6 years ago....

[tower912]

It took 6 days to hire Buzz and he was in-house.     People (Chicos) were (was) screaming their (his) brains out about the lack of process.    Aghast that it didn't take longer and every possible avenue wasn't pursued.    That they took 'no' for an answer from Miller/Bennett/the-guy-from-SIU-whose-name-I-can-no-longer-remember/Weber.    If the Shaka frenzy hadn't consumed the MU imagination over the last few days,  I think the narrative would be that the AD was taking his time and doing his due diligence, exploring all options.   

[GoldenWarrior11]

... "It's INDIANA!  IT'S INDIANA!!" became a catch phrase.

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

@CoachTomCrean joined twitter

[Marquette_g]

... "It's INDIANA!  IT'S INDIANA!!" became a catch phrase.

It's too bad that never caught on.

[GB Warrior]

The point of your post isn't lost on me, but we're in a much different place then. This team has seen an extremely sustained run of success, and we seemingly (SEEMINGLY) had our coach stolen but a school that barely registers as high major. Part of it is saving face, but that's not why you sign a big name coach. You sign a big name coach because you have the rare opportunity to trade up. And now that we have a president in place and an AD for the foreseeable future, choosing to reach deep into the well - in my opinion - is an inexcusable approach for a program that has been where we have been for the better part of the past decade.

[tower912]

It takes two to tango.   MU offered Shaka  a boatload of cash and he said no.    The question now is who will say yes.     It isn't like MU can hold a gun to their head and force them to come here.   There are names out there known to all who will say yes.    It is just a matter of time.   So.....   the wait goes on. 

[ChicosBailBonds]

It took 6 days to hire Buzz and he was in-house.     People (Chicos) were (was) screaming their (his) brains out about the lack of process.    Aghast that it didn't take longer and every possible avenue wasn't pursued.    That they took 'no' for an answer from Miller/Bennett/the-guy-from-SIU-whose-name-I-can-no-longer-remember/Weber.    If the Shaka frenzy hadn't consumed the MU imagination over the last few days,  I think the narrative would be that the AD was taking his time and doing his due diligence, exploring all options.    

A lot of memory problems for some people in 6 years.  Some of us were ahead of our time     I didn't realize I represented the People.   I will put out some edicts later tonight, my subjects.

Screaming their brains out?  Actually, I was on vacation in Carlsbad at the Four Seasons Aviara when the whole thing went down, but yes I opined a few times, especially later.  I wrote some stuff on Cracked Sidewalks, and here. The process sucked, could have had Buzz weeks later.  Just like we can get Wardle weeks later if need be.  I'm not worrying about the timing right now, I'm more worried about settling, of course the other issue is if you wait too long then it looks like MU can't get anyone, that's the trickiness with all of this.  Don't rush, but you can't wait too long either.  Tough thing to do.  

At any rate, here's what I wrote back then for CS.  Some good, some not so good. I still think the process sucked back then, and will not change my mind.  
 

http://www.crackedsidewalks.com/2008/04/marquette-pivotal-next-step-to-show-how.html


Wrote plenty of other stuff, too. 

[GB Warrior]

It takes two to tango.   MU offered Shaka  a boatload of cash and he said no.    The question now is who will say yes.     It isn't like MU can hold a gun to their head and force them to come here.   There are names out there known to all who will say yes.    It is just a matter of time.   So.....   the wait goes on. 

And not saying it has to be Shaka. Doesn't have to be Howland (though it should be). But it should be someone that is commensurate with the level of success we have achieved and the commitment we have to basketball.

[mattyv1908]

It takes two to tango.   MU offered Shaka  a boatload of cash and he said no.    The question now is who will say yes.     It isn't like MU can hold a gun to their head and force them to come here.   There are names out there known to all who will say yes.    It is just a matter of time.   So.....   the wait goes on. 

While of course I would have been happy with MU hiring Smart, I think we went about it wrong.

We had a three time final four coach who's had success with multiple programs publicly saying how much he wants the job.  If Marquette wanted to offer Smart a deal it needed to be an all in type offer with a 48 hour deadline and an immediate Howland hire Tue/Wed of this week were the deadline to pass.

ESPN and every other major sports outlet reporting Shaka Smart turning down the Marquette job lowers the school's leverage in this situation.

Let's get the coach who's lobbying for the job with a track record of success and be done with this already.

[Dawson Rental]

... "It's INDIANA!  IT'S INDIANA!!" became a catch phrase.

Perhaps soon to be replaced by ABC, ABC.


(Anybody, But Crean)

[ChicosBailBonds]

And not saying it has to be Shaka. Doesn't have to be Howland (though it should be). But it should be someone that is commensurate with the level of success we have achieved and the commitment we have to basketball.

In other words, we need to be a big boy program.  Yup.

[tower912]

Chico's you will be glad to know that IWB agrees that you can't judge a coach until after 5 years.        And you weren't alone about not liking the process, you were just the most vigorous.    And my original point is that 6 years ago it took 6 days to hire an internal candidate who desperately wanted the job.     Respect the process.  

[mr.MUskie]

Chicos, I just read your Crean article. You made this statement then. Do you think it applies to Howland now?

This is also not the time for a good x's and o's coach that isn't willing to work his ass off recruiting, one that is looking to end his career at MU on cruise control.

[GB Warrior]

Chicos, I just read your Crean article. You made this statement then. Do you think it applies to Howland now?

This is also not the time for a good x's and o's coach that isn't willing to work his ass off recruiting, one that is looking to end his career at MU on cruise control.

You only hire Howland if you think he still has a little bitterness over UCLA and believes he can lead another team back to the FF and beyond. I think he does.

[Dawson Rental]

Chico's you will be glad to know that IWB agrees that you can't judge a coach until after 5 years.        And you weren't alone about not liking the process, you were just the most vigorous.    And my original point is that 6 years ago it took 6 days to hire an internal candidate who desperately wanted the job.     Respect the process.  

In all honesty, while making your point you did choose to call out Chicos, as well.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Chicos, I just read your Crean article. You made this statement then. Do you think it applies to Howland now?

This is also not the time for a good x's and o's coach that isn't willing to work his ass off recruiting, one that is looking to end his career at MU on cruise control.

I made the same statement a few days ago here.  It is a worry...that's the danger of hiring someone that is potentially entering their last job.  With Howland, I don't think it is the case, but you never know.  Bigger worry with Weber on that front than Howland.

[Dawson Rental]

You only hire Howland if you think he still has a little bitterness over UCLA and believes he can lead another team back to the FF and beyond. I think he does.

And, particularly for Marquette, (thank God) you need to believe that he learned the lesson that letting discipline problems fester leads to disaster.

This was the most disturbing part of the Sports Illustrated special report on UCLA for me:

"Nelson often reacted to hard fouls or calls against him in practice by committing violent acts against teammates. He did not deny to SI that he would stalk his targets, even running across the court, away from a play, to hit someone.

Once, Nelson got tangled up with forward James Keefe while going for a rebound. Keefe was playing with a surgically repaired left shoulder, and Nelson pulled down suddenly on Keefe's left arm. That reinjured Keefe's shoulder, and he missed several weeks. Later in the season Nelson hacked walk-on Alex Schrempf, the son of former NBA player Detlef Schrempf, from behind on a breakaway, knocking Schrempf to the ground. The back injury Schrempf suffered sidelined him for months. In another workout Nelson threw an elbow at Lane after the whistle, injuring Lane's ribs.

Walk-on Tyler Trapani was another Nelson victim. After Trapani took a charge that negated a Nelson dunk, Nelson went out of his way to step on Trapani's chest as he lay on the ground. Trapani is John Wooden's great-grandson. (Nelson confirmed all these incidents to SI and expressed his regret, saying, "On all that stuff, I have no trouble admitting that I lost control of my emotions sometimes. I take responsibility for my actions. I'm really just trying to learn from the mistakes I made on all levels.")

After each of the incidents, Howland looked the other way. One team member says he asked Howland after a practice why he wasn't punishing Nelson, to which he said Howland responded, "He's producing."

[DavidDiggsDawg]

..... I finally lost my virginity!!!


Oh, thats not what you were going for, was it?

[DavidDiggsDawg]

and I killed the thread. Fail.

[Tums Festival]

It took 6 days to hire Buzz and he was in-house.     People (Chicos) were (was) screaming their (his) brains out about the lack of process.    Aghast that it didn't take longer and every possible avenue wasn't pursued.    That they took 'no' for an answer from Miller/Bennett/the-guy-from-SIU-whose-name-I-can-no-longer-remember/Weber.    If the Shaka frenzy hadn't consumed the MU imagination over the last few days,  I think the narrative would be that the AD was taking his time and doing his due diligence, exploring all options.   

Chris Lowery was the coach at SIU when Crean left. He subsequently was fired by SIU in 2012 and is now an assistant to...Bruce Weber.

[NotAnAlum]

If Marquette wanted to offer Smart a deal it needed to be an all in type offer with a 48 hour deadline and an immediate Howland hire Tue/Wed of this week were the deadline to pass.

Are you criticizing MU because in your book they took 24 hours too long   Look Sunday night they thought they had a deal with the guy they really wanted and just about every program in the country really wanted.  The guy told them the one thing standing in the way of a deal was not having a Pres.  So they named the Pres (who they probably had decided on anyway) to remove that objection.  Yes it took two days from hearing the objection to get that done (pretty fast I'd say).  In the mean time SS got cold feet, buyer remorse, It happens.  So in a last attempt to get back to yes they sent the team down there to talk face to face.  But it didn't work.  That happens.  If you give up on the first NO you wouldn't make a very good salesman.
So where are we now.  The fan base is all rung out but NONE of the other candidates have gone anywhere.  Will it hurt us with Howland if that is who we choose.  I doubt it.  There aren't a lot of programs with our strength waiting to throw +2M at a coach.  You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.  And if you are going to take a shot make it your best shot.  On to the next guy.

[TX_AZ_Warrior]

Are you criticizing MU because in your book they took 24 hours too long   Look Sunday night they thought they had a deal with the guy they really wanted and just about every program in the country really wanted.  The guy told them the one thing standing in the way of a deal was not having a Pres.  So they named the Pres (who they probably had decided on anyway) to remove that objection.  Yes it took two days from hearing the objection to get that done (pretty fast I'd say).  In the mean time SS got cold feet, buyer remorse, It happens.  So in a last attempt to get back to yes they sent the team down there to talk face to face.  But it didn't work.  That happens.  If you give up on the first NO you wouldn't make a very good salesman.
So where are we now.  The fan base is all rung out but NONE of the other candidates have gone anywhere.  Will it hurt us with Howland if that is who we choose.  I doubt it.  There aren't a lot of programs with our strength waiting to throw +2M at a coach.  You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.  And if you are going to take a shot make it your best shot.  On to the next guy.

What is this??  A post that is suppose to make sense.  We don't see these around here.  Thanks for some sanity.