Wojo's Seat April 4, 2017

[HoopsterBC]

There's a lot of truth in what you say.  Henry specifically was a 'mixed blessing'  But of course you happily accept any McD AA.  I'm really hoping that the 4/1 strategy works this year.  As to Carlino, thank goodness he came.  We would have won about 8 games that year without him.  Talk about support drying up.

Losing Tillman, I would think the last scholarship should be used in the spring to get an experienced front line player.  I was in for Tillman and maybe French, but not
a tall skinny kid.  You have already taken a project, you do not need 2.  Not sure what Duane's feelings are about staying next year if he graduates, but not against having 12 players, and keeping one open always for a lucky grad player or 2. 

[Jay Bee]

If you want to give the program the best opportunity for home court advantage..........wait for it.............GO TO THE GAMES AND CHEAR!

What's this "CHEAR" thing you're talking about?

Back in my days at the Metrodome, we simply turned on the air vents for a great advantage. Hope the new arena enables us to do something like that to alter the shots of MU's opponents.

[TedBaxter]

Losing Tillman, I would think the last scholarship should be used in the spring to get an experienced front line player.  I was in for Tillman and maybe French, but not
a tall skinny kid.  You have already taken a project, you do not need 2.  Not sure what Duane's feelings are about staying next year if he graduates, but not against having 12 players, and keeping one open always for a lucky grad player or 2.

A friend of mine talked to a high major assistant coach from an out of state school about "the tall skinny kid" after the assistant coach saw him in July.  The coach said if he had been in the U.S. prior to last summer, he'd be a top 60 recruit because of his knowledge of the game and his skill level.

Lets not forget that the father of this young man was underrecruited out of Louisville's Butler HS back in the early 1980's and is still the all-time leading scorer and rebounder at Toledo.  The father has played and coached the last 30 years in Australia.

http://www.utrockets.com/news/2010/3/1/Ken_Epperson_Men_s_Basketball_1981_85_.aspx

[naginiF]

What's this "CHEAR" thing you're talking about?

Back in my days at the Metrodome, we simply turned on the air vents for a great advantage. Hope the new arena enables us to do something like that to alter the shots of MU's opponents.

perhaps i had too much "cheer" last night to spell cheer correctly.

You bring up a great point regarding HHH - screw trying to convince people the program is worthy of their appearance, we should just pump in artificial crowd noise

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

A friend of mine talked to a high major assistant coach from an out of state school about "the tall skinny kid" after the assistant coach saw him in July.  The coach said if he had been in the U.S. prior to last summer, he'd be a top 60 recruit because of his knowledge of the game and his skill level.

He already is top 60.

http://247sports.com/Player/Jacob-Epperson-45572373

I think it's funny that we've been kind of dismissive of epperson. He would be the highest rated recruit of our 2017 class and the 2nd highest rated of the Wojo era. But ratings aren't everything

[Pakuni]

The seat would be much hotter if this were our Steve Wojo.

At least he went to jail tanline-free.
A 59-year-old New Jersey man is facing criminal charges after he was caught sunbathing on a public beach wearing nothing more than transparent plastic wrap for a bathing suit.
Beach Haven police said the man, Stephen Wojciehowski, managed to tan for two days on a Long Beach Island beach while wearing his homemade bikini, fully exposing his genitals.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/nj-man-arrested-wearing-plastic-wrap-bikini-beach-article-1.2813895

[4everwarriors]

Didn't know F*ckin's name was Stephen, hey?

[Dawson Rental]

MU has great resources to recruit, better than 98% of the programs.  Wojo and team work hard at it, but I wonder about Tillman and his girl friend, potentially pregnant,
when did Wojo know?  As soon as I heard that it was over, sure it was Michigan St. and huge challenge, to recruit an in-state kid who grew up with MSU.  Have to understand quickly in the process, as MU spent a great deal of time and money wooing a kid they were not going to get. Much like it is hard to get a kid out of Wisconsin
that is not going to MU or Wisconsin.  Joey can take all the free trips he wants but will end up in state somewhere.  My feeling you have to go after kids that do not have
a great affiliation with an in-state program or there are so many kids in NY or out East that Syracuse can not get them all.  Cain was over recruited at Michigan, but if
they really wanted him, they could have had him.  He felt hurt and unappreciated at Michigan, perfect timing for MU.  John was easier, Minny weak coach, and Eke is
a project, and most projects are taken later, not early like MU did.  They needed big bodies, fit perfectly, and he might be the best of the class.  It would be nice to
get one more player so he could redshirt.

Yes, it was really obvious that Marquette had no chance at all to get Tillman.  I guess that why no one was posting or reading this site Thursday and Friday.

It's often said that hindsight is 20/20, but the opposite is actually true.  Hindsight is blind because once the outcome is known, all of the other potential outcomes are discounted and the real probability of their occurance is ignored and the actual outcome is then treated like it was a certainty all along when, in fact, it was not.

[HoopsterBC]

Yes, it was really obvious that Marquette had no chance at all to get Tillman.  I guess that why no one was posting or reading this site Thursday and Friday.

It's often said that hindsight is 20/20, but the opposite is actually true.  Hindsight is blind because once the outcome is known, all of the other potential outcomes are discounted and the real probability of their occurance is ignored and the actual outcome is then treated like it was a certainty all along when, in fact, it was not.

Sounds good to me.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Absolutely ridiculous statement.  Yes there's a performance metric.  No, we're not going to 'do anything and everything' to achieve it immediately.  To that end, no one will be recruited or admitted who has zero ability to graduate on time (no criticism of Jae intended) and criminals and thugs and need not apply.  Out of respect for the departed I'm not going to mention names.  Serves zero purpose at this time. 

Wojo is expected to build a winning program with kids that properly reflect on Marquette and its values.  That takes some time given where we started.  When and if he succeeds, great.  If he fails he'll be gone.  There's no evidence that he's failing.  On the contrary, I'd argue that his bosses see progress and expect more in the short term with a goal of being a 'power' when the new building opens in 2 seasons.

Respectfully, Wojo is a great fit for MU and he certainly has delivered on the values part.  But, let's also be real as the other candidates were Shaka, Cuonzo and Ben Howland.  It is about winning.

[Herman Cain]

Absolutely ridiculous statement.  Yes there's a performance metric.  No, we're not going to 'do anything and everything' to achieve it immediately.  To that end, no one will be recruited or admitted who has zero ability to graduate on time (no criticism of Jae intended) and criminals and thugs and need not apply.  Out of respect for the departed I'm not going to mention names.  Serves zero purpose at this time. 

Wojo is expected to build a winning program with kids that properly reflect on Marquette and its values.  That takes some time given where we started.  When and if he succeeds, great.  If he fails he'll be gone.  There's no evidence that he's failing.  On the contrary, I'd argue that his bosses see progress and expect more in the short term with a goal of being a 'power' when the new building opens in 2 seasons.

Lovell and Wojo are both corporate types. By definition Lovell will never enforce a performance metric on Wojo because doing so would give credence to a performance metric for Lovell as well.

Lovell has done a worse job than Wojo and is actually the one that should be on the hot seat. In case any one noticed we have gone down in the US News and in the initial Wall Street Journal ranking we are 158 tied with Illinois Wesleyan.

So in the meantime Lovell will continue to be in a state of denial and keep telling the loyalist alums that  we are Duke North with Wojo and prosperity is just around the corner.

[wadesworld]

Lovell and Wojo are both corporate types. By definition Lovell will never enforce a performance metric on Wojo because doing so would give credence to a performance metric for Lovell as well.

Lovell has done a worse job than Wojo and is actually the one that should be on the hot seat. In case any one noticed we have gone down in the US News and in the initial Wall Street Journal ranking we are 158 tied with Illinois Wesleyan.

So in the meantime Lovell will continue to be in a state of denial and keep telling the loyalist alums that  we are Duke North with Wojo and prosperity is just around the corner.

You're getting to be worse than Ners.

[jsglow]

Lovell and Wojo are both corporate types. By definition Lovell will never enforce a performance metric on Wojo because doing so would give credence to a performance metric for Lovell as well.

Lovell has done a worse job than Wojo and is actually the one that should be on the hot seat. In case any one noticed we have gone down in the US News and in the initial Wall Street Journal ranking we are 158 tied with Illinois Wesleyan.

So in the meantime Lovell will continue to be in a state of denial and keep telling the loyalist alums that  we are Duke North with Wojo and prosperity is just around the corner.

And you know this exactly how?  Have you ever even had a conversation with either Lovell or Wojo? Like I said, ridiculous.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Respectfully, Wojo is a great fit for MU and he certainly has delivered on the values part.  But, let's also be real as the other candidates were Shaka, Cuonzo and Ben Howland.  It is about winning.

Howland was never a candidate. Shaka would have been great but we couldn't lure him. Cuonzo has won more but he walked into a much better situation and has already had off the court issues.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

And you know this exactly how?  Have you ever even had a conversation with either Lovell or Wojo? Like I said, ridiculous.

He has conversations with everyone. Knows every player, every recruit, their families, many aau coaches, ACC presidents, many college coaches, and athletic directors on a first name basis.

[jsglow]

He has conversations with everyone. Knows every player, every recruit, their families, many aau coaches, ACC presidents, many college coaches, and athletic directors on a first name basis.

New name: Ners in NY.

[wadesworld]

New name: Ners in NY.

Truth.  Wonder when their beer summit was.

[wildbillsb]

And you know this exactly how?  Have you ever even had a conversation with either Lovell or Wojo? Like I said, ridiculous.

No, I have not spoken to each gentleman, but as a contributing alum on the outside looking in, UMFNY's remarks do give me pause.  The list of institutional gaffes (Jebbie'$ residence hall, mishandling  of the insensitive Poly Sci prof's political stance, paltry endowment) should bear some weight, no?

[jsglow]

No, I have not spoken to each gentleman, but as a contributing alum on the outside looking in, UMFNY's remarks do give me pause.  The list of institutional gaffes (Jebbie'$ residence hall, mishandling  of the insensitive Poly Sci prof's political stance, paltry endowment) should bear some weight, no?

Are you even aware that the Jes Res was a designated gift to be used only for that purpose and nothing else? 

[naginiF]

so this thread has gone total tinfoil hat.

Glow - you're doing yeoman's work, but you're yelling "there's no smoke, how can there be fire?" in a panicked movie house.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Are you even aware that the Jes Res was a designated gift to be used only for that purpose and nothing else?

That and how dare Wojo not fix the endowment by now! He's had a whole two years!

[jsglow]

so this thread has gone total tinfoil hat.

Glow - you're doing yeoman's work, but you're yelling "there's no smoke, how can there be fire?" in a panicked movie house.

Excellent point.

[mu03eng]

For those who think Wojo's seat should be hot this season if he doesn't make the tournament....what is your theory of the crime? He can't recruit talent, he can't coach, or both?

If it's that he can't recruit talent, resetting after this season means at least 3 or 4 years before the talent pool regenerates are you willing to wait that long? But if he can't recruit talent then he's got one thing, he can coach them up.

If it's coaching, how are you going to get a coach who can coach this team up from day 1? John Wooden isn't walking through that door so just about any coach is going to be an up and comer so the growing pains are going to be there whether it's Wojo or some other coach.....but at least at this point some if not most (hopefully) of the growing pains are behind Wojo.

If it's both....I don't know what to tell you, you might be bad at evaluating coaching.

[TSmith34, Inc.]

Lovell and Wojo are both corporate types. By definition Lovell will never enforce a performance metric on Wojo because doing so would give credence to a performance metric for Lovell as well.

Lovell has done a worse job than Wojo and is actually the one that should be on the hot seat. In case any one noticed we have gone down in the US News and in the initial Wall Street Journal ranking we are 158 tied with Illinois Wesleyan.

So in the meantime Lovell will continue to be in a state of denial and keep telling the loyalist alums that  we are Duke North with Wojo and prosperity is just around the corner.

A lot of very interesting facts occur in your mind, and in your mind only.

[mu03eng]

With fear of turning this thread into a large dumpster fire, what are the criticisms for Lovell that have some alumni and outside influencers already calling for his head?

I'm around students and campus all the time and from current students and recent graduates it is near universal praise for Lovell, but from some of the monied types (I'm clearly not one of them, just happen to know a couple) there is at minimum a disappointment in Lovell and at worst an active disapproval of his performance.

I do think MU is at a crossroads that the last 5 years have put us in, but given all the things both known publicly and unknown publicly that have gone on at the university in that time period, I think we're in a very good position to take the trending up path as opposed to the disaster path some imply. I think the basketball program is part of the upswing.....3 or 4 years ago there were a lot of opportunities for things to go very bad and change was made but as a result we set ourselves back a couple of years. I think we've gotten through the worst of the set back and are poised to reemerge on the national stage.

Thoughts?