[PaintTouches]Strotman: Lack of accountability dooms Marquette

[PaintTouchesSays]

Strotman: Lack of accountability dooms Marquette

Well, it's finally here. The win-or-go-home games have finally begun for Marquette. For five previous seasons under Buzz Williams (with the exception, maybe, of 2011) these contests have occurred in the third week of March, not the second. But this is what 17-14 gets you. Winning half your conference games, including just two of your [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=painttouches.com&blog=28348875&post=11424&subd=painttouches&ref=&feed=1" width="1" height="1" />

Source: Strotman: Lack of accountability dooms Marquette

[ATWizJr]

Chemistry trumps all and with no leadership came no chemistry.

[Dawson Rental]

Could Ox have been a leader if he had started?

[tower912]

I agree with this.   I have been quoting Buzz's complaint about lack of leadership going back to September.   I freely admit that this reinforces my bias about this team.   IMO, the biggest weakness of this team is that the most talented seniors have not consistently led.    And it boils down to that last play in double OT on Senior day.    Gardner went to the wrong spot and Jamil didn't want to take the shot.   This year's version of senior leadership, of accountability, in 7 seconds.  

[GooooMarquette]

This sentence says it all:  No, the problem was that no one player took the onus for a 7-5 record. A 9-7 record. A 12-10 record. A 17-14 record.

We didn't have a Vander Blue ('12-13), Jae Crowder ('11-'12), Jimmy Butler ('10-'11), Lazar Hayward ('09-'10), etc. to take over and lead by example.  It has usually been a senior, but Vander showed that it doesn't have to be.

Not gonna blame any one player...but I'm hoping maybe Todd or Deonte can become that player next season.

[NersEllenson]

This team's struggles have nothing to do with "leadership," and everything to do with talent at the most critical position on the floor and the inability of our backcourt to consistently put the ball in the basket.  Buzz made the decision all year that he was better off playing 4 on 5 on the offensive end, than risk putting the ball and potentially more turnovers in the hands of a freshman PG.  He wasn't willing to sacrifice defense and ball security for more offense.  His call...his choice.....it's on him.  He'd have lost nothing more had he tried a different approach for just 3 or 4 games...and he just might have found something along the way.  We'll never know.  

[connie]

I tend to agree with this analysis because, like Tower, it fits my bias.  I am unwilling to ignore the history we have of developing leaders that turn our teams into more than the sum of their individual parts.  It is for the same reason, however, that I have a growing sympathy for the (oft shared) opinion that if the guys that should be leading aren't, then its time to find someone who will.  I think that our middling success actually worked against us here.  There was still a chance for this season to end in a bid, until it was too late to change things up.

More reason to be frustrated by an incredibly frustrating season.

[Dawson Rental]

This team's struggles have nothing to do with "leadership," and everything to do with talent at the most critical position on the floor and the inability of our backcourt to consistently put the ball in the basket.  Buzz made the decision all year that he was better off playing 4 on 5 on the offensive end, than risk putting the ball and potentially more turnovers in the hands of a freshman PG.  He wasn't willing to sacrifice defense and ball security for more offense.  His call...his choice.....it's on him.  He'd have lost nothing more had he tried a different approach for just 3 or 4 games...and he just might have found something along the way.  We'll never know.  

So if something wasn't working in practice, Buzz should still have tried it in games, just so we could all see that it didn't work?

[WadeJFB]

This team's struggles have nothing to do with "leadership," and everything to do with talent at the most critical position on the floor and the inability of our backcourt to consistently put the ball in the basket.  Buzz made the decision all year that he was better off playing 4 on 5 on the offensive end, than risk putting the ball and potentially more turnovers in the hands of a freshman PG.  He wasn't willing to sacrifice defense and ball security for more offense.  His call...his choice.....it's on him.  He'd have lost nothing more had he tried a different approach for just 3 or 4 games...and he just might have found something along the way.  We'll never know.  

Ding Ding Ding Ding! You're spot on with this

[GooooMarquette]

This team's struggles have nothing to do with "leadership,"

Well, except for the fact that we had as many close games this season as we did in years past...and the winning plays made by guys like Vander, Jae, Jimmy etc were rarely the work of the PG.  Instead, the PG usually just handed those guys the ball at the end and got out of the way.  When our PG tried to do that this season, the guys he handed the ball to didn't produce.

You can rail on this year's PG all you want, but the fact is that Junior didn't make some stellar pass to Vander at the end of the SJU or Davidson games last season.  Vander took the ball from the perimeter to the hole himself.  If we'd had a guy who could consistently do that at the end of games this year, our record would be very different...with the same PG.

[NersEllenson]

So if something wasn't working in practice, Buzz should still have tried it in games, just so we could all see that it didn't work?

What is your view on what takes place in a typical practice?  You are aware that there is very little up and down, 5-5, scrimmaging that takes place in practices, correct?

Practice is nothing like games...you are doing a lot of half court scouting report work, situational work, time/score scenario work, inbounds plays, press break, different defensive drills/installations/shell work.

I would venture a guess that 5 on 5 up and down scrimmaging constitutes less than 10% of all practice time for D-1 Basketball programs.

[tower912]

Well, except for the fact that we had as many close games this season as we did in years past...and the winning plays made by guys like Vander, Jae, Jimmy etc were rarely the work of the PG.  Instead, the PG usually just handed those guys the ball at the end and got out of the way.  When our PG tried to do that this season, the guys he handed the ball to didn't produce.

This year, instead of producing, or even attempting to,  they passed the ball back to the worst shooter on the team.  

[NersEllenson]

Well, except for the fact that we had as many close games this season as we did in years past...and the winning plays made by guys like Vander, Jae, Jimmy etc were rarely the work of the PG.  Instead, the PG usually just handed those guys the ball at the end and got out of the way.  When our PG tried to do that this season, the guys he handed the ball to didn't produce.

You can rail on this year's PG all you want, but the fact is that Junior didn't make some stellar pass to Vander at the end of the SJU or Davidson games last season.  Vander took the ball from the perimeter to the hole himself.  If we'd had a guy who could consistently do that at the end of games this year, our record would be very different...with the same PG.

Give me a break...what did Todd Mayo do against Villanova, Providence and St. John's??  The level you go to, to try to excuse, the excuse we had at PG this year is ridiculous.  He made 1, 3 point shot all year.  44% from FT line.  No made FGs outside of 3 feet in 2014.  Do you realize how little he needs to be defended...and what the domino effect of that is on every other guy on floor?  Particularly Davante and Jamil?  Packed paint/duoble teams all day for Gardner...

But yep...Derrick is the victim of Todd Mayo not being Vander Blue, Jimmy or Jae...perhaps he's the victim of Buzz choosing to only give Todd 23 minutes a game this year when it is crystal clear to anyone that he's the most talented guard on the team...

[NersEllenson]

This year, instead of producing, or even attempting to,  they passed the ball back to the worst shooter on the team.  

This is ridiculous...Jamil made the right basketball play...Derrick dribbles his man per usual right into Jamil for a double team...Jamil gets handed the ball 22' from the basket on a tight double team with 3 seconds left...instead of forcing an extremely low percentage shot....he passes to a teammate for a WIDE open 10 foot uncontested shot...even with Derrick shooting it...that has a much better chance of going in than Jamil forcing a wild 3 point shot....yet....hey...let's not blame Derrick for missing an easy shot...its Jamil's fault for not being a senior leader...he showed great leadership being unselfish and being willing to pass the ball to a struggling teammate for a higher percentage shot...that my friend...is actually leadership.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Excellently written article Strotty. Couldn't have said it better myself. What concerns me is that I don't see who steps up next season.  Assuming it is a senior (doesn't have to be but usually is), Derrick has the leadership, but not the on the court play. Todd has the on the court play, but not the leadership. Juan has the hustle and work ethic, but nothing else.

If we could morph the three of them into one player, we would have the perfect senior leader (and 2 scholarhips open, lol).

Maybe one of the underclassmen could step up. Deonte? STJ? Maybe even Hill, he seems to have a certain swagger to him.

[GooooMarquette]

Give me a break...what did Todd Mayo do against Villanova, Providence and St. John's??  The level you go to, to try to excuse, the excuse we had at PG this year is ridiculous.  He made 1, 3 point shot all year.  44% from FT line.  No made FGs outside of 3 feet in 2014.  Do you realize how little he needs to be defended...and what the domino effect of that is on every other guy on floor?  Particularly Davante and Jamil?  Packed paint/duoble teams all day for Gardner...

But yep...Derrick is the victim of Todd Mayo not being Vander Blue, Jimmy or Jae...perhaps he's the victim of Buzz choosing to only give Todd 23 minutes a game this year when it is crystal clear to anyone that he's the most talented guard on the team...

And the fact that you continue to focus only on shooting, while ignoring defense, rebounds, assists, steals, low turnovers, etc is even more ridiculous.  Derrick is among the league's best PGs in several statistical categories, and he is awful at shooting...yet you continue to focus on that one aspect of his game, instead of recogniznig the value of the others.

[Blackhat]

More JUCO please.

[tower912]

Strotty actually pulled punches in the article.   He didn't use Buzz quotes about Davante's work habits, or that Jake was a walk on who shouldn't be getting as many minutes as we was.  (Implication being that nobody was doing what it took to take minutes away from him).     When you add those things together with the quotes Strotty did use, and I think  reasonable picture can be painted about what Buzz will say about this year's team after it is all said and done.       The talented seniors didn't lead, and the young guys did not seize opportunities.  

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Another PG thread, oh joy.

I think the difference that you have failed to see all year is the expectations. Has PG play been a problem? HELL YEAH it's been a problem. Has leadership also been a problem? HELL YEAH it's been a problem.

The difference is, we expected Derrick Wilson to put up the numbers he has. You can check my post history. I think I projected about 5 ppg, 4 rpg, and 4.5 apg on terrible shooting with excellent defense from Derrick. Despite that, I still expected us to be a top 25 team (I think I had us as 18th, 2nd best in BEast). So Derrick has lived up to my expectations for him...though I'll admit I didn't expect the defense sagging off him to be such an issue.

I did however expect a senior leader to step up. I expected Jamil to have a Jae Crowder like senior season. He didn't. I also expected JJJ to make an immediate contribution. Instead he couldn't even crack the rotation.

This is why we aren't as outraged as you are. We knew going in what Derrick Wilson was. We thought the rest of our team was good enough to overcome it.

[forgetful]

Could Ox have been a leader if he had started?

No.  Nothing against him, but I just don't think that is his personality.  When he came to MU he couldn't even look other people in the eye.

[NersEllenson]

And the fact that you continue to focus only on shooting, while ignoring defense, rebounds, assists, steals, low turnovers, etc is even more ridiculous.  Derrick is among the league's best PGs in several statistical categories, and he is awful at shooting...yet you continue to focus on that one aspect of his game, instead of recogniznig the value of the others.

The negative value his complete inability to shoot outside of 3 feet is far more detrimental to this team than his assists and turnovers/assist to turnover ratio.  But here's some data to pound your head into:

Player   Team    Min.   PPG   FG%   3P%   FT%   APG   REB   STL   TO
Starks   GT    36.8  17.1   42   33   86   4.1   2.1   0.9   2.4
S. Gibbs   SH   30.4   13.7   42   37   74   4.2   3   1.1   2.2
Cotton   PC   40.1   21.7   42   38   85   5.9   3.6   1   2.4
Arcidiacono   NOVA   30.8   10   40   35   70   3.5   2.4   1   1.4
Wilson   MARQ   30.9   5.1   39   7       44   4.2   3.8   1.3   1.5
Chatman   CRE   29.4   7.6   40   40   77   4.3   3.5   0.6   1.7
Davis          XAVI   30.5   7.7   39   38   84   4.9   1.8   1.1   2
Young   DEP   34.8   16.2   44   26   68   3.6   4.1   1.8   3.1
Barlow   BUT   32.6   6.7   39   40   77   3.5   3.8   2   1.1
Jordan   STJ   26   9.4   41   26   67   3.1   3.1   1.3   2.2
Average      32.4   12.2   41   35   76   4.1   3   1.2   2.1
Derrick Rank   5th   10th   T-8th   10th   10th   T-4th   T-2nd   T-3rd   T-3rd
Derrick Deviation.-1.5   -7.1   -2   -28   -32   0.1   0.8   0.1   0.6

**Sorry, I don't get really excited over Derrick averaging 0.1 more assists/steals per game than the AVERAGE PG in Big East, or turning the ball over 0.6 less than the average PG in the Big East - not while he is so blatantly deficient in FT percentage, 3 pt percentage, ability to hit shot outside of 3', and averages 7.1 ppg less than just the average PG in Big East.

[mattyv1908]

The negative value his complete inability to shoot outside of 3 feet is far more detrimental to this team than his assists and turnovers/assist to turnover ratio.  But here's some data to pound your head into:

Player   Team    Min.   PPG   FG%   3P%   FT%   APG   REB   STL   TO
Starks   GT    36.8  17.1   42   33   86   4.1   2.1   0.9   2.4
S. Gibbs   SH   30.4   13.7   42   37   74   4.2   3   1.1   2.2
Cotton   PC   40.1   21.7   42   38   85   5.9   3.6   1   2.4
Arcidiacono   NOVA   30.8   10   40   35   70   3.5   2.4   1   1.4
Wilson   MARQ   30.9   5.1   39   7       44   4.2   3.8   1.3   1.5
Chatman   CRE   29.4   7.6   40   40   77   4.3   3.5   0.6   1.7
Davis          XAVI   30.5   7.7   39   38   84   4.9   1.8   1.1   2
Young   DEP   34.8   16.2   44   26   68   3.6   4.1   1.8   3.1
Barlow   BUT   32.6   6.7   39   40   77   3.5   3.8   2   1.1
Jordan   STJ   26   9.4   41   26   67   3.1   3.1   1.3   2.2
Average      32.4   12.2   41   35   76   4.1   3   1.2   2.1
Derrick Rank   5th   10th   T-8th   10th   10th   T-4th   T-2nd   T-3rd   T-3rd
Derrick Deviation.-1.5   7.1   -2   -28   -32   0.1   0.8   0.1   0.6

**Sorry, I don't get really excited over Derrick averaging 0.1 more assists/steals per game than the AVERAGE PG in Big East, or turning the ball over 0.6 less than the average PG in the Big East - not while he is so blatantly deficient in FT percentage, 3 pt percentage, ability to hit shot outside of 3', and averages 7.1 ppg less than just the average PG in Big East.

And this should be all she wrote for this discussion.

While I don't like stat sheet stats as the best indicator of player value, this comparison of BE PG play should make anyone who claims D Wilson is 'average at best' feel embarassed.

[tower912]

However, using your numbers, he was 'best available'.

[Wojo'sMojo]

Don't we pay Buzz the big bucks to be the leader of this team? All this talk about lack of leadership...if Buzz realizes he doesn't have any leaders on this team, he should take it upon himself to force the issue on himself even more. I have seen Jamil trying to be the leader this year at times...I have seen Derrick trying to lead this team at times, however when you are an offensive liability I don't think you can have to much credibility with your teammates.

[tower912]

Don't we pay Buzz the big bucks to be the leader of this team? All this talk about lack of leadership...if Buzz realizes he doesn't have any leaders on this team, he should take it upon himself to force the issue on himself even more. I have seen Jamil trying to be the leader this year at times...I have seen Derrick trying to lead this team at times, however when you are an offensive liability I don't think you can have to much credibility with your teammates.

He did take blame.   I'm not sure if it was a radio show or an interview, but he said, and I paraphrase, that he had made assumptions and had taken shortcuts based on those assumptions and the tough OOC schedule, relating to the culture of the team.