It's Not 1989, But It Seems Like 1989

[warriorfred]

After a few weeks of reflection as to recent events, and the recent Kevin O'Neill thread, I can't help but feel like it's 1989 all over again.  In a way, it's disappointing.  While I sincerely wish Mr. Williams all the success in the world, the whole coaching search still seems "rushed."  I cannot say I'm terribly disappointed that Buzz Williams was hired, but the process still seems out of place.

In 1989 Marquette hired a relatively unheard of assistant coach that was rumored to be a decent recruiter.  Back then, Marquette didn't have much choice, and had to take a flyer on a little known assistant coach.

But it's not 1989, Marquette plays in the Big East, has great facilities, and an improved reputation nationally, and yet, Marquette has hired a little known assistant coach.  After leaning-on alumni for donations and support, and raising expectations of national prominence, Marquette makes a hire that seems inconsistent with the current state of the program. 

I wish Buzz Williams success, and remain hopeful that he will perform better than Kevin O'Neill, but the coaching search still leaves me cold.

[Tugg Speedman]

Has it ever occured to "the sky is falling" crowd that MU had choices and Buzz was the best?

[PJDunn]

Nope.  Buzz may have been a strong candidate, but his CV and the timelines would indicate that our newbie AD hit the panic button.  My hope is that myself and the rest of the "glass is 1/2 empty" crowd are happily eating crow in 3 or 4 years.

[MUBasketball]

Buzz blew the administration away in the interview process.

In basketball, as with any other profession, that goes a long way towards landing the job.

Bill Cords calls Buzz "rock solid", and I think we can all agree he has a proven track record hiring coaches. He was part of the committee, and appears Buzz was his guy. Had Cords made the hire instead of Cottingham, would people feel any different?

I dont think Cottingham pushed the panic button at all...but its only natural that part of the decision was likely the damage control aspect.

Believe me, had someone other than Buzz been hired, our immediate future would look very bleek as a team. I really dont think this program will skip a beat, and I think Buzz has a very bright future in the business.

[Tugg Speedman]

Buzz was the best assistant coach option for MU.  No other was a better choice.  Others were bigger name and they made you feel better, but they were not better choices.

The other option was a retread or a mid-major coach.  The problem with a mid-major coach is that is tantamount to starting over.  Bring in a Keno Davis or Tony Bennett and you're starting over.  I believe the exodus would have been much larger.  EW, DJ and TM would have also gone elsewhere.  Forget Wilson and Lacy.

Buzz keeps all this a possibility

Buzz is also a a good hire in that the downside is limited.  He has one year.  If the team underperforms next year, and he has a subpar recruting class, that is the perfect time to show him the door and start over.  Then in 365 days MU pays up for a "big name."  

If, on the other hand, next year's team perfroms well and he gets a decent recruting class, then MU can move to the next level.

The risk is limited becuase next year's team will be good.  

[Daniel]

We're much better off in 2008 than we were in 1989.  Onward with Buzz.  He has his work to do, but he is a tireless worker - let's see what he can do.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Buzz was the best assistant coach option for MU.  No other was a better choice.  Others were bigger name and they made you feel better, but they were not better choices.

The other option was a retread or a mid-major coach.  The problem with a mid-major coach is that is tantamount to starting over.  Bring in a Keno Davis or Tony Bennett and you're starting over.  I believe the exodus would have been much larger.  EW, DJ and TM would have also gone elsewhere.  Forget Wilson and Lacy.

Buzz keeps all this a possibility

Buzz is also a a good hire in that the downside is limited.  He has one year.  If the team underperforms next year, and he has a subpar recruting class, that is the perfect time to show him the door and start over.  Then in 365 days MU pays up for a "big name." 

If, on the other hand, next year's team perfroms well and he gets a decent recruting class, then MU can move to the next level.

The risk is limited becuase next year's team will be good. 

Did you really just say bringing in Tony Bennett would have been a weaker hire then Buzz?  Come on.

[downtown85]

Buzz blew the administration away in the interview process.

In basketball, as with any other profession, that goes a long way towards landing the job.

Bill Cords calls Buzz "rock solid", and I think we can all agree he has a proven track record hiring coaches. He was part of the committee, and appears Buzz was his guy. Had Cords made the hire instead of Cottingham, would people feel any different?

I dont think Cottingham pushed the panic button at all...but its only natural that part of the decision was likely the damage control aspect.

Believe me, had someone other than Buzz been hired, our immediate future would look very bleek as a team. I really dont think this program will skip a beat, and I think Buzz has a very bright future in the business.

A couple of questions.

How many potential head coaches did the AD interview before this recruiting process?

How many potential head coaches did the AD interview during this recruiting process?

Did the AD, who is a rookie, have any yardstick in which to judge whether Buzz is better than others, other than the interview?

Would the AD been blown away by others in other interviews?  Who knows?

Cords is retired.  However, to answer your question, I would have felt different if he were the AD.  I am pretty sure we would have had more than one interview. 

[Tugg Speedman]

Did you really just say bringing in Tony Bennett would have been a weaker hire then Buzz?  Come on.

Next year, yes.  His style is different than the makeup of this team.  It's obvious that DJ showed loyalty to Buzz.  Same with Outle, Fulce and EW.  Under Bennett things might have been very different.

Like I said, if he bombs next season, he's a one season coach.  He has all the tools and personnel to show us he's can do it now.  We don't have to wait.

[ToddPacker]

How many more threads about Buzz's hiring do we need?  Sheesh.  Those of us who like the Buzz hiring get it by now.  There are some of you who are not happy with the "process." This is especially funny since none of you have intimate knowledge of the process nor do you know the first thing about hiring a basketball coach.  Yet, your "expertise" tells you that the process was rushed, MU could have done better, and Buzz is not the right guy for the job.  I get a kick out of how many people here think that they are in the best position to determine who should be MU's next coach.  Look at all the big names who had no interest in our job or the Stanford job.  It may have made some of you happier to hire a guy like Bennett or Lowery, but the former was not interested and the latter would be just as big of a risk as Buzz, just for different reasons.  I bet SHU fans thought they were going to be getting better when they hired a guy with mid-major experience.  Look at where that got them.  Recruiting is where its at and that is one area where Buzz outshines all of his competitors, presumed and imagined.

[Tugg Speedman]

By his own admission, Wasn't McGuire a poor x and o guy?  Didn't Raymonds run the practices and make the adjustments on the bench?  McGuire said his talent was recruiting and calling time-outs.  This was enough to make Al one of the greatest of all-time.

Buzz can recruit, no one despites this.  That is about 75% of the game.  This is why he was a "reasonable" hire.

[THEGYMBAR]

In my opinion there are not similarities in the hire. KO actually was on people's radar screen. He was going to get a "real" job in '89 or shortly after that. Buzz was not being looked at by anyone, possibly not even TC as an assistant.

The KO hire was much more of statement for MU than this hire. Recruiting at AZ and landing top players put KO in the spotlight of ball insiders. Buzz is relative unknown nationally.

In addition, the KO was bigger in nature because we were in the sewer. Buzz inherits a good team, conference and practice facility. I still am confused on why this hire was made. But, willing to support it.

LAND JAMIL WILSON AND BUZZ HAS A FAN FOR LIFE.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Next year, yes.  His style is different than the makeup of this team.  It's obvious that DJ showed loyalty to Buzz.  Same with Outle, Fulce and EW.  Under Bennett things might have been very different.

Like I said, if he bombs next season, he's a one season coach.  He has all the tools and personnel to show us he's can do it now.  We don't have to wait.

But that's the very issue, you don't hire someone for a one year stint, you hire someone with a little more foresight.  Bennett is a fine coach, and no way if he were to come here would he have forced the talent that was here to do something out of character.  Not in a million years would a Bennett hire be considered weaker than Buzz by any measurement....I'm sorry, we'll have to disagree 100% on this one and I'm sure most other people would agree.

[BrewCity83]

By his own admission, Wasn't McGuire a poor x and o guy?  Didn't Raymonds run the practices and make the adjustments on the bench?  McGuire said his talent was recruiting and calling time-outs.  This was enough to make Al one of the greatest of all-time.

Buzz can recruit, no one despites this.  That is about 75% of the game.  This is why he was a "reasonable" hire.

OK, we agree that Buzz can recruit.  But, can he call timeouts?

[ChicosBailBonds]

By his own admission, Wasn't McGuire a poor x and o guy?  Didn't Raymonds run the practices and make the adjustments on the bench?  McGuire said his talent was recruiting and calling time-outs.  This was enough to make Al one of the greatest of all-time.

Buzz can recruit, no one despites this.  That is about 75% of the game.  This is why he was a "reasonable" hire.

If it was just about recruiting, or even 75%, then folks like Quin Snyder, Steve Lavin, Bill Frieder, etc will still be coaching in the college game.  Recruiting is critical, but you can't just throw the ball up and let the guys run around (nor am I suggesting that's what Buzz will be doing).  Organization, discipline, etc are just as important.

I think people, especially as time grows, tend to take Al's comments about coaching a bit too far.  Al was not a bumpkin on the bench.  Yes Hank was the "X's and O's" guy, but Al had the gift of feel, which many X's and O's guys don't have.  The gift of knowing when to do something, when to change pace, when to throw in a junk defense, etc. 

[THEGYMBAR]

Al was as much a great game coach as recruiter. He deflected credit to Hank but Al was an A+ game coach. His teams never made mistakes and he never, ever lost to a team that he should beat.

Al was the total package.

[3Mer]

How many more threads about Buzz's hiring do we need?  Sheesh.  Those of us who like the Buzz hiring get it by now.  There are some of you who are not happy with the "process." This is especially funny since none of you have intimate knowledge of the process nor do you know the first thing about hiring a basketball coach.  Yet, your "expertise" tells you that the process was rushed, MU could have done better, and Buzz is not the right guy for the job.  I get a kick out of how many people here think that they are in the best position to determine who should be MU's next coach...

How many more threads do we need trying to rationalize Buzz's hiring?  How much "expertise" does one need to criticize MU for going from being "total surprised" by Crean's resignation on 4/01/08 to announcing Buzz as the new head coach on 4/08/08?  What is there on Buzz's resume that should reassure fans he isn't just the next Bob Dukiet or Mike Deane? 

I can totally understand the optimists hoping that Buzz will be a success, but I can't understand how ANYone can be satisfied that MU exercised due diligence in its search.  I think that we -- the fans and ticket buyers who have faithfully supported the team -- deserved a search commeasurate with the program we helped build.

[BrewCity83]

How do you all know that, although he was surprised by it, Cottingham wasn't prepared for TC's departure?  How do you know that he didn't have a "short list" of candidates that he was ready to move on in the event TC left?  Do you all think that Cords left the program in the hands of SC without making sure he understood the importance of having this short list updated at all times?  Just because they moved swiftly to fill the suddenly open coaching position doesn't mean that they were unprepared and left all kinds of stones unturned.

[ChicosBailBonds]

How do you all know that, although he was surprised by it, Cottingham wasn't prepared for TC's departure?  How do you know that he didn't have a "short list" of candidates that he was ready to move on in the event TC left?  Do you all think that Cords left the program in the hands of SC without making sure he understood the importance of having this short list updated at all times?  Just because they moved swiftly to fill the suddenly open coaching position doesn't mean that they were unprepared and left all kinds of stones unturned.

From my discussions with folks inside, they were SHOCKED by his departure. 

[3Mer]

 ... Just because they moved swiftly to fill the suddenly open coaching position doesn't mean that they were unprepared and left all kinds of stones unturned.

Does anyone really believe that MU left no stone unturned before handing Buzz Williams [who?] the keys to a Top-20 basketball program?

[BrewCity83]

I'm just saying, I do believe they were shocked by his sudden departure.  I'm just not so convinced that they were not prepared for it.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Does anyone really believe that MU left no stone unturned before handing Buzz Williams [who?] the keys to a Top-20 basketball program?

I think they turned over a lot of stones, for about 48 hours and then the stones stopped turning.

[4everwarriors]

I'm shocked those around the now departed were shocked by his departure. Hell, he was dying to leave to leave MU from the moment he got off the plane from New Orleans.

[Marquette84]

In my opinion there are not similarities in the hire. KO actually was on people's radar screen. He was going to get a "real" job in '89 or shortly after that. Buzz was not being looked at by anyone, possibly not even TC as an assistant.

The KO hire was much more of statement for MU than this hire. Recruiting at AZ and landing top players put KO in the spotlight of ball insiders. Buzz is relative unknown nationally.

The question one needs to ask is who was the first to notice that KO was a quality coach.  Do you really believe that nobody at Arizona knew that Kevin O'Neill was good until that national survey came out? 
 
Or did the Arizona staff know how good he was after one season, and it just took another year or two for the rest of the world to notice?

I think its entirely reasonable that the MU staff (including Cords and Cottingham) would be among the first, if not THE first, to recognize that Buzz is a high quality candidate for a head coaching position.  For those who continue to harp on the fact that MU "only" took 8 days, he's been on MU's radar screen since July of 2007.  It does not take a formal interview for an opening to develop a sense of whether a person is capable of more than they're currently doing--regardless of their current job or role.

I don't think it's unreasonable to think that those who worked with most closely with Buzz at MU may have realized--perhaps within weeks or months of his being hired--that "hey, this guy is special."  Buzz had plenty of interaction with people at MU--with players, with alumni, with administrators, with office secretaries, with boosters--it would appear that there were more than enough people who got to know Buzz over the course of nine months, and given that he was hired, at least some of them must have given him a thumbs up.

The fundamental issue here is that after two or three marquee choices, the pickings for coaches were pretty slim outside of Buzz.  And by all reports, MU made a run at several of those marquee names. 

[3Mer]

The fundamental issue here is that after two or three marquee choices, the pickings for coaches were pretty slim outside of Buzz.  And by all reports, MU made a run at several of those marquee names. 

Go ahead and drink the Kool-Aid. 

Even if MU made a "run" at Bennett or Miller (and with Miller, I'm convinced he would have taken the job had MU been willing to pay part/all of his buy-out), I'm never going to believe that the "search" went any further.  Nor will I believe that coaches with better credentials than Buzz would have turned down a Top-20 program with a cupboard that was hardly bare. 

Either MU panicked or they went bargain-basement.