Buzz In The Lead

[Bob "Big Daddy" Wild]

I mean no offense about the age thing. But it's far too coincidental that the BOTs has probably adjourned and there are suddenly people on the board (people near the same age as those on the Board) talking about Buzz! Being! The! Answer!

PRN - I noticed the same thing too.  One thing that creeped me out was about a week ago before everything went down, IWB stated that if Crean were to leave MU, the first person he would call is Buzz.

However, Dodds has been supporting Buzz ever since this thing went down, so I am not so sure it is a spin...but I guess we will see.

My small opinion on the search - all I want is a recruiter - but the names out there have not impressed me that much with their recruiting prowess...so I guess lets see what happens...

[Warrior1969]

We can do better then Buzz!

[bs4173]

How come Keno (is that his first name) Davis' name isn't mentioned?  He's better than Weber or the clown from Dayton.

Good point, muhoops1.

Pros: Don't know anything about his recruiting, but he's Midwestern, young (like 35 or 37 or so), and did some very great things with a mediocre squad...despite flopping in round 1 of the tourney.

Cons: Has a decent amount of experience assistant coaching, but only one year as HC with his dad's recuits. Just about as experienced as Buzz.

[NavinRJohnson]

With some of the names/links brought up in this thread, in a moment of weakness, I made the mistake of going to the other board today...Evey bit as lame as I remember. Guess I'm good for another 6 months or so.

[bs4173]

well, davis isn't certainly my #1, but i was surprised Gregory was being discussed with seriousness. that's why i was interested to see why keno hadn't been mentioned...esp. after winning AP coach of the year

[Marquette Gyros]

Hire a coach that is worthy of a $1.5M salary...let Buzz pay his dues and get some coaching EXPERIENCE somewhere else at $250K first.  

If Buzz gets the job, you don't think we're really going to pay him $1.5MM, do you?

This could be a value pick for Father Wild and the BOT.  Say what you will about hyperbaric chambers and outlandish perks, but a huge, controllable driver of program budget is coaching salary.

Say you're an exec like Wild.  With buyout, Sean Miller is going to cost you $2MM.  Meanwhile, your in-house candidate will take the job for $800K and holds the keys to your next recruiting class and some semblance of program continuity.  Which route do you take?

Not to oversimplify this decision, but thinking about it this way makes hiring Buzz look like a win-win for the administration.

[The Lens]

PRN ... Travis' uncle is retired from coaching and spends his time in Europe following the professional career of his son, Drake. He knows the game inside and out, but has never recruited or coached in Division I basketball.
 

Mark I don't know how familiar you are with high school basketball in the state of WI, but Travis has two Uncles who have coached and one still does, very successfully at Vincent HS in Milwaukee.

I mean no offense about the age thing. But it's far too coincidental that the BOTs has probably adjourned and there are suddenly people on the board (people near the same age as those on the Board) talking about Buzz! Being! The! Answer!

PRN - I noticed the same thing too.  One thing that creeped me out was about a week ago before everything went down, IWB stated that if Crean were to leave MU, the first person he would call is Buzz.

However, Dodds has been supporting Buzz ever since this thing went down, so I am not so sure it is a spin...but I guess we will see.

My small opinion on the search - all I want is a recruiter - but the names out there have not impressed me that much with their recruiting prowess...so I guess lets see what happens...

Actually Dodds, initially said timing may not be right. 

[MarkMiller]

Forgot about Tom ... silly me.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

I was being facetious about hiring a high school coach, but I believe you understand my point.

[MarkMiller]

PRN: I do understand your point and there is definitely validity to it.

However, I also feel Buzz will succeed at some point as a high-major Division I coach. Whether it's at Marquette or not remains to be seen, I guess.

[StillAWarrior]

It can't be Williams.  It just can't.  I would put hiring Wiliams on par with Majerus or KO -- both of which would simply be unacceptable.  Surely we can do better.

Well, if it is Buzz, I really hope he makes me regret these words.  As I said in another thread, I just want the best coach we can get.  I didn't (and don't) want to get caught up in the name recognition game and automatically reject people I might not have heard of before.  I guess I should say the same thing about guys who were on Crean's staff -- just because he was under our nose doesn't mean he's not good.  I just really hope that if they're offering him the job, it's because they think he's the best coach they can get.  I think offering it to him because they think he will help keep next year's recruiting class would be a piss poor reason to hire him.

[Big Papi]

If they hire Buzz, I don't think it would be because Cottingham believes that he will get all four recruits to come to MU.  Nick Williams is gone no matter what and in all likelihood Taylor doesn't want to come here either so our top 2 recruits are probably gone no matter what.  The only recruit I believe Buzz will be keeping if he becomes head coach is Fulce.  I really do believe Otule would come no matter what as we are talking about a Big East school and lots of playing time available.

[Jumping Jesuit]

I don't know much about Buzz, but if I were MU, and it came to Buzz (again, not knowing much about him), I would keep him on a really short leash on him.  Hopefully, we learn from our mistakes and don't let a b-ball coach dictate every last portion of his contract only to allow him to throw it in our face at the end of the day.  Whether we like it or not, our next coach will be fired or go on to a bigger program.  The question remains whether we act like complete fools and think that the next coach is the second coming.  At the end of the day, they are all the same.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

Say you're an exec like Wild.  With buyout, Sean Miller is going to cost you $2MM.  Meanwhile, your in-house candidate will take the job for $800K and holds the keys to your next recruiting class and some semblance of program continuity.  Which route do you take?

Not to oversimplify this decision, but thinking about it this way makes hiring Buzz look like a win-win for the administration.

$800,000! Are you serious? We damn well better not pay the guy that much!

If he is the choice, you double his salary to $400K and give him a four year contract.

This is a guy who was making $150K at New Orleans! He's not in a position to demand $800K!

[Big Papi]

Say you're an exec like Wild.  With buyout, Sean Miller is going to cost you $2MM.  Meanwhile, your in-house candidate will take the job for $800K and holds the keys to your next recruiting class and some semblance of program continuity.  Which route do you take?

Not to oversimplify this decision, but thinking about it this way makes hiring Buzz look like a win-win for the administration.

$800,000! Are you serious? We damn well better not pay the guy that much!

If he is the choice, you double his salary to $400K and give him a four year contract.

This is a guy who was making $150K at New Orleans! He's not in a position to demand $800K!

Yea and while we are at it no Hummer leases and no perks.  Lets make him really earn it.