Hill and Pierce to VT per Evan Daniels.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

That's an easy answer...Dawson plays the other 30 minutes. He probably gives us 9 pts, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds a game. 75% from the line and 35% from 3. That's the guy who should've played 30 minutes a game!

Given that Dawson's averages only project him to get 6 points, 3 assists and 3.3 rebounds (you got one!) per 30 minutes and he only shot 26.9% from 3...I don't know if your numbers are accurate. They kind of seem made up.

Not even Cadougan, a 4 year, top 100 recruit, could put up those kind of numbers as a senior. And he had much better players around him. What makes you think Dawson would be able to walk in and do all that?

[77ncaachamps]

Yeah, he was only 2nd in the Big East in steals last year.  Awful.  Brutal defender.

Like I said, John Dawson will be a solid contributer and will be a better player than Derrick Wilson by the time he is done at Marquette, but John Dawson would not have been in the top 5 in steals, assists, and assist:turnover ratio in the Big East last year.  He had a nice game against Georgetown, and...not a whole lot else.  Respect the process, he will grow as a player.

Because the opposing offenses had THAT many touches! lol

[Wojo'sMojo]

Given that Dawson's averages only project him to get 6 points, 3 assists and 3.3 rebounds (you got one!) per 30 minutes and he only shot 26.9% from 3...I don't know if your numbers are accurate. They kind of seem made up.

Not even Cadougan, a 4 year, top 100 recruit, could put up those kind of numbers as a senior. And he had much better players around him. What makes you think Dawson would be able to walk in and do all that?

Those are the numbers I would project him to average given 30 minutes a game. Consistent minutes would improve his numbers more than they would project in my opinion. Hard to be consistent in 2 minute stretches. Also feel Dawson is more gifted offensively than Junior.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Those are the numbers I would project him to average given 30 minutes a game. Consistent minutes would improve his numbers more than they would project in my opinion.

Or would they go down? Dawson got to play most of his minutes against crappy non-con opponents. He could only manage the 2 ppg/1 apg average. If he had to play against tougher defenses, wouldn't the numbers get worse? You also expect a 10% jump in 3P%?

Hard to be consistent in 2 minute stretches.

"Ah yes, the mythical freshmen phantom defense can't play well without 5 minute stretches." While there is some truth to this there are also counterbalances to it. Typically, players who play less have exaggerated stat averages, not the other way around.

Also feel Dawson is more gifted offensively than Junior.

Guess all the recruiters and coaches got it wrong then. It's possible but it seems more like wishful thinking.

I'm not saying that Dawson wouldn't have put up ok numbers. But the numbers you predicted would have made him one of the top PGs in the BEast. Check it.

Bryce Cotton: 21.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 5.9 apg, .367 3P
Markel Starks: 17.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 4.1 apg, .326 3P
Brandon Young: 16.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.5 apg, .254 3P
John Dawson (according to you): 9 ppg, 3 rpg, 5 apg, .350 3P
Austin Chatman: 8.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.4 apg, .389 3P
Ryan Arcidiacano: 9.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 3.5 apg, .345 3P
Rysheed Jordan: 9.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 3.0 apg, .279 3P
Dee Davis: 7.7 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 4.7 apg, .372 3P
Alex Barlow: 6.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.5 apg, .376 3P
Jaren Sina: 6.0 pg, 1.4 rpg, 2.4 apg, .382 3P

So according to you, Buzz was sitting the 4th best PG in the BEast. Only Cotton, Starks, and Young, three 4 year seniors who have been studs for multiple seasons, are better than he is. Dawson is better than Rysheed Jordan who was a 5 star recruit and BE freshman of the year candidate. He is also better than Ryan Arcidiacano who was a 4 star recruit and BE freshmen of the year candidate last season. Dawson also would have been 2nd in the BEast for assists. How lucky we are to have such a great floor general on our bench!

Look, I like Dawson, but he is not an elite PG YET. He may become one. But last season he was a promising backup. That's about it. You may think he is better than Derrick, that is a valid opinion. But let's not think that we have Kyrie Irving or even Brandon Young sitting on our bench. It's backup QB syndrome.

[ecompt]

Unless he plays 19-20 minutes, as freshmen Vander Blue and Todd Mayo did.

Much more likely he will ride the pines, as Burton, JJJ, Jamal Ferguson, Jamail Jones, Mbao, etc. did under the Buzzard.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Much more likely he will ride the pines, as Burton, JJJ, Jamal Ferguson, Jamail Jones, Mbao, etc. did under the Buzzard.

Ferguson, Jones, and Mbao all needed to transfer to awful programs to find minutes And Mbao didn't even get meaningful minutes. So it's probably good the rod the pines. Burton probably not, jury is out on JJJ.

[MUSF]

Much more likely he will ride the pines, as Burton, JJJ, Jamal Ferguson, Jamail Jones, Mbao, etc. did under the Buzzard.

It's a different dynamic at Va Tech. The incoming freshmen will be Buzz's guys, and the upperclassmen aren't. I think he is more likely to give the freshmen more PT because he hasn't invested the time and effort into developing the upper classmen.

[Groin_pull]

It's a different dynamic at Va Tech. The incoming freshmen will be Buzz's guys, and the upperclassmen aren't. I think he is more likely to give the freshmen more PT because he hasn't invested the time and effort into developing the upper classmen.

It's simple. Whoever claps the most in practice, will play.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Dont care about these guys anymore. They will not be going to MU and were never here. Will not cheer for or against them and sure as hell wont track their progress and stats. I suggest others start to do the same and not care about AH SP and MS.

[77ncaachamps]

I'm not saying that Dawson wouldn't have put up ok numbers. But the numbers you predicted would have made him one of the top PGs in the BEast. Check it.

Bryce Cotton: 21.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 5.9 apg, .367 3P
Markel Starks: 17.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 4.1 apg, .326 3P
Brandon Young: 16.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.5 apg, .254 3P
John Dawson (according to you): 9 ppg, 3 rpg, 5 apg, .350 3P
Austin Chatman: 8.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.4 apg, .389 3P
Ryan Arcidiacano: 9.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 3.5 apg, .345 3P
Rysheed Jordan: 9.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 3.0 apg, .279 3P
Dee Davis: 7.7 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 4.7 apg, .372 3P
Alex Barlow: 6.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.5 apg, .376 3P
Jaren Sina: 6.0 pg, 1.4 rpg, 2.4 apg, .382 3P

So according to you, Buzz was sitting the 4th best PG in the BEast. Only Cotton, Starks, and Young, three 4 year seniors who have been studs for multiple seasons, are better than he is. Dawson is better than Rysheed Jordan who was a 5 star recruit and BE freshman of the year candidate. He is also better than Ryan Arcidiacano who was a 4 star recruit and BE freshmen of the year candidate last season. Dawson also would have been 2nd in the BEast for assists. How lucky we are to have such a great floor general on our bench!

Look, I like Dawson, but he is not an elite PG YET. He may become one. But last season he was a promising backup. That's about it. You may think he is better than Derrick, that is a valid opinion. But let's not think that we have Kyrie Irving or even Brandon Young sitting on our bench. It's backup QB syndrome.

How does DWil stack up to that bunch?

Oh yeah... 5.0 ppg, 4.2 apg, 3.8 rpg, 0.71 3PT% (<- yeah. NOT a typo. He was 1 for 14.)

Essentially last...or second to last - but does that really matter?
He stinks. Start Dawson.

[MUSF]

Given that Dawson's averages only project him to get 6 points, 3 assists and 3.3 rebounds (you got one!) per 30 minutes and he only shot 26.9% from 3...I don't know if your numbers are accurate. They kind of seem made up.

Not even Cadougan, a 4 year, top 100 recruit, could put up those kind of numbers as a senior. And he had much better players around him. What makes you think Dawson would be able to walk in and do all that?

People's expectations of assists per game for point guards and rebounds per game for bigs seem to be consistently inflated.

[Spotcheck Billy]

Power forward Shane Henry of Georgia Perimeter (Junior) College has committed to Virginia Tech, according to a Tech source on Monday.
 
Henry has two seasons of eligibility left. Because he is transferring from a junior college and not from another Division I school, Henry will be able to play for the Hokies this year.
 
The 6-foot-8 Henry made the All-Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association first team as a sophomore last season. He also was named the GCAA defensive player of the year. He averaged a team-high 13.2 points and led the conference in rebounds (12.2 rpg) and blocks (4.7 bpg).

Henry, who went to high school in Georgia, made the GCAA all-freshman team in 2012-13.

Henry takes the last remaining scholarship Hokies coach Buzz Williams had to pass out for the 2014-15 season.

Henry caps off a seven-man recruiting class that also includes South Florida transfer Zach LeDay, Maryland transfer Seth Allen and high school recruits Ahmed Hill, Satchel Pierce, Justin Bibbs and Jalen Hudson. Bibbs and Hudson signed with former coach James Johnson last fall.

Eleven of the team’s 13 scholarship players will be able to play this season. LeDay and Allen must sit out.

Henry will be one of four scholarship post players who will be eligible to see action this season, along with Pierce and returning starters Joey van Zegeren and C.J. Barksdale.
http://www.roanoke.com/sports/juco-forward-commits-to-tech/article_10780530-f0a8-11e3-974e-001a4bcf6878.html

[tower912]

The man can recruit. 

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Power forward Shane Henry of Georgia Perimeter (Junior) College has committed to Virginia Tech, according to a Tech source on Monday.
 
Henry has two seasons of eligibility left. Because he is transferring from a junior college and not from another Division I school, Henry will be able to play for the Hokies this year.
 
The 6-foot-8 Henry made the All-Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association first team as a sophomore last season. He also was named the GCAA defensive player of the year. He averaged a team-high 13.2 points and led the conference in rebounds (12.2 rpg) and blocks (4.7 bpg).

Henry, who went to high school in Georgia, made the GCAA all-freshman team in 2012-13.

Henry takes the last remaining scholarship Hokies coach Buzz Williams had to pass out for the 2014-15 season.

Henry caps off a seven-man recruiting class that also includes South Florida transfer Zach LeDay, Maryland transfer Seth Allen and high school recruits Ahmed Hill, Satchel Pierce, Justin Bibbs and Jalen Hudson. Bibbs and Hudson signed with former coach James Johnson last fall.

Eleven of the team’s 13 scholarship players will be able to play this season. LeDay and Allen must sit out.

Henry will be one of four scholarship post players who will be eligible to see action this season, along with Pierce and returning starters Joey van Zegeren and C.J. Barksdale.
http://www.roanoke.com/sports/juco-forward-commits-to-tech/article_10780530-f0a8-11e3-974e-001a4bcf6878.html

I'm starting to see why Chicos called this an Indiana fan board after Crean left

[GGGG]

Give credit where credit is due.  Buzz put together a pretty damn good first year class.

[GOO]

He sure can turn up players and get them in quickly.  I will miss him pulling players out of seemingly thin air after someone transfers/leaves, etc.

I am, however, hopeful that Wojo is more of a consistent recruiter who won't have the same need to pull in players late to fill out  a roster.  We shall see, but more order and stability would be nice for a change.

[Lennys Tap]

He sure can turn up players and get them in quickly.  I will miss him pulling players out of seemingly thin air after someone transfers/leaves, etc.

I am, however, hopeful that Wojo is more of a consistent recruiter who won't have the same need to pull in players late to fill out  a roster.  We shall see, but more order and stability would be nice for a change.

Given transfer rates and early exits in college basketball, order and stability have pretty much gone the way of the dinosaur. UW seems almost immune, but they're pretty much alone.

[Dawson Rental]

He sure can turn up players and get them in quickly.  I will miss him pulling players out of seemingly thin air after someone transfers/leaves, etc.

I am, however, hopeful that Wojo is more of a consistent recruiter who won't have the same need to pull in players late to fill out  a roster.  We shall see, but more order and stability would be nice for a change.

Can't say that I'm surprised.  Buzz got it done in recruiting regularly.  Marquette had the most consistently good recruiting under Buzz than it had had since McGuire.  I'm sure that Wojo is out there beating the bushes hard for the 2015 and 2016 classes.  We'll see how he does.  I expect him to do well.  I don't expect him to recruit as much talent as Buzz will to VT, however.

[Windyplayer]

Give credit where credit is due.  Buzz put together a pretty damn good first year class.

We all knew Buzz could recruit. We'll see what's going on between the Va Tech board, admin and Buzz in five years. The real issue is Buzz's ability to maintain long-term healthy relationships with his employers and other university stakeholders. 

[tower912]

I suspect his new employers will allow him to recruit JUCO's with academic challenges, will allow freshmen to live in an athletic dorm, and will have admission standards that don't exceed the NCAA's.

[GGGG]

Right...the real question is whether or not it will be something else.  Buzz has yet to prove that stability is one of his strong suits.  We will see if he breaks that trend at VPI.

[tower912]

Probably not.   Restlessness seems to be too deeply ingrained in his nature. 

[NotAnAlum]

Absolutely agree with Tower.
Buzz was telling the truth when he said "I be here as long as they'll have me".  MU made the decision that they were not willing to make the compromises most universities must make to have a consistantly top tier basketball program.  The message to Buzz was change or go elsewhere.
Anybody who thinks Wojo can play by the tighter rules and still bring in the same amount of talent is likely to be disappointed.  I wouldn't make a habit of comparing recruiting classes with VT over the next few years.  It doesn't mean MU won't win but to use a Buzz phrase "our margin for error will be smaller".

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Absolutely agree with Tower.
Buzz was telling the truth when he said "I be here as long as they'll have me".  MU made the decision that they were not willing to make the compromises most universities must make to have a consistantly top tier basketball program.  The message to Buzz was change or go elsewhere.
Anybody who thinks Wojo can play by the tighter rules and still bring in the same amount of talent is likely to be disappointed.  I wouldn't make a habit of comparing recruiting classes with VT over the next few years.  It doesn't mean MU won't win but to use a Buzz phrase "our margin for error will be smaller".

There are not "tighter rules." The rules are the same as they have always been. Don't admit kids who have no chance of graduating from Marquette. Buzz broke that rule and the university told him not to do it again. This may be what you meant, but there is no truth to the "every recruit must be squeaky clean and an honor student" rumors that have been going around.

[MUDPT]

Va Tech was one of only a couple of schools to see their efficiency rating go down every year the last four years.  Really a good pick by Buzz, a team at the bottom with nowhere else to go.