From Sporting News.
Link:
http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=446050 Q&A with Marquette coach Buzz Williams
Posted: August 15, 2008
Buzz Williams, 35, will enter his first season as head coach at Marquette this autumn. He joined Tom Crean's coaching staff in July 2007 after one year as head coach at New Orleans and was promoted to his current position after Crean left to become head coach at Indiana. Williams' squad returns four starters from the team that went 25-10 last season and reached the NCAA Tournament second round; included among the Golden Eagles' veterans are seniors Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Matthews, who have scored a combined 3,755 points as regular starters their first three seasons.
Williams chatted with Sporting News college basketball columnist Mike DeCourcy recently to talk about his first year as the man in charge at Marquette.
Q: What is it like for you to take over in your first year at Marquette with three four-year starters, guys who are so established in their ways?
A: During my tenure at New Orleans, I walked into a situation completely opposite of what Marquette is. It's just a completely different deal. In the time I've been head coach at Marquette, the things most people have to endure I haven't necessarily had to endure because of the stability of the roster.
A year from today, our roster will be completely different. What has become the face of our program has been our perimeter players, and what we have lacked is post play on both ends of the floor. This time next year, what has become the face of our program will all be gone, and what has been the thorn in our side could potentially still be there.
Q: You were at Marquette as an assistant one season before you became head coach. Did that give the players enough time to embrace you?
A: I had great relationships with all the kids on the team. I think they completely embraced me in the time that I've been there. The time I've had the job, other than the first 19 days, I couldn't coach them. And so it's been time I've had to spend with them one-on-one ... that's been helpful.
Q: Can you improve in the frontcourt when you lose the one guy, Ousmane Barro, who was playing regularly?
A: I think the answer to that question will determine the success of our team. I wish 'Ooze' would have been able to score two or three more baskets, maybe get one or two more traffic rebounds, but then when you don't have him -- like most coaches you're grateful for what he did contribute.
Dwight Burke, Trevor Mbakwe, Pat Hazel, Chris Otule -- we are very disproportionate, as it compares to our league, to have four scholarships at one position. And either collectively or individually, one of those four or all of those four is going to have to give us enough in defending and rebounding their position. Because I don't know that we'll struggle to score points.
Q: So if you're looking at those guys as centers, then you're planning to play Lazar Hayward at power forward and going small. Is that what you pictured a Buzz Williams team being?
A: I don't have a problem with four guys that can score, and Lazar Hayward can score. Our problem is our size defensively -- who are we going to have to match up with the typical 4s in our league? (UConn's) Jeff Adrien -- who's going to guard him? All the same problems we had my first year at Marquette are still evident.
I think that's what it's going to come down to: Can we defend in the halfcourt and can we rebound. For the most part, that's what it came down to last year.
Q: Do you try not to think about how good the Big East is?
A: I don't know which team is bad. And to be honest, I'm looking at the teams that finished toward the bottom of our league and I'm looking at the players they're signing -- they're not going to be at the bottom. Somebody's going to be at the bottom, but on paper it looks like those people that were at the bottom are improving.
Q: Although he's started for three years, Dominic James had a certain amount of strategic baggage accumulated -- in regards to his performance as a true, run-the-offense point guard. Does he have to get a clean slate with you?
A: I think all of the relationships I've built in the time that I've been coach have been from a clean slate. We need Dominic to have a really good year.
I do know parts of what you're speaking of, with Dominic. He's been great. He had a great summer academically, in the weight room, as did all of them. I think they're ready for the fall to start.
Q: When Jerel was on the NBA's early entry list, how disconcerting was that for you? Did you think there was a chance he would not come back?
A: Until those NBA rules change, and I don't foresee them changing, I think the number of underclassmen declaring is going to continue to increase. To an extent, why wouldn't you? It's free, they're going to tell you everything you want to know.
Of all the kids I've been around, Jerel may be the most mature kid I've ever known. In regards to: There's no periphery people around him, he's going to listen to what you say, you tell him the truth and what he tells you is going to be his truth. He and I were on the same page.
Q: You're a Texas guy. So how was your first Milwaukee winter?
A: I actually thought it was going to be worse. The four years I spent at Colorado State was my first time being anywhere it snowed over an inch -- in a decade combined.
My wife is from Texas, and she absolutely loved it in Milwaukee. I don't know that we necessarily loved the winter, but we love living there. I think the thing that's different -- they're acclimated to everything. It snows, they get the blower out and they get the blades out and it's time to go to school and the roads are clean. If it snows in Texas, they're shutting it down and canceling school.
Q: The last six weeks, you were near the heart of the story of the year -- what was it like to have a front-row seat for the whole Brett Favre deal?
A: You know, a lot of that happened during the time I was on the road recruiting. But, I was telling my dad the other day, you're not going to talk to anybody in the state of Wisconsin that after exchanging pleasantries isn't talking about the Packers and Favre. It's almost similar to talking about politics; I try to stay away from that. I've tried to stay away from talking about Favre because it's more important than politics.
Mike DeCourcy is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at decourcy@sportingnews.com.
