Process vs Outcome

[The Sultan]

Go ahead and write the team off 6 months before practice starts and before the roster is finalized if you want to.  But that's a sad way to go through life.

I'm not "writing off the team."  I am acknowledging that rebuilds take time, and that signs of improvement IMO are more realistic than if we make the tournament or not.  If we end up making the tournament?  That's the icing on the cake - not an expectation.

So I will proudly go through life lowering the expectations from my sports teams and being extremely happy if they are exceeded. 

[Jockey]

I don't mind seeing Carton leave and won't mind if Garcia leaves as well. Either one would only be here one more year anyway - the G League is waiting.

Let shaka start with his guys and build his team.

[PointWarrior]

Not to mention with such incredible NBA talent, we got to enjoy a wealth of succces last year.

I don't mind seeing Carton leave and won't mind if Garcia leaves as well. Either one would only be here one more year anyway - the G League is waiting.

Let shaka start with his guys and build his team.

[GoldenWarrior11]

If Shaka's team next year is noticeably better at the end of the season than at the start, the year will be a worthwhile improvement for the program.  It's been beaten to death, but Wojo's teams regressed as individual seasons wore on.

There needs to upward trajectory, regardless of whatever final record it is.

[tower912]

I cannot wait until opening tipoff.

Me, too.   

I see the youngest team in memory. I never expect much from young teams.   Ergo, I am process oriented and not outcome oriented for the coming season.  I look forward with anticipation to growth throughout the season.   

[Coleman]

As Hards mentioned, I have not seen these guys play any real minutes, so any expectations I may have are going to be blind.

That said, here is what I am hoping for:

More than 1 and done in the Big East Tournament, and at least NIT qualification. Getting as many games as possible for a young team is crucial and will pay dividends in future years. It gives them more time to develop and gel. And if, as others have mentioned, they are on the upswing at the end of the season, a deep NIT run would be great.

The high range of my expectations is .500 in conference, which might sneak us an NCAA bid. However, I would be satisfied with any result that gets us some postseason experience to grow from.

[PointWarrior]

Totally agree Goose.  Watching Shaka a Shaka coached team versus the Wojo train wreck - no brainer.  And Shaka's team will have more wins next year than Wojo's last year.

I cannot wait until opening tipoff.

[Hards Alumni]

I'll be happy to see a team that is coached and doesn't get it's doors blown off.  Any record we get is fine for a year or two.  I'd prefer to be good asap, but I'll be patient.

Five years to judge, and all that jazz.

[mix it up]

#4yrstojudge
...or was it 5?

[BCHoopster]

You have 3 freshman guard coming in, if one of them can play the point, they will be fine.

[Uncle Rico]

You have 3 freshman guard coming in, if one of them can play the point, they will be fine.

2 of them are Wojo recruits so they can't play

[PointWarrior]

Maybe Wojo recruits are better if Shaka coaches them instead of Wojo.

2 of them are Wojo recruits so they can't play

[rocky_warrior]

If Shaka's team next year is noticeably better at the end of the season than at the start, the year will be a worthwhile improvement for the program.  It's been beaten to death, but Wojo's teams regressed as individual seasons wore on.

There needs to upward trajectory, regardless of whatever final record it is.

Agreed, although a few weeks a go I went through looking at Shaka's teams kenpom preseason vs end of season ranking.  Unless I math'd wrong, there were only 3-4 years in his coaching history where his teams exceeded expectations.  I would expect this young team to improve through the year.

I'm excited for next season, But I'm not convinced Shaka is the miracle worker that has been sold here.

[Uncle Rico]

Maybe Wojo recruits are better if Shaka coaches them instead of Wojo.

🤔

[pbiflyer]

I remember watching an open gym one summer with the midgets team. I thought, I'm not sure if they will be good, but they will be fun to watch.
That is my hopes for this team. I want a team that tries hard, fun to watch. Wins will be a bonus.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Agreed, although a few weeks a go I went through looking at Shaka's teams kenpom preseason vs end of season ranking.  Unless I math'd wrong, there were only 3-4 years in his coaching history where his teams exceeded expectations.  I would expect this young team to improve through the year.

I'm excited for next season, But I'm not convinced Shaka is the miracle worker that has been sold here.

Wait, I thought KPom preseason rankings no matta?

[rocky_warrior]

Wait, I thought KPom preseason rankings no matta?

You know I agree!  End of season rankings matter!

But I was told with no uncertainty that it was part of the measuring stick we're supposed to use to evaluate a coach.

[NolongerWarriors]

The fluidity of the roster is to be expected after a coaching change.   The current roster for next season is going to be the youngest I can remember.    I do not ever have high expectations for young teams.   So I am going to focus on the process and not the outcome for this next season.  I will appreciate every win and every competitive loss where learning and growth occur.   But I am not going to sweat the final record.

You never held Wojo accountable, so why would you start with the next coach?

[tower912]

You never held Wojo accountable, so why would you start with the next coach?

You've never said anything positive about anybody, so.... Right back atcha.

[79Warrior]

As they should and with good reason. Pretty sure Shaka will turn out to be our best recruiter in decades. He's the right man at the right time for MU, aina?

Agree. This is now Shaka's team. He is pounding the pavement. The future is bright.

[MU82]

Not only don't we know very much about the team Shaka will put on the floor in November, but we know very little about the rest of the Big East.

I tend to agree that next season will be one filled with growing pains, but that's OK. I look forward to seeing what kind of system Shaka puts in, how the players respond, which players look like they will be standouts in Year 2 or 3, how the guys improve as the season goes along, etc.

I am excited for next season even if we aren't a tourney team, and I believe the FF will have a lot of excitement, too.

Not sure why anybody would choose negativity now, given the circumstances. Pretty sad.

[Silent Verbal]

Maybe we'll be good next year, and maybe we won't.  Next year's W/L results don't really matter to me.  Hopefully the team is playing better basketball at the end of the year than they were at the beginning, but it'll be a young team, so that might not happen. 

Mostly, I'm just glad Wojo is gone, and am excited we have a new coach who I believe will be able to recruit really good players and turn the program around.  Wojo's level of incompetence in the job was pretty remarkable—how does a coach in his seventh season at Marquette *ever* finish 9th in conference and miss the postseason entirely?  Seriously, who cares if DJ, Garcia, Lewis, any of them leave?  There's no shortage of basketball players out there.  Shaka will get guys, too, and I think we'll make the tournament in his second year.  And I believe that should be the expectation.

[We R Final Four]

So, we should listen to the same scoopers who said that there was no way that Wojo was being fired as to how a team with a roster that isn't even complete will play in five months??
I think if I were one of those I would sit this one out.

[keefe]

9th place and a BET blowout finish is a high bar to beat. Respect the process, hey?

Wojo made some pine for those halcyon days of the Tanned One which, on reflection, is pretty pathetic

[keefe]

The program just stagnated smelled worse than a steaming turd under Wojo