WOJO HAS TO GOJO

[Billy Hoyle]

Maybe Wojo should grow out his hair. It's working for Shaka.

[brewcity77]

DISCLAIMER: Brew I don't mean to call your fandom out.

But this is a HUGE concern for me even our most dedicated fans feel this way. the product Wojo is producing is not consistently a top 25 product, or a Big East Contender product, or deep tourney run product. The casual fan is going to take their time and dollars and spend it elsewhere. I can't imagine being a student during the wojo era. Now you throw in COVID... this could get really bleak, quickly.

I'm a huge optimist. Pretty much in all things in life, I find the positive. My wife, who is far more...I'll be generous and say grounded...can often get annoyed at how I always find a positive to even the worst situations.

But I'm also a big math guy. And at this point, I just don't think the math adds up on Wojo. I don't think his staff has enough understanding of the modern game (there's more to it than pushing tempo and chucking threes), the analytic side of things, and worse, even if Marquette's administration came to the same conclusion, I don't think they can afford to fire him.

The toughest part for me is that Marquette basketball pretty much is my sports life. I don't watch NFL. I barely watch NBA. I only watch NHL or MLB when my teams are in the playoffs. My English football team is in the Championship, so I can't really watch them either. Marquette is it. And if they aren't worth watching, it's rather disappointing, but just means maybe I need to find better ways to spend my time and money. And that also disappoints me, because I love Marquette and Marquette basketball. But if it's going to make me frustrated at home (especially with COVID, where I can't even get out of the house to watch the game) then it's hard to justify why to stay invested.

[Billy Hoyle]

DISCLAIMER: Brew I don't mean to call your fandom out.

But this is a HUGE concern for me even our most dedicated fans feel this way. the product Wojo is producing is not consistently a top 25 product, or a Big East Contender product, or deep tourney run product. The casual fan is going to take their time and dollars and spend it elsewhere. I can't imagine being a student during the wojo era. Now you throw in COVID... this could get really bleak, quickly.

I was a student during the Deane era. 2 years of not being in the NCAA hunt, boring basketball, poor attendance, poor student support, poor game day atmosphere, not much optimism. This era is far better.

[avid1010]

The vast majority of these posts aren't arguing if Wojo should be fired...it's arguing over why he should be fired or just how bad he is.   Says a lot.

[Viper]

I'm a huge optimist. Pretty much in all things in life, I find the positive. My wife, who is far more...I'll be generous and say grounded...can often get annoyed at how I always find a positive to even the worst situations.

But I'm also a big math guy. And at this point, I just don't think the math adds up on Wojo. I don't think his staff has enough understanding of the modern game (there's more to it than pushing tempo and chucking threes), the analytic side of things, and worse, even if Marquette's administration came to the same conclusion, I don't think they can afford to fire him.

The toughest part for me is that Marquette basketball pretty much is my sports life. I don't watch NFL. I barely watch NBA. I only watch NHL or MLB when my teams are in the playoffs. My English football team is in the Championship, so I can't really watch them either. Marquette is it. And if they aren't worth watching, it's rather disappointing, but just means maybe I need to find better ways to spend my time and money. And that also disappoints me, because I love Marquette and Marquette basketball. But if it's going to make me frustrated at home (especially with COVID, where I can't even get out of the house to watch the game) then it's hard to justify why to stay invested.

im with you. On Scoop we can snipe at each other from time to time, but in the end we all want MU hoops to rock. Unfortunately under Wojo it just ain't happening. It's like he's jinxed. He's got shooters, no bigs. Has bigs, can't hit the broad-side of a barn beyond 12'. I still think this team can do enough to sneak in to the ncaa's, but is this what it's become?  I mean, a basketball-only school with a history and heritage reduced to a hope & prayer.

[rocky_warrior]

reduced to a hope & prayer.

Maybe that's it. Maybe we haven't been praying for Wojo enough.

[Viper]

My all time favorite of Wojo's was at Indiana:

"We're in the bonus!  We are IN the bonus!  We need to play downhill because we're in the bonus!"

It was like something out of a David Mamet play.

at least in that game Wojo was aware of the score.

[Hards Alumni]

Can we put this point to bed already?

Did anyone else watch "all or nothing tottenham"? If you did, you'd think Jose is an absolute moron who only spouts cliches and vaguely helpful coach-speak.

But he's not a moron. He just doesn't say any tactical things when the camera is rolling.

Wojo seems to be inept as a tactics coach. But it isn't based on what he says in front of the camera.

Hmmmm awful strange that other coaches 'in the huddle' experience aren't what we get from Wojo.  I promise, whatever he is drawing up isn't working either.  Look no further than the results on the court.  Is he worried that someone is going to steal his drawn up play in the next 15 seconds?  Once they've run the play, it is on film forever anyway.  Like, what is your logic here?  He isn't giving away anything.  Instead, he looks like Matt Foley without the table crash and the laughter.

Let's put the idea to bed that he could possibly be giving anything away that any basketball coach won't figure out in the next two minutes.

Yikes.

[MikeDeanesDarkGlasses]

I just don't think this is accurate.  Wojo's teams have generally not had a problem scoring.  Generally he puts together a good gameplan and executes to that plan. 

Wojo's problems have always come when the other teams makes an adjustments that he has to react to on the fly.  Like the zone last night.  This has been obvious since year one.

Wojo's teams haven't had a problem scoring? 

You do realize he's had to rely on Howard and a couple of plug and plays?  He hasn't recruited and developed players to flourish in his system, whatsoever.  It's junk and has won zero NCAA tourney games, not to mention it's gotten smoked at home numerous amounts of times.  Plus, a well coached system can overcome a basic zone defense. 

You've got a lot of basketball to learn if you think Wojo's system is run well.  I'm dying laughing over here. 

[The Sultan]

Wojo's teams haven't had a problem scoring? 

You do realize he's had to rely on Howard and a couple of plug and plays?  He hasn't recruited and developed players to flourish in his system, whatsoever.  It's junk and has won zero NCAA tourney games, not to mention it's gotten smoked at home numerous amounts of times.  Plus, a well coached system can overcome a basic zone defense. 

You've got a lot of basketball to learn if you think Wojo's system is run well.  I'm dying laughing over here. 

Well you can laugh all you want but I'm right. Marquette under Wojo usually puts together a good offensive game plan and executes to that plan. The problems happen when the other coach makes adjustments that Wojo isn't anticipating.

[5DollarPitcher]

I was a student during the Deane era. 2 years of not being in the NCAA hunt, boring basketball, poor attendance, poor student support, poor game day atmosphere, not much optimism. This era is far better.

I was a student during the Wojo era.  Freshman to graduation with one tourney appearance.  It was surreal to watch the student body realize that Sweet Sixteens and Elite Eights were only the luxuries of our older brothers and sisters that may have attended.

I can tell you from experience that poor attendance, poor student support, poor gameday atmosphere, and low optimism were absolutely prevalent throughout the four years I was there.  Weekday non-Nova games you could practically show up at halftime and sit in the lower bowl with no problem.

Saturday games would have been packed if PeeWee Herman was the coach, but MUBB has $5 pitchers to thank for that.  Not the basketball product.

[tower912]

Majerus-Dukiet era.    That is misery.

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

Majerus-Dukiet era.    That is misery.

"It's been worse" is usually a powerful signal. 

[5DollarPitcher]

Majerus-Dukiet era.    That is misery.

Sure - that was misery.  This was apathy.  Much more dangerous if you ask the right person.

[MikeDeanesDarkGlasses]

Well you can laugh all you want but I'm right. Marquette under Wojo usually puts together a good offensive game plan and executes to that plan. The problems happen when the other coach makes adjustments that Wojo isn't anticipating.

Wojo wasn't anticipating the 2nd most basic defense in all of basketball? 

Not sure what's more anemic, your posts or MU's 2nd half offense last night.

[f/k/a humanlung]

Majerus-Dukiet era.    That is misery.

+1,000,000,000

That era was the definition of pain.

This era is the definition of frustrating.

[Tennessee Ernie Ford]

I was a student during the Deane era. 2 years of not being in the NCAA hunt, boring basketball, poor attendance, poor student support, poor game day atmosphere, not much optimism. This era is far better.

is it?  Seven years of mediocrity.  We're not expected to finish in the top half of the new Big East.  We finished poorly last year and the year before and the year before that, we hung our hats on a solid NIT run (which was supposed to provide great playoff experience for our young guys).  Fast forward and we've got a team of young guys who, according to Wojo's presser, are experiencing a learning curve.  I don't doubt they are, but when the Wojo era is one big learning curve, there's arguably not much optimism about NCAA hunts.

[brewcity77]

Sure - that was misery.  This was apathy.  Much more dangerous if you ask the right person.

+1

I wasn't around, so those that were, feel free to correct this. I imagine there was some hope at the start of the Majerus years because of the time he spent with Al and Hank. But with Dukiet, it seems like after that first year was worse than Majerus, there wasn't much hope. Acknowledgment, if not acceptance, that we weren't good.

The difference now is that we're supposed to be good. We were supposed to build on Buzz's success in the new league, and we had the golden boy recruiter who was supposed to do it. And every year, on paper, you can make a case for why we should be good. Then the season happens and we chronically disappoint. We only exceeded expectations (per kenpom) once in the Wojo tenure, and that was the 2017 team that started 47 and finished 32, which is great until you remember that we jumped from 47 to 33 after our first game, so from that first night against Vandy, we pretty much were what we were (though yes, the 'Nova win was still awesome).

At least with despair, you can walk away, you can ignore it, you can divorce yourself from it. With this constant building and tearing down of hope, it's just kind of soul-crushing.

[MU82]

Only game 3.  I vote we continue the season.

Nope. Woe is us.

MU hoops life isn't worth living any more. Don't call Doc Rivers; call Dr. Kevorkian.

[5DollarPitcher]

Nope. Woe is us.

MU hoops life isn't worth living any more. Don't call Doc Rivers; call Dr. Kevorkian.

Woe IS us.  Look what our alma mater has allowed this program to become!  Perennially average.  Enjoy living out the rest of your days in "others receiving votes"...

[Lennys Tap]

"It's been worse" is usually a powerful signal.

So one day on some talk show Buddy Hackett is ripping on Shelley Berman. Finally the host interrupts and asks "Isn't there anything nice you can say about Shelley?". After a loooong pause, Buddy says "Yeah. His brother was worse!"

Bottom line, Frenns, is you're dead right. "It's been worse", even when true, also means things suck right now.

[tower912]

So start a letter writing campaign and get him fired.   

[WarriorFan]

I think the whole risk/reward thing is wrong for CBB coaches.    Wojo can make 2m /year and fail and somehow keep his job.   Very few professions offer that possibility.   I'd pay him 3k/ month basic salary and $10k for each non conf win ($100k for UW or ND), $50k for each conference win and $200k for each NCAA tournament win.  That would drive performance or exit.   

Still not a "no-jo" but no longer pro-jo...

[MU24]

Not only has MUBB lived up to fans expectations but the University itself is fumbling through the Cov-19 business and from reports its a debacle. MUBB not having a great season will end up a very bad year for MU.

[tower912]

Marquette is hurting.    Losing to OK St is somewhere around #50 on Scholl's list of problems.