Changing of the guard

[Goose]

My son is a Sr. in high school in Milwaukee area and something very interesting is going on. He has told me the school is about 90-10 UW fans over MU for his time there and that is quickly changing. He says kids are coming out of the woodwork in favor of the Warriors.

I know many on here might not like this but the high school kids are comparing us to Oregon football. Flashy uni's, high speed team and deep in talent. I am happy to to see the kids backing MU and love the Oregon football comparison.

Buzz is creating a brand here and it is one I love. Do fear that the Buzz brand might be too far out there some Warrior fans. I think he is just getting started and if here long enough we will be telling Buzz stories to our grand kids.

[augoman]

loved hearing this.  Too long have the kids been fed the baajr pablum.  About time the Warriors were the topic of conversation in high school.

[Hoopaloop]

My son is a Sr. in high school in Milwaukee area and something very interesting is going on. He has told me the school is about 90-10 UW fans over MU for his time there and that is quickly changing. He says kids are coming out of the woodwork in favor of the Warriors.

I know many on here might not like this but the high school kids are comparing us to Oregon football. Flashy uni's, high speed team and deep in talent. I am happy to to see the kids backing MU and love the Oregon football comparison.

Buzz is creating a brand here and it is one I love. Do fear that the Buzz brand might be too far out there some Warrior fans. I think he is just getting started and if here long enough we will be telling Buzz stories to our grand kids.

The flashy uniforms are actually a carry over from the previous administration.  I don't love the Oregon comparison after what happened yesterday, but I get your point.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7613030/ncaa-documents-say-oregon-ducks-violated-recruiting-regulations

loved hearing this.  Too long have the kids been fed the baajr pablum.  About time the Warriors were the topic of conversation in high school.

+1

[Goose]

I love the comparison and hope we build on it. As mentioned I know this comparison is not for everyone, but I am going to run with it with my buddies.

[bilsu]

My son is a Sr. in high school in Milwaukee area and something very interesting is going on. He has told me the school is about 90-10 UW fans over MU for his time there and that is quickly changing. He says kids are coming out of the woodwork in favor of the Warriors.

I know many on here might not like this but the high school kids are comparing us to Oregon football. Flashy uni's, high speed team and deep in talent. I am happy to to see the kids backing MU and love the Oregon football comparison.

Buzz is creating a brand here and it is one I love. Do fear that the Buzz brand might be too far out there some Warrior fans. I think he is just getting started and if here long enough we will be telling Buzz stories to our grand kids.

Warrior fans were Al McGuire fans. There is no way he is to far out for warrior fans. Maybe some Golden Eagle fans.

[Goose]

Agreed on the Warrior fans will embrace crazy style and winning completely. Golden Eagle fans have a different take on the matter. Face it Buzz is slippery and time will tell just how slippery. I am hoping he walks the tight rope for ten years and makes this program be an ESPN highlight every night.

[Freeport Warrior]

It's funny because I am hearing the same thing from a younger group (middle school). They see the UW game as very boring. This generation of kids has been brought up with video game basketball -- Xbox, etc. -- and are all about fast breaks, dunks, threes and up-tempo, high-risk-high-reward defense leading to more dunks and such. This is the Warrior style right now. I watch a ton of bball -- from middle school through NBA -- and I have been telling my son for the last couple months that the Miami Heat game and the current Warrior style (sans Gardner AND Otule) is very similar. Our speed and athleticism lead to Crowder and company getting more than a handful of those easy buckets right after the opponents score -- almost before the announers can even comment because they are still talking about the previous play. Our beyond fast breaks look very similar to those Sportcenter highlights of Wade to Lebron (and vice versa) long passes before the D sets up. It is a visually appealing, high-energy game that people are starting to really notice. I have a ton of buddys (non-MU) who say they love watching MU because of their style of play. I hear many others saying they would rather shovel snow than watch UW's boring pace. Both produce results, but our style is certainly more fun to watch and is definitely better suited to recruiting high-octane recruits.

[jesmu84]

My son is a Sr. in high school in Milwaukee area and something very interesting is going on. He has told me the school is about 90-10 UW fans over MU for his time there and that is quickly changing. He says kids are coming out of the woodwork in favor of the Warriors.

I know many on here might not like this but the high school kids are comparing us to Oregon football. Flashy uni's, high speed team and deep in talent. I am happy to to see the kids backing MU and love the Oregon football comparison.

Buzz is creating a brand here and it is one I love. Do fear that the Buzz brand might be too far out there some Warrior fans. I think he is just getting started and if here long enough we will be telling Buzz stories to our grand kids.

The flashy uniforms are actually a carry over from the previous administration. 

I really, REALLY don't understand why you felt the need to state this because the OP didn't say anything about who the unis were attributed to but fine. In that case, the high speed team and deep in talent are a product of THIS administration - and I would wager to say are much more influential and MUCH more a reason of our success.

[MUMac]

I really, REALLY don't understand why you felt the need to state this because the OP didn't say anything about who the unis were attributed to but fine. In that case, the high speed team and deep in talent are a product of THIS administration - and I would wager to say are much more influential and MUCH more a reason of our success.

Good point.  Especially coming from someone who incessantly whines about those who are critical of that former administration.  Complaining that they always bring that individuals name up.  Why do it here, if not to be an antagonistic b!tch?

[Goose]

Main point is the players now match the flashy uni's.

[hairy worthen]

Good point.  Especially coming from someone who incessantly whines about those who are critical of that former administration.  Complaining that they always bring that individuals name up.  Why do it here, if not to be an antagonistic b!tch?

exactly. fits his agenda

Flashy uniforms go back to the Al days. The warriors have been known for that for a long time, not just this or the previous administration

[The Process]

I, for one, enjoy the buzz that Buzz is generating.  It comes from a pure place of passion.   Buzz's passion and love for his players shines through with every action he makes.

And BTW - when he danced last night, I almost spat my beer all over the bar laughing.  Beyond epic.

Flashy uniforms go back to the Al days.

On the plus side, our uniforms now are not as... "flashy" as some of those were.  I've seen clips of games where they were wearing them and my goodness... it's almost seizure-inducing.

[MUMac]

I stated this on another board during the time when the rumors started that Blue was reconsidering his commitment to UW.  I took my son and 5 of his friends tubing.  All 5 grew up as HUGE Badger fans.  One had a grandfather who was a long time UW Athletic Dept. Staff.  Another's father was affiliated with Bo from his Platteville days.  To a person, all wondered why Blue would consider UW over MU.  Each talked about how much more exciting MU was to watch.  How they enjoy those games over watching UW.  I was loving it and shocked at the same time.  If some of their fathers had heard their comments, well I just wonder what their reaction would have been.  

[Goose]

This years team is playing at a different speed and intensity level. The local kids are buying into this years team because it is very exciting. Hopefully we can build on this and really take this to the next level. One year is not enough and I hope we continue to bring athletic studs.

[The Process]

If some of their fathers had heard their comments, well I just wonder what their reaction would have been.  

Tears.  Followed by forced watching of Badger games on TV.

Although... doesn't the Geneva Convention protect people against such abuses...?

[Hoopaloop]

I really, REALLY don't understand why you felt the need to state this because the OP didn't say anything about who the unis were attributed to but fine. In that case, the high speed team and deep in talent are a product of THIS administration - and I would wager to say are much more influential and MUCH more a reason of our success.

The way I read it, Buzz is building a brand and the mention was fast paced, flashy uniforms, high speed talented team.  The connection to the brand he was building were those three things.

I was merely pointing out that he actually didn't introduce the flashy unis.  I agree with the OP about the brand, the positive brand that Buzz is building (though the Oregon comparison hit a bit of a nerve since they have been under NCAA investigation for two years now and got called out yesterday).  Is that the agenda I have?  The agenda of loving this basketball team?  Loving this coach? 

If I read it incorrectly, then I read it incorrectly.  Gentlemen, relax.  We're all on the same team.   

[GB Warrior]

I think we'll see this more and more if we continue to perform in the top half of whatever conference we're in.

It will obviously spread from Milwaukee, and I can't see us as a national brand ala 'Cuse, Duke, or UNC, but we're quickly becoming the more popular Wisconsin team. This generation prefers the Vanderbilt-style, and don't think for a minute the athletes don't as well.

[seakm4]

I loved hearing this.  I was born a MU fan, but since we dont have football and I refuse to root for the boogers, I also root for Oregon and have long before they did to the badgers in football what we do to them in basketball (make them look slow and boring).  It's a great comparison and would love it if we also ended the Fu*key's season.

[Goose]

Buzz is building a brand and doing so very well. He gets the kids are ESPN junkies and exciting style of play is what ESPN loves. You can have flashy uniforms and stiffs playing in them an no one will care. I would say in the past 48 hours MU has been talked  more than any stretch since Wade on a national stage.

[Dr. Blackheart]

MU also has more Wisconsin players on their roster than Bucky, and is on the upcoming top recruits out of Milwaukee,  Buzz has also spent a lot of time with grassroots and high school coaches that trickles down.  This creates local interest and sets the tone when the Bo generation moves on.

[Goose]

Having local kids is a great help for local attention. What excites me most is that we are on national stage. It is extremely difficult for a school like MU to brand itself nationally but Buzz is doing that. No doubt the athletic local kids all are watching us closely and that is first time in years.

Buzz is bringing attention to himself which is trickling down to the kids. This very possibly can be a start of bigger things to come. You can never have too many athletes on a team and our ability to attract studs will get easier. I stated after UNC loss last year this years team was Elite 8 type team and think this is just the start.

[JD]

I just hope the upcoming MU fans don't "bail" on our program if we have a down year or two.  Of course this is to be expected with "average fans"

Time will tell

[Avenue Commons]

I didn't even see this thread when I posted the following post in a separate thread. Interesting that junior high and high school kids feel that way. I posted the other day about how I thought it was interesting that in Eastbay MU was the only school that had 3 color variations available for their shorts. Here's my post from the other thread:

"The buzz (pun unintended) around MU basketball and it's brand is bigger right now than anytime since the 2003 tourney. Buzz's dance kept the spotlight on Marquette basketball. Only a few die hards in WV really care that much about it. But the exposure on Espn and outlets like Deadspin is huge. Huge.

Another tourney run could push the program's prestige to another level. We are teetering on the brink of truly being a major-major program."

[jesmu84]

The way I read it, Buzz is building a brand and the mention was fast paced, flashy uniforms, high speed talented team.  The connection to the brand he was building were those three things.

I was merely pointing out that he actually didn't introduce the flashy unis.  I agree with the OP about the brand, the positive brand that Buzz is building (though the Oregon comparison hit a bit of a nerve since they have been under NCAA investigation for two years now and got called out yesterday).  Is that the agenda I have?  The agenda of loving this basketball team?  Loving this coach? 

If I read it incorrectly, then I read it incorrectly.  Gentlemen, relax.  We're all on the same team.   

Fair enough. I'm just glad we're distinguishing ourselves in the identified ways mentioned. Continued success and growth is certainly indicated by Buzz and the upcoming recruits.  I'm grateful for everthing Crean did and that Buzz is building on.

[Goose]

This program is nothing like the one Buzz inherited from Crean, and that is reason for excitement. Buzz is creating long term branding and TC could not build off a FF year with a once in a lifetime player. Buzz will get kids year in year out which is key for long term success.