End of season contract extension for wojo?

[Cheeks]

Outstanding post. Every point is great.

What your paragraph about Al's March frustrations shows is how very difficult it is to win a national title. Al got close, year after year after year, but couldn't get even some of the most talented teams in the nation over the hump. There was an injury here, a guy going pro there, a matchup against an All-American here, a matchup against an unbeaten team there. That's sports -- it's always something.

Finally, in 1977, Al got his title. Interestingly, that season included a 3-game losing February losing streak. All 3 were at home, two were to unranked teams, the third was a double-digit loss to a Wichita State squad that would finish third in the MVC.

Six games into February, Marquette had a 2-4 record for the month. The only two wins were  over a Loyola team that finished 13-13 and a Manhattan squad that was 13-14.

Can't you just hear the 77Scoopers?

"With so much at stake, why can't Al motivate those guys to play better!"

"We look lethargic coming out in the second half. Where are the adjustments?"

"We are underachieving. Al is just mailing it in."

"Looks like Al is gonna go out a loser!" (To which at least a few Scoopers would have responded: "Good! He can let the door hit him on his way out!")

We can sit here now and say that through all of his earlier accomplishments, Al "earned" a slump like that, but that's not how fans think at the time. Certainly not interwebs fans. 77Scoop would not have been kind.

Ten days ago, we were 23-4, leading the BEast, had beaten Nova, Wisconsin, K-State, Louisville, Buffalo, etc. We were a top-10 team, projected as a 3-seed with a decent shot at a 2. Many of Wojo's critics had backed off.

Then we lose 3 games, and it's as if the first 27 were a mirage. We're done!

Even an optimist like me is not naive enough to say this team will do what the 76-77 lads did -- turn things around and go on to win the title. But jeesh ... to write our guys off as dead (as many MU fans surely did 6 games into February 1977) ... I just don't get the over-the-top negativity.

Some Scoopers get their undies so twisted in a bundle that they'll spit out anything: Wojo is one of the highest-paid coaches in the nation ... Sacar is the worst 2 in the BE by far ... maybe we're a better team without Markus ... Wojo can't recruit ... Joey is garbage ... Morrow is useless ... not to mention all the wonderfully, ridiculously inaccurate musings after the IU and KU games. And let's not forget all the Scoopers who actually have come right out and said they know more about basketball than Wojo does.

Of course no Warriors coach has built anything like Al did. There's a reason why one-of-a-kind coaches are called one of a kind!

So because Wojo is not Al and never will be, we should start over, looking for the Next Al? Shaka was supposed to be the savior, wasn't he? Ask the folks in Austin how the saving is going so far.

And to top it all off ... unless some kind of scandal pops up, there is ZERO chance that Wojo will get fired. He almost surely will get a contract extension that will be (IMHO) well-deserved.

Pining for a different coach now is akin to pining for a romp in the hay with Scarlett Johansson. It's fantasy world!

Mike....well done.  Seriously, well done.  Captured it well. 

[WhiteTrash]

Probably, but all that means is one of the top 35 to 50 paid coaches out 350 D1 programs.

Thanks. I think we can all do basic math.

The question is, what is considered "one of the highest paid coaches"? If being in the top 10% doesn't qualify then is it top 5%? Top 2%?

BTW, I feel that Wojo is fairly compensated. I'd say his accomplishments are not as great as others in his pay range but MU is a big time program that will and should pay top money.

[Cheeks]

Thanks. I think we can all do basic math.

The question is, what is considered "one of the highest paid coaches"? If being in the top 10% doesn't qualify then is it top 5%? Top 2%?

BTW, I feel that Wojo is fairly compensated. I'd say his accomplishments are not as great as others in his pay range but MU is a big time program that will and should pay top money.

I’m guessing plenty of people don’t know there are 350+ D1 teams.

I’m guessing the answer will partly be tied directly to who has an axe to grind and how it helps him or her with their argument of pro or anti Wojo.

[WhiteTrash]

And we're in the top 10 or 15% off teams, so theoretically eye getting our money's worth eh?

I'd agree.

[Jay Bee]

BTW, I feel that Wojo is fairly compensated. I'd say his accomplishments are not as great as others in his pay range but MU is a big time program that will and should pay top money.

The thing is... you don’t even know how he is compensated...

[jesmu84]

When I look at this year's team, the lack of athleticism stands out. That has been a fundamental flaw in Wojo's recruiting to this point. The game is played on a 94 ft floor and we can't compete with quicker teams.
More disturbing to me is other teams have shown how to beat MU and seemingly, Wojo can't answer that challenge. This doesn't bode well for a deep Tourney run. So, what's the answer? I don't know, but it's disturbing that the staff hasn't gotten the necessary talent, or mis-evaluated talent, to strengthen these weaknesses. As for Wojo, I expected more by this point, particularly with in game adjustments.

Is it possible that wojo realizes his roster deficiencies and knew even as he was recruiting the kids? Perhaps he got the best he could and is making them as successful as possible. After all, success usually begets success. So, he's gotten this roster to #10 in the nation. On the recruiting trail now and in the future he can go after those athletes and high talent players now that he has a resume with winning on it.

[Jon]

For me, coaches need to win in March. November, December, January, and February no matta, hey?

Hitler and Tojo had superb early season records. They didn't play well in the Tourney.

[4everwarriors]

I was on campus in 1977 and Brother MU, your post captured what the chattering class throught quite well.

We choked against Wichita State and looked terrible in February. The team was booed at the Arena as it walked off the floor after Coach’s last home game. Not sure Bill Neary ever forgave that.

What we never knew is what happened in practice and what Coaches McGuire and Raymonds did to ready our guys for the title. It isn’t that one suffers adversity, but what you do afterward that matters. That team showed that despite our weaknesses that year, despite a coach retiring and despite an angry fan base, they got up off the deck and basically told the whole world “We are Marquette ... screw you!”

I’m with our guys this year, win or lose, and am hopeful Coach Wojo is here for a long time to come.

Thanks Brother MU for the compliment.

Pretty sure the crowd was booing the refs, hey?

[Sir Lawrence]

Pretty sure the crowd was booing the refs, hey?

This.  Bo got ejected.  Al got T-d up, once?  Twice? I don't recall.  Weird wired crowd.  Throwing toilet paper during half time going away ceremony for our lame duck coach. 

[WarriorHal]

Finally, in 1977, Al got his title. Interestingly, that season included a 3-game losing February losing streak. All 3 were at home, two were to unranked teams, the third was a double-digit loss to a Wichita State squad that would finish third in the MVC.

I was a senior during the 76-77 season. Amazingly, those three straight loses were Al's final three home games -- DePaul in double OT, Detroit by one on a buzzer beater (Still recall Dickie V dancing on the court going completely nuts), and the blowout to Wichita St. and Bob Elmore.

At that point, many if not most of the students were thinking NIT instead of NCAA. So the 'we're screwed, it's over' mentality existed back then, too. But you didn't get to express and share your frustration and disappointment with a zillion other fans over the internet.

Then we closed out the regular season on the road with consecutive wins over Wisconsin, Va. Tech, Tulane, and Creighton before blowing a 2nd half lead and losing the last game to Michigan by one. That strong finish on a five game road trip got us a NCAA bid. And five more wins later, our only national championship.

[Goose]

Why do people continue to say Al’s last home game had crowd booing the team. Simply not true.

[WarriorHal]

Why do people continue to say Al’s last home game had crowd booing the team. Simply not true.

Correct. We we're booing the crap out of the refs while Al was expressing similar displeasure with the officiating that night. The booing then morphed into the old 'Give Em Hell Al' chant. Nobody booed the team.

[WarriorHal]

We choked against Wichita State and looked terrible in February. The team was booed at the Arena as it walked off the floor after Coach’s last home game. Not sure Bill Neary ever forgave that.

My recollection is that we booed the refs a lot that night, including as they left the court -- I know I did. Neary was booed during the senior night introductions. Bernard Toone was a much more talented player and the students thought he should have started ahead of Neary. So a lot of folks booed when he was introduced to the crowd, which obviously was a terrible thing to do.

After returning from Atlanta, there was a rally on campus and members of the team spoke. At the end of Neary's brief remarks, he sarcastically said: "Thanks for booing me on senior night." I never have and never will forget that.

[MU82]

I was a HS junior in Conn. the year MU won the title, so I can't say who booed whom. All of y'all who were there know.

But even a couple of folks who were there and said fans booed the refs talked about the general unrest of MU fans while it appeared a promising season was going down the tubes.

Everybody with half a brain knows that if there were interwebs back then, lots of anonymous experts on 77Scoop woulda been whinin' and wailin'.

The point wasn't to compare Wojo to Al or this MU team to our '77 heroes. It was that most teams face adversity within the course of a season. Heck, even after Al's Warriors recovered from their February malaise, they faced plenty of adversity in the tournament. The test is how you overcome adversity.

Not sure why so many Marquette fans are 100% certain that there is no way this team can overcome adversity.

I'm guessing it's many of the same folks who were 100% certain after the IU and KU games that we were gonna have a terrible season.

[79Warrior]

Pretty sure the crowd was booing the refs, hey?

For sure. So tired of people posting the team was booed. I was in the student section right next to MU bench and the refs were escorted off by the police. Wild night in Milwaukee. Al went nuts, got tossed and the place went ballistic. Remember it like it was yesterday. Still have the Al handout they distributed to everyone from that night.

[WarriorDad]

Neary seems generally angry about a number of MU things from what some have said.

[dgies9156]

My recollection is that we booed the refs a lot that night, including as they left the court -- I know I did. Neary was booed during the senior night introductions. Bernard Toone was a much more talented player and the students thought he should have started ahead of Neary. So a lot of folks booed when he was introduced to the crowd, which obviously was terrible thing to do.

After returning from Atlanta, there was a rally on campus and members of the team spoke. At the end of Neary's brief remarks, he sarcastically said: "Thanks for booing me on senior night." I never have and never will forget that.

I wass there that day as well. Neary had a legitimate complaint. Coach McGuire started Bill for two reasons. First, seniors in Coach McGuire's system were his stars.  Period. Second, Bill brought a level of defense that Coach McGuire wanted in his line-up.

No matter how you don't like something, YOU NEVER EVER BOO a senior on senior day. You respect what they gave uss and their contribution to what we are. No wonder Bill was aggravated.

[WhiteTrash]

The thing is... you don’t even know how he is compensated...

So you don't think his almost $2MM per year is in the top 15% ? Not sure what your point is. I concede I don't what he is paid this year but public records show he's very well paid and I agree with MU's decision to do so.

[Herman Cain]

As a final thought, take a hard look at Coach McGuire's record. We lost to SIU in the 1967 NIT final. In 1969, we were one missed free throw away from the Final 4. In 1971, we lost to a middling Ohio State team. In 1973, a young Bobby Knight team beat us and in 1974, we lost after our coach took two technicals in the NatChamp game. 1975 was a disappointment and 1976 was an unfortunate situation in that we were matched up in the regional final against the last team ever to go unbeaten in a season. God help us if we would have had Scoop back then.



Allow me to clarify:
1967: Walt "Clyde" Frazier was a member of that SIU team.

1969: vs. Purdue (with Rick Mount) at the Field House in Madison. #51 never was a reliable free throw shooter.

1971: vs tOSU in Athen, GA. Luke Witte and Jim Cleamons were part of that team and they were good. #14 fouled out for the first time ever in either high school or college.

You have 1973 listed vs IU. I believe losing to IU in Nashville occured in 1972 after losing #22 to the ABA in February.

1974: vs. NCState with David Thompson and Monte Towe on their home court in Greenboro in the Monday night Championship Game

1976: vs. IU in Baton Rouge. IU was loaded with Kent Benson, Quinn Buckner, Scott May, Tom Abernethy, and Bob Wilkerson--all played in the NBA


What this really shows, and you younguns take note, is just what a powerhouse Al built and sustained for years. When its said that you want to compete at the highest level--this is the highest level.
Hank, Rick, Bob, Kevin, Mike, Tom, Buzz, and Wojo have not built anything near that successful and certainly don't come close to sustaining it.

Just to amplify this. MU was flat out considered the #2 program after UCLA during this period. We were the team nobody wanted to play. I saw games where the opponents where intimidated before the game started.

Letting Hank take Als spot  was one of the three great mistakes of Marquette history.  We had opportunities to get guys like Denny Crum or even Dick Vitale ( who believe it or not, was the hot young coach of his day) who could have continued our legacy. Should have made Hank AD and hired a hot young coach.

[dgies9156]

Just to amplify this. MU was flat out considered the #2 program after UCLA during this period. We were the team nobody wanted to play. I saw games where the opponents where intimidated before the game started.

Letting Hank take Als spot  was one of the three great mistakes of Marquette history.

Brother Herm, we've debated this many times in Scoop and yes, you are absolutely right. Coach Raymonds was a great guy, a gentlemen and his family was/is nice people. But I did not and do not understand what the elders of Marquette University saw in him in 1977 that they did not see in 1964, when the passed him over for Coach McGuire.

My general recollection is that the university was quietly debating the efficacy of basketball. The faculty was idealistically griping that the highest paid university employee was the head basketball coach. The university was concerned that we were known for athletics, not academics and there were more than a few cheapskates at O'Hara Hall who were picking up pennies rather than harvesting $1,000 bills.

I wonder if anyone ever did an estimate of what the financial cost of that decision was. We had the direct costs in lost basketball tournament revenue and lost television revenue. But what about the impact on the student body, giving, grants and other programs that went elsewhere because Marquette's national visibility faded? The excellence of our basketball program by itself causes none of this but if the most visible sign of your excellence is your basketball program and it causes others to look at you, then the program serves its purpose.

These episodes are ancillary evidence why you renew Wojo and make sure he is happy/ As long as we're headed back to where we are, this guy needs to be nurtured, stroked and otherwise made happy.

[tower912]

Brother Herm, we've debated this many times in Scoop and yes, you are absolutely right. Coach Raymonds was a great guy, a gentlemen and his family was/is nice people. But I did not and do not understand what the elders of Marquette University saw in him in 1977 that they did not see in 1964, when the passed him over for Coach McGuire.

My general recollection is that the university was quietly debating the efficacy of basketball. The faculty was idealistically griping that the highest paid university employee was the head basketball coach. The university was concerned that we were known for athletics, not academics and there were more than a few cheapskates at O'Hara Hall who were picking up pennies rather than harvesting $1,000 bills.

I wonder if anyone ever did an estimate of what the financial cost of that decision was. We had the direct costs in lost basketball tournament revenue and lost television revenue. But what about the impact on the student body, giving, grants and other programs that went elsewhere because Marquette's national visibility faded? The excellence of our basketball program by itself causes none of this but if the most visible sign of your excellence is your basketball program and it causes others to look at you, then the program serves its purpose.

These episodes are ancillary evidence why you renew Wojo and make sure he is happy/ As long as we're headed back to where we are, this guy needs to be nurtured, stroked and otherwise made happy.

Well, between promoting Hank and not getting into the Big East at the founding.       Two weeks ago, MU was 23-4 and riding a 20-2 streak.    Markus was a BEPOY and NPOY candidate.     Now some want him fired?     Again?    Running the kind of program and getting the kind of representatives of the university that the powers that be want?    AYFKM?     Just plain silliness. 

[NickelDimer]

Young Woj on the ESPNU right now

[WarriorHal]

Brother Herm, we've debated this many times in Scoop and yes, you are absolutely right. Coach Raymonds was a great guy, a gentlemen and his family was/is nice people. But I did not and do not understand what the elders of Marquette University saw in him in 1977 that they did not see in 1964, when the passed him over for Coach McGuire.

Hank wanted the top job. Al endorsed him, and the administration said OK. Moving Hank & Rick up one spot preserved continuity and was the easiest solution. But it set in motion a fairly quick decline that ultimately became a disaster.

[Cheeks]

Altman with contract extension, I expect Wojo’s will be announced soon.


https://nbc16.com/sports/ducks/university-of-oregon-announces-contract-extension-for-dana-altman

[GooooMarquette]

Brother Herm, we've debated this many times in Scoop and yes, you are absolutely right. Coach Raymonds was a great guy, a gentlemen and his family was/is nice people. But I did not and do not understand what the elders of Marquette University saw in him in 1977 that they did not see in 1964, when the passed him over for Coach McGuire.

My general recollection is that the university was quietly debating the efficacy of basketball. The faculty was idealistically griping that the highest paid university employee was the head basketball coach. The university was concerned that we were known for athletics, not academics and there were more than a few cheapskates at O'Hara Hall who were picking up pennies rather than harvesting $1,000 bills.

I wonder if anyone ever did an estimate of what the financial cost of that decision was. We had the direct costs in lost basketball tournament revenue and lost television revenue. But what about the impact on the student body, giving, grants and other programs that went elsewhere because Marquette's national visibility faded? The excellence of our basketball program by itself causes none of this but if the most visible sign of your excellence is your basketball program and it causes others to look at you, then the program serves its purpose.

These episodes are ancillary evidence why you renew Wojo and make sure he is happy/ As long as we're headed back to where we are, this guy needs to be nurtured, stroked and otherwise made happy.

Interesting take, and interesting question about whether MU ever did an estimate of the financial cost of the short-sighted, penny-pinching desicionmaking in hiring Al's replacement. I'm guessing the answer is no.

I have always wondered the same about the other major short-sighted decision MU made: giving up the medical school. I understand that it was a financial burden at the time, but other similarly-situated private schools managed. And now medical schools are huge status symbols and cash cows for universities. I'm sure schools like Loyola, SLU, Creighton and others are glad they made it to the era of big prestige and big research dollars. And while I know MU can never go back, I wonder how many leadership types wish we hadn't cut ours loose....