Shaka Smart to Marquette

[LeMoyne00]

I don't think Tennessee will let him go without a fight. They've had increasing success under his leadership.

[Warrior Ram]

No journalist or sports insider puts his reputation, and to some extent his career, on the line for something that's a "non-starter." The argument from ignorance is a fallacy, bro: silence from the national media =\= false. You were on the MU board. You are now here. Deep down, you have to know there was too much smoke to be no fire. Very reputable people on the MU board gave pretty specific info of what was going on (eg, using Doc Rivers as a backchannel). You can believe silence from the national media as the tell-all that Shaka has never even heard of Marquette University, and I will believe multiple guys with proven track records, one of whom (IWB) publicly put his reputation on the line.

All of this is a moot point anyway. He declined the offer. But you VCU guys seem hellbent on dispelling that story because it bodes well with the your collective notion that Shaka would not only never leave VCU, but he would never even dare to entertain the thought.

Eldon...I think this is a better place for me to follow up on the point I was attempting to make earlier.

While I certainly understand where you are coming from, you must look at this from the viewpoint of the average VCU fan (or at least those who were participating in this "event" online), or any non-MU fan for that matter. None of them know IWB from BWI. They have not heard of BigDaddy or Goose, nor do they have any reason to believe what they say. Truth be told, these guys are all regional outlets. That's certainly not a knock against their reliability; I am quite aware of their respective track records. But you cannot trust what you do not know or understand.

Following that, it only makes sense that most outside of a small collection of die-hard MU fans will be looking to national reporters for their info (i.e. Goodman and Parrish). So, when Goodman tweets that a deal is "neither done nor imminent" (he was not silent on the issue), I think it is fair to say that many are justified in their assumption that nothing was imminent. Thus, my earlier point about going with the status quo being the "safest" line of thinking and leaning toward the hypothesis that makes the least amount of assumptions.

Please don't confuse this for what I actually believe to be true. Personally, I am tempted to agree with your position that there was too much smoke for no fire. However, I am attempting to put all of this in context. I feel as though you belittle the position of VCU fans through statements such as, "You can believe silence from the national media as the tell-all that Shaka has never even heard of Marquette University, and I will believe multiple guys with proven track records..." By making such a contention, not only do you create a straw man (although I do understand the hyperbole), but you also do not consider the fact that VCU fans may also have reputable, regional sources that they are following saying the opposite.

You brought up logical fallacies in your post. I believe you were guilty of appealing to authority in your reply to me on Scoop. You stated that the "sources" of anonymous professionals were more valid than my own; I disagree because none of us, in fact, are experts on this issue. The only legitimate authorities on this subject are those working within the athletic departments.

My apologies for the rambling. I'll admit that I was too aggressive with my posting this past week; looking back, it probably wasn't the wisest strategy, even if I am a Marquette fan. One thing I won't apologize for, though, is my talking with the janitor. He is a pretty cool guy once you get to know him

I respect the thought and effort that went into this post. Since you reached out the proverbial hand of ecumenicism, I will refrain from appealing to emotion and any use of hyperbole.

Concisely put, MU fans were generalizing from what past experience has shown--when IWB or BigDaddy make a statement/prediction, previous instances have shown them to be accurate. And perhaps VCU fans were doing the same--Shaka has never left before, this time is no different. It's human nature, even if it isn't logically sound. The fact that Goodman was silent only worked to corroborate the thought of VCU fans. (Note that Goodman seemed to always prefaced his statements with "my gut tells me"). In the end it seems that even if Goodman was in the know, he showed that he had a higher standard of what it means to say "done deal." And, now, for what it's worth, IWB has essentially lost all credibility that he once had (and he did in fact have some).

I, too, fear that I am rambling right now. I will leave with this, however. I believe Shaka flirted hard with MU. Not because he's a prima donna. Not because he was leveraging MU for more money from VCU, but because he’s human. It would be crazy not to mull over an offer of a tripling in salary, be 80 miles from your hometown, 80 miles from your wife’s grad school, etc. The overarching conclusion in all of this is that Shaka is truly happy at VCU. BigDaddy even stated as much. And after having to deal with Brent Williams, who proved to be a phony, Smart’s declining MU’s offer is actually kind of refreshing. If there is a silver lining in this whole debacle, it’s that some coaches actually do keep their word, or at the very least don’t actively work to mislead people.

I would wish you guys good luck next season, but I won’t because I don’t. I’d hate to come off as bitter, but I genuinely dislike VCU fans; I did even before this whole Shaka mess went down. You are the only one who comes close to what I would consider to be level-headed. And I find it no coincidence that you are also the only one who I have come across who was raised by MU parents Good luck with the rest of the semester and congratulations on graduating in May. I’m certain that some employer will find the fluency of your prose and the clarity of your thought to be a boon to their company.

Eldon...this was a great response. I appreciate it.

I sort of got away from watching Marquette games this year. Perhaps it had something to do with their performance, as I had missed only a few games over the previous 3-4 years. Hopefully we will be able to celebrate the hiring of a new coach soon so that the Warriors can get back to their winning ways.

[Chalmers0]

I don't think Tennessee will let him go without a fight. They've had increasing success under his leadership.

I'm not sure, I think I read that he may want out because he doesn't feel like he's completely off the hot seat with the fans/administration, even after the tourney run.

[BillikensWin]

I don't think Tennessee will let him go without a fight. They've had increasing success under his leadership.

I'm not sure, I think I read that he may want out because he doesn't feel like he's completely off the hot seat with the fans/administration, even after the tourney run.

I've always liked Cuonzo Martin for his local (metro STL ties). I think he'd be a great hire at Marquette...in fact, I'm pretty confident in saying it would be a huge upgrade over the last guy.

[Burrito]

Article about Cuonzo Martin.

http://timesfreepress.com/news/2014/mar ... t-from-ut/

[SLUnatic1]

I don't think Tennessee will let him go without a fight. They've had increasing success under his leadership.

I'm not sure, I think I read that he may want out because he doesn't feel like he's completely off the hot seat with the fans/administration, even after the tourney run.

Dude was going to get fired at Tennessee a month ago. Very curious hire if they go that way.

[Randy]

I don't think Tennessee will let him go without a fight. They've had increasing success under his leadership.

I'm not sure, I think I read that he may want out because he doesn't feel like he's completely off the hot seat with the fans/administration, even after the tourney run.

Dude was going to get fired at Tennessee a month ago. Very curious hire if they go that way.

Archie Miller is suddenly the next big thing

Martin, with an average track record, is apparently the now head candidate to get the Marquette job.

Ensfied (sp?) won two games last March and got the USC job.

The list goes on. It totally baffles me how universities see a guy win one or two games in the tournament, and suddenly they are a great coach.

[Burrito]

Now a story about Duke assistant coach Steve Wojciehowski being a target. This is never going to end.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/sources--m ... ncaab.html

[Chalmers0]

Archie Miller is suddenly the next big thing

Martin, with an average track record, is apparently the now head candidate to get the Marquette job.

Ensfied (sp?) won two games last March and got the USC job.

The list goes on. It totally baffles me how universities see a guy win one or two games in the tournament, and suddenly they are a great coach.

Andy Enfield and Cuonzo Martin have NOTHING in common.

[Randy]

exce

Archie Miller is suddenly the next big thing

Martin, with an average track record, is apparently the now head candidate to get the Marquette job.

Ensfied (sp?) won two games last March and got the USC job.

The list goes on. It totally baffles me how universities see a guy win one or two games in the tournament, and suddenly they are a great coach.

Andy Enfield and Cuonzo Martin have NOTHING in common.

except for the fact that a solitary sweet 16 run would be the only reason they get an opportunity to sign a new contract.