NCAA Q & A with Warrior great Jim McIlvaine

We're pleased once again to welcome Marquette legend Jim McIlvaine back to the blog for his take on the 11th seeded Warriors they move into the Sweet 16 against the 2nd seeded North Carolina Tar Heels. As a senior at Marquette, Jim led the Warriors to the Sweet 16 -- while dealing with chatter about the coaching carousel. Sound familiar? With these perspectives in mind, who better to help set the stage for this weekend's action.

As a reminder you can stay in touch with Jim on his own blog over at ESPN Milwaukee. And be sure to listen to Jim and Steve "The Homer" True as they call the action on Friday night.

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Marquette is 4-1 since Buzz Williams held a lengthy, closed-door team meeting after the Seton Hall defeat. What has been different about this team since that point, if anything?

I think the thing stuck out to both Homer and I in the games after that meeting was the shot selection we saw from the team. Buzz Williams'-coached teams have always seemed to be very conscientious about their shot selection and routinely passed up good shots in search of great shots. While I would far prefer that to a team with no conscience, I think Marquette has been more willing to take some of those good shots earlier in the offense, than we saw earlier in the season. I don't know what was said specifically in that meeting, but I also think talks like that can help re-focus a team. Sometimes things can build up over the course of a season and having an opportunity to just air some concerns or thoughts can help restore confidence and put guys in a better frame of mind.

Chris Otule and Junior Cadougan have shown remarkable improvement within the season, surprising many. To what do you attribute their more consistent contributions?

I think time within the program always helps players. That includes time learning the system, getting comfortable with teammates & coaching styles. Even improvements in strength & conditioning can help a player's confidence tremendously and when I look at the way both Junior & Chris' bodies looked when they first came to Marquette and compare it to how they look now, you can see the difference in what Todd Smith has been able to do with those guys. I think the arrival of Davante Gardner has also helped Chris, as post players can learn a lot just from playing against each other every day in practice. As Chris and Junior have gotten opportunities to play, every good play they make and every solid game performance they have builds confidence- confidence they have in themselves, confidence their teammates have in them and confidence the coaching staff has in their ability. I think what we are seeing now is the cumulative result
of all of those factors and probably several more.

We're in the Silly Season of coaching rumors. You dealt with this as a player at Marquette. Do you think the "Buzz to NAME THAT UNIVERSITY" chatter is any type of distraction for the players, especially in this era of media over-saturation?

I think it really depends on how the coach chooses to handle it with his players. Kevin O'Neill was always very honest and forthright with us when he was being named as a candidate for other jobs. We knew during my junior year that Vanderbilt was pursuing Coach O'Neill, because he told us first, but he also told us not to discuss it with anyone. When he put it out there for us, it really diffused any potential distractions that could come up if someone from the Nashville press started asking players questions about it. I don't know if that approach will work with every team, but I think the nature of the relationship Coach O'Neill had with our team allowed him to be more open with us about those issues when they came up that year and the next year. I can understand that a fan may look at the possibility of a coach leaving for perceived greener pastures as a betrayal of some kind, but the life and career of a basketball coach is very different than that of a typical working American. When teams are doing great, fans want coaches to sign long-term deals and never talk to other schools. However, if the same team begins to struggle, fans can immediately shift gears and call for a replacement.

The job security of a college coach swings both ways and Bruce Pearl is a great example of how quickly a coach can go from hero to zero in the eyes of fans and the administration. The kind of staying power Jim Boeheim has had at Syracuse or Greg Kampe has had at Oakland is really the exception and not the rule. The lack of real job security necessitates that most coaches at least consider offers that come along. When Coach O'Neill left Marquette, I think he made sure all of his players had a very good understanding of why he made that move. While we were sorry to see him go, we understood why he left and respected his decision. In many ways, I think we were happy for him, because he was receiving the recognition he deserved for the job he had done bringing Marquette back to national relevance again.

Next up for MU are the Tar Heels. How do you think MU will combat the Heels significant size advantage? Do you think that UNC will have to adjust its rotation (ie, go small) to combat MU's strengths?

I think teams always try to make their opponents match up with their size and style of play, versus the other way around. When you try to play to the strengths of someone else, instead of your own, it can create a lot of problems because you're playing their game and not something you are familiar with or comfortable doing. Carolina is really good, really long and really deep, but I've always felt that we have a chance against any team that plays man to man defense against us, because that plays to our strengths of attacking the basket.

What are the most surprising aspects Marquette's play in the NCAA tournament?

I don't know if anything really surprises me, because we knew this team was capable of competing with anyone and we saw examples of that throughout the season. If anything, the fact that they've been able to battle back from deficits, hold off runs by opponents and finish games has been very satisfying. I know it was frustrating for everyone to see Marquette get to a double-digit lead and not win the game, but I think this team is peaking at the right time and finishing the games now that weren't coming out in our favor earlier in the year.

Notwithstanding the Sweet 16 appearance, do you think MU will be better or worse next year?

I looked at the loss of Lazar Hayward, Maurice Acker and David Cubillan last year and wondered how Coach Williams would be able to replace that leadership and production and I could easily look at the seniors this year and wonder the same thing. At the end of the day, I just need to put my trust in the coaching staff, as I believe they know what it takes to win and have our program trending in the right direction.

Thanks very much, Jim!

Marquette Elitism?

Dr. Blackheart is back for more, this time looking at the concept of Marquette Elitisim -- topical given the ongoing 'Buzz Williams to NAME A SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY' speculation that is driving many fans completely bonkers.

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Marquette University is one of only 12 basketball programs that have made six straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including: Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Villanova, Wisconsin and Xavier. Over the past five Big Dances, these teams have won two national championships, reached five Final Fours, thirteen Elite 8’s, and twenty-six Sweet Sixteens. Every team but one has at least a Sweet 16 finish. Six of these teams had three Sweet 16 finishes or better (including Xavier the last three in a row), and three others had two Sweet 16’s or better. The Sweet 16 outlier? I think we know the painful answer to that question—even despite the presence of (then) four future NBA players.

As a result, the MU fan base has morphed itself into a group of tortured artists, doubting every good win, over-analyzing every close loss (which have been many), and agonizing over every freak injury, missed Jim Burr call, or Buzz rumor or decision. However, the fact that MU has now made the NCAA Dance every year it has been a member of the Big East is amazing, and a sure sign of a great program.

Three in a Row…

Buzz Williams and Hank Raymonds are the only MU head coaches in history who have made the NCAA’s their first three seasons at the helm. Both inherited a strong returning group of players, but Buzz’s journey was tougher due to the roster/recruit turnover when Tom Crean left for Indiana. Previously, I reviewed Dan Hanner’s blog piece which singled out Buzz’s performance among the up and coming coaches hired 2-3 years ago. It was also pointed out that many MU coaching alums drew note in Hanner’s blog piece—a strong sign of MU’s elite coaching tree.
So, taking some liberty with Pomeroy’s statistics (meant to be reflective of a current season, but consistent enough in methodology and statistical ranges to use here for discussion purposes across the past three seasons), I compiled Pomeroy averages on overall ratings (Pythagorean), offensive and defensive efficiency ratings, and the difference between the two to compare all D1 teams. This can provide a relative measuring stick on how well Buzz’s Warriors rank versus the elite programs.

So let’s take a look at MU over these trio of years versus other top teams.

• Buzz’s teams rack-up as #23 on the overall rating tote board, or 7th in the Big East with ND on our heels. The Top 25 summary clearly shows who the consistently elite teams are, and that the Big East dominates.
• Offensively, MU’s offensive efficiency ranked a superb #9 nationally, third in the BE and just behind the Badgers who are sixth nationally.
• Defensively, MU is 52nd nationally (only Top 25 Overall teams are shown) and 9th in the BE. Clearly a weak link when talking elite.
• On offense-defense differential, MU’s +21.2 positive gap ranks 19th, tied with Georgetown and our future foe Xavier.
• X Outlook: Offensively, MU is slightly better than Xavier. The X-Men are a better defensively. The gap is a wash as is the Vegas line. Will MU finally break-through to the Sweet 16? Rob shows that teams who play good defense are the ones who advance deep. However, for the first time in five seasons, MU has a post-presence advantage in the NCAA, so I am predicting a MU win on Friday and a long-deserved Sweet 16 trip after a season sweep of Syracuse on Sunday.
  

3 Year Kpom Pyth Rank	Team/2011 Seed	3 Year Off. Eff. AVG.	3 Year Def. Eff. AVG.	O VS. D Gap
1	Duke 1	120.3	87.9	32.3
2	Kansas 1	118.8	88.1	30.7
3	Syracuse 3	116.9	90.2	26.6
4	Pittsburgh 1	117.8	91.2	26.6
5	Purdue 3	111.3	87.1	24.3
6	West Virginia 5	115.0	90.1	24.9
7	Ohio St. 1	118.7	91.4	27.3
8	Texas 4	113.7	89.4	24.2
9	Brigham Young 3	116.2	91.8	24.4
10	Louisville 4	113.1	89.1	24.0
11	Wisconsin 4	117.3	92.8	24.4
12	Washington 7	114.0	91.1	22.9
13	Kentucky 4	114.1	89.8	24.4
14	Missouri 11	114.1	90.8	23.2
15	Villanova 9	115.4	92.9	22.5
16	Connecticut 3	112.9	89.5	23.4
17	North Carolina 2	114.3	90.2	24.1
18	Clemson 12	111.6	90.6	21.0
19	Michigan St. 10	112.3	90.7	21.6
20	Xavier 6	113.3	92.1	21.2
21	Georgetown 6	113.9	92.7	21.2
22	San Diego St. 2	111.2	90.3	20.9
23	Marquette 11	115.7	94.6	21.2
24	Kansas St. 5	112.0	91.2	20.8
25	Notre Dame 2	119.0	97.3	21.7

Let’s Go (Marquette)!

So, is MU an elite program today or is it a qualified stepping stone? Consecutive NCAA appearances say yes. Coaching tree says yes. Offensive efficiency says yes. History, financials, facilities and attendance say yes. Recruiting says close. NCAA finishes and defense say not yet. Will Buzz continue to build his legacy at MU? The Elite Tag tipping point will be decided this weekend.

Let the hand wringing begin.

The NCAA Tourney, money and the coaching carousel

More to come later today but for your morning coffee here are a handful of must-read articles about the Marquette Warriors as they head into the NCAA Tournament.

It has been a while since we've done a simple media update but it has also been a long time since the Marquette program was featured prominently in the Wall Street Journal. Check out the Journal's feature on the "big play goggles" that are now so often part of players' antics on the court. Darius Johnson-Odom, Vander Blue, Buzz Williams and Marquette graduate Wesley Matthews are all either quoted or mentioned.

Marquette's players started to mark three-pointers with goggles for their Jan. 10 home game against Notre Dame after Wesley Matthews, a Marquette alumnus now with the Trail Blazers, called Johnson-Odom, a Marquette junior guard, and told him about the latest trend in Portland. "He made sure that we did it," Johnson-Odom said.

Also this morning, Todd Rosiak offers a closer look at the Xavier Musketeers, one of the most consistent and successful programs of the past decade. Paul Imig of Fox Sports Wisconsin reports that the Warriors are confident entering the NCAAs thanks in part to the brutal Big East conference schedule.

Speaking of the Big East, Marquette is one of the financial beasts of the Big East, generating nearly $14M in revenue from its basketball program, well above the conference average of $9.6M. Check out this interesting article in Forbes from earlier this month.

Finally -- and perhaps most interesting -- Buzz Williams' name is now popping up in connection to other jobs in the annual Spring Speculation Season. Given Williams' significant regional heritage it is no surprise that Dave Sittler of the Tulsa World focuses this morning's entire column on why Buzz Williams is the best choice to take over the Oklahoma Sooners program. Meanwhile several reporters, including ESPN's Andy Katz, have indicated that Arkansas is interested in Buzz though the Razorbacks are expected to push hard for former Nolan Richardson assistant Mike Anderson, the current head coach at Mizzou.

Madness, I tell you.

Coaching Carousel Redux

We're pleased to welcome Dr. Blackheart back to the blog for an historical overview of the coaching carousel. Originally, this was scheduled for last week, but then "stuff" got in the way. Regardless, the content in this post is well worth revisiting after yet another road loss.
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Back in 2008, right after Tom Crean left Marquette for the “Quadruple I”, the Bleacher Report published an article on fast risers in the college coaching profession. Among the names listed at the time were Anthony Grant of VCU, Brad Brownell of Wright St., Sean Miller of Xavier, Tony Bennett of Washington St. and Keno Davis of Drake (who had just been named National Coach of the Year). All were rumored to have been potential candidates for the vacant Marquette job. Absent from the list was one Brent “Buzz” Williams, a virtual unknown even to ardent MU followers.

Fast forward to February 2011, and each of these names have assumed the head coaching throne at a new, top BCS-level job: Grant to Bama, Brownell to Clemson, Miller to Arizona, Bennett to UVA and Davis to Providence. Also on the list with MU connections besides Crean were former assistant Darrin Horn (who had just taken the South Carolina spot at the time of this article) and Kevin O’Neill, former head coach, who has now assumed the USC lead. And, of course, Buzz has moved down the hall to the corner office in “The Al”.

Recently, blogger Dan Hanner of the Yet Another Basketball Blog (YABB) revisited the coaching hires over the past three years to evaluate which of these head coaches have made a difference. Hanner used Pomeroy efficiency statistics to rate these new coaches versus their predecessors. The surprising results:

• Besides John Calipari and Mike Montgomery, no other 2-3 year head coach has improved the lot of their new teams more so than “The Buzzer”. Considering that the other two have NBA experience and past high NCAA success, Buzz has been able to move the needle in the right direction for MU—past the “Three Amigos+Zar” era and now with his own recruits—and Crean had left him with a much higher bar to beat than either Coach Cal or Montgomery inherited.
• Yet, the shadow of doubt and his predecessor still seems to hang over the one not on the 2008 list. Quoting Hanner: “Is Buzz Williams a better coach than Tom Crean? His teams have had better efficiency margins than Crean’s did. And this data includes Crean’s team with Dwayne Wade. Until Williams gets to a Final Four, I think the answer is no. But I will say this: Buzz Williams' teams almost never get blown out. (editor's note - the next Cracked Sidewalks t-shirt will have the "no double-digit losses" banner on the back)
  
• Three first year Big East Coaches made the “Positive Impact” list including former MU assistant Mike Rice—along with Steve Lavin of SJU and Kevin Willard of Seton Hall. Each of these also was left with seasoned upperclassmen. The question will be if any of these three will be “one hit wonders”, a tag that Buzz is starting to put behind him?
• On the “Negative Impact” list are eleven names with 2-3 years on the job at their current gig, including four of the rising stars mentioned with MU in 2008, and MU coaching alumni Crean, O’Neill and Horn. Brownell, in his first year at Clemson after taking over for Oliver Purnell, is near break even. Grant seems to have Bama on the right path with defense, as the Crimson Tide is 8-2 and contending in the weaker SEC West.

So, is MU a much better job than the pundits and the so-called “hot coaches” are willing to admit or recognize? Is Buzz still underestimated, even by the MU faithful? Is the grass always greener at these high visibility jobs? On a day like today, when the fan base questions how good a coach Buzz actually is, the remainder of the season awaits to help answer these questions.
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Excellent post, Dr. Blackheart. Thank you very much!

Analyzing the Decision Process

Just some additional comments on the decision to hire Buzz, and then I’ll back off. My opinion on the Buzz hiring is that I believe Marquette made a bad decision. It's not a reflection on Buzz... just an opinion that there were more qualified candidates out there. There is an excellent book called "Winning Decisions", which covers the process that people should use to make good decisions. Really important decisions (like say picking a basketball coach) should follow a structured process such as:

• Determine the crux of the issue
• Create decision criteria and weight those criteria
• Gather Information
• Make the decision
• Learn from your decision

What’s the crux of the issue?
The first, and most important step, is to figure out the right frame for the problem. In other words, for Marquette, what was the crux of the issue? Was it finding a coach? The best coach? A coach that wanted the job? The crux of the issue should have been a coach that can grow the Marquette program so that it is in a position to compete for the Big East and National Championships. After all, this is what Cottingham alluded to at his press conference, so Marquette did this well.

What are the decision criteria?
Of course, once that is determined, the decision process should require selection of decision criteria. What did Marquette look at for making this decision? According to Cottingham, it included:

Primary Decision Criteria

• Committed to Marquette's mission of developing exceptional student-athletes
• Represent the University well
• Hungry for the challenge - Recruit the best players, Win in the BIG EAST, and Win at the highest national level.
  

Additional Decision Criteria

• Vision and plan for success
• Work Ethic
• Recruiting
• Style of Play
  

Okay, two beefs with these decision criteria.

Number one - All three of the primary decision criteria are basically a view of “Organizational Fit”. We know from Rosiak's latest blog that recruiting was considered very strongly too. How well the coach aligned with the administration is certainly important. But what about coaching, player development, and leadership? If you look at Cottingham’s statement, one would think that 100% weight was applied to Organizational Fit / Recruiting.

Number two – if you look at the additional decision criteria for Buzz, Cottingham says

“there are other qualities that make Buzz the best choice for the Marquette head basketball job”

Hate to say it, but that reads to me like Confirmation Bias. In other words, Marquette might have decided on Buzz and then adjusted the criteria to fit that decision.

The big implication from these two points is that there's a possibility Marquette didn’t really know what they wanted in a new head coach. That’s a scary implication and that's what we were afraid of happening with Cottingham.

What about Information Gathering?
If we look at Rosiak's blog again, we can see that MU made multiple attempts at luring Washington State's Tony Bennett. Marquette also contacted Xavier's Sean Miller, Virginia Commonwealth's Anthony Grant, Davidson's Bob McKillop, and Georgia Tech's Paul Hewitt, with additional interest from Siena's Fran McCaffery, Bradley's Jim Les and Illinois' Bruce Weber.

Using the wonderful benefit of 20/20 hindsight, it’s easy to see why pretty much everyone MU contacted decided it wasn’t a good fit. The marginal benefit for Miller wouldn’t have been worth it, Grant’s recruiting contacts were in the south, McKillop has Curry (and his son) playing next year, and Hewitt is already in a premier conference.

Making the decision
So let’s say that Marquette makes overtures to their top four or five candidates and none of them are a good fit. All of a sudden, the candidate that is readily available starts looking better (we call this Availability Bias). In other words, the qualities of the candidate that is close by and interested starts carrying more weight. Organizational Fit and Recruiting become even more important to the decision makers.

Conclusion
I stand by my premise that the administration made a bad decision (which may be confirmation bias of our own). Buzz may be a superstar coach, but he's a risk we shouldn't have had to take. Unfortunately, what I believe is that the administration never really defined what was important to them. Rather than working towards its own long-term vision of the program, Marquette instead jumped straight into the process of gathering information. When this information did not turn out favorably and the initial outreach was not reciprocated, Marquette then began adjusting the decision criteria so that the most available candidate (Buzz) became the preferred candidate.

Marquette should have taken a step back, defined what was really important to them, and then approached a structured decision process that included candidates like Lowery, Brownell or a host of other potential options.

Learning from the Decision
However, there is a fifth step that we can now begin analyzing. What’s done is done with the coaching decision, and the Marquette coach is Buzz Williams. To be clear yet again, none of this analysis is directed at coach Williams, but rather our thoughts on the psychology and process which led him to be selected as the new coach. However, we should also expect Buzz to prove that he can handle the job.

Luckily, we’ll be able to begin analyzing this with short-term milestones as we judge how well he does with:

• Selecting a coaching staff
• Dealing with roster turnover
• 2008 / 2009 recruiting

Good luck with those three areas, Buzz. Despite our reservations on how the process was handled, we all really want you to succeed. Prove you can handle the job!

Rosiak details the search; Transfer rumors and more

UPDATED
Todd's latest blog is in the spotlight today.......check it out for details on the coaching search. Talk about it here at MU Scoop. Rosiak also reports on yesterday's introduction.

Rosiak had the scoop on a possible Trevor Mbakwe transfer last week, and now the Minnesota boards are buzzing about it per this thread. One down?

We linked to this last night, but in case you missed it -- Buzz Williams will try and retain Tyshawn Taylor when he visits Jersey City on Friday.

Bob Wolfley speaks with Buzz Williams mentors and former bosses in his latest column.

Chas Rich at AOL Fan House evaluates MU's decision to hire Buzz Williams -- another fine blog by Chas.

And dont forget.......Please click on this link to land over at the eBay auction for a pair of tickets to the sold out Marquette Basketball Banquet. All proceeds go to a great cause -- Camp Anokijig, a non-profit youth and family camp located in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.

More Buzz, More Buzz

Buzz Williams was introduced today as the new head basketball coach at Marquette University.

If you missed the press conference, check these out:

• Quotes from the press conference via MU
• Audio from the press conference from the Journal-Sentinel
• Video from the press conference from the Journal-Sentinel
• Also, Buzz will be on the road in New Jersey this Friday to try and re-recruit prize commit Tyshawn Taylor from Jersey City.
  

OK, if all of this virtual Buzz is not enough for you --- why not check him out in-person this week at the Marquette Basketball Banquet?

Please click on this link to land over at the eBay auction for a pair of tickets to this sold out event. All proceeds go to a great cause -- Camp Anokijig, a non-profit youth and family camp located in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.

Bid'em up and thanks for your support.

Perception is reality....Marquette needed to create a buzz but didn't

Perception is reality for a school like Marquette. Sure it has a grand tradition, some terrific coaches over the years, post season glory and a fan base that supports the basketball program financially and with ticket purchases. But perception remains reality for Marquette. MU is at it's strongest with a strong man at the helm of the basketball program. The type of man that might piss some fans off but rallies many others to the cause. Quite simply, a man that creates a buzz.

So it is with great irony (tragic perhaps) that MU hires a man nick named Buzz that seems to have caused anything but a thud. Perception is reality.

For as much hating of Tom Crean as there was from some MU alumni, Crean caused a buzz. Attendance was at an all-time high last year, this past year's squad was ranked again, went to the NCAAs for three straight years. We were recruiting nationally and landing better and better players each year. But Crean left and the buzz went with him, even if the Buzz didn't go with him.

So the last 7 nightmarish days have turned out to be prophetic for some of us. So many of us had hoped MU was finally past IT. Finally past the days of having to risk it on a coach that may or may not be the guy. Sure, every hire is a risk to some extent but there are levels of risk. After finishing in the top 25 and having a senior laden team returning next season, playing in the Big East, paying a $1.6 million salary to the previous coach, having fantastic facilities, 16,000+ attendance per game....why is this level of risk even necessary?

MU apparently tried to get Bennett and Miller. No doubt those would both be a reach and not surprising MU couldn't land them. They have their own wonderful programs in play, one is at state school with it's own built in advantages and the other plays in a watered down league which he can dominate. So, was option three Buzz Williams? Really? I suspect he may not have been but MU did feel he was in their top 5 all along.

So many of us wanted to believe we were past this...oh how wrong we were. In 1977, we hired an assistant in Hank Raymonds. A good X's and O's coach but no buzz to carry MU in a pro market where they need that charisma. In 1983 it was another MU assistant in Rick Majerus, who did not have the maturity or the self-confidence in his own skin yet to handle that position. In 1986, MU went with Bob Dukiet after others had accepted and turned down the position. Bob Dukiet...head coach of the Peacocks of St. Peter's College. Rolls off your tongue doesn't it.

Soon after Bill Cords took over and only two years later, Bob Dukiet was gone. Cords hired Kevin O'Neill. That was a great hire....a guy with buzz (in some cases more buzz then we thought). He put MU back on the map and in the process ticked off many MU blue hair alums. GET OVER IT. That's the trade off, some alums want a coach they can feel good about but more often then not you need someone that's going to get the job done and he might hurt a few feelings in the process, to bad! O'Neill left in 1994 to be replaced by Mike Deane. Deane was a terrific X's and O's coach but short on the buzz. Recruiting was not a strong suit and the public swagger needed to put MU over the top was in short supply. Enter Tom Crean, brash assistant from arguably the best program in the country at the time. Within 3 years took a non-postseason team to the NCAA and within 4 years to the Final Four. Many alums thought he was fake, arrogant, phony....he had the buzz whether those people want to admit it or not. People liked Tom or hated him, but they talked about him either way. He created a buzz.

And so 9 days after Crean's departure, MU seeing what that buzz has done for the university during McGuire, during O'Neill, and during Crean instead takes it literally and hires a guy named Buzz that creates none of it. That's not an indictment against Williams, who I pray turns out to be everything this administration thinks he will turn into. But history can be telling and in a city like Milwaukee at a school like Marquette, history could teach some valuable lessons. MU needed to create a buzz with this hire, a real buzz. MU failed in that category.

With the resources at its disposal, one would think MU could have gone in many directions. An assistant like Groce at Ohio State, a NCAA champion coach on the hot seat like Gary Williams, an established head coach ready to make the next move like Travis Ford or Brad Brownwell. Something that would have told MU's fans and the city of Milwaukee that MU got it, that MU wasn't going to go down that path again.

So ultimately the question is why? We asked 46 days ago, WHY COTTINGHAM? Now we ask WHY BUZZ? Is it to save a recruiting class that probably can't be saved, at least the two best players in that class? Is it keep continuity with the current team? Does anyone think James or McNeal are going to get drafted in the NBA this year? So if Taylor and Nick Williams decide not to come to Marquette, did MU just hire a 14-17 DI coach to keep "continuity" for a current team which likely isn't losing anyone either and to keep a recruiting class at 50% fulfilled? Couldn't we have delievered that with any number of other guys and also create a buzz at the same time?

Truth be told, I'm rooting very hard for Buzz Williams as would any MU fan. Next year MU should be quite good, though the potential transfer of Trevor Mbakwe will hurt. I hope in a few years to bring back this essay and say, I was dead wrong. Oh how I want to be dead wrong.

In the meantime, however, disappointment is the name of the game for me. MU again was in the batter's box with a chance to do something special and after fouling a few back (Miller and Bennett) decided instead of swinging hard, they let strike three go right down the middle.

Disappointing. Steve Cottingham and Buzz Williams have a terrific opportunity to prove me and many others flat wrong. Here's to you....the praying on my end has begun.

Buzz Willams takes the reigns at MU

Much more to come later including loads of commentary from the team here......in the interim, a few reports to check out about MU's new head coach:

• Todd Rosiak blogs his conversation with Buzz Williams. Terrific work by Todd.
• Here's Rosiak's article from today's edition.
• Here's the MU Tribune on the hiring.
• Michael Hunt states the obvious, thankfully -- no buzz about Buzz. IMHO, Hunt nailed this one -- consider:

Perception is a powerful selling point, especially with the alumni who were looking for a big-splash hire, so what does the relatively quick promotion of an inexperienced, relative unknown say about Marquette?

That Marquette, with all of its money, could've attracted a bigger name?

Buzz Willams to be named new head coach at Marquette

Jeff Goodman from Fox Sports reports tonight that current Marquette assistant Brent 'Buzz' Williams will be named the program's new head coach tomorrow.

Here's the link to Jeff's report.

Gary Parrish at CBS Sportsline also reports Buzz is MU's choice.

Todd Rosiak chimes in now......confirming a 2pm press conference at The Al McGuire Center on Tuesday to announce the hiring.

Here's the official MU press release.

Here is the Marquette media alert

April 7, 2008
Media Advisory

Marquette University will introduce Brent “Buzz” Williams as the men’s basketball program’s 16th head coach at a press conference at 2 p.m. CT Tuesday afternoon at the Al McGuire Center.

The press conference will be held on the main court of the Al McGuire Center.

Members of the University and greater Milwaukee community are encouraged to attend and support Williams as he takes over the leadership of the nationally recognized program.

Rumors du jour.........

After a quiet day (a few quiet days, in fact) for the MU coaching search, late this afternoon two rumors gained momentum on the message boards.

First - - The MUScoop and the Dodds boards each report that MU could announce the hiring of its new head men's basketball coach on Tuesday. If so, that could mean Buzz Williams is in line to be the next coach.

Second -- A thread on the Dodds board indicates that Steve 'The Homer' True reported on his radio program that he's hearing a rumor that MU will throw $2M at Washington State head coach Tony Bennett. Also per MUScoop, Mike DeCourcy indicated on TSN Radio earlier today that Bennett is still in play. Same thing on the Dodds board.

Of the two, here's hoping the Bennett rumors are most accurate.

Monday morning coaching update

A few key items from around the Web regarding the MU coaching search:

• Rosiak blogged late last night, most of it revolving around Buzz Williams as well as the possible emerging candidacy of SIU's Chris Lowery. Rosiak also throws out two other names: UK assistant Tracy Webster, and current Baylor coach Scott Drew.
  
• Sean Miller is sticking with X, no surprise.
  
• Garry Howard of the Journal-Sentinel emerged from hibernation long enough to deliver a column designed to help repair Tom Crean's reputation with the MU fan base (or so it would appear).
• Tyshawn Taylor still wants out according to Zagoria.
• Need to learn (and see) more about Buzz Williams? Check out MUScoop.
  

DeCourcy updates: Buzz Williams called back from San Antonio

Mike DeCourcy, who last week provided exclusive insight into MU's search for a new head basketball coach, today reports that Buzz Williams has been called back from San Antonio to meet with university officials. According to a source cited in the report, Williams has a 'great chance' to replace Tom Crean.

In addition, current MU Board of Trustees member Doc Rivers somewhat endorsed Williams' candidacy in this report from the AP.

"Buzz wouldn't be a bad guy," said Rivers, a former Marquette player and current university trustee. "He'd be terrific. But they're going to interview a lot of guys, which they're already doing. We'll see."

Talk about it at MUScoop.

Saturday update: A Buzz about Marquette

Todd Rosiak reports this morning that current assistant Buzz Williams is "likely the top candidate" to replace Tom Irsay as the new head basketball coach at Marquette.

In a disappointing development, the article also reports that MU has approached Tony Bennett, Anthony Grant, and Sean Miller -- only to be rebuffed.

Meanwhile, WTMJ in Milwaukee is reporting that MU is down to four: Buzz Williams, Davidson's Bob McKillop, Wright State's Brad Brownell and SIU's Chris Lowery.

Chris Jenkins of the AP reports that MU already spoke with Williams informally about the opening. Thankfully it appears that Brian Gregory wants to stay in Dayton (lets hope that was just a bad rumor the other day).

The momentum (er, buzz) around Williams could be an indication that Marquette is keen to stop the bleeding with the incoming 2009 recruits, not to mention any players on the current roster. Williams could offer a smooth bridge to a new era on campus, without the disruption of a complete regime change.

We'll watch this space closely.

BTW, the Bleacher Report has an interesting list of 'up and coming' coaches to check out.

Here is what we know

What a wild week........as of 3:15pm CDT on Friday afternoon, here is what we think we know is going on since Tom Crean 'went Irsay' on Marquette University back on April Fools Day.

• The Marquette Board of Trustees is meeting today to discuss the search for a new head coach. It is noteworthy that former MU basketball players Doc Rivers and Ulice Payne serve on the board. It is also noteworthy that this is the same organization that brought us the Marquette Gold (though they did hire TC way back when).
  
• 2009 commits Nick Williams and Tyshawn Taylor have asked to be released from their commitment to attend Marquette. MU has not officially responded to these requests.
• 2009 recruits Chris Otule and Joseph Fulce are in 'wait and see' mode.
• Per IWB, it looks like former MU assistant coaches Tim Buckley and Bennie Seltzer will join Tom Crean in Bloomington.
• The Dayton Daily News is reporting that the next head coach at Marquette will be current Dayton coach Brian Gregory. This guy had better be wrong, very wrong. Brian Gregory is the second-best college coach in his own city.
• Yesterday, another reporter at the same Dayton newspaper claimed that Wright State's Brad Brownell was on MU's short list. Brownell is an intriguing candidate who was evidently the runner-up choice for Indiana.
  
• KJR sports radio in Seattle reported last night that Tony Bennett informed his university president that he will be staying at Washington State University.
• Other coaches mentioned in connection with the MU job: Bruce Weber, John Groce, and Sean Miller. Cracked Sidewalks thinks it is extremely unlikely that Miller departs Xavier. He already makes good money, has great facilities, and a supportive administration. Ther guess here is that he is waiting for Jamie Dixon to bail on Pittsburgh so he can return to his Alma Mater.
  
• With the MU fan base, the candidacy of current assistant Buzz Williams is a very hot topic.
• If that's not enough, IWB has a list of rumors to check out at the SportsBubbler.
• According to a few reports in the Hoosier State, IU has agreed to pay MU a buyout of $650K. We've not heard the last on that issue.
  

Right now, if we trust the collective wisdom of The Internets (and who wouldn't!?), then the top three most likely candidates would appear to be Buzz Williams, Brian Gregory, and Brad Brownell.

Who is your preferred candidate from among that group?