Some Thoughts On MU Recruiting

[Atlanta Warrior]

I've watched, with a combination of amusement and annoyance, as some have posted negative comments on the recent signing of Marial Shayock.  Clearly, this signing was a debacle.  I mean who needs a 6-7, 4-star player who has only begun to scratch his potential.  I too would like to see us sign a post player but the fact of the matter remains that great post players are difficult to procure.  We have two on our current roster (Chris and Davante) neither of which were highly recruited out of high school.  Both, thanks to their own ability and strong coaching, have become good players.  However, the fact remains that the truly great post players, if your program is fortunate enough to sign one, are likely to only be around for a season.  I am very hopeful that young Mr. Stone will select his hometown school and re-team with Duane Wilson to provide Marquette fans with some great moments.  Apparently, we seem to be in good shape but only time will tell. 

That said many Marquette fans have become very jaded and somewhat ridiculous in the critical comments regarding the program and more specifically the recruiting efforts. This class now features four 4-star recruits (although some may speculate the Mr. Harris might no longer be a member) and comes on the heels on a top 10 class (Mr. McKay's disappointing departure notwithstanding).  This is a golden era in Marquette basketball.  Coach Williams has elevated the program to the point where we are seriously considered by many of the nation's best players.  I have complete faith in Buzz, and his staff, to secure not only players that can perform exceptionally well on the court, but also possess the character and intellectual capacity to achieve success socially and academically.

I was struck yesterday with the announcement that Matt Farrell, a point guard from New Jersey, had verbally committed to Boston College.  Apparently, young Mr. Farrell selected BC over offers from Dartmouth and Monmouth.  Clearly, Mr. Farrell must be a very bright young man to attract the interest of such demanding academic schools as BC and Dartmouth but it's also clear that BC's basketball program has clearly fallen upon lean times when they are reduced to beating out the aforementioned schools for talent.  I'm not taking a shot at Mr. Farrell as I'm sure he's a fine young man and a good basketball player.  However, I can only imagine the meltdown, throughout Marquette nation, if we beat out similar schools for a recruit.  The fact is there was a time (which many of us lived through) where we had a great X & O coach (much like Donahue at BC) whose recruiting skills were equally questionable.  We would routinely beat out such powers as Evansville and Loyola for recruits with the hopes that Coach Deane would be able to "coach them up."  The results were occasional breakthrough recruits (Wardle, Henry) but more often then not less than stellar results.  So let's give this staff the credit they deserve and trust that they will find the right student/athletes to sustain and even improve upon the success they have achieved.  Will there be bumps (McKay being the latest)?  Sure, but all in all I have to say the results speak for themselves and those results have been outstanding!

[tower912]

Testify.   I cannot disagree with a word you wrote. 

[blikemike2]

IMHO Marquette has not recruited at this level since Al. We have a "franchise" coach, if people are unhappy now, I shudder to think what the program would look like post-Buzz.

With the NCAA performance over the last 3 years I would think fans and message board posters should be thrilled with the state of the program. Marquette will never be a blue blood.


Go MU

[Wally Schroeder]

 Clearly, this signing was a debacle.  

I'm thinking is this guy on drugs?

I mean who needs a 6-7, 4-star player who has only begun to scratch his potential.  

Ah, sarcasm! Agree on all points. We really need games to start. Only 16 days!

[BCHoopster]

Lets be realistic, MU is a city school with very little green space, cold climate, but there is a lot to do in a big city.  There are plus's that is for sure, but it is not for everybody.
Satchel Pierce is going to visit Miami, I went to school there, hard to say no to that climate and surroundings.  Night and day.  Buzz has elevated the program just below what Al
did.  The basketball climate has changed since then, very difficult due to the fact one and done kids go to certain schools, those schools are able to do it every year.  That effects
all the other schools, if they would stay 4 years, that would be 30 kids more likely going to find different schools.  MU needs to develop kids, and that is what Buzz can sell and has
done.  4 star kids are great, talented, but maybe not good enough to leave early.  Hope he can do that every year.  Last 2 recruiting classes look to be very good.  In recruiting 13
quality kids, some will not except not getting playing time, ala McKay.  It is going to happen since Buzz wants to have 13 scholarship players.  So some do not work out, no big deal.
MU is on the map again for basketball. 

[Sunbelt15]

IMHO Marquette has not recruited at this level since Al. We have a "franchise" coach, if people are unhappy now, I shudder to think what the program would look like post-Buzz.

With the NCAA performance over the last 3 years I would think fans and message board posters should be thrilled with the state of the program. Marquette will never be a blue blood.


Go MU

Post Buzz, we could still be good, if not better.

You're right, we'll never be a "Blue Blood" cause we don't start and seldom play freshmen. Hopefully that change this year.

[GGGG]

You're right, we'll never be a "Blue Blood" cause we don't start and seldom play freshmen. Hopefully that change this year.

What?  Paint Touches pretty much decimated the thought that Buzz doesn't play freshmen.

I mean, which freshman should have played more than they actually did?  And who should they have taken minutes from?

[Lennys Tap]

Post Buzz, we could still be good, if not better.

We could still be good. As good? Unlikely. Better? Nearly impossible.

[Lennys Tap]

You're right, we'll never be a "Blue Blood" cause we don't start and seldom play freshmen. Hopefully that change this year.

So DePaul's a blue blood? Who would have thunk it.

[Blue Horseshoe]

Marial Shayok. SHAYOK. S-H-A-Y-O-K

[Tums Festival]

100% agree with you Atlanta Warrior! Marial Shayok has tremendous upside, and was listed as one of the five best unsigned (at the time the article was written) prospects outside the ESPN 100 by Reggie Rankin:

"Shayok has improved at a steady rate, has a good feel for the game and possesses a good basketball IQ. He scores from the midrange, can get to the rim (where he does a good job of drawing fouls), has a good handle that allows him to make plays off the bounce and can deliver the pass when he draws a second defender."

Great signing for MU and Buzz!

[Pakuni]

Lets be realistic, MU is a city school with very little green space, cold climate, but there is a lot to do in a big city.  There are plus's that is for sure, but it is not for everybody.
Satchel Pierce is going to visit Miami, I went to school there, hard to say no to that climate and surroundings.  Night and day. 

This may be the most overrated factor in recruiting. If weather mattered that much, schools like Miami, USC, ASU, USF, etc., wouldn't be consistently bad/mediocre. And programs like Syracuse, Kansas, Michigan State and UConn wouldn't be perennial powers.
I'm sure there are kids out there to whom weather matters very much, but for the most part it doesn't seem to be a deciding factor for most.

[Dawson Rental]

We could still be good. As good? Unlikely. Better? Nearly impossible.

+1,000 (+10,000, no longer available)

[GOO]

I've watched, with a combination of amusement and annoyance, as some have posted negative comments on the recent signing of Marial Shayock.  Clearly, this signing was a debacle.  I mean who needs a 6-7, 4-star player who has only begun to scratch his potential.  I too would like to see us sign a post player but the fact of the matter remains that great post players are difficult to procure.  We have two on our current roster (Chris and Davante) neither of which were highly recruited out of high school.  Both, thanks to their own ability and strong coaching, have become good players.  However, the fact remains that the truly great post players, if your program is fortunate enough to sign one, are likely to only be around for a season.  I am very hopeful that young Mr. Stone will select his hometown school and re-team with Duane Wilson to provide Marquette fans with some great moments.  Apparently, we seem to be in good shape but only time will tell. 

That said many Marquette fans have become very jaded and somewhat ridiculous in the critical comments regarding the program and more specifically the recruiting efforts. This class now features four 4-star recruits (although some may speculate the Mr. Harris might no longer be a member) and comes on the heels on a top 10 class (Mr. McKay's disappointing departure notwithstanding).  This is a golden era in Marquette basketball.  Coach Williams has elevated the program to the point where we are seriously considered by many of the nation's best players.  I have complete faith in Buzz, and his staff, to secure not only players that can perform exceptionally well on the court, but also possess the character and intellectual capacity to achieve success socially and academically.

I was struck yesterday with the announcement that Matt Farrell, a point guard from New Jersey, had verbally committed to Boston College.  Apparently, young Mr. Farrell selected BC over offers from Dartmouth and Monmouth.  Clearly, Mr. Farrell must be a very bright young man to attract the interest of such demanding academic schools as BC and Dartmouth but it's also clear that BC's basketball program has clearly fallen upon lean times when they are reduced to beating out the aforementioned schools for talent.  I'm not taking a shot at Mr. Farrell as I'm sure he's a fine young man and a good basketball player.  However, I can only imagine the meltdown, throughout Marquette nation, if we beat out similar schools for a recruit.  The fact is there was a time (which many of us lived through) where we had a great X & O coach (much like Donahue at BC) whose recruiting skills were equally questionable.  We would routinely beat out such powers as Evansville and Loyola for recruits with the hopes that Coach Deane would be able to "coach them up."  The results were occasional breakthrough recruits (Wardle, Henry) but more often then not less than stellar results.  So let's give this staff the credit they deserve and trust that they will find the right student/athletes to sustain and even improve upon the success they have achieved.  Will there be bumps (McKay being the latest)?  Sure, but all in all I have to say the results speak for themselves and those results have been outstanding!

Agreed 100%.  We should enjoy what we have going. Nothing last forever.  Relax and enjoy.  For those of us old enough to have lived through the down times, it is almost unimaginable to be at this level today.  All smiles  

There seem to be a lot of arm chair critics, some who are trolls, is my guess.  But, I kind of look at it like the great Superbowl teams that dominate... there are always some real fans who complain and are scared... if there is nothing else to complain about, then they will complain about "what will happen two years from now" or "the kickoffs are not deep enough" or "the punt game is lacking hang time..." etc.  Some people just have to complain, it's in their nature.  Feel for them and be compassionate... it must suck to think like that about something that is not even real life to us fans.

For the 95% of us that know how good we have it with Buzz, let's sit back and smile and enjoy.

[NersEllenson]

Post Buzz, we could still be good, if not better.

You have a history of curious (at best) posts.  The above, just eliminates any doubt that you like to troll.

For those who think MU the university/facilities is/are the draw - you couldn't be more mistaken.  Top 100 kids choose a college due to:  A)Who the head coach is.  B)History sending players to the NBA - which is an offshoot of the coaching staff's development skills.  C) Location - climate, girls. D) Academic profile of university.

MU has done better than Buzz 1 time in its history - Al McGuire - a legend.  Buzz is only 5 years in, and very well can meet/exceed Al's accomplishments if he stays at MU 10-15 years.  To think MU could better post Buzz is the most ludicrous thing I've read on here...perhaps ever.

And great post Atlanta Warrior - COULD NOT AGREE MORE WITH ALL YOU WROTE.

[MU82]

Love me some Buzz.

Love the direction of the program.

Don't have a single quibble about recruiting. Not one.

[Golden Avalanche]

We could still be good. As good? Unlikely. Better? Nearly impossible.

So last year was Marquette's ceiling in terms of accomplishments?

[chapman]

[tower912]

So last year was Marquette's ceiling in terms of accomplishments?

If you consider a conference championship in a brutal conference and an elite 8 appearance sub par.......
The only way to do better is win one more game and our board sage points out frequently when it suits his point that the tourney is a crapshoot. 

So I will accept conference championships and elite 8's as a ceiling.   Because from there, it is just luck of the draw or the bounce to win it all. 

[MU82]

To think MU could better post Buzz is the most ludicrous thing I've read on here...perhaps ever.

As I just said in another comment, I loves me some Buzz. And having said that ...

Of course we could do better post-Buzz. I mean, what if the next coach we hire -- whether that's next spring or 15 springs from now -- is as good as or better than Buzz? It's not impossible. Seven years ago, who around these parts even knew who Buzz Williams was? How many folks were certain he'd be as good as or better than Crean?

There are always plenty of good coaches out there. Our administration found three in O'Neill, Crean and Buzz, and also whiffed a few times. The trick is to find the next Buzz and avoid the next Dukiet!

To say that's impossible and ludicrous is shortsighted.

[Aughnanure]

We could still be good. As good? Unlikely. Better? Nearly impossible.

Suck it up boys, it's all downhill from here.

[jesmu84]

As I just said in another comment, I loves me some Buzz. And having said that ...

Of course we could do better post-Buzz. I mean, what if the next coach we hire -- whether that's next spring or 15 springs from now -- is as good as or better than Buzz? It's not impossible. Seven years ago, who around these parts even knew who Buzz Williams was? How many folks were certain he'd be as good as or better than Crean?

There are always plenty of good coaches out there. Our administration found three in O'Neill, Crean and Buzz, and also whiffed a few times. The trick is to find the next Buzz and avoid the next Dukiet!

To say that's impossible and ludicrous is shortsighted.

Yes possible. But our local coach expert would say it's about as possible as an asteroid striking you today.

[Spotcheck Billy]

some of the comments remind me of how we tell our kids that the Packers really sucked for many years and they ought to enjoy the good times while they last

[melissasmooth]

whew, people overthink way too much on here

[Aughnanure]

You have a history of curious (at best) posts.  The above, just eliminates any doubt that you like to troll.

For those who think MU the university/facilities is/are the draw - you couldn't be more mistaken.  Top 100 kids choose a college due to:  A)Who the head coach is.  B)History sending players to the NBA - which is an offshoot of the coaching staff's development skills.  C) Location - climate, girls. D) Academic profile of university.

MU has done better than Buzz 1 time in its history - Al McGuire - a legend.  Buzz is only 5 years in, and very well can meet/exceed Al's accomplishments if he stays at MU 10-15 years.  To think MU could better post Buzz is the most ludicrous thing I've read on here...perhaps ever.

And great post Atlanta Warrior - COULD NOT AGREE MORE WITH ALL YOU WROTE.

Wow. You've gone a bit off the deep end. Sunbelt was not saying we would be better because Buzz is gone. Jesus Christ, have we won a freaking national championship I'm not aware of?