Scholarship table
Let me get this straight ... UCLA fired a guy that has three final fours in the last seven years, and just won the Pac-12 regular season. But his is not good enough in Westwood. So to fix this they will hire a guy three S16s and no recruiting ties to Southern CA?Make sense to you?The next coach should rent, not buy in LA. They will be out of a job in three years unless they win it all. With these insanely high expectations, this might be the worst job in college basketball.
Supposed to just ignore the articles?
With the recruiting class he has and the talent he has coming back he would be a moron to leave for UCLA. If he leaves he would be just as bad as Crean and he would have done it for the same reasons. It's clear and simple. If he is a man of his word, and he really will stay as long as we'll have him then we are happy and lucky to have him. If he leaves than I think the last two coaches have created a PROGRAM that is bigger than a COACH.
If ucla asks, you say yes. If Buzz gets ucla, he also gets Stone & Looney. A recruiting class with 3 top 50 kids is no big deal at ucla.
"Here's the thing: My title has changed. My W-2 has changed. But my heart hasn't changed," he said. "This is a business that's full of egos, full of media-savvy people, full of exposure, full of money, and a lot of time that changes people. I don't want my title, I don't want my income to ever change who I am."I understand the evolution of how coaches change and how the media and the power hungriness of it all changes people. But I refuse to let it change me. I know I'll get older and I'll handle it better, I hope, but I don't ever want to change what I believe in my heart to be right."I'll be here as long as they'll have me here."http://www.jsonline.com/sports/goldeneagles/88881442.htmlIf he thinks MU's administration was tough, wait until he sees conservative UCLA. What, two JUCOs in 10 years? Very tight admissions policy. Etc, etc.
I suspect Buzz would not want his kids to grow up in SoCal.
Pretty interesting NYT piece showing what programs top coaches thought to be the best.http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/31/best-basketball-programs-coaches-make-the-call/?src=recgBuzz Williams, Marquette (No. 23)Programs named: Kentucky, North Carolina, Duke, Syracuse, U.C.L.A., KansasCriteria: “Tradition, winning, who their coaches were, their success in the N.C.A.A. tournament, the notoriety, exposure, media.”A few observations:- UCLA is in that list- Texas is not in that list- Interesting insight into what Buzz deems to be hallmarks of premier programs (media exposure and notoriety are important to him)Makes me more comfortable that he won't head to Texas if that job opens up. Who knows if be wants to got after UCLA. Who could blame him though it just doesn't seem to fit with what I think I know about the guy.
Funny that not one coach named Indiana.
Stop. Situations and conditions change. Only a fool constrains himself by blindly adhering to previously held beliefs when the conditions and circumstances that formed those beliefs change. The people that Buzz swore allegiance to are no longer at MU. I know you will trot these old quotes out if Buzz leaves for a better job, but most reasonable people will see it for what it is.I'm pretty certain you agree with my above comments, and are only throwing out these quotes to set up the "Buzz is different" crowd if/when he leaves. Trust me, I sympathize with the impulse, but ultimately it's just petty and annoying.
I'm pretty sure he said it about Marquette and not specific people. He didn't say as long as Father Wild will have me. Nevertheless, the grass isn't always greener and if he thinks the MU administration is a ball smasher, he might want to do a little exploration. I choose to believe in the man's word and the fact he's making $2.8 million. Lots of things show me that MU wants Buzz. Money. New conference. He's winning more than ever despite having to clamp down a bit. New television deal. Etc.And if he does go, then MU will hire someone very good. Whether it's a Shaka Smart or a Gregg Marshall or whomever, the resources are there.
With the kind of scratch he will make, his kids would grow up in a very nice environment.
A lot more to it than that. All that you say is true, but in the three years prior to this one, 56-45 record, missed NCAA 2 of 3 times, no Sweet 16's, missed on a lot of recruits, many transfers and a bad expose in SI about the problems at UCLA.It's a what have you done for me lately world. He was at UCLA for 10 years, longer than any MU coach since Al McGuire. It is hardly the worst job in college basketball, which is why you are seeing names like Buzz, Stevens, Smart being mentioned. The right guy wins national titles at UCLA. The wrong guy, doesn't last forever...that's an attractive proposition for some people wanting a chance to grab the golden chalice, for others they want no part of that pressure.