DePaul Thoughts

[crazyfannyboy54]

Traci cater cant shoot he cant. Thinks or Reggie smith well with less defense..

[NavinRJohnson]

You are correct.  Cheatham, particularly, does not throw interior passes off the drive.  He almost always throws some sort of shot at the rim, but if he does pass it is usually back to someone on the preimter who is not in a position to shoot  other team. 

FIFY

[WarriorPride68]

You are correct.  Cheatham, particularly, does not throw interior passes off the drive.  He almost always throws some sort of shot at the rim, but if he does pass it is usually back to someone on the preimter who is not in a position to shoot.

This. My main beef with Cheatham is his awful Ast / TO statistics (43 assists & 55 turnovers). He is still shooting 45% from deep, but doesn't let it fly enough (leads team in %, but 6th in attempts)

[tower912]

Some really strong points in this post but I want to focus on this one.

I've said before, but I'd really like to see Wojo with a grizzled veteran coach on the bench. It doesn't necessarily need to be a former

head coach, just a guy who's been there before, can give some tips to Wojo and be an X's and O's guy.

Wojo can recruit and Wojo can motivate. What I'm not sure Wojo has is the ability to draw up a play to get a bucket or, better yet, have a stash of plays in his back pocket to pull out when MU is sputtering offensively. After a timeout, how often do you see MU run a set play that gets them a good look? How often do you see MU run a set play at all? It's very rare. I'm not saying that MU should have a 100-page playbook, but when the opposing team is going on a run, it's important to have a few plays that you're fairly certain will result in at least a trip to the FT line.

To be clear, I liked the Wojo hiring and I honestly believe he's going to be a very good coach, but he obviously has his weaknesses and I don't feel like his coaching staff as assembled can necessarily keep those from being exposed.

Let me agree but take it in a slightly different direction.   I am beginning to think that Crean and Buzz were both far more ready than Wojo to take over at MU.    Crean and Buzz had both coached multiple places for multiple coaches in multiples schemes.   Wojo only knows the Duke way.    Crean and Buzz had both been assistants at mid-level programs that lost a lot of games.   Wojo only knows the Duke way.    Crean and Buzz brought in assistants with vastly different backgrounds, areas of expertise, etc.   Wojo brought in a number of guys around his age,  only one of whom had ever sat in the big chair and he wasn't successful at it.   
   
The losing, the struggling, the multiple programs and multiple systems better prepared Crean and Buzz.   Crean struggled initially, but was in a far less difficult conference than Buzz or Wojo and found his way.    Buzz had the year at UNO to help him develop a 2.0 plan for when he took over at MU.    Wojo..... started with a bad team in a brutal conference with a lack of experience around him.   And here we are.   [/list]

[crazyfannyboy54]

I believe both crean and even more so Buzz had to really work there tails off to even sniff Marquette. One wonders if sitting next to a Basketball Hall of famer only goes so far..

[MerrittsMustache]

Let me agree but take it in a slightly different direction.   I am beginning to think that Crean and Buzz were both far more ready than Wojo to take over at MU.    Crean and Buzz had both coached multiple places for multiple coaches in multiples schemes.   Wojo only knows the Duke way.    Crean and Buzz had both been assistants at mid-level programs that lost a lot of games.   Wojo only knows the Duke way.    Crean and Buzz brought in assistants with vastly different backgrounds, areas of expertise, etc.   Wojo brought in a number of guys around his age,  only one of whom had ever sat in the big chair and he wasn't successful at it.   
   
The losing, the struggling, the multiple programs and multiple systems better prepared Crean and Buzz.   Crean struggled initially, but was in a far less difficult conference than Buzz or Wojo and found his way.    Buzz had the year at UNO to help him develop a 2.0 plan for when he took over at MU.    Wojo..... started with a bad team in a brutal conference with a lack of experience around him.   And here we are.

Can't disagree with any of this. A great deal can be learned from struggles and adversity and change. While an assistant at Duke, the team went an average of 29-6, winning 2 national titles. MU's current state is a far cry from that. At this point, Wojo is like the coddled rich kid struggling to find his way in the "real world." He'll either figure it out and succeed or he'll be back in mom and dad's basement in a few years.

[Big Papi]

Morning after thoughts...
.

• Rebounding sucks. Giving up 44.4% of the defensive rebound chances to the offense? That's pathetic.
  
• Henry is not good right now. Frankly, he hasn't been very good against top competition all season. Decent rebounder, but horribly inefficient on offense. I can't believe I'm saying this, but this team may be better off with Steve Taylor. We have more need of a tough rebounder than we do a high usage, low efficiency scorer.
  
• The schedule backfired. We didn't learn how to win, we learned how to play without effort.
  
• I've seen some parallels to 2010. The 2-5 start with a loss to DePaul. But that team had 4 losses to top-10 teams by 10 combined points. This ain't 2010.
  
• We were terrible offensively, yet our only PG played 13 minutes.
  
• For years, we've mocked DePaul. Now it feels like we are DePaul.
  
• The great thing about freshmen is they become sophomores. Both Duane and Sandy have been more efficient this year than last. Luke has been too. Have to think this will get better. Even without Henry.
  
• Rotations were out of whack last night. Rewarding Wally and Jajuan with starting roles was unnecessary. You can increase minutes without reducing cohesiveness.
  
• The staff looks just as inexperienced as the players. Wojo was outcoached by Leitao last night.
  

Talented group individually.  Mostly inexperienced which really hurts.  I bleed Marquette and was a huge Buzz supporter so I wasn't thrilled with the Wojo hire and unfortunately, watching this team play over the last 2 years my disappointment over the state of the program is a lot more down than what it should be.  Having said that, this is why I am so disappointed:

1. We have the individual talent to be better than what we are.  No way should we lose to DePaul and have a 2-5 conference record at this point in time.
2. Teams mirror their coaches.  I expected much better defensive fundamentals and mental and physical toughness.  We have NONE of that.
3. The turnover problem should have been expected, we only have 1 point guard on the team and that is an average freshmen at best.
4. The lack of experience that hurts the most is the make-up of the coaching staff.  Wojo is an inexperienced head coach and needed a mentor and some more experienced assistant coaches on the bench with him.  Buzz while inexperienced as a head coach, had mentors and veterans around him all the time. 
5.  The lack of physical toughness is the cause of our defensive and rebounding woes.  With a very lackluster offense, we don't have a leg to stand on as a base when things go bad.
6.  Wojo needs to right the ship quickly.  Lack of any improvement this year or next and admin will need to cut the cord quickly and fill in with a more experienced coach.

[keefe]

"Hey Marquette! You f#cking stink!"

[GGGG]

1. We have the individual talent to be better than what we are.  No way should we lose to DePaul and have a 2-5 conference record at this point in time.
2. Teams mirror their coaches.  I expected much better defensive fundamentals and mental and physical toughness.  We have NONE of that.
3. The turnover problem should have been expected, we only have 1 point guard on the team and that is an average freshmen at best.
4. The lack of experience that hurts the most is the make-up of the coaching staff.  Wojo is an inexperienced head coach and needed a mentor and some more experienced assistant coaches on the bench with him.  Buzz while inexperienced as a head coach, had mentors and veterans around him all the time. 
5.  The lack of physical toughness is the cause of our defensive and rebounding woes.  With a very lackluster offense, we don't have a leg to stand on as a base when things go bad.
6.  Wojo needs to right the ship quickly.  Lack of any improvement this year or next and admin will need to cut the cord quickly and fill in with a more experienced coach.

1. But its young.  Experience matters.
2. Agreed.
3. Yep.
4. Maybe Coach K will join the staff when he retires.  But in all seriousness, I think this is an issue.
5.  YES!!!!
6. He will get four years at least.

[Herman Cain]

I think most will agree the problem is the offense.  After having an extra 11 days practice due to the Europe trip and now being well into the 4 month of practice the players should be familiar with what they are supposed to do and the staff should have evaluated the strengths and weaknesses of the players and come up with plays that build on strengths.  If they can't do that its bad coaching.
What built the little lead in the second half last night is a clinic on what the MU offense must do to be successful.  JJJ got the ball outside the 3 point line and drove the ball across the top of the key and past the free throw line extended.  This puts him inside the defense and causes the defense to react.  He then quickly hit the big with a pass (in each case it was Fisher but it could have been HE).  We need to do this all the time from both sides of the floor and using different people on the drive.  I love Haniff but I have yet to ever see him pass off a drive.  Duane and Traci seldom do this.  Driving is not always about getting all the way to the hoop.  The key to all of this is it needs to be fast and the team needs to know what is coming and MOVE when it happens.  If they don't know when to move and where to be that's bad coaching again.

This is an accurate analysis and a very good point.

[Dawson Rental]

8.  We need a PG. 

I shouldn't post after losses.  I'm thinking that Henry is leaving so we aren't going to be better next year, then Fischer will be gone they year after that.  I'm starting to worry that we're years away.

I wouldn't be surprised if Heldt wasn't better than Fischer is now when Matt is a junior and presumably takes over at center.

[Dawson Rental]

Marquette needs to hire Jean Lent Ponsetto to make this program better.

Just tell her that its the women's team.

[Loose Cannon]

Probably not just for logistical reasons. Hard for me to get up to milwaukee twice a week since I'm working full time now. The whole losing thing doesn't help either.

One thought:

"Just when I think I'm out, they pull me back in"

We'll keep the light on for you>

[rocket surgeon]

    turn-overs, turn-overs, turn-overs

trying to jam a square peg in to a round hole.  play says we go inside, BUT, not if the guy is triple teamed!!!  opposing teams seem to know what we are trying to do + bad passing + dribbling ball off ones foot + foul trouble + weak bench + long stretches of "goose eggs"....

i think wojo has to go back to basics-hoosier ball.  not TC of bobby k hoosier-ball, but the movie "hoosiers"  break 'em all down and start with the picket fence...SOMETHING

[willie warrior]

    turn-overs, turn-overs, turn-overs

trying to jam a square peg in to a round hole.  play says we go inside, BUT, not if the guy is triple teamed!!!  opposing teams seem to know what we are trying to do + bad passing + dribbling ball off ones foot + foul trouble + weak bench + long stretches of "goose eggs"....

i think wojo has to go back to basics-hoosier ball.  not TC of bobby k hoosier-ball, but the movie "hoosiers"  break 'em all down and start with the picket fence...SOMETHING

damn right--we need to bring back Ollie's underhanded FT. Fischer would have made them both.