Top of the Food Chain

[cheebs09]

Correct, but IF the decision is made to let him go, donors would be called and asked if they would be willing to help out etc.

Had a golden opportunity with Give Marquette Day. Could have had an option to put towards Wojo's buyout.

[mu03eng]

Correct, but IF the decision is made to let him go, donors would be called and asked if they would be willing to help out etc.

So to get a high value coach you are cool with taking $14M (my approximation based on the scenario) away from other funding efforts at MU whether by direct expense or re-directing of donation dollars?

I mean, if we have a donor(s) that's willing to pony up the money necessary and it has zero impact on other MU funding efforts, totally down. It's just that there is slim to no chance(with slim on a horse out of town) that there is money sitting around waiting to fire Wojo and hire a big name coach.....wouldn't we have done that post-Crean or post-Buzz?

[MU Buff]

So to get a high value coach you are cool with taking $14M (my approximation based on the scenario) away from other funding efforts at MU whether by direct expense or re-directing of donation dollars?

I mean, if we have a donor(s) that's willing to pony up the money necessary and it has zero impact on other MU funding efforts, totally down. It's just that there is slim to no chance(with slim on a horse out of town) that there is money sitting around waiting to fire Wojo and hire a big name coach.....wouldn't we have done that post-Crean or post-Buzz?

Not saying it's feasible or a good idea but you have to remember that guru, like me, did not go to Marquette so I'm sure he would be cool with taking money away from other things. However, it's not realistic in my mind. I think the only way Marquette pays a coach $4-5 million is if that coach is here for a decade plus and wins big over the long haul.

[JWags85]

I get it, but let's be honest about Becker. He's 51 & will probably be doing this for another 15-20 years.

An older coach is fine and maybe even preferable. If he's successful the first 5 years, he's 56 and not young enough for the big dogs to go after but is young enough to stick for a decade plus. He's not my first or only choice, but he's consistently improved his 3-year batch numbers (maybe hitting a ceiling this year) and his teams are vastly better than anything Lonergan did. He'd be worth a look.

I didn't mean it like he was close to retirement.  But he'd be 52 and never recruited anywhere close to the level it would take at Marquette.  He's a great coach and Xs and Os guy, but the Big East is a long way from America East where you can coach up 2 stars.  Anthony Lamb was a fantastic player, and probably the best he had, and he chose Vermont over Stony Brook.  I don't think he's had a top 200 recruit, much less top 150, in his time there.  Thats my concern.  A young mid major coach is one thing, someone who spent his coaching career at the D3 level and then the low major level worries me a bit.

[Eldon]

Had a golden opportunity with Give Marquette Day. Could have had an option to put towards Wojo's buyout.

LOL

Now that is funny.

[muguru]

The recruiting aspect is why I would shy away from a mid major/low major Head Coach. I just don't think they could recruit at a level high enough for MU. I also am tired of them going the assistant route as well.

[wadesworld]

The recruiting aspect is why I would shy away from a mid major/low major Head Coach. I just don't think they could recruit at a level high enough for MU. I also am tired of them going the assistant route as well.

And I assume you'd be against going after a mediocre coach at the high major level. Which leaves us with...who, exactly, that would leave the job they're having success at?

High major coach having success, up and leaves for a program that just fired its coach coming off back to back NCAA appearances and 3 in the last 4 years, with a 5 star and 2 4 stars coming in.

Sorry, but not many coaches with a successful track record are jumping at that situation.

[brewcity77]

Best option if he's healthy (big if) is Thad Matta. No buyout, probably the best college coach to never win a title (sorry Beilein, you're no Thad), elite recruiter, and young enough to stick for 15 years.

If he's healthy.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Best option if he's healthy (big if) is Thad Matta. No buyout, probably the best college coach to never win a title (sorry Beilein, you're no Thad), elite recruiter, and young enough to stick for 15 years.

If he's healthy.

I don't remember his name being associated with any openings last season and I haven't heard any early mentions of him this season. My guess is that he's not healthy.

[MUDPT]

I think Titus saw him at a game this year and said he was itching but also liked being away.

[skianth16]

The recruiting aspect is why I would shy away from a mid major/low major Head Coach. I just don't think they could recruit at a level high enough for MU. I also am tired of them going the assistant route as well.

In a lot of ways, the bigger schools sell themselves. Sure, there's probably a learning curve for coaches that are used to recruiting for schools like Buffalo or Vermont moving into the big leagues, but with the added resources and the better "selling story" I think a lot of coaches would adapt quite well.

[BM1090]

I have no interest in Matta. His OSU teams were declining dramatically in his last few years.

Maybe that was due to health, but it's a huge risk.

[brewcity77]

I don't remember his name being associated with any openings last season and I haven't heard any early mentions of him this season. My guess is that he's not healthy.

He interviewed for one, can't remember which, but when it didn't go forward, I wondered if it was health concerns. Like I said, big if.

[WarriorDad]

Jae Crowder went to Howard University?

No, he went to Howard College in Texas.