Jeff Goodman. The dedicated lover.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Is there that much interest in buzz or virginia tech that this story keeps getting re-told over and over without revealing any new info?  If not affiliated with mu or vt, why would anyone care?  And since no one at vt cares about basketball during football season, it's more difficult to understand why this story is being rehashed once again.

If I had to guess Buzz called his buddy Goodman to do some PR damage control to try and convince everyone this was a good move. If he truly thought they were gonna be successful, he would just shut his mouth and let the team do the talking. None of this BS about the new big East can't recruit. (Which is a total lie see Jaylen Brunson and MU soon to be top 5 recruiting class)

[Dawson Rental]

Here's the screen grab from the ACTUAL title and subtitle (See pic).


"Bad times have a scientific value. These are occasions a good learner would not miss."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Buzz setup for success at Virginia Tech?  I guess that's what running off almost all of the talent that was there gets you.

[Dawson Rental]

I'm not as convinced as others that Goodman is totally in the bag for Buzz (which frankly I could care less if he is) as much as ESPN loves ACC basketball almost as much as they love the Yankees and Red Sox.

Buzz has had a rough going this first year of recruiting for Virginia Tech.  He's still in the running for three top 100 guys, but he doesn't lead for any of them.  I don't think that its out there to suggest that Goodman is trying to help him out on the recruiting front.  Check out the article's subtitle: "Buzz Williams is setup for success.  It could come sooner than expected."

[denverMU]

Here's the rest of the article, it should make the headline become more understandable...

Now the question becomes whether Williams -- who led Marquette to the NCAA tournament in each of his first five seasons and took the program to an Elite Eight and a pair of Sweet 16s -- can make Virginia Tech nationally relevant again.

Yes, again.

My colleague Seth Greenberg (aka Mr. Bubble) had the program in the conversation just about every year. He took Virginia Tech to one NCAA tourney and was on the verge of going on a half-dozen occasions within an eight-year span after the Hokies entered the ACC. In a five-year stretch from 2007 to 2011, the program finished in the top four every year except for one -- and racked up 45 victories in one of the most powerful leagues in America.

Williams, 42, is regarded as one of the top young coaches in the country. He’s a blue-collar guy who has achieved notoriety, particularly within the industry, because more often than not his players go harder than those on the other side of the court.

• Enlarge

AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley
Louisville star Montrezl Harrell was set to go to Virginia Tech prior to Seth Greenberg's firing in 2012.
Williams inherited a Virginia Tech roster that ranks among the worst in the league after James Johnson was unable to keep Dorian Finney-Smith and signee Montrezl Harrell when he took over for Greenberg in 2012. Johnson lasted just two seasons and won only six ACC contests.

But there is hope. Williams now has an athletic director in Whit Babcock who he trusts and who will do whatever it takes to make certain the program can compete with most programs in the league. Babcock was at Cincinnati and Bearcats coach Mick Cronin was critical in helping to unite the two in Blacksburg.

“Whit understands how to help a coach, fiscally and mentally,” Cronin said. “His background as the son of a coach gives him a tremendous understanding of what coaches go through -- when to help and when to listen are great attributes of a leader and he has those skills.”

“He has a real vision and a commitment to giving Buzz the resources to be competitive,” Greenberg said of Babcock.

Check Virginia Tech’s schedule. Buzz Williams is able to essentially buy victories by bringing in lackluster teams to Blacksburg in exchange for a nice paycheck. The nonconference schedule for this season is laughable, which makes sense given the roster, and includes home contests against the likes of Alabama A&M, Citadel, Presbyterian, Radford, VMI and Maryland-Eastern Shore. Not to mention two more home dates at Cassell Coliseum as part of the Cancun Challenge against Liberty and Appalachian State. As Dickie V would say, "It’s cupcake city, baby!"

Williams can also sell comparable facilities, and he has far more access to the use of a private plane -- which is huge nowadays for recruiting purposes -- than his predecessors had. His assistants are also being compensated at a level which falls in line with fellow ACC programs, after they were getting far less under both Johnson and Greenberg.

There’s finally true support behind the basketball program.

Expect Virginia Tech to finish toward the cellar of the ACC this season. Realistically, the only teams it should be able to beat are Boston College, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and Clemson.

However, Williams needs time and patience. It’s difficult to get elite-level recruits to Blacksburg, but Williams has proven he doesn’t necessarily need those guys in order to win. He works better with grinders, guys who are passed over for one reason or another. He helped develop Lazar Hayward into a first-round pick, took unknowns like Jae Crowder and Jimmy Butler into the NBA and won plenty of games with a rotund big man in Davante Gardner and another in Chris Otule who was blind in one eye.

Williams can evaluate. He’ll have to rely on that gift even more at Virginia Tech. He didn’t have the luxury of being able to sift through an abundance of local talent while at Marquette, and he’ll have more areas to cultivate nowadays: Virginia, North Carolina, Baltimore and even Atlanta and northern Florida. Greenberg landed Dorenzo Hudson, J.T. Thompson and Harrell out of North Carolina. He got Finney-Smith out of Virginia.

There isn’t much in the cupboard. He’ll have a couple of freshmen that could be high-level ACC players, and he landed one of the biggest prizes of the transfer season in ex-Maryland guard Seth Allen.

Williams wasted no time making a name for himself in his second stint as a head coach (he spent one season at New Orleans), but inherited a group of hard-nosed, veteran guards (Wes Matthews, Dominic James and Jerel McNeal) at Marquette and took them to the NCAA tourney in his first season after Tom Crean left for Bloomington.

This time it’s not going to happen fast -- but it’ll happen.

[denverMU]

And here are the comments.....

Brian Mulligan
"Exposure a mere shell of what it was" By my count Marquette will appear on national television at least 25 times. How many times will the Hokies, especially with that non-conference schedule, make appearances on ANY TV? Marquette's doing just fine with Coach Wojciechowski having already signed 3 4-star recruits to go along with two highly regarded transfers and the likely signing of ESPN's #4 ranked player. It will be interesting to see what Coach Wojciechowski can do with the "mediocre" talent Buzz left behind (interesting that the roster has 7 players who were ranked in top 100 of their respective classes; 6 of those being frosh & sophs). So all the best to Buzz but Marquette's going to be just fine without him.
Yesterday at 11:29am
3 people

Mack Ashley Potter
I think Marquette will be just fine also. But you're not getting Henry Ellenson or Diamond Stone. Stone probably ends up at Wisconsin and Calipari will get Ellenson if he wants him bad enough.
Yesterday at 8:13pm · Like

Randy Lukomski
Whose fault is it that he had an established program with mediocre players? Buzzcentric!
Yesterday at 10:40am
3 people

Scott Zoeller
Goodman - we already know you get half your "inside" recruiting information from Buzz so I understand having to pay him back someway. However, but do you really feel it's necessary to continue writing articles about a guy who's team will be so bad for at least two years that other ACC teams are going to complain about their RPI taking a hit after beating them.
Yesterday at 12:50pm

[damuts222]

I would not be surprised if VT loses to at least one of those cupcakes.

[Bo Ryan's Massage Therapist]

Whatever problems/obstacles Bumstead had at MU, were created, in one way or another, by, and only by, Bumstead. He is one strange ass mf'er, hey?

He sure was. Most Uncomfortable speech of his I heard was that one Marquette banquet when he told white Burke he was the worst player on the team and one of the worst he coached. Somehow led to an inspirational talk about how he overcame his lack of talent to produce, but it was so bad my friend was going to fake a heart attack to make it stop.  We laughed about it, but Buzz sure had an unusual way of motivating has players.

His character revealed schtick was ironic to say the least.  I appreciate the wins he brought us, but I feel better with the new coach in tow... Much better fit for our University

[royceda5 9]

Buzz it's going to be great flying coach! Recruits love that $h!t!

[GB Warrior]

It's always funny to me when these articles refer to the returning talent as mediocre, lackluster, average. Even if it was/is, who is responsible for that talent?

[77ncaachamps]

It's always funny to me when these articles refer to the returning talent as mediocre, lackluster, average. Even if it was/is, who is responsible for that talent?

Yup.

That's why this dude left the comment:

"Randy Lukomski
Whose fault is it that he had an established program with mediocre players? Buzzcentric!"

[NickelDimer]

If Buzz had simply left for another job and turned the page, while his mouthpieces went quiet until he'd achieved some success at his next stop, I wouldn't care how he did at his next school. But the countless articles we've read like this one actually kind of make me want to see him fail.

[Johnny B]

If Buzz had simply left for another job and turned the page, while his mouthpieces went quiet until he'd achieved some success at his next stop, I wouldn't care how he did at his next school. But the countless articles we've read like this one actually kind of make me want to see him fail.

Exactly, what a cheap way to leave.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

Basically I read this as Buzz was too scared to keep at a program where expectations were high so he quit and took a job where people could continue to feed his ego. About right?

You've never been so right. It's actually getting weird. Why is this story still being told?

[Tugg Speedman]

If Buzz had simply left for another job and turned the page, while his mouthpieces went quiet until he'd achieved some success at his next stop, I wouldn't care how he did at his next school. But the countless articles we've read like this one actually kind of make me want to see him fail.

Character revealed

[pbiflyer]

a) he took a bad college basketball job for LESS money, bs before VT.

Quit repeating this lie. First, given the terms of his contract, the money is more guaranteed money. Second, if you look at the terms of the contract, he can basically get unlimited money from outside sources for Team Buzz Williams that is outside the control of the University. It is a unique clause in college athletics. And it wide open to abuse.
And I bet that Team Buzz Williams coffers are overflowing at the moment.

[Tugg Speedman]

Quit repeating this lie. First, given the terms of his contract, the money is more guaranteed money. Second, if you look at the terms of the contract, he can basically get unlimited money from outside sources for Team Buzz Williams that is outside the control of the University. It is a unique clause in college athletics. And it wide open to abuse.
And I bet that Team Buzz Williams coffers are overflowing at the moment.

But he was two years away from $4 million/year at MU.  At best the money was the same, and probably worse.  If it was more, it was marginally more.

Problem is we will never know as Team Buzz terrm's and MU's numbers (private university) are not released.

Oh, and the VT plane is worse than the MU plane.

[Johnny B]

But he was two years away from $4 million/year at MU.  At best the money was the same, and probably worse.  If it was more, it was marginally more.

Problem is we will never know as Team Buzz terrm's and MU's numbers (private university) are not released.

Oh, and the VT plane is worse than the MU plane.

Do they have a jet at vt? MUs is hella nice.

[77ncaachamps]

Do they have a jet at vt? MUs is hella nice.

I wonder how the state will monitor and scrutinize its use since VT is a public university.

At least with MU, lots of those figures don't have to be published.

[Tugg Speedman]

VT's plane

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N69VT

Note that Buzz is nottheonly one that uses it.

[GGGG]

I wonder how the state will monitor and scrutinize its use since VT is a public university.

At least with MU, lots of those figures don't have to be published.

Note that the jet isn't owned by the state, but by the Virginia Tech Foundation - a private entity. 

[Spotcheck Billy]

Note that the jet isn't owned by the state, but by the Virginia Tech Foundation - a private entity. 

but their football coach has 1st dibs on it

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Buzz is a true wildcard.

VT isn't the first weird decision he's made. He's got a track record.

When he was winning for MU, we loved the quirks. Winning = Likable.

Now that he's gone, we criticize his quirks.

The truth is, he's the same guy he always was. He has a very specific viewpoint on the world. That makes him interesting, but also a bit scary (because he's so different).

I think he'll always thrive in an underdog role, but his personality makes it tough for him to accept high expectations and criticism. He burns hot, and while I think he'll be successful, I don't know that he's destined to coach for a long time. He just runs too hot, and I think it's almost impossible to keep that up for a long time.

Honestly, the guy needs a legit hobby and some weekly meditation time. Would make him a better person and a better coach. (my outsiders opinion).

[Lennys Tap]

Buzz is a true wildcard.

VT isn't the first weird decision he's made. He's got a track record.

When he was winning for MU, we loved the quirks. Winning = Likable.

Now that he's gone, we criticize his quirks.

The truth is, he's the same guy he always was. He has a very specific viewpoint on the world. That makes him interesting, but also a bit scary (because he's so different).

I think he'll always thrive in an underdog role, but his personality makes it tough for him to accept high expectations and criticism. He burns hot, and while I think he'll be successful, I don't know that he's destined to coach for a long time. He just runs too hot, and I think it's almost impossible to keep that up for a long time.

Honestly, the guy needs a legit hobby and some weekly meditation time. Would make him a better person and a better coach. (my outsiders opinion).

Fair analysis. Generally agree.

[Golden Avalanche]

Buzz is a true wildcard.

VT isn't the first weird decision he's made. He's got a track record.

When he was winning for MU, we loved the quirks. Winning = Likable.

Now that he's gone, we criticize his quirks.

The truth is, he's the same guy he always was. He has a very specific viewpoint on the world. That makes him interesting, but also a bit scary (because he's so different).

I think he'll always thrive in an underdog role, but his personality makes it tough for him to accept high expectations and criticism. He burns hot, and while I think he'll be successful, I don't know that he's destined to coach for a long time. He just runs too hot, and I think it's almost impossible to keep that up for a long time.

Honestly, the guy needs a legit hobby and some weekly meditation time. Would make him a better person and a better coach. (my outsiders opinion).

I think the "Buzz is different" trope has rocketed to mythological status. Brent Williams is a classic country person with an anti-rich kid hangup that permeates his entire being. His passion happens to be a lucrative way to make a living and as a result has been "granted" admittance into a rich world not only beyond his imagination but beyond the imaginations of 91% of the citizens in our country.

Few assimilate. Most don't. No shock Buzz has had those problems. As a result, it's much more comforting to go back to what is "home" and for Buzz that's a low expectation, no hope, backwater progrum deep in the heart with "his" people. His choice to decimate the MU athletics hierarchy before deserting the program in the middle of the night should never have surprised a Marquette supporter.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

I think the "Buzz is different" trope has rocketed to mythological status. Brent Williams is a classic country person with an anti-rich kid hangup that permeates his entire being. His passion happens to be a lucrative way to make a living and as a result has been "granted" admittance into a rich world not only beyond his imagination but beyond the imaginations of 91% of the citizens in our country.

Few assimilate. Most don't. No shock Buzz has had those problems. As a result, it's much more comforting to go back to what is "home" and for Buzz that's a low expectation, no hope, backwater progrum deep in the heart with "his" people. His choice to decimate the MU athletics hierarchy before deserting the program in the middle of the night should never have surprised a Marquette supporter.

My "Buzz is different" viewpoint comes from his career decisions and work-style, not just his southern ways. Now, as far as his whole underdog persona and comfort level, I believe you are correct with that. But, as far as his professional decisions and approach, I think he's just a wildcard.

- Left a HC job to take an ASST. job at MU. (Obviously it worked out, but that was viewed as a radical move at the time)
- Wrote hundreds/thousands of letters to coaches each month
- Tried to get an asst. job by sitting in a lobby at the final 4 and talking to every coach he could find
- When asked about free throws, always said "Just be tough enough to make a free throw". Never said anything about players practicing on their own time, etc.
- Used unknown metrics like "paint touches" to develop an offensive and defensive philosophy
- Started guys for 3min per half, and then would never put them back in (Juan, Erik Williams)

When Buzz was winning, we didn't cry much about the wildcard decisions. He's just eccentric.

Now that Buzz is gone, there is some clarity (the guy is indeed weird), but also some sour grapes (THAT GUY IS TOO WEIRD! I'M GLAD HE'S GONE *shakes fist*)