If Nate Oats calls, what do you say?

[DienerTime34]

Hypothetically, you're Dr. Lovell. Oats calls and says "Wisconsin is home.  And seeing the fan support and facilities at Marquette up close this year, I'm convinced it's my final destination. I can recruit the crap out of Michigan & Wisconsin. Just calling to let you know this is your only shot to get me."

Are you saying "Yes" or hitching your wagon to Wojo for the long haul?

[Silent Verbal]

Not hitching my wagon to Wojo, but not saying "yes" to Oats.  Let's see him bring in some of his own players at Buffalo.  He's winning with Hurley's guys.

[wadesworld]

I'm saying, "Thanks for the prank call. Nate just signed a 5 year extension with Buffalo. He might be fielding calls, but he certainly isn't making them."

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

You say thanks for calling, don't bother calling back, we'll call you if we need you.

Wojo is not going anywhere unless some scandal breaks that he was dropping bags or beating up players.

I'll ask again, when is the last time a coach was fired immediately after earning a 5 seed in the NCAAs or better without their being some off the court issues driving it? I haven't looked but no one has given me an answer in three days, I'm starting to believe it has never happened.

Best way to make a deep postseason run is to consistently earn high seeds. If Wojo keeps earning high seeds, the postseason success will come. It didn't happen next year. Deal with it, use it, and make ourselves better next season.

[The Sultan]

I wouldn't want anything to do with a coach who just signed a five year extension but then was proactively calling different college presidents seeking a job.  No employee is worth that.

[nyg]

Just dumb.  The guy been brought up numerous times in other posts. 

[Cheeks]

Hypothetically, you're Dr. Lovell. Oats calls and says "Wisconsin is home.  And seeing the fan support and facilities at Marquette up close this year, I'm convinced it's my final destination. I can recruit the crap out of Michigan & Wisconsin. Just calling to let you know this is your only shot to get me."

Are you saying "Yes" or hitching your wagon to Wojo for the long haul?

You say, Nate how come you got your ass kicked by Wojo's team by 18 points and now we should take you on?  How in the hell did you give up 103 points to MU in regulation?  And why did you lose to Northern Illinois & Bowling Green, both rated worse than 100? 

Then you ask, what are you plans for Buffalo once all the kids you didn't recruit are gone?

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Just to clarify something, I've seen a couple of people saying Oats didn't recruit his players. He's a fourth year coach, the senior 4-year players are his first class of freshmen. I'm not sure on the details of when Massingburg and Perkins committed, but every other player on that roster he recruited. So Jeremy Harris, Devonta Jordan, Jayvon Graves, Dontay Caruthurs, Montrell McRae, Jennathan Williams, Renaldo Segu....all his guys. He recruits the JUCO ranks really well.

[Cheeks]

Just to clarify something, I've seen a couple of people saying Oats didn't recruit his players. He's a fourth year coach, the senior 4-year players are his first class of freshmen. I'm not sure on the details of when Massingburg and Perkins committed, but every other player on that roster he recruited. So Jeremy Harris, Devonta Jordan, Jayvon Graves, Dontay Caruthurs, Montrell McRae, Jennathan Williams, Renaldo Segu....all his guys. He recruits the JUCO ranks really well.

Fair point, he also has had major transfer.  Wes Clark was arguably their best player last year, and he transferred in from Missouri. Massinburg was supposed to go to San Francisco, but another player committed and he was left with JUCO route or Buffalo.  He committed in May, was recruited by Hurley and Buffalo, but Hurley left April 9th, Oats named coach April 11th...Massinburg signed May 11th.

Perkins signed with Buffalo when Hurley was the coach, back in October of '14. 

[Dish]

Uncle Leo?

[Spaniel with a Short Tail]

[Pakuni]

I say " You're an idiot, Nate. You're supposed to let your agent's proxy make these calls."

[GooooMarquette]

Nate: "Hi GooooMarquette, this is Nate Oats."

GooooMarquette: "Hi, Nate. What's up?"

Nate: "Ummmm...I'm calling about your head coaching position."

GooooMarquette: "Oh, did you want to talk to Steve? Because you know he is our head coach, right?"

Nate: "Sorry. I think I have the wrong number."

[Billy Hoyle]

I wouldn't want anything to do with a coach who just signed a five year extension but then was proactively calling different college presidents seeking a job.  No employee is worth that.

This

[hoops12]

I think his call went more like this,

"Wisconsin is home. After seeing Marquette finish one game out of first place this year in the Big East, and seeing them ranked in the Top 20 the majority of the season. Also, knowing that they have their entire team returning next season, plus some incredibly talented guards who sat out this year. I'm shocked to see their supposedly "great fanbase" turn on their coach, and a vocal group actually wants him to be fired? I wouldn't want to touch that program despite some great things this program has build. Too many in that fanbase aren't realistic with their expectations. Don't they realize that every fanbase in the Big East, and in every major conference thinks they should win NOW and go to the NCAA every year. That's a lot of teams, and a lot has to go right. The Marquette fanbase seems to be a bunch of whiners and a large number of them have proven they aren't supportive of the program. Too many were born with a gold spoon in their mouth and they want to win NOW, or else. MU has great facilities and is in a great conference, but I'm convinced this will never be my final destination. I could recruit the crap out of Michigan & Wisconsin, but my talent wouldn't be any better than what Wojo has brought in and continues to bring in. I feel as though unless I win the Big East Conference consistently and make the NCAA every year (and win multiple games) each year, I'm sure the fanbase would want me out as well."

(Pausing...shaking his head in disbelief)

"Just calling to let you know you should ignore the "idiot fanatics" and stay the course with a hard working, focused, and determined coaching staff and players. They have worked their asses off this season, and they are the most upset on how this season ended. Like everything in life, they will get up tomorrow and start working their asses off again, so they can continue to improve and try to make their fanbase happier next year. By the way, Marquette was a fun team to watch this year, and multiple players got a lot of national attention, just as the overall program did. Please know, if you listen to the whiners in your fanbase and get rid of successful coaches, others will take notice and stay away from Marquette. That's okay though, because DePaul is looking for a program to rival them for the bottom of the conference each year."

[muguru]

You say thanks for calling, don't bother calling back, we'll call you if we need you.

Wojo is not going anywhere unless some scandal breaks that he was dropping bags or beating up players.

I'll ask again, when is the last time a coach was fired immediately after earning a 5 seed in the NCAAs or better without their being some off the court issues driving it? I haven't looked but no one has given me an answer in three days, I'm starting to believe it has never happened.

Best way to make a deep postseason run is to consistently earn high seeds. If Wojo keeps earning high seeds, the postseason success will come. It didn't happen next year. Deal with it, use it, and make ourselves better next season.

Mike Deane was fired 48 hours after completion of his fifth year after failing to reach the Sweet 16, and only one tourney appearance. Why does/should Wojo get a longer leash with far more talent then Deane had??

a 5 seed is a high seed?? Not to me it isn't...a 1,2,3 is a high seed. Getting a 5 after everything was pointing to no worse then a 3, for a vast majority of the season, is NOT a good look.

[tower912]

This isn't how this is done.   Why would Marquette want a coach too stupid to know that?

[The Sultan]

Mike Deane was fired 48 hours after completion of his fifth year after failing to reach the Sweet 16, and only one tourney appearance. Why does/should Wojo get a longer leash with far more talent then Deane had??

Because Wojo is generally going in the right direction and Deane was clearly going in the wrong one.

[Hards Alumni]

You say, Nate how come you got your ass kicked by Wojo's team by 18 points and now we should take you on?  How in the hell did you give up 103 points to MU in regulation?  And why did you lose to Northern Illinois & Bowling Green, both rated worse than 100? 

Then you ask, what are you plans for Buffalo once all the kids you didn't recruit are gone?

This is exactly it. 

[oldwarrior81]

I'd pass along Barry Alvarez's contact information.

[MarquetteVol]

Hypothetically, you're Dr. Lovell. Oats calls and says "Wisconsin is home.  And seeing the fan support and facilities at Marquette up close this year, I'm convinced it's my final destination. I can recruit the crap out of Michigan & Wisconsin. Just calling to let you know this is your only shot to get me."

Are you saying "Yes" or hitching your wagon to Wojo for the long haul?

You say "Who dis?" and hang up the phone.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Mike Deane was fired 48 hours after completion of his fifth year after failing to reach the Sweet 16, and only one tourney appearance. Why does/should Wojo get a longer leash with far more talent then Deane had??

Mike Deane was fired 48 hours after completing his 5th year in which he turned in a sub .500 season and the following year they were looking like they were going to be worse. Wojo just turned in an NCAA tournament appearance and a top 5 seed and the following season looks like they're going to be better. There is no comparison, saying there is just being stubborn.

a 5 seed is a high seed?? Not to me it isn't...a 1,2,3 is a high seed. Getting a 5 after everything was pointing to no worse then a 3, for a vast majority of the season, is NOT a good look.

Then you have been a very sad Marquette fan for a very long time. I have never lived in a time where getting a 5 seed was a bad season for Marquette. You say a high seed is 1, 2, or 3? Do you realize that in the last 40 years, Marquette has only got a top 3 seed 3 times? All of them 3 seeds? Why would you think that's a reasonable bar to measure success by?

Don't get me wrong, that's the level I want the program to be at, where we expect top 3 seeds and a 5 seed is considered a down year. But you've got to build to that.

[Eldon]

Just to clarify something, I've seen a couple of people saying Oats didn't recruit his players. He's a fourth year coach, the senior 4-year players are his first class of freshmen. I'm not sure on the details of when Massingburg and Perkins committed, but every other player on that roster he recruited. So Jeremy Harris, Devonta Jordan, Jayvon Graves, Dontay Caruthurs, Montrell McRae, Jennathan Williams, Renaldo Segu....all his guys. He recruits the JUCO ranks really well.

-Marquette: "JUCOs?!?!?" <click>
-Nate: "Hello? Hello?"

[WarriorDad]

Mike Deane was fired 48 hours after completion of his fifth year after failing to reach the Sweet 16, and only one tourney appearance. Why does/should Wojo get a longer leash with far more talent then Deane had??

a 5 seed is a high seed?? Not to me it isn't...a 1,2,3 is a high seed. Getting a 5 after everything was pointing to no worse then a 3, for a vast majority of the season, is NOT a good look.

This feels revisionist to me.  Members here have spoken about trajectory, and Coach Steve is swinging upward, Mike Dean was swinging downward on recruiting and results.  Trending is the difference.

[Pakuni]

Mike Deane was fired 48 hours after completion of his fifth year after failing to reach the Sweet 16, and only one tourney appearance. Why does/should Wojo get a longer leash with far more talent then Deane had??

Mike Deane's fifth-season team won 14 games against a soft schedule (including 1-3 vs ranked opponents), never appeared in the rankings and obviously failed to qualify for even the NIT.
Wojo's fifth-season team won 24 games against a strong schedule (including 4-2 vs ranked opponents), was ranked as high as 10th, and earned a 5 seed in the tournament.

Does this answer your question?