Rosiak Tweets About Buzz's Future ... Dallas Morning News Is Wrong?

[Tugg Speedman]

Rosiak is tweeting that he'll have a story about Buzz's future posted later tonight.

http://twitter.com/Todd_Rosiak#

@CrackedSidewlks That $3.8 million figure grew legs and ran in the out-of-state media, that's for sure. It is legit, though. less than a minute ago via web in reply to CrackedSidewlks

# AD Steve Cottingham also offers his views, and remains confident MU will be able to keep Buzz happy and in the fold. #MUBB 30 minutes ago via web

# I talk buyout (yes, it's huge), annual salary and what MU is doing to insure Buzz stays with #MUBB. 31 minutes ago via web

# I address your "What's up with Buzz" questions in my latest #MUBB story, which will be posted on jsonline.com later tonight. 34 minutes ago via web

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Recall that the Dallas Morning News Said This Earlier Today ....

http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/college-sports/headlines/20110324-pieces-falling-into-place-for-the-sooners-to-land-marquette-coach-buzz-williams.ece?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter



Pieces falling into place for the Sooners to land Marquette coach Buzz Williams
Mike Jones / Special contributor

Published 24 March 2011 02:35 PM

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Mike Anderson's hiring at Arkansas should be good news for Oklahoma fans hoping athletic director Joe Castiglione will hire Marquette coach Buzz Williams.

Sources on both sides have indicated strong mutual interest, though no official contact has been, nor will be, made until after the Golden Eagles are through playing in the NCAA Tournament. Marquette, seeded 11th, faces No.2 seed North Carolina Friday in the round of Sweet 16 at 6 p.m. in Newark, N.J.

Reports of Williams' buyout at Marquette, placed at more than $3 million, are way over the top according to a source with knowledge of that situation. A standard buyout clause is usually a year's salary, which in Williams' case is likely around $1.5 million, give or take.

Arkansas might have also held interest for Williams, a native of Texas who graduated from Oklahoma City University. As the OU job would, coaching at Arkansas would have enabled him to better tap his recruiting ability in Texas. Four Texans are on his roster at Marquette.

The Arkansas job would also have afforded Williams a much-more attractive fan base than that of the blasé core at Oklahoma; though Williams' enthusiasm and ability to stir up support likely would at least initially provide an immediate attendance boost.

The need for Oklahoma to bring in a coach with strong Texas ties soared when Texas Tech finalized its deal with Billy Gillispie. The price of poker in the Big 12 South has gone up.

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Rosiak is sticking with his story that the Buyout is "huge" tweeting to cracksidewalks that it is $3.8 million.

This calls into the question the entire Dallas Morning News Story as Rosiak is saying the "source" is wrong about a critical element of the story, Buzz's buyout.

What else is the Dallas Morning News wrong about?

[Pakuni]

No way that Dallas reporter is wrong.
After all, he so correctly tapped Buzz as a "defensive-minded" coach.

[HoopsMalone]

Part of me hopes that OU can afford Buzz and he can turn them down.  This would create certainty for the coming years. 

If I was guessing, I would guess that Buzz at some point said that OU is great to someone.  Buzz is so nice to everyone that someone may have taken that out of context.  I am sure Oklahoma is a nice place, and if you asked Buzz:  Is Oklahoma great place?, then he would say it is (with a 15 minute story).

If you asked Buzz, he would probably say that Southwestern Hawaii State is a nice place and a nice program.  He is too nice and too humble.  Someone could take that and think that Buzz would go there. 

[MarquetteFan94]

Interesting timing on the story....coincidence? I think not....I'm optimistic.

[Blackhat]

Agree.  I like that there is somewhat authoritative info being released, especially if it is calming to the masses prior to the game.

[shaquilvaine]

I look forward to OU picking someone besides Buzz and claiming that candidate was their first choice all along.

[GGGG]

This was a calculated decision to counter what was out in the media. This makes me feel good about Buzz and MU.

[HoopsMalone]

I look forward to OU picking someone besides Buzz and claiming that candidate was their first choice all along.

Exactly, or "Buzz totally wanted to come here because this is so much better than Marquette. But that evil Marquette AD made it too expensive."

[StillAWarrior]

Exactly, or "Buzz totally wanted to come here because this is so much better than Marquette. But that evil Marquette AD made it too expensive."

I can't imagine any program that would admit that they couldn't afford the coach they wanted.  That's when you say you couldn't agree to terms (if you say anything at all).

[HoopsMalone]

I can't imagine any program that would admit that they couldn't afford the coach they wanted.  That's when you say you couldn't agree to terms (if you say anything at all).

good point. 

[Benny B]

This was a calculated decision to counter what was out in the media. This makes me feel good about Buzz and MU.

+1

[mr.MUskie]

Rosiak is tweeting that he'll have a story about Buzz's future posted later tonight.

Tonight is almost tomorrow - don't see a story from Todd yet.

[Benny B]

Tonight is almost tomorrow - don't see a story from Todd yet.

20 minutes.... tomorrow's stories hit jsonline around midnight.

[ChicosBailBonds]

One thing is nearly for sure...Buzz's buyout will be going down if we offer him a new deal.  We are fortunate, as I mentioned the other day, that due to his inexperience we could put a high buyout on his contract.  The more established you become, the coach will want a smaller and smaller buyout to give him leverage further in his career

[ObballU]

Some guy (Tim Lipman) is over on OUhoops.com saying that OU is announcing next week....http://ouhoops.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21127

I don't know who that guy is or how good his "sources" are.

[Blackhat]

Nothing would surprise me.   These things definitely get done clandestinely. 

Hopefully "Tim Lipman" is wrong.  I don't think his source would want Tim to leak that though.

[copious1218]

How would there already be a $2.1M figure?  Who has been speaking to OU on behalf of Buzz if he is prepping for UNC and doesn't have an agent?

I would not be surprised by anything, but something with the very specifics this guy is using is just not right.

[Pakuni]

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/goldeneagles/118630674.html

Newark, N.J. — Since taking over as Marquette Golden Eagles coach, Buzz Williams has insisted the spotlight be trained on his players.

But with each passing season, it's becoming harder and harder not to focus it on the man calling the shots.

Maniacal in his preparation and as tough as they come, the 38-year-old Texan has pressed all the right buttons over the past few weeks. As a result, MU has won four of its last five games in the wake of a two-game skid to close out the regular season, going from Big East burnout to NCAA Tournament darling in just two weeks.

And when they take the court at the Prudential Center on Friday night for their game against the second-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels, the 11th-seeded Golden Eagles will be making their first Sweet 16 appearance since 2003.

It didn't take long for those who follow the program to realize the administration had unearthed a gem in early April 2008 when it hired Williams to replace Tom Crean. Now, with his team playing as it has, the rest of the college basketball world seems to be catching up.

Everyone, from opposing coaches and players to national media to, most recently, rival athletic directors, seems to have taken notice of Williams.

He's won them over with his aw-shucks approach, down-home humor and candor. His fist-pumping, impromptu celebration and embrace with his family after the third-round win over Syracuse already rank as one of the most memorable moments of the NCAA Tournament.

And then, of course, there are the wins: 25 in his first year, 22 in his second and 22 and counting in his third.

Yes, indeed, the buzz is all about Buzz. And while Williams appreciates it, he's trying his best to remain humble.

"I feel incredibly blessed to be the coach at Marquette. I feel incredibly blessed to have an opportunity to be in the Sweet 16," Williams said Thursday.

"I think the test every day is, 'Can you stay the same? Can you remove your ego from this and no matter what the media says and no matter what the money is or no matter what the title is, can you do right?' "

Williams' stint at MU began in the 2007-'08 season, when he left New Orleans after a year as head coach to become an assistant to Crean. After Crean left for Indiana, Williams inherited a senior- and talent-laden squad that included three future NBA players in Wesley Matthews, Jerel McNeal and Lazar Hayward.

The Golden Eagles set a school record with 12 Big East wins and got to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before losing to Missouri. Had starting point guard Dominic James not broken his foot down the stretch in Big East play, that team might very well have reached the Sweet 16 as well.

Last year might have been Williams' best pure coaching job. Despite his team having virtually no size or depth, he coaxed 10 more Big East wins and a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament out of the Golden Eagles by using a slowdown, ball-control attack centered around Hayward.

Wins over Providence and West Virginia in the Big East tournament got MU into the field of 68 this year, and wins over Xavier and Syracuse in the second and third rounds got it into the second week of the NCAAs for the first time in eight years.

Williams' grinder mentality has set the tone for the resurgence. So, too, has his continued evolution as a coach.

"I do think that I've grown as a coach," he said. "I don't like to talk about me, but I do think that I've grown. I think I have a better pulse, a better feel, and a lot more objective in some of the things that need to be accomplished on a daily basis.

"I used to fight some fights that weren't worth fighting. Now I'm a much better fighter at the fights that need to be fought. I think that's part of me growing up, aging, and part of me in my comfort level relative to being in this position."

That, plus the position the Golden Eagles are now in, is what's made Williams as popular a name in the rumor mill for coaching vacancies as Crean was during his time at MU. And that has made Golden Eagles fans nervous again.

So, too, has Williams' refusal over the last 10 days or so to debunk reports linking him to openings at Arkansas (since filled), Oklahoma, Tennessee and now Missouri by repeating the "I'll be here as long as they'll have me here" declaration he gave on the eve of MU's NCAA Tournament game last year.

When asked earlier this week about other schools' reported interest in him, Williams wasn't as definitive.

"I want the focus to be on our team," he said Tuesday. "Yeah, there's people trying to get to me, but I'm not going to participate in any of that. It's not right by our institution, our players or our coaches. I will address it when the season is over."

Undoubtedly schools will try to make a run at him - if they haven't already through back channels, as is now the norm in the business. MU athletic director Steve Cottingham said Thursday none had called him to officially ask permission to speak to Williams.

Williams' contract with MU is a six-year rollover that's paying him $1.6 million this season. That figure will jump to more than $1.7 million later this year. A school such as Oklahoma or Tennessee could take Williams' annual salary over $2 million.

What could make Williams cost prohibitive, though, is a huge buyout. Worth $3.8 million in total, it's believed to be one of the biggest in college basketball. It's a built-in safeguard in the contract to protect MU from just these types of scenarios.

Cottingham said he's kept an open dialogue with Williams over the course of the season with regard to his deal as well as what he believes he needs to field a successful program at MU, and that more discussions will take place after the season.

"That doesn't have anything to do with what other people might recognize in him," Cottingham said. "We're doing that all the time. That's been our commitment to him since the day we hired him. We're going to do the right thing and treat him the right way, just as he's done the right thing and treated us the right way."

When asked if he believed Williams would remain as MU's coach, Cottingham was definitive in his response.

"Very much so," he said. "People should take him at his word."

[Oldgym]

Hm. And with that...bedtime. Neither good nor bad.

[Lennys Tap]

One thing is nearly for sure...Buzz's buyout will be going down if we offer him a new deal.  We are fortunate, as I mentioned the other day, that due to his inexperience we could put a high buyout on his contract.  The more established you become, the coach will want a smaller and smaller buyout to give him leverage further in his career

So if we would have hired a more experienced coach (like you wanted) he would have negotiated a low buyout. And we'd either have a coach on the way out or one who would stay because he was unsuccessful and nobody wanted him. Makes originally going for the "established" coach over a guy like Buzz a pretty dumb plan. Thank you, Steve Cottingham.

[Blackhat]

Nice job Todd.   Answered probably as much as you could...I have a feeling Buzz is going to be making over 2 mil next year be it with us or someone else.   I'll take C-ham's confidence and take Buzz at his word.

[uncle zeffy]

Some guy (Tim Lipman) is over on OUhoops.com saying that OU is announcing next week....http://ouhoops.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21127

I don't know who that guy is or how good his "sources" are.

Tim also "reported" that before OU fired Capel they were talking to Billy G about the job. If he wanted it Capel was gone. Later says its a done deal.

http://oklahoma.247sports.com/Board/74/capels-days-are-numbered-1284043/1

[HoopsMalone]

Didn't we pay Crean more than $2.1 million?  I don't think we would have a problem going over that.

Pretty dumb to leak your offer to Buzz.  They are going to buy out Capel, buy out Buzz for $3.8 million, and then pay Buzz over $2 million?

And who leaks numbers for someone on a message board to post?  If it is true, it sounds like Buzz is telling us the truth about not talking to anyone.  That's a pretty desperate way to get your first offer out there if true.

[ChicosBailBonds]

So if we would have hired a more experienced coach (like you wanted) he would have negotiated a low buyout. And we'd either have a coach on the way out or one who would stay because he was unsuccessful and nobody wanted him. Makes originally going for the "established" coach over a guy like Buzz a pretty dumb plan. Thank you, Steve Cottingham.

Works both ways Lenny.  That's the price you have to pay to get a more experienced coach.  I also said that I'd love to get an experienced coach with Midwest ties to cut down the chances of him leaving....to avoid the nonsense that is going on right now.

[Tugg Speedman]

Let's add up the numbers ...

Capel is getting paid $2 million post firing.
Buzz's Buyout is $3.8 million.
Since this is all made up speculation, Buzz just finished building a house in Mequon and the OU board say it worth $2 million (how would they know that?) and OU will buy from Buzz and sell (good luck with that)

OU boards say they will offer Buzz $2.1.  That is a 400k raise over what he's scheduled to make next year anyway ($1.7 million).

So, before they even start paying Buzz, they are going to pony up $7.8 million.  Then is they give Buzz $2.1 (which MU can probably match), assume a 7 year deal at $15 million. 

So, OU is going to commit $22 million to get Buzz?  At that price they should ask Bobby Knight if he's willing to come out of retirement. 

Of course, nothing about how much they are going to spend on upgrading their lousy facilities, assistant coaches and the potential recruiting scandal.

Fans love to spend other peoples money and I they never seem to think any amount is too much.

Finally, their is the small matter of Bob Stoops.  OU is a football school.  Does Stoops have everything he could possibly want.  Does he have every possible facility he desires?  Does he want to make more than Saban?  Has money never been an object for hiring recruits?  Etc.

I ask because if the answer to any of these questions is "no"  and he watches the basketball program commit $15 to gt Buzz and then $22 million to pay him, he's ok with this?  If not, then you have to give Stoops more to keep him happy.

If the teams do not perform, these are not the types of numbers that get ADs fired, these are the types of money that get Presidents fired.