in danger. And there are several reasons for this: “Number one, black people don’t vote. Number two, the population is changing. I look at all these new apartment buildings downtown – the White Lily Building, Marble Alley – everywhere I look there are new apartments, and not one percent of them will have black occupants.”
And with the deadline to turn in qualifying petitions to run for city council still two months away, all signs point to an old-fashioned throwdown in District 6, where 10 aspiring candidates – three white and seven black – had picked up petitions by St. Patrick’s Day, with rumors of many more waiting in the wings. Knox County Administrator of Elections Cliff Rodgers is elated with the heightened candidate interest and hopes that it will translate into increased voter participation. He is frustrated, however, that turnout will be depressed because the 12,458 voters registered in the city’s fifth
district (Mark Campen) won’t be voting in the primary – their representative runs in off-year elections with the three at-large council members. Add this anomaly to the district-only primaries and citywide general elections, and Rodgers is not the only one with concerns. “I never did like the way it was done – nominated in the district, voted on citywide. Better than nothing, I guess,” Booker said, pointing out the void in black representation on city council between 1912 when Dr. Henry Morgan Green left office and 1969 when Theotis Robinson Jr. took office.
Clement to speak at History Center Bob Clement, former TVA director and member of Congress, will be in Knoxville at 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 24, at the East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay Street. Admission is free and the public is invited. Clement will speak about his new book, “Presidents, Kings and Convicts: My Journey from the Tennessee Governor’s Residence to the Halls of Congress.” Books will be available for purchase and signing. Clement’s father, Frank G. Clement, was governor of Tennessee for 10 years, from 1953-59 and from 1963-67. Bob Clement served eight terms in the U.S. Congress.
Jones must overcome history to win Sheriff Jimmy “J.J.” Jones will be a credible candidate for county mayor, if he runs, and will keep Commissioner Bob Thomas and perhaps Glenn Jacobs, if he enters the race, busy. However, Jones will need to overcome the impression that he is only a sheriff. Three previous sheriffs tried to transition to executive or legislative office in Knox County and failed. They were Archie Weaver for city mayor in 1965, Bernard Waggoner for state senator in 1974 and Tim Hutchison for county mayor in 2010. Democrats do not yet have a credible candidate, and the GOP primary in May 2018 will decide who the next county mayor will be. It also appears that Sherry Witt, register of deeds, and state Rep. Roger Kane will oppose each other for county clerk to follow Foster Arnett Jr., who is term limited, also in the May 2018 primary. This means there will be a new register of deeds and a new state representative. ■■ More information is coming out on the search for the new UT athletic director, which resulted in John Currie being hired. It seems the six-member search committee may have interviewed only two candidates, Currie and Phillip Fulmer. David Blackburn at UT Chattanooga was interviewed by the search firm, paid $75,000 for its work, but did not make it to the actual search committee. The six-member search committee had no black members and only one woman, Donna Thomas (who works at the Athletic Department and was on the search committee that picked Beverly Davenport to be chancellor). Davenport stresses diversity but did not implement it on this high-profile committee. The Fulmer interview occurred in Nashville at the Governor’s Residence on Curtiswood Lane and included Jimmy Haslam,
Victor Ashe
brother of the governor, Peyton Manning and Chancellor Davenport. The governor was not present for the interview. A majority of the search committee also was not present. Manning favored Fulmer and Jimmy Haslam favored Currie. Davenport then flew to Manhattan, Kansas, to meet with Currie, where the job was offered. None of this is inappropriate as such, but it makes for interesting discussion about the total process. ■■ Former state Sen. Brown Ayres turns 86 on March 27. He is retired and lives in Sequoyah Hills’ Hamilton House. Judge Charles Susano turns 81 on March 25. He is longestserving current judge on the state’s civil appellate court. ■■ Randy Boyd will hold a major April 24 fundraiser in Knoxville for his campaign for governor in the August 2018 primary. State Sen. Mark Green of Clarksville, another candidate for governor, campaigned in Knoxville last week. But he will likely be nominated to be Secretary of the Army, which would remove him from the race. Green would be a very able choice for the Pentagon. ■■ State Sen. Mark Norris of Memphis may end up with a federal judgeship and depart the governor’s race, leaving only Boyd and U.S. Rep. Diane Black as the two major candidates. ■■ Jim Harter, longtime Fountain City resident and Scenic Knoxville advocate, died last week. He, along with his wife, Ann, who survives him, were dedicated advocates against billboards and appeared at many city council meetings. He will be missed.
New rule at impoundment lot Because of a change in a city ordinance to reflect state law, anyone retrieving a vehicle from the city impoundment lot will now need to present proof of insurance. State law requires all vehicle owners to have insurance. Under the revised city ordinance, anyone seeking to retrieve a vehicle from the lot on Vice Mayor Jack Sharp Road in East Knoxville must bring proof of insurance, a government-issued picture ID, a licensed driver and proof of vehicle ownership. They also must pay any fees for towing and storage at the lot. The impoundment lot is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but vehicles are only released between 8 a.m. and midnight.
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