Interesting New York Times article about New Orleans basketball

[Norm]

Here's a link to an interesting article in the New York Times from last November about the state of New Olreans basketball after Buzz Williams resigned and the energy of his replacement, Joe Pasternack.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/22/sports/ncaabasketball/22neworleans.html?ex=1353474000&en=de5c7139cd9d4766&ei=5124&partner=digg&exprod=digg

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/22/sports/ncaabasketball/22neworleans.html?ex=1353474000&en=de5c7139cd9d4766&ei=5124&partner=digg&exprod=digg

The article is heavy on praise for Pasternack and Buzz does not come off very well. I wonder if the buyout clause issue was ever settled.

[Marquette_g]

I don't really think this article paints Buzz in a negative light.  I am not a huge fan of the hire either, but his leaving New Orleans has nothing to do with it. 

I certainly don't think it is odd in any profession to take a job and quickly realize that you made a poor decision.  The first thing most people do is start to think about how to move on.  What did Buzz do?  He went back to being an assistant coach under a well-known coach.

I certainly concur that MU rushed into this hire and that we should have further explored other candidates, but the fact that he took a job that he felt wasn't right for him and corrected that mistake doesn't bother me.

[CharleTheJesuit]

His career would have sunk in quicksand - or bayou mud - if he had stayed.  It sounds like they don't have much money at UNO.  Now he is a HC in the Big East.  All in all, not a bad career move.

It would have been a 10 year slog at UNO.

Laboring in obscurity is fine if you have a martyr complex, but coaches usually don't go in for that. 

[Norm]

How would his career have automatically sunk in quicksand? His replacement won 5 more games than he did. If New Orleans had stayed competitive in the Sun Belt conference, Buzz's career would have been just fine.

[ATWizJr]

yeah, that's what every coach aspires to, a successful career coaching at UNO in the Sun conference.  how do you turn on the sarcasm font?

[Norm]

Look, Buzz talked about how character was so important to him yesterday. Signing your first head coaching contract at the University of New Orleans--fully aware of what happened after Katrina--and then walking out after a year, doesn't seem to be a great character move. He said yesterday that the MU job wasn't about him, it was about the players. Well, I guess that wasn't the case at UNO? Did his future job potential come first there?

If he had done well at UNO, and is the great recruiter that everyone claims, he would have moved up the ladder just fine.

[ATWizJr]

Didn't Buzz state that after a year at UNO it became clear that this was not the place where he wanted to raise a family? 

Ever been to NOLA?  Great party town, but withone of the highest crime rates in the US and UNO is not in a great section of town. 

Secondarily, if promises were made to him about facilities and upgrades that were later reneged on, I can see justification for making a change.  That's all that happened here.  Not some major charaacter flaw.

[Norm]

Well, they are in the process of rebuilding the arena at UNO, so I don't know if there was a renege on updating facilities - it probably just wasn't done fast enough for him. Williams has never really explained his reasons for leaving UNO so its not clear if UNO broke any promises to him.

As for New Orleans proper and where the campus was located, he should have been fully aware of that before he ever signed his contract there. Look at Marquette, how many coaches live right around the campus? None. They tend  to go out to Mequon or Whitefish Bay or the like.

[MarquetteVol]

It's been widely speculated that Buzz and his staff went weeks without paychecks. While UNO doesn't have a ton of prestige, it shouldn't be a volunteer position. It turns out for Buzz that leaving that place was probably the best decision he's ever made in his life.

[beadboy]

I have been following New Orleans basketball for over 30 years and have had the opportunity to personally know many of the players and some of the coaches during that time.  I am still friends with many of them.  I met Buzz Williams when he first came on board.  Many of the things he is saying and doing at Marquette are the same things he said and done here in New Orleans.  He worked very hard and very smart.  His gametime coaching was average for someone who had never been a head coach nor never played the sport.  He was quite often outcoached in the second half and looked confused at many times.  The fans here in New Orleans are no where near Marquette fans when it comes to understanding hoops.   You guys will be able to judge his coaching expertise with much more savvy than us.  In regards to his relationship with his players. During the season he was here some players were often in the doghouse for various and often trivial reasons.   It is my opinion that the players never did buy into his style of coaching and their opinion of him after he left was quite low.  Regardless of how much money you guys pay him and how much support you give him the bottom line is if he doesn't know how to teach the game, develop a game by game strategy, and understand what the other team is doing during the game, his job at Marquette will stay in jeopardy. 
      Maybe for the wrong reasons, but i think Marquette has suddenly developed a New Orleans fan base.  I think it will be fun following Marquette.

[Norm]

Thanks for the insight beadboay. I had not heard that the players were not thrilled with him by the time he left and that many of them were in the doghouse. On the positive side, is it true he helped increase the team's academic performance?

[LON]

Another thing on the academic performance:  how bad was it before him?

[rocky_warrior]

In regards to his relationship with his players. During the season he was here some players were often in the doghouse for various and often trivial reasons.   It is my opinion that the players never did buy into his style of coaching and their opinion of him after he left was quite low.

I'd be interested to know the specifics, but with what I do know I'd venture a guess that this won't be a problem at Marquette.  From what he and others at MU have said, Buzz accepts nothing less than 100% from his players and the people around him.  Marquette fans might not like him now, but Crean was the same way.  His practices were known to be closer to football two-a-days than basketball.

The players at MU already know Buzz, and probably know his style will be similar to Crean's - heck - he might even be a "softy" compared to Crean.  I know that in the interview with James he seemed very Happy to have Buzz running the show now.  The players at UNO didn't know him, weren't recruited by him, and I'd guess their previous coach didn't expect them to work as hard.

Since you say you've been close to those at UNO - I'm interested see what you think of that speculation. 

[StillWarriors]

Thanks, beadboy. Yikes. This just keeps getting better and better....

[Chili]

I still really dislike this hire.

[muneworleans]

I have been following New Orleans basketball for over 30 years and have had the opportunity to personally know many of the players and some of the coaches during that time.  I am still friends with many of them.  I met Buzz Williams when he first came on board.  Many of the things he is saying and doing at Marquette are the same things he said and done here in New Orleans.  He worked very hard and very smart.  His gametime coaching was average for someone who had never been a head coach nor never played the sport.  He was quite often outcoached in the second half and looked confused at many times.  The fans here in New Orleans are no where near Marquette fans when it comes to understanding hoops.   You guys will be able to judge his coaching expertise with much more savvy than us.  In regards to his relationship with his players. During the season he was here some players were often in the doghouse for various and often trivial reasons.   It is my opinion that the players never did buy into his style of coaching and their opinion of him after he left was quite low.  Regardless of how much money you guys pay him and how much support you give him the bottom line is if he doesn't know how to teach the game, develop a game by game strategy, and understand what the other team is doing during the game, his job at Marquette will stay in jeopardy. 
      Maybe for the wrong reasons, but i think Marquette has suddenly developed a New Orleans fan base.  I think it will be fun following Marquette.


what exactly is your point? and of what fans do you speak in New Orleans - because UNO sure does not have any???

By the way - Marquette already has a fan base in New Orleans - and it is larger then the exisitngg fan base here for UNO!!!

[beadboy]

To Muneworleans, my point is that the most important part of the hiring of Buzz Williams will be how the players buy into his coaching.  My post did not take any cheap shots at Marquette fans or program as yours does at New Orleans.  I am being frank when I stated that some New Orleans people will become fans of your program.  And this is not just to follow Buzz.  We have been exposed to MU basketball and it appears to be a top notch program, one that ours can learn from.  I can't understand why you would want to identifty with New Orleans  (muneworleans) and be so critical about its lack of fans.  Buzz Williams quit on UNO.  Every coach teaches his players to play the entire game and never quit playing until time runs out.  It's easy to talk the talk but oftentimes actions speak a lot louder than words.

[muneworleans]

 " I can't understand why you would want to identifty with New Orleans  (muneworleans) and be so critical about its lack of fans. "

umm - cause I live here...and was born and raised here...actually a few of my of my nephews and neices either attend or attended UNO and I have actually been to UNO games - pre AND post K.......

If you actually know the program at UNO and New Orleans in 2006 you would know that Buzz was sold a bill of goods to come here and as i wrtite this the arena is still not open and probably won't be open - at least for basketball - next season. Clearly, UNO fed Buzz a load of bull......

[beadboy]

If you actually know the program at UNO and New Orleans in 2006 you would know that Buzz was sold a bill of goods to come here and as i wrtite this the arena is still not open and probably won't be open - at least for basketball - next season. Clearly, UNO fed Buzz a load of bull......

  What bill of goods are you talking about.  Buzz contacted UNO, applied for and pushed hard for the job to the point of begging.  He was very aware of the situation (storm devastation from Katrina).  The only thing he may have not understood is the politics of UNO vs LSU.  The arena opening has been held up because of lack of funding by Louisiana and FEMA not by anything that the UNO administration did or did not do.  The arena is opening next month and will be available for basketball next season.  For some reason you are a Buzz fan, well good for you because in my book he is a quitter.  By the way how many times have you or any of your relatives spoken with Buzz and do you have any personal interviews scheduled with him in the near future. If you do, ask him why he was outcoached so badly by Western Kentucky and South Alabama while he was at UNO?  If your relatives attend UNO as you say then they will have the opportunity to attend Privateer games in a brand new arena this coming basketball season for free. Students do get in for free.  That will be a whole lot cheaper than having to fly up to Milwaukee (especially if you have to fly American Airlines).