A win is a win is a win is a win

[BrewCity83]

4) One of the things that I think would serve Wojo well would be to find a former D1 head coach and have him come in either as an assistant or as a well paid consultant. Someone has to assume responsibility for in-game adjustments and has to somehow introduce Wojo to alternative offensive theories.

I said this in a conversation I had with my dad yesterday.  Wojo needs to find himself a Hank Raymonds, a Jerry Wainwright, a wily old Xs-and-Os guy that can strategize and gameplan.

[Lennys Tap]

I said this in a conversation I had with my dad yesterday.  Wojo needs to find himself a Hank Raymonds, a Jerry Wainwright, a wily old Xs-and-Os guy that can strategize and gameplan.

But what position would Jerry Wainwright play in the lunch time games at the Al?

[Mr. Sand-Knit]

I said this in a conversation I had with my dad yesterday.  Wojo needs to find himself a Hank Raymonds, a Jerry Wainwright, a wily old Xs-and-Os guy that can strategize and gameplan.

Like a Rob Judson?

[NorthernDancerColt]

It seems like the best thing about Wojo's tenure is always the next few years. I'd just like to finally experience one of them.

Getting big recruiting wins is great and is a good sign for the respect Wojo has nationally, but it's tough to not see the things materialize the way we keep thinking/hoping they will during the season. And sure, we've been fine the last few years. We've made some tourney appearances and notched a few marquee wins. We have certainly not been a bad program by any stretch. But I think most of us had a little higher expectations than what we've gotten in the last few years.

And crapshoot or not, March matters. If we would have made the second weekend last year, a lot of the frustrations of the late season collapse would have been erased. Instead, we got a final exclamation point on the year, cementing the ugly ending with a good old fashioned butt whooping. Until Wojo gets a win in the tournament, that will continue to be a big missing line on his resume.

We were a pouty insurrection away from experiencing it last year. Amazing how people can't see that. It cost MU a BigEast championship.

The insurrectionists also made for a horrible matchup vs Murray State. No foot speed to defend Ja and his team.

[Cheeks]

In his time at UCLA, from 1996 to 2003, he compiled a record of 145–78.
From 1989 to 2002 as an assistant and head coach, Lavin participated in 13 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances.
During Lavin's tenure as a head coach, he was one of only two coaches in the country to lead a team to five NCAA Regional Semifinals (Sweet 16's) in six seasons - the other coach being Duke's Mike Krzyzewski.
Lavin's record at UCLA in the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament was 10-1. His winning percentage (90.9%) in the first two rounds is second only to Dean Smith in NCAA Tournament history.
Lavin is the only college coach to have defeated the No. 1 team in the country in four consecutive collegiate seasons: Stanford in 2000 and 2001, Kansas in 2002 and Arizona in 2003.
Lavin guided UCLA to six consecutive seasons of 20 or more wins, as well as six consecutive NCAA tournament appearances.[5]
As head coach at UCLA, Lavin and his staff recruited and signed the No. 1 rated recruiting class in the country in 1998 and 2001.[citation needed] Lavin signed seven McDonald's High School All-Americans.
Thirteen of Lavin's former UCLA players became roster members of NBA teams: Trevor Ariza, Matt Barnes, Baron Davis, Dan Gadzuric, Ryan Hollins, Jason Kapono, Earl Watson, Jerome Moiso, Charles O'Bannon, Jelani McCoy, Toby Bailey, Dijon Thompson, and J.R. Henderson.

You're including assistant coaching?  Come on.

The man had great talent, would consistently finish 3rd through 6th in a so-so Pac 10 with horrific losses in the regular season, but got to the Sweet 16 a bunch so he was a great coach?  Drove UCLA fans here crazy.

20 to 30 point losses to Ball State, Cal, Oregon, Zona, Arizona State multiple times, a couple of 40 point losses to Duke and UNC....team was loaded with 5 star kids, #1 recruiting classes, future NBA players and in all that time ONE PAC 10 championship.  ONE.  That's how brutal he was as a coach.

[Cheeks]

We were a pouty insurrection away from experiencing it last year. Amazing how people can't see that. It cost MU a BigEast championship.

The insurrectionists also made for a horrible matchup vs Murray State. No foot speed to defend Ja and his team.

Ja is abusing pros nightly right now. 

[Small Orange Soda]

I think this part of the disconnect between the "Fire Wojo" crowd and the "Keep Wojo" crowd. One looks at the whole five years, the other looks the last three.

Personal opinion: Once it was confirmed that 3/4 of the members of the 2014 class were decommitting, I anticipated that it would take three years for us to get a tournament worthy team. Maybe a great coach could have done it in two, but I don't think the ghost of Al McGuire with Coach K and Jay Wright as assistants could have gotten to the tournament in year one. I had no expectations the first two years.

Since those two years, we have gone NCAA 10, NIT 2, NCAA 5. Not great but certainly not bad. If we add another NCAA single digit seed this season, that's a solid four year cycle. Add a great recruiting class and I'm optimistic.

Well, I never said Fire Wojo.  Anyone who criticizes the coach gets thrown into that camp though, because it's easier to defend Wojo against that argument.

We can punt year one, but year two had the best recruit in 30 years and yet they couldn't muster a NIT bid.  Year three could've been a nice start, but then we regressed to the NIT in year four.  Last year's team was really good...until the locker room imploded.  Not a great look for someone who took until Year 5 to break into the Top 25.  Meanwhile the previous two coaches achieved much greater success with their own players at the same juncture.  Now we have a preseason first team all American senior and look like an 8-9 seed.  It's hard to get as excited about our incoming recruits when the all time leading scorer hasn't made a postseason dent.

But like I said, I don't think he should get fired.  He's gonna do enough to keep his job for a few more years at least.  But while you may be optimistic, I think we'll be having this same conversation in year seven. 

[Goose]

Small Orange

I would take bets that this team is on outside looking in come March. Way too many holes and Howard cannot carry a team on his back without a couple more options.

[dinger]

We were a pouty insurrection away from experiencing it last year. Amazing how people can't see that. It cost MU a BigEast championship.

The insurrectionists also made for a horrible matchup vs Murray State. No foot speed to defend Ja and his team.

I'm still not seeing that. An insurrection, one player who quit trying his hardest, two guys who were a horrible matchup, and yet we kept playing them all the way through? A coach should keep control over his team even if it means benching a couple starters. It's not like playing them helped anyway since we lost all our games after their insurrection and they left the team anyway.

[Warrior of Law]

Goose-

Agreed that this is not a NCAA team, and I don't think it will be much of a debate come Selection Sunday.  If MU is a 8-9 seed, that would be Wojo's greatest achievement.

[Mutaman]

Ja is abusing pros nightly right now.

I guess that excuses getting beat by 19 points (in a game that wasn't even that close) to a team that lost by 28 points in the next round.

[Goose]

Warrior of Law

If Wojo gets this team to NCAA it will be a helluva of a coaching job. I would tip my cap to him.

[willie warrior]

I said this in a conversation I had with my dad yesterday.  Wojo needs to find himself a Hank Raymonds, a Jerry Wainwright, a wily old Xs-and-Os guy that can strategize and gameplan.

If wojo needs to find another coach to help on adjustments then we dont need wojo as coach.

[79Warrior]

You're including assistant coaching?  Come on.

The man had great talent, would consistently finish 3rd through 6th in a so-so Pac 10 with horrific losses in the regular season, but got to the Sweet 16 a bunch so he was a great coach?  Drove UCLA fans here crazy.

20 to 30 point losses to Ball State, Cal, Oregon, Zona, Arizona State multiple times, a couple of 40 point losses to Duke and UNC....team was loaded with 5 star kids, #1 recruiting classes, future NBA players and in all that time ONE PAC 10 championship.  ONE.  That's how brutal he was as a coach.

His head coaching resume is there if you bothered to read it. More NCAA wins than  Wojo for the same number of years.

Every coach drives fans crazy. Hardly a revelation. Grow up.

[hairy worthen]

Ja is abusing pros nightly right now.

Why does this even matter? So MU lost to Murray State because Morant was a good player, or because it was a crap shoot? I guess having good players  and good coaching does matter.  Florida State didnt seem to have a problem with him.

[NorthernDancerColt]

I'm still not seeing that. An insurrection, one player who quit trying his hardest, two guys who were a horrible matchup, and yet we kept playing them all the way through? A coach should keep control over his team even if it means benching a couple starters. It's not like playing them helped anyway since we lost all our games after their insurrection and they left the team anyway.

Wojo was in a very tough spot. When his successful career is over, he will write a book about what he learned from coaching...and last season would figure prominently. I'd bet there would be an entire chapter on managing fragile egos and helicopter parents.

[rocket surgeon]

  " I'd bet there would be an entire chapter on managing fragile egos and helicopter parents."

that's the whole book right there...with a forward by tim maymon, dedicated to david and steph

[Silkk the Shaka]

Agree with the strategy.

Luckily for Marquette, we have one of the great players in basketball history in Kobe.

And an all-time MU great Brendan Bailey

[dinger]

Wojo was in a very tough spot. When his successful career is over, he will write a book about what he learned from coaching...and last season would figure prominently. I'd bet there would be an entire chapter on managing fragile egos and helicopter parents.

A book or a PowerPoint presentation?
I kid I kid. I get that theres nothing he can do now but learn from it. But that's part of why he hasn't earned a full benefit of the doubt from me yet

[lawdog77]

And an all-time MU great Brendan Bailey

JFC, lay off the current players.

[Lennys Tap]

Wojo was in a very tough spot. When his successful career is over, he will write a book about what he learned from coaching...and last season would figure prominently. I'd bet there would be an entire chapter on managing fragile egos and helicopter parents.

Sounds like a real page turner.

[wadesworld]

Wojo was in a very tough spot. When his successful career is over, he will write a book about what he learned from coaching...and last season would figure prominently. I'd bet there would be an entire chapter on managing fragile egos and helicopter parents.

Didn't Sam, Joey, and Mr. Hauser already write it down for him?

[Porky's Butthole]

(x) Non-conference stinker to inferior opponent (UW-Madison)  Really?????

Look Porky understands the frustration and that game definitely sucked but not being a Wisconsinite or even a Midwesterner, Porky's take on the rivalry is more measured because the notion that UW Madison is an "inferior opponent" seems flat out unfair.  Less athletic?  Sure!  Inferior?  Come On!  This whole thread is basically about how we're not as good everyone thinks, at least so far, and say what you will about Wojo, but his record against UW Madison is solid.  Would anyone really want to trade a W at the Kohl for a home loss to Bobby Mo?   Porky wouldn't!  That's for damn sure!

[Jay Bee]

Goose-

Agreed that this is not a NCAA team, and I don't think it will be much of a debate come Selection Sunday.  If MU is a 8-9 seed, that would be Wojo's greatest achievement.

Happy to put $ on us not being a tourney team. Holla

[Jay Bee]

Small Orange

I would take bets that this team is on outside looking in come March. Way too many holes and Howard cannot carry a team on his back without a couple more options.

$200, I'm in.