The Beginning of the End is Nigh...

[Benny B]

... for the "Buzz to _________" rumors.

Most of us were so mesmerized Friday night that perhaps we didn't even realize the unintended consequences of the West Virginia Two-Step.  Even Buzz himself may not recognize how his waltz & interview have the potential to drastically silence, and perhaps be the beginning of the end of the "Buzz to..." rumors.

So far we've seen several perspectives:

1) The "pro-dance" perspective, i.e. those who loved the dance regardless
2) The "meh, who cares" perspective, i.e. "it was ok, but it's not a big deal"
3) The "you're lucky we only allow one gun in this arena" perspective
4) The "pro-Buzz" perspective, i.e. those who are consistently entertained by whatever Buzz does

But what many of us haven't seen is the "Buzz Williams may be a great coach, but I don't want that clown coaching our team" elitist perspective.  Of course, Friday came as no surprise to the MU faithful watching the game; whether it's a product of the season they're having, the maturation of his players beyond what anyone initially expected, Buzz getting more comfortable in his fourth year, or a combination of the above, Buzz seems to be doing a worse job of tempering his emotions with every game that passes.  And that has been OK with me and certainly plays well with the rest of the MU faithful who see just a little bit of our patron saint reincarnated.  Nonetheless, Buzz's antics both on and off the court have been mostly known only in Big East circles and amongst hard-core MBB enthusiasts.  For the most part, Buzz Williams is known merely as the coach of Marquette throughout the rest of the country.  That's about to change, and it started Friday night in front of a national audience.  As a potential top-10 team and 2-seed going into the tournament, MU is going to garner a lot of national attention, and you better believe that's going to mean an expose or two on our coach encompassing a full display of everything that makes Buzz buzz.

Granted, any low- or mid-major team would take Buzz Williams as a coach regardless of his "lively" personality, but even the most skeptical of MU fans can agree that if Buzz were to move on, it would be only to a high-profile or blue-blood program.  These "would be" potential suitors are very proud schools where a men's basketball head coach is revered, put on a pedestal, and shown as the face of the school at least when the orange pylons are in storage, and if not all the time.  They want guys like Roy Williams, Jim Boeheim, Bill Self, John Calipari, etc... guys who typically show little emotion other than the occasional red face, and certainly have nothing close to a lively personality.  Case in point is Bobby Knight... IU fired one of the best coaches in the nation, if not the best, at the time because they couldn't deal with his personality.  Here's a guy who behind the doors of a practice court isn't much different from any other coach in the nation, but because he let his emotion and personality breach those walls, he became an "embarrassment" to a very proud program.

If Huggy Bear retired in two weeks, do you think they would give even the slightest consideration to Buzz in Morgantown?  When Coach K retires - eventually - do you think Duke (the Ivy of the South) would consider putting Buzz's mug outside Cameron?  Even if Rick Barnes did get canned, Texas is going to want the best coach available, but will they tolerate whoopin' and hollerin' outside the confines of the student section?  A bucking bronco like Buzz would endear himself well in Austin as long as he only came out of his pen for 8 seconds at a time.

On the flip side, the WV2step permanently endeared Buzz amongst many of the remaining MU holdouts.  We love a coach with that sort of character and personality... heck, we even build statues of them.  Buzz's personality is not an embarrassment to Marquette, and if he does occasionally step out of line, typically he's the first to realize that he has.  On Friday night, he knew he might of toed the line before his headphones were on, and his first apology came seconds later.  (How many days did it take Boeheim to apologize for his recent embarrassment to the university?)

He's certainly the person every parent wants for their son, and barring an early exit from the dance, Buzz is going to be the coach every vacancy wants 30 days from now, but he'll never have the personality everyone wants.

He is, however, the person, coach and personality Marquette wants, and I think we can count on him being here a long time.  It shouldn't be long until the rest of the country agrees.

[jeffreyweee]

I think you're overanalyzing a dance here.

[JamilJaeJamailJrJuan]

I didn't even read this.

Why even post this stupid crap? Buzz isn't going anywhere. People like you are the ones who create all the rumors.

[brewcity77]

Buzz fits Marquette perfectly. I agree that he probably doesn't fit anywhere else as well.

[Warriors10]

I didn't even read this.

Why even post this stupid crap? Buzz isn't going anywhere. People like you are the ones who create all the rumors.

Ironic that you asked that question since your post is stupid crap.

I'd agree with Brew that Buzz fits perfectly with MU.

[79Warrior]

Oh, the insecurity is mind boggling.

[Niv Berkowitz]

Seriously?

Look folks, if John Calipari can jump from job-to-job without any repercussions, I don't think one dance is going to ruin Buzz Williams or turn him off any one program. As you should know by now, the only thing colleges care about is $$$, making the tourney, putting butts in the seats and graduating players. And to most schools, those priorities are in different order.

[brewcity77]

Seriously?

Look folks, if John Calipari can jump from job-to-job without any repercussions, I don't think one dance is going to ruin Buzz Williams or turn him off any one program. As you should know by now, the only thing colleges care about is $$$, making the tourney, putting butts in the seats and graduating players. And to most schools, those priorities are in different order.

I, for one, certainly don't think Cal's act would fly just anywhere. In Memphis and Kentucky, they consider paying for players to just be part and parcel with the college game. That's why Cal, despite his shady reputation he built at UMass, was welcomed with open arms. Would that go over as well in the hallowed halls of Duke, UNC, or Kansas? I highly, highly, and I can't say highly enough, doubt it. At least not in such a publicized manner.

And while Buzz might fit other places, there will be schools that are less interested in a demonstrative coach. Especially in places where basketball is just supposed to be the distraction that goes on when the pigskin is in storage.

[Goose]

I think the dance made him a hotter commodity. Everyone now knows what he has done for Warrior Nation. I said on Saturday he should get a raise for the dance and meant it.

[muwarrior69]

Everyone relax! "Don't mess with happy".

[boblawblog]

I, for one, certainly don't think Cal's act would fly just anywhere. In Memphis and Kentucky, they consider paying for players to just be part and parcel with the college game. That's why Cal, despite his shady reputation he built at UMass, was welcomed with open arms. Would that go over as well in the hallowed halls of Duke, UNC, or Kansas? I highly, highly, and I can't say highly enough, doubt it. At least not in such a publicized manner.

so you don't think every major program pays for players?

[leever]

I didn't even read this.

Why even post this stupid crap? Buzz isn't going anywhere. People like you are the ones who create all the rumors.

Wish I could tell which posts are "stupid crap" without even reading them.

That would save time.

[brewcity77]

so you don't think every major program pays for players?

The way that Kentucky and Memphis do? No. Those schools and fanbases have the attitude that that's just how things are done. I don't think everyone has that same mindset.

[ringout]

The way that Kentucky and Memphis do? No. Those schools and fanbases have the attitude that that's just how things are done. I don't think everyone has that same mindset.

I think most (99.5%) MU fans would be mad as h*ll if MU was paying up.

[Spaniel with a Short Tail]

I think we can rule out any "Buzz to WV" rumors! 

[NersEllenson]

Buzz would be highly coveted by ANY school...particularly if he takes this team on a Final Four run.  Yes, Duke would want him if Coach K retired, any of the Texas schools in a heartbeat, Kentucky, Lville, UNC, Kansas....this is a results business and Buzz has gotten great results. 

Making the statement that Buzz's dance would reduce his potential attractiveness to some schools is wishful thinking.  MU is getting more publicity as a result of the dance, MU basketball is getting more talked about as a result of the dance, and most schools are just fine with publicity.  And what is so wrong with a coach having some fun, letting loose with some exuberance??  Sad so many get so sensitive over such a matter....The guy was simply super happy his team won a game...

[Spotcheck Billy]

Roy Williams manages to open his trap in a negative way at least once a season, usually on his radio show but that doesn't lower his acceptability quotient if he was looking for a new school to coach for.

Forget the dance, I'd bet only WV will care about that long term, so what?