Shakahowski

[Goose]

Pakuni

I disagree on the location being a major factor. Great recruiters get kids to play anywhere. Now, I do have concern that Shaka may have decided to recruit lower level players at MU and not going after 4 and 5 stars, but I have trust in judgement. If he is going that route, the transfer portal is going to be even mote important. Again, I have little doubt that Shaka can get players at MU and I hope he starts today.

[WellsstreetWanderer]

  I don't see many problem recruiting to MU:  Great facilities, enormous support for the program, Top tier conference and lots of exposure.

[MU82]

As I sit here today, I do not have "concerns" about Shaka's recruiting. I am very interested in seeing what kind of players he brings in from high school and the transfer portal now that he has had a full year at Marquette to go through the process.

The "concern" part will come in if the kids he bring in over the next few months don't lead to better results on the court next season.

[NCMUFan]

Correct, will be judged by Ws & Ls.
I have to believe it would be easier with 4 star and an occasional 5 star.
Having the talent is a good starting point.

[Farley36]

As I sit here today, I do not have "concerns" about Shaka's recruiting. I am very interested in seeing what kind of players he brings in from high school and the transfer portal now that he has had a full year at Marquette to go through the process.

The "concern" part will come in if the kids he bring in over the next few months don't lead to better results on the court next season.

He needs another 4 years before you should be concerned.  It’s a process.  Patience is required.

[Viper]

Shaka wants the Badger job. He’s waiting out Gard.

[dgies9156]

This one kinda bugs me -- a lot.

I'm as disgusted as anyone on Scoop about the UNC mess. That was terrible and as I said elsewhere, shame is an appropriate emotion. It invalidated the season.

The end of the year also was very disappointing. While I get you win some you should lose and lose some you should win, but beating Villanova twice and then losing to DePaul and Butler is inexcusable.

But underlying the Shakahowski assumption is an inability to grow from one's failings. Coach Wojo was with us for seven years and never "fixed" the problem. He had disparate parts that individually were very good basketball players but collectively played together about as well as Ukrainians and Russians do. Even watching Duke play Michigan State, you saw a lack of effective defense by both ex-Marquetters. We just never evolved.

I firmly believe that the UNC game is a watershed moment for Shaka. I'm convinced he'll find the parts to assemble a team we'll be proud of. Shaka was very reserved throughout the 2021-2022 year talking about the team's prognosis, in part because he knew he shoved used parts together at the last minute. I think there were moments where he proved what kind of a coach he can be and the message was not lost. Shaka's currency in the coaching market among AAU and high school coaches is reasonably strong and I'm hopeful this time next year, we'll be saying, "gosh I have to find a way to get to >>>>>> for the Sweet 16!"

[brewcity77]

With apologies to the Scoop cliches, this off-season may not be Shaka's first test, but it is his most meaningful test to date. He succeeded in putting together a competitive roster. He got buy in and taught guys how to win. But he didn't keep them together. The team wasn't playing together, wasn't playing for each other, and clearly wasn't as good. Which creates the test question of how he puts it back together without the grad seniors and the NBA wing he inherited.

Can be reestablish the culture we saw in January behind the guys he brought in who were good enough to contribute but weren't the scoring leaders? Can he add the pieces necessary to fill holes, turn weaknesses into strengths, and do so without compromising the promise we've already seen? Can he go to consecutive tournies, something he didn't do at Texas? And can he get that elusive tourney win?

This first year was foundational. It was reading the material. Next year we see how the application goes. Here's hoping he's the guy we are paying him to be.

[4everwarriors]

  I don't see many problem recruiting to MU:  Great facilities, enormous support for the program, Top tier conference and lots of exposure.

So, your discountin' campus safety, hey?

[Dr. Blackheart]

With apologies to the Scoop cliches, this off-season may not be Shaka's first test, but it is his most meaningful test to date. He succeeded in putting together a competitive roster. He got buy in and taught guys how to win. But he didn't keep them together. The team wasn't playing together, wasn't playing for each other, and clearly wasn't as good. Which creates the test question of how he puts it back together without the grad seniors and the NBA wing he inherited.

Can be reestablish the culture we saw in January behind the guys he brought in who were good enough to contribute but weren't the scoring leaders? Can he add the pieces necessary to fill holes, turn weaknesses into strengths, and do so without compromising the promise we've already seen? Can he go to consecutive tournies, something he didn't do at Texas? And can he get that elusive tourney win?

This first year was foundational. It was reading the material. Next year we see how the application goes. Here's hoping he's the guy we are paying him to be.

This deserves its own thread. Great stuff in here.

[79Warrior]

Pakuni

I disagree on the location being a major factor. Great recruiters get kids to play anywhere. Now, I do have concern that Shaka may have decided to recruit lower level players at MU and not going after 4 and 5 stars, but I have trust in judgement. If he is going that route, the transfer portal is going to be even mote important. Again, I have little doubt that Shaka can get players at MU and I hope he starts today.

Goose, totally disagree. Milwaukee is a tough sell.

[brewcity77]

Goose, totally disagree. Milwaukee is a tough sell.

Not for the players we're looking to recruit.

[Pakuni]

Pakuni

I disagree on the location being a major factor. Great recruiters get kids to play anywhere. Now, I do have concern that Shaka may have decided to recruit lower level players at MU and not going after 4 and 5 stars, but I have trust in judgement. If he is going that route, the transfer portal is going to be even mote important. Again, I have little doubt that Shaka can get players at MU and I hope he starts today.

Goose,

My point wasn't about Milwaukee vs Austin (though we lose there also), but Marquette vs Texas.
Whether we like it or not, Texas has brand value and name recognition that Marquette does not, especially in that talent-rich part of the country. That's an advantage in recruiting. It's also a very different kind of school with a very different kind of athletic department.
This doesn't mean Shaka can't or won't recruit well at Marquette. It's just a recognition that recruiting to Texas is different than recruiting to Marquette, and success at one doesn't guarantee success at the other.

[MU82]

He needs another 4 years before you should be concerned.  It’s a process.  Patience is required.

He's proved himself to be incompetent, so you should stop caring about the Marquette program.

[🏀]

He succeeded in putting together a competitive roster. He got buy in and taught guys how to win. But he didn't keep them together. The team wasn't playing together, wasn't playing for each other, and clearly wasn't as good.

Can he go to consecutive tournies, something he didn't do at Texas? And can he get that elusive tourney win?

Reading your tea leaves blended with my own personal observation of the team, Shaka’s biggest hurdle is glaring in year one.

SS had no issues recruiting his choice of talent at Texas. He has had no issues getting the team to buy-in at any stop. How does he get the team to continue to buy-in when the spotlight gets bigger?

It was clear to me, and seems yourself that Justin and Darryl lost sight of the team after the surge in January. How does Shaka prevent this in the future is Shaka’s Achilles.

Ultimately, these kids are looking at the NBA when the light starts shining. They absolutely should be looking at the NBA. How does SS keep them playing for the team when their personal performance starts to be paramount?

Do you point to Lewis and his performance drop off when he stopped buying in? Is that enough? Is the answer recruiting only for the mindset, talent be damned?

I don’t have the answer, but I hope Shaka does and has learned from Texas.

[Goose]

I stated in earlier posts that I refrained from criticizing Shaka or anyone the team this season and I did so because it was year one with a patched together roster. I did not see the second UConn game or the Butler game, but I watched every second the rest of the season. IMO, I felt that guys bought into the Jan success and lost focus of how they got there. I was very impressed with how Lewis improved and played this year but felt he was playing more for himself the past 1.5 months. It even seemed that Shaka was at a loss a couple of teams watching the individual efforts vs team effort. In Lewis's defense, I felt that Morsell, Elliott and Kolek fell into the same trap and played hero ball.

[Scoop Snoop]

With apologies to the Scoop cliches, this off-season may not be Shaka's first test, but it is his most meaningful test to date. He succeeded in putting together a competitive roster. He got buy in and taught guys how to win. But he didn't keep them together. The team wasn't playing together, wasn't playing for each other, and clearly wasn't as good. Which creates the test question of how he puts it back together without the grad seniors and the NBA wing he inherited.

Can be reestablish the culture we saw in January behind the guys he brought in who were good enough to contribute but weren't the scoring leaders? Can he add the pieces necessary to fill holes, turn weaknesses into strengths, and do so without compromising the promise we've already seen? Can he go to consecutive tournies, something he didn't do at Texas? And can he get that elusive tourney win?

This first year was foundational. It was reading the material. Next year we see how the application goes. Here's hoping he's the guy we are paying him to be.

I had posted about the possibility of some sort of internal tension, as the lack of energy and cohesiveness reminded me of what I saw in the last part of the '18-19' team, but this is a much better take than mine. I think the returning players will recognize that, to put it simply, they were wrong, and Shaka was right. If they do, the culture can and will not only be reestablished but be on a firm foundation for the entire season. I think fiascos of the DePaul game, Butler in Indy, the awful ending of the 2nd Creighton game, the sleepwalking in the BET game and last, but not least, the nightmare in Fort Worth should be enough to convince players of the hazards of not playing as a team. I'm not suggesting that all the games I listed would have been in the win column (especially UNC that was on a tear), but a few of them? Yes. 

Edit: My favorite scene from Hoops was when the coach benched the smug star player who ignored his instruction to be a decoy on a set play. I loved the exchange between the ref and Hackman after the team was left with only four players due to fouls (not counting the benched player). "Coach, you need to get your team on the floor." "My team is on the floor".

[Viper]

If Shaka can effectively recruit the state of WI & Milwaukee, Chicago, Detroit and St Louis, the roster should have plenty of win-time talent.

[Uncle Rico]

If Shaka can effectively recruit the state of WI & Milwaukee, Chicago, Detroit and St Louis, the roster should have plenty of win-time talent.

Whoa, whoa, whoa?  St. Louis?  Good luck keeping those kids from being Billikens

[Elonsmusk]

Reading a bunch of conspiracy theories as to the team having lost come chemistry/internal tension that developed down the stretch.  I guess that's possible, yet I didn't see it, nor do I think there was an issue with chemistry.

This team wasn't expected to be great.  This team evolved into a good but not great team.  Pretty good teams do suffer occasional mind boggling defeats - i.e. Butler/DePaul.  Yet Butler shot 46% from 3 in the loss.  That's some pretty high level shooting.   Did people really expect that we should win at UCONN and at Providence?

Creighton proved to be a team that progressively improved all season long.  Kansas had their hands full with Creighton missing Kalkbrenner who is a major force for them.  So..we lost by 1 at home, 1 on the road,  and then again in the Big East tournament.  UNC just snowballed...frustration after all the easy shots missed, some touch fouls, lack of calls for us, and UNC ultimately much better than an 9 seed.

So, my take is that pretty good teams don't do much damage in the NCAA tournament, especially when paired with a first round matchup against a red-hot, talented, blue blood program with some elite level talent.

The implosion in the UNC game was disappointing, frustrating, and but also amplified due to our two previous flameouts under Wojo.  In reality, has there been a head coach at MU who has done a better first-year job coming in as an outsider and taking just 3 of the existing MU players and then adding 9 others to make an NCAA?

[withoutbias]

Reading a bunch of conspiracy theories as to the team having lost come chemistry/internal tension that developed down the stretch.  I guess that's possible, yet I didn't see it, nor do I think there was an issue with chemistry.

This team wasn't expected to be great.  This team evolved into a good but not great team.  Pretty good teams do suffer occasional mind boggling defeats - i.e. Butler/DePaul.  Yet Butler shot 46% from 3 in the loss.  That's some pretty high level shooting.   Did people really expect that we should win at UCONN and at Providence?

Creighton proved to be a team that progressively improved all season long.  Kansas had their hands full with Creighton missing Kalkbrenner who is a major force for them.  So..we lost by 1 at home, 1 on the road,  and then again in the Big East tournament.  UNC just snowballed...frustration after all the easy shots missed, some touch fouls, lack of calls for us, and UNC ultimately much better than an 9 seed.

So, my take is that pretty good teams don't do much damage in the NCAA tournament, especially when paired with a first round matchup against a red-hot, talented, blue blood program with some elite level talent.

The implosion in the UNC game was disappointing, frustrating, and but also amplified due to our two previous flameouts under Wojo.  In reality, has there been a head coach at MU who has done a better first-year job coming in as an outsider and taking just 3 of the existing MU players and then adding 9 others to make an NCAA?

Funny seeing you coming up with every excuse in the books for why we folded down the stretch.

No other coach in MU history had the advantage of immediately eligible transfers in their first year in the program.  Shaka had 2 starters who couldn't have played a second for Marquette prior to this season.

Also funny because if this was Wojo you would've been claiming that he failed by not bringing back Carton, Garcia, Koby, Jose, Jamal (NBA talent in your eyes), and Theo.  Combine that with Justin, Greg, and Oso to go with getting the previous coach's recruits in Stevie and Kam, and you'd be claiming the cupboard has never been so full in the history of college basketball.

[Elonsmusk]

Funny seeing you coming up with every excuse in the books for why we folded down the stretch.

No other coach in MU history had the advantage of immediately eligible transfers in their first year in the program.  Shaka had 2 starters who couldn't have played a second for Marquette prior to this season.

Also funny because if this was Wojo you would've been claiming that he failed by not bringing back Carton, Garcia, Koby, Jose, Jamal (NBA talent in your eyes), and Theo.  Combine that with Justin, Greg, and Oso to go with getting the previous coach's recruits in Stevie and Kam, and you'd be claiming the cupboard has never been so full in the history of college basketball.

So..let's just play your game and say Shaka kept everyone around.  That's a roster of 4 Top 100 recruits (Carton, Garcia, Lewis, Oso - not 7 as Wojo walked into).  That aside, I wish Jamal would have stayed, he would have helped this team a lot, and there were many Jamal haters here on Scoop, btw.

Considering Wojo coached all of the players you mentioned to a fantastic 8-11 Big East record, 13-14 overall, and an end ranking of 83 in Ken Pom in Year 7 of his regime...yeah..I'd say Shaka did a great job Year 1.  Let's not forget wonder boy Wojo led us to a spectacular 4-14 Big East finish in Year 1, and a Ken Pomo ranking of 97 year 2.

The departure of those vets led to increased playing time for all of Shaka's roster - notably a lot more PT for O-Max, Kolek, Oso, Kam - all of whom are very good prospects for the future of the program.

Go find another argument to start.

[withoutbias]

So..let's just play your game and say Shaka kept everyone around.  That's a roster of 4 Top 100 recruits (Carton, Garcia, Lewis, Oso - not 7 as Wojo walked into).  That aside, I wish Jamal would have stayed, he would have helped this team a lot, and there were many Jamal haters here on Scoop, btw.

Considering Wojo coached all of the players you mentioned to a fantastic 8-11 Big East record, 13-14 overall, and an end ranking of 83 in Ken Pom in Year 7 of his regime...yeah..I'd say Shaka did a great job Year 1.  Let's not forget wonder boy Wojo led us to a spectacular 4-14 Big East finish in Year 1, and a Ken Pomo ranking of 97 year 2.

The departure of those vets led to increased playing time for all of Shaka's roster - notably a lot more PT for O-Max, Kolek, Oso, Kam - all of whom are very good prospects for the future of the program.

Go find another argument to start.

I just like consistency in arguments.

Stevie was another top 100 recruit.  So that's 5.  And 2 of those 5 were top 35 players, whereas almost all of the 7 Wojo "inherited" were back end of the top 100.

Plus Jamal, who was not one of the 5 top 100 guys but is, according to you, an NBA player.

So that's 2 top 35 recruits, 3 other top 100 recruits, and an NBA player.  That's a hell of a lot of talen to start with.  Then you get the advantage of immediately eligible transfers for the first time in the history of college basketball.  That's a huge advantage to build a roster in year one.

St. Buzz coached all of that top 100 talent to what kind of record in what year of his tenure at Marquette the year before Wojo took over?

Let's be consistent here.

[Elonsmusk]

I just like consistency in arguments.

Stevie was another top 100 recruit.  So that's 5.  And 2 of those 5 were top 35 players, whereas almost all of the 7 Wojo "inherited" were back end of the top 100.

Plus Jamal, who was not one of the 5 top 100 guys but is, according to you, an NBA player.

So that's 2 top 35 recruits, 3 other top 100 recruits, and an NBA player.  That's a hell of a lot of talen to start with.  Then you get the advantage of immediately eligible transfers for the first time in the history of college basketball.  That's a huge advantage to build a roster in year one.

St. Buzz coached all of that top 100 talent to what kind of record in what year of his tenure at Marquette the year before Wojo took over?

Let's be consistent here.

It's cool dude.  You thought and think Wojo was a good coach, and apparently better than Shaka...and maybe even Buzz?  I mean Buzz did coach that talent to a 68 Ken Pom ranking, and they were all 1 year younger/mostly freshman.

If you could, could you please enlighten us all as to why in Year 7 of his regime, Wojo was only able to coach all of his hand-selected talent to that 83 Ken Pom finish and 13-14 record?

[brewcity77]

I know the thread title ends is "-howski" but do we really have to turn it into another revisiting of Wojo? Can we stick to the topic of the coach at hand?