Yesterday was awful. No one disputes that. But I'm fearful on several fronts if the anger of we Scoopers is indicative of Warrior Nation.
First the bad. Yesterday's game was akin to the prospective medical students in my day taking Organic Chemistry. You get a "B" or better, you go to Med School. You don't and you don't. Yesterday was akin to Coach Wojo flunking Organic Chemistry.
Thing about Coach Wojo is he gets a "do-over" next year. I hope things improve as my fear is that we are going down the Rick Majerus path again. Coach Majerus had been an assistant to Coaches McGuire and Raymonds about as long as Coach Wojo had been to Coach K. Coach Majerus was promoted to head coach before he probably was ready. He lasted a few years at MU before he went off and coached elsewhere. He ended up getting Ball State into the NCAA and the Utah Utes into the Final Four.
Last thing I want to see is Coach Wojo leading someone else into the National Title game, which I think he will if we let him go.
My more immediate concern is next year. Maybe I'm facing the "day after" but face it, the Big East was down this year. We could not close the deal because we were too reliant on two players -- Sam and Markus -- for production. Next year, St. John's Villanova, Georgetown and, I believe, Seton Hall, all had great recruiting classes. We did OK, but the competition is likely to be tougher.
Unless Joey and Brendan step up and our team is more balanced, I fear we're going to regress.
All that said, I think we're headed in the generally right direction. I don't like the pace, I admit. But I like the fact that we're back into the tournament and I'm hopeful that we make the second or even third week of the tournament next year.
We have a LOT of work to do between now and then.
Quote from: dgies9156 on March 22, 2019, 08:06:04 AM
Yesterday was awful. No one disputes that. But I'm fearful on several fronts if the anger of we Scoopers is indicative of Warrior Nation.
First the bad. Yesterday's game was akin to the prospective medical students in my day taking Organic Chemistry. You get a "B" or better, you go to Med School. You don't and you don't. Yesterday was akin to Coach Wojo flunking Organic Chemistry.
Thing about Coach Wojo is he gets a "do-over" next year. I hope things improve as my fear is that we are going down the Rick Majerus path again. Coach Majerus had been an assistant to Coaches McGuire and Raymonds about as long as Coach Wojo had been to Coach K. Coach Majerus was promoted to head coach before he probably was ready. He lasted a few years at MU before he went off and coached elsewhere. He ended up getting Ball State into the NCAA and the Utah Utes into the Final Four.
Last thing I want to see is Coach Wojo leading someone else into the National Title game, which I think he will if we let him go.
My more immediate concern is next year. Maybe I'm facing the "day after" but face it, the Big East was down this year. We could not close the deal because we were too reliant on two players -- Sam and Markus -- for production. Next year, St. John's Villanova, Georgetown and, I believe, Seton Hall, all had great recruiting classes. We did OK, but the competition is likely to be tougher.
Unless Joey and Brendan step up and our team is more balanced, I fear we're going to regress.
All that said, I think we're headed in the generally right direction. I don't like the pace, I admit. But I like the fact that we're back into the tournament and I'm hopeful that we make the second or even third week of the tournament next year.
We have a LOT of work to do between now and then.
With one more year of Wojo, we at least will have more opportunities to debate his team's new most embarrassing loss. Right now I'm going with Murray State, but that Georgetown game is a close second.
Let's see how bad we lose to Bucky next year and maybe we will have another fun thread.
Gutless move to keep this coach. Who gives a damn about Majerus and his towel, we went to the Final Four without him because we found other coaching talent. Who is to say Majerus would have ever been successful here, sometimes it takes a new environment and a new culture altogether. It's not a straight path to success. Wojo is going nowhere at Marquette, let him spread his wings somewhere else.
Quote from: CleanishProgram on March 22, 2019, 08:27:44 AM
With one more year of Wojo, we at least will have more opportunities to debate his team's new most embarrassing loss. Right now I'm going with Murray State, but that Georgetown game is a close second.
Let's see how bad we lose to Bucky next year and maybe we will have another fun thread.
Gutless move to keep this coach. Who gives a damn about Majerus and his towel, we went to the Final Four without him because we found other coaching talent. Who is to say Majerus would have ever been successful here, sometimes it takes a new environment and a new culture altogether. It's not a straight path to success. Wojo is going nowhere at Marquette, let him spread his wings somewhere else.
In November, you came here as a "longtime lurker" demanding Wojo get fired. We were 3-2. In December you apologized and said nothing under this particular username for 3 months. No praise of team, nothing....almost as if just waiting to pounce. Now you want him fired again.
Why does Wojo get a do-over next year? Change can be a good thing. Even though Crean left on his own accord, that was the best thing that happened to the team in 2009. Wes exploded and we were a legit final four contender until DJ's foot injury. Same thing could happen here...
Quote from: Cheeks on March 22, 2019, 08:34:29 AM
In November, you came here as a "longtime lurker" demanding Wojo get fired. We were 3-2. In December you apologized and said nothing under this particular username for 3 months. No praise of team, nothing....almost as if just waiting to pounce. Now you want him fired again.
It's almost as if reality played out over a period of time and my opinion changed as new data points became available! Isn't that strange how the NCAA tournament brings out new opinions and new energy? It's almost madness.
I have seen enough of this coach, and you need a 6th year because 5 wasn't enough. I hope you are not counted on at your job to make meaningful decisions.
Quote from: CleanishProgram on March 22, 2019, 08:27:44 AM
Gutless move to keep this coach. Who gives a damn about Majerus and his towel, we went to the Final Four without him because we found other coaching talent. Who is to say Majerus would have ever been successful here, sometimes it takes a new environment and a new culture altogether. It's not a straight path to success. Wojo is going nowhere at Marquette, let him spread his wings somewhere else.
1) He who ignores the past is doomed to repeat it.
2) After Coach Majerus, we were in the woods a long, long time. Are you too young to remember Bob Dukiet?
3) Who do you reasonably hope to get that two or three years from now will elevate our program to the level we McGuire era fans expect it to be?
4) I'm more concerned the next guy will be a Dukiet or a Deane than I am about Coach Wojo at this juncture.
5) Look at the last point I made. We have lots of work to do. Nobody denies that. Yesterday was very bad, but I guess I'd rather this play out another year than start over and endure three to five more painful years with no guarantee we're back where McGuire era fans think we should be.
I've said elsewhere we're a long way from elite. But I'm not ready yet to start over.
So are you saying we promoted Wojo before he was ready? He spent 15 years as an assistant at Duke before taking the MU job. If he wasn't ready at that point, he was never going to be.
People on here used to compare Wojo to Jay Wright, with some even implying Wojo had done a better job at MU in years 1-4 than Wright did his first few years at Nova. Those same folks always conveniently forgot to mention that Wright had seven years of head coaching experience under his belt at Hofstra when he took the Nova job, had made two NCAAs, and was two time coach of the year in his conference. The man could clearly coach and knew how to run a program and make it successful.
The time has come to admit that Wojo might've just been a bad hire. We all know MU typically goes the assistant route, and they hit the nail on the head with KO, Crean, and Buzz. They were due for a miss.
Wojo will undoubtedly get one more year, but sticking with him is starting to feel more and more like a glaring example of the sunk cost fallacy.
Wojo gets another year, for sure. If next season is a disappointment on the whole, then we look for a replacement. And I don't think that can be judged solely on tournament wins.
I really think adding Koby McEwen next year will help a lot. If everyone stays healthy and improves in the offseason (Wojo included!) we could be very good.