[MattVelazquezSays]Why did Buzz Williams leave Marquette? Washington Post profiles former coach

[dgies9156]

The article was dribble. I've seen more insightful commentary in the daily comic section of the newspaper.

Other than to kiss the Hillbilly's behind, I'm not sure what the story accomplished. The big mystery was well spelled out by the Post -- geez, they could have read Scoop and all but had their story written for them -- but there was no real insight into what happened. The fact that the contract was negotiated before Marquette ever knew what had happened suggested one of three things:

   1) The Hillbilly was so p*ssed off about something that he had to leave. Somebody really aggravated him. In turn, he aggravated MU regarding the way he handled himself that the powers that be in Milwaukee made no effort to stop him.
   2) MU knew what was happening and made no effort to stop him, sacrificing this season for a fresh start and a new approach to MU basketball. Wojo's comments about a team and players we can be proud of seem almost to be a shot at some of the well-known problems the Hillbilly had while at MU.
   3) The Hillbilly couldn't take the heat that was coming for last year's team (and, probably, this year's team as well) from those of us on Scoop and elsewhere. He knew he had a couple of down years coming and he also probably knew that our expectations were sky high. He doesn't have that problem in Virginia.

Of the three, I gotta believe the truth is somewhere between 1 and 2. To Buzz's credit he doesn't want to talk about it but he already has bashed Marquette pretty badly. My own view is that he probably was pushed in the direction of leaving. I think the verdict is still out, but it appears we got very lucky with Wojo and if the recruits next year hold up, we'll do well.

Adios Hillbilly. I believe it was Joanie Mitchell who wince sang that "you don't know what you got until it's gone!"

[ChicosBailBonds]

Bert is smart to keep his mouth shut.

He'll do well at Va Tech.  Seth Greenburg almost had them in the tournament a few times in the last 10 years.  He can do some things there that people will not pay attention or care to bother to look.

[Lennys Tap]

Bert is smart to keep his mouth shut.

He'll do well at Va Tech.  Seth Greenburg almost had them in the tournament a few times in the last 10 years.  He can do some things there that people will not pay attention or care to bother to look.

Like your BFF who hired Kelvin Sampson at UH? LOL.

[MUBasketball]

Was this a very concerning article to you written by the Chicago Tribune during Buzz's first season at Marquette?

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2008-11-28/sports/0811270383_1_buzz-williams-williams-heads-marquette

He's such a liar.

From 2008:
He hops into his black Escalade, which he calls his "truck," driving a few blocks to practice at the Bradley Center. "This is what [the school] gave me," he says. "This stuff doesn't mean anything to me. I drive a Taurus." His tea sits in the cup holder.

From 2015:
The athletic department authorized more frequent usage of a private jet for basketball recruiting, a significant selling point for Williams.

[Jay Bee]

Thanks for quoting Lenny.  Does anyone really think the Wa Post did any kind of digging whatsoever in this article?  Please...give me an effing break.  This is the same Lenny that thinks MU didn't have to cut a check due to legal action against MU with the sexual assaults on Buzz's watch.  Did the Post interview our former AD...that would have been fun.

Remember, the media just a few weeks ago interviewed Buzz Williams who said Jimmy Butler was offered by NOBODY except MU....except that Jimmy Butler confirms he was offered by others.    http://www.jsonline.com/sports/goldeneagles/107124358.html

""Marquette's offer was the only one Jimmy received. He was in the car when he showed it to Tyler assistant coach Scott Monarch, who understood the golden ticket Jimmy had been given. Monarch immediately made Butler sign it, drove to the nearest McDonald's and asked to use their fax machine."

Where did that journalist get that information?    Gee, I wonder.   

Scott Monarch, eh? Squeaky clean!

Assistant men’s basketball coach Scott Monarch has been dismissed, head coach Buzz Williams announced today. Monarch was found to have been untruthful with department administrators on multiple occasions after it was discovered he knowingly committed violations involving a prospective student-athlete.

Additionally, Coach Williams has accepted a one-game suspension for the team’s first BIG EAST Conference game in recognition of his duty to monitor the compliance of his staff, and the program will have its official visits reduced for the next calendar year.

[ChicosBailBonds]

He's such a liar.

From 2008:
He hops into his black Escalade, which he calls his "truck," driving a few blocks to practice at the Bradley Center. "This is what [the school] gave me," he says. "This stuff doesn't mean anything to me. I drive a Taurus." His tea sits in the cup holder.

From 2015:
The athletic department authorized more frequent usage of a private jet for basketball recruiting, a significant selling point for Williams.

He's pathological and the media is so damn lazy they don't bother to spend 5 minutes with a simple Google search.  You could drive a truck through some of his stuff.  I guess all those index cards and notes he writes he may want to send a few to himself so he can remember not to put his foot in his mouth when he says something absolutely wrong or untruthful.

Seeing all the articles today, I guess he's got the PR machine cranked up with the same memo, just don't bother with the facts or what actually comes out of his mouth....that's just Bert being Bert...he forgets a lot apparently...or is misunderstood.

[w0bbie]

He's such a liar.

From 2008:
He hops into his black Escalade, which he calls his "truck," driving a few blocks to practice at the Bradley Center. "This is what [the school] gave me," he says. "This stuff doesn't mean anything to me. I drive a Taurus." His tea sits in the cup holder.

From 2015:
The athletic department authorized more frequent usage of a private jet for basketball recruiting, a significant selling point for Williams.

While the first quote is probably bending the truth to create the type of image he wanted, I don't think the second really proves that.  The private jet is more about not wasting time and having flexibility in schedule and routing.

[_____]

He's a phony

[willie warrior]

First of all, I absolutely understand why the article was assigned. Williams is an interesting, quirky character who has the capacity to say something controversial or curious or comical.

The Post is a national newspaper and the question -- Why did a coach leave a good, growing program to go to Nowheresville USA for a $500K pay cut? -- is genuinely interesting on a national scale. Especially this time of the year. Especially in ACC country.

Unfortunately for the Post, its reporter never was able to get the question answered. That Buzz ended up avoiding it wasn't stunning to us who know him, but it probably surprised the reporter and his editors, who for years had seen articles filled with long, drawn-out, sometimes interesting, often wacky quotes from Buzz.

That the reporter wasn't able to find anybody who could give insight into Williams' decision -- even off the record -- says a lot more about the reporter than it does about Buzz. I like to think the editors weren't pleased with the final product but felt obliged to run it anyway because they wanted it published before Virginia Tech's season ended. Ultimately, though, the editors share blame for a bland article with not one single shred of newness.

Too bad. I know that many here say they don't care, but I would have enjoyed an in-depth piece filled with off-the-record (if necessary) comments that could have shed some light onto the whole thing.

Instead, we got something that was about as satisfying as many of the comments here on Scoop that allude to something untoward without offering any evidence.

At the end of the day, I'll say I truly enjoyed the first five years of the Buzz era -- especially S16-S16-E8 -- and truly disliked his final year.  Although I'd gladly read a well-done "Why did Buzz leave Marquette" piece, I've moved on.

Even after 12-18, I have confidence in Wojo and in our program's direction.

"quirky character"?. Yeah absolutely like Bogart as Queeg in The Caine Mutiny. Absolutely frigging quirky nuts. Good riddance to the phony baloney Hillbilly douche. Thanks for leaving the program in shambles, Buzznut!

[The Equalizer]

I think this quote demonstrates just how large the headaches are going to be in Blacksburg:

When someone from the athletic department’s marketing staff asked him to get students excited to attend a home game, Williams said sure — but then told the kids he didn’t care if they came or not. “What you think I’m going to do,” he said, “it ain’t what I’m going to do.”

Its not just what they thought you were going to do. Its what you TOLD THEM you were going to do, doing the opposite, then bragging about it.

What a d*ck. Character revealed.

[Badgerhater]

He's such a liar.

From 2008:
He hops into his black Escalade, which he calls his "truck," driving a few blocks to practice at the Bradley Center. "This is what [the school] gave me," he says. "This stuff doesn't mean anything to me. I drive a Taurus." His tea sits in the cup holder.

From 2015:
The athletic department authorized more frequent usage of a private jet for basketball recruiting, a significant selling point for Williams.

The jet is all about saving time and getting places without spending half your trip waiting for a connecting flight.   The Blacksburg airport offers lots of flights to Charlotte and Atlanta with one or two flights a day to Philly, NYC, DC and Chicago.

[The Lens]

Trying to understand Buzz Williams is a fool's errand.

[mu03eng]

Listen, this is Buzz's MO, and if the OSU or Texas jobs open up he's gone.  He is starting his PR machine to justify his leaving VPI after one year.  "Guys, look how terrible this team is, guys I can't even"

Buzz took the VPI job because it gave him good cover until a job he really wanted opened up.  It's much easier to explain losing at a place like VPI than it would at Marquette.  Marquette was going to clamp down on some of the stuff Buzz wanted to do recruiting wise and nobody puts Buzz in a box.  So he tried to leverage them with VPI couldn't and left because he didn't think he could win in the "new paradigm".  Buzz is nothing if not completely inflexible.

The really nice part is he's willing to go out and commission media hit pieces on the programs he works for so the fan base is alerted to the imminent departure of Buzz.  Not just anybody will do that.

[Lennys Tap]

The jet is all about saving time and getting places without spending half your trip waiting for a connecting flight.   The Blacksburg airport offers lots of flights to Charlotte and Atlanta with one or two flights a day to Philly, NYC, DC and Chicago.

Please stop with the logical explanations. Most people here prefer the made up stuff.

Truth? Buzz was quirky, driven and talented. When he was ours, we loved (among other things) his press conferences, Buzz's Bunch and the sustained success not seen since Al. With the exception of a few stubborn Crean-o-philes and one crusty "everything since Al and Hank sucks" guy pretty much everyone was enjoying the ride. When it was apparent there was trouble between Buzz and the administration most took the coach's side. When the rift couldn't be repaired and Buzz left his ruminations were seen as odd rather than insightful. his charity work was ridiculed as public relations and his remarkable on court accomplishments were diminished.

And of course the usual suspects piled on with rumors, innuendo and even outright lies. As for me, you all are aware that I really liked the guy. He brought fun and an outrageous swagger to a program that had been missing it for all but a few of 40+ years. I'm disappointed that he couldn't deliver more than 5 magical seasons - I wanted more. What part of that failure to sustain falls on Buzz and what the administration should own we'll never know, but to me there's enough blame to go round for all.

What matters now is the future. Can Wojo get us back to where Buzz brought us or even exceed past successes? Fingers crossed, it won't be easy - but I'm pleased with most of what I've seen so far.

[willie warrior]

Spoken like a true Queeg admirer. Anchors away, ole yellow stain, a final salute to quirky nutsy Queeg.

[Mods, Delete me please. 8/26/2020]

Buzz's whole Rainman data-phile persona is completely manufactured.  He is as phony a PR stunt as you will ever see.  Hamming for the camera after the WVU game?   You think he would've done that had the shiny ESPN camera not been all over him?  

Buzz left because he was running away or was he being chased, more than likely a combination of the two.   The Todd Mayo situation was the last straw.   Any honest account of what happened here would include Larry Williams side of the story, and not one media outlet has ever gone that route.   Not even a "Larry Williams has declined to comment".  

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

This is pretty simple, guys.

Buzz is a mercenary. I'm not placing a value judgement on that, but that's just the truth. He's loyal to whomever is paying him. Most coaches fit this description.

If we all keep that in mind, everything tends to make sense.

[Mods, Delete me please. 8/26/2020]

This is pretty simple, guys.

Buzz is a mercenary. I'm not placing a value judgement on that, but that's just the truth. He's loyal to whomever is paying him. Most coaches fit this description.

If we all keep that in mind, everything tends to make sense.

Marquette was paying him.   How'd that work out?

[Lennys Tap]

Marquette was paying him.   How'd that work out?

For 5 years, great. Better than any other 5 year stretch MU has seen in your lifetime. But by all means, keep whining.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Marquette was paying him.   How'd that work out?

Perfectly. As long as they were paying him what he wanted and what he thought he deserved, he was fine.

When MU started asking more questions about his work, and/or didn't continue to jack up his salary each season, Buzz looked for another bidder.

He'll do the same at VTech. As long as they pay and stay out of his way, he'll be fine. But, if another high bidder comes asking, Buzz will likely bolt.

[Eldon]

This is pretty simple, guys.

Buzz is a mercenary. I'm not placing a value judgement on that, but that's just the truth. He's loyal to whomever is paying him. Most coaches fit this description.

If we all keep that in mind, everything tends to make sense.

Well put.  IMO, Newbill was the first sign and when I read that PaintTouches article about how he writes one hand-written letter a day to people he's met, it solidified in my mind that Buzz was not some caring super-coach.  He is indeed a mercenary.  He didn't write all of those letters because he actually cared about those people, he was doing it because he was networking.  'It's all about connections' to paraphrase the man himself.

I also don't mind the mercenary nature.  But I don't like phony people who claim that they are not a mercenary and seemingly go out of their way to make you think that they're not one.  And then boom they turn around and show you that they are, in fact, a mercenary.  I take some solace in the fact that other coaches will use this against him on the recruiting trail.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Well put.  IMO, Newbill was the first sign and when I read that PaintTouches article about how he writes one hand-written letter a day to people he's met, it solidified in my mind that Buzz was not some caring super-coach.  He is indeed a mercenary.  He didn't write all of those letters because he actually cared about those people, he was doing it because he was networking.  'It's all about connections' to paraphrase the man himself.

I also don't mind the mercenary nature.  But I don't like phony people who claim that they are not a mercenary and seemingly go out of their way to make you think that they're not one.  And then boom they turn around and show you that they are, in fact, a mercenary.  I take some solace in the fact that other coaches will use this against him on the recruiting trail.

You're not wrong, but I would argue that we should all be a little smarter and not buy into the schtick.

I'm not saying that all coaches are inherently bad, but they are salesman. They will sell whatever program pays them. That's it. That's how it works.

Buzz was a little unique because he was trying to convince us that he wasn't selling us. It's a shrewd strategy straight out of a SALESMAN'S handbook.

"Listen ma'm. I COULD sell you this blender today, but it's not as good as you think, and I don't want to rip you off. There are other guys out there who are only driven by sales, but that's not me. I'm a family man, and I want to do right by my clients. I'm not going to sell you something you don't need. However, I noticed your floors were a little dirty when I walked in, I actually have a product that DOES work, and I could get those floors clean for you in minutes. I'm not really supposed to be talking about this product yet, but if you keep it between us, I can share it with you."

[mike_long]

Frankly, who cares.

But hasn't this already been answered? Buzz said he studied the college landscape, where conference realignment was heading, etc. He's also said that playing on ESPN is a huge deal for exposure and recruiting. We've all seen the numbers Fox and FS1 puts up with Big East games, it's not pretty. The ACC plays on ESPN. While they don't play many VT games, that could easily change with Buzz Williams being there.

Back to conference realignment real quick. I don't think its far fetched to think that the Big Ten is done expanding east. They've already grabbed Maryland and Rutgers, they'll be in Brooklyn and MSG for conference championships. Simply put, Delany is a prick and wants to grab the east coast. The ACC is the most vulnerable conference to pluck teams out of. Virginia or Virginia Tech would be sexy fits in the Big Ten. Virginia is already apart of the AAU and VT wants to be there. (http://www.vt.edu/restructuring/academic-plan.html).
Maybe Buzz saw this happening. Maybe. The Big Ten is going to be getting that fat TV check next year after all. Regardless of any movement, Buzz gets to play on ESPN, it's a big deal.

But at the end of the day, who cares why he left. Buzz is out for #1, himself. And that's fine. Good riddance

[Eldon]

You're not wrong, but I would argue that we should all be a little smarter and not buy into the schtick.

I'm not saying that all coaches are inherently bad, but they are salesman. They will sell whatever program pays them. That's it. That's how it works.

Buzz was a little unique because he was trying to convince us that he wasn't selling us. It's a shrewd strategy straight out of a SALESMAN'S handbook.

"Listen ma'm. I COULD sell you this blender today, but it's not as good as you think, and I don't want to rip you off. There are other guys out there who are only driven by sales, but that's not me. I'm a family man, and I want to do right by my clients. I'm not going to sell you something you don't need. However, I noticed your floors were a little dirty when I walked in, I actually have a product that DOES work, and I could get those floors clean for you in minutes. I'm not really supposed to be talking about this product yet, but if you keep it between us, I can share it with you."

You nailed it.  Classic Buzz, always finding ways to bring up his floor-corner-cleaning story.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

You nailed it.  Classic Buzz, always finding ways to bring up his floor-corner-cleaning story.

Exactly. And Buzz uses that story over and over because the underdog persona endears him to the fanbase, and he can use it with his players.

"Guys, nobody thinks I can coach. I used to sweep floors. etc. etc. etc."

Again, I don't say any of this as a negative... it's just the truth.