Weren't you already a head coach?

[nola03]

People trash Buzz's resume but honestly, the guy got a year of head coaching experience in one of the worst situations possible....doesn't that at least partially prepare him for a high major position?

I fail to see any logic to that connection. How would you answer that question?

[Pakuni]

Davis is a good coach, he'll be just fine.  I would have been thrilled to have Davis.

I wonder what you'd be saying if five weeks after his hire Buzz Williams:

- still hadn't named a single assistant coach
- was spending his weekends not on the road recruiting, not meeting recruits and high school/AAU coaches at various tournaments and not in Providence meeting with current players and alumni/boosters, but at some place 1,300 miles away
- wasn't planning to be on the job full-time until sometime in June

I don't think you'd be singing Buzz's praises if that were the case.

Keno may be a great hire for PC. We won't know either way for a few years.
But to say he's gotten off to a slow start would be a vast understatement.  I too would have been fine with him at Marquette, but I would not be fine if this is how he'd have spent his first five weeks on the job.

[ChicosBailBonds]

I wonder what you'd be saying if five weeks after his hire Buzz Williams:

- still hadn't named a single assistant coach
- was spending his weekends not on the road recruiting, not meeting recruits and high school/AAU coaches at various tournaments and not in Providence meeting with current players and alumni/boosters, but at some place 1,300 miles away
- wasn't planning to be on the job full-time until sometime in June

I don't think you'd be singing Buzz's praises if that were the case.

Keno may be a great hire for PC. We won't know either way for a few years.
But to say he's gotten off to a slow start would be a vast understatement.  I too would have been fine with him at Marquette, but I would not be fine if this is how he'd have spent his first five weeks on the job.

Pat Skerry is going to Davis' staff. 

When I was at MU, we hired Tom Crean on March 30th, he didn't start "full time" until June...nothing shocking about that.

Quite frankly, as I have consistently said here, I'd much rather take longer to get it right (as I stated often in the hiring of the head coach). So if Keno Davis is taking 2 months to hire his staff, so what...he should take his time to get it right.  These rush to hire philosophies are rather interesting by some here. What Davis is doing and the timeline he is on is not unusual at all.  You seem to be one that is interested in having these hires done at breakneck speed, I'm not.  Do it right, do it thoroughly. It's also harder to go from one school to the next, especially half way across the country...these little pesky things called LIFE'S DETAILS are involved that Buzz didn't have to deal with.  Moving, kids in school, buying a new house in the new town, selling your current house in the old town, etc, etc.  Those are everyday realities that people have to deal with in new locations....an unfortunate sidetrack of life, but a reality when you move to a new job, new location.  Buzz has the luxury of moving 2 doors down in the same building, staying at his home, no need to uproot the wife and family, etc.

If Buzz didn't have his staff in place right now, I could not give a squat as you imply (your mind reading probe at it again apparently)... take your time to get it right.  Looks like Buzz did, I'm sure Keno will also.

[ATWizJr]

How can it be OK to give Davis a pass on hiring staff asnd recruitng until  June and criticize Buzz who has hired staff and is out on the trail?

[mu03eng]

I fail to see any logic to that connection. How would you answer that question?

Break any head coaching job into three parts....recruiting, X and Os, and executive responsibilities.  Well Buzz seems to cover recruiting with his resume.  The situation in New Orleans provides a great experience for the executive responsibilities....how to run the business and daily activities etc.  The level of difficult for that sort of stuff at UNO had to be hire than it will be at MU.  That means Buzz has two of the three needs covered, only X and Os, we can't be sure about and won't until we play games.

[Murffieus]

Buzz is picking TC's brain on the psyche of each MU player-----e.g what turns them on and what turns them off. What worked and what didn't work last and why or why not-----that kind of stuff. Also talking about the mechanics of scheduling, office structure, intra office politics, etc.

Nothing wrong with that ------very customary stuff.

[nola03]

Break any head coaching job into three parts....recruiting, X and Os, and executive responsibilities.  Well Buzz seems to cover recruiting with his resume.  The situation in New Orleans provides a great experience for the executive responsibilities....how to run the business and daily activities etc.  The level of difficult for that sort of stuff at UNO had to be hire than it will be at MU.  That means Buzz has two of the three needs covered, only X and Os, we can't be sure about and won't until we play games.

I'll give you the three parts. It makes sense.

I'll give you that Buzz has proven to be a pretty good recruiter for Gillispie and Crean but you have to relinquish we don't know what he can recruit to himself as the head coach.

As far as executive responsibilities, I'd say he probably learned more from A&M and MU then UNO. And, quitting on UNO in July doesn't exactly show that he learned the lesson of how to properly handle yourself under duress.

In terms of Xs and Os, it is a blank slate except for his sub .500 record. Surely even with a dire situation in terms of administrative support, an experienced Xs and Os coach would be able to win more then 50% of his games. I'm not saying 25-6 is necessary but at the least a flip of the 14-17 record.

UNO will be a black eye for Buzz for most MU fans that look into the situation. I hope it's merely a case of a young buck hitting the bull a little too early and he's better for it now.

[Pakuni]

In terms of Xs and Os, it is a blank slate except for his sub .500 record. Surely even with a dire situation in terms of administrative support, an experienced Xs and Os coach would be able to win more then 50% of his games. I'm not saying 25-6 is necessary but at the least a flip of the 14-17 record.

I think, though, you have to consider all the circumstances of that 14-17 record.

Buzz took over a team that had gone 10-19 the previous season and 13-17 the year before that. The team he took over had lost its second, fourth, sixth and seventh -leading scorers from the previous season, guys who, combined, averaged about 40.5 of the Privateers' 65.9 points per game in 2005-06.
Also gone were the team's top three rebounders and top two shot-blockers.
In other words, he took over a bad team.
Nonetheless, he managed to coach them to four more wins than the previous season, including three more conference wins, under very difficult circumstances.
Given the situation he walked into, both in terms of facilities and roster, I don't think one can question too harshly the job he did down there. The story behind his departure certainly is concerning, but I don't worry too much about the coaching job he did.

[ChicosBailBonds]

How can it be OK to give Davis a pass on hiring staff asnd recruitng until  June and criticize Buzz who has hired staff and is out on the trail?

I'd like to know how Davis isn't out on the recruiting trail.  He just offered several kids just in the last few weeks.


"It's house shopping, recruiting, staff, fundraising and player relationships," Davis said. "It's just a whole slew of things that come on your plate every day."


He's also added the #1 Mid major assistant in the country to his staff, just hasn't been announced officially yet. 

[NCMUFan]

I think Buzz will do everything in his power to continue to make Marquette a winner.  Whether he can do it in the Big East will be seen.  If not, it will become obvious that the hire by Cottingham was a bust and the recommendations by Crean weren't sincere.  Cottingham had his list and Buzz was #4.  It will be seen if Cottingham listing of Buzz was way off or on the mark.

[rocky_warrior]

I'll give you that Buzz has proven to be a pretty good recruiter for Gillispie and Crean but you have to relinquish we don't know what he can recruit to himself as the head coach.

Not really, he had a top 50 rated class coming into UNO.  Granted - no 5 stars or anything, but very respectable recruiting for UNO!

Kyndall Dykes - 2 star
Joseph Fulce - 3 star
Jairo Mendoza - 2 star
Troy Mathis - 3 star
Kechan Myers - no ranking
Tristan Worrell - no ranking (? couldn't find anything)

[tonyreeder]

Pat Skerry is going to Davis' staff. 

When I was at MU, we hired Tom Crean on March 30th, he didn't start "full time" until June...nothing shocking about that.



WE hired Tom Crean.  Please enlighten us on your role in the hiring of Tom Crean.   Did you get bagels the morning of the interview?

[ChicosBailBonds]

Pat Skerry is going to Davis' staff. 

When I was at MU, we hired Tom Crean on March 30th, he didn't start "full time" until June...nothing shocking about that.



WE hired Tom Crean.  Please enlighten us on your role in the hiring of Tom Crean.   Did you get bagels the morning of the interview?

Wow, your pettiness continues.  The term "we" is used in terms of Marquette University and the athletic department.


PS  The bagels were great, he really enjoyed them.

[tonyreeder]

as does your Napoleonic complex

[ChicosBailBonds]

I'll make a suggestion for you, choose the ignore button.  I've just implemented it for your stuff, that way you can get on and enjoy life again.

[tonyreeder]

I'll make a suggestion for you, choose the ignore button.  I've just implemented it for your stuff, that way you can get on and enjoy life again.

Does enjoying life include a weekend getaway with my wife and posting on a Internet message board all weekend?