Marquette Gambled -- post last year

[tower912]

VTech got blown to bits by two best teams in non-con and have not one win of note in a piddling 8-5 start to the season. Their ACC wins are mostly against the dregs of the conference and Virginia, who is mediocre this season. It's not a miracle job. Buzz went to the ACC knowing, like the Big East he coached in, that there was enough crap on the bottom of the pile for him to not be the absolute worst. Considering that low bar, sure, he's currently doing wonderfully.

Come next week when the schedule balances out, VTech will be 4-4 heading into four of their next five on the road. Let's see then if the plaudits hold up.

I know you and I have disagreed about Buzz in the past.   Ah, well, sometimes people don't agree.   Which coach, Buzz or Wojo, do you think gets their program to the dance first?

[KenoshaWarrior]

No, this is all on those sonsabitches Larry and Pilarz, who poisoned the MU well for Buzz.    Based on what he did at MU and what he is currently doing at VTech, what do you think the state of the MU program would have been if he had stayed?

+10000000

It was Larry and Pilarz who ruined a good thing. 

[keefe]

VTech got blown to bits by two best teams in non-con and have not one win of note in a piddling 8-5 start to the season. Their ACC wins are mostly against the dregs of the conference and Virginia, who is mediocre this season. It's not a miracle job. Buzz went to the ACC knowing, like the Big East he coached in, that there was enough crap on the bottom of the pile for him to not be the absolute worst. Considering that low bar, sure, he's currently doing wonderfully.

Come next week when the schedule balances out, VTech will be 4-4 heading into four of their next five on the road. Let's see then if the plaudits hold up.

There is no doubt that Bert can coach. And his teams played with a passion that would be welcome this year. But the dude is really, really odd.

Not odd in a creepy Tanned Tommy way. But weird in a bizarre Rainman fashion.

And his wife just feeds that eccentricity, stoking his peculiar funkiness to outlandish if not eerie expressions.

Bert can coach but Marquette is a much better place without his absurdities.

(And for those who draw comparisons with Al, McGuire employed strategems which motivated and inspired. Bert relished his weirdness to the point of making it a lifestyle.)   

Wojo is learning but I am confident he will get this right. In the meantime, his straight forward manner is a refreshing change from the oddball, ghastly even, behaviors of his numerous predecessors.

[4everwarriors]

I dunno, y'all call what Shaka has goin' on at UT, success, hey?

[Dawson Rental]

I dunno, y'all call what Shaka has goin' on at UT, success, hey?

I think it's called havoc. 

[GGGG]

There is no doubt that Bert can coach. And his teams played with a passion that would be welcome this year. But the dude is really, really odd.

Not odd in a creepy Tanned Tommy way. But weird in a bizarre Rainman fashion.

And his wife just feeds that eccentricity, stoking his peculiar funkiness to outlandish if not eerie expressions.

Bert can coach but Marquette is a much better place without his absurdities.

(And for those who draw comparisons with Al, McGuire employed strategems which motivated and inspired. Bert relished his weirdness to the point of making it a lifestyle.)   

Wojo is learning but I am confident he will get this right. In the meantime, his straight forward manner is a refreshing change from the oddball, ghastly even, behaviors of his numerous predecessors.

It shouldn't be a Wojo v. Buzz comparison.

It really should be a Wojo v. Cuonzo or Wojo v. Howland comparison.

[jsheim]

I liked buzz....weirdness and winning. It was a fun ride.

I like wojo...straight arrow...winning needed though. Ill give him 2 more years to start winning. Im optimistic about next year.

But their teams will look real different...wojo will have a poor mans Duke and buzz put out a poor mans NBA team.

[Dawson Rental]

I liked buzz....weirdness and winning. It was a fun ride.

I like wojo...straight arrow...winning needed though. Ill give him 2 more years to start winning. Im optimistic about next year.

But their teams will look real different...wojo will have a poor mans Duke and buzz put out a poor mans NBA team.

Buzz did get a year of grace with a veteran team to start out.  Then he had to rebuild the next year.  He got it done quicker with JUCOs, though.  Wojo is recruiting fewer stopgaps, concentrating on building with freshmen to make things less variable, year to year.

[Spotcheck Billy]

I liked buzz....weirdness and winning. It was a fun ride.

I like wojo...straight arrow...winning needed though. Ill give him 2 more years to start winning. Im optimistic about next year.

But their teams will look real different...wojo will have a poor mans Duke and buzz put out a poor mans NBA team that can't sign bigs.

edited for accuracy

[Goose]

MU picked the anti Buzz after Shaka changed his mind. Wojo will never get in a bit of trouble and MU likes the clean program. Buzz was odd beyond belief but he provided more action than any coach after Al IMO. I am not disappointed that he is gone by any stretch and not completely jumping ship. It is getting more and more difficult to keep getting fired and that worries me big time.

Getting fannies in the seats is more difficult today than ever before and poor squad makes it nearly impossible. For whatever reason I really do believe that MU admin takes the program and fans for granted. Two plus seasons of HORRIBLE basketball is tough to take, even for the most die hard fan. It seems like Vander stealing a NCAA game or the Miami S16 game was 10 years ago to me.

[tower912]

For whatever reason I really do believe that MU admin takes the program and fans for granted.

I think this is a variation of history repeating itself.    After Al, MU didn't upgrade facilities because the old gym was good enough for Al.   There was no need to join a conference because the Marquette name would sell itself and we were getting on WGN a dozen times a year.   More assistants?   Pfaahh. 

This time it was decided that there was no need to meet halfway the coach who had just gone S-16, S-16, E-8.   We can clip his wings a little, limit who he can bring in, change where they live and if he leaves, meh, the program will take care of itself.   We're Marquette and we're in the Big East. 

I haven't given up on Wojo at all.   But IMO it is another example of the Blue and Gold myopia and tin ear on the parts of the powers that be. 

[GGGG]

I think this is a variation of history repeating itself.    After Al, MU didn't upgrade facilities because the old gym was good enough for Al.   There was no need to join a conference because the Marquette name would sell itself and we were getting on WGN a dozen times a year.   More assistants?   Pfaahh. 

This time it was decided that there was no need to meet halfway the coach who had just gone S-16, S-16, E-8.   We can clip his wings a little, limit who he can bring in, change where they live and if he leaves, meh, the program will take care of itself.   We're Marquette and we're in the Big East. 

I haven't given up on Wojo at all.   But IMO it is another example of the Blue and Gold myopia and tin ear on the parts of the powers that be. 

At its heart, Marquette is a conservative, rather staid organization.

At its best, Marquette basketball hasn't been.

And there ya go.

[ChicosBailBonds]

No, this is all on those sonsabitches Larry and Pilarz, who poisoned the MU well for Buzz.    Based on what he did at MU and what he is currently doing at VTech, what do you think the state of the MU program would have been if he had stayed?

He has NO ONE to blame but himself.   Just stop.  He's in a perfect place, at a football school where no one gives a rip about basketball, he can push the envelope where he wants, he can have his staff lie and no one will care, he can have guys on the police blotter and in the news and no one will care.  Could not have been a more perfect place, absolutely in the middle of NO WHERE where NO ONE cares.

[Lennys Tap]

TOM CREAN has NO ONE to blame but himself.   Just stop.  He's in a perfect place, he can push the envelope where he wants, he can have his staff lie and no one will care, he can have guys on the police blotter and in the news and no one will care.  Could not have been a more perfect place, absolutely in the middle of NO WHERE where NO ONE cares.

FIFY

[KenoshaWarrior]

At its heart, Marquette is a conservative, rather staid organization.

At its best, Marquette basketball hasn't been.

And there ya go.

That is an excellent  point.
When you look at when Marquette is good, it is always when we have an "outlaw" streak in us.   
Al had a rebel streak in him
Crean had a little bit of a rebel streak with his signing of Dwade as a prop 40
Buzz pushed the envelope.

[KenoshaWarrior]

He has NO ONE to blame but himself.   Just stop.  He's in a perfect place, at a football school where no one gives a rip about basketball, he can push the envelope where he wants, he can have his staff lie and no one will care, he can have guys on the police blotter and in the news and no one will care.  Could not have been a more perfect place, absolutely in the middle of NO WHERE where NO ONE cares.

Your hatred towards our former coach is laughable at best; obsessive at worst

[Golden Avalanche]

I know you and I have disagreed about Buzz in the past.   Ah, well, sometimes people don't agree.   Which coach, Buzz or Wojo, do you think gets their program to the dance first?

Buzz.

[Dawson Rental]

That is an excellent  point.
When you look at when Marquette is good, it is always when we have an "outlaw" streak in us.   
Al had a rebel streak in him
Crean had a little bit of a rebel streak with his signing of Dwade as a prop 40
Buzz pushed the envelope.

Nothing says rebel like an orange tan.

[Lennys Tap]

Nothing says rebel like an orange tan.

Just spit out my drink

[dgies9156]

OK, as a Warrior who saw most of the best years our university ever had, I too am kinda burned out about another year of very un-Warrior performance. And even if we're the Golden Eagles, Marquette basketball stands for more than what we're seeing on the court now.

If we're objective about the situation, we have Wojo. He's going nowhere for now. He needs time to show what he can do and, so far, the short-term is a smelly pile of dung but the long-term is promising.

We've recovered from a very bare cupboard -- not even Mother Hubbard would have let things get that low -- and recruited a great class that's freshmen now. Yes, I know, Henry's gone... save it, nobody with the possible exception of Henry, Wojo and a few close family members knows whether Henry is gone. Even without Henry, the freshman and sophomore core of our team is strong.

Our limited recruits for next year made us an ESPN Top 25 recruiting class last time I looked. We snagged one of the best recruits in Wisconsin in Hauser and rumor has it things are looking up for a further recruit or two we need.

We've got some problems, yes. Luke and the team need a snap lesson in defensive basketball. Our offensive off-the-ball movement is inconsistent and I sometimes scratch my head at what we're doing. That's what happens when we have a good young coach and a learning, emerging basketball team.

When you make a commitment to someone, you keep it. That means we give Wojo a chance. Maybe he needs to hire a seasoned, grizzled assistant. Maybe we're a player or two away. Or maybe he is Rick Majerus Part 2? He needs at least two more years after this year to see what happens.

If we chase Wojo now, what do you really expect we're going to replace him with?

Absent recruiting violations, thuggish behavior by our team members or violations of law, there is NO reason to think he shouldn't be here for a long time to come!

[WarriorPride68]

We snagged one of the best recruits in Wisconsin in Hauser and rumor has it things are looking up for a further recruit or two we need.

Who?

[keefe]

Crean had a little bit of a rebel streak with his signing of Dwade as a prop 40

Not sure about this. Crean is one of the most milquetoast dudes out there.

His idea of rebel was riding an ATV in a karate gi or deluging teenaged boys with tweets about how he is thinking about them. In the world of fighter pilots that's not rebel: that's f@cking strange.

[MU82]

He has NO ONE to blame but himself.   Just stop.  He's in a perfect place, at a football school where no one gives a rip about basketball, he can push the envelope where he wants, he can have his staff lie and no one will care, he can have guys on the police blotter and in the news and no one will care.  Could not have been a more perfect place, absolutely in the middle of NO WHERE where NO ONE cares.

I rather enjoyed Buzz his first five years at Marquette.

[ChicosBailBonds]

No, this is all on those sonsabitches Larry and Pilarz, who poisoned the MU well for Buzz.    Based on what he did at MU and what he is currently doing at VTech, what do you think the state of the MU program would have been if he had stayed?

More police blotter activity?

[Jay Bee]

More police blotter activity?

Seems to be a good thing down at I4, a''inal?