Fancher at Home With the Vols
It’s not exactly the way Houston Fancher envisioned it at the end of last season, before he was fired as coach at Appalachian State, but he’s still involved in basketball.
Fancher is back in his home state, taking up the invitation of Coach Bruce Pearl and working as a graduate assistant for the Tennessee Vols.
“I know where everything’s at in Knoxville,” said Fancher, who grew up in Newport, Tenn., as a Vols fan. He is a former assistant at Vanderbilt and Maryville, and has a bachelor’s degree from Middle Tennessee State and master’s from Lincoln Memorial. He’s back living closer to his elderly mother, and his wife’s family, and he hasn’t lost his sense of humor.
“I’m in a place where my accent doesn’t matter. Everybody speaks like I do here.”
Fancher said that he’s adjusting to the fact that he’s not a head coach this season.
“For me, re-charging isn’t about resting,” Fancher said. “It’s about getting back involved again. I needed something to re-invest my time in. I was at work at 5:30 this morning.
“I’m limited to what I can do, which is fine, but I’m doing all I can do. I’m enjoying observing, offering input and taking inventory of what I’ve done the last 20 years as a coach. It keeps me in the mix, and be on the lookout for that next opportunity.”