Buzz Cut

[#UnleashNigel]

Sometimes in the summer we were posting about maintaining and developing, or recruiting transfers.

Then I posted about how I hope shaka was correct in the way he went, but I was very weary of it.


Through two reals games, it seems the portal.

[The Sultan]

The team is currently made up of guys who have very little experience playing college ball,  and even less playing meaningful minutes

Up until this week, this team started two seniors, a junior, a red-shirt junior and a red-shirt sophomore. It has four players who played double-digit minutes last year.

This team has plenty of experience. They just aren't very good.

[Warrior of Law]

This team is a below .500 Big East team and about a 16-17 win total based solely on the roster. Best case scenario is that some players step up and build a case for a decent 2026-27 season. I suspect the coaches knew this team would suck relative to the recent teams.

[brewcity77]

It is painful to see this board of hardcore college basketball fans not understand college basketball. Teams like Marquette will always ebb and flow in their quality.

I don't think you understand the complaints. The board understands there are ebbs and flows. But for a program with our aspirations, down years should look like last year. Something in the 7-10 range but good enough to make the tournament and maybe give a good team a scare the first weekend.

If we extrapolate these first four games to a full season, this team will likely have a losing record, and if that happens, it basically puts Shaka on the hot seat. The last time a Marquette coach stayed employed after two losing seasons was Jack Nagle in 1957 (and he was fired after going .500 in 1958). Dukiet and Wojo were both fired after their second losing seasons. Eddie Hickey and Deane were fired after their first losing seasons.

We live in an era of not just win-now, but win every year. I don't think Shaka would be at risk after this season no matter how bad it goes, but if this year doesn't improve and it happens again next year? We're probably in the market for a new coach.

[dpucane]

It is painful to see this board of hardcore college basketball fans not understand college basketball. Teams like Marquette will always ebb and flow in their quality. We are not a team filled with McDonald's AA. In the last 2 years we lost Kam, Tyler, and Oso to the NBA. Those guys were fucking studs. We also lost Jop, and Stevie, two important starters.

The team is currently made up of guys who have very little experience playing college ball, and even less playing meaningful minutes. This is a growth year. It doesn't matter if it's fucking year 5, year 15, or year 30. Programs and coaches have down years when they graduate that kind of usage rate.

I'm also not interested in watching a college basketball team filled with transfers. I'd rather watch the Marquette teams of the last 2 years, with their disappointing finishes, than a team filled with one year guys who don't give a crap about the program. The same was true with one and done's. I will have absolutely no connection to that team. In that case I'd rather just watch the NBA, which somehow has landed with more continuity than college ball.

Maybe I'm old fashioned, but this seemed like the proud sentiment from the fanbase for the last 3 years. One down year while young, talented kids try to figure it out and you're ready to abandon it all?

You should watch the Bulls you'd love them. They want to get the 8 seed every year and pat themselves on the back for doing it the right way, which is exactly where the Shaka era appears to be headed.

[Viper]

I don't think you understand the complaints. The board understands there are ebbs and flows. But for a program with our aspirations, down years should look like last year. Something in the 7-10 range but good enough to make the tournament and maybe give a good team a scare the first weekend.

If we extrapolate these first four games to a full season, this team will likely have a losing record, and if that happens, it basically puts Shaka on the hot seat. The last time a Marquette coach stayed employed after two losing seasons was Jack Nagle in 1957 (and he was fired after going .500 in 1958). Dukiet and Wojo were both fired after their second losing seasons. Eddie Hickey and Deane were fired after their first losing seasons.

We live in an era of not just win-now, but win every year. I don't think Shaka would be at risk after this season no matter how bad it goes, but if this year doesn't improve and it happens again next year? We're probably in the market for a new coach.

100%

[GB Warrior]

I don't think you understand the complaints. The board understands there are ebbs and flows. But for a program with our aspirations, down years should look like last year. Something in the 7-10 range but good enough to make the tournament and maybe give a good team a scare the first weekend.

If we extrapolate these first four games to a full season, this team will likely have a losing record, and if that happens, it basically puts Shaka on the hot seat. The last time a Marquette coach stayed employed after two losing seasons was Jack Nagle in 1957 (and he was fired after going .500 in 1958). Dukiet and Wojo were both fired after their second losing seasons. Eddie Hickey and Deane were fired after their first losing seasons.

We live in an era of not just win-now, but win every year. I don't think Shaka would be at risk after this season no matter how bad it goes, but if this year doesn't improve and it happens again next year? We're probably in the market for a new coach.

Bingo.

[Uncle Rico]

I don't think you understand the complaints. The board understands there are ebbs and flows. But for a program with our aspirations, down years should look like last year. Something in the 7-10 range but good enough to make the tournament and maybe give a good team a scare the first weekend.

If we extrapolate these first four games to a full season, this team will likely have a losing record, and if that happens, it basically puts Shaka on the hot seat. The last time a Marquette coach stayed employed after two losing seasons was Jack Nagle in 1957 (and he was fired after going .500 in 1958). Dukiet and Wojo were both fired after their second losing seasons. Eddie Hickey and Deane were fired after their first losing seasons.

We live in an era of not just win-now, but win every year. I don't think Shaka would be at risk after this season no matter how bad it goes, but if this year doesn't improve and it happens again next year? We're probably in the market for a new coach.

And that's why I'm watching Bradley and Oklahoma closely

Though, Chris Beard would be my first choice if he's available

[79Warrior]

"Fetch isn't happening. Feels like the staff evaluation of Hamilton, Owens, and Sean are just way off".

This!! Some serious misses on talent evaluations by the staff. Neither Hamilton or Owens are BE capable right now, add Norman to that list imo. Clark, no where near ready.

Sean gets a pass because of his injury..

[BLWarrior91]

I don't think you understand the complaints. The board understands there are ebbs and flows. But for a program with our aspirations, down years should look like last year. Something in the 7-10 range but good enough to make the tournament and maybe give a good team a scare the first weekend.

If we extrapolate these first four games to a full season, this team will likely have a losing record, and if that happens, it basically puts Shaka on the hot seat. The last time a Marquette coach stayed employed after two losing seasons was Jack Nagle in 1957 (and he was fired after going .500 in 1958). Dukiet and Wojo were both fired after their second losing seasons. Eddie Hickey and Deane were fired after their first losing seasons.

We live in an era of not just win-now, but win every year. I don't think Shaka would be at risk after this season no matter how bad it goes, but if this year doesn't improve and it happens again next year? We're probably in the market for a new coach.

Crean missed the tournament two years ina row after the Final Four.  Yes, he bought himself plenty of goodwill with a FF but had two mediocre seasons to follow.  Then we join a loaded Big East and he makes three straight tourneys before leaving for "It's Indiana." 

Perhaps this team will figure it out and learn from these early-season mistakes. 

[Zog from Margo]

The problem, IMO, lies in a few areas.

1. From a recruiting standpoint, MU is not getting nearly enough from the junior and senior classes. Lowery is the only player that is playing on the right trajectory out of those classes. Neither Norman nor Jones can shoot. They aren't fits for the offense MU is trying to run. Owens has not progressed and plays too soft. Parham hasn't played at anywhere near the level that I expected. Hamilton hasn't been particularly good but he's exceeded my expectations.

2. I have a hard time understanding why MU is so bad defensively. James and Stevens are already better defenders than a number or returning players. That's great for them but says something about the guys returning.

3. I understand the analysis supporting lots of threes. That said, the MU personnel does not match that emphasis. For this year, MU needs to attack the hoop on the drive and in the post. Going forward, they need to change the offense or stay away from recruits who can't shoot.

[Pakuni]

Nobody wants with a down year, but I think a majority of Scoopers would accept it that it can happen sometimes.


What's troublesome here is that:
a) Shaka's teams haven't played well since 2024 ended ... they're 5-10 vs non-cupcakes since Feb. 1, with four of those wins coming against Georgetown, DePaul, Providence and Seton Hall. MU has beaten one quality opponent - Xavier in the BE tourney, by the slimmest of margins - since the Jan. 7 win over Creighton. This isn't a couple of bad games to start a season, it's steep downward trend over nearly 25 games.

b) There doesn't seem to be much in the pipeline to engender faith that a quick turnaround is on the horizon. Lowery can be really good at times, but is he a all-BE type player? Does a lineup of Hamilton, Parham, Lowery, Stevens and James inspire confidence that MU can compete for a conference title and make a tourney run in 26-27? Maybe there are some big developmental leaps on the horizon, but hope isn't a strategy.

Shaka's seat shouldn't be at all hot even if this season continues to play out as it has. But it should start to warm without a big step forward the year after.