Return of Buzz

[Galway Eagle]

I think Buzz is complicated. Some things in a vacuum like Vander punching the guy at qdoba, the brawl at apartment 720 (with the ensuing underage drinking tickets), the 99% of the team being suspended, all in a vacuum are minor things, heck even the relatively small recruiting violation.

That said, defending recruiting Malek Harris and revoking Newbill's scholarship showed some character issues. Recruiting Noskowiak showed lack of judgement. Recruiting Jae showed that he had no interest in the student portion of recruiting student athletes.

Again that all is minor, but when you tie it all up with the two group sexual assaults that happened and his reaction then to me it's indicative of a problem running much deeper. Plus you add in the weird parish article to defend him leaving (that turned out comically wrong) and it just stinks.

I'm lucky that from deciding to go to MU till my (first) senior year that I got to be a part of the best non Al stretch of MUBB as a student/incoming frosh but with hindsight and having known one of the girls, well I'd be booing my ass off at him if I was going Saturday.

[MU82]

While Buzz was actually at Marquette, I enjoyed watching his teams and loved the S16-S16-E8 runs, though I did cringe as the sexual assault allegations piled up.

His departure from MU was dirtballish. I haven't really thought all that much about him since except to joke about the way he hops around from one school to another.

I do have a favorite memory: The time Jae Crowder scored against West Virginia (I think?) and Buzz ran into the court and tapped Jae on his head in celebration.

[MUbiz]

Reasons I like Buzz:
- I like having success in the NCAA Tournament
- Jimmy Butler & Jae Crowder are two of my favorite MU players of all time
- Met him in the MU Spirit Shop and he signed a basketball and we chatted a bit about hoops. Totally normal interaction. Nothing like the horror stories shared here.

-For the record, I also really liked Crean. I was a student when he was there. I remember waiting in line for big games and Crean brought donuts. He also came and spoke to my Sports Sociology class for the whole period. Really fun memory.

-The only coach I didn't like was Wojo. I met him at the Fiserv Grand Opening - ZERO personality. He didn't make eye contact, which was odd. And I didn't enjoy watching his teams play. It made me long for Crean's over-the-top intensity and Buzz's crazy antics.

I second all of this and this was my experience as well both with Buzz and Wojo when I met them. Buzz talked to me and Wojo had deer in headlights look.

I also was at MU for the Crean days. He always bought something for us students who stood in line before the game.

One of my coolest memories was when Memphis played at Bradley center in Feb 2004. I was walking through Straz business to see a teacher and ran into John Calipari in the teachers office area. I asked him what he was doing and he said "visiting friends". He was kind enough to sign a notebook for me real quick and then left.

[Tums Festival]

My lasting impression of Brent will always be the image of him showing up on CBS' tournament studio show the day after he left MU wearing a Virginia Tech lapel pin the size of Andre the Giant.

[brewcity77]

Usually I feel upset with a coach when they leave and soften over time. With Buzz, it's been the opposite.

While he was here, his schtick worked, but when he goes away, you can see what a slimeball he was, dressed up with a folksy manner of speaking. His handling of the alleged sexual assault and trying to bury it was the worst of his moments here, but the handling of DJ Newbill, the recruiting violations, the off court incidents (underage drinking and fighting in public), and his power struggle with admin was all highly objectionable.

Buzz is a good coach but a terrible person. I enjoyed the wins while he was here, but with the benefit of hindsight, I'm glad he's no longer associated with Marquette. I know the rodents to the west will always accuse us of having a dirty program, but it was never more accurate than when Buzz was in charge. Good riddance, may we beat them by 100.

Favorite memories in the moment were the Walk it Out after DJO's dunk and dancing at WVU, which in retrospect feels like a prelude to Tyler singing Country Roads.

[wadesworld]

My favorite moment was when he suspended DJO, Vander, and Junior for the first half and Todd Mayo for the second half of the game at West Virginia in 2012.  Nothing says "I'm going to be the father figure of all these kids who don't have one in their lives and teach them life lessons, but not at the expense of winning basketball games."

Jae goes all 40 minutes, goes for 26 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 2 blocks while Kevin Jones shot 5/14 and finished with 12 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 turnovers, basically wrapping up BEPOY for Jae.

Kolek 'em.

[swoopem]

Loved the Buzz years (on the court)

Favorites:

DJO's 3 vs Syracuse

The Syracuse game at the BC

The Davidson comeback and then that whole elite 8 run

Least favorite:

Blowing that lead at Louisville. I think we were up 15 with less than 5 to go

Getting smoked by ND at the garden the year we won the regular season big east. I was courtside and it sucked

Losing two senior days in a row to G'town my junior year and then to ND my senior year (I think). We had both those games won

Lazar stepping over the line vs mizzou and then the next year blowing the lead vs Washington. We were on our senior trip in Cancun. That sucked

[barfolomew]

Did anyone see the interview he did with Parrish?
Gary (paraphrasing) asked him about why all the job hopping and his response was "You have to know when to leave the carnival".

So, dropped a folksy anecdote that was LITERALLY SAID BY ACTUAL SNAKE OIL SALESMEN, probably.


 

[PointWarrior]

This thread is not serious without a discussion of Buzz's flushing habits.

[Pakuni]

Buzz did more good at MU than bad, but there definitely were some lowlights.
What's kept him on my "unnatural carnal knowledge that guy" list isn't that he left Marquette - it was probably time - or even the way he left Marquette, but the fact he felt the need to piss on Marquette/the Big East on his way out the door. For all the crap Tom Crean took over his departure, he had nothing but good things to say about MU then and ever since.
Marquette pulled Buzz off the scrap heap, gave him an opportunity that no other program of its stature would have and made him a very rich man. He showed his appreciation by taking a dump - without flushing, of course - on the university when he left.
unnatural carnal knowledge that guy.

[cheebs09]

I think Buzz changed quite a bit from the start of his tenure to the finish. I heard he was a breath of fresh air compared to Crean who sounded a bit like a tyrant to work for. However, after some success, I think Buzz's head had trouble fitting in the doorway.

[muwarrior69]

It's amazing how Wojo makes us nostalgic for his two predecessors, but if it were not for Wojo we would probably not have Shaka.

[MuMark]

Wojo doesn't make me nostalgic for Buzz.......Wojo was a good guy who just didn't win enough.......Buzz won a lot but as has been outlined above had so many negatives that I didn't want him here anymore.

Glad Shaka is here and I guess it is ironic how that came to be after almost getting him when Buzz left.

It all worked out.

[NCMUFan]

Maryland at home lost to Georgetown.
Marquette should win this one.
And boo Buzz all you want.

[willie warrior]

I rooted for Buzz to succeed, like I do all MU coaches.

I wasn't perturbed about the citations in the bar for underage drinking, as I don't stress about college kids drinking. 

The Scott Monarch thing was mouse nuts.  Cover up worse than the crime.

The Jae Crowder academics I was willing to overlook as the price of doing business.

The sexual assault caused firings and changes to university policy.  Handled about as poorly as possible.

All the juco's didn't bother me, as I am agnostic about transfers.

In the end, a restless, wandering soul that inevitably looks to the next thing.  A poor man's Larry Brown.  Destined to wander the world looking for his next gig.

A net positive for MU.

The downhome lonesome phony cowboy.

[Jockey]

Who is this Buzz that people keep talking about?

Aldrin, Lightyear, Ruth Buzzi?

[Galway Eagle]

It's amazing how Wojo makes us nostalgic for his two predecessors, but if it were not for Wojo we would probably not have Shaka.

I don't think anyone expressing true nostalgia for the coaches so much as those days of MUBB, it's hard not to reminisce about where we were think about it like this we were probably a Travis injury from 11/12 NCAA tournaments stil made 10/12. Ranked in the top 10 5 or 6 of those seasons, multiple single digit seeds, 3 of which were our highest seeds ever at the time, 4 times advancing. It was a great era of MUBB. That said Crean was apparently a bit of a prick and Buzz was a complete phony.

[NCMUFan]

Makes me curious to think what we would say about Shaka if he left.
Maybe: "He was better than Wojo." or "He should have used the Portal."

[marqfan22]

Some coaches wouldn't have bench players at all.

A half is a pretty big punishment. Always amazed people critiqued that.

My favorite moment was when he suspended DJO, Vander, and Junior for the first half and Todd Mayo for the second half of the game at West Virginia in 2012.  Nothing says "I'm going to be the father figure of all these kids who don't have one in their lives and teach them life lessons, but not at the expense of winning basketball games."

Jae goes all 40 minutes, goes for 26 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 2 blocks while Kevin Jones shot 5/14 and finished with 12 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 turnovers, basically wrapping up BEPOY for Jae.

Kolek 'em.

[WhiteTrash]

That said Crean was apparently a bit of a prick and Buzz was a complete phony.

Interesting and factual take. How many successful coaches fit those categories?  Izzo, Self, Beoheim, Calhoun, Roy Williams?

Jay Wright is one of a few classy,ethical winners. The majority are flawed.

[wadesworld]

Interesting and factual take. How many successful coaches fit those categories?  Izzo, Self, Beoheim, Calhoun, Roy Williams?

Jay Wright is one of a few classy,ethical winners. The majority are flawed.

What made Roy Williams a prick?  Have never heard a bad thing about him.