Sound the alarm!

[Mayor McCheese]

We could have gotten Coach K to come to Marquette and PRN would find something bad about him...

he is too short
hasn't had success in the tournament the past 2 years
Too soft spoken
Too old school, when new school is the new thing
Balding....



honestly, why is shaving your head bald a bad thing?  I know plenty of people that do it, and are quite successful, you lost all hope of me listening to your rant PRN when you threw in that low blow, who cares what his hair style is, he is the man right now, and with a record of 0-0, he hasn't done anything wrong.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

he hasn't done anything wrong.

Incorrect.

He's MU's coach... and he's not Al Mcguire. That makes him wrong.

[Henry Sugar]

That said, what's done is done.  I'm not going to beat on Buzz nor blindly support him.  Basically, I'll hold off on my opinion until after the following:

• Coaching Staff
• Current Roster / Recruit Retention
• 2008 / 2009 Recruiting

Prove you can handle the job, Buzz

You may want to add some trivial things like "wins and losses, player development and whether the team plays to its potential" to that list.

Yes, of course... but those things are all 9-10 months away and the list above is short-term.

[ecompt]

Let's face it, some people here are going to rip this hire even if we go 25-5 next year. Buzz is in a no-win situation with the people who clamored for the school to throw ethics out the window and go after Calipari, Tarkanian, etc.

[TGM3]

As an outsider looking at the situation from afar, it seems to me that the administration floated Buzz's name way too early in the process to have a legit search.  IMO, no self respecting mid-major coach that has proven to be a winner on that level is going to go toe-to-toe in the hiring process with an unproven "head" coach like Buzz that already has the upper hand.  It would look awful for somebody like Lowery or Brownell to really put themselves out there and really go after the Marquette job only to lose out in the end to somebody that doesn't have their resumes.  In the end it doesn't look good to their fan bases or the other ADs around the country that might question the Buzz to Marquette hire.  Like I said, this is just my opinion and I hope Buzz works out for you guys. 





 

[Coobeys Oil Depot]

Let's face it, some people here are going to rip this hire even if we go 25-5 next year. Buzz is in a no-win situation with the people who clamored for the school to throw ethics out the window and go after Calipari, Tarkanian, etc.

I won't rip him next year.

With a working starting line-up back, six of our top seven scorers back, and outstanding recruits in Fulce and Otule there is no reason MU shouldn't win 25 games short of 2 season-ending injuries in December.

[lab_warrior]

Maybe retitle this post "Sound the "Beat the dead horse" alarm? 

[ChicosBailBonds]

If Crean hadn't pushed so hard for Buzz and pushed to all the right people i.e. major donors, we probably would still be going thru the hiring process.

Let me get this straight, the major donors and university that feel such disdain for Crean and feel he was such a jerk also decided to honor Crean's request that Buzz be the hire?

Are we trying to have it both ways again?

I'm scared as hell over this hire, I'm not on the ledge like PRN, but yeah I'm worried.  We could have gotten Buzz next week so I wish MU would have gone harder at coaches that were out there and not made a decision so quickly.  But they didn't and now we hope the powers that be were correct.  But back to your original point, so many people "in the know" say how furious the donors, etc were with Crean and are thrilled he's gone, yet you're saying these same people decided to give Crean one last crack at the goods?  Seems odd don't you think?

[ChicosBailBonds]

I still think it was a bad hire.  My opinion is that the administration didn't define what they wanted.  After they were rejected with their first set of choices, then they talked themselves into a decision on Buzz.

That said, what's done is done.  I'm not going to beat on Buzz nor blindly support him.  Basically, I'll hold off on my opinion until after the following:

• Coaching Staff
• Current Roster / Recruit Retention
• 2008 / 2009 Recruiting

Prove you can handle the job, Buzz

+1....and I hope like hell he proves you and I wrong!!!     Sure wish MU had given it more time, Buzz would be here next week.  We closed this process down very quickl IMO.  But here we are.

[Pakuni]

If Crean hadn't pushed so hard for Buzz and pushed to all the right people i.e. major donors, we probably would still be going thru the hiring process.

Let me get this straight, the major donors and university that feel such disdain for Crean and feel he was such a jerk also decided to honor Crean's request that Buzz be the hire?

Are we trying to have it both ways again?

I'm scared as hell over this hire, I'm not on the ledge like PRN, but yeah I'm worried.  We could have gotten Buzz next week so I wish MU would have gone harder at coaches that were out there and not made a decision so quickly.  But they didn't and now we hope the powers that be were correct.  But back to your original point, so many people "in the know" say how furious the donors, etc were with Crean and are thrilled he's gone, yet you're saying these same people decided to give Crean one last crack at the goods?  Seems odd don't you think?

This is the second time you've mentioned waiting a week before making the hire.

Does this mean you're OK with missing the final contact period before the spring signing period, essentially leaving MU with very little chance of filling any spots on a soon-to-be depleted roster so that they could have "gone harder" with guys who already declined?

I don't see much upside to that. It appears some of those guys, namely Miller and Bennett, were pretty set against leaving.

[ErickJD08]

WEBER?  I told my Illini Alum buddies that Weber was in the talks for MU's new coach and I couldn't see more excited people.  Why hasn't he returned to the Tourney?  He can not recruit.  I take the same stance as alot of people on the board.  He is a really risky hire.  But it could work out well, especially if he is a great recruiter.  I do hope he can hire some assistants to overcome some of his known shortcomings.  IF this hire can keep our roster and recruits together, I will be happy with the hire until something unthinkable happens next season.  

[Coobeys Oil Depot]

If Crean hadn't pushed so hard for Buzz and pushed to all the right people i.e. major donors, we probably would still be going thru the hiring process.

Let me get this straight, the major donors and university that feel such disdain for Crean and feel he was such a jerk also decided to honor Crean's request that Buzz be the hire?

Are we trying to have it both ways again?

I'm scared as hell over this hire, I'm not on the ledge like PRN, but yeah I'm worried.  We could have gotten Buzz next week so I wish MU would have gone harder at coaches that were out there and not made a decision so quickly.  But they didn't and now we hope the powers that be were correct.  But back to your original point, so many people "in the know" say how furious the donors, etc were with Crean and are thrilled he's gone, yet you're saying these same people decided to give Crean one last crack at the goods?  Seems odd don't you think?

This is the second time you've mentioned waiting a week before making the hire.

Does this mean you're OK with missing the final contact period before the spring signing period, essentially leaving MU with very little chance of filling any spots on a soon-to-be depleted roster so that they could have "gone harder" with guys who already declined?

I don't see much upside to that. It appears some of those guys, namely Miller and Bennett, were pretty set against leaving.

Can you provide a list of the major players that Crean was able to lure to Marquette in the spring recruiting period?

[RawdogDX]

Let's face it, some people here are going to rip this hire even if we go 25-5 next year. Buzz is in a no-win situation with the people who clamored for the school to throw ethics out the window and go after Calipari, Tarkanian, etc.

THis is a 'no-win situation' because some idiot on a message board will talk trash if he goes 25-5?  He'll be hailed as a hero by 99% of the fan base, i think calling it a 'no-win' is a huge stretch, he's taking over a big east team that will have 3 seniors and a jr starting all with a lot of talent and big game experience.  He could coast to a 22 win season and if the loses aren't embarising he'd finish the year with a high approval rating as long as he lands a decent recruiting class.

[ChicosBailBonds]

If Crean hadn't pushed so hard for Buzz and pushed to all the right people i.e. major donors, we probably would still be going thru the hiring process.

Let me get this straight, the major donors and university that feel such disdain for Crean and feel he was such a jerk also decided to honor Crean's request that Buzz be the hire?

Are we trying to have it both ways again?

I'm scared as hell over this hire, I'm not on the ledge like PRN, but yeah I'm worried.  We could have gotten Buzz next week so I wish MU would have gone harder at coaches that were out there and not made a decision so quickly.  But they didn't and now we hope the powers that be were correct.  But back to your original point, so many people "in the know" say how furious the donors, etc were with Crean and are thrilled he's gone, yet you're saying these same people decided to give Crean one last crack at the goods?  Seems odd don't you think?

This is the second time you've mentioned waiting a week before making the hire.

Does this mean you're OK with missing the final contact period before the spring signing period, essentially leaving MU with very little chance of filling any spots on a soon-to-be depleted roster so that they could have "gone harder" with guys who already declined?

I don't see much upside to that. It appears some of those guys, namely Miller and Bennett, were pretty set against leaving.

Pakuni, the final contact period for what at this point...scraps?  Yes, I'm ok with that.  Let's also not forget that the period with which you talk reopens only a week later, it's not earthshattering to hit that first date.  What it tells me is Bennett and Miller were options 1, Buzz was 2A. 

I'm not against Buzz, I just think he was available later this week where it appears by Friday or at the latest Saturday, our decision was already made.  Basically we gave it 2 or 3 days which isn't a lot for a position so important.  Is Stanford or OSU going to make a decision by today so they can beat that deadline?  Maybe, but I suspect they are also much better prepared and have a stronger list of candidates in their back pocket then we did.

Let's hope he is "special"....to act as quickly as we did he must be.

[HelixAir6]

WEBER?  I told my Illini Alum buddies that Weber was in the talks for MU's new coach and I couldn't see more excited people.  Why hasn't he returned to the Tourney?  He can not recruit.  I take the same stance as alot of people on the board.  He is a really risky hire.  But it could work out well, especially if he is a great recruiter.  I do hope he can hire some assistants to overcome some of his known shortcomings.  IF this hire can keep our roster and recruits together, I will be happy with the hire until something unthinkable happens next season.  

Not to mention that he only suspended one of his players for a year after he drove drunk into a tree and left his teammate to die on the side of the road.  Also, one of his 2009 recruits was kicked off his high school team for some reason too (something about going off on his coach).  At first i thought Weber would be a good hire if we could get some of his 09 class in here, but then my cousins, Alums of U of I, reminded me of this and said they wouldn't mind seeing Weber go.

[ATWizJr]

Delay the process?  MU had already had contact with it's major targets and they weren't leaving to come here.

but, I do like the title of this thread.  Mods, can you arrange all future posts from PRN to have this title of "Sound The Alarm" so that we can ignore them until our new coach has actually done something for which to be criticized?

[mosarsour]

Thank God we've got a new head coach. Now we can (as I've stated the last few days) move forward. Buzz is our head coach. Deal with it. We've got 4 seniors next year and Lazar is only entering his junior year.  We've got a a good base of players and team leaders. I'm excited for next season regardless of what PRN AKA Debbie Downer has to say. It's a new day for Marquette basketball and I, for one, can't be more thrilled. I'd rather we at least try to move forward then reflect on whowe would have had as coach (mind you, none of them wanted the job).

PRN is

[77fan88warrior]

Did Tom Crean teach us nothing about appearances? Did we honestly choose a coach who chooses to shave his head bald and whose greatest professional reference is a skirt-chasing Texan named “Billy” over stealing away the Milwaukee-raised head coach of the University of Illinois?!?


Consider that our head coach probably isn’t qualified to sit next to Bo Ryan as his assistant, much less compete with him for recruits and tell me it’s a good hire.

Not only will this not work. It can’t work.

I imagine if Buzz had hair like Bo Ryan, his last name was Bennet, and brought down Illinois' program he could fulfill all of PRN's convoluted visions.

[Bob "Big Daddy" Wild]

WEBER?  I told my Illini Alum buddies that Weber was in the talks for MU's new coach and I couldn't see more excited people.  Why hasn't he returned to the Tourney?  He can not recruit.  I take the same stance as alot of people on the board.  He is a really risky hire.  But it could work out well, especially if he is a great recruiter.  I do hope he can hire some assistants to overcome some of his known shortcomings.  IF this hire can keep our roster and recruits together, I will be happy with the hire until something unthinkable happens next season.  

Not to mention that he only suspended one of his players for a year after he drove drunk into a tree and left his teammate to die on the side of the road.  Also, one of his 2009 recruits was kicked off his high school team for some reason too (something about going off on his coach).  At first i thought Weber would be a good hire if we could get some of his 09 class in here, but then my cousins, Alums of U of I, reminded me of this and said they wouldn't mind seeing Weber go.

The Illinois alums who don't like Weber tend to be the ones who only casually pay attention to their basketball program and are overly critical/whiny.  He is an outstanding Xs and Os coach.  Yes his recruiting has been poor IN THE PAST, but is picking up a ton of speed.  His '09 class is very good, his '10 class is outstanding, McCamey is a darn good player (just finished frosh year), and Alex Legion will be very good for them too.  They are going to be loaded in 2 short years.

I think the B10 is going to get very tough in the next few years, and that Illinois will be at or near the top of it.  I had Weber at the top of my list - plus he may have never left for a better job.

Also, we don't know the details on the Jamar Smith 'incident'.  Yes what he did was awful, but I do know that Bruce stuck by him and saved that young man's future.  Sometimes it takes a lot of courage to keep the kid on the team rather than just wash your hands of it and throw him to the wolves.  I did some damn stupid things during my time at MU, the fact that no one got hurt is just as much luck as anything.  I am sure many people on this board can say the same...

[Litehouse]

I hope Buzz succeeds wildly, but I think this is a huge gamble for Cottingham and responsibility for this decision must fall back to him.  If Buzz ends up failing at MU and gets fired, I think Cottingham should also be gone.  Ultimately it's up to them to prove the doubters wrong.

[bma725]

WEBER?  I told my Illini Alum buddies that Weber was in the talks for MU's new coach and I couldn't see more excited people.  Why hasn't he returned to the Tourney?  He can not recruit.  I take the same stance as alot of people on the board.  He is a really risky hire.  But it could work out well, especially if he is a great recruiter.  I do hope he can hire some assistants to overcome some of his known shortcomings.  IF this hire can keep our roster and recruits together, I will be happy with the hire until something unthinkable happens next season.  

Not to mention that he only suspended one of his players for a year after he drove drunk into a tree and left his teammate to die on the side of the road.  Also, one of his 2009 recruits was kicked off his high school team for some reason too (something about going off on his coach).  At first i thought Weber would be a good hire if we could get some of his 09 class in here, but then my cousins, Alums of U of I, reminded me of this and said they wouldn't mind seeing Weber go.

The Illinois alums who don't like Weber tend to be the ones who only casually pay attention to their basketball program and are overly critical/whiny.  He is an outstanding Xs and Os coach.  Yes his recruiting has been poor IN THE PAST, but is picking up a ton of speed.  His '09 class is very good, his '10 class is outstanding, McCamey is a darn good player (just finished frosh year), and Alex Legion will be very good for them too.  They are going to be loaded in 2 short years.

It's not exactly his recruiting that has picked up speed.  The recent success is directly related to U of I hiring Jerrence Howard as an assistant.  Given that Howard is a former Illini player and alum, the odds of him going with Weber if he leaves aren't that good, so you'd be right back to having a good Xs and Os coach who can't recruit a lick.

[passion of da coach]

Yes it helps to have a Jerrance Howard, but the fact is Weber had to make in roads to schools he previously couldn't sniff while at SIU, this is no different for any other coach. In fact, U of I had gone through a Public League lock out following jimmy Collins departure to UIC that wasn't fixed until Bill Self came.  Howard can get the kids interested in looking at Weber's school, but Weber still has to convince the kid his style is a good fit for that recruit. 

I don't ever hear Rod Strickland getting  all the praise for the recruiting on Calipari's staff, same sitaution, so to say Weber can't recruit and Howard is the only reason his 09 and 10 classes are stellar is a joke.

Weber would have been a good fit, good hire.

[HelixAir6]

WEBER?  I told my Illini Alum buddies that Weber was in the talks for MU's new coach and I couldn't see more excited people.  Why hasn't he returned to the Tourney?  He can not recruit.  I take the same stance as alot of people on the board.  He is a really risky hire.  But it could work out well, especially if he is a great recruiter.  I do hope he can hire some assistants to overcome some of his known shortcomings.  IF this hire can keep our roster and recruits together, I will be happy with the hire until something unthinkable happens next season. 

Not to mention that he only suspended one of his players for a year after he drove drunk into a tree and left his teammate to die on the side of the road.  Also, one of his 2009 recruits was kicked off his high school team for some reason too (something about going off on his coach).  At first i thought Weber would be a good hire if we could get some of his 09 class in here, but then my cousins, Alums of U of I, reminded me of this and said they wouldn't mind seeing Weber go.

The Illinois alums who don't like Weber tend to be the ones who only casually pay attention to their basketball program and are overly critical/whiny.  He is an outstanding Xs and Os coach.  Yes his recruiting has been poor IN THE PAST, but is picking up a ton of speed.  His '09 class is very good, his '10 class is outstanding, McCamey is a darn good player (just finished frosh year), and Alex Legion will be very good for them too.  They are going to be loaded in 2 short years.

I think the B10 is going to get very tough in the next few years, and that Illinois will be at or near the top of it.  I had Weber at the top of my list - plus he may have never left for a better job.

Also, we don't know the details on the Jamar Smith 'incident'.  Yes what he did was awful, but I do know that Bruce stuck by him and saved that young man's future.  Sometimes it takes a lot of courage to keep the kid on the team rather than just wash your hands of it and throw him to the wolves.  I did some damn stupid things during my time at MU, the fact that no one got hurt is just as much luck as anything.  I am sure many people on this board can say the same...

I can say that my cousins are pretty die hard illini Alums ('05 and '00) that drive down for every football and basketball game from just outside of Chicago.  I agree, it took a lot of balls for Weber to stand by his kid, and i am all for second chances when it comes to getting busted by the law for somethings, but... leaving a teammate half-dead on the side of the road is inexcusable in my book, and that is a "detail" that is well-known and reported by several people.  I think Weber is a great coach, but I do understand why my family wouldn't mind seeing him go (not that they are trying to kick him out the door either).  I'm just saying that I don't want someone bringing these type of kids into the Marquette program or progrum, whatever it is now.  Sorry, didn't want to sidetrack the thread, but I'm just saying that maybe these reasons are why Weber was not heard to the extent some wanted him to be heard.

[bma725]

Yes it helps to have a Jerrance Howard, but the fact is Weber had to make in roads to schools he previously couldn't sniff while at SIU, this is no different for any other coach. In fact, U of I had gone through a Public League lock out following jimmy Collins departure to UIC that wasn't fixed until Bill Self came.  Howard can get the kids interested in looking at Weber's school, but Weber still has to convince the kid his style is a good fit for that recruit. 

I don't ever hear Rod Strickland getting  all the praise for the recruiting on Calipari's staff, same sitaution, so to say Weber can't recruit and Howard is the only reason his 09 and 10 classes are stellar is a joke.

Weber would have been a good fit, good hire.

The difference is that Cal was getting top flight kids before Strickland ever worked for him.  Weber was not, and the kids have talked about how much they like Jerrence Howard and how important he was in there decision to go to UofI.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Delay the process?  MU had already had contact with it's major targets and they weren't leaving to come here.

but, I do like the title of this thread.  Mods, can you arrange all future posts from PRN to have this title of "Sound The Alarm" so that we can ignore them until our new coach has actually done something for which to be criticized?

Perhaps the target zone should have been widened, and if you don't hit it you still have Buzz in the cross hairs a week later...hell, a month later if you wanted.  That's all.