Tough Questions Need To Be Asked

[tower912]

The more I read, the more this feels like Tim and Jeronne Mammon.

[The Sultan]

At this point, any extension of the Wojo regime delays the inevitable. 

This has the same feeling of the Mike McCarthy contract extension circa 2018.

This is how I feel.  Wojo isn't going to get fired before the beginning of next season.  But I think next season will be his last.

[The Sultan]

I also see Bailey and Cain as pretty quick and immediate replacements for Sam.

I can't think of any reason why this is the case.

[Clam Crowder]

I can't think of any reason why this is the case.

Bailey already is significantly more athletic than Sam and was arguably or second best on ball defender by the end of this year. If we play Sam 30-35 minutes this year at the 3 then we could be seeing Bailey transferring next year. I think Bailey's ceiling is as high as anyone on this team's right now.

[Skatastrophy]

The more I read, the more this feels like Tim and Jeronne Mammon.

+1, I'm just hoping that Sam and Joey end up with happy, fulfilling lives. They are young men making tough decisions, with a lot of powerful grown men whispering in their ears.

[The Sultan]

Bailey already is significantly more athletic than Sam and was arguably or second best on ball defender by the end of this year. If we play Sam 30-35 minutes this year at the 3 then we could be seeing Bailey transferring next year. I think Bailey's ceiling is as high as anyone on this team's right now.

Sam is a better basketball player than Bailey.  Sam was better as a freshman.  I think this is just hoping for something rather than logical.

[Henry Sugar]

Like I said earlier, Markus gonna end up being labeled as the bad guy.  Just pitiful.

Markus' usage the final seven games was 41%. He was taking 2x the shots of an average player.

His ORtg during this time that he was taking 2x the shots of an average player was 94, which is well below a quality player.

MU finished 1-6 in those games. Markus was a ballhog and selfish player and it cost MU the season.

Now, is this on Markus? Yes, but the ultimate responsibility resides with Wojo. If the coach decides that it's fine for an injured player to chuck the ball 2x the average while being below average, then that's on the coach. And frankly, I wouldn't want to play for that coach or with that player anymore either.

[The Lens]

If Dave Hauser was such a problem parent don't you think UW and it's network would have blasted that everywhere to cover themselves.   

[MUfan12]

The more I read, the more this feels like Tim and Jeronne Mammon.

Not even close. They loved being able to head down to MKE and watch the boys play. But Dave has let both of them come to their own conclusions in their recruitment, and in this situation. This was Sam and Joey losing trust in their head coach.

[CTWarrior]

Markus' usage the final seven games was 41%. He was taking 2x the shots of an average player.

His ORtg during this time that he was taking 2x the shots of an average player was 94, which is well below a quality player.

MU finished 1-6 in those games. Markus was a ballhog and selfish player and it cost MU the season.

Now, is this on Markus? Yes, but the ultimate responsibility resides with Wojo. If the coach decides that it's fine for an injured player to chuck the ball 2x the average while being below average, then that's on the coach. And frankly, I wouldn't want to play for that coach or with that player anymore either.

This is an excellent and succinct summation of the situation as I see it.

[RJax55]

Not even close. They loved being able to head down to MKE and watch the boys play. But Dave has let both of them come to their own conclusions in their recruitment, and in this situation. This was Sam and Joey losing trust in their head coach.

Some here don't want to admit the obvious.

[Markusquette]

Markus' usage the final seven games was 41%. He was taking 2x the shots of an average player.

His ORtg during this time that he was taking 2x the shots of an average player was 94, which is well below a quality player.

MU finished 1-6 in those games. Markus was a ballhog and selfish player and it cost MU the season.

Now, is this on Markus? Yes, but the ultimate responsibility resides with Wojo. If the coach decides that it's fine for an injured player to chuck the ball 2x the average while being below average, then that's on the coach. And frankly, I wouldn't want to play for that coach or with that player anymore either.

It's definitely on the coach. The thing is, when it was working, everything was just peachy. MU was on the hottest streak in years, Markus looking like an AA candidate. Wojo hit the panic button when MU lost a few and gave Markus the keys and told him to hold on to them for good. I think a lot of this would have played out differently if the team won and advanced a bit in the tournament. The Hauser brothers must have lost some interest and their play deteriorated as a result of frustrations, because neither of them played well down the stretch either.

My biggest gripe is that the team doesn't play as a team. Markus is/was the team. And I like him. But in order to bounce back he has to figure out how to keep Markus happy while getting all 5 players involved. Clearly if he were a facilitator, Markus would get some satisfaction from assisting his teammates. He's a pure scorer, period. That's what he does. Hopefully somehow things can get ironed out.

[rocky_warrior]

His ORtg during this time that he was taking 2x the shots of an average player was 94, which is well below a quality player.

Just since you brought it up, ORtg last 7 games...

Markus: 94 106 59 95 123 88 97 avg 94.6
Sam: 138 34 109 91 123 150 113 avg 108.3
Joey: 83 81 55 140 124 89 79 avg 93.0

So only Sam quality during that stretch of the 3 (and the 34 clunker vs Creighton really hurt him)

[bilsu]

I am not sure Joey did not see the writing on the wall. I thought there was a good chance he would not start next year. Either being replaced by Anim or Bailey at the three.

[nyg]

Markus' usage the final seven games was 41%. He was taking 2x the shots of an average player.

His ORtg during this time that he was taking 2x the shots of an average player was 94, which is well below a quality player.

MU finished 1-6 in those games. Markus was a ballhog and selfish player and it cost MU the season.

Now, is this on Markus? Yes, but the ultimate responsibility resides with Wojo. If the coach decides that it's fine for an injured player to chuck the ball 2x the average while being below average, then that's on the coach. And frankly, I wouldn't want to play for that coach or with that player anymore either.

Maybe the remaining players should leave also.  I just believe Markus is going to be the full front blame on this for the upcoming season, not Wojo and it will be tough on him.

Markus took around 230 more shots than Sam during the season. Duke's RJ Barrett took 280 more shots than Zion.  Didn't hear any rumblings about Duke players getting upset at that and wanting to leave.  Well, they leave anyway but for NBA pastures.  Thanks for the stats though. 

[The Lens]

Some here don't want to admit the obvious.

I want to know what Wojo did to engender the type of support he enjoys on this corner of the Internet.

[Dish]

I'm fairly certain Wojo will be coaching MU when the season starts, but it'll be really tense (I guess is the right word) if MU is struggling early in the season in a home game. The MU fan base wouldn't boo MU athletes, but I can see things getting real awkward at games or in press conferences quickly for Wojo. There was a lot of pressure for him to coach well next season, it's going to be incredibly difficult for him next year. When he gets introduced at the Fiserv next year, I know I for one will look at him with a bit of disgust for being at the helm of this mess. Barring a run into the second weekend next March, I don't see any way he isn't in massive trouble a year from now. I could ultimately see both sides agreeing to mutually dissolve, he's in almost as literal a no win situation that I've seen a college basketball coach in heading into a year.

[Goose]

I said after the Buffalo game that trouble was brewing. The Hausers flat out would not pass the ball the last five minutes. They had enough of a guy scoring 25 straight points and not passing. This was brewing all season.

Wojo did a horrible job with keeping the reins on Howard and shame on him. Horrible on court coaching and caused issues in the locker room.

[RJax55]

It's definitely on the coach. The thing is, when it was working, everything was just peachy. MU was on the hottest streak in years, Markus looking like an AA candidate. Wojo hit the panic button when MU lost a few and gave Markus the keys and told him to hold on to them for good. I think a lot of this would have played out differently if the team won and advanced a bit in the tournament. The Hauser brothers must have lost some interest and their play deteriorated as a result of frustrations, because neither of them played well down the stretch either.

My biggest gripe is that the team doesn't play as a team. Markus is/was the team. And I like him. But in order to bounce back he has to figure out how to keep Markus happy while getting all 5 players involved. Clearly if he were a facilitator, Markus would get some satisfaction from assisting his teammates. He's a pure scorer, period. That's what he does. Hopefully somehow things can get ironed out.

My take is that the issues with Howard/Hausers were brewing all season. Winning can certainly hide problems, but the minute that stopped, the issues came home to roost, big-time. Just watch the second half of the Murray St. game again. That was a dead-ass team on the court. Wojo was just a bystander at that point.

[Henry Sugar]

Markus took around 230 more shots than Sam during the season. Duke's RJ Barrett took 280 more shots than Zion.  Didn't hear any rumblings about Duke players getting upset at that and wanting to leave.

Maybe it's because Duke didn't finish the season 1-6 while choking away the conference title

[JWags85]

Cam Marrotta is coming back as a grad asst.  Assessment: Joey doesn't like being coached, and Sam likely wants one more opportunity to let it fly before going to play in Israel or Japan.

Come on.  Sam is 6'9 with a excellent range and outside shooting ability and plays smart basketball.  His athleticism may preclude him from an NBA career, but he's the kind of dude who can play for one of the Euroleague teams in Spain, Greece, or Turkey for 15 years.  Hes a prototypical Euro star

[RJax55]

Maybe it's because Duke didn't finish the season 1-6 while choking away the conference title

Or the fact that Zion missed 8 games due to injury.

[f/k/a humanlung]

I want to know what Wojo did to engender the type of support he enjoys on this corner of the Internet.

Demonstrating borderline gross incompetence when needing to make in-game adjustments, perhaps? 

Being too stubborn to bring in an experienced X's and O's coach who could help with the above despite it being an obvious weakness for the last four years, maybe?

Not reining in Howard late in the season when it became increasingly counter-productive to have him heave up shot after shot?

Failing to teach Howard how to PASS THE BALL to a wide open teammate after three years at a D-1 program?

[Goose]

The Lens

I am been thinking the same way about the Wojo supporters. They have a silver lining for anything that happens. This is a major blow to the program on a lot of fronts.

[RJax55]

Come on.  Sam is 6'9 with a excellent range and outside shooting ability and plays smart basketball.  His athleticism may preclude him from an NBA career, but he's the kind of dude who can play for one of the Euroleague teams in Spain, Greece, or Turkey for 15 years.  Hes a prototypical Euro star

What Sam Hauser's future prospects are is entirely irrelevant anyway. The guy was a damn good college player and was one of the better players in the Big East heading into next season. Wojo will not be able to replace him, even with a grad transfer.

The spin here by some on this Hausers transfer is nauseating. Guys, its okay to say that Wojo ain't the guy.