The Dark One Returneth: Wojo Report Card - A Failure

[MikeDeanesDarkGlasses]

The last time I was on this board, the Warriors were #DoneDeal with Shaka Smart.  To the detriment of many, that was a borderline hoax.  Different names of coaches entered our lexicon.  Finally, there was one........  Wojo.  Excitement spurred through the MU masses due to Wojo's close kinship with Mike K and success.  Wojo had 15 yrs of experience and had recruited some top talent including Milwaukee Bucks own Jabari Parker.  A glimmer of hope shone upon Warrior Nation as Wojo would be the coach to lead us back to the NCAA tournament.  Those hopes were increased as Wojo landed what most other coaches here couldn't:  A blue chip prospect by the name of Henry Ellenson.  The future looked bright, in fact, it looked damn good.

Fast Forward 3 years later and Wojo hasn't delivered.  You could go as far as saying that he's been a huge disappointment.  No post season appearances for MU during Wojo's tenure and this season looks to be in the drain after an embarrassing loss to Georgetown.  By drain, I mean no NCAA tournament appearances.  NIT doesn't cut it for MU, especially for an NCAA program that is top 5 in spending on its basketball team.  Take a further gander south east to our old "friend" Buzz Williams at Virginia Tech.  Buzz has taken a historically bad program, that puts next to zero into its basketball program and is now competitive - much more so than Marquette.

So, what's the issue with Wojo?  Surprisingly, it's simple yet quite dumbfounding.  As a player, Wojo was very defensive minded and a lot to handle on the perimeter when he was at Duke.  This hasn't translated onto any of his teams here at MU.  None have played defense, in fact, they're downright terrible on that side of the ball. Players lose their man, giving up uncontested jumpers and lay ins.  You can find much better defensive teams at the mid major level.  Wojo's teams are a far cry from Buzz's elite defensive, junkyard dog units who would stifle opponents. #Deflections  Wojo is darn right horrendous.  In 3 years at MU he's failed to install a defensive system.  This is unacceptable and will be his undoing at MU.  It's amazing how poorly coached they are on defense.

MU Defensive Rankings vs NCAA Divsion I
Offensive Rebounding- 211th
Defensive Rebounding-218th
Avg Score against - 189th

These stats are abysmal and are those that mediocre mid major teams have.

I understand Wojo was dealt a bad hand here.  MU was in shambles when he arrived.  He's recruited 4 stars, but none to this point have shown much sans Markus Howard.  Heldt is terrible and wouldn't start on many mid major rosters, while Cheatam is solid.  Other than that, Wojo has recruited guards who can shoot, but are undersized.  Secondly, where are all the bigs when it comes to recruiting?  A bunch of undersized 4 star guards won't take you far in a season.  When you look at MU's starting 5 - you see Duke's bench......the ones still in warmups from a physical standpoint.  Yes, he snagged Ellenson which netted Wojo a contract extension but what did that really accomplish?  Short term it was great, but Wojo failed to parlay that move into what matters most - Wins = media hype = recruiting power.   Furthermore, there are other coaches who have done much better who have been dealt similar hands.  Archie Miller from Dayton took a team of basically 6 players to the tourney a few years ago.  Buzz rebuilding Va Tech in the toughest conference, the ACC, and  are jobs well done and signatures of great coaching.

Wojo doesn't have the signature of a great coach.  Often times it seems as if he's barely treading water.  Defense matters most when making an NCAA run, and Wojo hasn't been able to solve that issue in 3 years - posting defensive numbers you find at the mid major level.

Next Coach Up.......

.....The Search Continues.......

[GoldenDieners32]

I'll give him until the end of the 2018-2019 season

[MikeDeanesDarkGlasses]

I agree.  It also depends on the contract he signed along with the buyout terms.  If I were in charge, I'd let him go after this year.  Wojo's skill set belongs at a mid major school like UWM.  Any decent coach would have installed a defensive system by year 3.  No excuses.  You can't blame the players because if you are......you're the one that recruited them in the first place.

[TheTulsaWarrior]

Wojo has a long term contract with a rollover clause.  He's well paid and has top rate institutional support.  The high school recruiting has been encouraging.  I do expect him to build a solid winning program and realize it takes time.  Conversely -- he owes the school and the fan base the level of loyalty he has been shown.  I don't want to see another Kevin O'Neill situation.  I want to see and I expect a two way street.

[Let's Go Warriors]

2 more seasons.. ugh...
I hope these 2 more seasons people are not at all involved with the people making such decisions.

[MikeDeanesDarkGlasses]

Wojo has a long term contract with a rollover clause.  He's well paid and has top rate institutional support.  The high school recruiting has been encouraging.  I do expect him to build a solid winning program and realize it takes time.  Conversely -- he owes the school and the fan base the level of loyalty he has been shown.  I don't want to see another Kevin O'Neill situation.  I want to see and I expect a two way street.

Not sure how you can build a winning program that's based on offense and no defense.  Have these players gotten better under Wojo?  Tough to say.  There are a lot of red flags here Tulsa Warrior.  Year 3 of a coach is when you can see the corner being turned.  We're not seeing that here. 

[muguru]

2 more seasons.. ugh...
I hope these 2 more seasons people are not at all involved with the people making such decisions.

You have to wonder with the program at it's current level, and fan interest dying off rapidly..what kind of draw the new arena will be for MU fans?? I think winning would trump that or should. Let's say next year is another disaster..heading into the new arena with potentially 4 straight years under Wojo of no NCAA's..That would be disastrous on many levels.

[brandx]

What kind of egomaniac announces he is back with a topic named for himself?

Oh........

[brewcity77]

2 more seasons.. ugh...
I hope these 2 more seasons people are not at all involved with the people making such decisions.

The good news...we aren't. The bad news, the people involved are likely even more patient than we are.

[SuddenSam]

Good points, though I feel still more time to go.  Challenge is that next year our new interior still is only freshmen. So that obviously puts us further out.  I would go with 2018-19 as well to conclude.

[Goose]

Brand x

Your post made my weekend. I found that to be very, very funny. Plus, it made have more respect for MikeDeannes big time. He just became my kind of egomaniac.

[MUtopper34]

Good post. Makes a lot of sense.

[warriorfred]

Ego or not, it was a thoughtful post. 

At this point in the 3d season I expected to see improvement in a number of areas (defense, "toughness," in-game adjustments, etc...), and it isn't happening.

[MUFlutieEffect]

Wojo has a long term contract with a rollover clause.  He's well paid and has top rate institutional support.  The high school recruiting has been encouraging.  I do expect him to build a solid winning program and realize it takes time.  Conversely -- he owes the school and the fan base the level of loyalty he has been shown.  I don't want to see another Kevin O'Neill situation.  I want to see and I expect a two way street.

This is a fantastic point - and one the deserves far more discussion.  Assuming Wojo is around for Year Four (and we all know he will be), MU has been (perhaps overly?) patient and loyal. 

If Duke calls, Wojo is gone, and I think we can all live with that.  But what if that call comes from, say, NC State?  Pittsburgh?  Syracuse?  Is Wojo taking that job and leaving MU in the dust?  If so, it seems fair to be a bit less patient with the current progress. 

[4everwarriors]

We all got as much of a shot at fookin' Kate Upton as Steve has in coachin' Duke, ai na?

[JamilJaeJamailJrJuan]

In a few short minutes Va Tech will be 16-8 (5-7) having lost 3 straight. Best win at home over Duke without Allen. Next best win is Michigan. God awful non con schedule.  Next two games on the road at Pitt and Louisville - could legitimately see them lose 5 straight. Buzz's bunch isn't in much better shape than MU this season.

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

In a few short minutes Va Tech will be 16-8 (5-7) having lost 3 straight.

Still looks like a good game to me - no comment on buzz vs. anyone.

[Let's Go Warriors]

The good news...we aren't. The bad news, the people involved are likely even more patient than we are.

you likely really don't know for sure...

[bradley center bat]

In a few short minutes Va Tech will be 16-8 (5-7) having lost 3 straight. Best win at home over Duke without Allen. Next best win is Michigan. God awful non con schedule.  Next two games on the road at Pitt and Louisville - could legitimately see them lose 5 straight. Buzz's bunch isn't in much better shape than MU this season.

Or in double overtime.

[JamilJaeJamailJrJuan]

Or in double overtime.

They'll lose.

[Golden Avalanche]

Ego or not, it was a thoughtful post. 

At this point in the 3d season I expected to see improvement in a number of areas (defense, "toughness," in-game adjustments, etc...), and it isn't happening.

It's the middle of February and Marquette is projected to be in the NCAA Tournament.

Surely that seems to be an area of improvement from Wojo's first and second seasons of coaching.

[JamilJaeJamailJrJuan]

It's the middle of February and Marquette is projected to be in the NCAA Tournament.

Surely that seems to be an area of improvement from Wojo's first and second seasons of coaching.

You forgot! Everyone here is assuming a 1-4 or 0-5 finish!

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

nm

[JamilJaeJamailJrJuan]

They'll lose.

Great W for Buzz tonight. Spoke a bit early, but that was a nice win.

[keefe]

What kind of egomaniac announces he is back with a topic named for himself?

Oh........

x

Dark Glasses is one of the more clever and insightful participants on the board. I welcome his return.