Buzz Williams leaving Marquette for Va Tech

[ElDonBDon]

Article from Jeff Goodman, Buzz's mouthpiece

Buzz Williams was gone. Marquette’s head coach was frustrated with the new league and changes in administration. He wanted a change of scenery.

The old Big East was all-powerful. It had guys like Jim Boeheim and Rick Pitino and virtually unlimited exposure that allowed Williams to win recruiting wars against fellow high-major programs.

Now, the league has taken more hits. It began with the departure of Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Notre Dame to the ACC – and a revamped league that included seven holdovers in addition to Creighton, Xavier and Butler.

Doug McDermott carried the league this season, but his career is coming to an end, and now one of its other faces is gone -- to Virginia Tech.

Yes, Virginia Tech.

Marquette is still a quality job, but it’s not the same as it was a year or so ago. Those are just the facts. Williams was disenchanted.

There was always speculation that Williams would wind up going back closer to home -- somewhere in the Texas area. Maybe even replace Texas Longhorns coach Rick Barnes someday.

Instead, he has bolted for a bottom-tier spot in the ACC.

Williams is a home run for new Hokies athletic director Whit Babcock. No, he’s a grand slam. Babcock came from Cincinnati, and Williams is close to Bearcats coach Mick Cronin. That might have been the hook, but the key was exposure and support.

The administration has changed. Marquette will bring in a new president and athletic director at some point soon, and that’s rarely a positive sign for a standing head coach. Usually, the newcomers want "their" guys.

Williams now goes to work for "his guy" in the country's premier league. He’ll make the Hokies relevant -- even if it’ll be difficult to crack the top four of the league with Duke, North Carolina, Syracuse and Louisville all in the ACC. Now Williams, who thrives on being counted out, gets to go up against Coach K, Roy and gets another shot at Boeheim and Pitino.

Unlike Marquette, Virginia Tech carries virtually no expectations. In nine seasons, Seth Greenberg took the Hokies to just one NCAA tournament. James Johnson was 22-41 in his two-year stint.

It’s going to take time, though. Johnson didn’t leave much in the cupboard. Think of this as a similar situation that Frank Martin faced when he left Kansas State for South Carolina. It could be a couple more seasons of battling for the cellar.


But Williams also saw the handwriting on the wall. He had raised the expectations: five consecutive NCAA tourney appearances, two Sweet 16s and an Elite Eight. Marquette didn’t get in the postseason at all this season and the Golden Eagles will be worse off next season.

Now, Marquette is on the clock. The last go-around, the Golden Eagles pulled the shocker going with the anonymous Williams after Tom Crean left for Indiana.

I’ve been told that former UCLA coach Ben Howland will be in the mix. Syracuse coach-in-waiting Mike Hopkins might be in play. Former Marquette player and assistant Brian Wardle, now at Green Bay, will be in the equation. Wichita State’s Gregg Marshall, according to sources, would likely have interest. Dayton’s Archie Miller could also be in the equation.

Marquette might not be quite as attractive as it once was, but it’s still a job that will attract plenty of quality candidates.

[HoosierPal]

Saw a source said that Gregg Marshall might be interested.

I'm sure Greg Marshall took time away from preparing for his team's game tonight to put himself in the running for Marquette. Didn't happen!! Someone is just stirring the pot unnecessarily at this time.

I'm also sure that IU would be glad to give Marquette Tom Crean back. He has worn out his welcome in Bloomington.

You realize Greg Marshall probably has an agent right? And that the agent is handling 99.9% of the process until the coach actually interviews? All Greg would have to do at this point while he is coaching is just tell his agent, "I'm busy, but I'm not saying no right now." If there were actually serious problems between the Marquette administration and Buzz Williams I wouldn't be surprised if Marquette was proactive in contacting Greg Marshall's agent during the season.

Also, Greg Marshall would be an absolute homerun, but I don't put too large of a chance on it happening. Everyone is going to be throwing money at him this offseason. That said, I think Marquette is the most prestigious coaching position in the Big East and has some deep pockets, so I am not ruling it out by any means.

It's media just stirring the pot. An agent isn't going to bother his client two hours before a critical game. If anything, it's an agent talking on his own, and not speaking for Greg Marshall. Things can wait until the Wichita State is done. Marshall is making $1.75Million. Is Marquette willing to go to $2+?

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/2013/09/24/wichita-state-raises-gregg-marshalls-salary-to-175-million/2861659/

[Piratefan]

Marq pays Buzz $2.8mm per year plus access to a private jet as needed. Money will not be an obstacle for Marq.

[aughnanure]

Am I the only one who doesn't think this is that big of a loss?

No, you're not. This isn't that big of a loss.

Sadly, I agree. i believed in Buzz, but he DID NOT BUILD MARQUETTE. He took over a Marquette team that was a Final Four Contender until Dominic James went down with a broken ankle/foot (i forget). He's never built a program and culture. He will fail. Terrible move for him. Should've take the Oklahoma job, or Texas A&M, etc a few years back.

I'm excited about Howland/Marshall/Manning/Hopkins.

[ElDonBDon]

So Buzz is sticking with the "this is no longer the same Marquette since they are in a new conference."

A week or so ago I said that there was a BE coach who was PISSED about the FS1 deal and said recruiting would take a huge hit, etc. I surmised that it was Lavin (as did many on one of the MU boards). But a bunch of you guys gave me some stories about Lavin and how he's actually a great guy, "a true Big East guy." Perhaps the anonymous BE coach who made those comments was Buzz.

But why Vtech? Why not Wake or perhaps BC? That is really confusing to me.

Buzz and his family seemed to really like the community (Milwaukee, alums, etc). Buzz always pushed his faith, asking players, fans, alums at public meetings to pray with him, etc. I'm an MU alum and at many events we open it with a prayer. However, I also went to a public university and needless to say, I've never even heard the word "prayer" there. VTech being public and all, I'm not sure how he reconciles those things. At Marquette, we embraced his religiosity.

There are some rumors swirling that Marquette actually told Buzz to leave (and this leads to other rumors as to why). But it's hard to tell if this is the classic middle school response "she didn't dump me, I dumped her" routine.

In my personal opinion, Buzz left because of the pressure. When he was an assistant at MU, we were good. Other than this season, we were always in contention. This season brought scores of critics and the thought is that he simply could not handle it. I noticed on several news outlets that they mention all of the criticism. For example,

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketb ... ginia-tech

Listen to what they start saying around the 40 second mark. I believe the guy got overwhelmed with pressure. Marquette was great in the 70s. Disappeared in the 80s. Had a small resurgence in the 90s and then DWade happened. And then made some strides in the tourney. Our fans got spoiled. We made the Elite 8 and then were picked to win the conference. Buzz didn't deliver and we made sure he heard about it. He didn't like it so he left. For him, the silver lining is that he'll be coaching with the greats of Pitino, K, Boeheim, etc.

Anyway, no need to fear. MU spends A LOT on resources for basketball. Doc Rivers is on our BOT. We essentially fired our president and AD for not cheering for the bball team hard enough (hyperbole of course). I look forward to the future.

[Jet915]

{/quote]
So he's all pissy about FS1 and goes to a league that's on ESPN even though the only time his team will actually be on ESPN is when they're playing Duke. Whatever. Get a good coach in there and Marquette will be infinitely more successful than Va Tech in the years to come. Of that I have no doubt.[/quote]
VT was on ESPN or one if it's networks 5 times this year plus the tourney. Plus Tru TV 2x and NBCSN 1x.[/quote]

So you are telling me that is better than Marquette being on national TV over 20x?? Even though the ratings are lower, the exposure is greater. It's ESPN propaganda, I doubt that is the reason Buzz left.

[Jet915]

Saw a source said that Gregg Marshall might be interested.

I can't stand the guy but he is a great coach. I hope Marquette goes hard after him.

[TheHall]

Shaka Smart Bio:

Date of birth : 1977-04-08
Birthplace : Madison, Wisconsin, USA

[ElDonBDon]

Another piece by Milwaukee's local beat reporter (emphasis mine)

Buzz Williams once told me he turned down the Southern Methodist job a few years ago because nobody cared about SMU basketball. He said he didn't take Southern California's calls for basically the same reason.

Williams, eccentricities and all, loved being front and center at a basketball-first school like Marquette, rich in tradition with its willingness to spend, spend, spend on the men's basketball program.

In fact, I've been told that's why he didn't go to Oklahoma in 2012. The Sooners took one look at how lavishly Williams was living at Marquette in terms of recruiting and travel and decided he was too rich for even their oil-infused blood.

At more than $260,000 per player per year, Marquette spends more on men's basketball than any school in the country except Duke. At $2.8 million a season, Williams was drawing a top-10 salary. The Golden Eagles stay in five-star hotels and little expense is spared on the coach during recruiting trips.

So why would he go to a place like Virginia Tech, a football school where like SMU and USC nobody cares about basketball? While it offers the chance to coach in the Atlantic Coast Conference — and the opportunity to get hammered by Duke, North Carolina, Syracuse, Louisville and Virginia — VPI in every way is a step down from Marquette.

A coaching graveyard, Virginia Tech is a bad job. I'm surprised that Williams would jump just to jump, which pretty much was what Friday's thunderbolt event was all about.

A terrific coach, Williams is a peculiar man who needs constant love and attention. After his first bad season in six years at Marquette, a 17-15 record and no postseason tournament, Williams apparently did not find the adoration that came with taking the Golden Eagles to three Sweet 16 appearances in three years.

He was confused and questioning himself about strategy, rotations and recruiting after the abrupt end to the season. He was unusually reclusive, which was the first hint he was looking around for someone new to love and appreciate him.

I sincerely wish him luck at dead-end Virginia Tech because he is an engaging personality who will be missed. But now he's gone and Marquette is back to the same question that has dogged it for years, despite the resources it puts into its cash cow:

How does Marquette shake the reputation that it is a steppingstone job?

I don't think that is an accurate description. Tom Crean left because Indiana is Indiana. Kevin O'Neill, who wishes he'd lever left, had itchy feet, was always looking around and had the need to be hugged, just like Williams.

The Golden Eagles are not ideally situated to make a major hire because they have an interim athletic director and an interim president. But Bill Cords got it right with O'Neill and Crean, and there is a chance he could do it again with insight from Mike Broeker, the associate AD who worked in the NBA and is a keen judge of coaching talent.

Ben Howland is hot for the job, and the former UCLA and Pitt coach would lend credibility as the kind of established name Marquette has never really landed. On the other hand, Crean was an assistant coach. So was Williams. Nobody knew him from Buzz Lightyear at the time of his hiring, and that worked out just fine.

I'd give Brian Wardle major consideration. The former Marquette standout has done really good things at UW-Green Bay. And I'm not sure how Cords would feel about hiring a guy with any kind of Wisconsin connection, but North Dakota State coach Saul Phillips, a Reedsburg native who played at UW-Platteville and coached at UW-Milwaukee and Madison for Bo Ryan, has become an NCAA Tournament darling for his wit, coaching ability and the Bisons' upset of Oklahoma.

Since Al McGuire, Marquette has employed Hank Raymonds, Rick Majerus, Bob Dukiet, O'Neill, Mike Deane, Crean and Williams. With an exception or two, that's not a bad run.

It also gave Williams everything he needed to be successful, and even that was not enough in the end to satisfy his quirky personality.

Now it's time for stability, someone who will see Marquette for what it is and commit to the program.

Read more from Journal Sentinel: http://www.jsonline.com/sports/goldenea ... z2weQ64Oxr
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[HoosierPal]

Marq pays Buzz $2.8mm per year plus access to a private jet as needed. Money will not be an obstacle for Marq.

So Williams is taking a pay cut to go to Virginia Tech? ESPN says he will be at $2.6. Somebody has wrong numbers.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/10648381/buzz-williams-leave-marquette-golden-eagles-coach-virginia-tech-hokies?src=mobile

Marshall has the Koch fleet of jets at his disposal in Wichita.