MU Coaching Candidates

[Uncle Rico]

FWIW, the Coaching Changes Twitter account, again run by anonymous NCAA D1 assistant coaches, are putting Wojo as the 6th hottest seat now behind Minnesota, DePaul, Indiana, Iowa State and Arizona. 

IMO, it's unlikely Arizona makes a move. Miller has just won three straight and they are set at 17-8.  The rest I can definitely see changes occurring.

Dare I say that Wojo and Pitino have had similar tenure?  Both 7+ years, two NCAAT appearances, losing conference record, consistently inconsistent and both "protected" due to background (Pitino - family name, Wojo - Duke association).

I think those protection ideas are ludicrous

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Wojo isn’t being “protected” due to his Duke association. He bought himself some time due to being in the tournament two straight years prior to this one.  It’s not hard.

[GoldenWarrior11]

I think those protection ideas are ludicrous

What did Pitino do to earn a high-major coaching job and not get dismissed when he is in year eight of the program?  Go 18-14 at FAU? It has everything to do with his name.

[cheebs09]

Doesn’t Miller have an absurd contract about what he’s paid if he gets fired? I think it’s actually more to fire him for cause than not. I thought I remember his contract making it really tough for Arizona to fire him when the recruiting stuff started.

[GoldenWarrior11]

Wojo isn’t being “protected” due to his Duke association. He bought himself some time due to being in the tournament two straight years prior to this one.  It’s not hard.

There was no tournament last year.  Officially, there are no tournament teams for 2020.  Would MU likely have gotten in? Sure. Could MU have gotten blown out/embarrassed again too? Also possible. 

[cheebs09]

There was no tournament last year.  Officially, there are no tournament teams for 2020.  Would MU likely have gotten in? Sure. Could MU have gotten blown out/embarrassed again too? Also possible.

You can’t really view it like that though. That basically ignores the body of work of the season. Plus, enough people predict the bracket that it’s easy to see we had a tournament resume.

[GoldenWarrior11]

Doesn’t Miller have an absurd contract about what he’s paid if he gets fired? I think it’s actually more to fire him for cause than not. I thought I remember his contract making it really tough for Arizona to fire him when the recruiting stuff started.

Yes. His contract at Arizona calls for him to get paid more if thr firing is with cause. Bad contract language that the school did not, or would not, catch.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

What did Pitino do to earn a high-major coaching job and not get dismissed when he is in year eight of the program?  Go 18-14 at FAU? It has everything to do with his name.

But why would Minnesota hold onto him because of his name?

[GoldenWarrior11]

You can’t really view it like that though. That basically ignores the body of work of the season. Plus, enough people predict the bracket that it’s easy to see we had a tournament resume.

Body of work includes trajectory.  The team lost six of its final seven games. It was an underdog in its BET game against Hall.  Very possible it could have lost eight of its final nine games.  Teams were game planning to stop Markus and have other guys beat them.  Up until the cancelation, we did not have an answer.

We cannot ignore trajectory in addition to reviewing body of work. 

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Body of work includes trajectory.  The team lost six of its final seven games. It was an underdog in its BET game against Hall.  Very possible it could have lost eight of its final nine games.  Teams were game planning to stop Markus and have other guys beat them.  Up until the cancelation, we did not have an answer.

We cannot ignore trajectory in addition to reviewing body of work. 

They would have made the tournament. Marquette isn’t firing their coach after back to back tournament appearances.

And what exactly is he being protected from? The wrath of a 74 year old coach? 

[GoldenWarrior11]

They would have made the tournament. Marquette isn’t firing their coach after back to back tournament appearances.

And what exactly is he being protected from? The wrath of a 74 year old coach?

Go ahead and list the programs that made back to back NCAATs while experiencing massive collapses to close out both seasons with blowout losses in the tournament. Marquette is completely unique in that regard.  We compare ourselves to what other programs have done but we are our own case. 

That was the trajectory last year.  If we say the coaching staff made the tournament last year, which there was no official tournament, then we have to consider how it would have played out. Teams figured out how to beat us (again), and we didn't have any adjustments. It was ride or die with Markus.

[GoldenWarrior11]

But why would Minnesota hold onto him because of his name?

I encourage to read the Gophers beat and their fan boards.

[cheebs09]

Go ahead and list the programs that made back to back NCAATs while experiencing massive collapses to close out both seasons with blowout losses in the tournament. Marquette is completely unique in that regard.  We compare ourselves to what other programs have done but we are our own case. 

That was the trajectory last year.  If we say the coaching staff made the tournament last year, which there was no official tournament, then we have to consider how it would have played out. Teams figured out how to beat us (again), and we didn't have any adjustments. It was ride or die with Markus.

Oh, I totally agree that they likely would have gotten blasted in the tournament. That’s the Wojo special.

But that doesn’t change the fact they were pretty well locked into a bid. The committee doesn’t look at narratives like we do. They don’t care that MU was having a second consecutive collapse at the end of the season. They just look at the resume and MU’s resume was good enough for a bid.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Go ahead and list the programs that made back to back NCAATs while experiencing massive collapses to close out both seasons with blowout losses in the tournament. Marquette is completely unique in that regard.  We compare ourselves to what other programs have done but we are our own case. 

That was the trajectory last year.  If we say the coaching staff made the tournament last year, which there was no official tournament, then we have to consider how it would have played out. Teams figured out how to beat us (again), and we didn't have any adjustments. It was ride or die with Markus.

I ain’t listing anything.  The fact is that your “protection” hypothesis is dumb and the reasons they will retain Wojo are pretty obvious. You may not AGREE with them, but they are there.

[MU82]

Go ahead and list the programs that made back to back NCAATs while experiencing massive collapses to close out both seasons with blowout losses in the tournament. Marquette is completely unique in that regard.  We compare ourselves to what other programs have done but we are our own case. 

That was the trajectory last year.  If we say the coaching staff made the tournament last year, which there was no official tournament, then we have to consider how it would have played out. Teams figured out how to beat us (again), and we didn't have any adjustments. It was ride or die with Markus.

Who are you arguing with here? Sultan thinks Wojo should get fired, as do I.

Unfortunately, neither you, Sultan nor I make these decisions.

Question: Are you convinced he will get fired after this season?

[wadesworld]

Maryland fans always want Turgeon gone. I’d take him off their hands.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Who are you arguing with here? Sultan thinks Wojo should get fired, as do I.

Unfortunately, neither you, Sultan nor I make these decisions.

Question: Are you convinced he will get fired after this season?

Right. I’m only saying that he isn’t “protected” due to being a Coach K assistant and that keeping him is “understandable” even though I don’t agree.

[Uncle Rico]

Maryland fans always want Turgeon gone. I’d take him off their hands.

In 18 years of coaching, he’s made 2 Sweet 16’s.  Unfortunately for him, his best team at Maryland was probably last season.  Hard to believe he’s been at Maryland since 2011

[panda]

FWIW, the Coaching Changes Twitter account, again run by anonymous NCAA D1 assistant coaches, are putting Wojo as the 6th hottest seat now behind Minnesota, DePaul, Indiana, Iowa State and Arizona. 

IMO, it's unlikely Arizona makes a move. Miller has just won three straight and they are set at 17-8.  The rest I can definitely see changes occurring.

Dare I say that Wojo and Pitino have had similar tenure?  Both 7+ years, two NCAAT appearances, losing conference record, consistently inconsistent and both "protected" due to background (Pitino - family name, Wojo - Duke association).

https://twitter.com/coachingchanges/status/1366132003511406606?s=21

[Silent Verbal]

https://twitter.com/coachingchanges/status/1366132003511406606?s=21

If this Twitter account is actually run by insiders, that’s a pretty damning tweet.

[Uncle Rico]

If this Twitter account is actually run by insiders, that’s a pretty damning tweet.

It’s been wrong way more that it’s been right but from time to time hit on some stuff

[shoothoops]

Dude has never even spent time on a D1 sideline as a coach or played. At least Kim Anderson was a D1 assistant and he still failed. McCollum is not the answer. At least not until he went to a lower level school and won. Hell, look at Linc Darner, very good D2 coach and he struggled at the low major D1 level, much less the Big East.

Bad coach? I don’t think so, but he walked into a really nice situation at Murray St that Kennedy had set up.  He’s kind of floundered once he moved past the Hoiberg player remnants

Kim Anderson was a unique situation. He was a former Bug 8 Player of The Year at Mizzou, and long time Norm Stewart assistant in the 89's and 90's with some good teams. He wanted the job a lot earlier and wasn't given the opportunity. They finally gave it to him but at the wrong time. It had been 12 years since he was in a D-1 sideline in a Power 5 league.

Anderson also inherited a mess, investigations, sanctions, snd he tried to piece things together in a short amount of time. They lost 13 scholarship players. He wasn't going to do a quick 3 seasons or less turnaround there at that time.

He of course knows ball and can coach ball. Wrong fit, wrong time. Unique situation.

[panda]

If this Twitter account is actually run by insiders, that’s a pretty damning tweet.

Several of the MU coaches follow it along with Broeker.

It’s main purpose is entertainment, but with a lot of truth behind the entertaining statements

[GoldenWarrior11]

Who are you arguing with here? Sultan thinks Wojo should get fired, as do I.

Unfortunately, neither you, Sultan nor I make these decisions.

Question: Are you convinced he will get fired after this season?

I was debating with Fluffy over his statement that Marquette wasn’t firing Wojo after two, in theory, consecutive NCAAT appearances (while we don’t know the answer to that question, we also don’t know what would have happened if they lost to Hall and/or NCAAT game badly).

At this time, I believe there is a 60% chance there is a change after the season.  It was higher before the UNC game, but the UNC win, IMO, delayed any decision.  If we lose to DePaul again, it would almost be a guarantee IMO (for a change).  If we beat DePaul and lose to Xavier, it can go either way and would likely need to see how the BET game(s) go.  The team, despite beating Wisconsin, Creighton and UNC this year underperformed given its projections; we weren’t projected to be an NCAAT team, but we weren’t picked 10th in the BE, either.

I will say I believe our athletic department and president will do everything they can to justify and spin Wojo getting one more year for many reasons beat to death on here over the past few weeks.  The excuses have already been presented and pushed: injuries, COVID, the schedule, the lack of fans, etc. However, the key will be the BOT.  If they feel a change is needed, a change will happen.  I guess it’ll come down to: what, if any, other jobs Wojo can get after the season that pay the same, or more; how well next year’s potential success can be “sold” to the powers that be; and, finally, if a change is required, how it is financially supported (which, again, if the BOT wants it, it will happen).

If Wojo comes back next year, and there is again no tournament and lack of optimism going into following season, not only is Wojo gone in ‘22, but Scholl might very well be on hot seat too. 

[mutrainer71]

Brad Stevens.  A recent Boston Globe article indicated that the Celtic players were not listening to their coach. May be in his own hot water... Would be a good get.