MU's Resurgence/Recruiting Future

[MuggsyB]

We're ahead of schedule Scoopers.  Goose discussed our resurgence before the start of last season so give the man credit.  I thought we would be in this position closer to mid year 3, but Shaka and these guys have proved me wrong.   We can take this program to the tier 1 level and sustain it, that's what Goose meant by the "Resurgence".

Now, in the midst to this climb back to greatness, coming out and zipping down the floor, we see a team that is as exciting as any group in the entire nation.  This is not hyperbole, we can attract the kind of players I and others have discussed for years that seemingly never took the pluge to Milwaukee. Guys who want to get up and down the floor, zoom with pace and space, slice and dice defenses, and play free flowing hoops.  We can now attract the Chase Ross type athlete as an example. 

Anyway, I believe this season and our aesthetically pleasing style, will lead to players wanting to come to MU both as hs players and transfers.  The entire picture is not complete and we have plenty of work to do but the trajectory of this MU program continues to climb.  The decade of dominance, something we have all wanted, may in fact be on the horizon.  Props to Shaka and our entire roster. 

[brewcity77]

The type of results are what I thought was possible, and my expectations were a top 15-25 type team in the preseason. I think Goose and I were of similar minds that while most were looking at what we lost, not enough were looking at what we brought back.

I mentioned to the Three Man Weave guys in preseason that we were basically Creighton in that we brought back a starting PG (Kolek/Nembhard) and forward (O-Max/Kaluma), as well as elevating a key reserve (Mitchell/Alexander). For all three of those, Marquette had the more efficient player. We both had high-efficiency bigs (Oso/Kalk). We both lost our best players (Justin/Hawkins) and supplementary scorers (Morsell/O'Connell). The biggest question was replacing that offensive pop, we did so from within (Kam) while they did so from outside (Scheierman).

They mostly dismissed Marquette being better, like all of the national media did, but this team was about what we brought back. What's impressed me the most, however, is how rapidly Coach Smart has brought development out of these guys. I expected Tyler, Kam, O-Max, and Oso to be good, but Stevie's efficiency, Joplin's usefulness (even his defense has shown signs of life the past few games), and Chase Ohmigod Ross really look good.

I had among the highest expectations for this team and they are still blowing past them. So I guess "F**k me" too

[MuggsyB]

The type of results are what I thought was possible, and my expectations were a top 15-25 type team in the preseason. I think Goose and I were of similar minds that while most were looking at what we lost, not enough were looking at what we brought back.



I mentioned to the Three Man Weave guys in preseason that we were basically Creighton in that we brought back a starting PG (Kolek/Nembhard) and forward (O-Max/Kaluma), as well as elevating a key reserve (Mitchell/Alexander). For all three of those, Marquette had the more efficient player. We both had high-efficiency bigs (Oso/Kalk). We both lost our best players (Justin/Hawkins) and supplementary scorers (Morsell/O'Connell). The biggest question was replacing that offensive pop, we did so from within (Kam) while they did so from outside (Scheierman).

They mostly dismissed Marquette being better, like all of the national media did, but this team was about what we brought back. What's impressed me the most, however, is how rapidly Coach Smart has brought development out of these guys. I expected Tyler, Kam, O-Max, and Oso to be good, but Stevie's efficiency, Joplin's usefulness (even his defense has shown signs of life the past few games), and Chase Ohmigod Ross really look good.

I had among the highest expectations for this team and they are still blowing past them. So I guess "F**k me" too

I think there's a few keys as to why we're considerably better than last season.  The obvious one is that all of our main guys have improved significantly.  I don't think Kam's emergence is a surprise but TyKo's ability to score in the paint along with Oso and OMax being much better players wasn't really foreseen.  The other thing, and this isn't a knock on Lewis, is that we are much more fluid offensively with his absence.  The ball would often stop with JLew while guys stood around and watched, that's not the case this season. I would also argue that our propensity to commit turns had something to do with having a grinding ball stopper that didn't pass well out of doubles.  The most underrated stat for this team (notwithstanding yesterday) is we do a very solid job of taking care of the rock.  We're also exponentially better at forcing turns, scoring in transition, and taking better shots.

What amazes me most Brew is that we're not a great 3pt shooting team.  I thought we took essentially 24/27 wide open threes vs the Hall and couldn't hit them.  Look the Hell out if we can get into a rhythm from distance a la Baylor.  It is my contention we are a better 3pt shooting team than we have shown.  People called me "greedy" for saying we should have won by 35 yesterday but I stand by my comment.  Ross, Jones the Younger, Gold, will be much, much, better from downtown next year.  Even with our rebounding and defensive issues at times this team, when clicking on all cylinders, is a threat to beat anyone in the country.   I'm certain of this.  That does not mean I'm saying we're a F4 team but anything is possible Brew with no dominant ball-club. 

[muwarrior69]

I too am enjoying this season. It seems that we're not just seeing the light at the end of the tunnel but we're actually out of the tunnel.

I know this is a discussion for April and Goose alluded to this during the Providence game when he noticed Wade and Strong talking together not to mention some analysts have stated all these guys still have a minimum of 2 more years here. I know one guy has to go, but damn I hope they all come back at least for next season and hope we don't lose too many players as they can make a ton of money playing elsewhere.

If Shaka can keep this team together then the outlook for the program looks bright. I am not convinced if we go the Cooley route we will be competitive year after year.

[DoctorV]

Great start to a thread Muggs and Brew, very well said.

This is fun as hell.

[tower912]

The team is better because of continuity and development.  We saw flashes of all of this last year.
  OMax. and Stevie both finished strong.  They were fresher because they had played fewer minutes.
  Oso had good halves.
TK had games where he controlled the offense.
Kam made it rain.
Last January was proof of concept. 

Projecting the #1 offense is absurd of course.  Development is expected, but it is silly to expect every single player to get significantly better and for them all to be in sync.    That is why this team is so much fun. 
I never count on huge, consistent contributions from freshmen.  I do appreciate that Shaka gets them to play fearlessly.

I worry about injuries and fatigue.  Other than that, I am sitting back and enjoying the ride.

[CountryRoads]

This is not hyperbole, we can attract the kind of players I and others have discussed for years that seemingly never took the pluge to Milwaukee. Guys who want to get up and down the floor, zoom with pace and space, slice and dice defenses, and play free flowing hoops.  We can now attract the Chase Ross type athlete as an example. 

I am thinking we will see more consistency in the type of team that Shaka puts together each year. The players he recruits will fit what he’s trying to do which seems the obvious thing to do but I thought that was somewhat inverted under the previous coach. They instead seemed to go after the best possible players and then go from there and try build a winning team around the individual pieces each year. As a result, they didn’t have much identity as a program as the team was so different in most years for the most part.

I agree though and I think MU will start having their pick of the litter under Shaka. He will plug a transfer or one in done in when it makes sense (ie if Oso goes pro after this year), but I think he prefers guys who will be here at least 2-3 years so we will continue to get a lot of guys in the 80-120 range of the recruiting rankings.

[GB Warrior]

For the first time in awhile, I don't think we need to worry about recruiting. He's going to get the 3/4 stars that fit his scheme and play his way. Maybe there's a 5 star that buys in. But give me a whole class of Chase Rosses please.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

The biggest threat to continuity won't be players leaving early to go pro. It will be players considering transfers given the current rules and NIL.

[BLWarrior91]

Great analysis, Muggsy.

In years past where we had the February collapse, we were too reliant on one player on offense.  Howard in 19 and 20; Lewis last year.  This group has so many weapons that it makes it hard to stop.

[avid1010]

For the first time in awhile, I don't think we need to worry about recruiting. He's going to get the 3/4 stars that fit his scheme and play his way. Maybe there's a 5 star that buys in. But give me a whole class of Chase Rosses please.

Yup.  It's been really interesting to hear Shaka and the current players talk about how last year the ball would get stuck in Justin's hands...and I think that was okay given their youth...but this is totally different.  Nevada gets a ton of credit but something tells me Shaka spending quality time with that D2 coach was beneficial...

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

None of the individual development has surprised me this season. I thought what each of the returning players has turned into was plausible.

What I didn't expect was ALL of them to develop as much as they did. I thought maybe 2 or 3 would have big development,  1 or 2 reasonable development and maybe one dud who didn't improve much.  Instead all the returners maxed their development and the results have been really fun

[dgies9156]

For years, I've contended "we're back," as in becoming a perennial national powerhouse team. That means the kind of program that gets national attention and reaches the heights we did when Coach McGuire was Marquette. Almost as fast as the words were out of my mouth, we suffered a huge setback and Marquette didn't quite accomplish what I'd hoped for. Players or coaches just simply left or self-destructed.

I'm beginning to feel different about "this time."

Long-term success in college basketball begins and ends with coaching stability involving "best-in-class" coaches who aren't going to win 21 games, reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament and cut and run for, in order, Tennessee, Indiana, Virginia Tech. Or someplace else for that matter. If one looks at the top schools in college basketball, North Carolina, Duke, Villanova, Kentucky or Kansas, long-term coaching stability is the key.

For what it's worth, we probably had to go through Coach Wojo to get to Coach Shaka. When the Hillbilly/Redneck left us, Coach Shaka reportedly was our top candidate. Imagine what would have happened if Coach Shaka had come when the Hillbilly left? My best guess is that an SEC, BIG or ACC team eventually would have come calling. Would he have stayed? Who knows?

But with the insanity of the Texas situation, Marquette lucked out in more ways than we ever imagined. In fact, despite the ACU loss, I'll bet Texas is wishing they'd hung in with Coach Shaka. My initial fear in terminating Coach Wojo was we'd screw this one up.... again!

The reality is Coach Shaka is building. We're way ahead of where we thought we would be (remember, it takes five years...?) because Coach Shaka inherited and recruits good players and knows how to coach them up. That's what made Satan over in Madison successful and it's ultimately what's going to return us to where most of us want to be -- including having another banner hanging next to the 1977 one! I'm optimistic this guy is a keeper because he's been through what happened in Texas and he's a cheesehead! Plus, my friends in Texas who knew him tell me he is an incredible person.

One other point I'd note that goes back to coaching. When we were winning under Coach Wojo, generally it was because "hero ball" (and I don't mean Tyler Herro) was working. Markus was hitting from downtown, Sam hit some off-balance, crazy last-minute shot or something else was happening that was of questionable sustainability. Under Coach Shaka, we win or we lose as a team. Yesterday, Omax and TK had a bad day. But Kam and Oso picked them up and the team as a whole rose to the occasion. I won't say ti didn't happen under Coach Wojo, but it certainly wasn't consistent.

With Brother Goose, I'm excited for the years ahead.

[Uncle Rico]

Roster continuity is vital

[mu_hilltopper]

For the first time in awhile, I don't think we need to worry about recruiting. He's going to get the 3/4 stars that fit his scheme and play his way.

This. 

In 1.5 seasons, Shaka has done what Wojo could never do .. this team is greater than the sum of its parts. 

MU has always needed a coach who could do that, who could take a few 4-stars and 3-stars and get them working well together. 

I just can't believe how far ahead of "schedule" this team is.

[CountryRoads]

The biggest threat to continuity won't be players leaving early to go pro. It will be players considering transfers given the current rules and NIL.

I think it could for sure be an issue for low and mid major programs losing guys to P6 programs due to NIL. Jury is still out on how it will affect P6 to P6 transfers. I’m thinking most P6 programs will make the effort and retain their players as far NIL goes.

I wonder what the over-under on transfers will be that meet these conditions for next year:

1. The player transferring played at a P6 and is going to another P6.
2. The player transferring started at their former team and played more than 20min a game.
3. There was not a coaching change from either program or there wasn’t some other dramatic event that occurred (sanctions, etc.)

I’d define the above as a likely NIL poach, but maybe there are other factors I’m missing.

[Uncle Rico]

I think it could for sure be an issue for low and mid major programs losing guys to P6 programs due to NIL. Jury is still out on how it will affect P6 to P6 transfers. I’m thinking most P6 programs will make the effort and retain their players as far NIL goes.

I wonder what the over-under on transfers will be that meet these conditions for next year:

1. The player transferring played at a P6 and is going to another P6.
2. The player transferring started at their former team and played more than 20min a game.
3. There was not a coaching change from either program or there wasn’t some other dramatic event that occurred (sanctions, etc.)

I’d define the above as a likely NIL poach, but maybe there are other factors I’m missing.

Marquette doesn’t have anything to worry about

[dgies9156]

Roster continuity is vital

Brother Rico:

You don't have roster continuity without coaching continuity.

[Uncle Rico]

Brother Rico:

You don't have roster continuity without coaching continuity.

That’s part of it.  Good coaches lose assistants if they’re hiring the right people.  I trust the current coach to hire the right people

[tower912]

This. 

In 1.5 seasons, Shaka has done what Wojo could never do .. this team is greater than the sum of its parts. 

MU has always needed a coach who could do that, who could take a few 4-stars and 3-stars and get them working well together. 

I just can't believe how far ahead of "schedule" this team is.

Precisely.  Wojo was never an alchemist.  He was paint-by-numbers.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

I think it could for sure be an issue for low and mid major programs losing guys to P6 programs due to NIL. Jury is still out on how it will affect P6 to P6 transfers. I’m thinking most P6 programs will make the effort and retain their players as far NIL goes.

I wonder what the over-under on transfers will be that meet these conditions for next year:

1. The player transferring played at a P6 and is going to another P6.
2. The player transferring started at their former team and played more than 20min a game.
3. There was not a coaching change from either program or there wasn’t some other dramatic event that occurred (sanctions, etc.)

I’d define the above as a likely NIL poach, but maybe there are other factors I’m missing.

Tyrese Hunter going from Iowa State to Texas was a definite NIL poach.

I am not sure I would say they have nothing to worry about, but I think it's a concern they need to be aware of and plan for. And I am sure they have.

[MuggsyB]

I am thinking we will see more consistency in the type of team that Shaka puts together each year. The players he recruits will fit what he’s trying to do which seems the obvious thing to do but I thought that was somewhat inverted under the previous coach. They instead seemed to go after the best possible players and then go from there and try build a winning team around the individual pieces each year. As a result, they didn’t have much identity as a program as the team was so different in most years for the most part.

I agree though and I think MU will start having their pick of the litter under Shaka. He will plug a transfer or one in done in when it makes sense (ie if Oso goes pro after this year), but I think he prefers guys who will be here at least 2-3 years so we will continue to get a lot of guys in the 80-120 range of the recruiting rankings.

Fantastic point CR.  I used to constantly state in the past we had zero team identity under Wojo.  0.0.  That always discouraged me as our margin for error was miniscule during the Mighty Mites/Sam teams.  Going bananas from distance and allowing a lay-up line at the other end isn't an identity.  Wojo apparently never understood this or how to build team cohesion. 

What I see from this group are players that constantly fight, understand their roles, and play for each other and their leader on the bench.  I heard Jim Craig (USA 1980 Hockey) mention in an interview with Linda Cohn that "a team is as confident as their coach is" in reference to Herb Brooks.  This is so true and Shaka exudes this quiet confidence which he passed down to our players. Again, I'm not getting ahead of ourselves and understand winning is hard and there's tremendous parity in college hoops.  Nevertheless, there is zero doubt in my mind that we are moving towards building a consistently excellent program for the years to come.   

[Uncle Rico]

Tyrese Hunter going from Iowa State to Texas was a definite NIL poach.

I am not sure I would say they have nothing to worry about, but I think it's a concern they need to be aware of and plan for. And I am sure they have.

Hunter wanted to transfer following the coaching change.  TJO asked him to stay for the year and re-evaluate.  Now, was there communication between Hunter’s side and other schools?  Probably

[Dr. Blackheart]

Overlooked is roster composition. Crean and Wojo always had holes. Shaka got right into it and got "his guys" in here even if a few of them were Wojo's guys. No "five (or 7) years to judge."

The one blip this year was Wrightsil's injury and his board work, but that's not a miss.

That said, I was a COLE this year (step back year: bubble or NIT) because of youth and the Alphas moving on. Figuring next season was the big jump with experience. This team's Alpha is "the team". No one guy is "the guy" which has been the fun part of the surprise.

[Milkshakes]

MU has always needed a coach who could do that, who could take a few 4-stars and 3-stars and get them working well together. 

I completely agree with this. I sometimes look at some of the guys Shaka is recruiting and scratch my head.  Never again. Shaka knows what he is doing for sure and will bring in the guys that fit. I don’t know if this was his final ranking but I just looked and Chase Ross was a 3 star ranked 177 in his class!!!!  Shaka can coach guys up but he can also recognize talent.