Gary Parish on Buzz's departure

[ChicosBailBonds]

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/24530514/at-what-point-will-schools-realize-who-can-and-cannot-be-hired-away


...Buzz Williams jumped to Virginia Tech from Marquette because the school had no president, no athletic director, and because he hated the new Big East and was probably going to have an average team next season for the second straight season......

Good old Gary seems to have omitted a paragraph or three about Buzz's...ahem...departure.  But, as Buzz's mouthpiece and only hearing one version, this isn't surprising at all.  Character reveals itself again and again.

Love the part about having an average team again in year two, in a league Buzz thinks wasn't very good.  I'm trying to pinpoint who exactly assembled that team.    

What would Scott Monarch say?

[Avenue Commons]

The common denominator with all of these examples is that they walked out before they were thrown out.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Three of these four things were of his own doing.

lmao.

Yup, you can't make this stuff up. 

[Tums Festival]

Not going to enable Brent and his horsesh1t comments towards Marquette or the Big East. Glad he's gone. He have a better coach and person in place now.

[ChicosBailBonds]

And I'm stuck with an autographed basketball signed by Buzz.

Lenny will buy it from you

[MU B2002]

...Buzz Williams jumped to Virginia Tech from Marquette because the school had no president, no athletic director, and because he hated the new Big East and was probably going to have an average team next season for the second straight season......


The last reason stated is certainly highly debatable and one I couldn't disagree more with.   With the last two recruiting classes (granted this year's has temporarily fallen apart now), I find it hard to believe that's really how ole' Brent felt about the 2014-15 season.  That comment sounds more to me speculation from a national writer making an assumption based on one down season.

I think Buzz probably thought the statement was correct.  We were going to lose Jamil, Ox, Otule, Thomas to graduation, and likely multiple others to transfer.  

[ATL MU Warrior]

Not going to enable Brent and his horsesh1t comments towards Marquette or the Big East. Glad he's gone. He have a better coach and person in place now.

Until he leaves.  Then we'll find all sorts of ways to hate him. 

[Skatastrophy]

Does he strike you as someone who thinks things through, and is a high level thinker?

There was a reason that Autry was busting his balls to talk him out of the decision until the last minute.

Bolt if it's the best thing for your career, but only an emotional decision-maker like Buzz would choose to go to a program like VT. $10 says that he believes God told him it was the right choice, lol.

[Jay Bee]

Parrish isn't a great thinker. Misses the boat often.

[JWags85]

Parrish isn't a great thinker. Misses the boat often.

Easy dude, guy-liner liner is becoming VERY popular in the sportswriter community.  When you're up till 3AM chasing leads and writing stories, gotta make your eyes pop somehow the next day.

[classof70]

There was a reason that Autry was busting his balls to talk him out of the decision until the last minute.

I'd not heard this assertion before.  Interesting.

[KenoshaWarrior]

A lot of people on this board thought he was--and some still do.

Guy was the best coach at MU since AL. 
That is not an opinion,  that is a fact!

[ChicosBailBonds]

Guy was the best coach at MU since AL. 
That is not an opinion,  that is a fact!

A lot goes into coaching, not just what is on the floor....you do realize this, correct? 

[Tugg Speedman]

I'd not heard this assertion before.  Interesting.

http://www.muscoop.com/index.php?topic=43796.msg616911#msg616911

[mugoose]

just got into it on twitter with him...and the goodman piled on.

they think our team is terrible and won't be getting anytime soon. essentially they hate our league and think it stands no chance of winning or recruiting talent.

[mechaghidorah]

Does Buzz leave if the Big East hadn't died?

I certainly think he contributed to some of the problems that hastened his departure, but the new conference is a complete dud, and that has to be a factor.

[classof70]

http://www.muscoop.com/index.php?topic=43796.msg616911#msg616911

Thanks.

[Tugg Speedman]

Does Buzz leave if the Big East hadn't died?

I certainly think he contributed to some of the problems that hastened his departure, but the new conference is a complete dud, and that has to be a factor.

You answered the question ... Brent stands as reason one the new conference did not do well last year.  His team was highly ranked and predicted to win the conference title last year.  And he guided it to a 17-15 record.

So when asking "why isn't the New Big East as good as everyone hoped for?"  A very good answer is "Brent Williams"

[LAZER]

Good old Gary seems to have omitted a paragraph or three about Buzz's...ahem...departure.  But, as Buzz's mouthpiece and only hearing one version, this isn't surprising at all.  Character reveals itself again and again.

Love the part about having an average team again in year two, in a league Buzz thinks wasn't very good.  I'm trying to pinpoint who exactly assembled that team.    

I can't believe Parrish is using  a bad team as a valid excuse for leaving, it's mind boggling to me.

What I still don't get is....Why VT?  I think people are vastly understating how bad of a job that is.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Does Buzz leave if the Big East hadn't died?

I certainly think he contributed to some of the problems that hastened his departure, but the new conference is a complete dud, and that has to be a factor.

Sorry if I call bovine excrement on this.

Conference finished 3rd strongest in the country.

Conference would have done better if the team picked to win the darn thing actually did something like not missing every tournament known to man.  So if Buzz is blaming the new conference for being a dud and his team's performance is one of the main reasons then that is so rich and Machiavellian it is incredible.

Furthermore, he landed a great class knowing what the existing Big East composition consisted of, so that's another BS comment by Buzz.

Ultimately, Buzz left UNO after one year because he didn't want to see it through.  He goes one year at MU under the new Big East, and bye bye. He is what he is, and that doesn't even get into the other nonsense tied to him over the last 5+ years.

[mattyv1908]

Sorry if I call bovine excrement on this.

Conference finished 3rd strongest in the country.

Conference would have done better if the team picked to win the darn thing actually did something like not missing every tournament known to man.  So if Buzz is blaming the new conference for being a dud and his team's performance is one of the main reasons then that is so rich and Machiavellian it is incredible.

Furthermore, he landed a great class knowing what the existing Big East composition consisted of, so that's another BS comment by Buzz.

Ultimately, Buzz left UNO after one year because he didn't want to see it through.  He goes one year at MU under the new Big East, and bye bye. He is what he is, and that doesn't even get into the other nonsense tied to him over the last 5+ years.

Chicos, at best you're partially correct.

Nobody will know until several years have gone by what the effects of realignment will mean for the Big East long term, but to say that the conference hasn't taken a hit while losing the likes of UConn, Louisville, Syracuse, Pitt, Cincinnati and Notre Dame is being willfully ignorant in my opinion.  What Marquette's record was this year is irrelevant.  It's not as good a conference period.

You also cannot assume what would have been a top 25 recruiting class this season for Buzz would have continued year after year no matter who the coach is because both the 14-15 recruits (Pierce, Cohen, Hill, Shayok, Harris) and the 13-14 recruits (Johnson, Burton, Dawson, Wilson) were being recruited heavily before the conference realignment.  It's pure speculation to assume that would've continued even if Buzz would've stayed.

Finally, how many bids would the prior version of the conference gotten despite a down year from Marquette and Georgetown?  If it's imperative for MU and Gtown to have successful seasons every year for the Big East to be successful then the conference isn't in the shape some would like to think.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Chicos, at best you're partially correct.

Nobody will know until several years have gone by what the effects of realignment will mean for the Big East long term, but to say that the conference hasn't taken a hit while losing the likes of UConn, Louisville, Syracuse, Pitt, Cincinnati and Notre Dame is being willfully ignorant in my opinion.  What Marquette's record was this year is irrelevant.  It's not as good a conference period.

You also cannot assume what would have been a top 25 recruiting class this season for Buzz would have continued year after year no matter who the coach is because both the 14-15 recruits (Pierce, Cohen, Hill, Shayok, Harris) and the 13-14 recruits (Johnson, Burton, Dawson, Wilson) were being recruited heavily before the conference realignment.  It's pure speculation to assume that would've continued even if Buzz would've stayed.

Finally, how many bids would the prior version of the conference gotten despite a down year from Marquette and Georgetown?  If it's imperative for MU and Gtown to have successful seasons every year for the Big East to be successful then the conference isn't in the shape some would like to think.

I never said it hasn't taken a hit, I would agree with you.  But let's not paint it as some dreg conference either.  Remember when Buzz would say how great it is to be at a basketball only school...well, he was at a basketball only school in a basketball only conference. 

How is Marquette's record this year irrelevant?  He's bashing the conference through his mouthpiece as well as in an interview and saying he can't recruit to it.  Reality is, the conference has landed a ton of very good recruits as did Buzz, but he couldn't get the job done in this supposedly diminished conference.  It is entirely relevant.

No assumption is made that recruiting would continue year after year, but I've tended to find that if you win, recruits will come.  Memphis would land top recruits despite playing in an average CUSA for years.  Gonzaga.  UNLV in their hey day.  Boise State in football, etc. 

Bids aren't given to conferences, they are given to individual programs.  People then tally up the bids in the conference to say how strong a conference is...that's fine, reasonable.  It's about perception.  When you have a program that has made some deep runs, is the defending conference champion and that conference got weaker yet you don't even get to the NIT despite being picked to win your conference (with two back to back to 25 classes), that's a problem.  The Big East takes a hit in the reputation department, but the cause of it isn't the Big East...the cause of it the performance of the program.

[keefe]

Guy was the best coach at MU since AL. 
That is not an opinion,  that is a fact!

Sounds like an opinion to me...

[Tugg Speedman]

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/24530514/at-what-point-will-schools-realize-who-can-and-cannot-be-hired-away


...Buzz Williams jumped to Virginia Tech from Marquette because the school had no president, no athletic director, and because he hated the new Big East and was probably going to have an average team next season for the second straight season......

Is this an admission by Buzz that had he stayed this team would have been blown apart by transfers?

[77ncaachamps]

He hates the league...that all the pundits said he was supposed to have won last year.

He lamented the vacuum of power with NO president or AD...yet, does not feel any concern for the university which he claims can have him for as long as they want him.

Buzz is a self-preservationist. That last line was the most truthful: Buzz knew he couldn't risk losing his leverage of past successes with two straight mediocre careers. Here in lies his character being revealed: No loyalty to others just himself; no building programs or maintaining success for a CAREER, just staying as hot as you can get.

VT fans should know - and probably do - that's he's not going to be there for the long term. They're just probably happy that someone with his successful history at MU is going to bring some relevance to VT.

MU fans, however, feel a connection and dedication to the program and its Head Coach. I hope Wojchiechowski understands that. As a California native, I've noticed that Wisconsin sports fans are deeply dedicated and fiercely loyal to their sports teams and their leaders. That must explain why Crean and Buzz really burns the fanbase because  they throw around "commitment", "family", "loyalty" and "dedication" so loosely and with little understanding of what they mean to the program's supporters. It also explainss why Al was adored so much, not just for his success, but for building community and being a part of it.

Though he may realize some success at VT, jumping lilypads will burn him out.