Marquette Basketball Thread 20-21

[nodakfan17]

Too funny ... just mentioned the old Rob Demovsky / Brian Wardle feud in this thread and then Demovsky rips the scab off and tweets that UWGB could have hired Porter Moser 11 years ago, but went with Wardle instead.

 

[patrickgpe]

Indiana is said to be down to Thad Matta and Mike Woodson. I would think Marquette would be the most attractive job after Indiana. I think its going to be hard to pry Moser away, he has made some cash this last week and Loyola will do what they can to retain him. He can pretty much pick his job and wait until something comes up if he wants to.

 

I was happy to read that Scholl said he would prefer to go the head coach route. This is his first major hire since coming to Marquette, so it will be interesting to see what he does. It looks like he has done excellent job hiring his last woman's bball coach, which is a omen.

[LouisEly]

I don't know much about Porter Moser and his personal beliefs, but given that Loyola and Marquette are both Jesuit schools Marquette may have an advantage. The fact that Moser didn't bolt after their last tournament run suggests that may be the type of school he wants to be at.

 

You can bet that DePaul will be throwing everything they can at Moser as well.

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

If I were Moser, I'd stay. You can write your ticket at Loyola. With the publicity and expoaure over these last few years, you've got a chance to be at least Wichita State and maybe approach Gonzaga brand. The Valley has a much deeper history and level of success than the WCC, and you don't have to deal with all the pressure of recruiting and boosters in the way you do at bigger programs. Plus, you'll get a massive check. I am honestly surprised more coaches don't set out trying to be Mark Few. Especially since Loyola is reaching the point where they won't have quite the scheduling challenges a lot mid-majors do.

 

Of course, I totally understand why guys want to "move up," and Marquette's a good job. But, man, Archie is a cautionary tale. From the cusp of a Final Four at a place that's just rabidly loyal about basketball and with major resources to pressure galore and constant questioning of your ability. Arch is laughing all the way to the bank, I guess, but for what Dayton would've given him, I'd prefer less stress.

[patrickgpe]

It’s possible he leaves if Marquette backs up the brinks truck. Jeff Goodman is adamant that he wants the job at Marquette. I think it’s more likely mu gets a guy like Craig Smith.

[patrickgpe]

Rothstein reporting Marquette getting Shaka Smart. Great hire if this is true. Hopefully this isn't another #donedeal.

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

Yeah, love the Shaka hire. Think he's a great fit for Marquette. Had some bad luck in the tournament, but good work if true.

[MrTPlush]

Yeah, love the Shaka hire. Think he's a great fit for Marquette. Had some bad luck in the tournament, but good work if true.

 

He was out coached in the Big 12 yearly. Probably a good coach for Marquette standards and I won’t pretend to know how good the fit is, but it wasn’t just bad luck. He just has not been that great coaching in a major conference.

 

If he didn’t have that Final Four appearance I really question how good of a coach he really would be considered.

[bjkrautk]

I look at the Shaka Smart hire as an acknowledgment they weren't going to get Porter Moser.

 

I can see him pitching pace of play with the in-state kids, but the real question is whether he can bring in talent when the Dukes, North Carolinas, and Kentuckys come calling (since we know Coach Gard cannot). Other than that final four run a decade ago, he's won a total of 2 games in the Tournament since. Granted, that's 2 more games than Wojo won...but those wins both came before Wojo was even hired as Marquette's head coach (in 2012 and 2013; Wojo was first hired in 2014).

[patrickgpe]

I will say if he does what he does at Texas that’s not going to do it. I think the expectation at Marquette is in the tourney every year and sweet16 or better every 3 years or so

[PeaveyFury]

Smart is still living quite a bit on his time at VCU and a run to a Final Four, but his time with the big boys has been far from exceptional. He's a 'hot name' because of VCU and his Wisconsin ties, but I think he'll end up Wojo'd in 5-6 years.

[MrTPlush]

I will say if he does what he does at Texas that’s not going to do it. I think the expectation at Marquette is in the tourney every year and sweet16 or better every 3 years or so

 

The sad part is he had good recruiting classes at Texas...like really solid classes. Handful of Top 100 guys yearly and a 5 star (or near 5 star) recruit every year. Annnnd...he never won a tourney game and missed the tourney 50% of the time.

 

Maybe he proves me wrong, but I don’t see why he will fare any better at Marquette.

[homer]

Great recruiter, bad coach. Tom Crean years revisited.

[nodakfan17]

Smart is still living quite a bit on his time at VCU and a run to a Final Four, but his time with the big boys has been far from exceptional. He's a 'hot name' because of VCU and his Wisconsin ties, but I think he'll end up Wojo'd in 5-6 years.

Those are pretty much my thoughts, as well.

[patrickgpe]

Great recruiter, bad coach. Tom Crean years revisited.

then the just rehired Wojo

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

Texas was very good all year. In the tourney, Shaka has lost:

 

1) At the buzzer on a 50-footer.

 

2) To a crazy Nevada comeback in overtime (Texas was up 20).

 

3) By one in a game where they turned it over 24 times.

 

If you want to say Shaka should've done more with the talent he got, I get it. And the VCU run involved its own kind of luck. I just think he's going to have Marquette in the tournament nearly every year, and that's all you can ask for. Plus, he is young, has local ties, and a record of success at a school outside the big power structure. I think being at a basketball-first school is really going to help.

[patrickgpe]

Shaka's first test is to try to keep guys like Carton / Garcia. They have a good foundation, but it never amounted to much. I think Smart is a risk, but while Marquette is a very good job, its not a top job, so you playing from a different group of candidates than Indiana, Texas, Duke, etc. Smart will have everything he needs to succeed here (top facilities, top 10 program in terms of how much $ is invested, etc) so if it doesn't work out, its on him.

[MrTPlush]

I mean sure, you could call that unlucky. However, with the recruiting classes he had losing in the first round or not even making the tourney shouldn’t have even been a possibility that would cross your mind. Since he got their I would wager his recruiting classes were #1 in the Big 12 on average.

[patrickgpe]

not going to say that his teams didn't underperform based on recruiting rankings, but he didn't always get the top class in the big 12 as you suggested

 

according to 247 sports (big 12 rankings)

 

2021 - #2 (11th nationally)

2020 - #10

2019 - #3 (17th nationally)

2018 - #2 (8th nationally)

2017 - #1 (6th nationally)

2016 - #1 ( 6th nationally)

[MrTPlush]

not going to say that his teams didn't underperform based on recruiting rankings, but he didn't always get the top class in the big 12 as you suggested

 

according to 247 sports (big 12 rankings)

 

2021 - #2 (11th nationally)

2020 - #10

2019 - #3 (17th nationally)

2018 - #2 (8th nationally)

2017 - #1 (6th nationally)

2016 - #1 ( 6th nationally)

 

That isn’t what I suggested at all. I said on average....so as in on average over his tenure he has had the best recruiting in the conference. Which is just about spot on. The outlier 2020 would put him just behind Kansas in recruiting over his tenure.

[patrickgpe]

Sorry I misunderstood. Either way we can agree that he should have had a few sweet 16 runs at minimum with the talent be brought in.

[HiAndTight]

Sorry I misunderstood. Either way we can agree that he should have had a few sweet 16 runs at minimum with the talent be brought in.

 

I'm not sure what that meant either. You'd say "on average" if you were talking about a top 5 class. He had two #1's and that's it. Actually, if you did average it out, it'd be much lower.

 

Anyway, I think recruiting classes are a bit overrated in CBB. Maybe he's a coach that does better with the #30 recruiting class and kids that'll be there for 2-3 years rather than one or two high profile signees who leave after one year.

 

Turner, Allen, Bamba, Hayes...and a couple of others. He has at least produced quite a bit of NBA-level talent and they were pretty damn good this year. Kinda surprising he'd be leaving UT at this point for Marquette, but as someone who doesn't hate Marquette despite being a Badger, I'm a fan of this move.

[patrickgpe]

Good point. I didn’t consider that but it very well could be true. The one and dones are a blessing and a curse

[HiAndTight]

Good point. I didn’t consider that but it very well could be true. The one and dones are a blessing and a curse

 

Yeah, I stole that almost exclusively from Kentucky Radio talking about how they were disappointed in their recent teams.

 

I have Satellite, so I'm still not sure why I was listening to the local UK call-in show, but that was their take. So if Kentucky fans aren't loving it...I figured there'd be ample reason for UT fans to not love it at the moment.

[LouisEly]

I look at the Shaka Smart hire as an acknowledgment they weren't going to get Porter Moser.

I think it's more of a case of bird in hand versus bird in bush - Moser's season hasn't ended yet, and they may have felt that Smart was good enough to not risk waiting on Moser, or perhaps Smart said he didn't want to wait and if you wanted him you had to get him now.

 

I think DePaul is going to go all-in on Moser, with the pitch that he doesn't have to move his family. Maybe Marquette felt that was too much risk to wait and then if they didn't get Moser there wouldn't be anyone good left.