Mike Irvin (Head of Mac Irvin Fire) On 670 AM

[Goose]

The key on recruiting local kids is they must be either the elite of the elite or great role player types. I love having Milwaukee kids on the team but only if they fill the role.
Trevor Powell and Shannon Smith are two other names that come to mind.

[MerrittsMustache]

No, you cannot fill in "X" and get the same results.  I believe MU had no Milwaukee players between Jackson (2003) and Buycks (2011).  I cannot think of one between Damon Key (1994) and Jackson (2003).  Likewise, who were the Milwaukee kids during the dark ages of the Piano Man?

Only when MU is successful does it have Milwaukee kids.  It's not a coincidence.

Leaving out the handful of truly elite programs ... every successful program has a recruiting base.  MU's recruiting base SHOULD BE Milwaukee.  This is where they get their steady stream of 3 and 4 star players.  Then supplement it with 4 and 5 star players from elsewhere.

Successfully recruiting Milwaukee players means a stable and solid recruiting base ... the key to a successful program.

Marquette has only made it to the Sweet 16 five times since winning the NC and never had more than 2 Milwaukee players on any of those teams (only '79 and '03) so one could argue that 3 of the 5 Sweet 16 teams have had 1 or 0 Milwaukee players on them, meaning that it's not all that important.

[Pakuni]

No, you cannot fill in "X" and get the same results.  I believe MU had no Milwaukee players between Jackson (2003) and Buycks (2011).  I cannot think of one between Damon Key (1994) and Jackson (2003).  Likewise, who were the Milwaukee kids during the dark ages of the Piano Man?

Only when MU is successful does it have Milwaukee kids.  It's not a coincidence.

Of course it's a coincidence. MU didn't go to the Final Four in 2003 because Robert Jackson was from Milwaukee. They went to the Final Four because it was a really good team and Robert Jackson was a really good college player. Had RJax hailed from Rockford, it would have had no impact on the success of the team.

The Piano Man had several of Milwaukee players (Charles Luter, Trevor Powell, Kevin Johnson). That MUST explain his lack of success.

[GGGG]

Of course it's a coincidence. MU didn't go to the Final Four in 2003 because Robert Jackson was from Milwaukee. They went to the Final Four because it was a really good team and Robert Jackson was a really good college player. Had RJax hailed from Rockford, it would have had no impact on the success of the team.

The Piano Man had several of Milwaukee players (Charles Luter, Trevor Powell, Kevin Johnson). That MUST explain his lack of success.

Well, if Robert Jackson was from Rockford, he probably doesn't transfer to Marquette.

A better way of putting it is that it is easier for us to recruit locally, so when the local talent is good, Marquette tends to be good. 

[Pakuni]

Well, if Robert Jackson was from Rockford, he probably doesn't transfer to Marquette.

A better way of putting it is that it is easier for us to recruit locally, so when the local talent is good, Marquette tends to be good. 

If Robert Jackson were from Milwaukee, he probably doesn't go to Mississippi State.
Oh, wait.
What you're saying  - that being Jackson's hometown school helped MU land him as a transfer - is very different than suggesting MU was good because Robert Jackson (or others) are from Milwaukee. Players' hometowns have no bearing on a team's success. MU has been to consecutive Sweet 16s led primarily by players from Texas, Georgia and North Carolina.
Then again, maybe if there was a kid from Milwaukee on the roster, that would have been just what MU needed to beat Florida last week.

Your "better way" is indeed better, but also a far cry from what OP is suggesting.
Also, it's silly to assert that "locally" is limited to the boundaries of a particularly city. Yes, Marquette needs a recruiting base. And that base should stretch through Wisconsin, into northern Illinois, perhaps even into northwestern Indiana and southeastern Michigan. It shouldn't end at the Milwaukee city limits.