MU Women's Basketball Thread

[Marquette Fan]

All they can do is WIN...  Its in their hands   

Yeah but even had they won tonight (which is looking unlikely at halftime), that wouldn't mean that they would avoid the 8/9 seed.  But at least I know they'll get selected no matter what - never expected them to be dancing again heading into this season.

[Marquette Fan]

They are still a 10 in ESPN’s Bracketology.  I think they deserve a better seed than Creighton who also has a 10 in this projection.  However, I would much rather MU get a 10 or 11 seed than the 8/9 seed.

[Marquette Fan]

The final AP poll is out and Marquette finishes with a few votes in the others receiving votes section:

https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/basketball-women/d1/associated-press

What an incredibly unexpected great season that came to a sudden halt.  I'm still quite bummed I won't get to watch this team compete in the NCAA Tourney this weekend although I do understand why they canceled the tourney. 

[Spaniel with a Short Tail]

The final AP poll is out and Marquette finishes with a few votes in the others receiving votes section:

https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/basketball-women/d1/associated-press

What an incredibly unexpected great season that came to a sudden halt.  I'm still quite bummed I won't get to watch this team compete in the NCAA Tourney this weekend although I do understand why they canceled the tourney.

Thanks for all your updates this season. Please keep us updated as to recruiting as you hear news. The program appears on an upward trajectory.

[Marquette Fan]

Thanks for all your updates this season. Please keep us updated as to recruiting as you hear news. The program appears on an upward trajectory.

Glad to hear some appreciate it as sometimes I feel like I'm just talking to myself here 

I can try but it's so hard to get recruiting updates for Women's Basketball.  I often don't hear about recruits until they've given an oral commitment to MU or sometimes not until they sign with MU even.

I'm so bummed today - I was really looking forward to watching this team play in the NCAA Tournament .  And I was finally going to be able to watch all the Women's basketball first and second round games I wanted to as ESPN finally decided to show all the first and second round games this year instead of their ridiculous whip around coverage which was really just stick with a 1 seed killing a 16 seed for way too long.  I guess I have that to look forward to in 2021 still but that seems so far away now.

This sports junkie is going through some major withdrawal right about now...

[Pakuni]

Scott Merritt taking an assistant job at Illinois.

@IlliniWBB: 🔶🔷Welcome to the #Illini Family, @smerritt18! #JoinTheFight 🔷🔶

More ➡️https://bit.ly/2JjrLR6 https://twitter.com/IlliniWBB/status/1243237730517164037/photo/1

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Weird move.  They have been a terrible women's program for awhile, and their current coach just finished year three with a 4-46 overall Big Ten record.

[Pakuni]

Weird move.  They have been a terrible women's program for awhile, and their current coach just finished year three with a 4-46 overall Big Ten record.

Maybe Duffy is clearing space to bring in someone.

[shoothoops]

Money talks. The 3 assistants at Illinois are making north of $600k. Departing assistant Lakale Malone made north of $250k at Illinois. Nancy Fahey has a six year $3.3 million deal with many other perks.

Fahey, a Wisconsin native, has been at Illinois just 3 seasons and needs recruiters and player development assistants. She kept assistants in place during the coaching transition. Illinois AD Josh Whitman was formerly the Wash U AD where Fahey was a 31 year legend.....5 D3 National Titles, 10 Final fours, fastest NCAA women's coach to 600 wins, one of best all time win percentages. (Men's program equally successful under Mark Edwards) She is an excellent coach. She needs to recruit at a higher level than Illinois has been doing in the past. We'll see.

[Marquette Fan]

Weird move.  They have been a terrible women's program for awhile, and their current coach just finished year three with a 4-46 overall Big Ten record.

The only program worse in the Big 10 last year was Penn State interestingly enough .  I was surprised Merritt didn't go with Kieger to Penn State but yet decided to move to Illinois now.  I've been pretty happy with Duffy so far so I trust she'll hire a good assistant.  Maybe she'll promote her DOBO - we will see in awhile...

[Pakuni]

Nice story in The Athletic about Megan Duffy's first season at MU.

https://theathletic.com/1713235/2020/03/31/megan-duffy-reflects-on-magical-first-year-at-marquette-with-a-bright-future?source=shared-article

[Marquette Fan]

Nice story in The Athletic about Megan Duffy's first season at MU.

https://theathletic.com/1713235/2020/03/31/megan-duffy-reflects-on-magical-first-year-at-marquette-with-a-bright-future?source=shared-article

I wanted to read it but I don't have a subscription and I don't really want to get one right now as there's not much going on in sports of course.

[shoothoops]

I wanted to read it but I don't have a subscription and I don't really want to get one right now as there's not much going on in sports of course.

I believe there is a free 3 month trial going on right now.

[Marquette Fan]

New assistant hired:

https://gomarquette.com/news/2020/4/6/womens-basketball-itoro-coleman-named-assistant-coach.aspx

https://www.anonymouseagle.com/2020/4/6/21211274/marquette-golden-eagles-womens-basketball-itoro-coleman-assistant-coach

As soon as I saw Marquette tweet about the hiring, I thought hey she played for Clemson when Marquette upset them in the 1997 NCAA Tournament.  Marquette won as a 12 seed that year over 5 seed Clemson and upsets like that didn't happen in the Women's Tournament that much back then.  And that was Terri Mitchell's first year as Head Coach. 

But I digress, welcome to Marquette to Coleman.

[Marquette Fan]

Happy one year anniversary of one great hire:

https://twitter.com/muathletics/status/1248640667548557314

[Marquette Fan]

I was definitely not expecting this - Vernette Skeete also leaves Marquette to go to Illinois:

https://fightingillini.com/news/2020/4/13/womens-basketball-fahey-announces-skeete-hire-new-role-for-kirkland.aspx

[shoothoops]

Muffet McGraw is stepping down as Notre Dame’s head coach.

New head coach is not a surprise.

https://twitter.com/fightingirish/status/1253032069912903680

Niele Ivey won a National Title there as a player and as an assistant. She recruited and developed their guards during their elite stretch this past decade. Many are WNBA players now. And she would likely be able to get keep the same staff.

She left this past season to be an assistant with the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies, where she works with Ja Morant and others. She is very close to the staff at ND, and would likely be able to keep them
in place. Her son Jaden is a Purdue hoops commit) Ivey spent 17 years at ND as player and assistant. She was a part of all 9 Final Four teams.

[Marquette Fan]

Muffet McGraw is stepping down as Notre Dame’s head coach.

New head coach is not a surprise.

https://twitter.com/fightingirish/status/1253032069912903680

Niele Ivey won a National Title there as a player and as an assistant. She recruited and developed their guards during their elite stretch this past decade. Many are WNBA players now. And she would likely be able to get keep the same staff.

She left this past season to be an assistant with the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies, where she works with Ja Morant and others. She is very close to the staff at ND, and would likely be able to keep them
in place. Her son Jaden is a Purdue hoops commit) Ivey spent 17 years at ND as player and assistant. She was a part of all 9 Final Four teams.

Notre Dame had a very tough 19-20 season but this still came as a bit of a surprise to me to hear today.  They got the replacement everyone wanted though in Niele Ivey.  And that's ok with me - ND Alum Duffy is more than welcome to stay at Marquette for awhile longer .

[shoothoops]

Notre Dame had a very tough 19-20 season but this still came as a bit of a surprise to me to hear today.  They got the replacement everyone wanted though in Niele Ivey.  And that's ok with me - ND Alum Duffy is more than welcome to stay at Marquette for awhile longer .

It doesn't surprise me. McGraw is a good coach, but she has made the NCAA 2nd weekend twice, only twice without Niele Ivey. You will hear lots of deserved praise for McGraw. But Ivey's influence helped bring Notre Dame to the elite level.

They had a down season after seeing several players go to WNBA after unprecedented success there. This included younger players. A few players transferred as well. And their top two returners had injuries.

They will have more experience this year, a top 5 recruiting class, and Ivey back for player development, recruiting, among other things.

Ivey will likely be very successful and be at ND a long time. With regards to MU, if Duffy has 2nd weekend NCAA success in the next few years, power 5 opportunities will come her way.

MU's two most recent assistants replaced assistants making $250k and $225k at Illinois. It's head coach replaced a coach that was making close to $1million at Penn. St.

[Ardmore Mug]

MUWBB announced the 2nd Asst hired:
https://gomarquette.com/news/2020/4/23/womens-basketball-tony-greene-joins-muwbb-staff-as-assistant-coach.aspx
 

[Marquette Fan]

It doesn't surprise me. McGraw is a good coach, but she has made the NCAA 2nd weekend twice, only twice without Niele Ivey. You will hear lots of deserved praise for McGraw. But Ivey's influence helped bring Notre Dame to the elite level.

They had a down season after seeing several players go to WNBA after unprecedented success there. This included younger players. A few players transferred as well. And their top two returners had injuries.

They will have more experience this year, a top 5 recruiting class, and Ivey back for player development, recruiting, among other things.

Ivey will likely be very successful and be at ND a long time. With regards to MU, if Duffy has 2nd weekend NCAA success in the next few years, power 5 opportunities will come her way.

MU's two most recent assistants replaced assistants making $250k and $225k at Illinois. It's head coach replaced a coach that was making close to $1million at Penn. St.

Oh yeah - no doubt that other schools will be after Duffy soon if she continues to do well at MU.  As I posted earlier this season, I'm just going to enjoy the ride with Duffy for as long as she is here.

[Marquette Fan]

Nice article on Megan Duffy from the JS MU Men's reporter Ben Steele:

https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/2020/05/06/marquette-womens-coach-megan-duffy-building-successful-program/3066195001/

I'm very appreciative of the coverage of the Women's team that he's done when he can.

[Spaniel with a Short Tail]

ESPN thinking Megan Duffy has an outside chance to replace Geno at UConn.

https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/29143653/women-college-basketball-succession-plan-got-next-uconn-baylor-more

[Dr. Blackheart]

ESPN thinking Megan Duffy has an outside chance to replace Geno at UConn.

https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/29143653/women-college-basketball-succession-plan-got-next-uconn-baylor-more

I think the Big East doesn't allow coach swapping.

[Marquette Fan]

ESPN thinking Megan Duffy has an outside chance to replace Geno at UConn.

https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/29143653/women-college-basketball-succession-plan-got-next-uconn-baylor-more

I don't really see her ending up at UCONN.  But if she continues to do well at Marquette a school from a P5 conference will hire her at some point.  As I've said before, I just plan to enjoy the ride while she's here...