A Warrior's Creed

[Marqdman]

I am not a college or professional basketball coach by any stretch of the imagination, nor do I claim to be. I did, however, play for many years under my father, a former player and coach in his own right. Any son or daughter that plays for their father will tell you, it’s not an easy task. I think during those private school years, I learned just as much about winning as I did about the minor nuances that make people tick.

Buzz Williams is a great coach and stellar recruiter. Some will say that he is not “Big East material” or that his is not “proven.” The public opinion of a coach is almost always generated with respect to how his or her players play the game that they love. Give them a chance to prove it.

I can almost see it now…come on… do it with me… just picture it:

Buzz is sitting in his spacious office at the Al McGuire Center…wondering what to do next? “Where do I start? How do I go forward? Is this the proverbial ‘uphill both ways’ scenario? Did I make the right choice?” After clearing out the plethora of warm, flat, aging Diet Pepsi cans, Buzz goes straight to the game films from this past year. He notes both the achievements and faults of all returning players. After allowing the returning Warriors a break to enjoy what little bit of summer they can, he challenges them. The challenge is simple:

“Guys – name an aspect of your game that you would like to improve, name a time that you feel you let the team down, that you let yourself down. For every negative aspect or error that you give me, I’ll give you a positive one.”

The list is long and distinguished... Bottom line: Mr. Williams will be doling out the compliments and positive aspects of the team long after they have pointed out all of their faults. My point: we are just that, a team. We are a proven cohesive unit of returning starters with a wealth of experience to boot. Can you imagine if Lazar improves as much as he did this past year? How about Burke, putting on some muscle and boxing out the post – bringing Harangody to his knees? I'll let the Three Amigos speak for themselves. Just imagine…

Call it an observation, call it my two cents, call it what you will…but please, please let these kids enjoy their time off and let’s tone down the criticism. Look at the facts, Tyshawn Taylor and Nick Williams are 18 year old kids who are leaving home for the first time and they have a lot of things to think about. Tom Crean left for his “dream job” and more money…can you fault him? I just read a comment from a Kansas State freshman regarding the departure of Michael Beasley for the NBA Draft. He really thought that Beasley was going to be at K-State for 4 years? Can you fault a kid for wanting to start earning right away? Imagine if someone told you that you’d be worth 100 million dollars in 5 years…to do what you love…leave one aspect behind…but move on to the next level. Would you do it? Yeah, me too.

We can’t let go of the fact that [insert catchy taglines] We are Marquette. Cura Personalis. We have some pretty snazzy slogans. Now, I don’t know about you…but I’m about to “be the difference” all the way over to Real Chili and be thankful for what we’ve had and what will come in the future.

A long time ago, in the time before Crean (B.C.), Marquette was an amazing university with a basketball program that, while sometimes faltering, continually competed on a national level. That time is passed. Close the books. It is time to usher in the Era of Buzz (E.B.).

Let’s just remember something. I have to get this off my chest. We’re not John Wooden’s Bruins. We’re not Dean Smith’s Tar Heels. We’re not Coach K’s Blue Devils. We are most definitely not Bobby Knight’s Hoosiers. We are… MARQUETTE!

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

Huh? I don't see anybody upset that Crean is gone...or if they are, they're being very quiet.

You're missing the point of the criticism. The fanbase obviously feels a huge letdown, not by Crean's departure, but by the person they chose to replace him. If Tony Bennett was our coach right now, would anybody even be discussing Crean? I think not. We'd all be excited about a new era. Same with Chris Lowery. He's obviously got inroads to Midwestern recruits and coaches, etc. Those that say these two rejected us have to ask, "How hard did we go after these guys? Did we take 'no' for an answer?" We have a top 25 team coming back, huge support from ticket buyers and what does Marquette give us? I mean, it's truly unbelievable who they came up with given all the support they receive.

By the way, we may not be "John Wooden’s Bruins, Dean Smith’s Tar Heels, or Coach K’s Blue Devils," but we used to have a nickname and brand just as strong as those programs. Now we don't even have that!

[Chili]

Huh? I don't see anybody upset that Crean is gone...or if they are, they're being very quiet.

You're missing the point of the criticism. The fanbase obviously feels a huge letdown, not by Crean's departure, but by the person they chose to replace him. If Tony Bennett was our coach right now, would anybody even be discussing Crean? I think not. We'd all be excited about a new era. Same with Chris Lowery. He's obviously got inroads to Midwestern recruits and coaches, etc. Those that say these two rejected us have to ask, "How hard did we go after these guys? Did we take 'no' for an answer?" We have a top 25 team coming back, huge support from ticket buyers and what does Marquette give us? I mean, it's truly unbelievable who they came up with given all the support they receive.

By the way, we may not be "John Wooden’s Bruins, Dean Smith’s Tar Heels, or Coach K’s Blue Devils," but we used to have a nickname and brand just as strong as those programs. Now we don't even have that!

From what I have heard is MU didn't even think of Lowery even though he stated he would listen if asked. I think this was a huge mistake and is my biggest point of discontentment in the entire process. A solid coach with extremely strong ties to the Chicago and IL AAU circuit.