Random Thoughts

[jpvegas52]

Coaching changes can be difficult. Wojo inherited a mess and then lost an entire recruiting class outside of Cohen. Then he lost Burton and Taylor.

Team made progress this year but as the 8th youngest team in the country it isn't going to lead to a tournament berth.

Slow and steady wins the race...changing coaches every 3 or 4 years isn't the answer.

You have to believe in the guy you have hired even when the results might not be apparent.

+ 1

[IrwinFletcher]

To clarify, I in no way shape or form think Wojo should be fired next year no matter what. All I said was they need to be "more competitive," or else his seat "will be getting warm." I don't think that is an unreasonable expectation, nor do I think it is an unreasonable result.

You say "more competitive". We have been more competitive as only a 3 games or so we were out of it early.

If we are "better" we win the Belmont, DePaul and Creighton games and we are talking about an NCAA bid. I don't think being competitive is the issue.

[kneelb4zerg]

I agree with everything you said. I like the Wojo hire.
It is just difficult to see both our previous coaches(Buzz, Crean) doing well and our previous potential target coaches(Smart, Cunzo, Howland) doing well. A bit frustrating. Not saying we should or could have had any of them, just that it is frustrating to see them succeeding where we are not.

This is garbage, starting with the idea that Howland is doing well.

[pbiflyer]

This is garbage, starting with the idea that Howland is doing well.

I was too lazy to look up his record, I admit it. The others are certainly doing better. Hell, Buzz has been without his top two players all season and is .500 in the ACC with a win over a top 10 team.
The rest (sans Howkand) will likely be dancing. How exactly is that garbage? Sounds. Like they are doing better than Marquette. That's all I claimed.

[MulliganMusings]

I was too lazy to look up his record, I admit it. The others are certainly doing better. Hell, Buzz has been without his top two players all season and is .500 in the ACC with a win over a top 10 team.
The rest (sans Howkand) will likely be dancing. How exactly is that garbage? Sounds. Like they are doing better than Marquette. That's all I claimed.

Gotta love Kneel; always so unequivocal I get pbiflyer's point, don't agree with it but get it and see where others might feel the same way. Personally, I am happy Buzz is doing well (and I agree he is). Unlike others I don't dislike Buzz and only have gratitude for his contribution to my alma mater. I wish him well but, frankly, I think we've got the best guy, for the job. I like the culture Coach Wojciechowski is building. I think we will see him build a program that sustains consistent excellence which I define as perennially competing for a Big East championship and appearing the NCAA tournament.

That's not a backhanded shot at Buzz as I enjoyed his culture as well. I never had a problem with the JUCO kids particularly when you consider that one of Marquette University's missions is to attract students who will be the first in their family to attend college. That's not to say that situation applied to all of the JUCOS but, generally, the JUCO kids had faced some adversity and played and approached life with a chip on their shoulders that served them well. Regardless of whether it was Joe Fulce, Jae Crowder, Jimmy Butler or DJO they all left it all on the court and have gone on to have success post graduation (success can be measured in different ways).

My hope is that we can attract a grad transfer. We know Sam is on board and we know Brandon Bailey is not coming on board until 2018 leaving another scholarship open which I hope will be filled by Markus Howard. Henry is leaving opens up one other scholarship which I am hoping will result in a grad transfer PF or even a JUCO PF my concern being that the high school ranks have largely been picked over and anyone we offer will likely have a development curve similar to Matt Heldt (who I think will become a good player). Ideally we could get someone who would be an immediate contributor but, at the end of the day, I trust Wojo and what he is building.

[TheSultan]

You say "more competitive". We have been more competitive as only a 3 games or so we were out of it early.

If we are "better" we win the Belmont, DePaul and Creighton games and we are talking about an NCAA bid. I don't think being competitive is the issue.

I think we need to be "more competitive" than hanging around .500 in conference play. All I am saying is that if we are near that same mark next year, especially if we see some of the same turnover fests we have seen this year, then more questions will rightfully be asked.

[Phantom Warrior]

And just why might we see "the same turnover fests we have seen this year"?

There is a huge difference between freshmen and sophomores - just look at Seton Hall this year. Combined, freshmen are getting between 80 and 90 minutes in most games, over 90 minutes in some games.

We don't have a single senior on the roster this year. We add a veteran guard in Rowsey who will be a fourth-year junior.

If Henry leaves, and I am still not convinced he will leave, we will be very small, and rebounding will be a major issue - unless we pull in a grad transfer at the 4 - but we should be a much better shooting team next year with the additions of Rowsey and Sam. By the way, I would not be all that surprised if Sam ends up being nearly as good next year as Haanif is this year. He can shoot; he can pass; he can handle the ball. I'm not saying Sam will averaged 30 mpg or double figures in scoring, but I think he will be a solid addition who will contribute.

[MKE_GoldenEagleFan]

It's hard to say Buzz is doing better than Wojo so far... To me they are about the same... Hell VT's RPI is 110 and we are 113... Both are NIT teams, and both are rebuilding. I'll give you Crean and Shaka but Crean has been there for years now and it isn't fair to compare, and Shaka walked in to a better situation than Wojo.

[unclejohn]

I think we need to be "more competitive" than hanging around .500 in conference play. All I am saying is that if we are near that same mark next year, especially if we see some of the same turnover fests we have seen this year, then more questions will rightfully be asked.

I see gre

This Year, I am content with .500 in conference play. Win Creighton and DePaul at home and we are above that, in one of the toughest conferences in the country. Under Buzz, some of those .500 conference seasons got us into the Dance. I see great progress from this team from the beginning of the year. Much depends on luck and circumstance. I could see being satisfied with this team being a few games under .500 in the conference. I think Wojo has gotten about as much as could be expected out of this bunch.

Most years in a tough conference, if the team is at or about .500 in the BE, we will be doing OK, give or take. If you have ten competitive teams, someone is going to wind up below .500. Unless we do it on a regular basis, I am not too upset.

Comparing the performance of former coaches or other potential coaches seems pointless to me. This team is much better than Ix4 was Crean's second year. That is not much of a commentary on either coach. Crean inherited about as bad a situation as he could get. But comparing where Ix4 is today to where we are today makes little sense. I am glad for Buzz's success. I really did think he would finish his career at Marquette. I thought he did a great job. I thought there were things he did better than Wojo. But that is not what happened for a number of reasons. Two different coaches, two different approaches. So good for Buzz, but he is gone and I do not wish for his return. I was hoping Cuonzo would get the job. Apparently, the hiring committee was more impressed with Wojo. So there is no telling what he would have done here, and comparing what he is doing at another program does not make sense to me. I dreaded the thought of Howland getting the job. The guy can coach. He also seems to wear out his welcome and alienate his players. I did not think he would be a good fit for Marquette. And we all know what happened with Shaka.

So we got the guy we got. Never mind what someone else would have done. He has done a good job, and opposing coaches keep talking about how good of a job. I like the players he has recruited, how hard they play, and how he represents the university. So good luck to other candidates, but so what?

[pbiflyer]

It's hard to say Buzz is doing better than Wojo so far... To me they are about the same... Hell VT's RPI is 110 and we are 113... Both are NIT teams, and both are rebuilding. I'll give you Crean and Shaka but Crean has been there for years now and it isn't fair to compare, and Shaka walked in to a better situation than Wojo.

Buzz's top two players are out. Imagine of any two of our contributors were out for the season.
And by no means am I saying that we should be doing as well as the others. It is just frustrating to see them doing well while we are not.
I like Wojo. I like the way he runs the program. I am excited about our long term prospects.
I was a student when Majerus was here. One thing I learned from his time with us and beyond. Not only do players get better from year to year (at least hopefully), but so do new coaches. I think Wojo will continue to grow and become a better head coach. Our staff in general will continue to grow and get better.

Another court ready 4 would be nice for next year.