I'm Optimistic

[Lennys Tap]

You left out that the new guy went the previous 6 years without an NCAA win

And that the new guy took an 11 seed to the FF.

His record at MU will be my concern. If he goes 0 for 7 like Wojo I won't be touting him

[rocky_warrior]

His record at MU will be my concern. If he goes 0 for 7 like Wojo I won't be touting him

Agreed, sorta.  I would contend if he goes 0-2 there will be smoke, if he goes 0-3 there will likely be fire.  He won't get the same leash as Wojo, not by a long shot.

But I don't think, and I certainly hope, after year 2 (or even this year) we don't have to consider that possibility.

[MU82]

As opposed to what a Superstar? No one is saying he is that, but he is a major impact player. Especially for this team. They'd be a heck of a lot worse off without him.

A great pickup for Shaka in year 1.

Ah, the old battle of semantics.

Kur averages fewer than 20 mpg and is good at one thing. If you look at that and say "major impact player," you should be furious at Shaka ... because the head coach of our team isn't even willing to play this supposed "major impact player" for half of every game.

Kuath's missed dunk Tuesday ruined our shot at tying the game and ignited UConn's game-clinching run. So the Huskies probably agree his impact was major that night.

FWIW, I'm glad he's on the team. We needed a role player to play that exact role, and he seems like a good guy.

[GoldenEagles03]

Ah, the old battle of semantics.

Kur averages fewer than 20 mpg and is good at one thing. If you look at that and say "major impact player," you should be furious at Shaka ... because the head coach of our team isn't even willing to play this supposed "major impact player" for half of every game.

Kuath's missed dunk Tuesday ruined our shot at tying the game and ignited UConn's game-clinching run. So the Huskies probably agree his impact was major that night.

FWIW, I'm glad he's on the team. We needed a role player to play that exact role, and he seems like a good guy.

No. It just so happens Oso's development is just as important, so they need to be splitting minutes. They can't play together, it just won't work.

Kur is a big impact when he's on the floor, primarily defensively

Markus Howard did only one thing well, score. He wasn't a role player.

[MU82]

No. It just so happens Oso's development is just as important, so they need to be splitting minutes. They can't play together, it just won't work.

Kur is a big impact when he's on the floor, primarily defensively

Markus Howard did only one thing well, score. He wasn't a role player.

That's silly.

[DoctorV]

Hindsight is 20/20 but as things stand it seems like Shaka biggest mistake in year one may be not retaining some of the guys that were already in place at MU.

Obviously hard to say for sure without knowing what happened behind the scenes, but something tells that some of last years guys might have stuck around and made a big difference if Shaka had really wanted them to stay.

The obvious one is Jamal Cain, but there are also guys like Koby McEwan and Jose Perez thriving at a lower level. Then there's the Dawson Garcia and DJ Carton, which I'm not sure he could've done anything about.

I don't recall specifically but I know Jamal announced his transfer to Oakland very quickly. I remember Perez stuck around campus for quite some time before making a move.
A guy like Perez did absolutely nothing under wojo, but Cain was also pretty bottled up and even Koby could have been a big help this season.

I just think Shaka got a bit too excited about bringing in his own guys, relatively younger guys, guys that fit his mold/type of player he covets, and letting them grow into his system over several years.

There is nothing wrong with that at face value, and I get that he's building a culture and a system that takes time, but one of those guys could've been the difference between a tourney bid and no bid.

Would you trade one more year of Jamal Cain for 3 years of OMax or 4 years of Itijere for example? In this season it would've probably meant a bid, so I would take Jamal in that scenario every time.
It's a balancing act, but in the day and age if immediate transfers I think with time he will find that you have to take a few more 1-2 year impact guys that are just there to get you over the hump. In this instance those guys might've already been in house.

[GoldenEagles03]

https://www.anonymouseagle.com/2021/5/1/22414063/marquette-golden-eagles-mens-basketball-senior-year-blocked-shots-record-top-ten

[The Sultan]

Hindsight is 20/20 but as things stand it seems like Shaka biggest mistake in year one may be not retaining some of the guys that were already in place at MU.

Obviously hard to say for sure without knowing what happened behind the scenes, but something tells that some of last years guys might have stuck around and made a big difference if Shaka had really wanted them to stay.

The obvious one is Jamal Cain, but there are also guys like Koby McEwan and Jose Perez thriving at a lower level. Then there's the Dawson Garcia and DJ Carton, which I'm not sure he could've done anything about.

I don't recall specifically but I know Jamal announced his transfer to Oakland very quickly. I remember Perez stuck around campus for quite some time before making a move.
A guy like Perez did absolutely nothing under wojo, but Cain was also pretty bottled up and even Koby could have been a big help this season.

I just think Shaka got a bit too excited about bringing in his own guys, relatively younger guys, guys that fit his mold/type of player he covets, and letting them grow into his system over several years.

There is nothing wrong with that at face value, and I get that he's building a culture and a system that takes time, but one of those guys could've been the difference between a tourney bid and no bid.

Would you trade one more year of Jamal Cain for 3 years of OMax or 4 years of Itijere for example? In this season it would've probably meant a bid, so I would take Jamal in that scenario every time.
It's a balancing act, but in the day and age if immediate transfers I think with time he will find that you have to take a few more 1-2 year impact guys that are just there to get you over the hump. In this instance those guys might've already been in house.

Cain would have been fine though I still think the drop in level is why he is succeeding more than anything.

But I had my fill of Koby and Jose in Marquette uniforms.  They are fine where they are.

[willie warrior]

Agreed, sorta.  I would contend if he goes 0-2 there will be smoke, if he goes 0-3 there will likely be fire.  He won't get the same leash as Wojo, not by a long shot.

But I don't think, and I certainly hope, after year 2 (or even this year) we don't have to consider that possibility.

Willing to give Shaka Kahn a pass this year because of his late start and all the BS make them up covid transfer rules as you go. But he better be bringing in better studs by next year. So far things are looking dicey. 14 games in is enough time for his "sysyem/process" to sink in.

[Uncle Rico]

Willing to give Shaka Kahn a pass this year because of his late start and all the BS make them up covid transfer rules as you go. But he better be bringing in better studs by next year. So far things are looking dicey. 14 games in is enough time for his "sysyem/process" to sink in.

The transfer rules are quite straightforward

[Dr. Blackheart]

Under Wojo, it was announced all the super seniors would not be returning. MU waited to release them until right after Shaka was hired. I assume to control the message.

Shaka was very clear that his plan was to build his culture first, and he only wanted guys who bought into that culture. You can go back to his interview at Big East Media Day. DJ, Garcia and Pérez didn't fit his criteria nor they his.

This is a rebuild which I agree with. It has gone pretty much to plan if not a bit better to date. That said, it doesn't mean we cannot question or critique along the way. Is Scoop supposed to remain idly silent for three years?

No. For me, my one bugaboo is this offense is a mismatch for the talent. I hope the talent grows into the offense as the season progresses as I don't see Shaka changing it. I see that is a missed opportunity to dance.

[The Sultan]

Willing to give Shaka Kahn a pass this year because of his late start and all the BS make them up covid transfer rules as you go. But he better be bringing in better studs by next year. So far things are looking dicey. 14 games in is enough time for his "sysyem/process" to sink in.

LOL.  Willie's given him a nickname, which means he goes full negative within a week or so.

[MU82]

LOL.  Willie's given him a nickname, which means he goes full negative within a week or so.

An ultimatum, too.

Not sure what joyless willie's "or else" is, but he has served notice, dammit!

[The Sultan]

Safe to say, willie is not optimistic.  Pretty much like he's been for the last 40 years.

[Scoop Snoop]

Under Wojo, it was announced all the super seniors would not be returning. MU waited to release them until right after Shaka was hired. I assume to control the message.

Shaka was very clear that his plan was to build his culture first, and he only wanted guys who bought into that culture. You can go back to his interview at Big East Media Day. DJ, Garcia and Pérez didn't fit his criteria nor they his.

This is a rebuild which I agree with. It has gone pretty much to plan if not a bit better to date. That said, it doesn't mean we cannot question or critique along the way. Is Scoop supposed to remain idly silent for three years?

No. For me, my one bugaboo is this offense is a mismatch for the talent. I hope the talent grows into the offense as the season progresses as I don't see Shaka changing it. I see that is a missed opportunity to dance.

Nice summary Dr. B. And thanks for the laugh about Scoop staying silent! Agree with you about the offensive talent mismatch. I think that Shaka is taking the same basic approach that Boeheim does at Syracuse. I read somewhere that Boeheim said he looks for players who are right for his defensive system and "coaches them up" on offense as necessary. 

[Elonsmusk]

Cain would have been fine though I still think the drop in level is why he is succeeding more than anything.

I assume this is you trolling me.  But if not, you should visit the former MU players thread.  Plenty of info there that refutes this opinion of yours.

[GOO]

Before Shaka there had been talk that we needed a coach with a system.  Then recruit to the system.  We now have that in place. Give Shaka time to recruit for it. I also agree with the system, shoot threes and play fast. Shooting threes is the offensive system I want to see I play.

He also want very high energy players who can go all out all the time who commit to the team concept, etc. Not all players will be a fit and it is best for both parties then that they move along.

People are over scrutinizing things and way too early. Relax and give it time. It will be a while.

My major concerns with the new transfer rules is that Winning teams will have an easier by time getting players.  A lot easier. Winning team's players have more fun and are more likely to want to return.  How much does not having a winning team hurt recruiting and player retention  this spring?  CN showing the system and the need for three point shooters, even if not winning, help bring in those players? 

But playing the system and showing potential recruits how we play and why we need them is probably easier than not using the system and trying to say this is what we want to do in the future. So play the system now and find the players.

[Uncle Rico]

LOL.  Willie's given him a nickname, which means he goes full negative within a week or so.

He spelled Kahn wrong, too.  It's incredibly on-brand.

[MU82]

Before Shaka there had been talk that we needed a coach with a system.  Then recruit to the system.  We now have that in place. Give Shaka time to recruit for it. I also agree with the system, shoot threes and play fast. Shooting threes is the offensive system I want to see I play.

He also want very high energy players who can go all out all the time who commit to the team concept, etc. Not all players will be a fit and it is best for both parties then that they move along.

People are over scrutinizing things and way too early. Relax and give it time. It will be a while.

My major concerns with the new transfer rules is that Winning teams will have an easier by time getting players.  A lot easier. Winning team's players have more fun and are more likely to want to return.  How much does not having a winning team hurt recruiting and player retention  this spring?  CN showing the system and the need for three point shooters, even if not winning, help bring in those players? 

But playing the system and showing potential recruits how we play and why we need them is probably easier than not using the system and trying to say this is what we want to do in the future. So play the system now and find the players.

Agree with most of this, GOO. We got a coach with a system and a philosophy, and he's working on getting players who fit -- something that Nojos beyotched about for years. Folks need to chill for at least a little bit and see how it plays out.

Some of those criticizing Shaka for not turning our program into Big East favorites 13 games into his first season wanted us to hire Moser ... who took a mere 14 years to coach a team into the NCAA tournament. He was a combined 18 games under .500 during his first 6 years at Loyola. But yeah ... he had proven himself as the master of the quick-fix.

As far as the current college sports structure only making big-time winners win even more because that's where all the transfers will want to go ... maybe that's true, but wasn't it also true for decades and decades when applied to high school recruits? Didn't Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State, etc, get top-10 recruiting classes year after year?

Regardless, we hired Shaka and paid him handsomely to turn our program back into a big-time winner. If he can't do it, he'll be shown the door, as has always been the case at Marquette and pretty much everywhere else.

IMHO we'll win enough under Shaka to satisfy my definition of "big-time winning program" -- which would be at least Buzz-level success. That will still disappoint some who think that Shaka will have failed if we don't repeat 1977, but it wouldn't disappoint me. Within a year or two, we'll get to see if Shaka can do it.

[bilsu]

My opinion, which does not mean it is correct, is that Moser will win more NCAA tournament games in the next 5 years than Shaka.

[MUfan12]

For me, my one bugaboo is this offense is a mismatch for the talent. I hope the talent grows into the offense as the season progresses as I don't see Shaka changing it. I see that is a missed opportunity to dance.

I think we're seeing some evolution on that end. Thought the shot selection the last two games was really good. I also think guys like Ty, Kam, OMax will grow into more consistent shooters as they adjust to playing at this level.

I've seen a lot of good shooters look bad when they have to operate more quickly than they're used to.

[Pakuni]

Some of those criticizing Shaka for not turning our program into Big East favorites 13 games into his first season

Literally no one is doing this.

[jfp61]

Hey, based on who this team has played against, were lucky to be 8-5. Could easily be 6-7 overall.  We have 2 1 point wins and four loses by 8.

Also we would be 5-8 or 4-9 with wojo.

Which makes me wonder, why on earth was this years scheduling like this?

[79Warrior]

Hey, based on who this team has played against, were lucky to be 8-5. Could easily be 6-7 overall.  We have 2 1 point wins and four loses by 8.

Also we would be 5-8 or 4-9 with wojo.

Which makes me wonder, why on earth was this years scheduling like this?

Non conference schedules are not made months in advance.

[TedBaxter]

Looking at Moser's team this year, 5 of the top 8 rotation players are 5th year seniors and 2 others are juniors.  Another 5th year season transfer, Marvin Johnson, hasn't been in the playing rotation.  1 freshman is in the top 8 and 2 more play 8-10 minutes a game, including the son of former Marquette player Alton Mason.

So Moser should have a team that gets to the NCAA this year and will also need to add 2-3 players from the transfer portal to compete next year, so he's building differently and may take a dip the second year.  Shaka looks to be hoping to continue with this group with improving each year.  2 ways to build it. 

I don't mind transfers, but I don't like to have to get to have to get multiple transfers every year just to compete.  Shaka took 4 this year out of necessity and hopefully, he won't need more than 1 this spring to come in and make an impact, if he does go that route.