The Unofficial "Buzz to ______" Archive

[warriorchick]

I can't think of a person that would hate the whole LA scene more than Buzz Williams. 

Except for Corey Williams.  She doesn't exactly strike me as the "Real Housewives of Orange County" type.

As my teenage son described it when we visited last year, "It's like Florida - only with way more douche bags."

And if he were to leave for the money, he'd need a huge raise.  I'm guessing that a $2.8 million lifestyle in Milwaukee would probably cost close to $4 million in LA.  The difference in state income tax alone is going to run well into six figures.

[muwarrior69]

I'm pretty sure he said it about Marquette and not specific people.  He didn't say as long as Father Wild will have me.  Nevertheless, the grass isn't always greener and if he thinks the MU administration is a ball smasher, he might want to do a little exploration.  

I choose to believe in the man's word and the fact he's making $2.8 million.  Lots of things show me that MU wants Buzz.  Money.  New conference.  He's winning more than ever despite having to clamp down a bit.  New television deal.  Etc.

And if he does go, then MU will hire someone very good.  Whether it's a Shaka Smart or a Gregg Marshall or whomever, the resources are there.

WHY NOT HOWLAND?

[Shack]

Isn't the original poster of this thread (Brad Forster) the same guy that started the whole DJ New bill debacle on here with his high school coach. If so...grain of salt

[IrwinFletcher]

The off the court incidents of last year at MU may actually work against Buzz on this as well.  Again, UCLA very conservative and that baggage, perceived as wrongful or not, more than likely won't play well with Chancellor Block.  Chancellor Carnesale is gone now, but I'm sure still has influence.

Just a hunch, but that could be an issue for UCLA (who is not above it all, they've had their own issues).

With all the crap that has gone on at UCLA for the past few years, I find it hard to believe that they are more "conservative" than Marquette.  For god sakes, they hired Rick Neuhiesel as a coach.  Can you get more scummy than that?

There is a cloud over our program due to the incidents, but we don't know all of it.  We don't know the relationship with LW, Father P and Buzz.  We don't know what Buzz really wants or is looking for.

Time will tell.

[chapman]

The CBS bloggers making speculation...basically the exact people Buzz called "crap" in his post-game presser.  He doesn't have to repeat it, I hear him loud and clear.   

[Avenue Commons]

Supposed to just ignore the articles?

No. Just not post them and spread the gloom.

You should also post CBS' disclaimer:

"Three CBSSports.com experts -- Jeff Goodman, Gary Parrish and Jeff Borzello -- will give their insights when any high-major jobs open. Now that it's official with Ben Howland out at UCLA, we'll start things with both UCLA and USC. Here's our disclaimer: These are our opinions. We give you our dream pick and our realistic pick, two selections we would go after if we were the athletic director, and also who we each feel will actually get the job."

[GGGG]

UCLA would be foolish to ask Buzz when Brad Stevens is a coach in the NCAA. What Brad has done with his talent makes what Buzz has done look like a small feat. Brad should be number 1 on that list and all other candidates should be a distant second. We like our coach, we think he is great, but look around at fans in our own conference, watch his press conferences, and watch him dance and you'll see that he fits here but alot of other places are not amused. Buzz will stay because he fits and is happy here.

You are underrating the talent at Butler.  They made their first Final Four run with two future NBA players, their second with one NBA player on a senior dominated team.  This year they stepped up in conference and finished fifth.

Stevens is a good coach but let's not make him out to be the next Dean Smith or anything.

[GGGG]

Even Bleacher Report gets how ridiculous Buzz to UCLA is

"There has been Twitter chatter about Buzz Williams, which is actually funny if you think of Howland's noisiest detractors, who say he plays too grinding a defensive style and doesn't emphasize offense. Williams is the living, screaming embodiment of grinding basketball, the gold standard of punishing defense and just enough offense to escape with a win. The mob would be calling for Williams' head before three seasons were out."

http://m.bleacherreport.com/articles/1578686-ucla-vs-minnesota-does-bruins-loss-signal-end-of-ben-howland-era

I agree with this completely.  I was thinking about this this morning - Buzz's MU teams are pretty much mirror images of the Howland / Dixon Pitt teams.  Make it an alley fight and we'll see who comes out alive.

[Golden Avalanche]

I can't think of a person that would hate the whole LA scene more than Buzz Williams. 

Except for Corey Williams.  She doesn't exactly strike me as the "Real Housewives of Orange County" type.

As my teenage son described it when we visited last year, "It's like Florida - only with way more douche bags."

And if he were to leave for the money, he'd need a huge raise.  I'm guessing that a $2.8 million lifestyle in Milwaukee would probably cost close to $4 million in LA.  The difference in state income tax alone is going to run well into six figures.

Ah, times change and people change with it. There's a major difference in how they live their lives now as opposed to five years ago. Can't unequivocally state change like that just stops, especially knowing with the money he has and will get that he and family can live a life most everyone dreams about.

For someone like you, a prototypical suburban Chicagoland proselytizer, it's impossible to imagine UCLA mostly out of blindness but more out of not accepting what drives every coach these days: ego. There have been stranger pairings in the past and as long as Buzz feels he can win under their conditions, the other life details can be sorted out in time. 

[madtownwarrior]

this is good news:

1)  Marquette and Buzz has arrived on the national stage - 3 sweet sixteens will get you noticed.  Butler deals with this every year - cause they are successful

2)  the talking bball clown heads are usually dead wrong in thier first "coach to" proclamations


If he does leave, it is what it is, Marquette is not a preferred destination compared to a bluebood bball school  (but I am sure the lunatic, unwarranted LW hatorade will be in full force)....

[CTWarrior]

I agree with this completely.  I was thinking about this this morning - Buzz's MU teams are pretty much mirror images of the Howland / Dixon Pitt teams.  Make it an alley fight and we'll see who comes out alive.

To further that analogy, his players are the back half of the top 100, guys that work through the system for 4 years so that every year the teams are talented and experienced, but not hyper-talented.  

Buzz has the machine churning pretty well here now.  If I were Buzz, considering the money is excellent, not sure why I'd want to leave unless my family or I wasn't happy in Milwaukee or with my bosses.  But everyone is different, and if your main goal as a coach is a National championship, there are places where you are more likely to achieve that goal than MU, UCLA being one of them.

[MJS_Says]

Buzz Williams-to-UCLA chatter has begun
               



All it took was the first prominent job to come oopen to get Buzz Williams' name out there again.

               

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/199846231.html
               

[GGGG]

????  Really Hunt?  Repeating internet board rumors = reporting???

Man usually I don't bitch about this kind of stuff, but this is awful.

[moomoo]

We all love Buzz. We all want him to stay.

But this is America, where the almighty dollar buys the best.

Marquette is more than willing and able to invest as much as any school to get the best coach.

You couple that fact with the undeniable fact that Marquette is a top 20 program that produces NBA players, you can therefore guarantee one thing:

Should Marquette regrettably lose Buzz, the program will still shine.

Money talks, so let's have the bull$h1t "buzz is leaving" walk away from the board, at least until after we win this tourney.

Moomoo has spoken (I am being sarcastic with this last line).

[Sylvester78]

He's NOT going anywhere.  This is too good of a gig.

Unless I am wrong about LW, Buzz has lots of latitude in his recruiting, lots of $$, and basically runs his own operation without anyone poking their head in the door.   The media here is easy, Los Angeles is a mess.

[moomoo]

Michael........really?  You're better than this.

[reinko]

Michael........really?  You're better than this.

No he is not.

[Tugg Speedman]

This story is an internet circle-jerk.  Some guy with a twitter account (to paraphrase Buzz's Butler Presser) makes something up and another guy with a twitter account repeats it.  Then Hunt repeats it and now it is official speculation ... based on nothing.

Has anyone with actual access to Buzz and/or UCLA floated Buzz's name because one of these parties is really interested?  I believe the answer is no.  So this is Oklahoma v2.0 ... people making sh*t up not caring they will be wrong for the 142th time.  But when they are accidently correct once, they will promote themselves as the second coming of Nosterdamus.

Added ...

Aren't half these "experts" saying Buzz is going to UCLA the same "experts" that predicted we would lose to Davidson and then Butler?  Why anyone asks them their opinion is beyond me.

[GGGG]

This story is an internet circle-jerk.  Some guy with a twitter account (to paraphrase Buzz's Butler Presser) makes something up and another guy with a twitter account repeats it.  Then Hunt repeats it and now it is official speculation ... based on nothing.

Someone has already made a comment paralleling the press conference from Saturday on the MJS site.  Good point.

[ecompt]

UCLA fans should realize those days of national championships are long gone. Not only did those teams cheat to win (booster payments totaling in the millions) but because seeding wasn't done at the time and there was no rule against playing in your own city UCLA would invariably play its first two games against inferior Western opponents, sometimes in Los Angeles.

[martyconlonontherun]

Random tidbit but after buzz did his dance and was leaving the court he went over to father p and celebrated with him doing a doing side poke move with both guys laughing. At the very least, it was nice to see that kind of interaction.

[Blackhat]

I think I'd rather have a college intern be our beat writer than a disgruntled, inflated ego hack like Hunt.

[TheTulsaWarrior]

A few thoughts.  I've lived in a number of places including now Eugene, Oregon and LA.  Eugene is a better family town.  LA even in a high income area is still a massive city with all the negatives that come with it.  Family first?  I would pick a job with that as a major factor.

The writers who mentioned Buzz in the article have a job to do.  Fact is Buzz is now one of the most respected young coaches in the business.  This is not the Bob Hurley Era when Buzz was basically told he was southerner with a strange voice and no head coaching resume to speak of.  I can understand Hurley's thought process at the time and would like his opinion now. ;-)

It is not a secret that Buzz and Larry (no I'm not talking about two of the three stooges) have had their moments.  Since that trouble started Buzz has been laser focused and turned in his best coaching work ever.  We're told things have improved.  I hope for the Marquette administration this isn't a case of "you don't know what you got till it's gone."

Back to the writers -- where do they get this stuff?  Where does IWB get his stuff?  People talk, people on the inside, for various purposes.  I love Buzz Williams but I would never play poker with the man.  He reminds me of the counterfeiter who went into that country gas station in VanAlystine, Texas and tried to get change for a $25 bill.  The attendant gave him three $7 bills and a $4 bill.  Don't you think Buzz's intense coaching work and his increased cultivation of the media in the past year has achieved two things -- he's more marketable if he wants a job and some of the egos in the Marquette administration have a better understanding of the guy with the gravelly voice and rough edges.

You got to know when to hold them -- know when to fold them.  Buzz is the Gambler and Rainman at the same time.

[chapman]

No he is not.

+1.  The guy can't come up with anything better than comparing opponents' uniforms to Badger football opponents five minutes into a game when he's in the arena.  For the city newspaper's beat writer to be so far outside the head coach's inner circle the "crap" comment probably hit a little too close to home.

I think I'd rather have a college intern be our beat writer than a disgruntled, inflated ego hack like Hunt.

Still liking the idea of outsourcing the blog to Paint Touches.

[Eldon]

I always wonder why Buzz is mentioned on these lists.  I know it's because he is a great coach, but so is Billy Donovan, Bo Ryan, Steve Fisher, Mike Brey, etc.

Is it because he's only been here 5 years, while the abovementioned guys have been at their respective schools so long that speculating about them leaving has ended/is futile?

Conversely, I NEVER hear about Few being on these lists.  Is it because he basically said 'Im not going anywhere' and he's been there since 99 (00?), so people now believe him?  Anyone remember if Few was always being speculated for blue-blood/higher profile schools in, say, 2004/05?