Henry

[🏀]

I don't know what's more ridiculous, the content of this post or the fact that you waited until this loss to post it.

[Eldon]

MU should not recruit a player like Henry Ellenson because on the rare occurrence they get him it screws them in the years to come.

This is so much easier to say with hindsight.  There are certainly costs to chasing down a Burger Boy, but before the fact, most people would agree that the expected benefits outweigh the expected costs.

[mu_hilltopper]

Isn't there some "win replacement" statistic that could be applied to Henry?

That being said .. with 20/20 hindsight, yeah, Henry (and family) did not move the MU program forward, and do have a part in the disappointing spot mubb is in now.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Isn't there some "win replacement" statistic that could be applied to Henry?

That being said .. with 20/20 hindsight, yeah, Henry (and family) did not move the MU program forward, and do have a part in the disappointing spot mubb is in now.

4.91 Value Add
http://valueaddbasketball.com/ballall.html

[dw3dw3dw3]

Except they did.  From October 2014 to  June 2016,  I would argue, over 80% of non-game stories had something to do Henry.  What does that get filled with? Nothing is the correct answer. He kept us relevant during a trying time. We signed a fairly highly regarded big man on the transfer market who directly attributed his decision to how Henry was developed. Does Hauser commit without the momentum of Ellenson, does Howard?

[Stretchdeltsig]

This is a waste of time discussion.  The kid and his family screwed us.  They were only after the quick money.  Too bad.  Too sad.  Let's move on.

[#UnleashSean]

This is a waste of time discussion.  The kid and his family screwed us.  They were only after the quick money.  Too bad.  Too sad.  Let's move on.

How dare someone go after the money instead of playing for free and risking injury. The audacity.

[cheebs09]

I think the "Henry fallout" falls on Wojo. I think it was pretty clear that he was going pro. There were stories he was saying that while being recruited.

I don't blame Henry or the family one bit. If Henry was actively telling recruits he was staying, that's one thing. I just think Wojo is a good enough recruiter and saw this type of scenario at Duke enough, that recruiting a 4 to replace Henry shouldn't have been too much of an issue.

I just feel there should have been a better backup plan and Wojo needed to give a better sell.

[4everwarriors]

Really, folks here are pissed wee got a one and done? Maybe playas wit no upside potential is watt Steve needs ta focus on. Oh, but it look like he already has, ai na?

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

So what I'm hearing is....Henry was the hero we deserved but not the one we needed

[Lighthouse 84]

I don't know, Duke and Kentucky get plenty of one and dones and they do very well each year.  Granted, they get multiple one and dones but you gotta start somewhere, hey?

[MerrittsMustache]

Henry's presence didn't accomplish what he was brought to MU to do - lead the team to the tournament and get MU back into the top half of the BE. His departure after one season also left a void at the 4. It's easy to say that Wojo should have had a back-up plan but this isn't the NBA where you just go find a solid, veteran and plug him in. There are not a whole lot of difference-makers who are going to sign with a team presuming that they won't see more than spot minutes for 2 seasons. This is all without mentioning the issue of Wally taking up a scholarship for 2 years without contributing much of anything, other than being a primary reason Henry came to MU.

At the end of the day, the Ellenson Experiment didn't work out very well for Wojo and Marquette. If HE had stayed, MU would likely have 4-5 more win this seasons...but he didn't and MU is struggling to stay on the bubble. I have no doubt that if a similar situation presented itself in the future, Wojo would jump at the opportunity again, as well he should. When you can bring in a McD AA who's a good kid with no personal baggage, it's 100% worth any risk that he could end up a one-and-done and could briefly set back the program. Wojo made the right play, it just didn't work out.

[frozena pizza]

I'll take a McDonald's All-American and one and done talent absolutely anytime I can get one.  Having said that, anytime you bring in a player of that caliber and lose him after one season it can be a significant disruption.  You miss out on other recruits and fail to develop other players because all the focus is on that one individual, then when he leaves there is a huge void.  Look where LSU is now without Simmons.  The programs that get a constant influx of these types (Kentucky and Duke) can overcome it but for programs like Marquette and LSU it's a tough thing to manage.  I think Wojo has managed it pretty well (and would have won a lot more than 5 games last year without HE).

[mu_hilltopper]

I'll take a McDonald's All-American and one and done talent absolutely anytime I can get one. 

If you're good with the short term, yes.

[MerrittsMustache]

If you're good with the short term, yes.

Would you rather have a one-and-done McD AA or a one-year grad transfer?

[Litehouse]

Henry helped us beat UW in Madison.  I'm cool with that.

[frozena pizza]

If you're good with the short term, yes.

So do we just set a policy that if there's a Wisconsin kid ranked in the top 30 nationally and he calls up Wojo we just tell him we're not interested?  Honestly if Wojo said that it would probably push me into the camp that wants him fired.

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

If you're good with the short term, yes.

What is the long term these days? 

With the ever increasing transfer rate & grad transfers coming in every year it would seem to me that the short term and the long term are not very far apart.

[brewcity77]

Would you rather have a one-and-done McD AA or a one-year grad transfer?

That's a great question. Truly. I'll make a list and think it over a bit...here's some of what I came up with:

McDonald's Pros: Likely lottery potential, athleticism and ability to take over games single-handedly, boosts recruiting rankings, convinces recruits they can reach the NBA from your school, potential to stay more than one year.

McDonald's Cons: Uncertain declaration time could scare off recruits and leave a sudden roster hole, freshman mistakes, will likely expect to dominate the ball, see your program as their chance at an audition rather than a destination.

Grad Transfer Pros: Experience to lead, more likely well-versed in defense and the "little things" to help win, hungry for success in their last chance, finite availability makes roster planning easy.

Grad Transfer Cons: Likely fringe NBA at best (or they'd have gone pro by now), could disrupt current roster by stepping into starter minutes, no potential for extra years of service.

[Newsdreams]

You take the best and never stop recruiting, period end of story.

[Windyplayer]

Henry helped us beat UW in Madison.  I'm cool with that.

Ha, true, but we could not have caught UW at a better time. What a bizarre window of about a month and a half followed by picking up right where they left off...damn it.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Ha, true, but we could not have caught UW at a better time. What a bizarre window of about a month and a half followed by picking up right where they left off...damn it.

The conspiracy theorist in me is still not convinced that Bo didn't intentionally tank to give Gard the chance to "turn them around" and seal the job.

[wadesworld]

The conspiracy theorist in me is still not convinced that Bo didn't intentionally tank to give Gard the chance to "turn them around" and seal the job.

It's quite simple.  They got into B1G play.  The B1G is no better than the AAC.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

It's quite simple.  They got into B1G play.  The B1G is no better than the AAC.

I don't necessarily disagree, but it is tougher than Western Illinois and UWM.

[RJax55]

The conspiracy theorist in me is still not convinced that Bo didn't intentionally tank to give Gard the chance to "turn them around" and seal the job.

Nah. Bo literally didn't give a crap. Didn't want to be in Madison.

The players responded in-kind. Its a good theory though. And, Gard certainly had to appreciate Bo's great set-up.