"My rule was I wouldn't recruit a kid if he had grass in front of his house.
That's not my world. My world was a cracked sidewalk." —Al McGuire

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

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:

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?

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Time will tell. At the very least, I'm eager to hear and watch how someone else runs the program. We'll have to start a new drinking game, though.

"The crowd was phenomenal." DRINK!

"We just have to get better." DRINK!

"We can't start slow like that and expect to win." DRINK!

"I don't worry about free throws." DRINK!

"We don't ever foul in that situation." DRINK!

Seriously, though, let's wait and see on this one. And let's not hold it against Buzz for getting the job.

EastCoastMidwesterner said...

Bullsh1t.
Bullsh1t.
Bullsh1t.
Bullsh1t.
Bullsh1t.
Bullsh1t.
Bullsh1t.
Bullsh1t.

seriously.

Bullsh1t.

Championships Matter said...

I've been very hard on Buzz the last few days. My concern has been that he is our version of Phil Bengston (Packer fans, look at your history books, circa 1968) or a Mike Deane/Bob Dukiet rolled into one.

Regardless, he is our coach. They won't change and Tony Bennett won't magically pop up this afternoon and say, "gee, I have reconsidered and I want to coach Marquette!" And, I don't think I'll wake up in an hour and think this is all a bad dream!

Therefore, at this point, my griping stops and I profoundly hope I am WRONG. We hope that Buzz is the next Al McGuire! Or perhaps Al McGuire was a preview version of Buzz!

One can only hope that Father Wild sees something in him I don't or can't as a casual, rabid fan of Marquette. That the recruits come, the players develop and are graduated and that we loft a new banner in the Northeast Corner of the Bradley Center with a big "1" in it!

Go get 'em Buzz. Prove I'm an idiot!

Go get 'em Buzz. Save Steve Cottingham's job!

Alex said...

The criticism of Buzz is ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. Consider:

Buzz Williams brought in a TOP 50 recruiting class to New Orleans when he was head coach there.

Buzz Williams brought in some of the best recruits in the nation during his two years at A&M under Gillepsie.

Marquette had to pay Buzz $300,000.00 to be an assistant, and everyone knew he was going to be gone soon as a head coach.

Tyshan Tayler was on his way to Kansas before Buzz Williams got in his year and got him to commit to Marquette.

This is a great hire.

When Notre Dame passed on Urban Meyer for Ty Willingham in 2002, because Urban Meyer wasn't a big enough name at the time, was that a good move?

When Nebraska hired the "big name" Bill Callahan in 2003 over the rising-star assistant Bo Pelini, was that a good move?

When Oklahoma hired Bob Stoops in 1998, who had NO head coaching experience, was that a bad move?

Why the hell do we want a "big name"? This is absurd. By all accounts, Buzz has the work ethic, recruiting ability, and coaching skills to succeed and perhaps surpass the back-stabbing Tom Crean. Have some perspective and tell Michael Hunt to shut up.

theKAYman said...

Good points, Alex. I never heard why Buzz is not still the coach at UNO. He recruited the top 50 class and then left. Quit? Fired?

Alex said...

More evidence that Buzz is a great hire:

http://www.sportsbubbler.com/DisplayTopic.aspx?topicID=1384

Michael Hunt's column is idiotic. For instance, he complains that Buzz got a six year deal. What the hell? Does Mr. Hunt not know that coaches need long-term agreements to attract recruits?

Look, folks, ignore Michael Hunt. He knows nothing. There is no point to hire a "big name" just for the sake of hiring a "big name." Substance is what matters, and by all accounts, Buzz Williams has it.

When Tony Bennet was hired two years ago by Washington St., he had NO head coaching experience and was 36 years old. Yet, in his rookie year, he was national coach of the year. Buzz is 35 years old, has head coaching experience, and is nationally recognized as one of the best recruiters in the country.

A great hire. Marquette fans should be loving Buzz Williams right now.

JZilla said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Alex said...

Tone Ranger --

Good question. The word is that New Orleans was in such shambles after Katrina, they were not even getting him his pay checks on a regular basis. The facilities were not a priority to get rebuilt. It just appeared to be a sinking ship. Otherwise, why leave a head coaching job to be an assistant?

wisblue said...

I have heard that Williams left UNO because of post Katrina problems, such as no locker rooms, assistant coaches not getting paid, etc. If that's true, I think we can give him a pass on that.

rugbydrummer said...

you can thank FEMA/Bush for that!