Gottlieb: Will Wojo at Marquette Work?

[Avenue Commons]

http://mweb.cbssports.com/ncaab/writer/doug-gottlieb/24522621/around-the-country-looking-back-at-uconn-kentucky

Will Steve Wojciechowski's hiring at Marquette work out?

It's a reasonable question to ask. As coaching trees spread, we so often look for results of the mentored to affirm the greatness of the mentor, and so it is with Coach K. Is that fair? Not really. Billy Donovan doesn't coach like Rick Pitino, nor does Herb Sendek, yet both are former Pitino aides who have had very different levels of success.

That said, Coach K's tree is a widening one that finally seems to be breaking through ... somewhat. Mike Brey has long been stable at Notre Dame and though this was a down year, he survived some rough patches and isn't going anywhere. Brey was a winner at Delaware before ND and in terms of sustained success, is probably the best former assistant, non-player of the Coach K tree.

Tommy Amaker did very well for a time at Seton Hall, including a Sweet 16 appearance, then he recruited a bit of a higher-level, higher-baggage recruit, and it wasn't working. Amaker left for Michigan, and for all of the leadership flaws in the athletic department at the time, and their lack of facility upgrades in comparison to most of the Big Ten, the bottom line was Amaker didn't make the tourney during his six seasons in Ann Arbor.


Steve Wojciechowski (left) is yet another branch on the Coach K tree, but will he succeed? (Getty Images)
Harvard has proven to be a perfect fit as the school has worked with Amaker to compete for top academic recruits without making it impossible to get kids into school, and now he has made three straight NCAA appearances and they are the dominant team in the Ivy.

Johnny Dawkins was struggling at Stanford, as he went five years without making a tourney before finding a good mix and making the Sweet 16 this season while having an outstanding recruiting class.

Quin Snyder was the hot assistant back when he took over Missouri and though the Tigers recruited well and had an Elite Eight appearance, Snyder never finished above sixth in Big 12, then had issues that derailed what looked like a very promising college career. He is currently an assistant and has since become a very well-regarded professional coach.

Which leads us to Wojciechowski. Wojo embodies all that is Duke and Coach K, but will it work at Marquette? It is hard to try and guard everyone when you don't have talent at every position, something Duke does as it tries to impose its will on you.

Keep in mind that Buzz Williams had a penchant for finding non-top 100 recruits and helping them become pros. But Buzz went the juco, unheralded route for many of his best players. Even the greatest player in Marquette's recent history (and probably entire history) Dwyane Wade was a prop 48 under the Tom Crean regime. Will Wojo find those type of guys?

Or will he recruit more like Mike Deane and Kevin O'Neill, who both did an excellent job of getting talent, but weren't lining up with McDonald's All-Americans. The Big East is a different dynamic in terms of perception and exposure and Wojo is likely to be dipping in the same pool as his close friend Chris Collins down at Northwestern. Will he play like Duke, or like Northwestern, or like Notre Dame?

While this unfolds, the race to be the next Duke head coach will be on and poppin', as many of the names above have a shot at some level, and perhaps in the neighborhood of five years to prove themselves.

[Pakuni]

Mike Deane did an excellent job lining up talent?
News to me.

Reality is Brent largely went away from tge JUCO/hidden gem model the past few seasons.

[🏀]

10 paragraphs, only 4 were actually about Wojo at Marquette.

Almost as useless as a CBS Sports Minute.

[Groin_pull]

I think Wojo will do just fine. But it's nice that Gottlieb is so concerned.

[77ncaachamps]

Journalism 001: Take the unpopular stance and people will read your article.

But Gottlieb forgets that we knew he was Summer's Eve back at ND and OKST. Shafting MU as a possible transfer destination must have solidified in the Milwaukee-born Dougie's mind that Marquette is not to be extolled or praised ever.

[Tums Festival]

Gottlieb is nothing more than a pretentious Domer a$$hole who is incapable of ever saying or writing anything complimentary about Marquette. Screw him and his horsesh1t opinions!

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

So it was an article about how other coaches with Duke ties are doing?

[exercisevanity]

Wait, I don't understand the "News" blurb; do you pronounce it:

Wo-Jo-Wheres-Your-House-Key?

Or just Wojo-House-Key?

[NotAnAlum]

Not much content.   Might as well have said,  Will Wojo at MU work"    Might,  might not, the end

[wardle2wade]

Not much content.   Might as well have said,  Will Wojo at MU work"    Might,  might not, the end

Well-put.  Any schlub could have written this.  It falls short of even a fluff piece.

[77ncaachamps]

Gottlieb is nothing more than a pretentious Domer a$$hole who is incapable of ever saying or writing anything complimentary about Marquette. Screw him and his horsesh1t opinions!

I guess he can still refer to himself as a Domer...

However, Gottlieb's stint at Notre Dame would be short. During Gottlieb's freshman year, he was charged with stealing credit cards from a roommate and two others and fraudulently charging over $900 to those cards; Gottlieb has since stated that, after paying back the $900, he was allowed to say he was leaving Notre Dame, when in fact he was expelled.[1]


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Gottlieb

[MattyWarrior]

Will Gottlieb work out at CBS? Might, might not, never know, The end!

[klyrish]

Gottlieb is nothing more than a pretentious Domer a$$hole who is incapable of ever saying or writing anything complimentary about Marquette. Screw him and his horsesh1t opinions!

Couldn't agree more. And I hate his weasely face and annoying, nasally voice.

[Tugg Speedman]

Cam someone summarize the article in 2 or 3 sentences?  Honestly, I read it twice and I still don't know what his point is.

[WesMatthewsFanClub]

Wait, I don't understand the "News" blurb; do you pronounce it:

Wo-Jo-Wheres-Your-House-Key?

Or just Wojo-House-Key?

Wojo-House-Key.

[Tums Festival]

I guess he can still refer to himself as a Domer...

However, Gottlieb's stint at Notre Dame would be short. During Gottlieb's freshman year, he was charged with stealing credit cards from a roommate and two others and fraudulently charging over $900 to those cards; Gottlieb has since stated that, after paying back the $900, he was allowed to say he was leaving Notre Dame, when in fact he was expelled.[1]


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Gottlieb

Domer because even though he got kicked out of school, that's where he always wanted to be.

[MikeDeanesDarkGlasses]

This article doesn't bring up anything new that already hasn't been discussed.  A summation of Duke assistants' success is what it is along with a few questions about what will happen.  This article is filler, and nothing more.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

I'm fine with hiring Wojo, but his point about Collins is a fair one. Collins is a MUCH bigger brand, at least in Illinois, due to his father and his HS career. And Northwestern has made no secret that it is committed to a better basketball program. Like it or not, Wojo needs to compete against his former co worker and he's giving points in the matchup.

[jt92]

This is my problem with the wojo hiring. If he succeeds he leaves if he sucks...well then he sucks!  Not the destination job Cords said it was. 

[77ncaachamps]

This is my problem with the wojo hiring. If he succeeds he leaves if he sucks...well then he sucks!  Not the destination job Cords said it was. 

You can stick ANYONE's name in there!

MU is not a blue blood but it is a basketball destination.
Winning and success as a program will help fortify it.
Fans and their love (along with their deep pockets) will help make it so, but not guarantee it.

[jonny09]

This just cements Gottlieb's status as the biggest fake in the industry!  Mike Deane and recruiting do not belong in the same sentence.  WTF.   Buzz and his Non top 100 recruits?  Buzz had a ton of top 100 recruits.  Sure, he also had juco players but what is Gottlieb talking about.  It is clear he has done zero research on Marquette's program.  It's actually sad from the standpoint that he is supposed to be an authority on college basketball.  He is just spewing garbage and any true fan can see right through this crap.  ESPN needs to can this man and his show needs to be cancelled.  This article is proof.

[Dawson Rental]

This is my problem with the wojo hiring. If he succeeds he leaves if he sucks...well then he sucks!  Not the destination job Cords said it was. 

Regarding your: "problem with the wojo hiring".  What would you have done differently?  Or are you just upset because you think that Cords builds up the job to be more than it is?

[NCMUFan]

Does anyone like Doug Gottlieb besides his mother?   

[MU82]

This is my problem with the wojo hiring. If he succeeds he leaves if he sucks...well then he sucks!  Not the destination job Cords said it was. 

Kansas fans had a similar problem with the Roy Williams hiring.

[Avenue Commons]

Would you all rather Gottlieb didn't mention Marquette at all?

I can assure all of you that if Cuonzo Martin or Brian Wardle had been named head coach, Gottlieb doesn't include Marquette here. If it had been Ben Howland it would have been old news by now.

Let's all be thankful for how this ended up with Wojo. My gut is that we hired the right man for the job.