Kolek planning to go pro
What, exactly, would A&M be able to offer Buzz that VT isn't already providing him?
Home.
He has elevated VT Basketball to the top level of the ACC -
I would be surprised if Buzz left VT. There's no drama there right now and he is beloved to a level that one would argue is better than the current football head coach (obviously not Beamer). He got carte blanche in his contract deal (the same rollover clause - always under a five-year deal), and has been given all the resources he has asked for in order to be successful. He has elevated VT Basketball to the top level of the ACC - and, soon, Boeheim, Coach K and Roy Williams will all be stepping down, allowing him to be at the very top of the coaching ranks within, arguably, the best basketball conference in the country. What, exactly, would A&M be able to offer Buzz that VT isn't already providing him? Buzz can essentially leave VT in a place where he is the face and recognized as the best coach in program history (where at a place at Marquette, you joined by a collection of outstanding coaches). Unless the offer him a Jimbo Fisher-sized deal, I guess I just don't see the attraction through his lens.
Buzz had friends in the media to speculate on his behalf.TC had no friends so he had to "leak" BS by himself. Remember when he was "offered" by Illinois? LOL
Also, during Buzz's tenure, VaTech has finished 15th, 7th, 7th, 7th and 5th in the ACC. Not exactly the "top level" of the conference.
A&M has lots more money to burn, better recruiting territory and, as has been mentioned, it's home for Buzz. Oh, and College Station > Blacksburg.Buzz was never a serious candidate for Texas. They wanted Shaka or Gregg Marshall.Also, during Buzz's tenure, VaTech has finished 15th, 7th, 7th, 7th and 5th in the ACC. Not exactly the "top level" of the conference.
TC had lengthy conversations with Illinois, and UCLA that year. MU wasn't as attractive of a job at the time due to CUSA and plenty of schools reached out to him. In coaches, searches, there may not be an official "offer" but negotiations happen to determine if the coach would take the job and if the offer is going to take place. TC got that far with Illinois before saying "thanks but no thanks" no matter what the Illinois spin was. Like they're going to say "yeah, he turned us down and Bruce Weber was our first choice all along." It's not like recruiting where coaches offer kids, many of whom are just out collecting offers from schools they are not interested in attending (there was a great article on former #1 QB recruit, Jake Heaps, whose mother would write to schools just to get them to offer a scholarship so they could publicize how many offers the kid had). Buzz would have friends leak on message boards (e.g. Oklahoma and Arkansas) saying he was in negotiations with that school. That got him more leeway with MU to redo his contact, at least until Larry came aboard and saw through the BS.
Damn Billy, for someone that joined the board in April 2016, that sure is a detailed narrative of how it played out! How were you tracking all of that at the time?
There have been rumblings of Buzz's unhappiness /restlessness at Vtech for over a year. This leak is his - he gone
And what are those? Not saying you're wrong, but it looks like he has gotten everything he has asked for there. Babcock increased the basketball budget, gave him all of his contract demands (which Buzz wrote), gave him an extension, etc.
https://virginiatech.sportswar.com/mid/10499853/board/vtbasketball/
This is the worst case scenario. The timing is bad. Buzz’s buyout is only about $1m right now (if I’m not mistaken), and the school pursuing him has a ton of resources and is in a state it’s no secret Buzz is interested in.
He flies a Texas flag at his home. If Whit lets him interviews he is gone. Buzz has ties to Texas and has indicated throughout his career his love for Texas and he has always been about the Benjamins. He complained at Marquette about his salary and always told them he was being pursued by other big name programs. He has done the same thing at Tech so much so that he is labeled as a complainer. A great coach and a master of Xs and Os but a very needy person. Time to start the search for a new coach
I get that. But Buzz could have gone "home" to Texas in 2015; A&M in 2011 (after a Sweet 16); Oklahoma in 2011 (after a Sweet 16); OK State in 2016 or 2017; I know SMU reached out to him in 2012, but that was never a serious opportunity for him IMO. I don't know. I guess I just don't see a reason for Buzz to currently "mess with (his) happy".
From the VT board...His evaluation misses plus personality conflicts with his staff put him in a precarious position recruiting-wise for the next several seasons. VT will be facing at least two rebuilding seasons after this one whether or not Buzz leaves. We'd much rather collect a modest buyout and shop for a new coach in 2019 that might actually come with some touted recruits than cross our fingers that Buzz rebuilds his staff and recruiting from their current state (ashes) while praying he doesn't fail, because his contract makes him unfireable. When we hired Buzz, we had to sign away the farm re: contract and salary to get a NCAAT-caliber coach. Thanks to Buzz' success, we won't have to do that for the next coach. Buzz has laid the groundwork for us to make a 'normal' ACC hire (i.e. on par with how NCSU/Clemson/Miami/FSU/etc typically hire). And Buzz would be VERY wise to cash out after a likely 3rd-consecutive NCAAT season, because VT is going to take a major step back after this season. And Buzz isn't even positioned to recruit his way out the mess, thanks to his eval/staff missteps. At a new school he can rebuild his staff from scratch, ride some 'new-hire' enthusiasm on the recruiting trail, and learn from his mistakes.
The level of hate for buzz on this forum is so unwarranted lol.