The Real Reason Buzz Left

[Bill Marsh]

We are in a weird position right now. We have an interim President, an interim Athletic Director and no head basketball coach. It will be a challenge to get high quality candidates interested in the position because it's possible that the new AD and President could have different agendas moving forward.

It's also worth noting that the former President (Wild) and AD (Cords) are the interim figure heads. Their replacements both resigned (presumably from pressure from the BOT for not doing as well as their predecessors).

Wow! Timing couldn't be worse.

What's the time line for hiring a new president?

[GoldenWarrior11]

The search for President has been ongoing since October, where the AD position opened in December. Both Pilarz (former President) and Larry Williams (former AD) came in together after Fr. Wild and Bill Cords retired in 2011 - both of whom are now the interim figure heads.

Once the President is hired, then an AD will be hired. The President should be hired within the next few months.

The fact that Wild and Cords are running things give Marquette the best future moving forward. Wild raised more money than anyone, and he and Cord were instrumental in hiring Tom Crean back in 1999, as well as Buzz in 2008.

In a perfect world, both of them decide to stay on, but both are undoubtedly retiring. Marquette needs to find the "next" Wild and Cords, IMO. They were grand slam run hires.

[SJHooper]

I had really come to associate Buzz with Marquette in the same way I associated McDermott with Creighton. He was a fixture there...you looked at him and said "Marquette". This really is a hit but Howland will soften the blow...he's no stranger to major hoops and major recruiting. I was pissed when I saw the headline. I always liked Buzz as a premier Big East coach, but when he went on air for an interview 1 day later with a "VT" pin and a VT colored tie I thought it was a slap in the face. Really dude? That's like breaking up with your girlfriend then the next morning you walk by her with a new girl already. You don't have to gloat...that's just salt in the wound IMO. That pissed me off enough, then it made me furious when he basically said the Big East sucked. Really Buzz? If it sucked then explain your terrible year (with the expectations at Marquette). I know Marquette is not really Marquette when we sweep them. If the Big East was bad shouldn't Marquette have been a top team easily throttling the other squads?

After all that time at Marquette and being a fixture there and just seeing how quickly he threw the conference and school under the bus really left a bad taste in my mouth even as a SJ fan. I can't remember any other college basketball coach doing that stuff right there on TV. He also totally screwed up the recruiting. Anyone else feel like the Big East just can't catch a break? We get raped by the ACC, we lose Cuse, Pitt, L'Ville then we lose WVU, UConn, Cincy, ND. Then we get Butler and Stevens leaves. Then Buzz gets poached by the ACC. It's like the Big East playing cards with the ACC and whenever we have a better hand the ACC just steals our cards instead of beating us with theirs. So over this crap. Loyalty means nothing anymore. What a shame.

[Bill Marsh]

Just one detail, Hooper. The Big East didn't lose UConn and Cincy. The C7 left them.

[Bill Marsh]

The search for President has been ongoing since October, where the AD position opened in December. Both Pilarz (former President) and Larry Williams (former AD) came in together after Fr. Wild and Bill Cords retired in 2011 - both of whom are now the interim figure heads.

Once the President is hired, then an AD will be hired. The President should be hired within the next few months.

The fact that Wild and Cords are running things give Marquette the best future moving forward. Wild raised more money than anyone, and he and Cord were instrumental in hiring Tom Crean back in 1999, as well as Buzz in 2008.

In a perfect world, both of them decide to stay on, but both are undoubtedly retiring. Marquette needs to find the "next" Wild and Cords, IMO. They were grand slam run hires.

Thanks for the update. Greatly appreciate the info.

[Burrito]

Not sure if this article about Buzz had been posted.

http://painttouches.com/2014/03/23/gres ... -williams/

[SJHooper]

Just one detail, Hooper. The Big East didn't lose UConn and Cincy. The C7 left them.

True. But I still don't understand how they aren't at our door with a cake asking to come back in. They need us as much as we need them. L'Ville is leaving which is huge alone...then on top of that they are adding a bunch of crap which will soften their RPI even more. I could see moving to the ACC/Big 12/Big Ten/Pac 12 for football reasons but not the AAC. Just wait until Larry Brown retires if he doesn't pass away first (not to sound morbid but he's at the age where men die from old age). Then SMU goes back to being SMU. I honestly cannot think of one reason it makes more sense for them in the AAC than the Big East. It helps both of us a ton if they come. The only reason they are not here I can think of is that we will never let another football school in here ever again after what happened. But the way to get around that is make them sign a contract stating that they are here for basketball reasons primarily and their football teams will be stored in another conference for a long, long time. That would give us the stability and confidence we need. And on top of that if they want to bolt to the ACC if they ever get the chance, make the exit fee something totally ridiculous so they can't leave. That essentially locks them in and we have no worries.

[marquette]

Just one detail, Hooper. The Big East didn't lose UConn and Cincy. The C7 left them.

True. But I still don't understand how they aren't at our door with a cake asking to come back in. They need us as much as we need them. L'Ville is leaving which is huge alone...then on top of that they are adding a bunch of crap which will soften their RPI even more. I could see moving to the ACC/Big 12/Big Ten/Pac 12 for football reasons but not the AAC. Just wait until Larry Brown retires if he doesn't pass away first (not to sound morbid but he's at the age where men die from old age). Then SMU goes back to being SMU. I honestly cannot think of one reason it makes more sense for them in the AAC than the Big East. It helps both of us a ton if they come. The only reason they are not here I can think of is that we will never let another football school in here ever again after what happened. But the way to get around that is make them sign a contract stating that they are here for basketball reasons primarily and their football teams will be stored in another conference for a long, long time. That would give us the stability and confidence we need. And on top of that if they want to bolt to the ACC if they ever get the chance, make the exit fee something totally ridiculous so they can't leave. That essentially locks them in and we have no worries.

They don't want to be here any more than we want them here. Even if they did they would never agree to an exit fee like that.

When the NCAA tournament is over, wait a day then take a trip over to an AAC board. Since football season has ended there have been more football threads than basketball ones. Every single person in the administrations of the AAC schools would cut their basketball program tomorrow for an invite to a P5.

[Bill Marsh]

Just one detail, Hooper. The Big East didn't lose UConn and Cincy. The C7 left them.

True. But I still don't understand how they aren't at our door with a cake asking to come back in. They need us as much as we need them. L'Ville is leaving which is huge alone...then on top of that they are adding a bunch of crap which will soften their RPI even more. I could see moving to the ACC/Big 12/Big Ten/Pac 12 for football reasons but not the AAC. Just wait until Larry Brown retires if he doesn't pass away first (not to sound morbid but he's at the age where men die from old age). Then SMU goes back to being SMU. I honestly cannot think of one reason it makes more sense for them in the AAC than the Big East. It helps both of us a ton if they come. The only reason they are not here I can think of is that we will never let another football school in here ever again after what happened. But the way to get around that is make them sign a contract stating that they are here for basketball reasons primarily and their football teams will be stored in another conference for a long, long time. That would give us the stability and confidence we need. And on top of that if they want to bolt to the ACC if they ever get the chance, make the exit fee something totally ridiculous so they can't leave. That essentially locks them in and we have no worries.

You answered your own question when you said you could you could see them moving to a P5 conference. That's their goal. The AAC is a stepping stone. A port in a storm. They don't see the Big East as a step that will get them closer to their goal.