After a few weeks of reflection as to recent events, and the recent Kevin O'Neill thread, I can't help but feel like it's 1989 all over again. In a way, it's disappointing. While I sincerely wish Mr. Williams all the success in the world, the whole coaching search still seems "rushed." I cannot say I'm terribly disappointed that Buzz Williams was hired, but the process still seems out of place.
In 1989 Marquette hired a relatively unheard of assistant coach that was rumored to be a decent recruiter. Back then, Marquette didn't have much choice, and had to take a flyer on a little known assistant coach.
But it's not 1989, Marquette plays in the Big East, has great facilities, and an improved reputation nationally, and yet, Marquette has hired a little known assistant coach. After leaning-on alumni for donations and support, and raising expectations of national prominence, Marquette makes a hire that seems inconsistent with the current state of the program.
I wish Buzz Williams success, and remain hopeful that he will perform better than Kevin O'Neill, but the coaching search still leaves me cold.
Has it ever occured to "the sky is falling" crowd that MU had choices and Buzz was the best?
Nope. Buzz may have been a strong candidate, but his CV and the timelines would indicate that our newbie AD hit the panic button. My hope is that myself and the rest of the "glass is 1/2 empty" crowd are happily eating crow in 3 or 4 years.
Buzz blew the administration away in the interview process.
In basketball, as with any other profession, that goes a long way towards landing the job.
Bill Cords calls Buzz "rock solid", and I think we can all agree he has a proven track record hiring coaches. He was part of the committee, and appears Buzz was his guy. Had Cords made the hire instead of Cottingham, would people feel any different?
I dont think Cottingham pushed the panic button at all...but its only natural that part of the decision was likely the damage control aspect.
Believe me, had someone other than Buzz been hired, our immediate future would look very bleek as a team. I really dont think this program will skip a beat, and I think Buzz has a very bright future in the business.
Buzz was the best assistant coach option for MU. No other was a better choice. Others were bigger name and they made you feel better, but they were not better choices.
The other option was a retread or a mid-major coach. The problem with a mid-major coach is that is tantamount to starting over. Bring in a Keno Davis or Tony Bennett and you're starting over. I believe the exodus would have been much larger. EW, DJ and TM would have also gone elsewhere. Forget Wilson and Lacy.
Buzz keeps all this a possibility
Buzz is also a a good hire in that the downside is limited. He has one year. If the team underperforms next year, and he has a subpar recruting class, that is the perfect time to show him the door and start over. Then in 365 days MU pays up for a "big name."
If, on the other hand, next year's team perfroms well and he gets a decent recruting class, then MU can move to the next level.
The risk is limited becuase next year's team will be good.
We're much better off in 2008 than we were in 1989. Onward with Buzz. He has his work to do, but he is a tireless worker - let's see what he can do.
Quote from: AnotherMU84 on April 27, 2008, 10:33:26 PM
Buzz was the best assistant coach option for MU. No other was a better choice. Others were bigger name and they made you feel better, but they were not better choices.
The other option was a retread or a mid-major coach. The problem with a mid-major coach is that is tantamount to starting over. Bring in a Keno Davis or Tony Bennett and you're starting over. I believe the exodus would have been much larger. EW, DJ and TM would have also gone elsewhere. Forget Wilson and Lacy.
Buzz keeps all this a possibility
Buzz is also a a good hire in that the downside is limited. He has one year. If the team underperforms next year, and he has a subpar recruting class, that is the perfect time to show him the door and start over. Then in 365 days MU pays up for a "big name."
If, on the other hand, next year's team perfroms well and he gets a decent recruting class, then MU can move to the next level.
The risk is limited becuase next year's team will be good.
Did you really just say bringing in Tony Bennett would have been a weaker hire then Buzz? Come on.
Quote from: MUBasketball on April 27, 2008, 10:27:08 PM
Buzz blew the administration away in the interview process.
In basketball, as with any other profession, that goes a long way towards landing the job.
Bill Cords calls Buzz "rock solid", and I think we can all agree he has a proven track record hiring coaches. He was part of the committee, and appears Buzz was his guy. Had Cords made the hire instead of Cottingham, would people feel any different?
I dont think Cottingham pushed the panic button at all...but its only natural that part of the decision was likely the damage control aspect.
Believe me, had someone other than Buzz been hired, our immediate future would look very bleek as a team. I really dont think this program will skip a beat, and I think Buzz has a very bright future in the business.
A couple of questions.
How many potential head coaches did the AD interview before this recruiting process?
How many potential head coaches did the AD interview during this recruiting process?
Did the AD, who is a rookie, have any yardstick in which to judge whether Buzz is better than others, other than the interview?
Would the AD been blown away by others in other interviews? Who knows?
Cords is retired. However, to answer your question, I would have felt different if he were the AD. I am pretty sure we would have had more than one interview.
Quote from: ChicosBailBonds on April 27, 2008, 11:32:37 PM
Did you really just say bringing in Tony Bennett would have been a weaker hire then Buzz? Come on.
Next year, yes. His style is different than the makeup of this team. It's obvious that DJ showed loyalty to Buzz. Same with Outle, Fulce and EW. Under Bennett things might have been very different.
Like I said, if he bombs next season, he's a one season coach. He has all the tools and personnel to show us he's can do it now. We don't have to wait.
How many more threads about Buzz's hiring do we need? Sheesh. Those of us who like the Buzz hiring get it by now. There are some of you who are not happy with the "process." This is especially funny since none of you have intimate knowledge of the process nor do you know the first thing about hiring a basketball coach. Yet, your "expertise" tells you that the process was rushed, MU could have done better, and Buzz is not the right guy for the job. I get a kick out of how many people here think that they are in the best position to determine who should be MU's next coach. Look at all the big names who had no interest in our job or the Stanford job. It may have made some of you happier to hire a guy like Bennett or Lowery, but the former was not interested and the latter would be just as big of a risk as Buzz, just for different reasons. I bet SHU fans thought they were going to be getting better when they hired a guy with mid-major experience. Look at where that got them. Recruiting is where its at and that is one area where Buzz outshines all of his competitors, presumed and imagined.
By his own admission, Wasn't McGuire a poor x and o guy? Didn't Raymonds run the practices and make the adjustments on the bench? McGuire said his talent was recruiting and calling time-outs. This was enough to make Al one of the greatest of all-time.
Buzz can recruit, no one despites this. That is about 75% of the game. This is why he was a "reasonable" hire.
In my opinion there are not similarities in the hire. KO actually was on people's radar screen. He was going to get a "real" job in '89 or shortly after that. Buzz was not being looked at by anyone, possibly not even TC as an assistant.
The KO hire was much more of statement for MU than this hire. Recruiting at AZ and landing top players put KO in the spotlight of ball insiders. Buzz is relative unknown nationally.
In addition, the KO was bigger in nature because we were in the sewer. Buzz inherits a good team, conference and practice facility. I still am confused on why this hire was made. But, willing to support it.
LAND JAMIL WILSON AND BUZZ HAS A FAN FOR LIFE.
Quote from: AnotherMU84 on April 28, 2008, 06:03:08 AM
Next year, yes. His style is different than the makeup of this team. It's obvious that DJ showed loyalty to Buzz. Same with Outle, Fulce and EW. Under Bennett things might have been very different.
Like I said, if he bombs next season, he's a one season coach. He has all the tools and personnel to show us he's can do it now. We don't have to wait.
But that's the very issue, you don't hire someone for a one year stint, you hire someone with a little more foresight. Bennett is a fine coach, and no way if he were to come here would he have forced the talent that was here to do something out of character. Not in a million years would a Bennett hire be considered weaker than Buzz by any measurement....I'm sorry, we'll have to disagree 100% on this one and I'm sure most other people would agree.
Quote from: AnotherMU84 on April 28, 2008, 09:32:52 AM
By his own admission, Wasn't McGuire a poor x and o guy? Didn't Raymonds run the practices and make the adjustments on the bench? McGuire said his talent was recruiting and calling time-outs. This was enough to make Al one of the greatest of all-time.
Buzz can recruit, no one despites this. That is about 75% of the game. This is why he was a "reasonable" hire.
OK, we agree that Buzz can recruit. But, can he call timeouts?
Quote from: AnotherMU84 on April 28, 2008, 09:32:52 AM
By his own admission, Wasn't McGuire a poor x and o guy? Didn't Raymonds run the practices and make the adjustments on the bench? McGuire said his talent was recruiting and calling time-outs. This was enough to make Al one of the greatest of all-time.
Buzz can recruit, no one despites this. That is about 75% of the game. This is why he was a "reasonable" hire.
If it was just about recruiting, or even 75%, then folks like Quin Snyder, Steve Lavin, Bill Frieder, etc will still be coaching in the college game. Recruiting is critical, but you can't just throw the ball up and let the guys run around (nor am I suggesting that's what Buzz will be doing). Organization, discipline, etc are just as important.
I think people, especially as time grows, tend to take Al's comments about coaching a bit too far. Al was not a bumpkin on the bench. Yes Hank was the "X's and O's" guy, but Al had the gift of feel, which many X's and O's guys don't have. The gift of knowing when to do something, when to change pace, when to throw in a junk defense, etc.
Al was as much a great game coach as recruiter. He deflected credit to Hank but Al was an A+ game coach. His teams never made mistakes and he never, ever lost to a team that he should beat.
Al was the total package.
Quote from: ToddPacker on April 28, 2008, 08:10:57 AM
How many more threads about Buzz's hiring do we need? Sheesh. Those of us who like the Buzz hiring get it by now. There are some of you who are not happy with the "process." This is especially funny since none of you have intimate knowledge of the process nor do you know the first thing about hiring a basketball coach. Yet, your "expertise" tells you that the process was rushed, MU could have done better, and Buzz is not the right guy for the job. I get a kick out of how many people here think that they are in the best position to determine who should be MU's next coach...
How many more threads do we need trying to rationalize Buzz's hiring? How much "expertise" does one need to criticize MU for going from being "total surprised" by Crean's resignation on 4/01/08 to announcing Buzz as the new head coach on 4/08/08? What is there on Buzz's resume that should reassure fans he isn't just the next Bob Dukiet or Mike Deane?
I can totally understand the optimists hoping that Buzz will be a success, but I can't understand how ANYone can be satisfied that MU exercised due diligence in its search. I think that we -- the fans and ticket buyers who have faithfully supported the team -- deserved a search commeasurate with the program we helped build.
How do you all know that, although he was surprised by it, Cottingham wasn't prepared for TC's departure? How do you know that he didn't have a "short list" of candidates that he was ready to move on in the event TC left? Do you all think that Cords left the program in the hands of SC without making sure he understood the importance of having this short list updated at all times? Just because they moved swiftly to fill the suddenly open coaching position doesn't mean that they were unprepared and left all kinds of stones unturned.
Quote from: BrewCity on April 28, 2008, 03:09:17 PM
How do you all know that, although he was surprised by it, Cottingham wasn't prepared for TC's departure? How do you know that he didn't have a "short list" of candidates that he was ready to move on in the event TC left? Do you all think that Cords left the program in the hands of SC without making sure he understood the importance of having this short list updated at all times? Just because they moved swiftly to fill the suddenly open coaching position doesn't mean that they were unprepared and left all kinds of stones unturned.
From my discussions with folks inside, they were SHOCKED by his departure.
Quote from: BrewCity on April 28, 2008, 03:09:17 PM
... Just because they moved swiftly to fill the suddenly open coaching position doesn't mean that they were unprepared and left all kinds of stones unturned.
Does anyone
really believe that MU left no stone unturned before handing Buzz Williams [who?] the keys to a Top-20 basketball program?
I'm just saying, I do believe they were shocked by his sudden departure. I'm just not so convinced that they were not prepared for it.
Quote from: 3Mer on April 28, 2008, 03:45:57 PM
Does anyone really believe that MU left no stone unturned before handing Buzz Williams [who?] the keys to a Top-20 basketball program?
I think they turned over a lot of stones, for about 48 hours and then the stones stopped turning.
I'm shocked those around the now departed were shocked by his departure. Hell, he was dying to leave to leave MU from the moment he got off the plane from New Orleans.
Quote from: THEGYMBAR on April 28, 2008, 09:49:53 AM
In my opinion there are not similarities in the hire. KO actually was on people's radar screen. He was going to get a "real" job in '89 or shortly after that. Buzz was not being looked at by anyone, possibly not even TC as an assistant.
The KO hire was much more of statement for MU than this hire. Recruiting at AZ and landing top players put KO in the spotlight of ball insiders. Buzz is relative unknown nationally.
The question one needs to ask is who was the first to notice that KO was a quality coach. Do you really believe that nobody at Arizona knew that Kevin O'Neill was good until that national survey came out?
Or did the Arizona staff know how good he was after one season, and it just took another year or two for the rest of the world to notice?
I think its entirely reasonable that the MU staff (including Cords and Cottingham) would be among the first, if not THE first, to recognize that Buzz is a high quality candidate for a head coaching position. For those who continue to harp on the fact that MU "only" took 8 days, he's been on MU's radar screen since July of 2007. It does not take a formal interview for an opening to develop a sense of whether a person is capable of more than they're currently doing--regardless of their current job or role.
I don't think it's unreasonable to think that those who worked with most closely with Buzz at MU may have realized--perhaps within weeks or months of his being hired--that "hey, this guy is special." Buzz had plenty of interaction with people at MU--with players, with alumni, with administrators, with office secretaries, with boosters--it would appear that there were more than enough people who got to know Buzz over the course of nine months, and given that he was hired, at least some of them must have given him a thumbs up.
The fundamental issue here is that after two or three marquee choices, the pickings for coaches were pretty slim outside of Buzz. And by all reports, MU made a run at several of those marquee names.
Quote from: Marquette84 on April 28, 2008, 07:56:11 PM
The fundamental issue here is that after two or three marquee choices, the pickings for coaches were pretty slim outside of Buzz. And by all reports, MU made a run at several of those marquee names.
Go ahead and drink the Kool-Aid.
Even if MU made a "run" at Bennett or Miller (and with Miller, I'm convinced he would have taken the job had MU been willing to pay part/all of his buy-out), I'm never going to believe that the "search" went any further. Nor will I believe that coaches with better credentials than Buzz would have turned down a Top-20 program with a cupboard that was hardly bare.
Either MU panicked or they went bargain-basement.
Quote from: 4everwarriors on April 28, 2008, 07:19:40 PM
I'm shocked those around the now departed were shocked by his departure. Hell, he was dying to leave to leave MU from the moment he got off the plane from New Orleans.
Pretty much what the last three coaches were doing at MU....that should tell you something.
Quote from: 3Mer on April 29, 2008, 11:29:26 AM
Go ahead and drink the Kool-Aid.
Even if MU made a "run" at Bennett or Miller (and with Miller, I'm convinced he would have taken the job had MU been willing to pay part/all of his buy-out), I'm never going to believe that the "search" went any further. Nor will I believe that coaches with better credentials than Buzz would have turned down a Top-20 program with a cupboard that was hardly bare.
Either MU panicked or they went bargain-basement.
It's all just speculation. No point in everybody arguing about it... or telling somebody that they are "drinking the kool-aid".
Personally, I don't think there is a chance in hell that Miller wanted to come to MU, but that's just my opinion.
I really think the Buzz hire is like the Mike McCarthy hire for the Packers (and I'm NOT a Packer fan). Packer fans went crazy because the guy didn't have a proven track record, etc. etc. But, SOMEBODY at the Packers knew SOMETHING, because he has done a great job.
I'm not saying everybody at MU is a genius... but there is a reason why Cottingham is the AD and why we all post on message boards.
Let's have a little faith.
Quote from: 2002mualum on April 29, 2008, 11:38:14 AM
I really think the Buzz hire is like the Mike McCarthy hire for the Packers (and I'm NOT a Packer fan). Packer fans went crazy because the guy didn't have a proven track record, etc. etc. But, SOMEBODY at the Packers knew SOMETHING, because he has done a great job.
I'm not saying everybody at MU is a genius... but there is a reason why Cottingham is the AD and why we all post on message boards.
Let's have a little faith.
+1
Quote from: 2002mualum on April 29, 2008, 11:38:14 AM
It's all just speculation. No point in everybody arguing about it... or telling somebody that they are "drinking the kool-aid".
Personally, I don't think there is a chance in hell that Miller wanted to come to MU, but that's just my opinion.
I really think the Buzz hire is like the Mike McCarthy hire for the Packers (and I'm NOT a Packer fan). Packer fans went crazy because the guy didn't have a proven track record, etc. etc. But, SOMEBODY at the Packers knew SOMETHING, because he has done a great job.
I'm not saying everybody at MU is a genius... but there is a reason why Cottingham is the AD and why we all post on message boards.
Let's have a little faith.
Yes, that
"somebody" was Ted Thompson....he had been in pro football for 37 years. 10 as a player and 27 as a scout, Director of Scouting, Director of Pro Player Personnel, VP of Operations, etc. He also had been with the Packers for 7 years before going to Seattle. So that someone is a well seasoned person with great experience in the NFL.
Now, for MU we had Steve Cottingham....attorney for MU....no athletic department background other then as a cross functional role between departments....never hired a coach in his life at this level...etc.
It may work out spendidly. I hope like hell it does, but you can certainly understand some of the concern as well....I would think.
Yes, yes....I know Bill was involved as well...that's the one thing that makes me feel a touch better. A little faith is there, but not a lot right now and with next year's team, I don't think much more will be learned.
I think it's a lot more comparable to another NFL analogy...the Bears letting Lovie Smith hire Bob Babich as their defensive coordinator because Lovie didn't like Ron Rivera.
Rivera leaves and the Bears defense, under Lovie's inexperienced coordinator (who was an assistant at Tulsa about 3 years ago) goes from Super Bowl to Stinker Bowl!
Quote from: HarveysWallbangers on April 29, 2008, 03:38:52 PM
I think it's a lot more comparable to another NFL analogy...the Bears letting Lovie Smith hire Bob Babich as their defensive coordinator because Lovie didn't like Ron Rivera.
Rivera leaves and the Bears defense, under Lovie's inexperienced coordinator (who was an assistant at Tulsa about 3 years ago) goes from Super Bowl to Stinker Bowl!
You certainly could be right. There is no way to know right now.
Listen, I can't say that Buzz is going to work out and Cottingham is a genius.
I'm just saying, people need to admit that maybe people at MU know some things that we don't.
Also, as far as the Ted Thompson stuff, you're right Chicos, Ted does appear to know what he is doing and has a good track record.
But, let's be honest, I live in Wisconsin and I hear Packer fans constantly question every move Thompson has ever made. Does anybody stop to think that maybe people who get paid to do this stuff (Thompson, Cottingham, Cords, etc) for a living actually know what they are doing?
I'm not saying every AD or GM is infallible, but why does every sports fan think they are an expert because they watch TV and read stuff on the internet?
(sorry, for the rant).
You have to love those who, despite a wealth of evidence to the contrary, think we could have nabbed Bennett or Miller easily. They are probably the same people who whined and moaned about TC's contract. I am sure they could have been had, but should the administration have been willing to pay them what it would have taken? What if Bennett said 5 years at $3M per, would you have gone for that? Everyone has a price, and I am sure MU could have gotten TB or even SM if they were willing to pay for it. Would that have been a responsible use of athletic department resources for which the season ticket holders and fans pay?
Nobody here is saying who we should have hired instead, outside of the big names who were obviously not interested for what we were willing to pay. Nobody is saying why they would not fail like so many other mid-major coaches do. Why did Gonzo fail at SHU after having a proven track record at Manhattan? How about Welsh at PC after a successful run at Iona? Who's to say Lowery would not have likewise failed? This country is littered with has-been D1 coaches who ascended the ladder and then failed once they got their first major job. Why are they less of a risk than an assistant who is widely respected in the coaching fraternity?
There is a reason why coaches cannot wait to get the hell out of Milwaukee--I think MU fans are some of the most unrealistic fans I have ever seen. Even with all of his warts, TC had MU at a level not seen around here in a long time, and yet, some fans wanted to run the guy out of town. KO could not stand the environment here and took the first chance he could to get out of here. With friends like these...
Quote from: ToddPacker on April 29, 2008, 04:34:49 PM
You have to love those who, despite a wealth of evidence to the contrary, think we could have nabbed Bennett or Miller easily. They are probably the same people who whined and moaned about TC's contract. I am sure they could have been had, but should the administration have been willing to pay them what it would have taken? What if Bennett said 5 years at $3M per, would you have gone for that? Everyone has a price, and I am sure MU could have gotten TB or even SM if they were willing to pay for it. Would that have been a responsible use of athletic department resources for which the season ticket holders and fans pay?
Nobody here is saying who we should have hired instead, outside of the big names who were obviously not interested for what we were willing to pay. Nobody is saying why they would not fail like so many other mid-major coaches do. Why did Gonzo fail at SHU after having a proven track record at Manhattan? How about Welsh at PC after a successful run at Iona? Who's to say Lowery would not have likewise failed? This country is littered with has-been D1 coaches who ascended the ladder and then failed once they got their first major job. Why are they less of a risk than an assistant who is widely respected in the coaching fraternity?
There is a reason why coaches cannot wait to get the hell out of Milwaukee--I think MU fans are some of the most unrealistic fans I have ever seen. Even with all of his warts, TC had MU at a level not seen around here in a long time, and yet, some fans wanted to run the guy out of town. KO could not stand the environment here and took the first chance he could to get out of here. With friends like these...
Actually, the nobody statement is incorrect....many people offered alternatives, realistic ones as well.
Yes, this country is littered with DI coaches that didn't make it....and the opposite is also true with many making it just fine.
No one here wants Buzz to fail, very few here are saying Buzz will fail (I'm not one of them). Many people here felt Buzz could still have been hired a few days or a week later, after a few more options were exhausted.
Very few people thought we would get Miller or Bennett....very few. Most were realists.
As for the comment about "widely respected in the coaching fraternity"....well, what do you base that on? Quotes from other coaches? I'm not trying to be cute, just asking. I'd ask a follow-up question, can you find quotes from any coach in America in the last 10 years where they are ripping on a coach's qualifications after just being hired? Or saying the coach isn't qualified? I doubt it. Coaches do coach speak in those interviews and for media guides. "Such and such was my best recruiter, etc, etc". That's how it works. You never hear someone say "Oh my God, this guy is in totally over his head". At least not publicly, behind the scenes another story sometimes. So take those comments with a huge grain of salt. With the egos on some of these guys, they don't respect their mothers let alone some coaches in the fraternity, but they'll say that because they're trained to say that.
MU fans can be unrealistic, but I'd argue not nearly as bad at the places I've been. Not close. Do you think 2 NIT appearances and 2 NCAA first round losses after a Final Four would stand at UNC, UK, KU, UCLA, or for that matter even schools on a step below? There would be some hand wringing, but MU fans by and large didn't (attendance up, donations up, etc....sure some were vocal, but by and large they weren't voting with their pocket book or boycotting games).
But if you want to see fans be upset, well let's just say Crean (for all his foibles) did some things that haven't been done around here in 30 years and fans remember. If Buzz has trouble keeping pace with that track record, then fans will be clamouring why. That's the nature of the beast.
KO said we were a Sweet 16 school at best. Mike Dean said we were a NIT school with occasional NCAA appearances. Maybe they were right. I think the last guy proved that not to be the case, can Buzz continue it?
Quote from: ToddPacker on April 29, 2008, 04:34:49 PM
You have to love those who, despite a wealth of evidence to the contrary, think we could have nabbed Bennett or Miller easily. They are probably the same people who whined and moaned about TC's contract. I am sure they could have been had, but should the administration have been willing to pay them what it would have taken?
Well, I guess we know now that, at least for Bennett, it would have taken $1M/year (i.e., 37% less than what MU had been paying Crean). ... So where is that "wealth of evidence to the contrary" now?
Quote from: 3Mer on May 02, 2008, 09:26:59 AM
Well, I guess we know now that, at least for Bennett, it would have taken $1M/year (i.e., 37% less than what MU had been paying Crean). ... So where is that "wealth of evidence to the contrary" now?
You mean Tony Bennett would have come to MU for 1mil?
Seriously? I don't know about that.
Can anybody confirm this?
Quote from: 2002mualum on May 02, 2008, 10:23:05 AM
You mean Tony Bennett would have come to MU for 1mil?
Seriously? I don't know about that.
Can anybody confirm this?
Tony Bennett wouldn't have come to MU for 1mil, he wouldn't have come to MU for 2mil, he had no interest in MU period. No amount of money was going to change that.
Quote from: bma725 on May 02, 2008, 10:26:13 AM
Tony Bennett wouldn't have come to MU for 1mil, he wouldn't have come to MU for 2mil, he had no interest in MU period. No amount of money was going to change that.
... so your sources tell you that Bennett would turn down $2 million at MU to stay at WSU? Why? Because WSU is such a traditional basketball powerhouse?
Quote from: 3Mer on May 02, 2008, 10:39:31 AM
... so your sources tell you that Bennett would turn down $2 million at MU to stay at WSU? Why? Because WSU is such a traditional basketball powerhouse?
If you haven't noticed the commom theme - Bennett isn't leaving WSU.
Not for Marquette, not for Indiana...Indiana..., not for any school.
Quote from: 3Mer on May 02, 2008, 10:39:31 AM
... so your sources tell you that Bennett would turn down $2 million at MU to stay at WSU? Why? Because WSU is such a traditional basketball powerhouse?
Bennett and his family actually like Wazzu. Even with the raise from WSU, he's still getting less money than both MU and IU were offering him. But he had no interest in either job. He also pulled his name from the LSU search despite the fact that they too were willing to pay him way more than what WSU does.
Tony is not your typical power hungry coach, he's not out there for the money and fame. Nothing MU could have offered would have changed his opinion that he wants to be at WSU.
I heard that Bennett actually feels loyalty toward WSU for grooming him for the job and then taking over from his pop. Imagine that.
Chico----Dead on on your post. I think that us, the fan base, are often confused on what we are and what we want to be. I think KO and ND were right on their appraisal of the programs for what they were capable of accomplishing. The Al years made many older fans, like myself, place the bar to be higher than ever. The younger fans have seen some success and might have different bar than others.
Basically I believe that MU has every chance to be a Top Ten program that 50 other schools have. If you want to be elite you have to have elite expectations. TC was smart and knew what expectations were at MU. NOt going to NCAA after 2003 FF was a big blow to the program. Going there and winning a game or two would have raised the bar.
MU can be a Top Ten program if that was their focus. To get there you take your time and hire the best coach, not the easiest coach (not bashing Buzz and pulling for him). You need to recruit the best players possible and not settle for top 75-100 players. You can win with those players if coach can coach. But if coach is recruiter you need to recruit better players.
It would be great if all MU fans and the school had the same goals. They charge ticket prices like we are elite program and then are happy with modest success. The Al years and the Dwade year made the school a ton of money. That should be the standard not the once every three decades.