Oso planning to go pro
You're changing what you said. You called Howard a chucker. You called, literally, the best shooter in college basketball a chucker.Look up his eFG%, look up his value add. If you want to place blame about the Hausers leaving, then it rests on their shoulders. Marcus was always going to shoot. Sam knew it, and it pulled heat off him so he could shoot too. If Joe thought there were going to be three balls on the court so each of them could shoot then that is on him. In addition to being one of the all time greats at Marquette, Marcus is a fantastic ambassador and an exemplary student athlete. I'll take Marcus over Joey Hauser every day of the week and twice on Sunday. Does the blame lay with Wojo for not surrounding Howard with more talent? Yup. But the Hauser's were out for themselves. And as Pakuni said, that's fine and I don't blame them.
^Markus
You're deluding yourself here. As noted already, the Hausers didn't leave because they wanted more opportunities for Ed Morrow and Theo John. The Hausers left because they wanted what they believed would be better for themselves. The timing of their decision makes this evident. It was 100 percent about Markus and no one else.Why this is some controversy confuses me. I'll never bash a kid who wants to maximize his limited chance to play college basketball. My only problem is with those who try to paint the Hausers as selfless martyrs driven to transfer because Mean Ol Coach Wojo wouldn't listen to them. Again, there's nothing wrong with them making the decision to leave. The only thing that's wrong is thinking it was anything about the Hausers looking out for the Hausers.
The Hausers left to play in better programs led by better coaches. They were the only two of Markus’s teammates who had that opportunity. Where were Theo or Ed going? Sacar? Bailey? Cain? Elliot? Answer: nowhere, though Ed eventually quit and Bailey left early to go “pro” (LOL).Bottom line: nobody likes standing around watching someone dominate the ball. Markus (whether by Wojo’s design or his inability to control his best player) dominated it like no other Power 6 player in the history of the statistic. IMHO, that’s neither the best way to win games or the best way to keep a team together. Back to back seasons in which we collapsed when it counted most support that opinion.
You don't think Sacar, Cain, etc. could have transferred?And Bailey went pro even though Markus was done by that point.I'm not saying you are wrong, but I think you are exaggerating the point a bit.
You’re also right about me exaggerating a bit, but I find it frustrating that so many here can’t see the obvious through their blue and gold tinted glasses.
The obvious is that Sam and Joey left because Sam and Joey decided it would be in Sam's and Joey's best interests to leave. That's it.The only people missing the obvious are those so eager to ascribe altruistic or any other motivations for their decisions.
Pak,You’re right. Sort of and as far as it goes.Of course Sam and Joey felt it was in their own best interest to leave. Everybody who has ever transferred fits that description.But did “their best interest” means they left to hunt more shots? At MSU and UVA? Don’t think so. Makes no sense. Does “their best interest” mean being better coached? Wojo vs Bennett or Izzo? Yep. Does “their own best interest” mean winning more? Sure. Better coaches win more and that’s fun. Does “their own best interest” mean playing in a team concept that they prefer? Yes. Does “their own best interest” mean being better prepared for the next level, whatever that may be? Of course. Izzo/Bennett vs Wojo. No contest, really.You’re a smart guy. I don’t for a second believe that you don’t understand that having the highest usage % player in power 6 conference history can negatively impact chemistry in a team game. On top of that, as the season wears on it isn’t an effective strategy to win games. Back to back collapses by our Warriors illustrate that point.
So why did the Hausers desperately want Markus to go pro? So that the Hausers could see their usage skyrocket.
Everytime I see this picture in an attack on Joey I lose braincells.It was very clearly 100% on Bailey...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8xzYNhvpxk&ab_channel=GPII
Not to be CaptObvious, but please pause the clip at about 7.5 seconds.At the apex of their (simultaneous) respective jumps, Ja’s feet are above Joey’s knees. I think that’s all people are sayin’.
And if that’s what people are saying, that is a really stupid point because Morant had a running start and gathered momentum for his jump 20 feet out while Joey had time to take all of 2 or 3 steps not even close to ramping up to full momentum and speed because of angle he was coming from to help. But Joey did have the audacity to bail on MU for what he felt was a better opportunity, so yeah, he’s a giant stiff.
He’s not a stiff but I think questions about his ability to defend in the Association are quite legit and valid
Yeah, maybe they are. But holding up Morant’s dunk on him is a really poor example to use to make that point (which I know did not come from you).
Lenny,If it were all about playing for a better coach/team/system, then why wait more than three weeks after the loss to Murray State to announce their intentions? Why attend the team banquet? Why not tell the coaching staff in postseason discussions Why wait until after Markus made his decision?Was Izzo's coaching relative to Wojo any different on April 8 than April 15? Was Virginia's success relative to Marquette's any different on the day of the banquet than the day of their announcement?Obviously not. The only factor that was different from the end of the season to their announcement was that they knew for certain that Markus was returning. You can rationalize their decision any way you choose, but the timing is a big, flashing neon sign that spells out their motives.
I know if I was a scorer, I wouldn't want to play with a team where Markus was the PG, either. Honestly, why would you? I think that is the most worrying thing about Wojo, to me. In the recruiting thread, it seems like when we are talking to top recruits that consider Marquette they consider us because they think they will get the Markus "dominate the ball" treatment. That is not a recipe for winning or for a happy team or balanced recruiting. Like, Lenny I'm an older fellow and perhaps I don't understand what teenagers are thinking these days, and I fully acknowledge that.
That's fine, they don't have to. But that is what they signed up for. Joey KNEW when he came to Marquette that Markus was the team. And there are a lot of people around here that seem to be ignoring the fact that Markus is one of the best shooters in NCAA history, and a FIRST TEAM ALL AMERICAN. Markus deserved to see that ball in his hands every trip down the court. What about Joey Hauser's game demonstrated that he should be an equal option? Markus is a once in a generation talent for our school, and I think a lot of folks around here don't give the man the respect he deserves.