One thing about Crean I like...

[COS98]

is he is willing to learn from mistakes.  He said he will never get caught without a PG again and he won't.  He has changed offenses to accommodate his personnel and will do it again this season if need be.  He knows what teams are doing to beat us and will hopefully make the proper adjustments.  As long as he has a real grasp of what he can and can't do with these guys by conference time, that is what counts.  We won't be taken lightly in the Big East, but that is where we will gain the resume to earn a proper seed come tourney time.  A loss to UW-Peking sucks 50 ways and lasts a whole year, but it does not hurt our resume with the selection committee.  North Dakota is another story unless they win almost all their games.  IT IS THE BIG EAST THAT COUNTS.  We know our flaws and we have time to fix them in the next few games.....I hope.

[tower912]

we'll always have Brewski's in Valpo, Cos.   I follow what you are saying, but I think he over-compensated in his pursuit of guards.  Next year, we will get 3 big bodies and one guard.   By the time he addresses the lack of shooting problem, we may be without point guards.     After this year's class, he needs to recruit one guard, one swing man and one big man a year.   He needs to start achieving balance in his recruiting.    All in all, I am glad we have him and will have him for a long time.

[Big Papi]

As painful as it my sound but I would rather lose to the badgers and make the NCAA tourny than vice versa.  Diener torched the badgers 2 years ago but we failed to make it to the big dance.  Now that sucked.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

We're lucky to have a coach who can admit that not having a backup point guard it a bad thing.

[MU71]

We're lucky to have a coach who can admit that not having a backup point guard it a bad thing.

I would hope that Crean has more to offer than a willingness to admit that not having a backup point guard is a bad thing!  When we don't have one it's pretty obvious that it's not good, isn't it? 

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

It's painfully obvious.

[WashDCWarrior]

Especially when the 2 players most capable of getting the ball across half court are the center and a walk-on.

[ilovefreeway]

and I really do not mean this as a person affront or any kind of attack, so please don't take it that way.  Now, with that disclaimer, my question...If MU and TC make you so upset, why do you follow them?  There are plenty of things in the world to get upset about, sports should not be one of them.  We lost, it sucked, but watching it was still a great way to spend 2.5 hours of my life.  No matter the outcome of any of the teams I root for, the next day I still have to go to work and pay the mortgage and raise my kids and live life.  Getting angry and making comments like you have been doing the last two days just seems like a waste of energy and emotion.

Now before you say I'm not really a fan then, let me point out that my wife made fun of me for tearing up at the end of the Kentucky game and I sat stunned and speechless for about 10 minutes at the "Bartman game".  But after the emotion of each passed, and it did quickly, I remembered its a game and life has not changed.

[WashDCWarrior]

Who was that directed at??

[tonyreeder]

Interesting.  Sitting stunned and speechless is exactly what Dusty Baker did in the dugout instead up visiting the mound and calming his pitcher

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

Why do I follow Marquette? Because I went to Marquette!

What comments are you referring to? If you ask me, mine have been mild compared to others. I just don't think we're as good as Wisconsin.

[WashDCWarrior]

OK here it goes...

I think Crean is an awesome recruiter and great for Marquette University.  He's also a much better coach than when he started here.  Several years ago I disagreed with much of his game strategy and now, while certain things to confuse me, I think overall he does a good job.  Of course, he's a D-I basketball coach and I'm not, so perhaps he's right and I'm wrong.

I have the right to comment on how he's doing as a coach.  So do you.  So does anyone.  The fact that I took a shot at our unpreparedness 2 years ago and you feel that I don't enjoy watching MU basektball (win or lose) is ridiculous.  And I still have to go to work and pay the mortgage too.

[MUinOH]

There are plenty of things in the world to get upset about, sports should not be one of them. 

If that were true, the Cleveland Browns would have no fans.   

[rocky_warrior]

OK here it goes...

He was asking PuertoRicanNightmare, but I suppose you can archive your response just in case the question comes up again 

[MUHoopsfan6]

I think TC is improving as a coach every season.  His recruiting is only getting better especially on the big man front, with Mbakwe (from what I have read about him he should be great) and others on the way next year.  I will be honest here, I really don't understand our offense about 40% of the time.  I hate that weave thing we do at the top, but they score from it so what do I know.  TC has changed his offense almost every season to fit his players, last years team with Novak was different we ran way more screens for SN and ran them pretty constantly.  When we had Robert Jackson and Scotty Merritt when ran way more post ups and wide post, and high low offense.  I think he has surrounded himself with great assistats again, and I know that's going to help to. 

[WashDCWarrior]

OK here it goes...

He was asking PuertoRicanNightmare, but I suppose you can archive your response just in case the question comes up again 

Now I kinda feel like a dog chasing a stick.  A big response to a small action.

[ilovefreeway]

DC, i never question anyones right to comment about the decisions made by players and coaches, my point was regarding the venom posted by many people.  I don't understand people who get so made about sports.  That was my point.  And Nightmare, I know you follow MU because you went there, but the question for me remains unanswered, why do you follow them when it seems you get no pleasure from doing so?

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

Are you assuming I didn't enjoy myself at the game on Saturday? Here's a newsflash...I did! I didn't like the result.

[WashDCWarrior]

I thing the biggest truism about being a true fan is that your mood is based on the team's result. Now Red Sox fans may be a little extreme, but most posters here get pumped when MU has a big win and dissappointed when they suffer a tough defeat.  That doesn't mean they don't enjoy the team regardless of outcome.

I also think most criticisms of the team, coach, school, etc. on this board tend to be more analytical than emotional.  I'm not sure what posts you're referring to, but aside from those immediately following the outcome of the UW game, most posters seem to be pretty objective.

[CTWarrior]

is he is willing to learn from mistakes.  He said he will never get caught without a PG again and he won't.  He has changed offenses to accommodate his personnel and will do it again this season if need be.  He knows what teams are doing to beat us and will hopefully make the proper adjustments.  As long as he has a real grasp of what he can and can't do with these guys by conference time, that is what counts. 

Yeah, but what is he going to do?  Our weaknesses are lack of 3 point shooting (actually all kinds of shooting-we're not too good at mid-range jumpers, foul shots, lay-ups or dunks, either) and interior scoring.  How do you adjust for that if you don't have shooters or low box scorers?  That's what has me worried about this team.  All you have to do is double/triple team the penetrator and we have no answers in the half court.  We're going to have to play 94 feet much of the time and get buckets off transition if we are going to be successful.

[WashDCWarrior]

This goes to shot selection and determining a player's range.  MU would be a better team if for the rest of the year, the only players to shoot 3s are Fitz, Cubillan, Matthews, and Hayward.  The first three have shown that they are capable of shooting it either this year or last, and I'm not ready to give up on Hayward based on what we heard and a nice looking shooting form.

James and McNeal are both quick and athletic enough to get better, closer shots.  Wade rarely shot the 3 in college because he could get a better shot.  They should copy that attitude.  If we continue to take open 15 footers, our shooting percentage, offensive rebounding, and confidence will all improve.

Last year James played better, because he had confidence in passing out to an open Novak.  This year, without him, he's forcing the issue.  Get the right personnel taking the right shots, and our percentages will improve.

NOTE: James and McNeal not taking 3s doesn't apply in shot clock running out or end of game situations.

[4everwarriors]

discussion while I think of the things I like about Crean.

[bheitz]

discussion while I think of the things I like about Crean.

Now that's funny.  One last chuckle before heading to bed.  Well played.