Quote from: GoldenEagles03 on December 23, 2025, 11:42:39 PMI'd love for him to become synonymous with Marquette like Mark Few has become with Gonzaga or Izzo with Michigan State or Matt Painter with Purdue, etc. Because that would mean a whole bunch of winning here just like he's done so far.

Yes. Pretty much Shaka is the same guy as Few, whose only year not dancing was the covid-shortened season. His down years look like Shaka's best years. C'mon now.

This year is so bad I don't know if he can come back from it.

Quote from: Elonsmusk on Today at 08:45:07 AMWell the good news is for a measured guy like you (who apparently isn't off the rails) and who formerly preached patience, and gave Wojo 5 years - Shaka will have 5 years to show that he's getting things on the right "trajectory."  He, far more than a guy like Wojo, should get 5 years, since he's already accomplished a crap ton at MU in his first 4 years.

So, lets call this Year 1 of Wojo, essentially.  To argue Shaka has to fix it in one year is silly - much like you, TAMU and other Projos suggested needing to give Wojo time to improve versus firing him after 1 or 2 years - and he didn't even have any skins on the wall for credentials of a Final Four, Sweet 16, 4 straight NCAAs at MU out of the gate before tailing off.

That makes no sense. This was his first year of resetting from a veteran roster that he didn't recruit but that he mentored. This is year one of next gen and it's an abject disaster. This won't turn in an offseason, but we should expect to see much more of year 1 Shaka , who portaled out of necessity, and we should expect to see a diametrically different level of competence than what we've witnessed from everyone.

Look, there are coaches across all of college sports who have left the college scene because they didn't like what it's become. Shaka staked a bet he could survive in spite of it. The next bet he makes needs to hit -- whatever that is. 

Quote from: Elonsmusk on Today at 08:45:07 AMWell the good news is for a measured guy like you (who apparently isn't off the rails) and who formerly preached patience, and gave Wojo 5 years - Shaka will have 5 years to show that he's getting things on the right "trajectory."  He, far more than a guy like Wojo, should get 5 years, since he's already accomplished a crap ton at MU in his first 4 years.

So, lets call this Year 1 of Wojo, essentially.  To argue Shaka has to fix it in one year is silly - much like you, TAMU and other Projos suggested needing to give Wojo time to improve versus firing him after 1 or 2 years - and he didn't even have any skins on the wall for credentials of a Final Four, Sweet 16, 4 straight NCAAs at MU out of the gate before tailing off.

Wojo did not have the advantage of immediate eligibility for transfers to rebuild the roster, nor did he have NIL and Rev Share to help attract recruits.

Quote from: Elonsmusk on Today at 08:45:07 AMWell the good news is for a measured guy like you (who apparently isn't off the rails) and who formerly preached patience, and gave Wojo 5 years - Shaka will have 5 years to show that he's getting things on the right "trajectory."  He, far more than a guy like Wojo, should get 5 years, since he's already accomplished a crap ton at MU in his first 4 years.

So, lets call this Year 1 of Wojo, essentially.  To argue Shaka has to fix it in one year is silly - much like you, TAMU and other Projos suggested needing to give Wojo time to improve versus firing him after 1 or 2 years - and he didn't even have any skins on the wall for credentials of a Final Four, Sweet 16, 4 straight NCAAs at MU out of the gate before tailing off.

So, we're just going to ignore how and why we got here?
Pray tell, how did we get to the point where this program needs multiple years of fixing? Who is accountable for that (hint: the correct answer is not Wojo)?

Quote from: Galway Eagle on Today at 08:39:55 AMYes this, shakas done great over 4 years, this is not a down year it's a bottom falling out year and pro Shaka need to call it what it is. Then due to his previous statements people are right to panic about the next year as well rather than expect a pivot. If he pivots and gets back to respectable program then as 1SE put it great we'll all laugh about it but if he doesn't then as you put it he's not uniquely gifted at having success here

This exactly, Galway. It's four 20+ point losses; it's barely scraping by Valpo. It's brutal home losses to bad, undermanned teams like Maryland and Georgetown. It's going into games, seeing the spread and thinking, "Oh yeah, Purdue will cover that" while people in Mackey are asking "what the hell happened to Marquette?"

If we had lost close games to IU and Purdue and not melted down on our home court against Maryland or Georgetown, and had optimism for turning things around instead of wondering where the BE wins were going to come from, then that would be a "down" year. But this is a meltdown; we're a bad team and other fans and national media all recognize it. 

Quote from: Galway Eagle on Today at 08:39:55 AMIs this sarcasm? Because i think everyone realized that pretty quickly lol.

Yes, obviously. Didn't think teal was needed for that one.

QuoteThen Marquette has not been at its zenith since Raymonds. You're posting like we've had the tournament success Xavier had where they were in like every over sweet 16.

If you're thinking making one Sweet 16 every five years is the absolute best Marquette can ever hope for, then we disagree. I mean, Buzz made three in three years, yet one in 5 years is peak Marquette? How does that make sense?
Marquette isn't Duke or Kansas, where anything less than an Elite 8 is a terrible season. But a goal of advancing to the second weekend just 20% of the time doesn't seem outlandish to me.
Why should Marquette should set its standards lower than Xavier? Or Creighton? Or Nova?

Quote from: brewcity77 on Today at 01:20:12 AMI'm not off the rails. The simple reality is Shaka has built his program around RGV and it is clearly a failed model, and he can't retool the roster the way it needs to be retooled without betraying everything he's said the last 4 years. I take him at his word, which means either he compromises his morals and promises to players, he doesn't compromise and we continue to suck, or he leaves.

I don't think he'll do the first option, I don't think the second is acceptable, which leaves only the third. It's not that he's not capable, it's that he's painted himself into a corner and can't stay at Marquette and quickly turn this around without betraying all the trust he's built up.

And no, we didn't pursue Owen Freeman or any other transfers. We haven't seriously pursued a D1 transfer in years.

Well the good news is for a measured guy like you (who apparently isn't off the rails) and who formerly preached patience, and gave Wojo 5 years - Shaka will have 5 years to show that he's getting things on the right "trajectory."  He, far more than a guy like Wojo, should get 5 years, since he's already accomplished a crap ton at MU in his first 4 years.

So, lets call this Year 1 of Wojo, essentially.  To argue Shaka has to fix it in one year is silly - much like you, TAMU and other Projos suggested needing to give Wojo time to improve versus firing him after 1 or 2 years - and he didn't even have any skins on the wall for credentials of a Final Four, Sweet 16, 4 straight NCAAs at MU out of the gate before tailing off.

Quote from: Pakuni on Today at 07:09:09 AMAre you suggesting Buzz was being disingenuous when he said he'd be at Marquette as long as they'd have him?

Is this sarcasm? Because i think everyone realized that pretty quickly lol.

Quote from: Pakuni on December 23, 2025, 06:15:55 PMA Sweet 16 run is a big success and should be celebrated.
One Sweet 16 run in five seasons shouldn't be celebrated as Marquette basketball at its zenith. It should be treated as an expectation.

Then Marquette has not been at its zenith since Raymonds. You're posting like we've had the tournament success Xavier had where they were in like every over sweet 16.

QuoteAnd more importantly, Shaka Smart is not uniquely gifted with the ability to have success at Marquette, as at least one person here seems to believe. Kevin O'Neill had success here. Tom Crean had success here. Buzz Williams had success here. We're not some bottom feeder program rescued from the college basketball wasteland by a miracle worker named Shaka. We weren't Gonzaga before Dan Monson, or - perhaps a better comparison -Houston before Kelvin Sampson. There have been ups and downs over the past 40 years, but it's been a mostly successful, respected program since Dukiet.
Shaka's had a great run at Marquette, and that's earned him an opportunity to fix the mess he's made this season. But if he's unwilling or incapable of doing that, I have no doubt MU can find someone else to run a successful program.  MU basketball is bigger than one coach.

Yes this, shakas done great over 4 years, this is not a down year it's a bottom falling out year and pro Shaka need to call it what it is. Then due to his previous statements people are right to panic about the next year as well rather than expect a pivot. If he pivots and gets back to respectable program then as 1SE put it great we'll all laugh about it but if he doesn't then as you put it he's not uniquely gifted at having success here

Quote from: Warrior of Law on Today at 08:20:13 AMThis. From an optimism and hope standpoint, it is void. Fans have no confidence that the team can beat anyone, either due to the moribund roster, poor coaching or both. The worst part is that there is absolutely no light at the end of the tunnel. Fans can tough out a bad stretch if they believe things will improve. Things haven't improved; they worsened. The empty seats at FF are pretty clear proof.

It's one thing if it were just talent evaluation and a moribund roster (word of the day calendar?), But it's how he got there - his insistence on eschewing the Portal, the Portal, and not just protecting, but further promoting the RVG brand. Any of us who have friends who are fans of Minnesota Football know how annoyed they were the the "Row The Boat" stuff Fleck promoted, but one wasn't overwhelmed with merchandise with the catch phrase when shopping for Golden Gophers gear like we are RVG. And "Row the Boat" didn't dictate his roster building strategy.

What is Shaka's top priority? Winning or being known as the coach who doesn't take transfers while building the RVG brand?

Quote from: Pakuni on Today at 07:09:09 AMAre you suggesting Buzz was being disingenuous when he said he'd be at Marquette as long as they'd have him?

I don't know whether Shaka would or wouldn't make this his last stop. But I think the standards and expectations should be the same regardless.

Yes, I think Buzz was disingenuous and his path since leaving Marquette sure seems to support that.

Yes, standards should remain high but not considering additional context and looking at things in a vacuum would be shortsighted.