[Matt Velazquez] Wojciechowski not anxious to fill roster spot

[#UnleashSean]

Wojo and this program is a mess. You cut a kid like Wally who could contribute next year bc you are targeting two other PFs and you miss on both. Meanwhile you cut all ties with the Ellenson family after Hank had one of the most memorable frosh seasons in history. Very disappointing.

Peeps here are going to roast you. But I believe the exact same as you.

[Marcus92]

You can disagree with how it went down. That's your prerogative. But I don't think Wally would make much of an impact if he was on the roster this season.

He's 22 years old and has 4 years of major college experience under his belt. An incredible athlete for sure, and a high-energy guy. But there's a reason Wally has only played in 47 games in all that time — he's just not that good of a basketball player.

His career averages: 7.7 mpg, 1.9 ppg and 1.8 rpg, with an offensive rating below 100. Those are almost the exact same numbers he posted in Big East conference play this past season (7.3 mpg, 1.9 ppg, 1.6 rpg). I'll leave it to someone better qualified than me to break down advanced stats. But it seems pretty clear he's shown little or no improvement — suggesting he's reached his ceiling. At this point, there's no reason to believe he deserves more court time or will play any better.

A couple points and rebounds a game is a negligible contribution — especially for a fifth-year senior. Hardly a difference maker. Better to give the practice reps and game minutes to players like Sacar or Sam who still have years to develop and improve.

Just my two cents. But I'm not worried about the current state or future of the program.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Peeps here are going to roast you. But I believe the exact same as you.

You think the program is a mess?  That's a strong statement.

Can you list the obvious reasons why.  I mean, if it is a mess, than the reasons have to be obvious to everyone, yes?

As for Wally, I don't like it for a number of reasons, but I wouldn't translate that into the program is a complete mess.  That's a leap of substantial distance not backed by evidence.  Unless you wish to provide some.

[bilsu]

No worries, Wojo is gone in three years either to Duke or the unemployment line.

[Anti-Dentite]

Peeps here are going to roast you. But I believe the exact same as you.

Same here, Wojo is in over his head. He needs to figure this whole thing out pretty quick, the program is slip, slip, slipping away.

[jsglow]

This will get fun.  Honey, is it too early for popcorn?

[wadesworld]

No worries, Wojo is gone in three years either to Duke or the unemployment line.

So within the next 3 years we will either have 2 NCAA Tournament Championships or we will have gone from a 20 win season with a bunch of freshman regressing over 3 years to a 10 win team with a bunch of seniors?  And if it's the latter, a guy who spent 20 years next to one of the greatest college basketball coaches in the history of the game, winning 2 National Titles and helping recruit a 3rd class that won a National Title, and spent 5 years running his own program will not be able to land an assistant coaching job anywhere?

The crazies are out in full force, folks!

[DienerTime34]

We haven't had any meaningful wins on the court in Wojo's first two years, but you have to give him at least this year to make the NCAA tournament before the pitchforks come out.

[jsglow]

We haven't had any meaningful wins on the court in Wojo's first two years, but you have to give him at least this year to make the NCAA tournament before the pitchforks come out.

Now you're just talking stupid.  We beat to Top 10 Providence team on THEIR court.  We beat the national runner-up (Bucky) on THEIR court.  We won the holiday tournament in New York matching up against the #1 pick in this year's NBA draft.  Yeah, talk some more.

[ChicosBailBonds]

We haven't had any meaningful wins on the court in Wojo's first two years, but you have to give him at least this year to make the NCAA tournament before the pitchforks come out.

We haven't?  Beating Wisconsin at Wisconsin?  Beating Providence twice this year.  Beating Butler.  All four were NCAA tournament participants.  Define meaningful.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Same here, Wojo is in over his head. He needs to figure this whole thing out pretty quick, the program is slip, slip, slipping away.

I read stuff like this and I have to think heavy sarcasm, just forgot the teal.  Then, I read it again and think he believes this 100%.  Honestly don't know....you serious, you playing?

[Marcus92]

you have to give him at least this year to make the NCAA tournament before the pitchforks come out.

Judging a first-time head coach on the basis of two seasons sounds ludicrous to me. But nobody HAS to give Wojo anything. College basketball fans (and sports fans in general) are rarely known for their patience or objectivity. Wojo, like every coach, will have to prove himself. And based on what I know about him, he's probably just fine with that.

[MU82]

Dean Smith 12-12 in his THIRD year at UNC. Obviously in over his head. Program was slip-slip-slipping away. Shoulda been fired.

Coach K 10-17 in his second season followed by 11-17 in his third at Duke. And he had 5 years experience as head coach at Army. Obviously in WAY over his head. Program doomed. Shoulda never been hired by Duke in the first place.

Jay Wright 15-16 in his second season followed by 18-17 in his third season at Nova. And he had 7 years experience as head coach at Hofstra. Obviously in way, way, WAY over his head. Program shoulda been canceled, and he should be a middle-school assistant coach now.

I could go on all day.

Wojo has completed two seasons as coach. The team dramatically improved in Year 2, was mostly fun to watch and had several outstanding victories. He just landed his second straight top-20 recruiting class.

Plus, he has a new contract extension, Marquette leadership clearly likes him, and he ain't going anywhere anytime soon.

Some people need to get an effen grip.

[Marcus92]

Dean Smith 12-12 in his THIRD year at UNC. Obviously in over his head. Program was slip-slip-slipping away. Shoulda been fired.

Coach K 10-17 in his second season followed by 11-17 in his third at Duke. And he had 5 years experience as head coach at Army. Obviously in WAY over his head. Program doomed. Shoulda never been hired by Duke in the first place.

Jay Wright 15-16 in his second season followed by 18-17 in his third season at Nova. And he had 7 years experience as head coach at Hofstra. Obviously in way, way, WAY over his head. Program shoulda been canceled, and he should be a middle-school assistant coach now.

I could go on all day.

Wojo has completed two seasons as coach. The team dramatically improved in Year 2, was mostly fun to watch and had several outstanding victories. He just landed his second straight top-20 recruiting class.

Plus, he has a new contract extension, Marquette leadership clearly likes him, and he ain't going anywhere anytime soon.

Some people need to get an effen grip.

Agree with everything here. But you're using logic again emotion — and emotion will win in a blowout every time.

Fear. Worry. Despair. Anger. Disgust. Sadness. Terror. Hate. Doubt. Disappointment. Rage. Anxiety. Contempt. For a large number of sports fans, this pretty well covers the range of feelings they have for their "favorite" teams most of the time.

An old roommate during the late 90s was a big Chicago Bulls fan. Jordan was on route to his 5th and 6th career NBA championships. There should have been no better time to be a fan. But I'm not sure he enjoyed a single moment. Watching games with him on TV, he'd worry that the Bulls would blow an 18-point lead. (They never did that I saw.) One loss in a playoff series meant the team was done for. I think he felt more relieved to see his team win than actually excited.

This isn't to suggest that you give up on trying to make a logical argument. But just try to understand the mindset of who's on the other side. It's like seeing reality through some kind of emotional warp field.

[keefe]

Dean Smith 12-12 in his THIRD year at UNC. Obviously in over his head. Program was slip-slip-slipping away. Shoulda been fired.

Coach K 10-17 in his second season followed by 11-17 in his third at Duke. And he had 5 years experience as head coach at Army. Obviously in WAY over his head. Program doomed. Shoulda never been hired by Duke in the first place.

Jay Wright 15-16 in his second season followed by 18-17 in his third season at Nova. And he had 7 years experience as head coach at Hofstra. Obviously in way, way, WAY over his head. Program shoulda been canceled, and he should be a middle-school assistant coach now.

I could go on all day.

Wojo has completed two seasons as coach. The team dramatically improved in Year 2, was mostly fun to watch and had several outstanding victories. He just landed his second straight top-20 recruiting class.

Plus, he has a new contract extension, Marquette leadership clearly likes him, and he ain't going anywhere anytime soon.

Some people need to get an effen grip.

I am not on the anti-Wojo train but I am deeply concerned about how competitive we can be this year and especially the season after. Our roster is markedly unbalanced and I fear for the next few seasons.

[Herman Cain]

I am not on the anti-Wojo train but I am deeply concerned about how competitive we can be this year and especially the season after. Our roster is markedly unbalanced and I fear for the next few seasons.

The program is in good shape.

We just won 20 games. We have four double digit scorers returning. The first recruiting class performed well. We will have a first round draft pick. The incoming recruiting class appears to be strong. We are actively recruiting solid prospects in the out years and have one already in place with an NLI who is on a mission.  We have two transfers coming in with proven success . We are getting a new arena. The coach received a contract extension. So we pretty much have the ingredients for continued success this year and into the future.

Now it is up to the Coaching staff and the players to continue to  perform up to MU expectations and tradition. I am pretty confident that will occur. We are doing as well as we can on the things we can control. Injuries are not controllable and are always a risk factor for any team.

[CTWarrior]

Dean Smith 12-12 in his THIRD year at UNC. Obviously in over his head. Program was slip-slip-slipping away. Shoulda been fired.

Coach K 10-17 in his second season followed by 11-17 in his third at Duke. And he had 5 years experience as head coach at Army. Obviously in WAY over his head. Program doomed. Shoulda never been hired by Duke in the first place.

Jay Wright 15-16 in his second season followed by 18-17 in his third season at Nova. And he had 7 years experience as head coach at Hofstra. Obviously in way, way, WAY over his head. Program shoulda been canceled, and he should be a middle-school assistant coach now.

I could go on all day.

Wojo has completed two seasons as coach. The team dramatically improved in Year 2, was mostly fun to watch and had several outstanding victories. He just landed his second straight top-20 recruiting class.

Plus, he has a new contract extension, Marquette leadership clearly likes him, and he ain't going anywhere anytime soon.

Some people need to get an effen grip.

For every Coach K or Dean Smith there are dozens of coaches who got off to shaky starts and never got their program going and then were fired.  So that argument does little for me.  It's akin to the argument that because we struck gold with Gardner we will again with Kostas A.

Your second point that we showed a great deal of improvement in year 2 and have another highly rated incoming class, however, is a strong argument for feeling bullish about Wojo.  If we take even a small step forward this season (NIT or squeak into the NCAA), we'll have real evidence of progress.

I do wonder if we'll take that small step, however.  If last year was more about Henry than we think it is (like some players exceling because of opponents concentrating on Henry), our imbalanced roster for the next two seasons leave us with the potential of us spinning our wheels and not taking that next step.

[Herman Cain]

For every Coach K or Dean Smith there are dozens of coaches who got off to shaky starts and never got their program going and then were fired.  So that argument does little for me.  It's akin to the argument that because we struck gold with Gardner we will again with Kostas A.

Your second point that we showed a great deal of improvement in year 2 and have another highly rated incoming class, however, is a strong argument for feeling bullish about Wojo.  If we take even a small step forward this season (NIT or squeak into the NCAA), we'll have real evidence of progress.

I do wonder if we'll take that small step, however.  If last year was more about Henry than we think it is (like some players exceling because of opponents concentrating on Henry), our imbalanced roster for the next two seasons leave us with the potential of us spinning our wheels and not taking that next step.

We are going to be an improved team this year.  We have significant point production returning and are adding proven producers as well.

[mu03eng]

I am not on the anti-Wojo train but I am deeply concerned about how competitive we can be this year and especially the season after. Our roster is markedly unbalanced and I fear for the next few seasons.

Why don't you think we can be competitive this year?

[keefe]

Why don't you think we can be competitive this year?

Lack of depth down low. I think people are underestimating how much we will miss Ellenson. I hate to think what will happen if we lose Fischer to fouls or injury.

[LAZER]

Lack of depth down low. I think people are underestimating how much we will miss Ellenson. I hate to think what will happen if we lose Fischer to fouls or injury.

We will definitely lose Fischer to fouls in games, I doubt his fouling tendencies will change next year. I'm not optimistic about the next couple years either, Heldt is a big part of the equation and I don't think that's a good thing.

[GGGG]

I think Heldt is better than people think. 

We want to get project bigs in here, and then when we get them, we don't have the patience enough to let them...you know...be projects.

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

I think Heldt is better than people think. 

We want to get project bigs in here, and then when we get them, we don't have the patience enough to let them...you know...be projects.

Wouldn't the definition of a project big be someone who isn't playing starter minutes until JR/SR year.  My personal angst has nothing to do with Heldt and everything to do with him having to carry the full load too soon.  If you have projects - you should also have some depth.

[GGGG]

Then go small and be fast. 

[fjm]

Love how weird people are. We get Howard and Bailey and Reinhardt and everyone is excited!

Then we cut a guy who averages 1.9 ppg and miss on a Canadian who many admitted would not be a factor and would be a Project and all of a sudden we are a D3 team at best.

Idiots.