Hoping Texas sucks

[MU82]

How 'bout this for going against the grain ...

If Texas stinks this season and Barnes gets fired, let's say they come after Buzz hard.

1. Buzz will leave, ending a wonderful chapter at Marquette and hopefully starting another. Because he (and Crean) definitely proved that big-time success is possible again at MU, we should be able to bring in another top coach and keep the train rolling.

-OR-

2. Buzz will spurn Texas and stay, effectively ending the daily Buzz-To-Wherever speculation and giving us reason to believe he really will be at Marquette "for as long as they want me." Because if he's not leaving for Texas, he probably isn't leaving.

I'd obviously prefer No. 2. But either way, Marquette gets some closure on this issue.

(I do feel guilty kind of rooting for Barnes to get fired. I never want anybody to lose his/her job. But it is part of that business, his unemployment benefits would be pretty nice, and he would be unemployed for about a second.)

[Dawson Rental]

I was just watching "Drunk History" on Comedy Central on demand, and it occurs to me that this thread is something like "Drunk Marquette Rooting."

[MUWarrior11]

Personally, I don't need any closure. The only people that need closure are the ones that perpetually speculate and analyze. Just enjoy what we got now...No need to try let yourself get scared every year that Texas doesn't perform. If it eventually happens, then it happens...but I'm not going to worry about it now.

We've got a great coach. A great team. And we are in the middle of a great era of MUBB. Just enjoy it!

[We R Final Four]

If Buzz leaves, it only advances the opinion that MU is a stepping stone job.

Bringing in a 'top coach' is not as easy as it sounds. I certainly don't want Buzz to go anywhere just so we can have closure.

[Benny B]

I was just watching "Drunk History" on Comedy Central on demand, and it occurs to me that this thread is something like "Drunk Marquette Rooting."

Sans multiple appearances by Derek Waters.

[Dish]

Maybe Buzz will replace Mack Brown?

[lab_warrior]

JUST. STOP IT. WITH. THE. TEXAS. CONCERN TROLLING.

[GGGG]

If Buzz leaves, it only advances the opinion that MU is a stepping stone job.

Yeah cause it would be really weird that a guy who grew up in Texas would go back there to take a job at a school four times the size with a huge athletic budget and its own cable television network.

If he goes he goes.  Life goes on.

[NCMUFan]

Well, let's think, if it happened to Barnes, could it happen to Buzz?

[We R Final Four]

Not weird at all sultan. It would mean however that the last two coaches were hired as top assistants--had success-- and left for a perceived better job. Then we hire a top assistant and if he has success we continue to be the best feeder program in the country.

If Buzz stays-- no more stepping stone story.

[MU82]

Personally, I don't need any closure. The only people that need closure are the ones that perpetually speculate and analyze. Just enjoy what we got now...No need to try let yourself get scared every year that Texas doesn't perform. If it eventually happens, then it happens...but I'm not going to worry about it now.

We've got a great coach. A great team. And we are in the middle of a great era of MUBB. Just enjoy it!

I actually am not one of those who perpetually speculates and analyzes.

My response to Buzz-to-Wherever threads is usually something along the lines of: "I hope he stays but if he goes, that's life and we'll get someone great again."

I certainly am not "worried" about it. Like most everybody else, I have real worries in life.

I was throwing this out there because Buzz-to-Texas was mentioned in yet another thread and this would seem the best way to stop the silliness.

[GGGG]

Not weird at all sultan. It would mean however that the last two coaches were hired as top assistants--had success-- and left for a perceived better job. Then we hire a top assistant and if he has success we continue to be the best feeder program in the country.

If that is your definition of a "stepping stone job" than 95% of the jobs in the country are stepping stones.

Losing O'Neill to Tennessee was a blow.  Losing Crean, a former B10 assistant, to Indiana was completely understandable.  Losing Buzz to Texas would be as well.

[Pakuni]

Not weird at all sultan. It would mean however that the last two coaches were hired as top assistants--had success-- and left for a perceived better job. Then we hire a top assistant and if he has success we continue to be the best feeder program in the country.

If Buzz stays-- no more stepping stone story.

So unless Buzz stays in Milwaukee for the entirety of his career - which could go a few more decades - MU is a "stepping stone?"
By that standard, pretty much any school can be a stepping stone. Ol Roy left Kansas. Pitino left Kentucky. Larry Brown left UCLA. STEPPING STONES!

I think the fact Buzz has stayed despite strong interest from the like of Texas A&M, Oklahoma and I'm sure others says MU is not a stepping stone. If Buzz leaves for Texas, it's because it's Texas (Oh, God, did I just say that?) not because of any real or perceived slight to MU.

[We R Final Four]

1. Hire a young assistant coach to be head coach. This is his first high D1 HC job.
2. Coach has success at first high D1 job.
3. Coach leaves for other job with more pay.
4. D1 school left w/o coach hires hot assistant coach.

This is the recipe of a stepping stone job.

[Pakuni]

1. Hire a young assistant coach to be head coach. This is his first high D1 HC job.
2. Coach has success at first high D1 job.
3. Coach leaves for other job with more pay.
4. D1 school left w/o coach hires hot assistant coach.

This is the recipe of a stepping stone job.

I prefer to see it as a recipe for a 312-150 (.675) record since 1998-99, with 10 NCAA appearances, including a pair of Sweet Sixteens, an Elite Eight and a Final Four.

Look, nobody here wants to see Buzz go. But if the Texas job opens up, and it's offered to him, it's a distinct possibility. And if that happens, it's not a poor reflection on Marquette. It just means that the head coaching job a bigger school with deeper pockets  - and, oh hey, the flagship university of the country's second-largest state - is a pretty attractive gig.

[MU82]

Arguing over semantics.

Given the departures of O'Neill and Crean for "better jobs," should Buzz do the same, it would be impossible for folks not to call Marquette a "stepping-stone job."

But I agree that just because Buzz leaves for what would be seemingly his perfect job, it doesn't necessarily mean Marquette is "only" a stepping-stone school.

Semantics.

This conversation reminds me a little bit of the situation at Illinois, where fans are outraged at the thought of their school being a stepping-stone job. They hated Self for helping foster that thought. Of course, Henson and Webber both would have stayed forever but were fired. Which is Reason No. 468 that a coach should be loyal only to himself, because once he stops winning big, there is no loyalty the other way and nobody is talking about stepping stones.

[GGGG]

I prefer to see it as a recipe for a 312-150 (.675) record since 1998-99, with 10 NCAA appearances, including a pair of Sweet Sixteens, an Elite Eight and a Final Four.

Look, nobody here wants to see Buzz go. But if the Texas job opens up, and it's offered to him, it's a distinct possibility. And if that happens, it's not a poor reflection on Marquette. It just means that the head coaching job a bigger school with deeper pockets  - and, oh hey, the flagship university of the country's second-largest state - is a pretty attractive gig.

Yup.

Nothing to lose sleep over.  Marquette is a very good program.  Elite?  Nope.  But very good with a lot of resources available.

[bradley center bat]

They have bigger problems than BB in Texas. Like giving up 550 rushing yards to BYU.

[Skatastrophy]

It's threads like these that Bleacher Report is useful for. Fear mongering!

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1530193-texas-basketball-5-reasons-the-longhorns-need-to-fire-rick-barnes

[source?]

I'm not too worried. Buzz is a great coach, and it would suck if he left, but Marquette is one of the most dedicated universities in the country when it comes to college hoops. We spend more than almost anyone else in the country on our program, including big names like UCLA, Syracuse, Indiana, Texas, Michigan State and, oh yeah, Wisconsin. We will have no trouble getting a great coach from outside if we want one. Another insider could work out well too.

Proof, in case anybody wanted any.
http://www.businessinsider.com/these-20-schools-spend-the-most-money-on-their-basketball-teams-2012-1?op=1

[WI inferiority Complexes]

We REALLY need the season to start.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

We REALLY need the season to start.

+10000000

[We R Final Four]

Look, nobody here wants to see Buzz go. But if the Texas job opens up, and it's offered to him, it's a distinct possibility. And if that happens, it's not a poor reflection on Marquette. It just means that the head coaching job a bigger school with deeper pockets  - and, oh hey, the flagship university of the country's second-largest state - is a pretty attractive gig.

Exactly.  You've explained my first 3 points. The only thing left to do is hire a hot young assistant coach to be the next head coach and the cycle continues.

[Jay Bee]

2. Buzz will spurn Texas and stay, effectively ending the daily Buzz-To-Wherever speculation and giving us reason to believe he really will be at Marquette "for as long as they want me." Because if he's not leaving for Texas, he probably isn't leaving.

I'd obviously prefer No. 2. But either way, Marquette gets some closure on this issue.

No. There will never be closure. Things can always change. If you want Buzz at Marquette, it'll always be something on your mind from time to time. Getting past a coaching change at Texas in the spring of 2014 wouldn't wrap that issue up for everyone.

[ChicosBailBonds]

How 'bout this for going against the grain ...

If Texas stinks this season and Barnes gets fired, let's say they come after Buzz hard.

They will come hard after him and probably 3 or 4 other guys.  I actually think they would make a run at someone even higher profile first, but Buzz would definitely be on their list.   I hope Barnes does well this year, I'd rather not have another coach leave in such a short time period.