Wojo's future

[rocket surgeon]

what an inauguration to "scoop, eyn'er hey?  umm, welcome to the "message board".

    now, to answer your question-wojo's chit ain't on wheels and did you see what happened to univ. of pitt after they let stallings go?  they lost 8 players.  makes one wonder who wants to walk into that quagmire 

wojo will enjoy an off season looking an assistant defensive specialist coach with a navy seal background

[Marquette2022]

What a stupid thread to start! Great way to start off on a message board. Embarrassing.

[real chili 83]

What a stupid thread to start! Great way to start off on a message board. Embarrassing.

It's not their first time.

[willie warrior]

With the team he's been working to build finally ready. And 2 20 win season plus a 19 win season I'd say it's more likely he gets a small raise than he gets fired

Yup, except it should be a hefty raise for failing to make the dance.

[willie warrior]

Maybe ask Tony Bennett how he feels about now.....

he is still looking for his heart in San Francisco.

[fjm]

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The thing is, if he does get fired this year or next please see: basketball, Pittsburgh 2018.

MU would likely lose half if not more of their team (because word is the players are VERY loyal to wojo), so you would be looking at ooooh another 4-5 years of rebuilding.

[willie warrior]

Question,  is playing shirts and skins at the rec center considered "playing real basketball?" Want to make sure I understand the rules. I was lightening champion of the Marquette basketball camp when I was 8. How about that?

Don't try to understnd the rules here, TAMU. 
First rule is "There ain't no rules" Second rule is, rules change to fit each posters perspective, but above all else, the cardinal rule is "Cut Wojo all the slack he needs", Meaning, "Any excuse is a good and valid one."

[willie warrior]

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The thing is, if he does get fired this year or next please see: basketball, Pittsburgh 2018.

MU would likely lose half if not more of their team (because word is the players are VERY loyal to wojo), so you would be looking at ooooh another 4-5 years of rebuilding.

Yup, thats the old rational spirit, "Can't do anything about Wojo and accountability, because the players will revolt."

[79Warrior]

Oh his seat will be warm, but fired after next year with a year similar to this one?  Not a chance.

Interesting. So with so much expectation with all the talent for next year and we finish 19-13 in year five and you think he has no chance to be let go? I would be very disappointed if that is acceptable. Five years and no NCAA wins? that is pretty dismal in my book.

[fjm]

Yup, thats the old rational spirit, "Can't do anything about Wojo and accountability, because the players will revolt."

I'm not saying that you shouldn't fire someone because of players revolting.

What I meant I guess is that at this point in the rebuild, if you fire a HC, you're looking at another 5 years of rebuild. (Doesn't matter if it is wojo, or any other coach trying to rebuild right now).

[NCMUFan]

Marquette is in a good position to return to the news worthy tier of college basketball.  Not wise to uproot it now.

[GrimmReaper33]

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The thing is, if he does get fired this year or next please see: basketball, Pittsburgh 2018.

MU would likely lose half if not more of their team (because word is the players are VERY loyal to wojo), so you would be looking at ooooh another 4-5 years of rebuilding.

Let's keep in mind here that what's going on at Pitt is much more the exception than the norm.  There is usually a couple transfers with coaching changes, but 8 guys leaving is not normal.

I don't think Wojo should be fired now but I don't think the reason for keeping him should be, well if we fire him the whole team will transfer like Pitt.

Probably all depends on the new coach that's hired.  Look at Holtmann in his first year at OSU.  Imagine if people were worried about canning Matta because players might transfer.

[The Equalizer]

Probably all depends on the new coach that's hired.  Look at Holtmann in his first year at OSU.  Imagine if people were worried about canning Matta because players might transfer.

I think it depends on the relationship the coach has with the players. In Matta's case, 7 players had left in two years before he left the program. People in Columbus were worried that more players would transfer unless Matta were fired.

[lurch91]

After all, DePaul and St. Johns losses and the stink win against Harvard are just outliers.

Wright probably feeling the heat, after all he was the one that gave St John's their first BEAST win of the season.... that's INEXCUSABLE!!!   

[MU82]

I don't think you keep a bad coach because players might leave.

I think the situation involving the players is one of many factors any intelligent, thorough college president/AD should consider when deciding to make a change.

We are fans, and we desperately want to win - some more desperate than others, some who think they know more than others how to get it done, some significantly more patient than others, etc.

The people who actually make these decisions have a TON to consider, including how the coach in place reflects the values of the university, financial cost to dump the coach and bring in a theoretically better one, and most importantly (in my view) trajectory of the program.

I happen to think we are trending up, and I am very excited about the next two years. I wouldn't even consider firing Wojo now. If we have the exact same kind of season in 2018-19, including a tourney miss ... well yeah, I'd at least have to consider making a change.

But I'd have to take the totality of any decision into account.

[Daniel]

Wojo will be fine.  He is building a program the way he and the university thinks it should be built - and the average rebuild is 5 years, so let's see how we do next year, if we snag a point guard, who might leave and what he does with schollies. 

[WhiteTrash]

If MU goes 0-18 in the Big East next year Wojo will get fired. I guaranty it! I'll bet any amount of money on that fact.

If the players wanted to transfer if Wojo was fired, so be it. I'd guess many of them would want to leave a team that went 0-18 whether the coach was coming back or not. 0-18 would cause major chaos.

The reality is MU is not going 0-18 in the BE next year like Pitt did the ACC year. The situations are apples and oranges.

Wojo's seat will be ice cold until the day he is fired. MU will make the change because the believe/know Wojo can not do the job. They will not act like scared little girls and never make a change because "there is no one as good as Wojo" to take millions of dollars from MU to coach basketball. Nor will MU be held hostage by a couple of student athletes, that have a few years of eligibility left at MU, and not make a coaching change because they may or may not transfer out.

I think Wojo will be a success at MU and next year will be a great year but I think the only thing that we can say for certain here on the MU fan board is that Wojo is one year closer to the end of his contract and there is no contract extension forthcoming. This means he is recruiting and bring in kids that he has not guaranty of being the coach of when they graduate.  (I guess that tells us the level of confidence the admin has for Wojo)

[5DollarPitcher]

Why is everyone's fear that kids will transfer out?  Kids will always transfer out as a result of a coaching change but to justify that as a reason to NOT fire and underperforming coach is saying that you are OK with being a bubble team forever just because you don't want to go into a rebuild.

I'm not actively in the fire Wojo or don't fire Wojo camp (although I don't think he has shown much as a coach versus recruiter) but the sooner we enter another rebuild, the sooner we actually get the product MU deserves.  I don't see Wojo coaching a team consistently in the Top 25.

[willie warrior]

I'm not saying that you shouldn't fire someone because of players revolting.

What I meant I guess is that at this point in the rebuild, if you fire a HC, you're looking at another 5 years of rebuild. (Doesn't matter if it is wojo, or any other coach trying to rebuild right now).

It appears we have been rebuilding since Al retired, possibly with the exception of Crean, who lasted about 9-10 years, before I4$, which, for him was the right move(so he thought)
I hope Wojo finally meets expectations next year, which better be really, really good, and then carry that forward consistently, but have not seen it yet in 4 years. Others seem to be drunk on the Wojo Kool Aid.

[WarriorDad]

Why is everyone's fear that kids will transfer out?  Kids will always transfer out as a result of a coaching change but to justify that as a reason to NOT fire and underperforming coach is saying that you are OK with being a bubble team forever just because you don't want to go into a rebuild.

I'm not actively in the fire Wojo or don't fire Wojo camp (although I don't think he has shown much as a coach versus recruiter) but the sooner we enter another rebuild, the sooner we actually get the product MU deserves.  I don't see Wojo coaching a team consistently in the Top 25.

It is not only that they transfer out, it takes years to get kids back in at the level you need.  The clock resets every time this is done except for those rare occasions where kids stay.  Then you factor in that MU has had a terrible history of landing anyone established makes it more difficult.

We have on senior on this year's team and only one senior on next year's team. Do you guys not remember O'Neill's year with the four freshmen?  They didn't make the tournament until year 3.  Experience matters

[Class71]

Good to see we are respectful of other points of view?

I have no idea what is going to happen with this team next year. It is far too early for me to tell. What the administration will do if it is another season like this adds a whole other dimension. My sense is they will do nothing unless the wheels come completely off. There is much to like about Wojo including a good image, good role model and showing class by actions such as thanking the  LAX team for their support and buying tickets for students.

Now is he a good coach?  You need to draw your own conclusions. It is a very emotional topic with experienced basketball fans coming out with different opinions.  I expect there are no words that will change anyone's opinion on this topic.  So be patient, next year is not that far away and then with luck hopefully we will not need to revisit this topic.

[Its DJOver]

This fear of players transferring is being taken a little too far.  If Wojo can't get us in the tourney next year with 5 Juniors (assuming Harry stays), I would have little to no confidence that he could get us in with 5 Seniors.  If we miss the tourney next year, Wojo should absolutely be gone, and any players that leave is just a situation that we'd have to deal with, because if he can't get us in, next year, it would truly take Duke or Kentucky like talent to make us a second weekend team. 

[Spaniel with a Short Tail]

Anyone else get this visual of WW when he reads any post that suggests Wojo may last beyond next season?

[tower912]

Wee Willie windbag whines when wondering about Wojo. 

[Dr. Blackheart]

It is not only that they transfer out, it takes years to get kids back in at the level you need.  The clock resets every time this is done except for those rare occasions where kids stay.  Then you factor in that MU has had a terrible history of landing anyone established makes it more difficult.

We have on senior on this year's team and only one senior on next year's team. Do you guys not remember O'Neill's year with the four freshmen?  They didn't make the tournament until year 3.  Experience matters

Texas and Mississippi State (along with Duke and Kentucky but albeit different cases) have younger teams than Marquette.  We returned five players who started last season (one transferred mid-season, replaced by a red shirt sophomore with three years in Wojo's system now).  Wojo is sensitive about it, but that is why many loyal fans don't like that reasoning and see it as an excuse. 

The reality is, four years in, MU's major issue is the lack of experienced (including physical) depth and roster balance. This was a result of an inexperienced head coach going about a rebuild (versus these others who all had been head coaches before with rebuild experience) and a new administration who wanted a program reset (mainly).

Fact is, Wojo has got to the NCAAs last year with Buzz's recruits and short-term fixes. This is why I have said for a long time that this season is about next season--and we are in Year 2 of the Wojo rebuild.  Roster balance and depth are not problems next season...and hopefully coach experience is not either. I am cautiously optimistic.

Btw, I think Howland has had the toughest rebuild and has done the best job to date.