Bryce of Vanderbilt dismissing shot a superb move from Malcom Turner

TO CLOSE

Vanderbilt lost a program record with 18 consecutive games and carries a mark of 0-17 SEC. Bryce Drew answers questions about her professional status.
Adam Sparks, USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee

Vanderbilt's sports director, Malcolm Turner, became Vanderbilt's most popular sports figure among Friday's Vanderbilt fans by pitching the least popular.

But do not confuse this with a good day for Vanderbilt. The dismissal of Bryce Drew – a staggering gesture on a three-year-old coach of an AD who has been stationed for less than two months – recalls how this program failed in such a short time. This is not a guarantee of better days. This will certainly not be seen well in the coaching community.

And it's a brutal result for a nice guy and his family, as well as for a staff filled with people and their families. Break the parade for a moment to examine them. It is a difficult and lucrative business at this level, and everyone knows the issues. But I guess there was a lot of tough talk between spouses around West End on Friday morning.

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We should not be happy about Drew's disappearance, even though his record of 40-59 in three seasons, including the two worst in history, is the first in the history of the program, including the The first winless season for a SEC team in 65 years, including an active 20-game losing streak, casts doubt on his ability to coach at this level. Seriously doubtful, the NCAA tournament was set aside in its first season.

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Let's wait and see who Turner offers a replacement before building a statue for him. Maybe he has someone in mind. He certainly has relationships in the basketball world after leading the "G" League. If you're currently a coach watching Vanderbilt, you're wondering if Drew's failures were related to the fact that the sports department was not providing enough financial support.

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Vanderbilt's new athletic director, Malcolm Turner, visits campus sports programs on Friday, February 1, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo: George Walker IV / The Tennessean)

You wonder if there has been erosion in this way, perhaps masked by the strong performance of Drew 's predecessor, Kevin Stallings, whose departure was applauded by Vanderbilt' s fans and which has not been heard. Does not look so bad right now, is not it? You are wondering about working with an AD who is new to the university sports administration and who has just dismissed someone after so little time at work and after only three seasons for this coach to do his proofs.

So we will see. In the meantime, I guess – I guess, without much self-confidence – this means that Vanderbilt coach Stephanie White is starting another season, simply because a search for coaches is a pressure sufficient on Turner. And White's program this winter gave more hope than Drew, but if she wins, it also means she needs a massive recovery from next season's record of wins / losses to avoid this result. in one year.

That said, Turner deserves the credit for making his own decision here. And for screwing up the perceived "Vanderbilt Way" of accepting mediocrity and perpetuating it with mediocre support. It tells me that he expects more from this proud program and that he will do more to help him.

I had clues that some people with a lot to say to Vanderbilt were bought, on the pretext that Darius Garland's knee injury simply wiped out the hopes of that team. For me, it made it less likely that Turner would make this move – if he even wanted to do it. But the loss of Garland does not excuse what we have seen this season, and this season exposed Drew like a guy who was above his head. Turner digested everything and acted.

Vanderbilt Head Coach Bryce Drew watches the action during the first half of the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee on Wednesday, March 13, 2019. (Photo: Henry Taylor / Tennessean.com)

Coaching is about getting more people than they think possible, and you do not win in the SEC without someone who can attract players (like Drew), push them (as he did not) and to be honest about them things are not going well (as he was not).

Some coaches can make Vanderbilt Men's Basketball a new winner. But Friday was a reminder of how quickly things collapsed. Turner has nothing to do with this mess, but it's up to him to repair now – and he's almost finished.

Rexrode: Bryce Drew leads Vanderbilt basketball in the worst season of its history so why next year will it be better?

Contact Joe Rexrode at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @joerexrode.