Gottlieb tweeting that Buzz would be interested in Arkansas job

[nyg]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=6201967

Well it looks like Pelphrey has more issues than just the fanbase.  Not good for him.

[GGGG]

Maybe they are looking for a way to fire him for cause.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Come on, Chicos.  I know that you know the circumstances under which Buzz left New Orleans.  NO dropping out of Division I shows that he was right about the lack of institutional commitment there.

That happened 2 years after he left, not while he was there.  If the students voted for the fee increase, they would still be in DI.

The students voted down the fee increase (which, by the way, was widely expected to pass) May 1st, 2009.

Buzz left UNO July 6, 2007

Almost 2 years separated the two actions.  Furthermore, it was only after the students voted it down that they even went down the road of thinking about not staying in DI.

This DI UNO myth is something that really ought to be killed because the dates simply don't match up with the departure.

Now, do I blame him for leaving and doing what he thinks is right for his family? I do not.  My point was simply that if you were a UNO fan, you don't feel the way that was described by some here. 

[ChicosBailBonds]

Maybe they are looking for a way to fire him for cause.

Or maybe some fans, like those that took out the ad to get rid of Pelphrey, are using this to help push their case.

[Dawson Rental]

That happened 2 years after he left, not while he was there.  If the students voted for the fee increase, they would still be in DI.

The students voted down the fee increase (which, by the way, was widely expected to pass) May 1st, 2009.

Buzz left UNO July 6, 2007

Almost 2 years separated the two actions.  Furthermore, it was only after the students voted it down that they even went down the road of thinking about not staying in DI.

This DI UNO myth is something that really ought to be killed because the dates simply don't match up with the departure.

Now, do I blame him for leaving and doing what he thinks is right for his family? I do not.  My point was simply that if you were a UNO fan, you don't feel the way that was described by some here.  

I can't buy your argument Chicos.  Less than two years after Buzz found a lack of institutional support, they drop out of Division I because they can't get more financial support from the students and you can't see a correlation? 

How many years do you think Marquette is away from seriously considering a drop from Division I, if the university can't get an increase in student fees?

[GGGG]

Nitpick here. MU doesn't need the students to self-impose student fees. UWM would be a better analogy.

[ChicosBailBonds]

I can't buy your argument Chicos.  Less than two years after Buzz found a lack of institutional support, they drop out of Division I because they can't get more financial support from the students and you can't see a correlation? 

How many years do you think Marquette is away from seriously considering a drop from Division I, if the university can't get an increase in student fees?

Actually, that is not correct either.  Less than 2 years after he left is when the students voted on increasing fees to support the financially strapped department.  The first inkling of moving out of Division I came in the Fall of 2009 with the decision in 2010.  They didn't drop out of DI until July of 2010...3 years later.

Your timing is way off.  July 2007 they were not going DIII.  They had a lot of issues, but they were not going DIII...that decision came AFTER the vote in May of 2009....months after that vote. 

[ChicosBailBonds]

Nitpick here. MU doesn't need the students to self-impose student fees. UWM would be a better analogy.

Correct.  And, to carry the analogy further, if that were to happen at UW-milwaukee, they would seek other avenues before going to D3, just as UNO did.  George Shinn was the avenue UNO went down.  The former owner of the New Orleans Hornets was considered their bailout daddy, but that fell through months after the student vote. When Shinn's lifeline didn't come through, that is when the DIII situation became reality...years after the departure.

[El Duderino]

I love that Buzz is our coach, i hope he stays a long time, and i believe he likes it at Marquette, but i never truly believe coaches when they say that they are thrilled with their current job and only will leave if fired.

Way to much history through all of sports to believe it.

That said, i don't generally blame coaches for leaving jobs for a variety of different reasons given how often they are quickly ripped to shreds by fans for not winning and/or also getting fired after short time frames on the job.

Big money sports are a cutthroat business and any sense of real loyalty from either side doesn't exist much.

[BallBoy]

Actually, that is not correct either.  Less than 2 years after he left is when the students voted on increasing fees to support the financially strapped department.  The first inkling of moving out of Division I came in the Fall of 2009 with the decision in 2010.  They didn't drop out of DI until July of 2010...3 years later.

Your timing is way off.  July 2007 they were not going DIII.  They had a lot of issues, but they were not going DIII...that decision came AFTER the vote in May of 2009....months after that vote. 

I don't see what you are trying to argue.  So it wasn't that they were planning on going D3 or that was even an option but these things don't just happen overnight.   That doesn't change the underlying problems, it just meant that it didn't surface until later. He left in 2007...agreed.  He said he left because UNO weren't meeting their agreed upon institutional support.  That is most likely a term for they weren't willing to spend the money to let me hire people or recruit (as agreed upon).  Most likely because they didn't have the money to do it.  Fast forward 2 years and they try to get the dollars from the students who say that they aren't interested.  So now trapped with no alternative the school goes D3.  All these are symptoms of a much larger problem which Buzz called out in 2007.

[rocky_warrior]

My point was simply that if you were a UNO fan, you don't feel the way that was described by some here. 

Ah yes, like this UNO fan...

ljburton July 10, 2007 at 11:38PM

I don't think many of you know Buzz Williams very well. I have never met a more hard working, honest and driven individual than Buzz. He has never shied away from working hard. He didn't resign, because he wasn't up to the task. Buzz outworks everybody. That's how he got to where he is today. He sucks every inch out of every day. He is the hardest working guy I have every met. If anybody could handle the rigors of UNO basketball post-K New Orleans, it is Buzz Williams.

And, he is certainly anything but an opportunist. He would never bail out for greener pastures. I don't pretend to know the whole story, but what I gather from all of this is that Buzz did not believe that the university was as committed to their basketball program as he was. With Buzz it is all or nothing. There is no middle ground and no margin for error. You are either in, or your out. Buzz did not believe that the university was fully supporting the program or the kids. Period, end of sentence. Once he became convinced that the university was not 100% committed to the success of the basketball program, he became convinced that he had to leave.

UNO Basketball made a huge step forward this past year. The GPA is the highest in the history of the program. The recruiting class was Top 50 Nationally, and 4 starters return. Coach Pasternack is inheriting a hell of a lot more than Buzz did. When Buzz took the job, the cupboard wasn't just bare, it was empty. The entire team was academically ineligible and the staff was recruiting kids that no one else wanted. In six weeks, he and Coach Monarch scratched together enough talent to be respectable. If he didn't want to do the work, he never would have taken the job. You should be thanking Buzz. What a difference a year makes. This year's team will compete for the conference title, provided Coach Pasternack is able to keep everybody together.

As always chicos, there are two views.  You've chosen to believe that Buzz had no idea UNO "was not 100% committed to the success of the basketball program".  Some UNO fans saw the same thing others here describe.

Anyhow, I don't think he's interested in Arky...

[El Duderino]

I don't see what you are trying to argue.  So it wasn't that they were planning on going D3 or that was even an option but these things don't just happen overnight.   That doesn't change the underlying problems, it just meant that it didn't surface until later. He left in 2007...agreed.  He said he left because UNO weren't meeting their agreed upon institutional support.  That is most likely a term for they weren't willing to spend the money to let me hire people or recruit (as agreed upon).  Most likely because they didn't have the money to do it.  Fast forward 2 years and they try to get the dollars from the students who say that they aren't interested.  So now trapped with no alternative the school goes D3.  All these are symptoms of a much larger problem which Buzz called out in 2007.

Do the exact details really matter much as to why Buzz left a small time program like NO?

I just don't see what happened there having any impact as to whether Buzz will stay at Marquette over a reasonably long length of time assuming that he wins enough to avoid getting canned. That situation and the one he has at Marquette aren't even close on multiple levels.

If Buzz continues to keep getting Marquette into the NCAA Tournament every year or nearly every year and especially if he gets some wins while in the big dance, it's a near lock that other schools will try to lure him away, particularly schools in the south where he has roots.

That's just going to be the facts of life for a quality job like Marquette is, but not an elite one. Other schools will purse our coaches that consistently win.

Then it's just up to that coach to decide for financial, basketball, and family reasons as to whether they'd prefer to stay at Marquette. I don't believe these are easy decisions for most coaches and likely won't be easy for Buzz if different schools do end up trying to lure him away.

My gut feeling is that he'll stay here for awhile, but given how often coaches leave one job for another, i certainly wouldn't place a lot of money on Buzz staying.

[avid1010]

Now, do I blame him for leaving and doing what he thinks is right for his family? I do not.  My point was simply that if you were a UNO fan, you don't feel the way that was described by some here. 

I'm an MU fan, and I don't blame TC for leaving.  Actually I thought it was a smart move for him as I saw his success declining at MU, it was simply the way he left that was so pathetic.

Anyhow, has anyone ever seen quotes from Buzz about being a "lifer" at UNO?  I thought I had read he had a "list of demands" for the program that they refused to meet, so he took off.