IN New Orleans

[muneworleans]

You are all underestimating Williams.  He had a team in one year at UNO winning 14 -3 or 14 games when they should have won 5 (and they had home attendance avergae of 500, yes 500!!). He was promised a facility post-k and the schoool failed to deliver. They played games in the school gym...

This is what most knowledable people said about him when he left last year:

"He is one of the hardest working, focused, driven and honest guys I know. This was never about him not being up to the task or willing to do the work. Buzz outworks everybody. That's how he got the gig in the first place. He blew Mr. Miller away with his preparation and work ethic. Buzz is also not an opportunist. It's not about the money.

I don't claim to know the whole story, but from what I can gather, Buzz did not believe that the university was as committed to the program as he was. With Buzz there is no middle ground. There is no margin for error.

Like everyone else, I am very disappointed that he is no longer with UNO. Buzz has a very bright future. He will be a head coach again very soon. I'm just sorry it won't be with UNO and it won't be in the city of New Orleans. Trust me, this city needs more people like Buzz Williams. "

and this:

"UNO Basketball made a huge step forward this past year. The GPA is the highest in the history of the program. The recruiting class was Top 50 Nationally, and 4 starters return. Coach Pasternack is inheriting a hell of a lot more than Buzz did. When Buzz took the job, the cupboard wasn't just bare, it was empty. The entire team was academically ineligible and the staff was recruiting kids that no one else wanted. In six weeks, he and Coach Monarch scratched together enough talent to be respectable. If he didn't want to do the work, he never would have taken the job. You should be thanking Buzz. What a difference a year makes."

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

He gave them one year to get him some facilities? I'm guessing they had more pressing concerns, but you're right, he demonstrated a helluva commitment

[LastWarrior]

thanks for trying to bring some sanity back to the the board!

[THEGYMBAR]

Great story. But it still does not explain how a guy who would not be hired by any Top 75 team gets a Top 25 job. Why are we looking for silver lining?

[muneworleans]

He gave them one year to get him some facilities? I'm guessing they had more pressing concerns, but you're right, he demonstrated a helluva commitment

Do not even get me started on this one. It was almost unbearable to live in New Orleans in 2006. Buzz was promised alot to take the job and the school essentially ignored all of those promises...you CANNOT blame him for leaving, and there is a lot more to the story.  At a school with 8000-9000 enrollment they averged 500 in attendance at home games... come on......

The bottom line was he was doing an impressive job with NO resources. He can do plenty with the support at MU

At

[Avenue Commons]

He gave them one year to get him some facilities? I'm guessing they had more pressing concerns, but you're right, he demonstrated a helluva commitment

Do not even get me started on this one. It was almost unbearable to live in New Orleans in 2006. Buzz was promised alot to take the job and the school essentially ignored all of those promises...you CANNOT blame him for leaving, and there is a lot more to the story.  At a school with 8000-9000 enrollment they averged 500 in attendance at home games... come on......

The bottom line was he was doing an impressive job with NO resources. He can do plenty with the support at MU

At

I appreciate what you're trying to say, but I don't get it. I really don't. If he is such an honest, hardworking guy, why did he leave U of New Orleans post-Katrina because he didn't get the facilities he was promised? Some people were still living in trailers and he left because he didn't get new basketball facilities? I'm probably being harsh and there is more to the story, but it doesn't add up. I guess I'll just have to wait and see and hope for the best.

[esotericmindguy]

He gave them one year to get him some facilities? I'm guessing they had more pressing concerns, but you're right, he demonstrated a helluva commitment

Do not even get me started on this one. It was almost unbearable to live in New Orleans in 2006. Buzz was promised alot to take the job and the school essentially ignored all of those promises...you CANNOT blame him for leaving, and there is a lot more to the story.  At a school with 8000-9000 enrollment they averged 500 in attendance at home games... come on......

The bottom line was he was doing an impressive job with NO resources. He can do plenty with the support at MU

At

I appreciate what you're trying to say, but I don't get it. I really don't. If he is such an honest, hardworking guy, why did he leave U of New Orleans post-Katrina because he didn't get the facilities he was promised? Some people were still living in trailers and he left because he didn't get new basketball facilities? I'm probably being harsh and there is more to the story, but it doesn't add up. I guess I'll just have to wait and see and hope for the best.

So you're going Katrina on him???  Wow. 

[chapman]

Great story. But it still does not explain how a guy who would not be hired by any Top 75 team gets a Top 25 job. Why are we looking for silver lining?

I would doubt that we even have a top 25 job.

I am impressed that a guy who might not have even been at a top 200 program managed to get a top 50 recruiting class to come play in a little gym in front of no fans.

[ATWizJr]

It says to me that Buzz deduced that UNO was not going to be in a position to deliver the facilities in the foreseeable future and that he thought it a step up to be an assistant at MU than to continue at UNO under the conditions.  Who would argue with the chance to better his position for his own good and that of his family?

I say, give the man a chance.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

The reason they were forced to hire a guy with Buzz Williams' resume is because they are a crappy basketball program with crappy facilities in a crappy conference.

[MARQKC]

Hey, muneworleans:

Thanks for your intel. Sounds like good info.

[Man Clam Chow]

Some other viewpoints on Buzz from Nawlins':

http://blog.nola.com/tpsports/2007/07/uno_coach_resigns.html

http://steve264.proboards102.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=222

[mu_eyeballs]

Ummm...Reports that we paid a 300K buyout for Buzz last year smells of succession plan to me.

[MarquetteVol]

Apparently, Buzz and staff were not receiving paychecks for awhile. The would be enough for any sane person to leave. Coaching the University of New Orleans hoops team shouldn't be a volunteer position.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

Ummm...Reports that we paid a 300K buyout for Buzz last year smells of succession plan to me.

We paid a buyout for an assistant coach? You can't be serious.