Mister THATMAN32 did you complete your homework this weekend?

[77fan88warrior]

If I had the time and money I would answer this question to the best of my ability. But there are at least five people more qualifed then tom crean . . . there has to be given the results I have seen.  If you do not believe that then I have some nice bridges I would like to sell you.

I believe you stated the above last week?

[SoCalwarrior]

He's probably gone now.  You'll have to remind him when he comes back after our first loss.

[thatman32]

I already gave you two names (there in another thread). 
But here are a few more:

Chris Lowery from Southern Illinois.  He can develop a wide variety of players(ie post players).  SIU's forwards and centers are better then MU's even though people would probably not like to admit it since that would damage your ego.  After watching SIU they probably run a motion offense.  Or see Rodney Watson for another coach from SIU. 

Lon Krueger –He has history of getting teams to the NCAA and advancing (see Illinois and UNLV).  He can also develop players and has turned around multiple programs

Kevin Willard – Ralph willard's son who is Rick Pitino's number one assistant. 

Jeff Bzdelik – Air Force's Coach.  He has experience in both the college and NBA level and a former assistant of Coach Pat Riley so he knows quite a bit about basketball.  He also coached the Denver nuggets until Carmelo Anthony helped get him terminated.

Mike Montgomery - Stanford's former coach.  The winningest(is that even a word) coach in Stanford history who just so happens to not have a job. 

These are a few names and that doesn't include me looking into the Ivy League or DII, DIII.

Here is a question:  How will next years team be different from this years team?  Since we will have more guards but there will still be a lack of post play.  Also Barro will not improve much since he is a slow player(so you can't play the barro card).  So what is the team going to do with its half-court offense because that what is played in the NCAA? 

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

Lon K. also brought Florida to the Final Four.

[🏀]

Chris Lowery has coached SIU for two years. And you're ready to give him the keys to a Top 25 program? He hasn't even developed a single player he has recruited yet. Watch him jumpship for a big team, and fail miserably, ala Bruce Weber.

Lon Krueger has done a lot. But so far Crean takes us to the NCAA, and has turned around his program immensely. He is young.

Willard has promise, but I'm not ready to give up on TC for him.

Jeff Bzdelik another gem with a whopping two years of college experience.

Montgomery isn't leaving the left-coast.


Next years team will be different because they have all spring, summer, and fall to get better. The players mature. We will start a senior(GASP!). Barro is fast for a bigman, and the development for him will continue, he is a nice hook and post move away from being really good. Also, we have one guard coming in the next class with a slew of big men. Some are projects, TM is the real deal.

One question I have for you is, if you want someone that will develop big men, who is going to give us the great guard play that we have had?

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

I already gave you two names (there in another thread). 
But here are a few more:

Chris Lowery from Southern Illinois.  He can develop a wide variety of players(ie post players).  SIU's forwards and centers are better then MU's even though people would probably not like to admit it since that would damage your ego.  After watching SIU they probably run a motion offense.  Or see Rodney Watson for another coach from SIU. 

Lon Krueger –He has history of getting teams to the NCAA and advancing (see Illinois and UNLV).  He can also develop players and has turned around multiple programs

Kevin Willard – Ralph willard's son who is Rick Pitino's number one assistant. 

Jeff Bzdelik – Air Force's Coach.  He has experience in both the college and NBA level and a former assistant of Coach Pat Riley so he knows quite a bit about basketball.  He also coached the Denver nuggets until Carmelo Anthony helped get him terminated.

Mike Montgomery - Stanford's former coach.  The winningest(is that even a word) coach in Stanford history who just so happens to not have a job. 

These are a few names and that doesn't include me looking into the Ivy League or DII, DIII.

Here is a question:  How will next years team be different from this years team?  Since we will have more guards but there will still be a lack of post play.  Also Barro will not improve much since he is a slow player(so you can't play the barro card).  So what is the team going to do with its half-court offense because that what is played in the NCAA? 

I'm not sure listing a person's name and 1 sentance about him is going to convince anybody that they are more qualified that our current coach.

Here is the same thing you did, but using Crean.

Tom Crean - Marquette's coach. Re-invigorated a 70's powerhouse. Found DWade when no other coaches did and has been to the tourney 4 out of 8 years after inheriting a weak talent base. Made the Final Four in 2003, so you know he has big game experience. Terrific at PR as MU always gets great TV coverage and Pre-season tourneys. Helped get new pratice facilities at MU and helped put them in the Big East.

Just because you say a coach is better doesn't mean he is. You will have to do a lot more homework to convince most people. Find a school similar to MU (size, catholic, no football, etc.) that has had a better 10 year run, and then maybe we could look at getting that coach.

[MarquetteFan94]

I already gave you two names (there in another thread). 
But here are a few more:

Chris Lowery from Southern Illinois.  He can develop a wide variety of players(ie post players).  SIU’s forwards and centers are better then MU’s even though people would probably not like to admit it since that would damage your ego.  After watching SIU they probably run a motion offense.  Or see Rodney Watson for another coach from SIU. 

Lon Krueger –He has history of getting teams to the NCAA and advancing (see Illinois and UNLV).  He can also develop players and has turned around multiple programs

Kevin Willard – Ralph willard’s son who is Rick Pitino’s number one assistant. 

Jeff Bzdelik – Air Force’s Coach.  He has experience in both the college and NBA level and a former assistant of Coach Pat Riley so he knows quite a bit about basketball.  He also coached the Denver nuggets until Carmelo Anthony helped get him terminated.

Mike Montgomery - Stanford’s former coach.  The winningest(is that even a word) coach in Stanford history who just so happens to not have a job. 

These are a few names and that doesn’t include me looking into the Ivy League or DII, DIII.

Here is a question:  How will next years team be different from this years team?  Since we will have more guards but there will still be a lack of post play.  Also Barro will not improve much since he is a slow player(so you can't play the barro card).  So what is the team going to do with its half-court offense because that what is played in the NCAA? 

Chris Lowery- agree with marqptm...the guy inherited his players i'm not willing to annoint him the next great coach or give him the MU job until he shows he can develop someone and recruit on his own.

Lon Kruger- Yes, the FF at Florda was impressive.  Last I checked TC also has a FF under his belt.  Kruger is job hopper.  K-State 4 yrs, FL 6 yrs, IL 4 yrs, Atlanta Hawks, now back to college at UNLV.  His IL teams also underachieved never won beyond the 2nd round.  No thanks.

Willard- I want nothing to do with a Pitino student.  To me, the next worse thing would be hiring one of Bo Ryan's assistants.  

Jeff Bzdelik- Is leading a team with 6 seniors (with previous NCAA experience) into the second round of the NIT tonight, no thanks.  He'll jump at the next chance he has to get back to the NBA.

Mike Montgomery- as pointed out, he'll never leave California...espcially for Milwaukee.

Try again.

[thatman32]

I gave out some names that I thought would be just as good as TC and probably cheaper too.  If you don't like them that is ok.  In addition, I could list 336 DI coaches and you would still find fault in all of them.

If you want a "attack offense"(whatever that means since the team doesn't run a system/offense), NBA sets(which the players can't execute .  . see the MSU game), no post game whatsoever, a team that peaks too early with no big men in the pipeline(4s and 5s), and no idea on how to play in the half court then go with what you have.  But he is good at PR and he helped with the fund raising of the AL, and helped the school get into the big east.  But PR can only take you so far since what you do in march, with the last 10 games of the year, is the only thing that matters and not what you do in the beginning or middle of the year. 

TC has done a lot but the last 3-4 years have a been huge disappointment in the recruiting department and player development of our bigs.  TC is not young he had his job for 8 years and was a assistant for long time so the young coach talk is complete garbage!!!! 

great guard play can only take you so far and the last two years have proved it with this team that has been assembled.

[mviale]

I think I will pass

[🏀]

I welcome thatman32 to visit the boards more often because you couldn't be more wrong in so many issues.

Let's start with recruting.
1.) How great was 2005 class? Top 10 in the country. Yeah, that shows Crean can't recruit.
2.) Travis Diener, Steve Novak, Scott Merritt, Dameon Mason, Trevor Mbakwe, all top 100 players.
3.)Scott Christopherson is a top 100 player, a top rated guard according to scout.com when he committed.
4.) Getting RJax to come to Marquette.
5.) Lazar Hayward, top 10 prep school player in the nation.
6.) Found absoulte GEMS in Dwyane Wade and Jerel McNeal.

We haven't seen thes caliber of players comin in year after year since Al left. I would love for you to find a coach on the market that has recruited this well.
And if you want to crab about not getting bigs, big men don't want to run down the court, they are all slow. Keaton Navikil wouldn't come here because his slowness would be exploited, welcome to the ultra-boring Big Ten. Crean's style of play demands speed. Traditional big men don't have it. Yes, Crean has been extremely disappointing in recruting though.

And for the 'youth of tom crean' please tell me when Al made it to his first final four. Crean was 36-37. Pretty good stuff.

Cue the Price is Right's loser tone.

[ChicosBailBonds]

I gave out some names that I thought would be just as good as TC and probably cheaper too.  If you don't like them that is ok.  In addition, I could list 336 DI coaches and you would still find fault in all of them.

If you want a "attack offense"(whatever that means since the team doesn't run a system/offense), NBA sets(which the players can't execute .  . see the MSU game), no post game whatsoever, a team that peaks too early with no big men in the pipeline(4s and 5s), and no idea on how to play in the half court then go with what you have.  But he is good at PR and he helped with the fund raising of the AL, and helped the school get into the big east.  But PR can only take you so far since what you do in march, with the last 10 games of the year, is the only thing that matters and not what you do in the beginning or middle of the year. 

TC has done a lot but the last 3-4 years have a been huge disappointment in the recruiting department and player development of our bigs.  TC is not young he had his job for 8 years and was a assistant for long time so the young coach talk is complete garbage!!!! 

great guard play can only take you so far and the last two years have proved it with this team that has been assembled.

If you think Mike Montgomery would be cheaper you are out of your mind.

By the way, how are Oregon's guards doing right now?  How about UCLA...(went to the championship with guard play last year).  Are you going to tell us Butler is a forward / center dominated team next? 


And your entire premise begs the question that MU could even get this right.  This is the same administration that dropped a nickname then butchered it all over again 10 years later.  The same administration that has made a number of public blunders in the last 15 years...I'm sorry, I'm not quite ready to trust they would get this right.  Let alone the fact that Cords isn't there anymore, we don't even have a permanent AD....exactly who do you think would make this decision?

Your faith is stronger than mine.  I think I'll stick to the guy that got us into the NCAAs 4 of the last 6 years, took us to a Final Four, has 20 Big East wins in 2 years (3rd most in the conference...most for a CUSA school), has his team setting attendance records, continues to put players in the pros, no NCAA rules problems and graduates players.

By the way, those "BIGS" yesterday at Wisconsin looked terrific.   

[Dish]

Chicos...any idea who the new AD might be? Or at least candidates?

[thatman32]

"TC has done a lot but the last 3-4 years have been a huge disappointment in the recruiting department and player development of our bigs."  You cunning linguistic I was talking about the recruiting of big men not guards.  I never even talked about guards since the original sentence was about big men and how TC needs to get them.  That was the original semantic and not the version that you came up with.  I don't even know how you thought of guards!!

TC can get guards and I never stated otherwise (if I have please tell me!!) since he gears his offense towards guards while neglecting big men.  I know he got Robert Jackson but what has he gotten since Robert Jackson?  Marptm if you say Scott Merritt then I will be really disappointed in you since we all know how SM ended up.  Yes, TC has improved recruiting and he should be complemented in doing so.  I know I am happy with how he recruited guards but there is more to basketball.  Also the Bullseye Brothers thought very highly of DW and McNeal so they were not "steals" but am very happy that we got both of them.  

In the scheme of things maybe the caliber of coaches hired before TC were just plain bad next to KO.  Your comments on big men are quite odd since a big ten team beat us pretty well in the tournament with their 'slow' bigs.  If you make the game of basketball a half court game, such as the NCAA tournament, then their 'slowness' will not be exploited.  Basketball is a half court game so this notion of having 'speed' (I assume with our bigs too) is puzzling??  Can you please go into this some more because I don't know how to respond to that nor do I understand its meaning.        

[ChicosBailBonds]

Chicos...any idea who the new AD might be? Or at least candidates?

I know a few people that are interested in the position but I cannot state who they are here.  I just hope they are given a chance to interview and be heard as to what their vision is and the plan to get there.  They are good people, respected in the sports world and their hearts are 100% Marquette grounded.  Plus they are Midwestern folks with strong ties there so the liklihood is that they are not going to be job jumping.

[Dish]

I think it's a real important hire, one that isn't getting a lot of talk. Despite whatever has happened on the court in the last week, Marquette's basketball branding is still quite high and this person will be key in keeping it at this level. Even outside of men's hoops, MU athletics is doing quite well right now and hopefully the powers that be make a strong hire.

[rocky_warrior]

They are good people, respected in the sports world and their hearts are 100% Marquette grounded.  Plus they are Midwestern folks with strong ties there so the liklihood is that they are not going to be job jumping.

mu_hilltopper for AD????  Sweet! 

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

I gave out some names that I thought would be just as good as TC and probably cheaper too.  If you don't like them that is ok.  In addition, I could list 336 DI coaches and you would still find fault in all of them.

I agree with you completely about this... and you actually made my point for me.

Writing a couple of lines about a guy doesn't make him qualified. I'm sure every coach you listed has a detractor out there (similar to you) who could make a list of thing "wrong" with those coaches.

I think Crean's resume stacks up favorably to all of the guys you listed. If you think otherwise, you aren't being objective. PLUS: We already have him.

[mu_hilltopper]

mu_hilltopper for AD????  Sweet! 

Wow, would I be a bad choice!

First off, I'd change Al McGuire court to "Al McGuire court, brought to you by MUScoop.com"

Second, I'd personally need to choose all cheer and dance team members.  And their outfits.

Third, I'd demand to get on the jumbotron multiple times per game.

Fourth, can you say bobbleheads?  Every game.  From Amal and Abraham to Polo and Peavy.  Every guy gets one.

Fifth, Real-Chili Night.   Everyone gets a bowl as they walk in to the BC. Half time cracker fight, last man standing gets a semester of free tuition.

[DoubleMU0609]

I could get behind a half-time cracker fight, but it'd have to be out in the atrium.  Don't want a repeat of the heads of lettuce fiasco like that game on ESPN earlier this year.

[mu_hilltopper]

It's always funny until someone gets an eye put out with a saltine.  I guess I'd make everyone sign waivers.  Yeah.  That's the ticket.

[spiral97]

You completely missed the key issue and you haven't even taken the job yet.. geesh.. all we wanna know is what you'll do about the BIRD???

[🏀]

Please for the sake of the mascots, buy a new Gold N. Eagle outfit. For some reason, the current ones have a bigger bust than 35% of MU women.