Quote from: Elonsmusk on December 26, 2025, 09:29:41 AMYep, no doubt MU fans should have the same expectations as those fans at Kentucky, UNC, or Kansas.   

Not producing the worst season in four decades = same expectations as Kentucky?
Hmmm.

QuoteSo you think at non-blueblood schools like MU, that "the program and university" are what make it a winner, and NOT who the head coach of the university and program are?  Why could Buzz Williams turnaround a Virginia Tech program that was floundering?  Why is St. John's good again? Why couldn't Wojo win an NCAA tournament game in 7 years at MU?


This isn't about arrogance, its about leverage.  Both parties, in the case of MU, have leverage due to MU generally spending a lot on basketball, and having a large fanbase - and Shaka has the leverage of MU struggling as a program for 10 years prior to his arrival.

My view is simply that Shaka has more leverage.  Should MU can him if he has another bad season next year, I suspect there is more downside risk on the MU side of not getting a better coach.

You're conflating the necessity of making good hires with your stance that Marquette would be set adrift in the college basketball wasteland without Shaka.

Of course programs need to make good hires. That's true everywhere, even the bluebloods (see: UNC and Matt Doherty; UCLA and Steve Lavin; Kentucky and Billy Gillespie).
But if Shaka were to leave, Marquette could find another coach to successfully run the program. He's not uniquely gifted. I know this to be true because Marquette has had coaches successfully run the program before Shaka.

Yes, St. John's is better today because Pitino is a better coach than guys who'd never been head coaches before (Chris Mullin, Norm Roberts) and guys who washed out elsewhere (Steve Lavin, Mike Anderson). Those were bad hires. When they made a better hire (Mike Jarvis) they fared much better and produced similar results to what Pitino is producing now (four tourneys in six years, two seasons ranked in top 10 at the end of the year, and a BE championship).

And do you honestly believe a coach who produces back-to-back losing seasons, including at least one historically bad losing season, has leverage? Is Shaka waling into Broeker's office and saying, "I dare you to find another coach who can finish at the bottom of the Big East two years running!"

Quote from: Zog from Margo on December 26, 2025, 12:08:29 AMHe's done all of that already. He's given his recruits what he promised: a CHANCE to grow and preference over transfers. That doesn't mean they are guaranteed minutes or guaranteed spots in the rotation. Good Lord, can Lowery and Norman actually say they weren't given the full opportunity to grow and secure starting spots? There's nothing in "RGV" that guarantees minutes. Can you actually argue that Shaka's recruits haven't had more of an opportunity to succeed coming in as frosh than the vast majority of programs would provide? Do you think any recruit comes into a program thinking they'll continue to start and play major minutes if the program is going down the crapper? If recruits don't grow, Shaka has no need to apologize for letting them know that's the case. Shaka made some serious recruiting mistakes.  He will not be selling his soul if he tells players they will not get PT at MU in the future if that's an honest assessment.

Correct. The moral conclusions people have drawn about Shaka because poor on court basketball results is hilarious. Suddenly he's a fraud who goes against everything he's ever said if he pivots his strategy? He's ignorant and has too big of an ego to ever adjust or listen to advice?

And no, I don't have any idea what Shaka is telling his players, their families, potential recruits, etc. behind closed doors. Nor do I think what Shaka says at the podium to the world is what the locker room message is.

Some people take basketball results way too personally.

Quote from: MUbiz on December 20, 2025, 11:38:11 PMWhat am I missing about this Minessale kid? He's a sub 30% 3 point shooter who scores a ton of points on a ton of shots taken. I feel like adding another atheltic wing who can't shoot from deep is not something MUBB needs.

We have very stupid fans, that's all you're missing.

Quote from: MuggsyB on December 24, 2025, 10:09:03 PMI think you're being fair.  The only thing I will say is Nigel and Adrien seem to have the potential to deliver the goods.  It's their development over the next 18 games that could give us some renewed hope.

You have to remember that while they look good to us, they also appear good to other coaches willing to spend money.

This will be the other test of the RGV method.  If money comes for Nigel or Adrien this off season then the method is even more dead.

I think the jury has come back and deemed RGV unrealistic for modern college basketball, but we shall see if Shaka sees it that way.  And if he doesn't, well...

Quote from: Shooter McGavin on December 26, 2025, 08:19:34 AMHa!  I know my question was naive.  But also serious.  Can the NCAA universities eventually take back control of the situation and would they have any legal standing?

Nah, the college sports we know are in the dying days

Quote from: MU82 on December 25, 2025, 11:15:43 PMAfter he leaves MU, Shaka will go to a top hoops school with a patient fanbase that doesn't mind 20-loss seasons. A chill, content fanbase such as Kentucky, UNC or Kansas, perhaps.

Yep, no doubt MU fans should have the same expectations as those fans at Kentucky, UNC, or Kansas. 

Quote from: WhiteTrash on December 25, 2025, 10:31:06 PMIt takes a special kind of arrogance to think any one person is bigger than the program and university.

So you think at non-blueblood schools like MU, that "the program and university" are what make it a winner, and NOT who the head coach of the university and program are?  Why could Buzz Williams turnaround a Virginia Tech program that was floundering?  Why is St. John's good again? Why couldn't Wojo win an NCAA tournament game in 7 years at MU?

This isn't about arrogance, its about leverage.  Both parties, in the case of MU, have leverage due to MU generally spending a lot on basketball, and having a large fanbase - and Shaka has the leverage of MU struggling as a program for 10 years prior to his arrival.

My view is simply that Shaka has more leverage.  Should MU can him if he has another bad season next year, I suspect there is more downside risk on the MU side of not getting a better coach.

Quote from: JWags85 on December 23, 2025, 02:11:20 PMBen Simmons is currently a free agent and has reportedly paused any search for a new team to focus on professional fishing with the Sport Fishing franchise he owns.  That is not a Onion headline or NBACentel, its direct from a senior NBA writer.

Assuming this is probably the end cause Ive gotten the impression over the last 5+ years that Simmons doesn't really like basketball all that much.  Wouldn't call him a bust but truly one of the most bizarre career paths of a consensus #1 pick in recent history.

Difference between him and Giannis is work ethic

Quote from: JTJ3 on December 25, 2025, 12:03:00 PMNnaji is eligible because he never signed an NBA contract.  Yes, he played summer league,  but never was actually signed.  Once you sign an NBA deal, thats apparently when the NCAA is now saying you lose eligibility.  Although Im sure that will change again soon.

Honestly, moving to the hockey model makes some sense now for basketball.  Once you're drafted, you have three years to sign your pro deal, the pro team holds your rights.  But you can go to college to develop for those years so the pro team doesnt have to start the rookie contract until theyre older.  If you dont develop and the pro team doesnt sign a player after the 3 years, theyre then a free agent.

I've been saying this is the way for years, but I believe that NHL teams now hold a player's rights until four years after he was drafted (if drafted at 18). The scale slides if drafted older (three years for 19, two years for 20), so that it's essentially until a player is 22.

Quote from: MU82 on December 25, 2025, 11:10:15 PMWhen I run the NCAA, once an athlete turns 40, he or she will only have 4 years of eligibility left.

Ha!  I know my question was naive.  But also serious.  Can the NCAA universities eventually take back control of the situation and would they have any legal standing?

Musselman at USC signed guard Kam Woods on December 18th.  He played 4 years in D1 with 23 games at Troy State in 2020-21, 31 games at North Carolina A&T in 2022-23, 13 games for NC State in 2023-24, 30 games for Robert Morris in 2024-25 and he played 33 games in 2021-22 for Northwest Florida State when they won the NJCAA D1 national championship.  He played in 33 games in JUCO and has played 98 games in D1, including 1 game so far at USC.  He'll probably be another 150 plus career game player with the COVID, NJCAA eligibility. He has scored 1,600 career points to date and was not in school the first semester.  6 schools in 6 years.  The education focus we like to see for NCAA athletes. He did not appear in the NC State-Marquette NCAA tournament game. 

Kam Woods turned 24 years old on September 1 and is over 6 years older than Marquette incoming freshman Nash Walker, who turned 18 on September 27.