Wojo post OK St

[tower912]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnpTEe2e_N0

[Silent Verbal]

“College basketball is a lot harder than it looks on tv.”

Translation:  “Fans can criticize if they want, but they never played and don’t know what they’re talking about.”

Press conferences have never been Wojo’s forte.

[cheese ball chaser]

I'm as Nojo as they come but I thought he said all he could've said.

[cheebs09]

I'm as Nojo as they come but I thought he said all he could've said.

Maybe this is my sour Nojo glasses right now, but I wasn’t very impressed. The gist I got from it was “our players didn’t execute.” His response to the first question about the zone was about as good as our response to the zone itself.

I’m always struck at how many time he will say something in a huddle and the players do something different. That popped into my mind when he was saying they needed to get the ball in the middle and the paint. However, we ran our offense at half court and barely got into the paint.

I’m not sure what the disconnect is, but it seems to happen a lot.

[MU24]

The issue is now...why is this something that Marquette cannot figure out?
Last 4 years have all been lackluster, same issues, same excuses. Nothing has seemed to improve year to year and that is frustrating.

[dgies9156]

Maybe this is my sour Nojo glasses right now, but I wasn’t very impressed. The gist I got from it was “our players didn’t execute.” His response to the first question about the zone was about as good as our response to the zone itself.

I’m always struck at how many time he will say something in a huddle and the players do something different. That popped into my mind when he was saying they needed to get the ball in the middle and the paint. However, we ran our offense at half court and barely got into the paint.

I’m not sure what the disconnect is, but it seems to happen a lot.

Has he lost the team three games into the season?

I'm only half sarcastic on this one.

[tower912]

He hasn't.   You can draw up the greatest sets in the history of basketball, but if nobody does it nobody scores.    MU moved the ball against UAPB's zone.    The length of OK St messed them up.   Great ball movement against Pine Bluff, terrible ball movement against OK St.   The defensive length was the difference.

[Daniel]

This is a team with a lot of good parts that haven’t played together much.  They will get better. 

[avid1010]

I agree with Wojo.  While it is fun, as a fan of basketball, to play coach...it's true people have no idea what the job entails and the skill/preparation needed to get to that level.  Based upon that understanding, I've always said he should simply be judged on wins/losses and the character of the program.  Love our guys..and I like Wojo...but he can't win consistently.

[Vogue 66]

He hasn't.   You can draw up the greatest sets in the history of basketball, but if nobody does it nobody scores.    MU moved the ball against UAPB's zone.    The length of OK St messed them up.   Great ball movement against Pine Bluff, terrible ball movement against OK St.   The defensive length was the difference.

Yes, and the team tried to win with talent vs. plays.  They played at a faster pace than they could control.  How do you ask a team to play "harder" but a touch slower and under better control?

In game adjustment is easier said than done.   How do you adjust against "defensive length"?

[brewcity77]

Yes, and the team tried to win with talent vs. plays.  They played at a faster pace than they could control.  How do you ask a team to play "harder" but a touch slower and under better control?

In game adjustment is easier said than done.   How do you adjust against "defensive length"?

I'm pretty sure there's someone whose paid around $2 million per year to answer those exact questions.

If they can't control the pace, why are they being coached to play so fast? If the team can't increase effort without getting sloppy, why are they not being coached to understand the difference between playing hard and playing out of control? If they aren't able to adjust to defensive length, who is responsible for recruiting the players that don't have the ability to adjust to that height, especially when one of the strengths of this Marquette team is its length?

[brewcity77]

“College basketball is a lot harder than it looks on tv.”

This quote really rankled me. Yes, it is, and that's why Marquette pays you so much money to do it! And that's why we have such high expectations for our program! We get it, your job is hard, but you're the one who chose to do it and who took on that responsibility, so when you can't produce the results we are paying for, you are the one who has to acknowledge you aren't doing that job.

[willie warrior]

Has he lost the team three games into the season?

I'm only half sarcastic on this one.

Probably has lost the team. Same guy who lost the Hausers, who are doing very well, thank you

[Scoop Snoop]

To back to back zinger posts Brew. Spot on. Thin skinned Wojo cannot handle fair criticism and always responds with by immediately attacking those who dare to question his performance. He reminds me of someone. Hmmm.

Dodds' standard litany of excuses includes "we're a young team", injuries (only Marquette has to deal with those, dontcha know?), and "tired legs" among other go-to explanations for meltdowns. Let's not add opponents' length to the list.

   

[#UnleashSean]

To back to back zinger posts Brew. Spot on. Thin skinned Wojo cannot handle fair criticism and always responds with by immediately attacking those who dare to question his performance. He reminds me of someone. Hmmm.

Dodds' standard litany of excuses includes "we're a young team", injuries (only Marquette has to deal with those, dontcha know?), and "tired legs" among other go-to explanations for meltdowns. Let's not add opponents' length to the list.

   

Tired legs is and will always be the most hilarious excuse. As if tons of other teams don't run 8 man rotations while playing 2 or 3 games a week.

[Bad_Reporter]

This quote really rankled me. Yes, it is, and that's why Marquette pays you so much money to do it! And that's why we have such high expectations for our program! We get it, your job is hard, but you're the one who chose to do it and who took on that responsibility, so when you can't produce the results we are paying for, you are the one who has to acknowledge you aren't doing that job.

Nothing new, Brew

Just start the video at 4:30.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cbjD7Yf0f00

[Spaniel with a Short Tail]

This quote really rankled me. Yes, it is, and that's why Marquette pays you so much money to do it! And that's why we have such high expectations for our program! We get it, your job is hard, but you're the one who chose to do it and who took on that responsibility, so when you can't produce the results we are paying for, you are the one who has to acknowledge you aren't doing that job.

This is taken out of context. Wojo said that in response to the question of what do you tell your younger players after a game like that. It was not said in defense of his performance as coach. If it was the latter I would agree with Brew.

[BallBoy]

This quote really rankled me. Yes, it is, and that's why Marquette pays you so much money to do it! And that's why we have such high expectations for our program! We get it, your job is hard, but you're the one who chose to do it and who took on that responsibility, so when you can't produce the results we are paying for, you are the one who has to acknowledge you aren't doing that job.

Wojo was responding to a question about what do you tell the young players. He wasn’t complaining. This is good answer to that question. You got popped in the mouth because you thought you could play sloppy. It is only going to get harder if you don’t play/work harder. In high school you can get away with sloppy play but in college it is a lot harder. Good learning lesson.

[tower912]

I understood it that he was letting his young guys know that not everybody is EIU or Pine Bluff.    Lots of good teams out there.

[mileskishnish72]

"we're evolving", "growing pains", "younger guys", 'grow up quick."
Back to the We're Young excuse.

[lawdog77]

"we're evolving", "growing pains", "younger guys", 'grow up quick."
Back to the We're Young excuse.

Well, if his team improves during the course of the year, and plays their best basketball headed into the tourney, and doesn't fall off a cliff like the past few years, I'll give him a pass

[Silent Verbal]

"we're evolving", "growing pains", "younger guys", 'grow up quick."
Back to the We're Young excuse.

“People don’t like when I use that woooord.”—Wojo, a few seasons ago (in the most sarcastic, defensive voice you can possibly imagine).  Can’t remember what press conference that was.

[MUfan12]

Guys, do not get dismayed.

[cheebs09]

"we're evolving", "growing pains", "younger guys", 'grow up quick."
Back to the We're Young excuse.

The funny thing is that he could use the exact same excuses if he coached Oklahoma State. And he would have even gotten to talk about playing on the road.

[withoutbias]

What would be an acceptable press conference from Wojo?  I honestly wonder if anybody has ever seen a press conference from any other coach after a loss.  Do you really think he's going to come out and say, "We came out strong but I took too long to adjust to their zone.  When we finally did come up with our plan, the guards couldn't get the ball into the middle of the zone, and when they did the guys in the middle of the zone weren't strong with the basketball and turned it over, and we saw no leadership from our upperclassmen."

Wojo sucks.  If it weren't for covid or some great season that isn't coming this year he should be gone.  But this is the same press conference about 95% of college basketball coaches would give.  Not to mention, everything he said is true.  We have 6 new players out of 11 scholarship players on the roster.  We missed 2 weeks of practice due to shutting the program down.  If you didn't think things would get sloppy at times before January, you're delusional.

[Galway Eagle]

What would be an acceptable press conference from Wojo?  I honestly wonder if anybody has ever seen a press conference from any other coach after a loss.  Do you really think he's going to come out and say, "We came out strong but I took too long to adjust to their zone.  When we finally did come up with our plan, the guards couldn't get the ball into the middle of the zone, and when they did the guys in the middle of the zone weren't strong with the basketball and turned it over, and we saw no leadership from our upperclassmen."

Wojo sucks.  If it weren't for covid or some great season that isn't coming this year he should be gone.  But this is the same press conference about 95% of college basketball coaches would give.  Not to mention, everything he said is true.  We have 6 new players out of 11 scholarship players on the roster.  We missed 2 weeks of practice due to shutting the program down.  If you didn't think things would get sloppy at times before January, you're delusional.

Well some here would ask that he  be like Buzz after we were decimated by UNC and try to break down minutes of which we were "winning" and then say "if you toss out that massive run they had to close the first half we won the game"

This isn't a political reference this is actually pretty close to what buzz said in the UNC postgame

[cheebs09]

What would be an acceptable press conference from Wojo?  I honestly wonder if anybody has ever seen a press conference from any other coach after a loss.  Do you really think he's going to come out and say, "We came out strong but I took too long to adjust to their zone.  When we finally did come up with our plan, the guards couldn't get the ball into the middle of the zone, and when they did the guys in the middle of the zone weren't strong with the basketball and turned it over, and we saw no leadership from our upperclassmen."

Wojo sucks.  If it weren't for covid or some great season that isn't coming this year he should be gone.  But this is the same press conference about 95% of college basketball coaches would give.  Not to mention, everything he said is true.  We have 6 new players out of 11 scholarship players on the roster.  We missed 2 weeks of practice due to shutting the program down.  If you didn't think things would get sloppy at times before January, you're delusional.

Maybe I missed it, but I would have appreciated one comment to the effect of, “I didn’t have our guys ready enough for a zone defense.” It seemed like all his comments were about how they didn’t do what they needed to do or they turned it over too much. Really seemed to put it all on the players.

[Hards Alumni]

What would be an acceptable press conference from Wojo?  I honestly wonder if anybody has ever seen a press conference from any other coach after a loss.  Do you really think he's going to come out and say, "We came out strong but I took too long to adjust to their zone.  When we finally did come up with our plan, the guards couldn't get the ball into the middle of the zone, and when they did the guys in the middle of the zone weren't strong with the basketball and turned it over, and we saw no leadership from our upperclassmen."

Wojo sucks.  If it weren't for covid or some great season that isn't coming this year he should be gone.  But this is the same press conference about 95% of college basketball coaches would give.  Not to mention, everything he said is true.  We have 6 new players out of 11 scholarship players on the roster.  We missed 2 weeks of practice due to shutting the program down.  If you didn't think things would get sloppy at times before January, you're delusional.

"We came out strong, but we needed to do a better job adjusting to their zone.  OSU isn't AKPB.  OSU is a legit opponent with one of the best players in the nation.  We held him to 15 points and 6 rebounds.  So I am happy with the way our defense performed.  We should have been more aggressive on offense, and that is on me and prep.  We are working with a lot less practice than we are used to and because of that, we lack a strong offensive identity, which is why we struggled.  Our upperclassmen have shown great leadership in practice, but we need that to carry over into game situations.  The lack of fans in the stands is a strange thing we are working through.  You know our guys feed off of the crowds emotion, and with that gone, basketball is strange right now.  We will get better, the season is young and we have a great group of guys.  I'm proud of the adversity that these guys have dealt with this off season and so far this season.  After today, its on to Wisconsin... and they're a really good team."

Personally, I prefer honesty.  That paragraph addresses the question without singling anyone out.  It wraps the criticism of the team in positives as well.

[avid1010]

How about, "This is my 7th year at Marquette.  We have made it to the NCAA tourney twice, and I have failed to lead us to a single NCAA victory.  I have also failed to win the BEAST in any of those six years.  While I am proud of the way the program conducts itself, and I take credit for that, I must also take credit for a team that finishes in the bottom half of the BEAST more often than in the top half.  Individual game losses come with a myriad of reasons and rationales.  Full seasons often take on a similar discussion with transfers, recruiting, injuries, etc...  Bottom line, all schools and all coaches have to deal with this.  Again, I'm extremely proud of the character shown within our program, but I know that the expectation is we do things the right way and we finish in the upper tier of the BEAST.  I know we need to be a regular in the NCAA tourney, and I know we need to win there as well.  If I cannot do this at MU, I do not belong here."

[Wade-A-Minute]

I suggest all the above naysayers listen to Huggy's postgame presser after their loss to the Zags. Pay close attention to his comments about back doors, ball screens and being young. Sometimes players just don't do what they are told no matter how many times they are told. Happens to the best coaches.

[MUfan12]

I suggest all the above naysayers listen to Huggy's postgame presser after their loss to the Zags. Pay close attention to his comments about back doors, ball screens and being young. Sometimes players just don't do what they are told no matter how many times they are told. Happens to the best coaches.

Bob Huggins is a HOF coach.

Steve Wojciechowski has only sat next to a HOF coach.

[mileskishnish72]

Maybe I missed it, but I would have appreciated one comment to the effect of, “I didn’t have our guys ready enough for a zone defense.” It seemed like all his comments were about how they didn’t do what they needed to do or they turned it over too much. Really seemed to put it all on the players.

Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding! It's called displacement.

[withoutbias]

How about, "This is my 7th year at Marquette.  We have made it to the NCAA tourney twice, and I have failed to lead us to a single NCAA victory.  I have also failed to win the BEAST in any of those six years.  While I am proud of the way the program conducts itself, and I take credit for that, I must also take credit for a team that finishes in the bottom half of the BEAST more often than in the top half.  Individual game losses come with a myriad of reasons and rationales.  Full seasons often take on a similar discussion with transfers, recruiting, injuries, etc...  Bottom line, all schools and all coaches have to deal with this.  Again, I'm extremely proud of the character shown within our program, but I know that the expectation is we do things the right way and we finish in the upper tier of the BEAST.  I know we need to be a regular in the NCAA tourney, and I know we need to win there as well.  If I cannot do this at MU, I do not belong here."

This is exactly what I mean.  NoJos are just so, so anxious to criticize anything and everything they can about Wojo that when he simply answers a question from a reporter about what he tells his young players after their first bad experience in college hoops they're like, "Oh my God back to the lame excuses by Wojo!"

Or, you have the NoJos counting last year towards the number of years coached, but then saying he's only made two NCAA Tournaments.  Marquette was going to make the NCAA Tournament last year.  You can criticize Wojo without the desperate sensationalizing of everything.  You don't need to come off as stupid to criticize the guy.  There's plenty there for you to criticize.  But that's just blatantly ignoring the fact that his team was an NCAA Tournament team last year.

[BM1090]

Press conference was totally fine. The coaching was not.

[Dr. Blackheart]

I prefer the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker rambles, the Jimmy Mac attacks or the "as God is my witness, these were the worst referees I have ever witnessed in my entire life" in the post-game pressers.

[Goose]

I'm with you, Dr. B.

[avid1010]

This is exactly what I mean.  NoJos are just so, so anxious to criticize anything and everything they can about Wojo that when he simply answers a question from a reporter about what he tells his young players after their first bad experience in college hoops they're like, "Oh my God back to the lame excuses by Wojo!"

Or, you have the NoJos counting last year towards the number of years coached, but then saying he's only made two NCAA Tournaments.  Marquette was going to make the NCAA Tournament last year.  You can criticize Wojo without the desperate sensationalizing of everything.  You don't need to come off as stupid to criticize the guy.  There's plenty there for you to criticize.  But that's just blatantly ignoring the fact that his team was an NCAA Tournament team last year.

Yeah...not that anxious...supported the hell out of him for 3-4 years.  Bottom line...2 NCAA's and no wins...poor conference play...hasn't met the expectations and has had plenty of time. 

[Silent Verbal]

I prefer the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker rambles, the Jimmy Mac attacks or the "as God is my witness, these were the worst referees I have ever witnessed in my entire life" in the post-game pressers.

I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic (I don't think you are) but I do miss having a coach with charisma and a big personality.  Could you imagine Wojo dancing on the court after a huge road win?  He's a complete stiff, a total Stepford coach.  I understand that this was a big selling point at the time of his hire, but I think the powers that be overcompensated.

[Eldon]

I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic (I don't think you are) but I do miss having a coach with charisma and a big personality.  Could you imagine Wojo dancing on the court after a huge road win?  He's a complete stiff, a total Stepford coach.  I understand that this was a big selling point at the time of his hire, but I think the powers that be overcompensated.

2020-21 Meme Watch: Stepford Coach

[NickelDimer]

Nothing new, Brew

Just start the video at 4:30.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cbjD7Yf0f00

That’s embarrassing. Someone asks him about HIS OWN quotes and he’s too mentally fragile to cope. Yikes.

[goldeneagle91114]

This quote really rankled me. Yes, it is, and that's why Marquette pays you so much money to do it! And that's why we have such high expectations for our program! We get it, your job is hard, but you're the one who chose to do it and who took on that responsibility, so when you can't produce the results we are paying for, you are the one who has to acknowledge you aren't doing that job.

PREACH!!!! Enough Wojo Powerpoints. He hasn't won a BEAST Regular season or tournament title and hasn't won a NCAA game. He lost control of his locker room and the Hauser's left. He's been here for 6 years. no more excuses, its on HIM. He leads the program.

[goldeneagle91114]

I prefer the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker rambles, the Jimmy Mac attacks or the "as God is my witness, these were the worst referees I have ever witnessed in my entire life" in the post-game pressers.

The Butcher, The Baker, The Candlestick maker is the best post game press conference comments I've heard from a college coach. haha

[Galway Eagle]

That’s embarrassing. Someone asks him about HIS OWN quotes and he’s too mentally fragile to cope. Yikes.

I actually liked that he said it was all his responsibility I mean he didn't throw anyone under the bus or anything. Where is he too fragile?

[panda]

I actually liked that he said it was all his responsibility I mean he didn't throw anyone under the bus or anything. Where is he too fragile?

The question was where can he improve on his coaching and he yelled at the reporter saying never come after my players all while skirting the actual question.

[goldeneagle91114]

I actually liked that he said it was all his responsibility I mean he didn't throw anyone under the bus or anything. Where is he too fragile?

Really? he never answered the question. He just gave a sarcastic dickhead response. he used the excuse his team was young... well then go find some grad or JUCO transfers.

[NickelDimer]

I actually liked that he said it was all his responsibility I mean he didn't throw anyone under the bus or anything. Where is he too fragile?

He couldn’t have been less genuine in his “put it all on me shtick”. From telling the reporter to pick it apart and tell him where he needs to get better to his “our top 13 offense isn’t good enough” to his constant fiddling with the mic. Not one word was him taking any actual accountability.

[Galway Eagle]

Guess I just read him wrong I took it as him working himself up because people were putting it on his players at the time