Inside MU Basketball season-ending episode

[Lennys Tap]

I'm tired of hearing all the ball squeezing comments.  If he is not feeling loved by what MU has done for him (giving him a job in the Big East), paying him in the top 15 in the nation, letting him admit kids that historically MU has not allowed, giving him huge budgets, then I would like to know exactly how much more love Buzz needs.   

Saying that Marquette has allowed Buzz to take "kids that historically MU has not allowed" is inaccurate, and if it refers to Jucos smacks of bigotry. Al took Jucos, Crean took Jucos and furthermore road the coattails of a kid MU most certainly historically didn't allow (prop 48) all the way to Bloomington.

[Rubie Q]

If you already have a new job and a new house and less meddling grandparents/employers waiting for you, the meddlers might find themselves awfully lonesome on Sundays.

Yep, they might. All depends on how comfortable they are calling your bluff, I suppose.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Actually I think it is a poor analogy.  The days of letting the coaches do the discipline and taking care of the troubles their players create is long gone.  Having standardized athletic codes of conduct, academic progress, etc. are the norm across athletics these days.  The fact is that you are told how you discipline your kids these days, and frankly the fact that you had a couple players who have been in trouble quite a bit over the last two years should tell you something.

+1. The issue in all of this is the the BOT and Administration have tried to push blame on the Athletics Department for 10 years of incidents that were handled outside of federal guidelines and local law. And the BOT and Administration have continued down this path but trying to cut their losses and lay blame on the most media visible incident that was just a small fraction of the total, when in fact, they are most culpable on scores more.  All students should be treated equally within the established guidelines--athletetes or not.  Did the BOT learn anything from the church scandals?  

[Goose]

Still say this was less about Buzz wanting to leave and more about MU nudging him. Time will tell the whole story and I am very certain the "maybe we should part ways" was not started by our coach. My bet is big time backers want Buzz and that is why he is still here. Buzz might feel slighted and maybe legit on his part to feel that way.

[Lennys Tap]

They call it the honeymoon period for a reason.  Most people have a certain spark with their spouse when dating or the first few years.  Later, it changes.  You still may love your spouse but goosebumps aren't the same.  People are like this with jobs also.  The longer you are at a job, the expectations change, the responsibilities change, people begin to grate on one another sometimes.

If Fr Wild and Steve Cottingham were beginning to grate on Buzz (and vice versa) after 4 years you might have a point. Fact is, their were no signs of the honeymoon ending until the original spouses were jettisoned and replaced with strangers. You can't be dense enough to think that's a coincidence.

[BrewCity83]

If Fr Wild and Steve Cottingham were beginning to grate on Buzz (and vice versa) after 4 years you might have a point. Fact is, their were no signs of the honeymoon ending until the original spouses were jettisoned and replaced with strangers. You can't be dense enough to think that's a coincidence.

Wifeswap gone bad.

[Goose]

Wild and Cottingham were completely behind Buzz...maybe to a fault.

[MUViking]

Is it the administration or the powers that be or is it part of the normal process of being a human being.

They call it the honeymoon period for a reason.  Most people have a certain spark with their spouse when dating or the first few years.  Later, it changes.  You still may love your spouse but goosebumps aren't the same.  People are like this with jobs also.  The longer you are at a job, the expectations change, the responsibilities change, people begin to grate on one another sometimes.

I found his comments to be normal.  I'm tired of hearing all the ball squeezing comments.  If he is not feeling loved by what MU has done for him (giving him a job in the Big East), paying him in the top 15 in the nation, letting him admit kids that historically MU has not allowed, giving him huge budgets, then I would like to know exactly how much more love Buzz needs.   

Chalk this up to the rigors of the business of college basketball and the expectations that go with it.  He's happy but you're never totally happy and most jobs that come with those types of salaries bring plenty of misery.  People want things in return for $1million plus.  That's life.  Fans, administration, media, alumni, players.  That's life.

Chicos, this statement I highlighted above is PATENTLY false.

[Lennys Tap]

+1. The issue in all of this is the the BOT and Administration have tried to push blame on the Athletics Department for 10 years of incidents that were handled outside of federal guidelines and local law. And the BOT and Administration have continued down this path but trying to cut their losses and lay blame on the most media visible incident that was just a small fraction of the total, when in fact, they are most culpable on scores more.  All students should be treated equally within the established guidelines--athletetes or not.  Did the BOT learn anything from the church scandals?  

Very insightful as usual Doctor.

[Sir Lawrence]

Chicos, this statement I highlighted above is PATENTLY false.

Viking, you need to post here more often.

[Lennys Tap]

Wifeswap gone bad.

Generally does, though Fritz Peterson might disagree.

[lab_warrior]

 IWB had his tweet out there for a reason.  

Most likely to get people to go to his website?  Not necessarily because there was anything legit.  Keep in mind, no other person reported on this "rumor".   

[Hoopaloop]

I love my kids and think (hope) I'm raising them to eventually be disciplined, mature and productive adults. Their grandparents, no doubt, share these goals. But it still pisses me off to no end when the grandparents tell me how to raise my kids. We all want to same things, but it doesn't mean I'm happy when they nudge their way into what I see as my (and my wife's) realm.

The only problem with this analogy is that as a parent, you are ultimately responsible for your children.  The grandparents are not.  The state, with rare exceptions, are not.  The parents are ultimate the boss.

That is different for MU basketball.  Buzz has a boss, he isn't the ultimate boss.  He has an AD and he has a university President and he has a BOT.  He also has people outside the university paying his salary.  He may not like having too many chefs in the kitchen and more than likely those parties are going to let Buzz do what he needs to do.  However, any CEO or president has to look out for the overall well being of the entire organization, not just the manufacturing division or the HR department.  He does have bosses and bosses will get involved, whether he likes it or not, if the bosses feel the overall organization is taking a hit.

The only way around that as a basketball coach is to go to the pros, buy a team and hire yourself.

[Small Orange Soda]

Saying that Marquette has allowed Buzz to take "kids that historically MU has not allowed" is inaccurate, and if it refers to Jucos smacks of bigotry. Al took Jucos, Crean took Jucos and furthermore road the coattails of a kid MU most certainly historically didn't allow (prop 48) all the way to Bloomington.

Yup, blatant lie by Hoopaloop.  And he wonders why he has the reputation he does.

[murara1994]

Most likely to get people to go to his website?  Not necessarily because there was anything legit.  Keep in mind, no other person reported on this "rumor".   

So he made it up?  Couldn't be because Buzz told him...

[mu-rara]

Still say this was less about Buzz wanting to leave and more about MU nudging him. Time will tell the whole story and I am very certain the "maybe we should part ways" was not started by our coach. My bet is big time backers want Buzz and that is why he is still here. Buzz might feel slighted and maybe legit on his part to feel that way.

Goose,

I don't feel that the Admin wants Buzz to go.  They need him to ensure that the players understand the new reality.  

If that happens, and Buzz can be happy with it, then we're all good.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

So he made it up?  Couldn't be because Buzz told him...

This is actually an interesting point.

If Buzz told IWB about it, it has to be a power play by Buzz right? No other reason to tell a "media" member is there?

[Lennys Tap]

Most likely to get people to go to his website?  Not necessarily because there was anything legit.  Keep in mind, no other person reported on this "rumor".   

Lab, there are two possibilities:
1. IWB totally fabricated the story to drive traffic to his website
or
2. IWB had a good source for his story

You seem to think that because Buzz didn't leave that #1 is proven true, but that's nonsense. Nobody said he was definitely going. Is it logical to anyone that IWB, in an effort to drive traffic to his website on a one time basis, would sacrifice any and all credibility he's built over time and effectively destroy his relationship with Buzz by publishing lies? Not to me.

[madtownwarrior]

A very nice self-serving relationship  

Nothing blew up until IWB's tweet and then subsequent "Could Buzz leave" / yes, he may article...

This is actually an interesting point.

If Buzz told IWB about it, it has to be a power play by Buzz right? No other reason to tell a "media" member is there?

[Pakuni]

Lab, there are two possibilities:
1. IWB totally fabricated the story to drive traffic to his website
or
2. IWB had a good source for his story

You seem to think that because Buzz didn't leave that #1 is proven true, but that's nonsense. Nobody said he was definitely going. Is it logical to anyone that IWB, in an effort to drive traffic to his website on a one time basis, would sacrifice any and all credibility he's built over time and effectively destroy his relationship with Buzz by publishing lies? Not to me.

Possibility # 3
IWB's source used him to stir the pot and make a point through the resulting furor.
I don't doubt for a second someone told IWB what he reported. I do doubt  Buzz used the SMU interest for anything more than make a point.
These things happen. A lot.

Edit: I would add that it wouldn't surprise me at all if IWB very well kew this was a strong possibility. He kept his source happy (not an unimportant consideration in that business), drove traffic to his site and got his fledgling operation a bit of national attention.

[Rubie Q]

Possibility # 3
IWB's source used him to stir the pot and make a point through the resulting furor.
I don't doubt for a second someone told IWB what he reported. I do doubt Buzz used the SMU interest for anything more than make a point.
These things happen. A lot.

Exactly. I don't think anybody is suggesting IWB made this up out of whole cloth; I'm certainly not.

[MUBurrow]

If Buzz used SMU to make a point, I don't want to hear about the, "Aww shucks, he would say if he were unhappy, he's a straight up dude," stuff. I think this board tends to conflate Buzz being a moral guy with Buzz not understanding/using how the system works.

Buzz is a very moral guy, and I have tremendous amount of respect for him. But what I take from this is that he doesn't feel he "owes" us anything anymore. Up to this point, he always talked about how grateful he was to MU, and how he'd stay till we wouldn't have him anymore. I think that when the Prez/AD changes were made, and whatever else happened behind the scenes, that sense of indebtedness went away.

[downtown85]

Buzz is a very moral guy, and I have tremendous amount of respect for him. But what I take from this is that he doesn't feel he "owes" us anything anymore. Up to this point, he always talked about how grateful he was to MU, and how he'd stay till we wouldn't have him anymore. I think that when the Prez/AD changes were made, and whatever else happened behind the scenes, that sense of indebtedness went away.

This is my sense by the whole bouhaha as well.  It's unfortunate, actually. 

[Lennys Tap]

If Buzz used SMU to make a point, I don't want to hear about the, "Aww shucks, he would say if he were unhappy, he's a straight up dude," stuff. I think this board tends to conflate Buzz being a moral guy with Buzz not understanding/using how the system works.

Buzz is a very moral guy, and I have tremendous amount of respect for him. But what I take from this is that he doesn't feel he "owes" us anything anymore. Up to this point, he always talked about how grateful he was to MU, and how he'd stay till we wouldn't have him anymore. I think that when the Prez/AD changes were made, and whatever else happened behind the scenes, that sense of indebtedness went away.

Why would Buzz owe anything to Fr Pilarz or Larry Williams? Neither have anything to do with his being here and Williams at least seems pretty comfortable calling him on the carpet in public.

[MUBurrow]

Why would Buzz owe anything to Fr Pilarz or Larry Williams? Neither have anything to do with his being here and Williams at least seems pretty comfortable calling him on the carpet in public.

I didn't say he did. But arguendo, a Prez and an AD do not a University make.