Wojo on Rothstein's Podcast

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

https://soundcloud.com/compass-media/college-hoops-today-with-jon-rothstein-marquettes-steve-wojciechowskibig-east-preview

Pretty solid listen, talks about time at Duke, what the Big East looks like this season, and Marquette's chance in the upcoming season. Wojo sounds confident.

[muwarrior69]

https://soundcloud.com/compass-media/college-hoops-today-with-jon-rothstein-marquettes-steve-wojciechowskibig-east-preview

Pretty solid listen, talks about time at Duke, what the Big East looks like this season, and Marquette's chance in the upcoming season. Wojo sounds confident.

Obviously, defense, defense, defense will determine the season we'll have. If we can keep teams at 40% fg avg I think we will have decent season.

[Jay Bee]

Obviously, defense, defense, defense will determine the season we'll have. If we can keep teams at 40% fg avg I think we will have decent season.

What is the relevance of FG%?

[dgies9156]

https://soundcloud.com/compass-media/college-hoops-today-with-jon-rothstein-marquettes-steve-wojciechowskibig-east-preview

Pretty solid listen, talks about time at Duke, what the Big East looks like this season, and Marquette's chance in the upcoming season. Wojo sounds confident.

Agree that he definitely sounds confident about this coming year. The fact that John Rothstein found Wojo also suggests we're again beginning to be noticed on the national stage.

We'll see how far our defense can move us, which is a major point of Wojo's during the interview.

[DCHoopster]

Agree that he definitely sounds confident about this coming year. The fact that John Rothstein found Wojo also suggests we're again beginning to be noticed on the national stage.

We'll see how far our defense can move us, which is a major point of Wojo's during the interview.

MU has 11 solid players, with 2 seniors with experience and 4 juniors that has played big minutes, one for Nebraska, add 3 sophs.  All will be more experienced through
in 2 Top 50 kids in there year and you have a coach that needs how to put it together.  If an individual does not want to play D, there will be another on the bench that
might want to.  Wojo has done his job recruiting, now lets see how he coaches a team with so much talent.  MU has not had this type of talent since the Al era, and 1
year with Crean with D Wade, but no team was this deep.  Al's teams only had 7 kids a year.  Crean did it and Buzz had a great team one year as well.

[Lennys Tap]

MU has 11 solid players, with 2 seniors with experience and 4 juniors that has played big minutes, one for Nebraska, add 3 sophs.  All will be more experienced through
in 2 Top 50 kids in there year and you have a coach that needs how to put it together.  If an individual does not want to play D, there will be another on the bench that
might want to.  Wojo has done his job recruiting, now lets see how he coaches a team with so much talent.  MU has not had this type of talent since the Al era, and 1
year with Crean with D Wade, but no team was this deep.  Al's teams only had 7 kids a year.  Crean did it and Buzz had a great team one year as well.

Depth is a nice but overrated quality. Stars are more important. Who is this team's George Thompson, Dean Meminger, Jim Chones, Mo Lucas, Bo Ellis, Earl Tatum, Butch Lee, D Wade, JFB or Jae Crowder? Without one I don't see an Elite 8 or a FF. I would be ecstatic with a S16.

[wadesworld]

Depth is a nice but overrated quality. Stars are more important. Who is this team's George Thompson, Dean Meminger, Jim Chones, Mo Lucas, Bo Ellis, Earl Tatum, Butch Lee, D Wade, JFB or Jae Crowder? Without one I don't see an Elite 8 or a FF. I would be ecstatic with a S16.

Who was Loyola's star this season?

[DCHoopster]

Depth is a nice but overrated quality. Stars are more important. Who is this team's George Thompson, Dean Meminger, Jim Chones, Mo Lucas, Bo Ellis, Earl Tatum, Butch Lee, D Wade, JFB or Jae Crowder? Without one I don't see an Elite 8 or a FF. I would be ecstatic with a S16.

Your right, there probably is no All-American in the group, but you have 2 players that both averaged double figures last year, and 2 who are transfers that were in
double digits as well.  As the person below said,  Loyola did not have star but had 5 solid players.  I think MU has more talent than. Loyola had.  So in saying that,
Wojo will have to coach them to be an 11 man team, and try and make 11 happy, no easy task there.  And the 12th player might be something as well, time will tell
on him.

[MuMark]

Depth is a nice but overrated quality. Stars are more important. Who is this team's George Thompson, Dean Meminger, Jim Chones, Mo Lucas, Bo Ellis, Earl Tatum, Butch Lee, D Wade, JFB or Jae Crowder? Without one I don't see an Elite 8 or a FF. I would be ecstatic with a S16.

None of those guys were on our last Elite 8 team.

[burger]

None of those guys were on our last Elite 8 team.

Crowder......

A guy who puts up 52 in college is either a "budding" star or a star.....

I agree we need a star......Maybe we will have 4 or 5......

Nova West.....

[MuMark]

Crowder was not on our last Elite 8 team

[MU82]

Normally, I'm in the "star is much more important than depth" camp, especially once a team gets to a season's nitty-gritty.

I'm not 100% that we have the classic "star" on our team, but we have guys who can be every bit the "stars" that Vander, Davante and Jamil were in 2012-13.

Unless one is talking about Duke/Kentucky level superstars, a pretty good argument could be made that experienced talent is the No. 1 important thing in college basketball. We should have that, no?

[tower912]

Quality depth is always a good thing.  Sam is a tremendous player.  What if, hypothetically, his recovery is poor and he can't play?   For the first time in forever, there is abundant size and talent to overcome his hypothetical absence.  The only two I view as not replaceable are Markus and JC.

[lawdog77]

Depth is a nice but overrated quality. Stars are more important. Who is this team's George Thompson, Dean Meminger, Jim Chones, Mo Lucas, Bo Ellis, Earl Tatum, Butch Lee, D Wade, JFB or Jae Crowder? Without one I don't see an Elite 8 or a FF. I would be ecstatic with a S16.

If Markus averages 20 again this year, he. Will be a "star" on the national stage, because I think we will be a Top 15 team. He may not be the most valuable, but the national press will consider him our best player.

[MU82]

If Markus averages 20 again this year, he. Will be a "star" on the national stage, because I think we will be a Top 15 team. He may not be the most valuable, but the national press will consider him our best player.

If we're a Top 15 team, I won't care if the national press agrees with the dopey stats that say Matt Heldt is our best player.

Let's be a Top 15 team first and worry about the rest!

[warriorchick]

If we're a Top 15 team, I won't care if the national press agrees with the dopey stats that say Matt Heldt is our best player.

FIFY

[GGGG]

Normally, I'm in the "star is much more important than depth" camp, especially once a team gets to a season's nitty-gritty.

I'm not 100% that we have the classic "star" on our team, but we have guys who can be every bit the "stars" that Vander, Davante and Jamil were in 2012-13.

Unless one is talking about Duke/Kentucky level superstars, a pretty good argument could be made that experienced talent is the No. 1 important thing in college basketball. We should have that, no?

Yes. And I agree completely. Unless you are swimming in one-and-done talent, experience paired with top 100 talent works just fine. In retrospect, we didn’t appreciate the importance of experience when it came to our last Elite 8 team.

I think the next two years could be special because of the mix of talent and experience this team will have.

[Mr. Sand-Knit]

If we're a Top 15 team, I won't care if the national press agrees with the dopey stats that say Matt Heldt is our best player.

Let's be a Top 15 team first and worry about the rest!

👁👁

[jsglow]

One of the things that gets overlooked is that our depth allows us to play different ways in different situations AND to absorb foul trouble.  I think this is particularly important on the defensive end.

Wanna press?  Fine.  We've got enough fresh legs to do that all game if we want to.  (Side note:  It was so much fun to watch Diener and Derrick press last weekend.)

Uncontested at the rim?  No way.  Hit him even harder next time Matty.  Because Ike or Brendan can cover for you for a few extra minutes. 

[KampusFoods]

What is the relevance of FG%?

Had to be a typo. He meant FT%.

*ducks*

[Jay Bee]

Had to be a typo. He meant FT%.

*ducks*

Oooh no. FT% has some relevance in certain situations (although FTsNoMatta re: winning b-ball games). FG% has little relevance and should generally never be mentioned

[Lennys Tap]

Who was Loyola's star this season?

Sometimes the exception proves the rule. If your ceiling/goal for MU is a 12 seed who go on a run in March, fine. It's possible. I like my chances better with some star power and a higher seed, though.

[Lennys Tap]

None of those guys were on our last Elite 8 team.

Correct, but Vander was.

[TheGym]

Correct, but Vander was.

If Vander was a star then we have 3-4 on this year's team

[GGGG]

If Vander was a star then we have 3-4 on this year's team

What 3-4 players on this team are better than Vander?  I think there is only one clearly better (Sam). Markus might be. No one else.

[Galway Eagle]

Correct, but Vander was.

I think due to vander hitting 30 for the first time since Jerel in a game and the two clutch game winners people forget just how "ok" he was that year. 14.8ppg 3.2rpg and 1.8apg are good but by no means are they star numbers

Admittedly he was lock down on D which was nice

[GGGG]

I think due to vander hitting 30 for the first time since Jerel in a game and the two clutch game winners people forget just how "ok" he was that year. 14.8ppg 3.2rpg and 1.8apg are good but by no means are they star numbers

Admittedly he was lock down on D which was nice

Second team all Big East and the leading scorer on a conference champion and E8 team. I’ll take that any day.

[Galway Eagle]

Second team all Big East and the leading scorer on a conference champion and E8 team. I’ll take that any day.

Not saying I wouldn't take that any day but those are not star numbers. Compare those to anybody else you'd consider a star in the past. Lazar, Jae, DJO, Jerel, Wade etc.

[GGGG]

Not saying I wouldn't take that any day but those are not star numbers. Compare those to anybody else you'd consider a star in the past. Lazar, Jae, DJO, Jerel, Wade etc.

Sure but he was more than just “ok.”

[Galway Eagle]

Sure but he was more than just “ok.”

That's fair. The phrasing I used I guess I could've said he was just good

[MuMark]

What 3-4 players on this team are better than Vander?  I think there is only one clearly better (Sam). Markus might be. No one else.

Markus and Sam are both better and haven't even played junior year yet.  Vander's Ortg was only 104 his junior season.

Vander was certainly better defensively but offensively....it's not even close.

If Vander was a "star" then we have 2 returning stars.

Ps my recollection of Vander is that his defense was not as good his last season as it was his first 2 when he had to defend at a high level to get playing time because his offense was so bad. To be fair Jerel also seemed to regress as a defender as he got older. I have no stats to back this up so,I could be wrong.....maybe JB has some insight on Vander vs Sam and Markus?

[Mr. Sand-Knit]

If Markus averages 20 again this year, he. Will be a "star" on the national stage, because I think we will be a Top 15 team. He may not be the most valuable, but the national press will consider him our best player.

If marcus shoots well and averages 20 we will be a good tourney team if he averages 20 as a liw percentage gunner we may not be.  His shot selection was very poor at times last year when it did not need to be.

[wadesworld]

Sometimes the exception proves the rule. If your ceiling/goal for MU is a 12 seed who go on a run in March, fine. It's possible. I like my chances better with some star power and a higher seed, though.

I would take a 32 win season, regular season and conference tournament championship, and only 3 losses all year when my full starting lineup was available in a heartbeat.  That wasn't some fluke run.  They were very good all year long.

Who was the star for Michigan?

[GGGG]

Markus and Sam are both better and haven't even played junior year yet.  Vander's Ortg was only 104 his junior season.

Vander was certainly better defensively but offensively....it's not even close.

If Vander was a "star" then we have 2 returning stars.

Ok you’ve convinced me. I wouldn’t put anyone else ahead of Vander to this point though.

[Lennys Tap]

Who was the star for Michigan?

1. Moritz Wagner , 25th pick in this year's draft
2. Charles Matthews, projected 32nd pick (NBA Draftnet) 2019
3. The #3 rated DEFENSE in the NCAA (per Pomeroy)

[Lennys Tap]

I would take a 32 win season, regular season and conference tournament championship, and only 3 losses all year when my full starting lineup was available in a heartbeat.  That wasn't some fluke run.  They were very good all year long.

You wouldn't get a 32 win season, a regular season and conference championship with Loyola's talent in the Big East or any other power 6 conference. Yes, they were very good (#31 per Pomeroy). When all the stars align perfectly it can happen - I'd rather have stars, you can have miracles and Cinderellas. You'll lose the vast majority of the time.

[wadesworld]

You wouldn't get a 32 win season, a regular season and conference championship with Loyola's talent in the Big East or any other power 6 conference. Yes, they were very good (#31 per Pomeroy). When all the stars align perfectly it can happen - I'd rather have stars, you can have miracles and Cinderellas. You'll lose the vast majority of the time.

Considering 1.1% of NCAA D1 Men’s basketball teams make the Final Four each year, just about every program in the country will lose “the vast majority of the time.”

1. Moritz Wagner , 25th pick in this year's draft
2. Charles Matthews, projected 32nd pick (NBA Draftnet) 2019
3. The #3 rated DEFENSE in the NCAA (per Pomeroy)

So guys who averaged 14 and 13 ppg last season were stars? Interesting. Then I guess we had 2 megastars considering we had 2 guys averaging 20 ppg.

The NBA doesn't draft on college production.  A 6th man went 17th overall.  Marvin Williams was the #2 overall pick in his Draft and was a 6th man in college.  The #4 pick in this year's draft averaged 11 and 6 in college.  The #14 pick in the draft had a career record of 0-2 in games played and was horrendous in his 2 games played.  The #15 pick averaged 11 and 6.

Meanwhile, a guy like Trevon Bluiett went undrafted.  So I guess you'd consider Troy Brown Jr. more of a college star than Tre Bluiett?  Pretty awful criteria.

Need I continue?  Using NBA Draft selections to determine whether or not a college player was a star or not is beyond silly.

“#3 rated defense in the NCAA” is a star player? Seems to me that’s more of a...team thing? Hmm... 🤔

[GGGG]

1. Moritz Wagner , 25th pick in this year's draft
2. Charles Matthews, projected 32nd pick (NBA Draftnet) 2019
3. The #3 rated DEFENSE in the NCAA (per Pomeroy)

If Wagner and Matthews are the standard, Marquette has enough talent.

[burger]

The biggest thing for Markus this summer was that Trey Young went pro......

Everybody is on the hunt for the "next" Steph Curry.......

Big East.....Possible POY in the league.....National Ranking......

Check.....Check.....Check.....

Markus is going to get a lot of pub......He needs to stay "grounded".....

Very hard thing to do when everyone wants a piece of you.....

[Lennys Tap]

“#3 rated defense in the NCAA” is a star player? Seems to me that’s more of a...team thing? Hmm... 🤔

It's something that can make up for the lack of a "star OFFENSIVE player", so yes. We had more than enough guys with offensive numbers last year that made them "stars" to folks who don't know much about basketball. You know, the guys who think offense is an individual thing and defense is a "team" thing. LOL.

[Lennys Tap]

If Wagner and Matthews are the standard, Marquette has enough talent.

Great. 33 wins, a #7 final ranking in the AP and Pomeroy and a runner up finish in the NCAA tournament will be awesome!

[MU82]

Great. 33 wins, a #7 final ranking in the AP and Pomeroy and a runner up finish in the NCAA tournament will be awesome!

I'd begrudgingly accept those results.

[GGGG]

Great. 33 wins, a #7 final ranking in the AP and Pomeroy and a runner up finish in the NCAA tournament will be awesome!

So the only reason teams advance is due to talent???

[wadesworld]

It's something that can make up for the lack of a "star OFFENSIVE player", so yes. We had more than enough guys with offensive numbers last year that made them "stars" to folks who don't know much about basketball. You know, the guys who think offense is an individual thing and defense is a "team" thing. LOL.

Interesting. Not sure who said offense is an individual thing and defense is a “team” thing.

I asked who Michigan’s stars were. You came back with Wagner and Matthews and even sited their NBA Draft prospects as proof, which is awesome.

If those guys are “stars” and you need “stars” to make a deep Tourney run, MU is in great shape.

The reality is that neither of those guys are stars, 2 of the 4 Final Four teams didn’t have a “star,” and unless you’re getting the very top recruits in the country it’s much more important to have multiple guys that can contribute and to have an experienced roster than it is to have a star that can carry your team.

[MU82]

The reality is that neither of those guys are stars, 2 of the 4 Final Four teams didn’t have a “star,” and unless you’re getting the very top recruits in the country it’s much more important to have multiple guys that can contribute and to have an experienced roster than it is to have a star that can carry your team.

I'd agree with this, and it's one of many reasons I'm very high on the Warriors for these next two seasons (and hopefully beyond).

[brewcity77]

The #14 pick in the draft had a career record of 0-2 in games played and was horrendous in his 2 games played.

He was actually 1-2. Before his injury, Porter was averaging 40 points and 40 rebounds per 40 minutes.

Granted, that was in 2 minutes against Iowa State...

[wadesworld]

He was actually 1-2. Before his injury, Porter was averaging 40 points and 40 rebounds per 40 minutes.

Granted, that was in 2 minutes against Iowa State...

Ahh thanks. For some reason I thought he got injured 2 minutes into an exhibition game.

[brewcity77]

Ahh thanks. For some reason I thought he got injured 2 minutes into an exhibition game.

Yeah, was the first actual game. Though safe to say your point is still accurate

[PGsHeroes32]

Wagner was a “star”.

His draft positioning is not a support

But just watching Michigan games and seeing everything he did for them. Honestly, I think I heard to him referred to as a star about 100 times the whole month of March.

Gimme a Mo Wagner please.

[WhiteTrash]

Great. 33 wins, a #7 final ranking in the AP and Pomeroy and a runner up finish in the NCAA tournament will be awesome!

Runner up finish....... Fire Wojo!

[MuMark]

Considering 1.1% of NCAA D1 Men’s basketball teams make the Final Four each year, just about every program in the country will lose “the vast majority of the time.”

So guys who averaged 14 and 13 ppg last season were stars? Interesting. Then I guess we had 2 megastars considering we had 2 guys averaging 20 ppg.

The NBA doesn't draft on college production.  A 6th man went 17th overall.  Marvin Williams was the #2 overall pick in his Draft and was a 6th man in college.  The #4 pick in this year's draft averaged 11 and 6 in college.  The #14 pick in the draft had a career record of 0-2 in games played and was horrendous in his 2 games played.  The #15 pick averaged 11 and 6.

Meanwhile, a guy like Trevon Bluiett went undrafted.  So I guess you'd consider Troy Brown Jr. more of a college star than Tre Bluiett?  Pretty awful criteria.

Need I continue?  Using NBA Draft selections to determine whether or not a college player was a star or not is beyond silly.

“#3 rated defense in the NCAA” is a star player? Seems to me that’s more of a...team thing? Hmm... 🤔

Speaking of Bluiett both he and Markus Derrickson had monster games in the Vegas Summer league opener last night.

[WarriorDad]

Depth is a nice but overrated quality. Stars are more important. Who is this team's George Thompson, Dean Meminger, Jim Chones, Mo Lucas, Bo Ellis, Earl Tatum, Butch Lee, D Wade, JFB or Jae Crowder? Without one I don't see an Elite 8 or a FF. I would be ecstatic with a S16.

Depth is not overrated if it is quality depth.  Allows for more than a few guys to have bad nights and still come out on top.  I would like a guy that can get you a basket in a pinch like those you mention, but teams can win without a stud if many other good options exist.