The Dark One Returneth: Wojo Report Card - A Failure

[GoldenDieners32]

Hopefully next season wojo can make a huge jump

[4everwarriors]

Yikes man, don't wish dat on 'im. It's only basketball, hey?

[keefe]

Hopefully next season wojo can make a huge jump

And The Bronze Beast will develop warmth and compassion.

I'll take that bet...

[Herman Cain]

Early on I posted a poll asking if Wojo would be able to exceed Mike Dean's coaching record . I felt Wojo would not . In fact I believe  Mike Dean is a far better game coach than Wojo.

I don' t think Wojo has been a failure though. He has achieved a handful of positive things.  Some good recruits, beat Wisconsin and beat Villanova. Overall I would characterize his results as mediocre plus/ fair minus ish . Given the money we spend and the tradition that is why there is tension.

I don't have faith in Wojo's ability to grow as a coach at a rate faster than the growth of the talent of the team. Hence, we are in this uncomfortable place for the foreseeable future. Wojo has the unconditional love of Lovell and in fact the school is considering the merits of another contraction extension .  So for better or worse he is our coach for a long time and maybe longer.

Let's hope the team has a hot streak in the BET and earns the automatic qualifier.

[MikeDeanesDarkGlasses]

What kind of egomaniac announces he is back with a topic named for himself?

Oh........

Brandx

The name says it all.  #StoreBrands

[Eldon]

Brand x

Your post made my weekend. I found that to be very, very funny. Plus, it made have more respect for MikeDeannes big time. He just became my kind of egomaniac.

I remember when MDDG first came to Scoop.  Then he disappeared for awhile. 

Then, before reappearing again, he created ANOTHER account, under a different name announcing the eventual return of MDDG.  A few weeks later, MDDG did indeed return as predicted.  It was damn funny.  I love Scoop.

[GGGG]

I remember when MDDG first came to Scoop.  Then he disappeared for awhile. 

Then, before reappearing again, he created ANOTHER account, under a different name announcing the eventual return of MDDG.  A few weeks later, MDDG did indeed return as predicted.  It was damn funny.  I love Scoop.

I'm pretty sure MDDG is an alter-ego of another poster.  I just don't know who.

[warriorfred]

It's the middle of February and Marquette is projected to be in the NCAA Tournament.

Surely that seems to be an area of improvement from Wojo's first and second seasons of coaching.

15-10, 6-7 in the BE.  I doubt "projected" becomes "reality."

[keefe]

Brandx

The name says it all.  #StoreBrands

Welcome back, Glasses. Scoop is a better place with your return. Missed your wry take on Marquette hoops.

[warriorfred]

In fairness, Wojo jumped into a smoking crater . . . but I'm not seeing the improvement, and cannot see the core groups of players that will take MU to the next level (e.g McIlvane, Key, Miller, etc. that took O'Neill's team to S16).

[Eldon]

I'm pretty sure MDDG is an alter-ego of another poster.  I just don't know who.

[GoldenDieners32]

We'll be back.

[Anti-Dentite]

That is frightening.

[MikeDeanesDarkGlasses]

Early on I posted a poll asking if Wojo would be able to exceed Mike Dean's coaching record . I felt Wojo would not . In fact I believe  Mike Dean is a far better game coach than Wojo.

I don' t think Wojo has been a failure though. He has achieved a handful of positive things.  Some good recruits, beat Wisconsin and beat Villanova. Overall I would characterize his results as mediocre plus/ fair minus ish . Given the money we spend and the tradition that is why there is tension.

I don't have faith in Wojo's ability to grow as a coach at a rate faster than the growth of the talent of the team. Hence, we are in this uncomfortable place for the foreseeable future. Wojo has the unconditional love of Lovell and in fact the school is considering the merits of another contraction extension .  So for better or worse he is our coach for a long time and maybe longer.

Let's hope the team has a hot streak in the BET and earns the automatic qualifier.

Solid post!

Mike Deane was a very good coach.  His issue was recruiting and Wojo seems to be the inverse of that somewhat.  But yes, it seems Wojo has a long leash.  It's as if MU reeks of desperation on some level.  Perhaps that eludes to the internal issues present with Buzz's Bunch and Wojo is an over-correction for that.  Personally, I believe MU wanted to go with a different look, i.e. they didn't want the type of players Buzz brought in no matter how successful they were on the court.  Seems to me MU wanted to go with players that the state could relate to more.  In other words, yes, it has a little bit to do with race.  Wisconsin's players are more relatable to the avg fan in the state and they win.  Even when MU was winning, people still talk about Wisconsin and identify with that team outside of Milwaukee.

[Herman Cain]

In a few short minutes Va Tech will be 16-8 (5-7) having lost 3 straight. Best win at home over Duke without Allen. Next best win is Michigan. God awful non con schedule.  Next two games on the road at Pitt and Louisville - could legitimately see them lose 5 straight. Buzz's bunch isn't in much better shape than MU this season.

Va Tech won in double overtime versus UVA. The team is 17-7 and 6-6 in the ACC. Heading to NCAA.

[MikeDeanesDarkGlasses]

Va Tech is in the tourney for sure, unless they go 1 for X all the way leading up to the tourney.  Buzz's brand works.  Question is.......what is Wojo's brand?  Does he even have an identity?  Seems to me he's lost the right to floor slap with the poor coaching job on defense.

[rocket surgeon]

Va Tech is in the tourney for sure, unless they go 1 for X all the way leading up to the tourney.  Buzz's brand works.  Question is.......what is Wojo's brand?  Does he even have an identity?  Seems to me he's lost the right to floor slap with the poor coaching job on defense.

i like wojo, but he hasn't recruited the type of player he was at all.  i don't see any "floor slappers here"  he's recruited some mighty fine "basketball players", but now he needs to coach them.  when plan "A"(run n gun) don't work, he has no plan "B".  plan "B" should be to slow it down and get the no footer or foul or...don't just keep gunning cuz if you find yourself shooting, let's say about 9-10% from the arc, you are going to get your bike supporter handed to you every time. 

wojo needs to get a few more experienced old school coaches in there to bring the "basketball players" he has brought here, to the next level

[FartyEightHours]

Like a fart in the wind....


Evolve or die...Wojo has to figure out how to coach defense.  Duke "press" D doesn't work here.

[FartyEightHours]

[GoldenDieners32]

Wojo isn't a failure yet. Hopefully it doesn't become a failure.

[MU82]

Welcome back, Dark One.

You are right ... we are doomed!

Doomed, I say!

Our only chance is to fire Wojo right now ... don't wait till the end of the season. Put Diener in charge. Bring back Wade; he has another year of eligibility, I'm sure.

[augoman]

interesting watching Northwestern last night.  Amazing D Collins has installed.  Minus their leading scorer the Wildcats shut down Madison and rendered Haap a non-entity. (save for some typical Kohl center calls at the end NU would have won going away.) Same background as Wojo but Collins seems to have a great feel for game coaching and defense.

[GoldenWarrior11]

interesting watching Northwestern last night.  Amazing D Collins has installed.  Minus their leading scorer the Wildcats shut down Madison and rendered Haap a non-entity. (save for some typical Kohl center calls at the end NU would have won going away.) Same background as Wojo but Collins seems to have a great feel for game coaching and defense.

I actually love it when posters point to Collins as a comparative.  Collins, like Wojo - a Coach K/Duke disciple - is in year four of his tenure (Wojo is in year three).  In each of the four years at Northwestern, Collins has improved the team both in terms of skill and talent, but also wins.  14, 15, 20 and now 19 (with surely more to come).  They are a tournament team in year four.  Wojo, like Collins, has improved the team in terms of overall skill and talent and improved the wins from year one to year two.  While we only have 15 wins right now, and looking like we may not reach 20 overall wins, next year will be the true indictment as Wojo as a head coach and program leader. 

With the exception to Duane, next year's team will be entirely composed of kids he recruited and has developed.  There will be no excuses next year if the team cannot compete in the Big East for a tournament spot.  If we are in the same spot next year, then things will get hot - but not right now. 

There's still significant basketball left to be played, including the Big East tournament.  We are fully capable of competing with anyone on any given night.  The name of the game is consistency, and we are struggling with that.  We need to hit a run to close out the year, and I support Wojo, our kids and our program to do that. 

Let's go beat X on Saturday.

[Golden Avalanche]

Va Tech is in the tourney for sure, unless they go 1 for X all the way leading up to the tourney.  Buzz's brand works.  Question is.......what is Wojo's brand?  Does he even have an identity?  Seems to me he's lost the right to floor slap with the poor coaching job on defense.

Tech played a soft non-conference schedule to puff up record.

Has only won a single road conference game.

Four of their six conference losses have been by 20 points or more.

One of their two marquee wins came against a team missing their best player.

Their conference record is the very definition of average.

Guessing if Wojo had loaded up on cupcakes to ensure only one loss heading into conference only to be blown to bits in all but two of his six conference losses on his way to a .500 record the narrative here would be that he's a failure (like it already is). But since it's Buzz people consider the above a working brand. Strange the way some twist and turn their standards.

[Lennys Tap]

Virginia Tech is an historically horrid basketball program playing in the country's toughest conference. Buzz or no Buzz, if VPI is our new metric for success/failure we've already lost.