The Altercation

[Pakuni]

I care -zero- if some MU intern makes a middling mistake in responding to a stupid twitter post, whether it is true or not--just like the "Tyler can't read" thing I completely forgot about 5 minutes after it was posted. I forgot about it because it matters -zero- to anyone that is not trying to build a grievance. 

Nailed it.

This is "Larry Williams wore a dirty cap"-level feigned outrage.

[Markusquette]

Glad Connie cares -zero-. Makes me feel assured everything is going well with the program right now

[Pakuni]

Glad Connie cares -zero-. Makes me feel assured everything is going well with the program right now

If anyone has "responded to a tweet" among their concerns about the program right now, Shaka should thank the person who runs the account for distracting people from things that matter.

[SOSW]

Nailed it.

This is "Larry Williams wore a dirty cap"-level feigned outrage.

There is no "feigned outrage." There actually isn't any outrage at all. It's pointing out that this is another complete PR own goal by MU's athletic department.

[Vander Blue Man Group]

It's really impressive how many PR "experts" there are on this board that don't know wtf they're talking about.

[Skatastrophy]

Common MU marketing L

[jesmu84]

What "leverage?"  What "narrative" can Shaka now not use because MUBB said there wasn't an altercation?

I can't believe people actually think the "media" would see that a guy who began the year as a starter for Marquette was released from the team midseason, and think that no questions would've been brought up to Shaka if Marquette's basketball Twitter account hadn't denied a rumor that had already been brought up outside of Twitter.

The venn diagram of people freaking out over the MUBB tweet and the people irrationally mad about shaka/this season is an overlapping circle.

No matter what MU did or did not do after the davenport tweet would have been framed as wrong.

[SOSW]

It's really impressive how many PR "experts" there are on this board that don't know wtf they're talking about.

I mean, I've been working in higher education PR for 30 plus years and given workshops in crisis communications particularly focusing on social media.

At the very least it's given me a great new example of how NOT to do things.

Responding to a troll... using imprecise language away from your well crafted initial statement... watching it Streisand Effect out of your control, etc.

It's actually impressive how bad they managed this.

[Pakuni]

There is no "feigned outrage." There actually isn't any outrage at all. It's pointing out that this is another complete PR own goal by MU's athletic department.

I'm not mad. Please don't put in the newspaper that I got mad.

[StillWarriors]

I care -zero- if some MU intern makes a middling mistake in responding to a stupid twitter post, whether it is true or not--just like the "Tyler can't read" thing I completely forgot about 5 minutes after it was posted. I forgot about it because it matters -zero- to anyone that is not trying to build a grievance. 

Simply not true. The response by the initial account brought the issue to the masses and elicited quite a bit of response that would not have been there otherwise. MU very quickly became the butt of the active Big East twitterverse's jokes and main stream media's commentary for more than just its on the court ineptitude this year. You don't have to have a grievance to be embarrassed by that. MU has typically been above that and respected as a program. That was kind of nice. Hard to believe the crapshow the program has become in such a short time.

[Vander Blue Man Group]

I mean, I've been working in higher education PR for 30 plus years and given workshops in crisis communications particularly focusing on social media.

At the very least it's given me a great new example of how NOT to do things.

Responding to a troll... using imprecise language away from your well crafted initial statement... watching it Streisand Effect out of your control, etc.

It's actually impressive how bad they managed this.

And I have a friend that is in high-level PR that completely disagrees with you.

The false info had already started to spread.  You had dummies here that were taking it as fact. 

When something starts to spread and it involves allegations of a physical altercation the right approach is to squash it and set the record straight.

The only issue was Marquette's response should have been worded better.

Perhaps you should look for a new line of work.

[connie]

Simply not true. The response by the initial account brought the issue to the masses and elicited quite a bit of response that would not have been there otherwise. MU very quickly became the butt of the active Big East twitterverse's jokes and main stream media's commentary for more than just its on the court ineptitude this year. You don't have to have a grievance to be embarrassed by that. MU has typically been above that and respected as a program. That was kind of nice. Hard to believe the crapshow the program has become in such a short time.

I can see the signs in MSG now:  "MU has inaccurate tweets."  No doubt the crushing impact of this fearsome blow will result in a first round exit.

[SOSW]

And I have a friend that is in high-level PR that completely disagrees with you.

The false info had already started to spread.  You had dummies here that were taking it as fact. 

When something starts to spread and it involves allegations of a physical altercation the right approach is to squash it and set the record straight.

The only issue was Marquette's response should have been worded better.

Perhaps you should look for a new line of work.

But they didn't squash it. They amplified it through poor language.  And they did so using the wrong methodology.

They could have planted a statement with Ben Steele or responded to your own statement with additional clarity. And they could have easily done so this morning.

But they chose...responding to "whitesoxbill" late on a Sunday evening.  If your "friend" thinks this was smart, he doesn't know what he is talking about.

[wadesworld]

Simply not true. The response by the initial account brought the issue to the masses and elicited quite a bit of response that would not have been there otherwise. MU very quickly became the butt of the active Big East twitterverse's jokes and main stream media's commentary for more than just its on the court ineptitude this year. You don't have to have a grievance to be embarrassed by that. MU has typically been above that and respected as a program. That was kind of nice. Hard to believe the crapshow the program has become in such a short time.

Wow, talk about overreacting.

[MU82]

So ... did any reference to any "altercation" between Lowery and Hatt anywhere claim it was physical rather than verbal?

Physical = Knight choking Reed or Sprewell attacking Carlesimo.

Verbal = something that happens in high-level sports regularly.

Big difference, and one that matters IMHO.

[rocky_warrior]

Big difference, and one that matters IMHO.

Agreed, and it's completely possibly the "altercation" was "f*ck you, I'm leaving", and Zaide had already decided to go.

I'll still be on #blackeye #bustedlip watch during the game tomorrow.

[Pakuni]

Simply not true. The response by the initial account brought the issue to the masses and elicited quite a bit of response that would not have been there otherwise.

You don't know this, and people who keep saying this don't understand social media. Once something like that is out there, you have no idea where it's going to go. It might die off in hours, or it might "go viral" and be assumed as fact by the masses. Players duking it out with coaches is probably bad for Marquette basketball's reputation, don't you think?
As I wrote in the other thread, Google "Kate Cornett" for an idea of how these things can spiral.

MU very quickly became the butt of the active Big East twitterverse's jokes and main stream media's commentary for more than just its on the court ineptitude this year.

Who in the mainstream media is talking about Marquette's tweets?

[connie]

Who in the mainstream media is talking about Marquette's tweets?

. Resolution for 2026:  Avoid the active Big East twitterverse.

[brewcity77]

If anyone has "responded to a tweet" among their concerns about the program right now, Shaka should thank the person who runs the account for distracting people from things that matter.

Is this the biggest concern? No, obviously that's the program falling to Dukiet levels of success in one offseason. But the constant ineptitude of Marquette's athletic administration is an issue.

It's really impressive how many PR "experts" there are on this board that don't know wtf they're talking about.

With something like this, it doesn't take a "PR expert" but rather someone with basic social media common sense to see that this is incredibly stupid on MU social media's part.

[GoldenWarrior11]

I must say - the irrational defending of our program's social media account directly responding to an online troll account is the most competitive I have seen the program this season. 

For that, I thank all of you. 

[Aircraftcarrier]

Zaide Lowery is a Junior that started the first nine games of the season. He lost his starting position to a freshman. I am sure that is difficult to take. Obviously Zaide didn't handle the situation in the best of ways. It happens. Good luck to him at his next school. People need to move on. Doesn't mean the program is falling apart. Is this a tough season? Absolutely. Unfortunately some posters are handling it like Zaide did his situation.

[StillWarriors]

Who in the mainstream media is talking about Marquette's tweets?

The departure is getting more attention than it otherwise would have because MU chiming in about an altercation put a lot more eyes on the issue than a tweet by "Whitesoxbill" to his 1,500 followers would have. People leave programs all the time; there aren't often reported altercations leading to those departures.

Just frustrating and hard to believe how badly MU has fallen in a blink. I was pretty supportive and proud of what Shaka was trying to do with the program. I had no idea they could possibly mis-evaluate what they have in house so incredibly badly. That got this snowball rolling downhill and this Zaide episode is likely a byproduct of the frustration they must all be feeling. The tweets are not a huge deal, but they certainly gave people fodder for more MU jokes than just about terrible play.

[mileskishnish72]

I mean, I've been working in higher education PR for 30 plus years and given workshops in crisis communications particularly focusing on social media.

At the very least it's given me a great new example of how NOT to do things.

Responding to a troll... using imprecise language away from your well crafted initial statement... watching it Streisand Effect out of your control, etc.

It's actually impressive how bad they managed this.

Higher education, 30 years, giving workshops in communication - and you didn't get to adverbs yet?

[brewcity77]

And I have a friend that is in high-level PR that completely disagrees with you.

The false info had already started to spread.  You had dummies here that were taking it as fact. 

Which doesn't mean you have to validate it.

When something starts to spread and it involves allegations of a physical altercation the right approach is to squash it and set the record straight.

Except...they didn't do that. With the original tweet or the edit.

The only issue was Marquette's response should have been worded better.

Perhaps you should look for a new line of work.

No, the correct response would have been far different. First, it shouldn't have been a flippant Twitter reply. It could've been an anonymous report to a trusted local or national source, like Ben Steele or Matt Norlander. Or have an official statement that actually reflects the message you want to put out there.

There's no way to justify making an inadequate response to a known troll account that was "corrected" to make the problem worse as not an issue. Now in tomorrow's post game, Ben HAS to ask about it, and Shaka HAS to respond. That's a stupid position to put the program and coach in when they could've just said nothing and it would've blown over.

[Pakuni]

The departure is getting more attention than it otherwise would have because MU chiming in about an altercation put a lot more eyes on the issue than a tweet by "Whitesoxbill" to his 1,500 followers would have. People leave programs all the time; there aren't often reported altercations leading to those departures.

So, nobody in the mainstream media is talking about Marquette basketball's tweets.
Got it.

Just frustrating and hard to believe how badly MU has fallen in a blink. I was pretty supportive and proud of what Shaka was trying to do with the program. I had no idea they could possibly mis-evaluate what they have in house so incredibly badly. That got this snowball rolling downhill and this Zaide episode is likely a byproduct of the frustration they must all be feeling. The tweets are not a huge deal, but they certainly gave people fodder for more MU jokes than just about terrible play.

1. Your frustration/unhappiness with how poorly the season has gone is totally understandable. I share them 100% and have been more critical of Shaka's strategy than most here going back to last offseason. But none of that has anything to do with a poorly worded tweet. It's not related. There's no cause-and-effect. It's not symptomatic of the program's struggles. It's just a poorly worded tweet.
2. You probably shouldn't care so much about what fans of other teams have to say about Marquette on twitter or anywhere else.