$1.16 million per year for Buzz??

[ChicosBailBonds]

I hope not, but that's what this article says.


http://www.nola.com/sports/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-37/1207979408313930.xml&coll=1


6 years at $7,000,000 which is $1.16 million per year.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

If this is true, it's lunacy. Somebody should lose their job.

I'm guessing he would have taken the job at 500K/year. What were his other options?

[Tugg Speedman]

$7 mill for 6 years sound reasonable as it is probably backloaded. 

He probably does make $500k this year and probably doubles in year 3 and again in year 6. 

If MU still wants Buzz in year 3, he should be making over $1 million then.  If MU still wants him in year 6, he should be making more than Crean when he left.

This way they don't have an urgency to re-work it in two years.

[NavinRJohnson]

$7 mill for 6 years sound reasonable as it is probably backloaded. 

He probably does make $500k this year and probably doubles in year 3 and again in year 6. 

If MU still wants Buzz in year 3, he should be making over $1 million then.  If MU still wants him in year 6, he should be making more than Crean when he left.

This way they don't have an urgency to re-work it in two years.

I tend to agree, and I would assume the buyout from MU's perspective increases over time as well. Based on assumptions, mind you, but if this works out, seems like it could work out for all. If it doesn't, probably won't be too bad fro MU (from a contract perspective).

[mviale]

Chicos - thanks for adding to the negativity around the program.

It is, what it is and we are not changing schools.  Move on

[THEGYMBAR]

Are college coaches contract backloaded? I have never heard to that. Either if backloaded or not I think that is a heck of a contract for Buzz. Obviously the guy can sell if he got that deal.

[StillWarriors]

Pay over market price for an underqualified (in terms of resume) coach. Things that make you go, hhhmmmmm? It's almost like they overpaid to add some legitimacy to the hire. Why not get him on the cheap, which still would have been a huge raise for him, and simply extend it for higher value if he proves himself. Coaches pretty much rework their contracts after every good season anyway.

It's not my money, so I guess who cares. It'll be great if he can live up to his contract.

[Norm]

If true, MU is paying way, way too much for an unproven coach. Imagine the pressure he will be under with that contract next year when the Three Amigos leave and we fall to the bottom of the BE pack.

[77ncaachamps]

Are college coaches contract backloaded? I have never heard to that. Either if backloaded or not I think that is a heck of a contract for Buzz. Obviously the guy can sell if he got that deal.

For a young, inexperienced head coach newly promoted from the assistant position, I don't see why not. Think of the "backloads" as "incentives" and it begins to make more sense. In other words, MU is saying, "Show us what you got, then you'll earn more."

[Daniel]

WEll, I choose to look at this on the positive side completely.  If we were willing to pay 1.16 m for Buzz - great.  Imagine what we would pay for someone with lots of experience.  I think the university knows how much basketball means to it now.  It is good, and it makes moeny, and brings in new students.

We made a quick decision and went with Buzz.  I think it will turn out well.

[79Warrior]

If this is true, it's lunacy. Somebody should lose their job.

I'm guessing he would have taken the job at 500K/year. What were his other options?

Keep guessing. Sooner or or later you might be right.

[Chili]

Who the hell was MU negotiating against - themselves? Overpaid!

[Avenue Commons]

If this is true, it's lunacy. Somebody should lose their job.

I'm guessing he would have taken the job at 500K/year. What were his other options?

This can't be right. What was his leverage? Why would we have to pay him that much? This doesn't make any sense.

[THEGYMBAR]

I have stated a million times I am against the hire. But, in MU's defense, how pissed would we all of be if they paid him $500K? We would all be saying they have no confidence in the hire. MU at least its showing they have confidence in their gamble.

I am more confident knowing they paid more money than I thought they did. I cannot believe I am happy they paid $1.1 a year.

[MR.HAYWARD]

this has to be the densest string I have ever read.  I would be greatly surprised that Buzz'z contract would be for the same amount every year.  You rarely see a contract like that.  No different than Crean's a t IU it increases over time and is full of in centives.  As a previous poster stated it is probaably in the neighbor hood of 500k for 2 years, 1mil for 2, etc.   Additionally like the poster said if in 4 years he has done a good job he with be worth a million.  

The nay sayers crack me up...i firmly believe in my heart and mind that Buzz will take this program to the next level.  And his first week or so on the job and he has done nothing but convince me of that more.

[Tom Crean's Tanning Bed]

We would have been offering $2 million for Tony Bennett and Sean Miller.

I don't see why Buzz getting on average $1.1 million a year would be that surpising, though, if we were willing to pay about twice that to the bigger name candidates.  It's still about $700K less than what Crean was getting when he left here.

Hopefully MU will be able to plow that $700K/year into helping Buzz hired a high-quality staff (which perhaps is my biggest worry at the moment than Buzz himself). 

[Coobeys Oil Depot]

We would have been offering $2 million for Tony Bennett and Sean Miller.

I don't see why Buzz getting on average $1.1 million a year would be that surpising, though, if we were willing to pay about twice that to the bigger name candidates.  It's still about $700K less than what Crean was getting when he left here.

Hopefully MU will be able to plow that $700K/year into helping Buzz hired a high-quality staff (which perhaps is my biggest worry at the moment than Buzz himself). 

You find no issue at all with Buzz making over 1m? There are plenty of established coaches who have had very good success that probably don't make 1.1m. And we're giving that to a guy who's under .500 for his entire head coaching career.

It's a tidal wave. Just when you subside your negativity into a controlled feeling another thing pops up in the news about this charade. This could be a monstrous unnatural carnal knowledgeing disaster.

[Daniel]

I don't know if we know all the details fo the contract - I certainly do not.  We do not know how it is structured, what is base, what are incentives, how it is structured over the years.  If you look at Tom Crean's new contract, his base pay os $650,000.  The rest is incentives, appearances, etc.

So, we have Buzz.  We need to have Buzz . . . do well.  So GO BUZZ and GO MARQUETTE

[Pakuni]

I don't know if we know all the details fo the contract - I certainly do not.  We do not know how it is structured, what is base, what are incentives, how it is structured over the years.  If you look at Tom Crean's new contract, his base pay os $650,000.  The rest is incentives, appearances, etc.

So, we have Buzz.  We need to have Buzz . . . do well.  So GO BUZZ and GO MARQUETTE

Well said.

But hey, why let minor details -- like the specifics of the deal -- get in the way of complainers? And really, isn't it their job to tell sponsors, etc. how to spend their money? 

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

It's a tidal wave. Just when you subside your negativity into a controlled feeling another thing pops up in the news about this charade. This could be a monstrous fracking disaster.

My sentiments exactly.

We hear we hired him for continuity, then we hear of recruits reneging and players transferring.

We hear he's an "up and comer," then we hear he's given a raise of an AVERAGE of more than $800k per year!?!?!

Now we've got this lawsuit situation, seemingly a string of JUCOs heading our way and you have to just continue to wonder if this thing was thought through completely.

[Pakuni]

It's a tidal wave. Just when you subside your negativity into a controlled feeling another thing pops up in the news about this charade. This could be a monstrous fracking disaster.

My sentiments exactly.

We hear we hired him for continuity, then we hear of recruits reneging and players transferring.

One recruit, who was leaving regardless of who was hired, and one transfer, who was leaving regardless of who was hired.
But why let facts get in the way of your whining?

[Tom Crean's Tanning Bed]

We would have been offering $2 million for Tony Bennett and Sean Miller.

I don't see why Buzz getting on average $1.1 million a year would be that surpising, though, if we were willing to pay about twice that to the bigger name candidates.  It's still about $700K less than what Crean was getting when he left here.

Hopefully MU will be able to plow that $700K/year into helping Buzz hired a high-quality staff (which perhaps is my biggest worry at the moment than Buzz himself). 

You find no issue at all with Buzz making over 1m? There are plenty of established coaches who have had very good success that probably don't make 1.1m. And we're giving that to a guy who's under .500 for his entire head coaching career.

It's a tidal wave. Just when you subside your negativity into a controlled feeling another thing pops up in the news about this charade. This could be a monstrous fracking disaster.

Given the instiutional importance of the men's basketball program to the success of Marquette University, no, I do not.  And I'm really fed up with the notion that the Marquette leadership is a bunch of incompetent fools because of a couple of goofy decisions like the Marquette Gold; much of this same group were the same ones who hired Crean, upgraded other athletic programs, led the major capital campaigns, and revamped the academics over the last decade.  All of which have turned out pretty well for Marquette, I must add.   

I understand the arguement about paying Buzz based on experience, but how do you fairly assess that?  Buzz has about 11-12 years as an assistant and 1 year as a HC; perhaps that alone may  warrant a contract of about $600-$700K on the surface.  But MU obviously thought enough of him to be willing to pay the $300K UNO buyout in the first place just to get him here as an assistant, which I don't think I've ever heard of another major program ever doing. 

Crean made $375K in his first year at MU, which is remarkable considering the status of the program back in 1999, as well as the fact MU was barely paying KO $225K as far back as 1994.  I doubt Deane made much more than KO either.  So why was Crean paid more than KO and Deane without an iota of being a head coach?  POTENTIAL.  And that's what MU is paying for here with Buzz as well. 

Also, like Crean, Buzz is going to be the most visible employee of the University, and is going to have responsibilities beyond just coaching and recruiting.  He's going to have to do PR spots in local/national media, community activities, alumni events, etc.  So when I look at that $1.1 million, I also keep in mind that it's going to pay off in other areas of the University as well.

And I don't see how a coach who some on this board said a few days back was hired on the cheap is now all of sudden overpaid.   

[Pardner]

It's a tidal wave. Just when you subside your negativity into a controlled feeling another thing pops up in the news about this charade. This could be a monstrous fracking disaster.

My sentiments exactly.

We hear we hired him for continuity, then we hear of recruits reneging and players transferring.

We hear he's an "up and comer," then we hear he's given a raise of an AVERAGE of more than $800k per year!?!?!

Now we've got this lawsuit situation, seemingly a string of JUCOs heading our way and you have to just continue to wonder if this thing was thought through completely.

Meanwhile, in other news, Rick Majerus cut four scholarship players...

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/othersports/story/0B79F8C4042B15418625742900113EB2?OpenDocument

[Pakuni]

It's a tidal wave. Just when you subside your negativity into a controlled feeling another thing pops up in the news about this charade. This could be a monstrous fracking disaster.

My sentiments exactly.

We hear we hired him for continuity, then we hear of recruits reneging and players transferring.

We hear he's an "up and comer," then we hear he's given a raise of an AVERAGE of more than $800k per year!?!?!

Now we've got this lawsuit situation, seemingly a string of JUCOs heading our way and you have to just continue to wonder if this thing was thought through completely.

Meanwhile, in other news, Rick Majerus cut four scholarship players...

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/othersports/story/0B79F8C4042B15418625742900113EB2?OpenDocument

There's a certain Crean basher/Majerus fan around here who frequently has accused the former of running off players and questioned his ethics for it.
Wonder what he has to say about this?

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

It's a tidal wave. Just when you subside your negativity into a controlled feeling another thing pops up in the news about this charade. This could be a monstrous fracking disaster.

My sentiments exactly.

We hear we hired him for continuity, then we hear of recruits reneging and players transferring.

We hear he's an "up and comer," then we hear he's given a raise of an AVERAGE of more than $800k per year!?!?!

Now we've got this lawsuit situation, seemingly a string of JUCOs heading our way and you have to just continue to wonder if this thing was thought through completely.

Meanwhile, in other news, Rick Majerus cut four scholarship players...

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/othersports/story/0B79F8C4042B15418625742900113EB2?OpenDocument

There's a certain Crean basher/Majerus fan around here who frequently has accused the former of running off players and questioned his ethics for it.
Wonder what he has to say about this?

I hope you're not talking about me. I don't think I've mentioned Majerus in a single thread in 3 years. And I certainly never claimed our transfers were "ethics" related. I simply used them as evidence that Crean was a horse' ass. And he was a horse's ass.