Crean on Dan Patrick Radio Show

[Warrior Forever]

I have to give him credit.  He was very gracious to the fans and players of MU.  Additionally, he made note of how well they are being coached this season.  No surprise in that he's still playing close attention.  In fact, he was aware MU is playing tonight.

Go Warriors.  Crush Bulls.

[4everwarriors]

Nah, he just wants credit for the Warriors' success this season.

[RawdogDX]

links?

[KC_Warrior]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/danpatrick/

Scroll about halfway down the page until you see the tan one...

[THEGYMBAR]

Of course he is keeping tabs on these guys...he built this team. The better they do the better he looks. With all due respect, he should take pride in this team and the coach running the show.

[RawdogDX]

Of course he is keeping tabs on these guys...he built this team. The better they do the better he looks. With all due respect, he should take pride in this team and the coach running the show.

+1  Hope we make him look good into april.

[Tugg Speedman]

+1,000,000,000

I hope Crean is invited to the final four show as the expert to talk about MU success!!

[Niv Berkowitz]

As much many hate Crean, he doesn't hate MU. He just took, in his opinion, a better job. 

And it should be obvious that, of COURSE he wants this team to be successful. He still cares about the kids and didn't leave as a personal f-you to the them. Also, on the skeptic's side, the better MU does this year, the better it reflects on Crean even though he's not even around. It's the team he built.

[bs4173]

+1,000,000,000

I hope Crean is invited to the final four show as the expert to talk about MU success!!

fine by me. kudos to him if we get to the Final Four. he recruited these guys. (just couldn't coach 'em!)

[Warrior of Law]

I thought his comments were sincere.  I think all parties (IU, Crean, MU, Buzz) involved are satisfied with the outcomes thus far.  All break-ups are little rocky, but there is no reason that MU and Crean can't exist together and be successful in different situations.

[79Warrior]

As much many hate Crean, he doesn't hate MU. He just took, in his opinion, a better job. 

And it should be obvious that, of COURSE he wants this team to be successful. He still cares about the kids and didn't leave as a personal f-you to the them. Also, on the skeptic's side, the better MU does this year, the better it reflects on Crean even though he's not even around. It's the team he built.

Agreed.

[jaybilaswho?]

Of course he is keeping tabs on these guys...he built this team. The better they do the better he looks. With all due respect, he should take pride in this team and the coach running the show.

no doubt i know what you all on this board will say, but i want to know your thoughts on Joe Average Sports Fan. I guess really this should be asked to the guys away from the midwest.

Does JASF contribute this teams success to Crean or Buzz. Anyone around the program knows that the guards were Crean's Kids, but do people outside the program/midwest understand this?

[Tribby]

Nah, he just wants credit for the Warriors' success this season.

I know I can't be the only person out there who thinks the Golden Eagles would have the same record if Crean were still the coach...

[BuzzSucksSucks]

Totally disagree with that one. There's no way to know, but this is a different team this year.  The guys are the same, but they're different.  I think Buzz' impact can't be denied.

[boyonthedock]

I would have EXPECTED what we have done so   far if crean were still the coach, with taylor and williams in addition. At least I would have preseason, but i'm not so certain crean could have pulled off what is going on this year. In creans system, I don't think wes would be scoring the way he is. I also don't think we would have focussed on shutting down macalarney in ND. i think we have 2 BEAST losses under crean right now, with nova and ND. Not bad, but not as good.

[tanone]

Is Crean missing his eyebrows?  Seriously.  is that the case?

[Marquette Gyros]

Is Crean missing his eyebrows?  Seriously.  is that the case?

TC hasn't had eyebrows for a good five years if not longer.

On Crean bobblehead night in '03, the figurine, unlike the coach, did have brows.

[79Warrior]

I know I can't be the only person out there who thinks the Golden Eagles would have the same record if Crean were still the coach...

If Crean were here we would have Williams and Taylor.

[warrior_jr]

I know I can't be the only person out there who thinks the Golden Eagles would have the same record if Crean were still the coach...

Sorry, but I think that is way way off.  Frankly, I'm surprised to hear anyone say this.  I'm not just blindly Crean bashing when I say that I think the stark difference in Dominic James's performance this season compared with the previous three can be attributed to Buzz's leadership vs. Crean's.  Crean is egocentric => DJ plays selfishly.  Buzz is really down to earth => DJ plays like a team player.  Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems obvious to me. 

Ps. If anyone is fuzzy on what it used to feel like watching DJ, just picture Friday's USF loss and that pretty much sums it up.

[Tribby]

Crean is egocentric => DJ plays selfishly.  Buzz is really down to earth => DJ plays like a team player. 

So the best endorsement you can give of Buzz is that he's got a good personality?

That doesn't work for describing whether a chick is hot, and it certainly doesn't work for describing whether a coach can coach...

[Lennys Tap]

Anyone who says we would be the same team this year with TC has either not watched MU play for the last four years or has no clue about what they watched.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Anyone who says we would be the same team this year with TC has either not watched MU play for the last four years or has no clue about what they watched.

Different? Yes.

Better? Maybe... but it's all just conjecture. McNeal is shooting much better. Is that because Buzz's offense has freed him up? Or is McNeal just a better shooter this year and now the offense is flowing better?

Chicken or the egg I suppose. You could debate all day about that kind of stuff.

I like what I've seen from Buzz so far... so I'm optimistic.

[Lennys Tap]

James was a better player when he first set foot on campus than he was when TC left. He struggled against USF but has, for the most part, turned his game around under Buzz. McNeal developed nicely under TC, but the idea that he was on track to be a first or second team all-american and Big East poy is ludicrous. Wes Matthews was a steady journeyman-type player for three years with virtually no chance of being drafted. Suddenly, he looks like an nba second rounder and a first team Big East player.

I suppose anything's possible, but what is there to suggest any or all of these would have occured had TC stayed? I put the odds at slim to none and slim has already left town. For this team to be 20-3 and 9-1 in the conference is remarkable. We have no center, no bench and are the second smallest team in division 1 basketball when we have our "big" team on the court. When Butler comes in we are the smallest team in d1 and when Acker plays we are tiny by high school standards.

In short, this is a team with skill and heart that Buzz has playing at maximum efficiency (maybe even over their heads). If you had told me that this team would get nothing from O'Tule and Fulce, next to nothing from Acker, and less than nothing from Cubillan, I would have guessed this team to be a "bubble" team fighting to be .500 in the conference. Assuming the past to be at least a semi-accurate predictor of the future, that's about the position I think TC would have them.

[RawdogDX]

McNeal developed nicely under TC, but the idea that he was on track to be a first or second team all-american and Big East poy is ludicrous.

The last 8 games last year when he started shooting like he has been this year.  You do remember him being named to all-tournament team of the BEast tournament?  Or the all the reports that he came into boot camp as the most improved player? 30 against stanford?

If anyone told me that McNeal was going to shoot >47% for 3 on the season I would have assumed that he'd be 1st team big east, possible player of the year and a real shot at 2nd team all american.  He was 2nd team BE while being a 300 shooter why wouldn't that be enough to take him to the next level.  If a player avgs 14 a game without a dependalble shot, isn't becoming one of the better shooters in basketball going to tack on an extra 5-8 a game?  There are 0 players who have made 60 or more 3's who shoot a better percentage. 

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

The last 8 games last year when he started shooting like he has been this year.  You do remember him being named to all-tournament team of the BEast tournament?  Or the all the reports that he came into boot camp as the most improved player? 30 against stanford?

If anyone told me that McNeal was going to shoot >47% for 3 on the season I would have assumed that he'd be 1st team big east, possible player of the year and a real shot at 2nd team all american.  He was 2nd team BE while being a 300 shooter why wouldn't that be enough to take him to the next level.  If a player avgs 14 a game without a dependalble shot, isn't becoming one of the better shooters in basketball going to tack on an extra 5-8 a game?  There are 0 players who have made 60 or more 3's who shoot a better percentage. 

Agreed 100%

McNeal is better because he is shooting better.

Why is he shooting better? Well, that could be Buzz's offense, it could be shot selection, it could just be that 'Rel is on a roll.

I'm encouraged by the performance of the team under Buzz... I'm just not sure somebody can say that they are "better" because of him. 

What is Buzz doing that is making them so much better?

He's a better guy? Probably.

Does that make the team better? Maybe.

I like Buzz a lot. I just don't think its so easy to compare his performance to the previous coach.

Different? Yes.

Better? Probably/maybe... but it's really tough to determine that type of stuff.