I am an idiot

[wadesworld]

Not scared to admit it.  For 5 seasons I bought into Bert's schtick.  Even last year I backed Bert last year, thinking all coaches have a bad season every so often.  I had heard some stories that concerned me in Bert's first 5 years here, but figured they were all overplayed or just part of high-major college athletics.  Since leaving, I have heard more stories from people who I believe would know and would not exaggerate things, and I was wrong.  Bert played me.  He played many of us.  I do appreciate what he did (the on court success of the first 5 seasons, Buzz's Bunch), but we are better off where we are now than we were a month ago.

Anybody else get played?

[ChicosBailBonds]

BRAVO!!


Hell will freeze over likely, but looking to see if a handful of others are as brave as you, two in particular.  It isn't getting any colder here, so I doubt it will happen.

[Rockmic87]

So is Bert worst than Tanning Cream?

[Hards Alumni]

I'm more of a results oriented person.  While I wasn't happy with the off the court shenanigans, I was able to forgive quite a bit as long as the team was winning.

Last year they weren't.  Harder to deal with them.

[ecompt]

I admit it, he had me fooled. It wasn't until midway through this season that I saw what an abysmal game coach he could be. But then I read the story about Buzz's Bunch and figured I was being too hard on the guy. I still love what he does with special-needs kids but he completely screwed this team's season. He will last three years in Blacksburg.

[wadesworld]

So is Bert worst than Tanning Cream?

They both have their issues.  Who ran a "dirtier" program?  Bert.  Which is a nut?  Well, both.  I'd say Crean wins that one by a slim margin.  But the margin is slim.

[wadesworld]

I'm more of a results oriented person.  While I wasn't happy with the off the court shenanigans, I was able to forgive quite a bit as long as the team was winning.

Last year they weren't.  Harder to deal with them.

Well put.

[source?]

Hell will freeze over likely...  It isn't getting any colder here, so I doubt it will happen.

Clearly you haven't been to Milwaukee recently.

[humanlung]

So is Bert worst than Tanning Cream?

Far worse.

[swoopem]

I totally bought into what he was saying and was a big time believer. I was a sophomore when he was hired and went to his press conference so not knowing anything about him, but ended up walking away impressed (even though he didn't answer a single question "it's about the guys"). Because I was a fan since day one I always imagined that I would be at his retirement press conference celebrating multiple final fours, a few championships, and so on. Instead I straight up got played and he turned his back on me and my school.

For that I say thank you for the 5 years of success, but I can't wait to watch you do absolutely nothing at VA Tech.  

[Niv Berkowitz]

Chicos, I have grown to appreciate/like your posts more over the last couple months. And I know you obviously care about Marquette a lot.

But please... spare us the constant martyrdom-schtick.

[Aughnanure]

Not scared to admit it.  For 5 seasons I bought into Bert's schtick.  Even last year I backed Bert last year, thinking all coaches have a bad season every so often.  I had heard some stories that concerned me in Bert's first 5 years here, but figured they were all overplayed or just part of high-major college athletics.  Since leaving, I have heard more stories from people who I believe would know and would not exaggerate things, and I was wrong.  Bert played me.  He played many of us.  I do appreciate what he did (the on court success of the first 5 seasons, Buzz's Bunch), but we are better off where we are now than we were a month ago.

Anybody else get played?

Ditto. He won so much, I had to assume it was sour grapes or "what have you done for me lately" mentality.

I was increasingly hating the turnover, but it was hard to get too pissed off when we improved every year, so it was easy to ignore.

[Aughnanure]

So is Bert worst than Tanning Cream?

The way Bort ran the Big East and Marquette's future as a major hoops power through the mud when he left makes him worse in my book.

[Hards Alumni]

Chicos, I have grown to appreciate/like your posts more over the last couple months. And I know you obviously care about Marquette a lot.

But please... spare us the constant martyrdom-schtick.

If you know anything about him, you KNOW that is impossible.

[tower912]

So is Bert worst than Tanning Cream?

When Crean left, there were was a lot of stories about all of the horrible things he did while at MU.    Saunders, Ammo, Mortenson, the lost 03-04 recruiting class, how he treated underlings, publicly trashing Todd Townsend...     in other words, a whole bunch of stuff that had been overlooked suddenly came to the fore to help justify how glad everyone was that he was gone.     The same thing is going on now in regards to Buzz.    I take it every bit as seriously as I did with Crean.    From a purely basketball standpoint, Buzz is a better coach than Crean.  
I supported Crean while he was here.   I supported Buzz while he was here.   I will support CoWoJo.   

[ATWizJr]

would have to admit, bought the Buzz Schtick. (sp?)

[MUsoxfan]

College D1 coaches, for the large part, are a heaping pile of slime. You just hope the guy you have isn't covered in it too heavily. However if he is, as long as he's winning and stays with you, you're willing to look past the slime

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

All college coaches are salesman. It's a HUGE part of the job.

If we like the product (aka winning), we will believe anything the salesman tells us. Cincy fans LOVED Huggy. Can you imagine that? Winning is a powerful perfume.

Buzz sold us on the idea that he was "different" from other coaches. He is not different. He's a salesman. He was just using a different sales tactic.

I don't blame Buzz for that. I wish him well.

Wojo is going to have his fair share of coachspeak and idiosyncrasies as well. It's part of the job. We just need to smile and nod along, knowing that deep down, he's selling. It's what they do.

The Holy Trinity of college coaching:
#1 Win games
#2 Graduate players
#3 Stay out of the news for negative crap

[Pakuni]

You're being too hard on yourself.
Nothing wrong with liking the guy while he was here. He did a lot of good things at MU, and brought us many great memories.

[Benny B]

Frankly, I completely misjudged the guy... I didn't think he was smart enough to pull off the schtick.  To be on all the time like he is, it takes something that someone with an "affinity" for numbers and schedules typically does not have.

In fact, now I'm thinking that his schtick is real, but it's the whole "numbers" and "schedules" thing that was the ruse.

[willie warrior]

Well put.

yup--many of us go with ends justify the means, or at least cause them to be ignored.

[Pakuni]

He will last three years in Blacksburg.

I agree with this completely.
He's either going to have some success and bolt for a better/bigger program ASAP; or he's going to flop, lose his mind and resurface a few years down the road at Texas-Arlington. Anyone who thought Biff was close to losing it at times during a 17-15 season, wait until he goes 10-20.

[SoCalEagle]

At least you didn't seek him out to see if he would be your engagement encounter sponsor. That wasn't you, was it?

[mu03eng]

would have to admit, bought the Buzz Schtick. (sp?)

I bought into it as well.  Not ashamed, made the best call with the info I had at the time.

[Shack]

So is Bert worst than Tanning Cream?

Yes because I think people can accept Marquette being a stepping stone job for Indiana.  But when you leave Marquette for VT it makes us look bad.  I know Marquette wants to take the high ground here but if he truly was asked to leave we need to say that.  

Buzz played me too.  Guy was in over his head big time.   Talk is cheap.  Buzz was a poor leader for many reasons -- insecure, no loyalty, mentally weak, dishonest, fake.  TC left Marquette for a job that he thought would give him a better chance to win a National Championship.  Buzz left because he couldn't take the pressure of the expectations here at Marquette.  But it makes us look like we weren't good enough for him.  That's why he is worse.