Article Craps on Seniors

[TallTitan34]

EDIT:  Read below so he doesn't get hits on his article.

http://www.sportsbubbler.com/DisplayTopic.aspx?TopicID=4109

He's probably looking for attention but what a d*ckhead.

[Wareagle]

http://www.sportsbubbler.com/DisplayTopic.aspx?TopicID=4109

He's probably looking for attention but what a d*ckhead.

No one else should read it, it's bad, and he doesn't deserve the page views.

[Tribby]

If you want to cut down on page views, somebody who has read it should summarize it here. I'm resisting reading it for now, but curiosity will get the better of me soon...

[NavinRJohnson]

Produces the 'Big Unit's" show on WTMJ. Does anything more need to be said?

http://www.620wtmj.com/sports/billmichaels/15953807.html

[Wareagle]

If you want to cut down on page views, somebody who has read it should summarize it here. I'm resisting reading it for now, but curiosity will get the better of me soon...

Posted in its entirety below.

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We the people, of the Marquette gold alumni sweater vest, find Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Matthews (sadly and not by choice) guilty of being overhyped. Their sentence is a not good enough legacy, no matter how many big regular season wins are on the trio's resume. Yes, their character was taken into account but this trio could not even do things that Damon Key, Rob Logeterman, and Tony Miller could do. No Sweet 16's. Not even one Elite Eight! Heck, McNeal, Matthews, and James could not even deliver a .500 March record. So no matter who spins it, the numbers do not lie –the three of them were mediocre on judgment day. Point out all the Notre Dame wins you want, a lack of March wins seals a not great enough verdict.

Those three never delivered on a March glory promise. The three amigos came through in some big games but that glory only mattered in getting an NCAA invitation. Beat Duke in November, win the CBE and Great Alaskan Shootout, knock off the Panthers in late January at Pittsburgh, and beat Wisconsin in Madison are impressive feats but Air Jordan does not consider those feats legendary. Dwyane Wade did that type of stuff in a November week.

Those three were supposed to bring a bunch of one shining moments instead we got more close enoughs than Phil Mickelson excluding actually having a big win. The three stellar guards were supposed to take the torch Wade left and run with it. All we got was a repeating pattern worse than kitchen wallpaper. We got a whole bunch of nice enough accomplishments but not a big pay out. We were promised big March wins the day Tom Crean gathered the three of them at center court on a losing day in San Diego four years ago. The end result was more heartburn than the hot and honey wings at Steny's.

Enough salt in the wounds yet? Those three poured enough with two wins and enough would of, could of, should of, would ofs than Gary Busey. James, Matthews, and McNeal now define coming up short. Harsh words but it is criticism that must be showered down. The three of them showed big time promise on a January night when Steve Novak rained down 41 and those guys did enough to beat a really good UConn team. All we got from then on was some really good regular season wins and more heartbreak than Jennifer Aniston (anybody catching on to a repeating theme?).

They were talented, tough, and confident. It turns out they were just special players but not champions. The almost great guard triumvirate fought their hearts out in every game but it was never good enough to put meaningful banners in the Bradley Center. Right or wrong that is what those three are finally judged on. Those three would be the first to admit that almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.  Oh by the way, those three have to deal with this criticism because they can not hide behind the fact that they played four years for next to nothing while this school made millions. The last game means they are now pros and sadly they can not hide by a character that could leave an example for the next seven generations of students. Those guys did not win enough when it mattered most even though the three of them will graduate on time and leave a campus better people than those that hold public office.

Maybe it was because those guys just never executed when it mattered most. Let's be honest without Steve Novak, the three of them were more maddening than Alice in Wonderland down the stretch. We had some heroic moments (at Louisville their freshman year, at South Florida and UConn the next, NC State this year and I did mention at Pitt two years ago earlier) but they were outweighed with more pain than the plot/watching of Rocky V (the loss to the Louisville that freshman year, losses to Villanova and Pittsburgh as well that year, an ill-advised alley-oop attempt against Wisconsin that could have tied the game with a simple layup, let's not forget Jerry Smith's shot two years ago for a Louisville win, Georgetown last year, Michigan State and Stanford in the NCAA's and all the heartbreakers this year down the stretch).

No matter what defense attorney is hired on the appeal, the March record will never overturn the conviction. The Marquette greats all had some sort of March success to leave behind. Don Kojis got there first. George Thompson got to the NIT Finals when it was relevant and then Dean Meminger won it. Maurice Lucas and Earl Tatum fell a win short of a NCAA championship. Bo Ellis and Butch Lee won it all. Dwyane Wade went to the Final Four. The three amigos have to fall back on what might could of have been if a bounce went the right way. The reports say that is why those three left the courtroom with a life sentence of not great enough to their college careers.

[Hards Alumni]

3 players a basketball TEAM does not make.

[jaybilaswho?]

doesnt even mention the fact that while they were here, we were perennially (sp?) in the top 25 in one of the most demanding conferences in the country.

[3Mer]

I've never heard of Welter, but I find the posts about his article fascinating. 

How can anyone argue that "The Three Amigos" failed to meet expectations?

They were entertaining; they brought attention to MU; and they all seems like nice guys.  But for all their potential and regular season victories, MU fans were left on the outside looking in during the NCAAs.

Beyond Milwaukee, will anyone remember the injuries, the recruiting failures, the defections -- or will they remember the early NCAA exits?

[MU_Warrior44]

Beyond Milwaukee, will anyone remember the injuries, the recruiting failures, the defections -- or will they remember the early NCAA exits?

Heck, I can't remember what other schools did in the tournament last year. Outside Milwaukee, I don't know that people would remember the early NCAA exits, or conversely i don't know that they'd remember if we would have gotten to the Sweet 16 every year. However, people would remember hearing the Marquette name quite a bit week in and week out during the last 4 years though.

[BrewCity83]

What a jag.  And he writes it as though he is an MU alum.

[77ncaachamps]

3 players a basketball TEAM does not make.

Thanks, Yoda.

I understand the need and appeal for dissenting opinions, but please be fair as possible. Example: "Let's be honest without Steve Novak, the three of them were more maddening than Alice in Wonderland down the stretch."

They didn't reach the second round WITH Novak.

[Chili]

What a jag.  And he writes it as though he is an MU alum.

He is an alum.

[MR.HAYWARD]

Is he correct, well he absolutely is.  However, like someone else stated it takes more than 3 to win a basketball game and I blame crean and have blamed Crean for 3 years for signing the worst front court in the BE for 4 years running.  Give me rutgers front court, give me Seton hall's, give me Depauls and this team is Final 4 material that last three years.  So did this group win champions ships?...no they did not but I will take those three to battle evry single day.  they were Warriors and simply great great players, but 3 on 5 most nights  produces exactly what we got in the greatest battles is a heroic effort although more often than not it ended in defeat in those biggest of the big games.  So really this epitaph should have something along the lines of how three players galantry, despite the inability of their former coach to surround them with anything, nstill led Mu to it's best 4 year run in the last 25 years!

[ecompt]

I credit Crean for bringing in the seniors; I blame Crean for never giving them a legitimate big man to work with. There is a 6-11 kid at Division II Gannon this year who would have played 30 minutes a game for us this year. Dwight Burke tried hard but was never a Big East center.

[rocky_warrior]

So really this epitaph should have something along the lines of how three players galantry, despite the inability of their former coach to surround them with anything, nstill led Mu to it's best 4 year run in the last 25 years!

Despite the misspelling, and grammatical errors...well said.

Though I'm sure your namesake - Hayward might argue the point about not surrounding the 3 guards with "anything".  Perhaps, they just weren't surrounded by enough.  Regardless, I can't blame any underachievement solely on the three guards.  For the most part (95%) of the time, they pulled their weight, plus some.

[Daniel]

They have been called one of the best (or sometimes the best) backcourt in the country by far more informed people than that author.  Hayward has more than pulled his weight in the frontcourt, but we never had a complete frontcourt.  At best, we play 4 on 5.  Who was responsible for recruiting a great frontcourt?  The 3 Amigos?  Hayward?  Um, no.  They played the hand THEY were dealt, and they played that hand damn well.

[MilWarrior]

Sad that all this guy can focus on is what they didn't do. We all know what they did do, and I for one will remember them a whole lot more for their many accomplishments than their few shortcomings. Yeah,we never could quite get over the hump in some big games, but we never would have been there without those three guys leading the way. In addition, as others have already pointed out, they aren't the only players on the team! It just sounds like this guy was still very bitter about the game and should have waited a few days before writing a knee-jerk article like this one. Either that or he was trying to appease Badger fans and Badger-boy Bill "Big Fatty" Michaels.   

[IAmMarquette]

I stopped reading as soon as I came across this gem:

Those three poured enough with two wins and enough would of, could of, should of, would ofs than Gary Busey

Idiot.

[muPARTY]

that was such a poorly written artic... piece.  his point gets lost amist the neverending hyberbole and methaphors, sheesh.

but the point might have been better made by this, College basketball's greatest strength is also it's biggest curse... March.  careers aren't defined/remembered based on the big games players won during the season, but what they accomplished in the tournament.  that's college basketball.  the tournament hang banners in arenas.  it seels seaosn tickets.  it signs recruits.

i wonder how well we'd all recall (and in what light) Novak's 41 against UConn or the buzz beater vs. Notre Dame had he not led them to the NCAA in '06 and/or been the 6th man of the year on the '03 Final Four team.  kevin durant has been an exception due to his nba game (and texas continuing the hype) has been something special, but guys like D. Wade and carmelo came into their pro careers with one-of-a-kind talent, and a showing from the NCAA tournament.  i bet you dejaun blair's performances against uconn this year are barely a footnote if they don't make the Final Four.

[MerrittsMustache]

That writer is clearly a bitter no-talent who's looking for attention...and loves metaphors more than Rick Reilly loves out-of-date pop culture references 

[CTWarrior]

This was the 30th MU season since I arrived on campus as a freshman in the 79-80 school year.  In the first 26 years after I arrived, we made only 8 NCAA tournaments (31%) and won as many as one NCAA tournament game only 4 times (15%).  These three guards, with no true PF or C (though Noavak for one year and Hayward these last two were tremendous) made 4 straight (100%) and won a game in 2 (50%)  They are the first class since probably 76-77 to win an NCAA tournament game in consecutive years.  I know they never went on an extended run, but they have performed the very important work of making us relevant as a PROGRAM again, not just a one year Dwyane Wade led wonder.  They got Tom Crean the job at Indiana.  Without them, he might be at IUPUI now.

The three of them did not disappoint me at all.  Some of the things beyond their control may have been frustrating, but those three guys will always be golden in my book.

Oh yeah.  An equally important note, with the possible exception of the FF team with Wade, what MU team has ever played a more fun and exciting brand of basketball? 

I love those guys and will miss them dearly.

[AlienWarrior]

The Final Warrior team in '94 was real entertaining with Tony Miller dribbling through Pitino's Kentucky defence during the last Warrior victory.

[CTWarrior]

The Final Warrior team in '94 was real entertaining with Tony Miller dribbling through Pitino's Kentucky defence during the last Warrior victory.

While it was fun watching that 94 team beat Kentucky, as a whole Kevin O'Neill's basketball teams were dreadfully dull to watch (think current Big 10 and that is no exaggeration).  No running, no attacking the offensive boards, intense half court defense, endless passing on offense, 62-50 victories.

I think O'Neill doesn't get the credit he deserves for his role in saving MU Basketball, but that doesn't change the fact that his teams played about as unentertaining a brand of basketball as is humanly possible.  He was a wonderful recruiter but once people saw how his teams played in Tennessee and later at Arizona he had it rough because besides not being fun to watch, it isn't much fun to play that way, either.

[bma725]

While it was fun watching that 94 team beat Kentucky, as a whole Kevin O'Neill's basketball teams were dreadfully dull to watch (think current Big 10 and that is no exaggeration).  No running, no attacking the offensive boards, intense half court defense, endless passing on offense, 62-50 victories.

I think O'Neill doesn't get the credit he deserves for his role in saving MU Basketball, but that doesn't change the fact that his teams played about as unentertaining a brand of basketball as is humanly possible.  He was a wonderful recruiter but once people saw how his teams played in Tennessee and later at Arizona he had it rough because besides not being fun to watch, it isn't much fun to play that way, either.

True, but the same could be said about Al's teams.  He talked about it after he retired, how people forgot what his teams were really like because of the winning.  In reality, they played slow even for the shot clock era, they were extremely disciplined, and they weren't particularly exciting on the court.  Winning covered that up just like it did for O'Neill.

[CTWarrior]

True, but the same could be said about Al's teams.  He talked about it after he retired, how people forgot what his teams were really like because of the winning.  In reality, they played slow even for the shot clock era, they were extremely disciplined, and they weren't particularly exciting on the court.  Winning covered that up just like it did for O'Neill.

True, if O'Neill's teams were as good as McGuire's it still would have been fun.  I think even McGuire would have trouble winning with that style in the modern era.  With all the games that are televised these days players know better than ever what they are getting into when they play for a certain coach, and playing a fun up and down style like Roy Williams does, for example, has to help draw players.