Bank the remaining scholarships

[MU Avenue]

I am at a loss to explain why Marquette University, an outstanding university with a terrific basketball program and coaching staff, is not grabbing more recruits this year.

Unless there is an outstanding big man out there, or one with a wealth of potential, Marquette should bank its remaining scholarships and put a year between two great recruiting classes and the next major influx of talent.

Marquette must be strategic in how it offers scholarships. It should not just throw offers this year at players who will not make major contributions.

[wadesworld]

...because you know exactly what's going on with Marquette's recruiting

[MU Avenue]

...because you know exactly what's going on with Marquette's recruiting

I have no idea the point that wadesworld is attempting to make.

Anyone else understand it?

[TallTitan34]

He is saying Buzz knows better than we do how to use the scholarships.  For all we know there is a stud JUCO Buzz has in mind.

[wadesworld]

He is saying Buzz knows better than we do how to use the scholarships.  For all we know there is a stud JUCO Buzz has in mind.

Exactly.  Would you take a player of DJO's caliber?  He was not a top 100 recruit.  We missed out on 4 or 5 top 100 recruits.  We got 1 top 100 recruit.  We have no idea what players we are in or out on.  Starting this topic is ridiculous.  Bank the last 2 scholarships?  Give up on recruiting before the high school basketball season even starts?  Really?

[MU Avenue]

He is saying Buzz knows better than we do how to use the scholarships.  For all we know there is a stud JUCO Buzz has in mind.

Why do some here feel the need to defend and protect Buzz Williams? Replies such as those by wadesworld and TallTitan34 are funny because they miss the point of this site, which is for normal ol' folks to share thoughts and debate.

I have no idea what Buzz Williams knows or is doing. I only think that Marquette would be served best by banking its available scholarships for a year.

Is this the best strategy? I have no idea. But none of us here is doing anything but tossing out thoughts that are hopefully worthy of discussion and debate.

If your only thought is to write that Buzz Williams "must" know what he is doing, why bother writing anything at all?

[TallTitan34]

You asked what he meant and I told you. 

[wadesworld]

Why do some here feel the need to defend and protect Buzz Williams? Replies such as those by wadesworld and TallTitan34 are funny because they miss the point of this site, which is for normal ol' folks to share thoughts and debate.

I have no idea what Buzz Williams knows or is doing. I only think that Marquette would be served best by banking its available scholarships for a year.

Is this the best strategy? I have no idea. But none of us here is doing anything but tossing out thoughts that are hopefully worthy of discussion and debate.

If your only thought is to write that Buzz Williams "must" know what he is doing, why bother writing anything at all?

OK well then why would we bank 2 scholarships when it's not even November?  I don't understand the point.  So we missed on some guys.  Does that mean the only players left are CYO players?  You should bank scholarships when somebody decommits in June and there is nobody else available, not in November after 4 potential recruits commit to their instate schools.  There is still PLENTY of talent out there, and Buzz will find it.

[MU Avenue]

OK well then why would we bank 2 scholarships when it's not even November?  I don't understand the point.  So we missed on some guys.  Does that mean the only players left are CYO players?  You should bank scholarships when somebody decommits in June and there is nobody else available, not in November after 4 potential recruits commit to their instate schools.  There is still PLENTY of talent out there, and Buzz will find it.

There you go, wadesworld. Your last reply actually makes a point and challenges others to reply.

I knew you could do it.

[wadesworld]

There you go, wadesworld. Your last reply actually makes a point and challenges others to reply.

I knew you could do it.

Thanks, buddy !

[bilsu]

Open scholarships do not help the team.There were a lot of times in Buzz's first two years that he did not have enough players to practice. Players that are not progressing most likely will transfer out anyways. There also is no guarantee that Buzz will land his top targets next year.

[Rockmic87]

What I don't understand is that for the most part, any 4-5 star PF-C (Big Man), will have the opportunity to start, if not log in huge minutes as a freshman in the Big East. Yet, we are having trouble landing any of them. Besides Merritt and R. Jackson, MU has been very unsuccessful landing bigs. Yet, numerous bigs will opt to go to schools where they are 2nd or 3rd on the depth chart...

[MarquetteNation]

It's a discussion board. Who said a prerequisite was knowing everything that is going on with recruiting. We should be encouraging more people to start threads - not disparaging them when they do so.

[4everwarriors]

In today's recruiting game, scholarships are not banked. Isn't going to happen.

[tower912]

In this day and age of transfers, injuries,  and decommits, banking the schollies makes little to no sense.   Buzz has shown one ability that his predecessor seemed to lack and that is to have a viable plan B that he can implement when he fails to land plan A.    I have no idea if it will be in the early signing period or not (I lean toward not), but I expect that he will land two more players (and maybe more) that meet his standards.

[GGGG]

I disagree with banking scholarships because we are way too early in the process.  Buzz has shown an ability to find talent late in the game, with prospects like DJO signing late.  I trust that he has a Plan B that might include someone like Derrik Wilson, God's Gift, or another JUCO that we haven't heard of.

If you are saying, "hold open a scholarship until spring" I would agree with that.  There very likely could be a player that is in the 200 range that "blows up" this year and makes it worth our while to offer a scholarship.  There could be decommits.  There could be transfers.

But calling for "banking" scholarships for the Class of 2012 in late October 2010 doesn't make a great deal of sense.

[Hards Alumni]

Never, ever bank scholarships nowadays.

1 year renewables... just sayin'.

[chapman]

Never, ever bank scholarships nowadays.

1 year renewables... just sayin'.

+100000000.  It would be beyond stupid to self-impose a two scholarship penalty on your program simply because you missed on top 50 recruits.  Bring marginal recruits like the Mbaos of the world into the mix for a year if you have to, but never ever refuse to fill a roster.  I hope we've had enough of the short roster issues over the past two years to know better than that.

[bilsu]

What I don't understand is that for the most part, any 4-5 star PF-C (Big Man), will have the opportunity to start, if not log in huge minutes as a freshman in the Big East. Yet, we are having trouble landing any of them. Besides Merritt and R. Jackson, MU has been very unsuccessful landing bigs. Yet, numerous bigs will opt to go to schools where they are 2nd or 3rd on the depth chart...

Good centers are hard to find. A good power forward will not come to MU, because he will end up playing center.

[NYWarrior]

It would be beyond stupid to self-impose a two scholarship penalty on your program simply because you missed on top 50 recruits. 

'zactly.

[bilsu]

Another reason to keep recruiting is that you never know what will happen with your current players. What if DJO went pro or a player has a career ending injury andyou have stopped recruiting for 2011. Buzz will keep recruiting for next year until summer of next year.

[kmwtrucks]

How many commits did we have at this point last year? (2) and we had 5 spots to fill not 3. We missed out on some top 40 player's. So did 5-6 other schools.  If we throw in the towel now we would not have gotten Smith, Crowder, and Gardner. We are fine and I'm not a fan of ever banking more than 1 schlorship and I'm sure buzz would never bank more than 1 either.

[martyconlonontherun]

The reason why a lot of people, including me, didn't take the opening post seriously is because of all the doom and gloom.

"I am at a loss to explain why Marquette can't sign players".....
We are talking about a top 4 player in the country and a couple guys from across the country that chose to stay home. We were long shots to begin with but its worth the risk. Eventually we will get one.

I also don't get the point of banking a spot if we don't get a top 100 guy.
Do you seriously think we can or even need to have every roster spot filled by a Top 100 guy?

Your second thought is definitely thought provocative but don't understand why everyone is freaking out.

[Rockmic87]

I also don't get the point of banking a spot if we don't get a top 100 guy.
Do you seriously think we can or even need to have every roster spot filled by a Top 100 guy?

Your second thought is definitely thought provocative but don't understand why everyone is freaking out.

Yes, we play in the Big East, not the A10 or C-USA. If there not top 100, they need to be at least a high 3 star coming out of HS!

[CTWarrior]

Yes, we play in the Big East, not the A10 or C-USA. If there not top 100, they need to be at least a high 3 star coming out of HS!

There are 73 Schools in the 6 major conferences plus a dozen or more other (Memphis, Gonzaga, Temple, Xavier, Butler, Utah, etc) top flight basketball schools.  If everybody only got top 100 players there wouldn't be enough players for everyone to put 5 guys on the court.  At 100 players per year going only to these schools, an average team from this group would get maybe 5 top 100s every 4 years.  Buzz's run rate so far is better than that, and just as importantly, he's finding sub-top 100 guys who are upper echelon college players in every respect.

Of course I'm disappointed we didn't get one of our top priorities this week, but no complaints about recruiting here.