Just put in erik williams

[MU gimp ONE]

There is a big difference between Mbao and EW when u see them out on the court.  Mbao looks slow and confused and Ew takes the ball and puts it in the hoop.   Al used to say there were practice players and game players.   Some guys were great in practice but clammed up in games and some guys would not work in practice but came to play when the lights are on.

Buzz seems to be wanting to teach Eric a lesson that you have to work in practice to get playing time.   While that may be the case, he is missing an opportunity to put EW in to see if he can help and if in fact he may be a game player as I suspect.   He has a real spark in his eye when he is in and the team seems to feed on it.   Little harm in the last 2 minutes of the half or for a longer rest for a starter just before a TV timeout.    I would love to see if he is a gamer as I sense he might be and it just might help him mature (and practice) more quickly while squeaking out some close ones.

"We talkin bout practice... not a game... not a game... but practice."

i'm sorry, but i completely disagree with your statement.  while i do wish EW will get minutes, if he for some reason isn't working hard enough in practice, he shouldn't play.  Otherwise you are rewarding a kid for not helping to better his teammates.  If you aren't going to be a team player and hustle and improve competition in practice, why should you get minutes.

i hope that isn't the case, because EW seems like a good, genuine, loyal kid and i wouldn't want to think that he is taking his situation for granted.  He'll get minutes soon i have a feeling.

[TallTitan34]

That might be the dumbest thing ever posted on MUScoop.com.

Our guys are getting gassed in the 2nd half of everygame because we only play 7 guys.  The options are to a) continue to lose games because our guys are spent after 30 minutes or b) play a guy who has bad practices but looks decent in games.

I don't want to reward bad practices but when the other option is losing, call me stupid but I'll take the win.

[NotAnAlum]

Buzz said after the NC State loss that he wanted to get EW in there but it wasn't the kind of game that he thought he could experiment.  If he is trying to send EW a message his post game statements don't support that message.  I think Buzz, right or wrong, thinks it is too risky to put him in.  Its as simple as that. 

[wyoMUfan]

I don't want to reward bad practices but when the other option is losing, call me stupid but I'll take the win.

That makes sense, all speculation on my end; but if Williams is slacking or not picking things up maybe he will be more willing to work after he tastes a little success or lack thereof on the court. I know a coach doesn't want to reward a lack of effort/performance but letting him play 6-8 minutes might help the other guys legs enough to hold onto these x2 digit leads

[Daniel]

I think Al McGuire did that once - he benched a player for something, and the game was not going well.  He looked down the bench and siad have you learned your lesson yet?  Yes coach.  OK get in there.

So . . .

[bilsu]

My personal opinion is that if Buzz was coaching North Carolina the Wear brothers would not have got off the bench yet, because they were not as good as the top 8 players. You need to develope your players or you will lose every game in the Big East.

[chapman]

Buzz said after the NC State loss that he wanted to get EW in there but it wasn't the kind of game that he thought he could experiment.  If he is trying to send EW a message his post game statements don't support that message.  I think Buzz, right or wrong, thinks it is too risky to put him in.  Its as simple as that.  

But too risky compared to what?  If he knows which basket he should put the ball in and which one the ball shouldn't go in he's practically ahead of what's been out there lately.

[wyoMUfan]

My personal opinion is that if Buzz was coaching North Carolina the Wear brothers would not have got off the bench yet, because they were not as good as the top 8 players. You need to develope your players or you will lose every game in the Big East.

What player in recent Marquette history has developed sufficiently riding the bench?
Do we have a better chance of winning Big East games with or without him, judging by the past few games I think a lot of our guys could use a little more "developing". This might be a good year for a little trial by fire.

[Lennys Tap]

I think Al McGuire did that once - he benched a player for something, and the game was not going well.  He looked down the bench and siad have you learned your lesson yet?  Yes coach.  OK get in there.

So . . .

Al started Bill Neary ahead of Bernard Toone the entire 1977 season even though Neary wasn't a top 500 player and Toone was top 20. Probably cost MU at least a few victories in our first 20 or so games. But in the final push to make the NCAAs and in the tournament itself Bernard logged big minutes off the bench and Bill was a starter "in name only". Al was stubborn, but not enough to let his last year go down in flames because of it.

[Lennys Tap]

Our guys are getting gassed in the 2nd half of everygame because we only play 7 guys.  The options are to a) continue to lose games because our guys are spent after 30 minutes or b) play a guy who has bad practices but looks decent in games.

I don't want to reward bad practices but when the other option is losing, call me stupid but I'll take the win.

I agree that we looked "gassed" the last 10 minutes against FSU. It was our fourth game in six days, we play at a frenetic pace and FSU had the size to wear us down physically.

But against NC State we were coming off a week's rest and totally collapsed at the BEGINNING of the second half. Fatigue wasn't the problem - effort, intensity and execution were. The only decent basketball played by MU in the 2nd half came in the final three minutes when we should have been most fatigued.

[79Warrior]

Al started Bill Neary ahead of Bernard Toone the entire 1977 season even though Neary wasn't a top 500 player and Toone was top 20. Probably cost MU at least a few victories in our first 20 or so games. But in the final push to make the NCAAs and in the tournament itself Bernard logged big minutes off the bench and Bill was a starter "in name only". Al was stubborn, but not enough to let his last year go down in flames because of it.

Al started Neary because he had a policy to start seniors. Bernard played more minutes than bill in almost every game.

[Big Papi]

My personal opinion is that if Buzz was coaching North Carolina the Wear brothers would not have got off the bench yet, because they were not as good as the top 8 players. You need to develope your players or you will lose every game in the Big East.

3 minutes of game time where he gets his a** handed to him is not going to help develop EWill.  Practice time is where he is going to develop.  Buzz is putting his best players on the floor who give him the best chance of winning.  If that means 5 players play 40 minutes than that is what he will do.  This team is thin at the moment so only 7-8 players warrant playing time.  Buzz wants to win now and I don't see a problem with who he plays.  Everyone on this board has not seen a practice since Halloween.  Buzz has.   I think it is safe to say that he knows his team better than any of us.  If Buzz wants to pack it in, I am sure we will see Yous and EWill's minutes explode.  

[Big Papi]

I agree that we looked "gassed" the last 10 minutes against FSU. It was our fourth game in six days, we play at a frenetic pace and FSU had the size to wear us down physically.

But against NC State we were coming off a week's rest and totally collapsed at the BEGINNING of the second half. Fatigue wasn't the problem - effort, intensity and execution were. The only decent basketball played by MU in the 2nd half came in the final three minutes when we should have been most fatigued.

AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!

Fatigue did not play a part in any game except FSU.  They play what, 40 minutes in a 2 hour time frame.  I would guess their practices are a lot more brutal.  These kids, in this day and age play hoops 24/7 every day of the year.  They don't tire easily.

Sloppy bad defense was our problem on Saturday and EWill was not going to help out on either front.  Here is hoping he gets some minutes against UWM where we have a very healthy lead and win.

[reinko]

3 minutes of game time where he gets his a** handed to him is not going to help develop EWill.  Practice time is where he is going to develop.  Buzz is putting his best players on the floor who give him the best chance of winning.  If that means 5 players play 40 minutes than that is what he will do.  This team is thin at the moment so only 7-8 players warrant playing time.  Buzz wants to win now and I don't see a problem with who he plays.  Everyone on this board has not seen a practice since Halloween.  Buzz has.   I think it is safe to say that he knows his team better than any of us.  If Buzz wants to pack it in, I am sure we will see Yous and EWill's minutes explode.  

Your common sense, clear, & well-thought arguments have no place on this internet message board.  Be gone with you!

[Daniel]

In the garbage blow out games, the bench should get some decent minutes - at least they develop in a non-threatening part of the game.  But they are playing - they are on the floor.  Buzz wants to win periiod.  And in the NCST game, I can see him saying hwat he said - not a time to experiment.  But in SOME games, there is adequate time to experiment - I think that's all any of us awre saying.  A player will develop somewhat getting in and playing better than watching.

[Spaniel with a Short Tail]

It's nice to hear Bernard Toone's name mentioned.  I had a Physics class with him and he was unintentionally hilarious.  Made a lot of good plays against UNC in the final.

[4everwarriors]

Didn't know BT could spell physics.

[ecompt]

Never in a million years would I have associated Bernard Toone with a physics class.

[Spaniel with a Short Tail]

It was some basic freshman physics course - it may have been integrated science - taught by Dr. Lee.  BT was taking it (even though he was a sophomore) with some other BB players, I think Robert Byrd also.  I still remember Dr. Lee telling BT out loud in class one day (in his accented English), "You give me autographed basketball, I give you A!"  Cracked us up.

[Lighthouse 84]

It was some basic freshman physics course - it may have been integrated science - taught by Dr. Lee.  BT was taking it (even though he was a sophomore) with some other BB players, I think Robert Byrd also.  I still remember Dr. Lee telling BT out loud in class one day (in his accented English), "You give me autographed basketball, I give you A!"  Cracked us up.

I think I took that class back in 82 or 83.  It was at the Varsity Theater and everyone called it "Basketball Physics" because it was a fairly easy class.  We were able to bring in a half sheet of notebook paper to the final with as much as you could possibly write down on both sides of the page.  Those were the days......

[AZWarrior]

So what's the "over / under" on how many minutes EW plays tonight?

[downtown85]

So what's the "over / under" on how many minutes EW plays tonight?

5/12

[ChicosBailBonds]

3 minutes of game time where he gets his a** handed to him is not going to help develop EWill.  Practice time is where he is going to develop.  Buzz is putting his best players on the floor who give him the best chance of winning.  If that means 5 players play 40 minutes than that is what he will do.  This team is thin at the moment so only 7-8 players warrant playing time.  Buzz wants to win now and I don't see a problem with who he plays.  Everyone on this board has not seen a practice since Halloween.  Buzz has.   I think it is safe to say that he knows his team better than any of us.  If Buzz wants to pack it in, I am sure we will see Yous and EWill's minutes explode.  

How do you know he will get his a** handed to him?  Secondly, in games where we have had 20, 30 point leads he hasn't played either....that's concerning...I don't think his a** would be handed to him in those games (and if so, is that 20 or 30 point lead going to be jeopardy?).   

Besides, even in a higher profile game, putting someone like Williams in for a few minutes is not going to expose the team.  It's not like the other coach goes...."hey, there's Erik Williams, we have no film on him and he hasn't played all year so now we're going to run everything at him since we know nothing about him."

[Golden Avalanche]

I agree that we looked "gassed" the last 10 minutes against FSU. It was our fourth game in six days, we play at a frenetic pace and FSU had the size to wear us down physically.

Strange. FSU was playing their fourth game in six days as well and yet, after a tepid first half, was able to look enthused, energized, and excellent in the second half.

[Lennys Tap]

Strange. FSU was playing their fourth game in six days as well and yet, after a tepid first half, was able to look enthused, energized, and excellent in the second half.

Since they're bigger, stronger and deeper than MU I don't find that strange at all.