3 main ingredients for an elite program

[AlienWarrior]

#1 Elite -  conference -Yes

#2 Elite - History of a winning progam/good practice facility-Yes

#3 Elite - Coach - No , He may eventually be one ,but we are in a position because of #1 and#2 to have one . This is not a knock on Buzz . If an elite coach becomes available we should make a strong bid to get him. Why should we have to be in the same position as before ? Crean was the perfect hire at the time . We improved #1 and #2 and now we should complete it with #3  .P. S. I have nothing against Buzz as a person or where he is has progressed currently as a coach

[NavinRJohnson]

Best way to be/become an elite coach...recruit great players. Time will tell of course, but he seems to be doing pretty well so far.

BTW, define elite coach.

Seems like we had this opportunity just a year ago. No "Elite Coaches" seemed particularly interested.

I find this post odd.

[Tom Crean's Tanning Bed]

I think also add to your list consistency too.  Winning 20+ games for 4 straight years and making 4 consecutive NCAAs (and 6 in 8) looks very, very good for potential recruits as well.

[RawdogDX]

A history of winning maybe but we don't have a name that draws elite recruits nationally(we are getting there).  And that is how you should phrase number 2.

[NavinRJohnson]

#2 Elite - History of a winning progam/good practice facility-Yes

How is that one ingredient? What does one have to do with the other? MU had a history as a winning program when they practiced in the Old Gym.

[AlienWarrior]

elite coach-see elite programs ,see this years Sweet 16 for starters . Plus there are plenty of coaches from not so elite programs who have more experience for our position .If Buzz was at an A-10 school  , for example , he would not get the same recruits he gets here .

[AlienWarrior]

How is that one ingredient? What does one have to do with the other? MU had a history as a winning program when they practiced in the Old Gym.

Ok ,then if you want , we can make winning program and practice facility as separate elite items

[PE8983]

If the school recruits itself, then why haven't we had a big man since Key/McIlvaine (other than one year of R Jackson)?

[AlienWarrior]

Here is an OK example , Louisville ,similar to Marquette, close enough
#1- yes
#2- yes
#3- yes

[NavinRJohnson]

elite coach-see elite programs ,see this years Sweet 16 for starters . Plus there are plenty of coaches from not so elite programs who have more experience for our position .If Buzz was at an A-10 school  , for example , he would not get the same recruits he gets here .

So, great. Which of those guys is gonna 'become available," and would they still be elite if they did?

Rick Pitino isn't just gonna wake up next week and decide he wants to coach at MU.

If you can point to some elite coaches that could become available and under what circumstamces, and the further explain why they would want to come to Marquette, that would be fine, but I guess I am just struggling to understand your point/purpose.

[AlienWarrior]

So, great. Which of those guys is gonna 'become available," and would they still be elite if they did?

Rick Pitino isn't just gonna wake up next week and decide he wants to coach at MU.

If you can point to some elite coaches that could become available and under what circumstamces, and the further explain why they would want to come to Marquette, that would be fine, but I guess I am just struggling to understand your point/purpose.

I said,if an elite coach becomes available ,we should be in the mix to get him. Now ,I know I am gonna get it for this ,but Calipari is available .Regardless of what people think about him ,he IS an elite coach

[NavinRJohnson]

How is Louisville close to Marquette? Is it the public funding, the double enrollment, the 2 national titles since 1980, or the successful football program? Is that really the example you want to use?

I would agree if Pitino, Calhoun, or Coach K decide they want to come to MU, we should absolutely make that move. However, I would suggest the chances of that happening are almost equalt to that of seeing Al McGuire roaming the sidelines for MU again.

[Hards Alumni]

I said,if an elite coach becomes available ,we should be in the mix to get him. Now ,I know I am gonna get it for this ,but Calipari is available .Regardless of what people think about him ,he IS an elite coach

he has NO reason to leave Memphis.

[NavinRJohnson]

I said,if an elite coach becomes available ,we should be in the mix to get him. Now ,I know I am gonna get it for this ,but Calipari is available .Regardless of what people think about him ,he IS an elite coach

First of all, what makes you say he is available? Because he coaches in CUSA? The guy makes a ton of money, gets almost any player he wants, and seems to get a 1 or 2 seed in the NCAA every year. Why on earth would he even consider giving that up to come to MU?

[AlienWarrior]

Arizona wants Calipari ,so he may be out of our reach .If we had Calipari ,that would put us over the top .This comes from Mike Francessa ,TV talk radio host here in NYC . He was talking to an AZ fan when I heard this . Someone should probably check out the Az chat sites

[SCdem@MU]

#3 Elite - Coach - No , He may eventually be one ,but we are in a position because of #1 and#2 to have one . This is not a knock on Buzz . If an elite coach becomes available we should make a strong bid to get him. Why should we have to be in the same position as before ? Crean was the perfect hire at the time . We improved #1 and #2 and now we should complete it with #3  .P. S. I have nothing against Buzz as a person or where he is has progressed currently as a coach

Timing is also a huge factor in whether or not a school like Marquette could get an elite coach. Looking back on it, I really wish Crean would have left after the Final Four.

Tim Floyd and a few other big names were available then and probably would have been interested in the job.

So yes, I agree that what we are missing is an elite coach.

[Tom Crean's Tanning Bed]

Timing is also a huge factor in whether or not a school like Marquette could get an elite coach. Looking back on it, I really wish Crean would have left after the Final Four.

Tim Floyd and a few other big names were available then and probably would have been interested in the job.

So yes, I agree that what we are missing is an elite coach.

We were still a CUSA program in 2003.  At that point, in April 2003, no one could have imagined we would have been in the Big East, and were still considered a fluke mid-major that struck lightening in a bottle and made a Final Four.

If we couldn't in your mind land an "elite" coach in 2008 with the Al, the Big East, James/Matthews/McNeal, why would we have landed someone like Tim Floyd offering up the Old Gym and CUSA then?

[ChicosBailBonds]

Timing is also a huge factor in whether or not a school like Marquette could get an elite coach. Looking back on it, I really wish Crean would have left after the Final Four.

Tim Floyd and a few other big names were available then and probably would have been interested in the job.

So yes, I agree that what we are missing is an elite coach.

I think that would have been disasterous on many levels.  By Crean staying, he made the statement to many kids around the country that MU wasn't a stepping stone job...it wasn't a fluke....it provided stability.  We might have been able to get someone like Floyd, etc but we have been bouncing coaches like basketballs the previous 20+ years, we needed that stability more than ever.

[AlienWarrior]

Actually,we could have a good shot at Calipari because AZ is going deep into the Tourney and will have a harder time axing their coach .If anyone thinks Calipari is content staying at Memphis,think again .He has a big ego and and therefore wants his name inked to a big time conference against big time coaches .Which conference has more elite coaches than the Big East ? I think he goes whether he wins the NCAA Tourney or not .He may be cheaper and easier to get if he dosent win it.

[Wareagle]

Arizona wants Calipari ,so he may be out of our reach .If we had Calipari ,that would put us over the top .This comes from Mike Francessa ,TV talk radio host here in NYC . He was talking to an AZ fan when I heard this . Someone should probably check out the Az chat sites

I can't imagine Arizona landing him.  Memphis' recruiting class next year already has 2 of the top 10 players in the country, and is already ranked #1.  They are probably a top 10 team next year, and if John Wall signs, they will have an embarrassment of riches.  He can land all the recruits he needs where he is and is a godsend to the Memphis program.  I can't imagine he'd leave that to compete with UCLA and USC for Southern California recruits.

[Tribby]

I'm sorry Alien, and I usually hate when other people nitpick off topic, but I find this one just bizarre... what's up with the space before the punctuation? Commas, periods, etc. go right after the last word, not right before the next one.

[SCdem@MU]

I think that would have been disasterous on many levels.  By Crean staying, he made the statement to many kids around the country that MU wasn't a stepping stone job...it wasn't a fluke....it provided stability.  We might have been able to get someone like Floyd, etc but we have been bouncing coaches like basketballs the previous 20+ years, we needed that stability more than ever.

And the two years after the Final Four weren't a disaster?

[NavinRJohnson]

So yes, I agree that what we are missing is an elite coach.

Outside of 15-20 programs across the country, who isn't? I have to ask again what the point is.

More often than not, elite coach and elite programs are one in the same. The coach either built the elite program (Calhoun/UConn, Olson/Arizona), or walked into an elite program because he had success elsewhere (Howland/UCLA, Self/Kansas).

[AlienWarrior]

I'm sorry Alien, and I usually hate when other people nitpick off topic, but I find this one just bizarre... what's up with the space before the punctuation? Commas, periods, etc. go right after the last word, not right before the next one.

You gotta be kidding me ?%$#@&^*(?"{

[Tom Crean's Tanning Bed]

And the two years after the Final Four weren't a disaster?

From which perspective? 

On court, yes, we underachieved both years and whiffed badly in recruiting in 2003 and 2004 (of those classes, only Marcus Jackson, Mike Kinsella, and Barro finished at MU). But don't forget that the 2004-2005 team got off to a 12-1 start, and Diener only played in 8 conference games (bad ankle before breaking the hand).  When he was on the floor and healthy, it was a good team, probably an NCAA team even.  When he was hurt, it was a miserable team. 

Off-court, let's see: we get an invite to the Big East, and we land the Amigos.  Those two things set the stage for the next four years, as brutal as the on-court product was.