M Club Dinner Recap

[ChicosBailBonds]

Why would I shed a tear over this?

My initial thought is that this was reported out of context. Frankly, I cannot imagine Fr. Wild being this petty.

Agreed.  I'd be surprised, especially as a Jesuit and the whole Cura Personalis on every light pole on campus that he directed be put up there.  My guess is Bob just screwed up, or maybe he is that petty.  Who knows.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Need more evidence that Crean is a complete prick?

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4416664

This is absolutely, 100 percent a press release put together by a PR firm. Also picked up by SI.com and USA Today. If you think a reporter put this together, think again. Nobody but a PR firm would attend this and put all the focus on Crean.

It's all about him.

You do realize there was an AP reporter at the event...you do realize that, correct?

[Marquette84]

More evidence that when Crean left in a "huff" there were hard feelings between he and Fr Wild on his choice of AD.

Yep.  Things are apparently so estranged that Fr. Wild extended an invitation to Crean to attend the event, and Crean was still in such a huff that the accepted the invitation AND actually attended.

[Schoolyard]

You do realize there was an AP reporter at the event...you do realize that, correct?

You've never written a press release and seen 80% of it used in an article?

[79Warrior]

Yep.  Things are apparently so estranged that Fr. Wild extended an invitation to Crean to attend the event, and Crean was still in such a huff that the accepted the invitation AND actually attended.

Well said.

[ChicosBailBonds]

You've never written a press release and seen 80% of it used in an article?

Of course, that's what writers often do, they take major parts of it out.  My point was that an AP reporter was there, an AP reporter CHOSE to file the story, the AP reporter got quotes from the coach at the event....a little different than the way this was portrayed.

And you know what, he again keeps himself in the news, keeps IU in the news, just as he kept MU in the news.  That's key to building a program, making sure you're relevant all the time and big enough that on a Saturday night with the NFL preseason underway, NASCAR, baseball pennant races, they still ran a story about college basketball and we're months away from college basketball season.  It's smart.

[rugbydrummer]

Overall it was a really cool night.

The Bradley Center looked amazing.  They had the light off with a carpet on the floor.  Black curtains surrounded the floor with the upper deck curtained off as well.  On the video board that circles the arena they had sparkling blue and gold stars.  The ceiling had blue and gold lights moving everywhere as well.  By center court they set up a stage with a huge screen that looked like the titantron from wrestling.  On either side of the stage were curtains that would alternate color every few seconds between blue and gold.  The podium also had a screen on it which changed pictures throughout the night.

The non-basketball inductees had great speeches, especially Jim Allen who thanked Dwyane Wade for coming since it made sure his grandkids would show up to the event.  Bill Cords had a great speech as well.  I never realized he had polio as a kid!

When Dwyane spoke he thanked Crean and asked him to stand.  In my area I'd guess about 65% of people stood and clapped while 35% sat silently.  When the 2003 team was inducted, Diener, Novak, and Robert Jackson all spoke.  Crean didn't say a word.

Dwyane said he was sick and he looked pretty sick but he still stuck around and took pictures with people and signed stuff. 

Novak said the Clippers have offered him a contract but he hasn't signed yet.  Travis got married two weeks ago.  Grimm was leaving immediately to go back to Switzerland to play.

Kevin O'Neil and Gabrielle Union were both in attendance.  Scott Merritt was the only 2003 team member unable to attend.

Sounds like it was straight out of Hogwarts!!    Thanks for letting us live vicariously, TT34!

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

You do realize there was an AP reporter at the event...you do realize that, correct?

Yes, and the AP writer chose to focus not on one of the NBA's most visible stars...the guy who carried us to the Final Four...but on the coach that nobody anywhere other than Bloomington or Milwaukee could give two licks about.

Give me a break. You know I'm right.

Are we even sure AP was there? This was a non-event.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Yes, and the AP writer chose to focus not on one of the NBA's most visible stars...the guy who carried us to the Final Four...but on the coach that nobody anywhere other than Bloomington or Milwaukee could give two licks about.

Give me a break. You know I'm right.

Are we even sure AP was there? This was a non-event.

I know at least two people that were there in attendance that have AP credentials and submit sports stories.  I don't know if either one of them submitted this.  Crean is smart, always keeping his teams in the news....he makes things relevant during times when it shouldn't be.  You said it best yourself, Dwyane Wade was inducted and not a story on it yet the story on Crean hits on ESPN, USA Today, etc because it's on the wire. Those outlets decided to run with it....whether it was a non-event or not, they chose to run it on ESPN, USA Today, etc, etc.   

He's a smart media man and because of it, MU benefited TREMENDOUSLY for 9 years.

[Niv Berkowitz]

So...even post graduate, Scott Merritt still isn't showing up? Shocker.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Yes, and the AP writer chose to focus not on one of the NBA's most visible stars...the guy who carried us to the Final Four...but on the coach that nobody anywhere other than Bloomington or Milwaukee could give two licks about.

Give me a break. You know I'm right.

Are we even sure AP was there? This was a non-event.

I heard Crean made the AP reporters file a story about him. It's just like that time he made Dwyane wear IU shorts.

Maybe Crean is mobbed up. How else is he convincing all of these people to do whatever he wants?

Seriously, PRN, be reasonable. You can't possible blame Tom Crean for a story the AP files. Even if it went down as you say, you should blame a lazy writer, not TC.

[MR.HAYWARD]

what was not reported is Chicos sent Cream a gift basket of sex oils and edible underwear with a "missing you" and a one way plane ticket to California. 

[BaltimoreMC]

So...even post graduate, Scott Merritt still isn't showing up? Shocker.

Zing!!!!!!!   Nice one......well played

[TallTitan34]

Yes, and the AP writer chose to focus not on one of the NBA's most visible stars...the guy who carried us to the Final Four...but on the coach that nobody anywhere other than Bloomington or Milwaukee could give two licks about.

Give me a break. You know I'm right.

Are we even sure AP was there? This was a non-event.

I do think it was an interesting choice to focus on Crean rather than Wade.

[MR.HAYWARD]

I do think it was an interesting choice to focus on Crean rather than Wade.

isnt that what Crean does best?

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

I do think it was an interesting choice to focus on Crean rather than Wade.

Because it was a PRESS RELEASE!! Chicos knows this...citing people with "AP credentials" as being at the festivies means nothing. It could have been Steve True and IWB. I assure you those guys weren't submitting stories about Crean's return. It's very simple...Crean had a press release sent out over PR wires and it was picked up on a slow news day.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Because it was a PRESS RELEASE!! Chicos knows this...citing people with "AP credentials" as being at the festivies means nothing. It could have been Steve True and IWB. I assure you those guys weren't submitting stories about Crean's return. It's very simple...Crean had a press release sent out over PR wires and it was picked up on a slow news day.

Let's say you're right, just for giggles.  Again, brilliant move by him.  On a night when 10 NFL preseason games are going on, a major NASCAR race is underway, baseball pennant races going on in full swing, Red Sox vs Yankees, and college basketball is months away from starting, he again finds a way to get his program and his name into the press, not just locally but nationally.  That's how he built Marquette.  MU was nothing but a has been of past glory when he took over and in a few years people out here in California actually asked questions about MU, it became relevant again.

What I find fascinating is that all these national outlets picked it up.  You said it was a slow news day, but it was a Saturday night in sports which is never slow.  You had the Favre comeback the night before, a bunch of preseason NFL games, MLB in full action, a major NASCAR race, etc, etc and yet they all decided to run this piece.  Let me ask you, if what you say is true, what would have happened if Crean didn't put out a press release?  Would the USA Today, AP, ESPN, etc run a story about the 2002-03 team being inducted into the HOF?  Think about it.  I HIGHLY doubt it.

Crean is outstanding at getting the word out and it's unfortunate that we may lose that constant relevance on a national scale.  That was key to our resurgence and I hope and pray we don't lose it and go back to being a regional bit player.

Maybe it was a press release, but I do know there were two AP folks there at a minimum.  I don't know who filed the report for the AP.  If no one did, then it was a release.  Who cares, he got his team into the press nationally again.  For those of us 2000 miles away, we like having Marquette talked about nationally and are concerned as hell that might stop in the future.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Because it was a PRESS RELEASE!! Chicos knows this...citing people with "AP credentials" as being at the festivies means nothing. It could have been Steve True and IWB. I assure you those guys weren't submitting stories about Crean's return. It's very simple...Crean had a press release sent out over PR wires and it was picked up on a slow news day.

ah haaaa.

Now that you put in in ALL CAPS, I get it. I was being naive before.

This finally proves that Tom Crean is a bad person and everybody should hate him.

Lenny's, PRN, 4Ever, DKCL, you guys win. PRN finally convinced me with this latest press release "scandal*".

I now hate Tom Crean.


*I'll be sure to add this press release incident to the Wiki page because it's important that we document these major events.*

[Marquette84]

Because it was a PRESS RELEASE!! Chicos knows this...citing people with "AP credentials" as being at the festivies means nothing. It could have been Steve True and IWB. I assure you those guys weren't submitting stories about Crean's return. It's very simple...Crean had a press release sent out over PR wires and it was picked up on a slow news day.

So what?  Crean knows that a 30 minute investment writing a press release will get national coverage.  Why criticize him for that?

Let's follow how this works:

--The AP has a ton of space to fill every day
--The AP doesn't have enough writers to fill all available space with their own original content.
--Crean, knowing how the AP works, helps them out by supplying a press release.
--Nobody else either understands the process, or doesn't think its worthwhile to provide content.
--The AP looks at Crean's release and says "Thank God, we've got some content to run" and posts it.
--Crean gets a positive story in the national press for very little effort.

Apparently, you are bothered by both the way the press works in this country, and the fact that Crean has it figured out and can use it to his advantage.

Here's my question:  Why would you criticize Crean doing this, rather than ask why was nobody else at Marquette is doing the same thing!!!  

Its not like they haven't seen it work over the last nine years! Getting publicity this way is apparently like shooting fish in a barrel.  Just draft up a presser, and, voila!, a friendly, positive article in the national media.

Is it your view that MU doesn't really need any national press?  

Sorry--we are now recruiting a national base and trying to step it up with the big boys.  Depending on local "homers" like True and IWB to carry the message on a national stage isn't going to cut it.

Crean gets that.  I hope someone else at MU was paying attention.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

You said it was a slow news day, but it was a Saturday night in sports which is never slow.

It was a slow news day for the CBB page on ESPN.com. And I highly doubt this was picked up by USA Today's print editions.

But you're right...kudos to him for portraying this event, not as a celebration of a great year, but about him returning to Marquette as some kind of conquering hero.

[ChicosBailBonds]

It was a slow news day for the CBB page on ESPN.com. And I highly doubt this was picked up by USA Today's print editions.

But you're right...kudos to him for portraying this event, not as a celebration of a great year, but about him returning to Marquette as some kind of conquering hero.

Well, that's your opinion and I think some people share that opinion and others do not.  The "press release" or story touched on Marquette's season and obviously the coach's role in it.  It put MU back in the spotlight again.

And no one reads print newspapers anymore anyway.   

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

Here's my question:  Why would you criticize Crean doing this, rather than ask why was nobody else at Marquette is doing the same thing!!!  

Actually, you're right about that. Marquette SHOULD have announced Wade's inclusion into their HOF.

What irks me, however, is that the release is not about the team. It's about Crean. This is why it's so obviously a news release. It also suggests that Crean himself was inducted into the HOF, which he was not.

Matter of fact, the bottom says: "Bill Cords, the former Marquette Athletic Director who hired Crean, and several others were also inducted into the hall of fame."

Several others?!

[The Lens]

I wish Jared Sichtings would have the PR wherewithal to send out a release hyping his induction.  Way to miss the boat Jared, you too Karon.  You're a bunch of bad Press Release writing bums!

Chicos & 84...TC coaches at one of the top 5 college hoops programs in the country, does he really need to be a media wh0re 100% of the time, still?

He's no longer trying to publicize a rinky-dink C-USA Team that hadn't been to the NCAAs in 25 months since he was hired.  He's at Indi FRICKIN ana!!!  I don't begrudge TC for leaving; he's at a landmark school.  Good for him.  But the same schtick?  Really, at IU?  Kind of sad.

[BuzzSucksSucks]

WWJWD

[LovinCrowder]

"It's really great to be in a place like Indiana where you can go back decade after decade and show what success looks like in the Indiana program to your team," he said. "The fans don't need a reminder of it, but I don't ever get tired of talking about what we did or giving an example or showing a film clip or showing a game tape."

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There really was no need for him to say that at a Marquette event......