Dickie V talks about Marquette

[spartan3186]

I don't recall seeing this posted... a little too pro-TC for me but still worth posting

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/dickvitale/news/story?id=3644849

One of the toughest jobs in America is coaching in Milwaukee, Wisc. No, my friends, I am not talking about the Bucks or the Brewers, but the University of Marquette.

Think about it. Yes, there is a buzz on the campus, but new coach Buzz Williams has some mighty big shoes to fill. There will be pressure galore because of the popularity of Tom Crean.

Now Crean is trying to rebuild the program at Indiana. He was Mr. Milwaukee and he did a phenomenal job there, bringing spirit, energy and enthusiasm to the Marquette program.

Think about how hard it will be to replace Tom Crean. In his nine seasons, Marquette averaged 20 wins a year, won a conference championship and made eight postseason appearances, including the 2003 Final Four. In 2008, the Golden Eagles made the big dance before falling in the second round to Stanford. Since 2001, Crean had directed the Golden Eagles to 190 victories.

That is a tough, tough act to follow. Another aspect which makes it a challenge to the new coach are the big expectations this year. Marquette fans will have their expectations run wild because of the returning talent.

The Golden Eagles have Jerel McNeal, Dominic James and Wesley Matthews all back in the lineup. Lazar Hayward returns up front and there are other role players back on the roster. It will be important for coach Williams to get off to a great start to build credibility and confidence among the faithful of the Marquette Golden Eagles.

Williams certainly has a solid background in his own right. Last season he served as an assistant coach with the Golden Eagles in his first season at Marquette. The team finished 25-10 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2003. His coaching career has included stints as an assistant, associate head and head coach. He has nearly 15 years of experience at the NCAA Division I level. Williams has recruited and coached over 20 players who have earned all-conference accolades, including one league player of the year and two conference freshmen of the year.

Williams also gained valuable experience as the head coach at New Orleans. It is so important to know the expectations and responsibilities of running a Division I program. Having that under his belt will make the transition at Marquette easier this season.

The other big challenge is competing in the deepest league in America. Marquette has tremendous talent on the roster, but going up against the likes of Connecticut, Louisville, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Villanova, Georgetown, Syracuse and on and on is difficult. Williams knows what is ahead of him and it will be interesting to watch the progress at Marquette.

The pressure is on in Milwaukee, but Buzz Williams believes he is equipped to handle all that is thrown at him.

[mu03eng]

"One of the toughest jobs in America is coaching in Milwaukee, Wisc. No, my friends, I am not talking about the Bucks or the Brewers, but the University of Marquette."

If you don't even know the name of the university I have trouble taking your opinion into account Mr. V.

Gasbag

[tower912]

Yeah, pretty pathetic he got the name wrong, but when I imagine him saying it, in his in-imitable, all hyperbole, all the time fashion, I can hear him choosing to say 'University of Marquette' to make it a little bit punchier.

[4everwarriors]

Popularity of Crean? Vitale obviously doesn't read my posts.

[CAINMUTINY]

As much as I respect Dukie V (which in all seriousness I do) the man is out of touch and his comments about Marquette are evidence to that effect.  Yes we are against some big guns in Syracuse, Uconn and others but we are attractive in are own right.  The talent in this country is greater than it has ever been and therefore the dynasties of old will NEVER be as dominate as they were in the past(i.e. more than enough talent to go around). So I look forward to seeing buzz hitting the recruiting trail as hard as he has in the past 190+ days and we will get our blue chippers, and others who are not quite a blue but do in fact have a chip on their shoulder for being overlooked and will live at the AL to become better players....and when they do Dukie V will be put in his place.

[The Man in Gold]

I'm pretty sure he was referring to playing an 18 game Big East schedule against teams of that caliber.

[77ncaachamps]

When Dickie V is asked about the origins of his name, he says, "It's simple...

Duke
Indiana
Connecticut
Kentucky (and Kansas)
Carolina
Syracuse

Villanova"

[thatman32]

University of Marquette .  Shouldn't he talking up the university of duke and their 13 all americans that can barely make it to the sweet 16!!  What an POS, how did this guy make it to the hall of fame and in the same class as Pat Riley nonetheless.  Since when did tan tommy become mr. milwaukee and would you really want the title 'mr. Milwaukee' to begin with?  Milwaukee is no Chicago but he makes it seem that coaching in Milwaukee is like coaching in sh*t city where cocaine is abundant and steel reserve is the drink of choice.

I wonder if he got his talking points from Tommy himself!  Maybe he can talk about how Toms recruiting classes have been very inconsistent and how for every good recruiting class he usually has 3 bad ones!  Following in a narcissist footsteps is going to be hard  . . sure it is when you have low expectation's and people need to remember that!!

[Tugg Speedman]

The Germans bombed pearl harbor?  Not now, he's on a role

[NCMUFan]

Yea, Dickie is full of himself but look at it in this light.  It is no small accomplishment we are now as good as we are.  Yes, and thanks to TT.  Hence, the job before Buzz is not easy by any stretch of the imagination.  Hence, if Buzz can actually improve the program, it is even a greater accomplishment.  By bashing Dickie and TT, you are kind of making light of where we are, and where we want to go.

[THEGYMBAR]

Dickie V is right. Coaching at MU is a difficult task, but so is every other top program. Not to bring up the hiring again, but that is exactly why I was disappointed in the process. There are no do-overs at MU. Kentucky can make a bad hire and regroup in a year. MU makes a bad hire and it is back to the drawing board.

While Dickie V may be a fool for getting the school name wrong, you cannot argue with his logic. Those in the know are in the know for a reason. MU needs to work harder than other BE schools to stay where they are in food chain.

MU and Buzz have a major task ahead. While pulling for them I am afraid the leadership is not there. In addition, with this economy MU needs men's ball to succeed more than ever. Money makes the world go round and same holds true for universities.

[mu03eng]

I think Buzz has done nothing to question the wisdom to hire him to this point.  Obviously, there is a whole season to play yet, but I am pleased so far.  Now if the process everyone wanted had brought us Sean Miller, wouldn't we all be up in arms with the potential that he could leave us this year if the Dixon to Arizona domino falls and then Miller could have moved to Pitt?

I think MU has more cache at this point then a lot of people give us credit for.  I don't think Buzz will be a step back, but I definitely think we can recover if he does.

[Big Daddy Z]

Dickie V's comments are all true...if Buzz doesn't win 20 & get deep into thr NCAA the talk starts.

[RawdogDX]

When Dickie V is asked about the origins of his name, he says, "It's simple...

Duke
Indiana
Connecticut
Kentucky (and Kansas)
Carolina
Syracuse

Villanova"

Lame.