Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Issue 64, Volume 125
Tennessee Promise Act sails through House, 87-8
March 27, 2011 Former Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton hires Cuonzo Martin, who was then the head basketball coach at Missouri State, to replace Bruce Pearl.
McCord Pagan Copy Editor The Tennessee Promise Scholarship Act of 2014 sailed through the state House of Representatives by a vote of 87-8 Tuesday evening and is now awaiting Gov. Bill Haslam’s signature. The bill, the first of its kind in the U.S., will likely rework the educational landscape of Tennessee. The scholarship, unveiled by Haslam at his State of the State address on Feb. 3, will provide two-and-a-half years of free tuition at any qualifying post-secondary institution for the purpose of attaining an associate’s degree or two-year technical certificate. The scholarship is targeting recent high school graduates who may not otherwise pursue a post-secondary education. The bill will give “that other group that never got to college,” access to higher education, state Rep. Gerald McCormick, R-Chattanooga, said. Only students that attend an institution offering two-year programs will be eligible to apply. The bill is a last-dollar scholarship, meaning it will only cover tuition after other financial aid, such as need-based scholarships and Pell grants, have been applied. The Promise is estimated to cost $34 million a year, and will be funded primarily through a one-time transfer of $300 million in excess lottery fund reserves — in addition to a $47 million endowment created by the General Assembly in 2013.
December 22, 2011 Five-star forward Jarnell Stokes chooses to play at Tennessee over Florida, Kentucky and Memphis. Stokes was Martin’s first big recruiting grab in his Knoxville tenure.
March 11, 2012 After a 18-14 finish in Martin’s first season at UT, the Vols were left out of the NCAA tournament field, receiving a No. 1 seed in the NIT.
SAY IT AIN’T ‘ZO Martin spurns Vols, heads west to take head job at California Steven Cook Copy Editor
See PROMISE on Page 2
Local jazz aficionado takes over new radio segment Gage Arnold • The Daily Beacon
Claire Dodson Arts & Culture Editor One of Knoxville’s prominent jazz musicians has taken a new gig just in time for April’s Jazz Appreciation Month. Kelle Jolly, a musician and entertainer, is the host of WUOT’s new Friday night segment: Jazz Jams. The previous holder of the 8 p.m. slot was nationally-aired Marian McPartland’s “Piano Jazz,” but after McPartland passed away last July, NPR kept running reruns of the well-known host’s shows. Todd Steed, jazz coordinator at WUOT, said the staff decided they wanted a segment that was more current as well as one that would bring in a local host. “I had Kelle and her husband Will Boyd on ‘Improvisations’ as guests,” Steed said. “Ten minutes into that interview, I knew Kelle would be a natural to host a show.” Jolly certainly has the history. While in high school, she started singing jazz because she didn’t have a gospel or pop voice, and she ended up falling in love.
Tennessee men’s basketball head coach Cuonzo Martin has left Knoxville after three seasons to take the same position at the University of California. UT Athletic Director Dave Hart announced the news in a Tuesday afternoon press conference. “We had a great run through the (NCAA) tournament,” Hart said, “and I want to again recognize the job Cuonzo Martin did as our head basketball coach and that his staff did in making the contributions in order for us to end with a very memorable basketball season. “I know I, and everybody connected in our athletics department and university, wish him nothing but success at Cal.” Hart met with the Tennessee players around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday to inform them of the news. Martin was not in attendance. Martin met with Marquette officials regarding its then-vacant head coaching job days after the Vols were bounced from the NCAA tournament Sweet 16 on March 28. But on April 1, joint statements from Hart and Martin announced he would remain to coach the Vols in 2014-15 with a contract extension coming. Hart made an offer — a raise to $1.8 million annually, which was a $450,000 increase from his previous deal but still only enough to make him the seventh highest-paid coach in the SEC. Martin was given no timetable on accepting the deal, leaving Hart shocked when Martin told him of his intentions to take the Cal job Tuesday morning. “I did not know Cuonzo was involved in the California job until this morning,” Hart said. “We did have a conversation. He was very emotional and the bottom line is he said that in his heart, he believes that this was best for he and his family. “Today is also a surprising day for me. I did not think that we would be back into where we find ourselves today.” The news wasn’t quite as surprising for many others. Martin grew unpopular among a portion of the fan base this past season when an online petition promoting the re-hiring of Bruce Pearl surpassed 37,000 signatures. “I probably didn’t hear about (the petition) until it was too late,” said Martin during his introductory press conference at Cal. “When you are coaching, you got your head down and you are working,
you don’t get consumed with things on the peripheral. “For me, I thought it was a great teaching point for our guys. We always talk about having character, going through adversity, dealing with situations, and what happens in the process, you develop young men because they saw my approach every day. I came to work with my hard hat on and nothing changed.” According to Cal athletic director Sandy Barbour, Martin’s contract, which is still being finalized, is for five years. The financial details will be released at a letter date. Martin also stated that he will be bring “quite a few” of his assistant coaches from Tennessee to Cal once his contact is completed. Hart reiterated that he wouldn’t speak for Martin, but hinted that those distractions may have played into his decision. “One man’s opinion — I don’t think Cuonzo’s decision was driven by dollars or was driven by necessarily number of years (on contract),” Hart said. “I don’t. It was a tough year. And again, I don’t want to speak for Cuonzo, but it was a tough year for Cuonzo and (his wife) Roberta. “There were a lot of distractions. You (media) know what they were. You reported on them.” The buyback into Martin from much of UT’s fan base during the No. 11 seed Vols’ improbable Sweet 16 run seemingly wasn’t enough to overcome seasons of burnt bridges. Despite that petition gaining national media attention and painting UT’s fan base in a bad light, Hart was full of positives. “You’ve heard me say this many times: give me the passion,” Hart said. “We have a very passionate fan base. “Can passion sometimes be misdirected? Sure, it can, at times. But we’re very, very blessed with a really passionate fan base.” Hart said that the search for the next Vols’ basketball coach begins “immediately.” A search firm won’t be used, as Hart will lead the search. Head coaching experience and a proven track record are on the top of his wish list. “What the timetable is, is often times difficult to nail down,” Hart said of the coaching search. “We’re late in the sense that we’re right on top of Signing Day and the Final Four has come and gone. “But we will immediately get in now to that search process.”
September 17, 2012 Shooting guard Robert Hubbs III commits to Tennessee, the second five-star recruit signed under Martin.
March 17, 2013 Following a disappointing loss to Alabama in the the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament, the 20-12 Vols were left out of The Big Dance for a second straight season.
February 2014 Tennessee basketball fans begin a petition to bring back former Vols head coach Bruce Pearl. At its peak, the petition reached more than 36,000 signatures.
February 22, 2014 Tennessee is swept by Texas A&M with a 68-65 overtime loss, fueling the fire from UT fans for Martin to be fired.
March 2014 After making the NCAA tournament for the first time in Martin’s tenure, the Vols tore through the Big Dance, defeating Iowa, UMass and Mercer on their way to the Sweet 16 before losing to Michigan, 73-71, on March 28.
April 1, 2014 After meeting with Marquette officials on March 30 to discuss the Golden Eagles’ head coaching vacancy, Martin announces that he will stay on as UT’s head coach and will begin contract negotiations with the university.
April 15, 2014 Athletic Director Dave Hart announces that Martin has left Tennessee to become the head coach at the University of California.
See JAZZ on Page 3
@UTKDailyBeacon www.utdailybeacon.com
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Out with the old in with the new: SGA inducts new executives for upcoming year
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After shows in Memphis, Nashville and Manchester, Local Natives finally make it to Rocky Top
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With Cuonzo gone, Athletic Director Dave Hart says his ‘door is open’ for the Vols’ four 2014 signees
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