Ners is right...

[ChicosBailBonds]

I don't get it.  Almost everyone on the planet has known we have a PG deficiency....what's new there?  The kid plays hard, would be a solid backup, but not a starter at this level.  Nothing new.

[GooooMarquette]

Yeah, I'm sure Ulis would have picked us over Kentucky.

Agreed.  No way a kid like Ulis or Henry Ellenson would pick MU if they had a UK offer.

Oh, wait....

[4everwarriors]

I don't get it.  Almost everyone on the planet has known we have a PG deficiency....what's new there?  The kid plays hard, would be a solid backup, but not a starter at D-2 level.  Nothing new.

FIFY

[ChicosBailBonds]

FIFY

Does this mean you are on board with it being a guards game? 

[brewcity77]

Have you been drinking this morning? We could have maybe gotten Morris, but no chance on the other two.

It's okay if you don't follow recruiting, but don't pretend you do if you don't. Dunn said he wanted to go to Marquette. We showed minimal interest, instead pursuing Gabe York. While Buzz went after York, Cooley made Dunn a priority. It was too late once York went of the board to Arizona. Buzz could have kicked him up months earlier had he made Dunn a priority.

With Ulis, Kentucky wasn't even interested. Buzz could have had him early but (as we saw with Acker and Cooby) Buzz didn't like small point guards. Ulis' recruitment stretched out a long time. He blew up and forced himself on Kentucky, who also wasn't interested early on. Ulis took his own visits there and just hoped for an offer since none of the other schools he wanted (including Marquette) had made him a priority. Buzz could have had him in the early period, instead he played his way into the Kentucky offer and signed late.

[MU82]

I don't get it.  Almost everyone on the planet has known we have a PG deficiency....what's new there?  The kid plays hard, would be a solid backup, but not a starter at this level.  Nothing new.

Exactly.

Move along. Nothing to see here.

I know I won't be looking at this post again, but it's a free country for sadists and masochists.

[4everwarriors]

Does this mean you are on board with it being a guards game? 

Comin' 'round a bit on that. The answer is probably you need 5 quality playas at all 5 positions. Don't think the switchable route is the answer. Give me a stud at 1,2,3,4, and 5, aina?

[brewcity77]

The biggest problem may have simply been Buzz's staff wasn't very good at developing guards. How many guards appreciably improved while here? DJO was pretty good from the start. Junior and Derrick didn't get much better under Buzz. He seemed content to plan to have natural SGs like Dwight, Vander, and Mayo in line for lead guard spots but it didn't work.

Vander was probably the most successful guard developed, but he (like Dwight) didn't really develop point guard skills until after they left Marquette.

Derrick has improved more in one year under the new staff than he did in three years with Buzz. Duane looks like another SG type that Buzz probably hoped would develop into a point. I have a lot more confidence that Wojo will get that development out of him than Buzz would have. I wonder what Derrick might be with four years in this system. Probably never a stud, but his development was certainly stunted here.

[willie warrior]

The biggest problem may have simply been Buzz's staff wasn't very good at developing guards. How many guards appreciably improved while here? DJO was pretty good from the start. Junior and Derrick didn't get much better under Buzz. He seemed content to plan to have natural SGs like Dwight, Vander, and Mayo in line for lead guard spots but it didn't work.

Vander was probably the most successful guard developed, but he (like Dwight) didn't really develop point guard skills until after they left Marquette.

Derrick has improved more in one year under the new staff than he did in three years with Buzz. Duane looks like another SG type that Buzz probably hoped would develop into a point. I have a lot more confidence that Wojo will get that development out of him than Buzz would have. I wonder what Derrick might be with four years in this system. Probably never a stud, but his development was certainly stunted here.

Hmmm..another nail in the coffin that the phony cowboy is the one to thank for this year's issues?

[GGGG]

Hmmm..another nail in the coffin that the phony cowboy is the one to thank for this year's issues?

Really I think the best (or worst) grade anyone can give Wojo to this point is "incomplete." 

[willie warrior]

Really I think the best (or worst) grade anyone can give Wojo to this point is "incomplete." 

I agree at this point in time. He inherited a mess from El Buzzo. Unfortunately, he has not yet improved upon it.

[ATL MU Warrior]

I agree at this point in time. He inherited a mess from El Buzzo. Unfortunately, he has not yet improved upon it.

You can't polish a turd

[jesmu84]

I don't understand your post. No one has denied anything you've stated here. Nothing you've written is untrue, and we all know it, including Ners - and he knows the rest of us know it. You're just restating everything that's already been talked about, and acknowledged by everyone, dozens of times on this board. Lots of blame to go around in our current situation. Just take a breath and look forward to the next few seasons.

[Class71]

Time to move on boys and girls. Watch or not is your choice but please stop the whining.

[bilsu]

No Ners was not right, because in spite of Derrick's short comings there is no better point guard on MU roster this year or last year. That is not Derrick's fualt, it is the fault of poor recruiting. Buzz said he wanted to recruit a point guard every year. In five years he brought in two point guards. Cadougan and Smith and Smith left halfway through his first year. Wojo so far is worse. He recruited Nick, who will not even show up next year. Besides that many posters here said he was really a two. You cannot be a top 25 team without a true point guard. Quit ragging on Derrick and start ragging on Wojo, because next year's team has no true point guard.

[esotericmindguy]

No Ners was not right, because in spite of Derrick's short comings there is no better point guard on MU roster this year or last year. That is not Derrick's fualt, it is the fault of poor recruiting. Buzz said he wanted to recruit a point guard every year. In five years he brought in two point guards. Cadougan and Smith and Smith left halfway through his first year. Wojo so far is worse. He recruited Nick, who will not even show up next year. Besides that many posters here said he was really a two. You cannot be a top 25 team without a true point guard. Quit ragging on Derrick and start ragging on Wojo, because next year's team has no true point guard.

I agree that the whining does no good, because the circumstances aren't ideal.

However, I don't know how you or anyone else doesn't see that Duane Wilson is a better PG than Derrick. He creates better, shoots better and passes better than Derrick. It's not even even a comparison. The only reason derrick plays is because JJJ is still figuring it out, or maybe just doesn't have it. So if you can't start JJJ then what? Have to play Derrick, and he can only "play" one position. The assist to turnover stat everyone relies on is garbage. How would Derrick ever turn it over? He never forces action!

[muwarrior69]

No Ners was not right, because in spite of Derrick's short comings there is no better point guard on MU roster this year or last year. That is not Derrick's fualt, it is the fault of poor recruiting. Buzz said he wanted to recruit a point guard every year. In five years he brought in two point guards. Cadougan and Smith and Smith left halfway through his first year. Wojo so far is worse. He recruited Nick, who will not even show up next year. Besides that many posters here said he was really a two. You cannot be a top 25 team without a true point guard. Quit ragging on Derrick and start ragging on Wojo, because next year's team has no true point guard.

How can you blame Wojo for Nicks "situation". I am sure he will find a true point guard. Let's see what he's does with the next two recruiting classes before making judgements. He is just starting and he has a bare cupboard.

[rocky_warrior]

I don't know how you or anyone else doesn't see that Duane Wilson is a better PG than Derrick.

Wow.  I think you might be the only one that "sees" that.  Wojo doesn't either....right now at least.

I like Duane, and think he'l be a great player for the next 3 years.  He *might* even become a good PG, but he's not right now.  He's a better shooting guard, that is very mediocre as distributing the ball, and very sloppy at protecting the ball.

[BM1090]

Yeah, I'm sure Ulis would have picked us over Kentucky.

As Sultan said, Ulis wanted to come here before the Kentucky offer. We offer his junior year, we have a good shot at him.

Dunn would have been here if Buzz wanted him.

[NersEllenson]

Derrick has improved more in one year under the new staff than he did in three years with Buzz.  I wonder what Derrick might be with four years in this system. Probably never a stud, but his development was certainly stunted here.

Really?  Just as last season, Derrick had some nice moments in non-conference play.  Yet, now that we are in Big East play, once again, like last year, Derrick has had tons of struggles.  While Derrick has improved on his 7% 3 point shooting percentage, he's virtually the same player he was last year.

No amount of time under Wojo would have made Derrick any better.  He is what he is.  A physical, defensive guard, with ZERO offensive ability.

Buzz and Wojo hitched their horse to the notion that his ball security and elite defensive skills would compensate for the deficit he creates on the offensive end of the floor.  The quality of that decision is beared out in the team's record last year and this year.  Period.

Wojo has essentially been starting 3 PG types all season long.  It's ludicrous.  Ultimately nothing is really Derrick's fault - he gives everything he has.  The fault lies with both Buzz and Wojo thinking that the best coaching decision was to play him 35+ minutes per game.

[keefe]

You can't polish a turd

You, sir, have never spent time in DC

[Dr. Blackheart]

I agree that the whining does no good, because the circumstances aren't ideal.

However, I don't know how you or anyone else doesn't see that Duane Wilson is a better PG than Derrick. He creates better, shoots better and passes better than Derrick. It's not even even a comparison. The only reason derrick plays is because JJJ is still figuring it out, or maybe just doesn't have it. So if you can't start JJJ then what? Have to play Derrick, and he can only "play" one position. The assist to turnover stat everyone relies on is garbage. How would Derrick ever turn it over? He never forces action!

In conference play on offense, MU is dead last in OE, turnover rate, FTR, and FT%. MU is is near the bottom in others. Derrick for the season has a TO % of 19.8 but at 25.2% in conference, Duane is at 15.9 and 16.7 in conference, and Matt is at 18.4 and 19.3. Matt (23.8%) and Derrick (24.9) have similar assist %.

There are other choices at PG, and Wojo went to one scenario yesterday for a few minutes. Remember, Wojo likes a high tempo offense which he has been hamstrung on to implement this year. Nothing to lose by playing and evaluating the future. Yesterday was MU's third best BE OE game of the season as Duane took more of a controller role in the 2nd half.

[Dr. Blackheart]

You can't polish a turd

But you can flush it...

[keefe]

But you can flush it...

Or have the Team Manager do so...

[ChicosBailBonds]

Or have the Team Manager do so...

Or put it in a towell