Shaka Year 2

[Elonsmusk]

I hope you are right, but the jury is still out on that one. No one will be happier than me to see the program heading in the right direction.

You should listen to all of Shaka's interviews/press conferences.  Then go back and listen to some of Wojo's.  If the difference in the "this guy has it" quotient isn't clear to you, well, don't know what to tell you.  Panda hit it right on the head with his post:

I think there’s a significantly different  trajectory with Shaka as the coach opposed to Wojo. Don’t lump the tenures together.

[MUfan12]

At the very least, there's a plan and identity he's trying to build. Wojo scrambled when the Duke model didn't work here.

Will it work? I sure as hell hope so. I do think he needs to find more physicality in the frontcourt for it to really take off.

[panda]

At the very least, there's a plan and identity he's trying to build. Wojo scrambled when the Duke model didn't work here.

Will it work? I sure as hell hope so. I do think he needs to find more physicality in the frontcourt for it to really take off.

I do like the recruit and retain model he has in place IF players stay which by all accounts they did at VCU/Texas and so far here as well. BUT, if we want to compete year in/year out, we need to get some front court portal wins, bringing in big guys. The bigs were recruiting will take a couple years to develop and I believe we’ll have more success long term finding a manny bates or Warren Washington type in the portal.

[withoutbias]

The idea that you can turn on some press conference and determine if a coach has "it" or not is so, so funny.

Go listen to a Bill Bellichick or Coach K interview.  Some of the greatest coaches to ever coach sports.

Then there are tons of coaches with charisma who stink at coaching.

[tower912]

I do like the recruit and retain model he has in place IF players stay which by all accounts they did at VCU/Texas and so far here as well. BUT, if we want to compete year in/year out, we need to get some front court portal wins, bringing in big guys. The bigs were recruiting will take a couple years to develop and I believe we’ll have more success long term finding a manny bates or Warren Washington type in the portal.

To do that in the next couple of years will require multiple players to leave.

[Viper]

I wish I was as optimistic as most of you on here.

I think this is going to be a rough year with no post season. I don't think MU upgraded their roster like most other Big East teams did and our non-conference is not a cakewalk.

I'll root hard each game but not expecting much this year.

I tend to agree. I hope MU wins the Ft Myers tourney with strong play, reps well vs Baylor and beats RED, but the final 6:30 of the Radford game has me worried we’ll see a lot more of THAT in conference play.

[Pakuni]

The idea that you can turn on some press conference and determine if a coach has "it" or not is so, so funny.

Go listen to a Bill Bellichick or Coach K interview.  Some of the greatest coaches to ever coach sports.

Then there are tons of coaches with charisma who stink at coaching.

Yep.
Nick Sirianni had the worst introductory press conference in the history of introductory press conferences. Turns out he's OK at coaching.
I do think Shaka is a far better coach than Wojo, but their respective press conference skills are irrelevant,

[tower912]

The idea that you can turn on some press conference and determine if a coach has "it" or not is so, so funny.

Go listen to a Bill Bellichick or Coach K interview.  Some of the greatest coaches to ever coach sports.

Then there are tons of coaches with charisma who stink at coaching.

Dan Campbell had a heck of an introductory press conference.

Shaka may have better press conferences,  but Wojo kicked butt with his powerpoint.

[RushmoreAcademy]

They also don’t play in a vacuum. We’ve seen much stronger BEasts before.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Yep.
Nick Sirianni had the worst introductory press conference in the history of introductory press conferences. Turns out he's OK at coaching.
I do think Shaka is a far better coach than Wojo, but their respective press conference skills are irrelevant,

While obviously results matter, so does recruiting and marketing the program/university and selling tickets. Wojo was Melba toast and Shaka has a brand. These are also important criteria, especially for a basketball only school.

[Goose]

Time will tell if Shaka can make MU basketball into a winning brand, but Shaka the person has already proven to me that he is someone that I am proud is representing MU basketball and MU in general.

[tower912]

I enjoy him, too.

[MU82]

The idea that you can turn on some press conference and determine if a coach has "it" or not is so, so funny.

Go listen to a Bill Bellichick or Coach K interview.  Some of the greatest coaches to ever coach sports.

Then there are tons of coaches with charisma who stink at coaching.

True. But most of those horrible-but-charismatic coaches haven't been to a Final Four and made numerous NCAAT appearances with three different schools, including most recently one that far exceeded expectations.

As is the case with just about all P6 basketball coaches, Shaka ultimately will be judged at Marquette by how much he wins in March, so we'll see whether he will recruit and coach well enough to do that.

But he obviously has the ability to relate to today's athletes while also getting high effort out of them. So those of us who prefer to be optimistic rather than sh!tting on everything are excited about the program's potential under Shaka Smart.

[Pakuni]

While obviously results matter, so does recruiting and marketing the program/university and selling tickets. Wojo was Melba toast and Shaka has a brand. These are also important criteria, especially for a basketball only school.

If Marquette and/or Shaka are counting on press conference skills as important factors in recruiting and brand-building, both are doomed.
The only time anyone outside the bubble notices a press conference is when it's a trainwreck (see: Nick Sirianni) or the coach loses his damn mind (see: Mike Gundy). There are no casual fans or recruits rushing over to the Marquette YouTube channel to check out Shaka's postgame comments on Radford.

The reality is, we're a bunch of doofuses on the far outside looking in, and so we grasp on to the silly, largely irrelevant stuff we're allowed to see (press conferences, timeout huddles, postgame lockerroom celebrations, slaps of five) and make a big deal about them, because it's all we got.

[Elonsmusk]

The idea that you can turn on some press conference and determine if a coach has "it" or not is so, so funny.

Go listen to a Bill Bellichick or Coach K interview.  Some of the greatest coaches to ever coach sports.

Then there are tons of coaches with charisma who stink at coaching.

On the surface, you make a good point.  However, there is quite a difference between the current college basketball recruiting dynamics, and those in 1980 when Coach K started building his brand at Duke.  Also, at the pro level of course, the GMs and coaches have full control over who they draft and retain?  College basketball recruiting?  The kids have all the leverage. 

At a school like Marquette, you need a coach with charisma, charm, vision, intellect.  Shaka has all 4.  And he arrived at MU with a Final Four on his resume and a lot of NCAA appearances, albeit, not much NCAA success in the recent past. 

The point Panda made was valid - We can't conflate the struggles of the Wojo era with how things will go with Shaka.

[Elonsmusk]

If Marquette and/or Shaka are counting on press conference skills as important factors in recruiting and brand-building, both are doomed.
The only time anyone outside the bubble notices a press conference is when it's a trainwreck (see: Nick Sirianni) or the coach loses his damn mind (see: Mike Gundy). There are no casual fans or recruits rushing over to the Marquette YouTube channel to check out Shaka's postgame comments on Radford.

The reality is, we're a bunch of doofuses on the far outside looking in, and so we grasp on to the silly, largely irrelevant stuff we're allowed to see (press conferences, timeout huddles, postgame lockerroom celebrations, slaps of five) and make a big deal about them, because it's all we got.

The value of the press conference to assess a coach's chops is that it gives us a look into how he will come off in the homes of recruits.  I don't expect kids to watch YouTube press conferences, yet wouldn't put it past the parents of recruits considering coming to MU or any other school - to see how the coach conducts himself.

Shaka comes off as thoughtful, sharp, likable, sincere - which I assume translates in the home of recruits too.

[wadesworld]

The value of the press conference to assess a coach's chops is that it gives us a look into how he will come off in the homes of recruits.  I don't expect kids to watch YouTube press conferences, yet wouldn't put it past the parents of recruits considering coming to MU or any other school - to see how the coach conducts himself.

Shaka comes off as thoughtful, sharp, likable, sincere - which I assume translates in the home of recruits too.

Wojo's recruiting wasn't the issue.  He pulled in higher ranked talent than what Shaka is pulling in.  So the boring press conferences didn't seem to give much indication as to how Wojo would be in a recruit's living room.

Sean Miller seems boring.  He find$ way$ to lure in recruit$ anyway$.  Rick Barnes pretty boring.  Greg Gard pretty boring.  Tony Bennett.  Dana Altman.  Mark Few.
 Bob Huggins.  Bill Self.  They're all over the place.  You don't have to win the press conference to win recruiting battles.

[Goose]

If you do not already know that Shaka is a big time recruiter, you have not been following college basketball for the past decade plus. Now, while some on here (myself included) are hoping we recruit some 4-5 stars down the road, it seems that every kid that did announce MU highlighted Shaka the person as part of the reason for coming to MU. I have zero doubt that Shaka is an elite recruiter, and it is in large part due to his personality and how he relates to younger players.

My earlier post on Shaka had nothing to do with how the kind of person he is will translate into on court success. I was pointing out that I think he is a grand slam hire off the court for MU. I have yet to meet a person that does not speak highly of Shaka as a person.

[MU82]

Shaka's past recruiting wins mean nothing now. The top recruits he was able to get for Texas ... he won't get most of them now. And we need him to get better recruits for Marquette than he did at VCU. Plus, it's a different world now than just 2 years ago, let alone 10 years ago.

For example, I am thrilled Shaka is our coach, yet I am disappointed he wasn't able to bring in a transfer who could back up Oso. It's OK to say that IMHO -- I want us to be great!

I don't give a darn about whether or not he "wins the press conference." But I do like a guy who can relate to today's kids while also getting the most out of them, and by all accounts that appears to be the case with Shaka. If one wants to call that "charisma" or some other word ... whatevs, he seems to have it.

Now, whether or not all of the above will translate into consistent winning -- and for me that means NCAAT appearances and March runs -- we'll see!

[Goose]

82

I strongly disagree on your comments on recruiting and past results. To me, recruiting is picking the guys you think are right for the program and winning that recruiting battle. I'll take our chances on Shaka winning the battle and time will tell if he is targeting the right guys.

I will add, if past recruiting means nothing, why was he hired? If he was hired because of FF 10+ years ago I think the powers at MU need to dig a bit deeper into a guy's resume. Aside from Shaka being a great guy, past recruiting would be very high on reasons why he was hired.

[5DollarPitcher]

This particular core (Kam, Stevie, Kolek, OMax, Joplin, Oso, Gold) has huge potential(Elite Eight or Final Four with a transfer or two) if they all stick around 1-2 years.  We don't have a Markus Howard, but the team (and coach) is better than anything we've seen during the Wojo years.  I WISH WISH WISH JLew would've stuck around (and he probably does too).

Winning an NCAA game this year would be a big stepping stone and should be the expectation.  Trajectory has also been concerning the last several years going back to Wojo.  I expect to see the team peaking in February and March rather than November.

[Newsdreams]

If Marquette and/or Shaka are counting on press conference skills as important factors in recruiting and brand-building, both are doomed.
The only time anyone outside the bubble notices a press conference is when it's a trainwreck (see: Nick Sirianni) or the coach loses his damn mind (see: Mike Gundy). There are no casual fans or recruits rushing over to the Marquette YouTube channel to check out Shaka's postgame comments on Radford.

The reality is, we're a bunch of doofuses on the far outside looking in, and so we grasp on to the silly, largely irrelevant stuff we're allowed to see (press conferences, timeout huddles, postgame lockerroom celebrations, slaps of five) and make a big deal about them, because it's all we got.

I feel insulted

[GoldenEagles03]

This particular core (Kam, Stevie, Kolek, OMax, Joplin, Oso, Gold) has huge potential(Elite Eight or Final Four with a transfer or two) if they all stick around 1-2 years.  We don't have a Markus Howard, but the team (and coach) is better than anything we've seen during the Wojo years.  I WISH WISH WISH JLew would've stuck around (and he probably does too).

Winning an NCAA game this year would be a big stepping stone and should be the expectation.  Trajectory has also been concerning the last several years going back to Wojo.  I expect to see the team peaking in February and March rather than November.

This outcome for Justin is far better than him coming back and tearing his ACL in the Summer before playing year 3 at Marquette.

At least this way he can say he went with his heart. No regrets.

[5DollarPitcher]

This outcome for Justin is far better than him coming back and tearing his ACL in the Summer before playing year 3 at Marquette.

At least this way he can say he went with his heart. No regrets.

Butterfly effect. He’s sadly never in the gym where he tears his ACL if he stays put. I’m not discrediting the decision it’s just crapty the way it all worked out.

[PGsHeroes32]

This outcome for Justin is far better than him coming back and tearing his ACL in the Summer before playing year 3 at Marquette.

At least this way he can say he went with his heart. No regrets.

I am not saying Justin made a bad decision in any way. There are still a lot of factors for him.

But its ludicrous to imply he tears his acl if he stays.