Hart shoulders blame for Tyndall mess

The curtain over a wall mural of University of Tennessee head basketball coach Donnie Tyndall, is pulled back Friday, March 27, 2015, in Knoxville. Tennessee fired men's basketball coach Donnie Tyndall after one season, though athletic director Dave Hart says the university never would have hired him if they knew the details of his unethical conduct at Southern Miss program during his tenure there.
The curtain over a wall mural of University of Tennessee head basketball coach Donnie Tyndall, is pulled back Friday, March 27, 2015, in Knoxville. Tennessee fired men's basketball coach Donnie Tyndall after one season, though athletic director Dave Hart says the university never would have hired him if they knew the details of his unethical conduct at Southern Miss program during his tenure there.

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KNOXVILLE -- On just 90 minutes or so of sleep after what had to be a stressful night, Tennessee athletic director Dave Hart walked into the Ray Mears Room inside Thompson-Boling Arena late Friday morning and took his place behind the wooden podium on a stage in front of a media crowd.

It was a place Hart probably wished he didn't have to be.

Only 11 months and five days after introducing Donnie Tyndall as Cuonzo Martin's successor as the Volunteers' head basketball coach, Hart made the decision late Thursday night to fire his hire, the coach he often supported publicly while an NCAA investigation transpired at Southern Mississippi, Tyndall's former program.

There was a contrite tone to many of the answers to the questions Hart faced for 40 minutes, including one about whose shoulders the blame should fall for Tennessee's latest mess.

"I do, just as I bear any responsibility for any and all hires that I've ever made, of coaches, of administrators," Hart said. "I'm proud of my track record in that regard, and I have yet to meet that man or woman who is perfect. I'm certainly not. We've hired six coaches, inclusive of Donnie.

"We've hired good coaches, but nobody has a perfect record in that regard," he continued. "That anger, that frustration, that disappointment that is being felt, believe me, I feel those emotions. Very much so. I can certainly identify with what people are feeling right now, because that's why I slept an hour and a half last night. I feel those same emotions."

It's been a bumpy few months for Hart, who took over as Tennessee's athletic director in September 2011.

He's faced some heat for the decision to remove the "Lady Vols" moniker from every women's team on campus except the women's basketball team as Tennessee moved toward a rebranding for its apparel switch to Nike this summer.

Some reports have questioned the Tennessee athletic department's involvement in the university's discipline of student-athletes, particularly in some recent sexual assault cases.

Now there's the ouster after just one season of Tyndall, whom Tennessee hired despite some NCAA baggage from his tenure at Morehead State.

Another question Hart faced Friday was whether he had a confidence-inspiring message for Tennessee's fan base.

"I'm not sure there's anything at the moment that would ease that pain and that frustration, to be quite honest," he said. "But I think in time that there will be. Part of the frustration is being driven not only by me, but I'm sure by fans in the transition that we talked about.

"This fan base is the most loyal, passionate fan base in America -- and I've said this many times -- in all of sports, in my opinion. Passion is a wonderful thing, and without it you can't succeed. But passion comes in a lot of forms, and right now it is the frustration, it is the anger, it is the disappointment and, again, I feel it, so I can certainly empathize with that."

Athletic directors typically come under fire when the coaches they hire don't pan out, but Tennessee chancellor Jimmy Cheek issued a statement Friday in support of Hart.

"I work with Dave every day and I see someone who supports the student-athletes and gives them the tools they need to achieve comprehensive excellence," Cheek said.

"Under his leadership, the athletics budget is more financially sound and fundraising is set to break a record this year. Dave is committed to clean programs and enforces discipline.

"And most important to me, our academic achievement is the best it's ever been. There will always be difficult issues to handle, but we are headed in the right direction."

Now Hart has to get this basketball hiring right to get back on track a program that recently made four Sweet 16 trips in a span of eight seasons.

"Leading is hard. For anybody that's in a leadership role, it's hard," Hart said. "But you have to have the courage to do what needs to be done in the best interest of the program, the university. From a pure technician standpoint, Donnie Tyndall is an outstanding basketball coach, and you've heard me say that. And I thought he was a very good fit. He fit our profile.

"But none of that trumps what you have in front of you."

Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.

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