In Summary...

[4everwarriors]

Rican, DKCL, myself, and sundry others have taken a lot of lip from the Creantown villagers over the past years.
We had the vision to see and the kahunas to express the obvious to discrimnating minds. Over the past several hours I hope you have had the opportunity to sit back and digest the saga of Tom Crean as it unfolds. If you can be objective and honest, it will be increasingly obvious to you, as it has been for us, to translate the real Tom Crean.
A new day is dawning and I'm anticipating great basketball happenings for all the MU faithful.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Rican, DKCL, myself, and sundry others have taken a lot of lip from the Creantown villagers over the past years.
We had the vision to see and the kahunas to express the obvious to discrimnating minds. Over the past several hours I hope you have had the opportunity to sit back and digest the saga of Tom Crean as it unfolds. If you can be objective and honest, it will be increasingly obvious to you, as it has been for us, to translate the real Tom Crean.
A new day is dawning and I'm anticipating great basketball happenings for all the MU faithful.

Some of the Creantown villagers saw who the Governor and Mayor were (Wild and Cottingham) so we aren't as hopeful on the future.

And please tell, if in 3 or 4 years when the new guy has his own players in here, if we suck ass you will be the first one here to say you were wrong...right?   

[4everwarriors]

Deal, if you do the same in kind.

[MarquetteVol]

I hope I'm wrong, but need to see a lot before I'll be able to make a judgement. We're one bad hire from being DePaul or Providence.

[Tribby]

Rican, DKCL, myself, and sundry others have taken a lot of lip from the Creantown villagers over the past years.
We had the vision to see and the kahunas to express the obvious to discrimnating minds. Over the past several hours I hope you have had the opportunity to sit back and digest the saga of Tom Crean as it unfolds. If you can be objective and honest, it will be increasingly obvious to you, as it has been for us, to translate the real Tom Crean.
A new day is dawning and I'm anticipating great basketball happenings for all the MU faithful.

Get over yourself.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Deal, if you do the same in kind.

That's not a problem....history is on my side since we've only had one coach statistically better than Crean at MU.  I sure hope your theory of just making it so is going to work, I have my sincerest doubts that this time next week we have our thumb in our ass.

[SoCalEagle]

Chicos, I think you (and a lot of folks on this site) are missing the fact that MU re-committed itself to roundball in the recent past and this happened to coincide with TC's tenure.  The success of MU roundball, IMO, has more to do with the Univeristy's efforts than to TC's.  Yeah, he's been a pretty good ambassador for the University and a competent coach, but he is not a great Xs and Os guy. We will continue our success on the hard wood as long as those who pull the strings at MU continue to provide the required resources. 

Go MU!!! 

[ChicosBailBonds]

Chicos, I think you (and a lot of folks on this site) are missing the fact that MU re-committed itself to roundball in the recent past and this happened to coincide with TC's tenure.  The success of MU roundball, IMO, has more to do with the Univeristy's efforts than to TC's.  Yeah, he's been a pretty good ambassador for the University and a competent coach, but he is not a great Xs and Os guy. We will continue our success on the hard wood as long as those who pull the strings at MU continue to provide the required resources. 

Go MU!!! 

I haven't missed the fact at all.....I see some of the same idiots still in the administration, that's what scares me SoCal.  That's what scares me.

I'm also one that came to the conclusion last year that as much as I love the Big East and believe we should be there, it's going to be tough to get a top gun coach because of it.  You can coach your ass off and finish 5th or 6th and that doesn't sit well with a lot of coaches.

[SoCalEagle]

Chicos, do we owe our recent success more to TC, or to the commitment MU made to the BB program over the past 5 to 10 years?  IMO, it's the latter, but I am interested in your opinion. 

[ChicosBailBonds]

Chicos, do we owe our recent success more to TC, or to the commitment MU made to the BB program over the past 5 to 10 years?  IMO, it's the latter, but I am interested in your opinion. 

I don't know, honestly.   I think it's a combination, but at the end of the day good ball players don't come to play for the president of the university, or the AD for that matter.  That also being said, Crean didn't do it all on his own but he did a lot of it.

This hire is critical in so many ways.

[muchalktalk]

When we were looking for a replacement for Deane, did the administration announce a new practice facility and offer the coach $1.6 million.  Or, did all of that happen after Crean started having success - - like recruiting D-Wade, Travis, Steve, R Jackson, Merritt, etc and coaching them to a Final Four?

Like him or not, Crean brought excitement back to the fan base, and more importantly, to the boosters.

[SoCalEagle]

muchalktalk, MU stepped up big time to support the basketball program ever since wild came aboard.  Without that support, no way we do as well as we have over the last decade.  Crean was good, but he's not the only reason for our recent success. 

[muchalktalk]

The fact is we didn't spend $1.6 million to try to lure one of the best coaches at the time.  After Crean had some success, then we really started the big investing.  The funds came rolling in during and after the Final Four run.

You can try to convince yourself that Crean only played a small role, but you would be sadly mistaken.  Like him or not, he worked hard to get people in the seats, he won a bunch of basketball games, and he got MU back in the national spotlight.  His decision hurts, and I'm mad.  However, I can still see good his efforts did the university.

[ChicosBailBonds]

The fact is we didn't spend $1.6 million to try to lure one of the best coaches at the time.  After Crean had some success, then we really started the big investing.  The funds came rolling in during and after the Final Four run.

You can try to convince yourself that Crean only played a small role, but you would be sadly mistaken.  Like him or not, he worked hard to get people in the seats, he won a bunch of basketball games, and he got MU back in the national spotlight.  His decision hurts, and I'm mad.  However, I can still see good his efforts did the university.

Well said.  He will be tough to replace, I'm not sure everyone really gets it.  I really don't.   TC will be recruiting Illinois and Wisconsin and Indiana now against us, not for us...but now his business card says Indiana on it which means a lot.

We got a little smaller today and the incline slope a little steeper.  The next hire is as critical as ever.

[muchalktalk]

Especially if we end up with a goose egg recruiting class because of this.  I think MU should let them out of the LOI after the new coach has had a chance to talk to them.  If we don't, I can only imagine the bad press we would receive. 

[SoCalEagle]

The fact is we didn't spend $1.6 million to try to lure one of the best coaches at the time.  After Crean had some success, then we really started the big investing.  The funds came rolling in during and after the Final Four run.

You can try to convince yourself that Crean only played a small role, but you would be sadly mistaken.  Like him or not, he worked hard to get people in the seats, he won a bunch of basketball games, and he got MU back in the national spotlight.  His decision hurts, and I'm mad.  However, I can still see good his efforts did the university.

Hey chalktalk what's your beef?  I was not avoiding your question.  Rather, i thought it appeared to be more rhetorical in nature, therefore not needing a response.  Also, I don't really think I said anything controversial.  I think MU stepped up when it had to in order to support the program.  You disagree? 

I never said TC played a small role.  He was a key part of our success, but I think we'll be fine without him as long as the University continues with its support of the program.  To me, the University's support is key, not the loyalty of TC.

[muchalktalk]

You were calling out Chico's and all he was trying to do was stand-up to the haters. 4ever's arrogant "we saw Crean" speech set me off.  The "haters" wanted this and now are tooting their own horn.  However, in my eyes, this is bad no matter how anyone tries to spin it.

We are now susceptible to the "stepping stone" program argument. Coaches will be able to use the argument against us in future recruiting battles.  We are potentially going to lose recruits, which is not good for the near term.  Before we could say losing the big three wouldn't wreck the program because we had Taylor and Williams coming in.  Now, we could lose them both.  What does this do for our recruitment of Jamil Wilson?  Heck, we may actually get a coach that is a step below Crean.

Something good could come of this, but right now it is not easy to see.

[Tom Crean's Tanning Bed]

Congrats, 4ever, you get what you've wanted for years...

As I have said to many of my friends who have criticized Crean over the years, I have warned them that they will rue the day that Crean leaves, since it will take them a couple of years to realize what they had.

No matter who the coach is (even if it is Buzz as the quick fix), this program is going to be knocked off-kilter for at least 2 years.  We're could be down to zero recruits in a couple of days for this year, without much talent to pick from left on the market, not to mention we'll likely have to reset our 2009 recruiting altogether, since many of the players that Crean was on will likely be crossing us off their lists and replacing them with Indiana.  If James and McNeal both go pro, and one or two players transfer, you might have EIGHT spots open.  Our roster next year may look way different than the team sleeping in Humphrey Hall tonight.

Look, I don't know what Crean will end up doing at Indiana; he could end up pulling a 2003-type run every 2-3 years with his recruiting acumen and the IU name behind him, or he could be drowned by the expecations and coaching at a place like SMU 5 years from now.  But I do know that had he stayed here, we'd be much more likely to reach that championship peak he was aiming for within the next few years.  Maybe our next coach will be able to do that as well, but there's no guarentees.

Prepare for a couple of lean years folks.  Maybe we'll be fortunate enough to be on the same level we are now in a couple of years with a new coach.  And if we swing and miss altogether on this hire, we could be DePaul or Providence in about 4 years.  It's the sad reality of this situation.

[ErickJD08]

Its obvious that Crean made the smart decision, no matter how A-hole it was.  In all honesty, Crean milked the "Wade" well as much as he could.  Wade is gone but the Wade era really ends after our star juniors move on.  Our stars came to Marquette because of Wade.  They all have made that known.  

I don't understand this whole, he is a great recruiter talk.  I think its obvious that grabbing three 4 star recruits right after the final four trip and then getting one since then, should say something.  

I think MU should get some good candidates for the opening.  Its obvious we can throw money around and the coach coming in would inherit some great leaders.  AND we are in the Big East which comes with more press.  I will agree with an earlier comment that MU is one bad decision from falling off the map.  Sucks but its true.

I PRAY that our boys can come together and make the footprint that they came to Marquette to make.  The "Wade" footprint.  This could make the transition for any coach easier and create more buzz and excitement around the program.  If we hire a big loser, I can see James and McNeal jetting to Europe and leave our program crippled for some time.

I hope they come back and kick ass to have Crean realize what he left and the country can see that maybe he wasn't that great.  My opinion is that Crean is good but not great.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Rican, DKCL, myself, and sundry others have taken a lot of lip from the Creantown villagers over the past years.
We had the vision to see and the kahunas to express the obvious to discrimnating minds. Over the past several hours I hope you have had the opportunity to sit back and digest the saga of Tom Crean as it unfolds. If you can be objective and honest, it will be increasingly obvious to you, as it has been for us, to translate the real Tom Crean.
A new day is dawning and I'm anticipating great basketball happenings for all the MU faithful.

I hope you guys are right... but I also think your a little too arrogant right now and patting yourself on the back pretty hard.

There are a ton of schools that have had MAJOR drop-offs after losing a coach... I hope MU doesn't get added to that list.

[4everwarriors]

While some may be in denial, the reality is that he didn't want to be here. That is why he kept job hunting each spring. Tom just "played the game" better than most coaches.