Buzz to be on Jim Rome show at 11:30 CT

[NersEllenson]

The court of public opinion wants him to be here....95% strong.  If a coach were to leave because of mild, and I do mean MILD, criticism than he should get into another line of work.  You are too emotionally vested in defense of this guy where you take everything so personally as an attack.  Even straight up criticism that is completely fair and valid.  Buzz is a big boy and I'm sure his skin is thicker than you are giving him credit for.

Fair enough...but then you have the following contribution from Willie (at least he states his case for why he feels the way he does - but seriously...what do some MU fans expect???)  Based on the job Buzz has done and recruits he has coming in..he's a HOT COMMODITY on the market..yet some in our own fanbase are so skeptical??...My only point was that when a coach has no ties/allegiances to an area/school...it is the intangible things that will keep them around...or make it much more difficult to leave.  

Never said I did not want him here. I have repeatedly said that we need to see what happens next year. Hope you can read Mr. Ners, because that is what I have said. I have also said that there are still questions, in particlular the downward trend of conference record, the missing of a number of big time recruits, not keeping up with many BEast schools in recruiting, the continued scheduling of cupcakes, the down ward trend in defense, etc. Yes we made the dance this year, and I am happy about that, but even our seeding has been going down, and most of the talking heads experts agree that this year is a down year for College basketball--no question about it--and we barely made the dance as an 11 seed. Next year will be his 4th year, his players will all be seasoned, so all the excuses will be eliminated. If he is doing the right things, we should see a signigicant improvement in our record, both overall and conference. And then the right long term decision can be made.

[Aughnanure]

I HOPE Buzz stays, but at the same time can't blame him if he leaves.  We know for a fact the coaching staff and athletic department do read these boards....and there has been enough negativity spewed around here regarding him and some of the players....to where a guy probably goes - WTF do these people expect?  What will be the climate around here if we actually miss an NCAA tourney (like North Carolina and UCONN have recently?).

If schools didn't feel like you could poach a coach from Marquette...that the program was such a destination job...you wouldn't hear his name come up.  Maybe our own fanbase needs to get a grip with reality and realize that due to no football team, and minimal HS talent in WI...MU is far from an ideal job.  The way you retain a coach is gratitude..money alone won't do the job..but if a coach feels revered, appreciated, respected, valued, etc....makes it that much harder for him to leave.

But doing that makes one a fanboy.  God forbid.

Oh. My. God. Shut Up. That is an amazingly ridiculous statement. You obviously are never around Big 12-SEC fans.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Where did Buzz ever say he read this board, by the way?  He made passing mention to message boards.  For all we know, one of the players or his assistants said they're talking about why X, Y, Z player isn't playing more.

I'd love to see where Buzz Williams said he reads MU Scoop.  He might, but he most certainly hasn't come out and said that.

If you think what goes on here is somehow the end of civility from a fanbase, I invite you to visit SEC, Big 12, ACC sites.  This past year there was a serious thread about firing Nick Saban because they lost to Auburn.  Rick Barnes is skewered frequently.  ON and on.

[SaintPaulWarrior]

Where did Buzz ever say he read this board, by the way?  He made passing mention to message boards.  For all we know, one of the players or his assistants said they're talking about why X, Y, Z player isn't playing more.

I'd love to see where Buzz Williams said he reads MU Scoop.  He might, but he most certainly hasn't come out and said that.

If you think what goes on here is somehow the end of civility from a fanbase, I invite you to visit SEC, Big 12, ACC sites.  This past year there was a serious thread about firing Nick Saban because they lost to Auburn.  Rick Barnes is skewered frequently.  ON and on.

I don't know how his schedule would allow HIM time to read MUScoop or any other boards....has to be very low on his priority list.

[NersEllenson]

Oh. My. God. Shut Up. That is an amazingly ridiculous statement. You obviously are never around Big 12-SEC fans.

No.  I just live in Texas.  And let me inform you...the pressure to win at Marquette in basketball is greater than it is at UT, A&M, or OU.  Period.  Football is far and away king.  Yes, these schools want to have good basketball teams...but the pressure on the basketball coaches is far from as intense as the football coaches face in the Big 12/SEC.

At Marquette..basketball is the only game in town...there is no other focus of the fanbase...period.  Mike Rice will tell you as much..Kevin O'Neill would too.  Mike Deane tried to tell MU fans it was an NIT caliber program.

[CTWarrior]

I have also said that there are still questions, in particlular the downward trend of conference record,

There is a lot of merit to your post, but the "downward trend" of the Big East record is unfair, given the situation Buzz walked into.  He basically walked into a situation with basically no incoming frosh or sophs and no time to recruit a class and 4 big time upperclassmen.  Even the most ardent and optimistic Marquette fan would have had to expect a significant drop off in years 2 and 3.  He still managed to reel in Butler and follow up with a couple of excellent classes.  He has done tremendously well to get back to the torunament the last two seasons.  You can start complaining about slippage in year 5, if you ask me.  

The points about leaky defense and poor scheduling and transfers are well taken, but I don't know how anyone could have expected a much better product on the floor the last two years given where he started.

[NersEllenson]

Where did Buzz ever say he read this board, by the way?  He made passing mention to message boards.  For all we know, one of the players or his assistants said they're talking about why X, Y, Z player isn't playing more.

I'd love to see where Buzz Williams said he reads MU Scoop.  He might, but he most certainly hasn't come out and said that.

If you think what goes on here is somehow the end of civility from a fanbase, I invite you to visit SEC, Big 12, ACC sites.  This past year there was a serious thread about firing Nick Saban because they lost to Auburn.  Rick Barnes is skewered frequently.  ON and on.

I have it straight from an assistant coach on staff - that they read the message boards.  Is it really that far-fetched?  Would you not be curious to see what fans thought about your team/program/coaching?  Basic human nature...curiousity.

[4everwarriors]

While I don't think he is, but, if Buzz is indeed spending his time reading this board, I'll personally buy him a one-way ticket to get the hell out of town.

[Skatastrophy]

I have it straight from an assistant coach on staff - that they read the message boards.  Is it really that far-fetched?  Would you not be curious to see what fans thought about your team/program/coaching?  Basic human nature...curiousity.

Plus I hear that coaches are passionate about basketball.  Where else would they go to talk/read about the program that they know most intimately?  Super-secret head coach forums?

Wait, do we have those?  If so can I get access to read them?

[Marquette84]

There is a lot of merit to your post, but the "downward trend" of the Big East record is unfair, given the situation Buzz walked into.  He basically walked into a situation with basically no incoming frosh or sophs and no time to recruit a class and 4 big time upperclassmen.  

I don't get the continued implication that Buzz walked into a situation with no time to recruit.

Wasn't Buzz our primary recruiting assistant for the 9 months before he got the head coaching job?  Wasn't he the guy who initially recruited 3 of the 4 recruits for 2008?  

It seems incomprehensible to me that Buzz would not have encountered a single other recruit that he thought might be able to help Marquette beyond those he already found and were signed by Crean.

Wouldn't you think that Buzz saw some guys during his recruiting and scouting that he kept in the back of his mind as good recruits if a scholarship opened?  

The obvious one that comes to mind is Butler. Buzz presumably scouted some of Fulce's games after he convinced Crean to offer him a scholarship.  Don't you suppose he noticed that one of Fulce's teammates looked pretty good.  Wouldn't you think that he would have asked his friend Scott Monarch about that player at some point during the year?  

[CTWarrior]

I don't get the continued implication that Buzz walked into a situation with no time to recruit.

The implication is Crean left on April 1, there was some lag before the signees left, and by then 95+% of the top D-1 type players schools like Marquette covet are signed.

[NotAnAlum]

No.  I just live in Texas.  And let me inform you...the pressure to win at Marquette in basketball is greater than it is at UT, A&M, or OU.  Period.  Football is far and away king.  Yes, these schools want to have good basketball teams...but the pressure on the basketball coaches is far from as intense as the football coaches face in the Big 12/SEC.

Buzz eats, drinks, breaths basketball.  And you're telling me he wants to be at a place where basketball is second fiddle.  If that is true he could go over to UWM.  There is no pressure to win there and he wouldn't even need to move.  Can we drop this Buzz leaving talk, it always happens this time of year and it gets old.  How about Jamie leaving Pitt, Pitt's no better a situation than MU and Jamie's had much more success.

[GGGG]

Mike Deane tried to tell MU fans it was an NIT caliber program.

And he was wrong.  He got roasted because he set his own sights too low.

[Pakuni]

I don't get the continued implication that Buzz walked into a situation with no time to recruit.

Wasn't Buzz our primary recruiting assistant for the 9 months before he got the head coaching job?  Wasn't he the guy who initially recruited 3 of the 4 recruits for 2008?  

I would suggest there's a difference between recruiting kids as an assistant to come play for Tom Crean at Marquette and recruiting kids as a head coach to come play for you at Marquette. Certainly some things will be the same - campus, conference, academics, facilities, etc - but you're recruiting for a whole new staff with a new head coach. It's not the same thing.

[El Duderino]

I HOPE Buzz stays, but at the same time can't blame him if he leaves.  We know for a fact the coaching staff and athletic department do read these boards....and there has been enough negativity spewed around here regarding him and some of the players....to where a guy probably goes - WTF do these people expect?  What will be the climate around here if we actually miss an NCAA tourney (like North Carolina and UCONN have recently?).

If schools didn't feel like you could poach a coach from Marquette...that the program was such a destination job...you wouldn't hear his name come up.  Maybe our own fanbase needs to get a grip with reality and realize that due to no football team, and minimal HS talent in WI...MU is far from an ideal job.  The way you retain a coach is gratitude..money alone won't do the job..but if a coach feels revered, appreciated, respected, valued, etc....makes it that much harder for him to leave.

But doing that makes one a fanboy.  God forbid.

I'm also a big fan of Buzz, but come on, he's not going to base any of his decision on whether to stay at Marquette because some fans on a message board don't like him.

Outside of maybe coach K at Duke, there likely isn't a coach in the country who is immune to getting criticism of varying degrees from the fanbase.

Plus, if a head coach did waste his time worrying about what some fans on a forum say about him, that coach should take up a new line of work. It takes thick skin to be a successful head coach in any big time sport. 

[GGGG]

The implication is Crean left on April 1, there was some lag before the signees left, and by then 95+% of the top D-1 type players schools like Marquette covet are signed.

And part of this was Taylor leaving (which he didn't want) and Nick Williams leaving (which he thankfully did want.)  I'm beginning to think that Buzz went more JUCO out of necessity more than out of desire.  Between last year and this upcoming year, he has picked up only one JUCO, and that was the JUCO player of the year.  This made up for the time he lost not being the head coach.

[Litehouse]

No.  I just live in Texas.  And let me inform you...the pressure to win at Marquette in basketball is greater than it is at UT, A&M, or OU.  Period.  Football is far and away king.  Yes, these schools want to have good basketball teams...but the pressure on the basketball coaches is far from as intense as the football coaches face in the Big 12/SEC.

OU just fired a coach that went to the Elite 8 two years ago, and was respected enough to coach the U-18 team this past summer.  They didn't just criticize him on message boards, they fired him.

[HoopsMalone]

Buzz is not leaving MU any time soon.  This job fits him very well.  It would do his career well (if that's all he cares about) to stay here and build something for at least seven years.   Show the people what he can do with his own players.

Think about it.  Crean is doing a pathetic job down at IU any way you look at it.  If he were some flash in the pan made by D-Wade only, his behind would be gone.  However, Crean was smart enough to put a few teams into the tourney and win in a major conference.  Now, he should be set for life.  Had Crean gone to Iowa or somewhere like that in 2005 or 2006, he would be toast because the guy cannot coach. 

Buzz would be on a very quick hook if he left MU.  These last two seasons have built him a lot of equity with the MU community to last him a few years.

Also, I hate when people are allowed to say "he won't be there forever" type of thing.  Is Rome right if Buzz retires early at 55?  What if he becomes an announcer early like Al?  Would Rome be right?  There is no courage in saying "Buzz won't be around forever."  There is no time you can ever hold Rome accountable.  Rome is a California guy who knows nothing about the Midwest.  He really does not know that much about sports either.

[Marquette84]

The implication is Crean left on April 1, there was some lag before the signees left, and by then 95+% of the top D-1 type players schools like Marquette covet are signed.

Your 95%+ estimate vastly overstates the case.  DJO, Buycks, Gardner, and Butler were all spring commits. Jamil Wilson transferred in the spring.  So I'm going to go with closer to 40 to 50%--not your 95%.

Not to mention nearly 100% of the top D-1 type transfers are still available.

And part of this was Taylor leaving (which he didn't want) and Nick Williams leaving (which he thankfully did want.)  I'm beginning to think that Buzz went more JUCO out of necessity more than out of desire.  

Let's try this another way:  Say that Crean did not leave, but Taylor decided to get out of his LOI and play for KU--even if it meant sitting out a season.  

On April 8th, Crean turns to Buzz and asks:  "Any recruits in the pipeline that we can still get to take Taylor's scholarship".

*I* think Buzz would have replied "Yes--I've been watching a guy--teammate of Joe's--know the assistant coach--great player.  Iowa State and Kentucky are starting to sniff--hasn't committed yet--we've got to move fast."

Do you think I'm wrong?  

I think that Buzz would have been considered utterly incompetent if he did NOT know about Butler months before he became head coach.

[NersEllenson]

OU just fired a coach that went to the Elite 8 two years ago, and was respected enough to coach the U-18 team this past summer.  They didn't just criticize him on message boards, they fired him.

There have been numerous off court incidents at Oklahoma under Capel...and when you combine that with poor performance...it usually leads to termination...see Keno Davis as well..granted Keno's results don't include an Elite 8.

[NotAnAlum]

There have been numerous off court incidents at Oklahoma under Capel...and when you combine that with poor performance...it usually leads to termination...see Keno Davis as well..granted Keno's results don't include an Elite 8.

Yes and OU had such a steller reputation under their previous coach.
Between football and basketball OU must hold the record for most NCAA violations all time.  If Buzz is smart, and I think he is, he'll right where he is where he knows the school plays by the rules.

[tower912]

OU may be facing sanctions.   That will be a deterrent in the short term.   Hoops will always play second fiddle to football there.    Arkansas fired a guy with a great recruiting class coming in after an embarrassingly short stint.   Right now, neither is a step up.   I may be whistling past the graveyard, but I just don't see him going.   
     

[willie wampum]

I HOPE Buzz stays, but at the same time can't blame him if he leaves.  We know for a fact the coaching staff and athletic department do read these boards....and there has been enough negativity spewed around here regarding him and some of the players....to where a guy probably goes - WTF do these people expect?  What will be the climate around here if we actually miss an NCAA tourney (like North Carolina and UCONN have recently?).

If schools didn't feel like you could poach a coach from Marquette...that the program was such a destination job...you wouldn't hear his name come up.  Maybe our own fanbase needs to get a grip with reality and realize that due to no football team, and minimal HS talent in WI...MU is far from an ideal job.  The way you retain a coach is gratitude..money alone won't do the job..but if a coach feels revered, appreciated, respected, valued, etc....makes it that much harder for him to leave.

But doing that makes one a fanboy.  God forbid.

My God, what crap.

What on earth has Buzz Williams done to deserve to be "revered?"  He's gotten MU to a few NCAA's, where they've lost early.  The guy gets some decent recruits, but his game coaching is suspect and his defensive scheme is an outright disaster.  If he leaves, he can be replaced.  Save your man-crush fanboy love for a coach who has truly achieved something special.

[willie wampum]

IMO, if Buzz leaves MU, it will be just because he loves the South and the culture there and not because he has anything against MU or this board or the little bit of criticism.  He's a southern guy and being able to coach for a good program in an area of the country you love would be a draw for anyone.

[Goose]

Willie--I agree with your appraisal of Buzz but losing him could be a big gamble. We know what Buzz is and that is a positive. I have little to no faith in the MU brass of getting a hire done correctly.