Shaka to Marquette?

[GooooMarquette]

"He's the perfect guy to follow Wojo." -- Mrs. Ellenson

But what does momma Hauser say?

[Pakuni]

What driving the departures? NBA? Transfers? Graduation?  All of the above?

All of the above. Two players already in the portal, two expected to declare for the draft (Kai Jones and Greg Brown) and three players graduating.

[NickelDimer]

Not sure why but the rumors of Shaka to Marquette floating around kind of leave me feeling meh. I've really warmed to the idea of Moser.

[Galway Eagle]

Not sure why but the rumors of Shaka to Marquette floating around kind of leave me feeling meh. I've really warmed to the idea of Moser.

Yeah of the candidates I'd be pumped about (Beilein, Moser, Smith, Gates) Shaka is not one of them. He may do well and that'll be awesome I'll root for him but it's not a hire that screams "were better than what Wojo brought"

[Hards Alumni]

Yeah of the candidates I'd be pumped about (Beilein, Moser, Smith, Gates) Shaka is not one of them. He may do well and that'll be awesome I'll root for him but it's not a hire that screams "were better than what Wojo brought"

Maybe with some of the pressure of Texas off, Shaka can be himself.

[PGsHeroes32]

Yeah of the candidates I'd be pumped about (Beilein, Moser, Smith, Gates) Shaka is not one of them. He may do well and that'll be awesome I'll root for him but it's not a hire that screams "were better than what Wojo brought"

And those are?!?!?!


I am not saying I wouldn't be happy with either of them. But there is nothing about them definitively screams better than Wojo.

[JakeBarnes]

Yeah of the candidates I'd be pumped about (Beilein, Moser, Smith, Gates) Shaka is not one of them. He may do well and that'll be awesome I'll root for him but it's not a hire that screams "were better than what Wojo brought"

I personally think Shaka is heads and shoulders above Wojo, but that's a low bar. I do think that an environment like Marquette will be a place he can thrive.

That said, I'll be excited with any of the ones on your list except for the baggage with Beilein (not a fan of the coach in waiting and the "personal reasons" surrounding his son).

[Galway Eagle]

And those are?!?!?!


I am not saying I wouldn't be happy with either of them. But there is nothing about them definitively screams better than Wojo.

Gates I'll give you there's nothing that's extremely definitive but I think Craig Smith is definitively better. He's won big at South Dakota, won big at Utah St, and won big in the NAIA.

[Hards Alumni]

And those are?!?!?!


I am not saying I wouldn't be happy with either of them. But there is nothing about them definitively screams better than Wojo.

Craig Smith doesn't excite you at all?  He builds teams, and gets them into the tournament.  .763 winning percentage.

I'd be pretty amped if we got him.  Of course he doesn't have the name recognition of Beilein or Shaka.

[Juan Anderson's Mixtape]

Not sure why but the rumors of Shaka to Marquette floating around kind of leave me feeling meh. I've really warmed to the idea of Moser.

I'm the complete opposite.  Moser is meh and I've warmed to Shaka considerably.

I'm worried that recency bias clouds our judgement with Moser appearing to be much better than he is and Shaka appearing to be much worse than he is.

When I look at their total resumes and experience, I give Shaka the edge. Both have a Final Four on their resume, but Shaka has P6 experience and proven high major recruiting chops.

[PGsHeroes32]

Craig Smith doesn't excite you at all?  He builds teams, and gets them into the tournament.  .763 winning percentage.

I'd be pretty amped if we got him.  Of course he doesn't have the name recognition of Beilein or Shaka.

Excite me more than Shaka?? No.

I am good with any body that has been legitimately rumored for MU.

And I find it completely reasonable if someone would rather we give the "high major chance" to guess like Smith and Gates rather than take someone who has floundered recently.

But Shaka definitely has more of a wow factor and a higher ceiling imo. I just can't say the great unknowns can be easily better than Wojo.

[CountryRoads]

Was 100% in on Shaka right after they lost, but am starting to think Moser is the better fit. I'd be happy with any of the 5 or 6 candidates being mentioned though and recent hires across the country have tempered my expectations as to who MU can land. I fear we end up with option 7 (a name out of nowhere) though and we'll be left guess.

[Warrior2008]

Gates I'll give you there's nothing that's extremely definitive but I think Craig Smith is definitively better. He's won big at South Dakota, won big at Utah St, and won big in the NAIA.

Craig Smith is my top choice too, the guy is just a winner. I disagree on Shaka though. Texas and Marquette are wildly different places on many levels and I think it's unfair to assume Shaka wouldn't succeed at Marquette because of his record at Texas. His results at VCU, which is closer to Marquette than Texas IMO, give me enough of a belief to think Shaka would be an excellent hire here.

[Galway Eagle]

Craig Smith is my top choice too, the guy is just a winner. I disagree on Shaka though. Texas and Marquette are wildly different places on many levels and I think it's unfair to assume Shaka wouldn't succeed at Marquette because of his record at Texas. His results at VCU, which is closer to Marquette than Texas IMO, give me enough of a belief to think Shaka would be an excellent hire here.

That's a fair take. Personally, I think his aggressive defense is what got him success and then they made freedom of movement rules and took away hand checking which sort of made Shaka's style against the rules.

But to be clear I wouldn't be against Shaka or upset. just of the candidates I'd be less enthusiastic with Shaka.

[MU82]

I'm worried that recency bias clouds our judgement with Moser appearing to be much better than he is and Shaka appearing to be much worse than he is.

When I look at their total resumes and experience, I give Shaka the edge. Both have a Final Four on their resume, but Shaka has P6 experience and proven high major recruiting chops.

You're possibly right about recency bias for most here. Speaking for myself, I was starting to warm up to Shaka and was only meh on Moser ... but then Texas got completely outplayed by a bunch of modestly talented Lilliputians. Meanwhile, Moser thoroughly outcoached Underwood as Loyola beat a 1-seed.

And yes, both have a Final Four on their resumes ... but Moser's is more recent by 7 years.

Totally agree about Shaka being a proven recruiter, though, and that's worth a lot.

I would totally support either, as well as Gates and Smith.

Maybe with some of the pressure of Texas off, Shaka can be himself.

As I try to psych myself back up for Shaka, I keep coming back to this, too. He had his dalliance with the alleged "big time," and he might be both humbled and ready to kick arse at a place like Marquette.

[cheebs09]

That's a fair take. Personally, I think his aggressive defense is what got him success and then they made freedom of movement rules and took away hand checking which sort of made Shaka's style against the rules.

But to be clear I wouldn't be against Shaka or upset. just of the candidates I'd be less enthusiastic with Shaka.

I don't think defense has been Shaka's main problem at Texas. Granted maybe I'm just more impressed by Top 40 defenses than I should be after the Wojo era.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Feels more akin to baseball where one often hears "he just needs a fresh start somewhere else to be productive again."

[PhillyWarrior]

Maybe with some of the pressure of Texas off, Shaka can be himself.

If you can't take the heat...

[blue and gold]

Craig Smith doesn't excite you at all?  He builds teams, and gets them into the tournament.  .763 winning percentage.

I'd be pretty amped if we got him.  Of course he doesn't have the name recognition of Beilein or Shaka.

Craig's Smith's head coaching experience has occurred at schools located in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Utah.  Although, he's taken teams to the NCAA tournament twice, he's lost both games by an average margin of 14.5 points. 

Furthermore, Smith only has 2 years of experience at a high major which was when he was an assistant at Nebraska to Tim Miles in the early part of the last decade.

[MU82]

But what does momma Hauser say?

She's too busy writing another letter to Coach Izzo to talk.

[BM1090]

I don't think defense has been Shaka's main problem at Texas. Granted maybe I'm just more impressed by Top 40 defenses than I should be after the Wojo era.

Right. Shaka has had good defenses his whole career. He's clearly adapted to life after Havoc. I don't understand that concern with him.

[brewcity77]

That's a fair take. Personally, I think his aggressive defense is what got him success and then they made freedom of movement rules and took away hand checking which sort of made Shaka's style against the rules.

But to be clear I wouldn't be against Shaka or upset. just of the candidates I'd be less enthusiastic with Shaka.

Defense is what most encourages me about Shaka. It wasn't rule changes that stopped Havoc but rather he changed styles going to Texas. At VCU, he had a large edge in raw athleticism so something frenetic really worked well. In the Big 12, that advantage was muted so he went more conventional. Through it all, he has never had an Adjusted Defensive Efficiency outside the top-40. He even brought in Luke Yaklich as an assistant.

What I like is he's through a major style change, he maintained success. And while successful, he still brought in someone regarded as a defensive expert. I like leaders that are willing to bring in people that will potentially challenge them even on their strengths.

[Galway Eagle]

Defense is what most encourages me about Shaka. It wasn't rule changes that stopped Havoc but rather he changed styles going to Texas. At VCU, he had a large edge in raw athleticism so something frenetic really worked well. In the Big 12, that advantage was muted so he went more conventional. Through it all, he has never had an Adjusted Defensive Efficiency outside the top-40. He even brought in Luke Yaklich as an assistant.

What I like is he's through a major style change, he maintained success. And while successful, he still brought in someone regarded as a defensive expert. I like leaders that are willing to bring in people that will potentially challenge them even on their strengths.

Gotcha, I honestly didn't follow his post Done deal career but assumed the rule change was a big factor into the lack of success. Didn't realize he adapted so well. Mea culpa scoop fam

[WhiteTrash]

But to be clear I wouldn't be against Shaka or upset. just of the candidates I'd be less enthusiastic with Shaka.

WHAT?!?! This is an internet fan board, you need to be outraged if Shaka is the next coach. You need to have an agenda.

[Uncle Rico]

Think this crop of candidates is better than post-Buzz.  Now watch them hire Archie Miller 😉