For the Big East to remain relavent, the two most important things for them are to have big time coaches and top level recruits. Since it's "re-branding", the conference has lost Brad Stevens and Buzz Williams. Xavier coach Chris Mack nearly bolted his alma mater and the momentum Steve Lavin was building at St. John's has seemingly stopped. JT III and Georgetown have been spinning their wheels, losing in to double digit seeds in their last 4 NCAA Tournament appearances.
You would think the the naysayers were right. The conference just can't compete with football schools. Well, let's take a look at that.
Coming into this season, most services and publications that track such things, had 4 of the 10 Big East schools in the 25 classes for 2014-15. Those schools were Georgetown, Seton Hall, Xavier & Providence.
The one thing lacking from those classes was a bona fide lottery pick type player. Isaiah Whitehead certainly has the chance to become that player. The conference loaded up on players that will be top college players but may not excel or play at the next level.
The same thing will not be said about this year's crop of Big East incoming freshmen. A few weeks back, Villanova landed a committment from top-3 PG, Jalen Brunson who chose the Wildcats over Illinois. And today, Marquette landed in-state big man Henry Ellenson who some would argue is the best prospect the state has ever produced. As of today, Ellenson is projected by top scouting services as a lottery pick as soon as 2016. Marquette adds Ellenson to top-100 recruits, PG Nick Noskowiak and SG Haanif Cheatham from Florida.
St. John's is in the mix for a few top-10 recruits this year as well but seem like long shots at this point.
Whether people want to admit it or not, recruiting is the life blood of any program and by extension, any conference. Getting top players matter. Having top coaches help. Will Wojo be that guy? He's off to a great start. JTIII and Jay Wright have done great work recently. Ed Cooley has been fantastic at Providence.
It may not show again in 2014-15, but the Big East is about to show it can thrive, much less just survive.
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Mid-Major Conference to Watch: MAAC
With conference realignment, some of our favorite conferences have watched themselves get picked apart, most notably, the Colonial.One conference worth following this season, will be the Metro Atlantic Athletic Confrence. Most likely a one-bid league with a soft bottom, the top teams will battle it out in what ought to be some great basketball, with an outside chance of stealing a bid next March.
The favorite will be a familiar name to many college basketball fans, he Siena Saints. Siena won the CBI Tournament last season and return all 5 starters. They are coached by Jimmy Patsos, a long-time Maryland assistant who had some success at Loyola(MD) before replacing Mitch Buonaguro. The Saints star player is G Rob Poole. Siene doesn't have a lot on the schedule but a win at UMass would be a nice get.
Expect Iona and Manhattan to contend again. Both are coached by two ofthe rising stars in the profession. Manhattan returns Steve Masiello who took the USF job before descrepancies showed up on his resume. He loses 3 key starters so they could be slow starters this year. Keep an eye on FROSH big man Jermaine Lawrence. Lawrence was a 4* who originally signed with Cincinnati.
Iona coach Tim Cluess is one of the better respected coaches in the game and his Gaels have been contenders since he took over in 2010. The Gaels are lead by G AJ English who is the conference pre-season player of the year. Iona can do it on both sides of the court and will definitely be there at the end of conference play.
St. Peter's is expected to be a contender this year as well. The Peacocks return 4 starters, including last year's leading scorers Marvin Dominique and Desi Washington. With their depth and experience, they should be in the mix.
It'll take a big in-conference season from someone for the MAAC to steal a bid. The top looks tough, so that seems unlikely but it's a really good conference that deserves some attention.
The favorite will be a familiar name to many college basketball fans, he Siena Saints. Siena won the CBI Tournament last season and return all 5 starters. They are coached by Jimmy Patsos, a long-time Maryland assistant who had some success at Loyola(MD) before replacing Mitch Buonaguro. The Saints star player is G Rob Poole. Siene doesn't have a lot on the schedule but a win at UMass would be a nice get.
Expect Iona and Manhattan to contend again. Both are coached by two ofthe rising stars in the profession. Manhattan returns Steve Masiello who took the USF job before descrepancies showed up on his resume. He loses 3 key starters so they could be slow starters this year. Keep an eye on FROSH big man Jermaine Lawrence. Lawrence was a 4* who originally signed with Cincinnati.
Iona coach Tim Cluess is one of the better respected coaches in the game and his Gaels have been contenders since he took over in 2010. The Gaels are lead by G AJ English who is the conference pre-season player of the year. Iona can do it on both sides of the court and will definitely be there at the end of conference play.
St. Peter's is expected to be a contender this year as well. The Peacocks return 4 starters, including last year's leading scorers Marvin Dominique and Desi Washington. With their depth and experience, they should be in the mix.
It'll take a big in-conference season from someone for the MAAC to steal a bid. The top looks tough, so that seems unlikely but it's a really good conference that deserves some attention.
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
On Board: Gonzaga
Two years ago, Gonzaga went into the NCAA Tournament as a 1-seed, only to be upset by Wichita State in a 3rd round game. It continued a March trend for the Bulldogs who haven't made it to the second weekend since 2009. Since their 3 year run from 1999-2001, Gonzaga has made only two Sweet 16's. This isn't a dismissal of an incredible run by Mark Few and his team. But it begs the question, is Gonzaga capable of more?
As good as the Bulldogs roster was two years ago, this team might be even better. The West Coast Conference should be better this year with St. Mary's improved. BYU still looks to be Gonzaga's biggest threat to a conference title. Prior to conference play, the Bulldogs will play a solid non-conference schedule.
The 'Zags challenge themselves right off the bat with November home games against St. Joe's & SMU. They also play in the pre-season NIT which has a guaranteed game against Georgia and then will play either St. John's or Minnesota. After that, Gonzaga will head to Arizona in a game against possible top 10 teams on December 6th. A week later, they travel to UCLA to take on the Bruins.
Mark few returns arguably the nations best back court. Seniors Kevin Pangos and Gary Bell, Jr. return after injury plagued seasons. Gonzaga also brings in USC transfer, Byron Wesley. Wesley scored 17.8ppg at USC last year. The 'Zags will also have the services of highly ranked recruit, Josh Perkins. Perkins plays the point.
As good as the back court is, the front court isn't too shabby, either. Big man Przemek Karnowski returns and will man the pivot. Karnowski really came into his own at the end of last season. Wouldn't be surprised if he has a huge season. Gonzaga also adds Kentucky transfer, Kyle Wiltjer. Wiltjer at this point is more of an outside threat as an ofefnsive player. Gonzaga also adds Domantas Sabonis, the son of Arvydas Sabonis. Big things are expected of this kid.
The NCAA Tournament is tough. Bad matchups, bad luck, etc. often determine your fate. Once destiny's darlings, Gonzaga has risen above just another "mid-major" but recent history has been tougher. The pieces are in place for a special season in Spokane. I'm on board with Gonzaga heading into the season and will not be shocked if they break all the way through to the Final 4. They have the talent and they have the depth.
As good as the Bulldogs roster was two years ago, this team might be even better. The West Coast Conference should be better this year with St. Mary's improved. BYU still looks to be Gonzaga's biggest threat to a conference title. Prior to conference play, the Bulldogs will play a solid non-conference schedule.
The 'Zags challenge themselves right off the bat with November home games against St. Joe's & SMU. They also play in the pre-season NIT which has a guaranteed game against Georgia and then will play either St. John's or Minnesota. After that, Gonzaga will head to Arizona in a game against possible top 10 teams on December 6th. A week later, they travel to UCLA to take on the Bruins.
Mark few returns arguably the nations best back court. Seniors Kevin Pangos and Gary Bell, Jr. return after injury plagued seasons. Gonzaga also brings in USC transfer, Byron Wesley. Wesley scored 17.8ppg at USC last year. The 'Zags will also have the services of highly ranked recruit, Josh Perkins. Perkins plays the point.
As good as the back court is, the front court isn't too shabby, either. Big man Przemek Karnowski returns and will man the pivot. Karnowski really came into his own at the end of last season. Wouldn't be surprised if he has a huge season. Gonzaga also adds Kentucky transfer, Kyle Wiltjer. Wiltjer at this point is more of an outside threat as an ofefnsive player. Gonzaga also adds Domantas Sabonis, the son of Arvydas Sabonis. Big things are expected of this kid.
The NCAA Tournament is tough. Bad matchups, bad luck, etc. often determine your fate. Once destiny's darlings, Gonzaga has risen above just another "mid-major" but recent history has been tougher. The pieces are in place for a special season in Spokane. I'm on board with Gonzaga heading into the season and will not be shocked if they break all the way through to the Final 4. They have the talent and they have the depth.
Friday, August 22, 2014
Marquette the Moribund
Did you know Marquette is a moribund program? For the 1st time since the 2005 season, Marquette failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament. Two years removed from an Elite 8, Seth Davis of SI.Com has declared Marquette a moribund program. For those unsure what moribund means, Merriam-Webster defines it as: "no longer active or effective; close to failure; very sick; close to death."
Yes, Marquette is basically DePaul.
Let's FJM some key passages from Seth's piece:
This program is on shaky footing, which is largely why Williams left for Blacksburg. Last season, the Golden Eagles finished sixth in the Big East with a 9-9 record (17-15 overall) and failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament for the first time in nine years.
No, Buzz left because he created expectations he didn't feel he could continually match. The going got tough, so Buzz got going.
And let's talk about why the program is "on shaky footing." The recruiting classes Buzz assembled in 2011 and 2012 have been pedestrian at best. PG Derrick Wilson and F Juan Anderson have been quality role players at Marquette. Both can serve a role on a good team but neither has shown the capabiliy to be All-Conference type players. The other member of that class was the maddening Todd Mayo who left the program this summer to pursue a pro career. The only player left from 2012 is Steve Taylor, Jr. who almost certainly would have transfered had Buzz stayed. The 2013 class only saw limited minutes for JaJuan Johnson, a top-50 recruit, PG John Dawson and F Deonte Burton, who Buzz wouldn't trust on defense. Duane Wilson had a medical redshirt and JUCO Jameel McKay transfered shortly before the season. Things would probably be less "shaky" had the previous coach developed his freshmen and not lost yet another player in McKay transfer.
The task of replenishing those losses was made more difficult when two of the school’s recruits were released from their commitments so they could follow Williams to Virgina Tech, while a third backed out and signed with Kansas State.
Really? The coach who left a program on shaky footing, totally justifying a move, I guess, took 2 recruits with him? As for Malek Harris, who signed with Kansas State, he never signed his LOI. Had he enrolled, Buzz would have had to lose a scholarship player. All signs pointed to JaJuan Johnson and Steve Taylor moving on had Buzz stayed. Mayo was probably gone, too. Wojo did a damn good job keeping everyone sans Mayo aboard. As for the lost recruits of 2014, the players Buzz was bringing in never would have fit the style of play Wojo will try and implement. I'd argue keeping Sandy Cohen was far more important, as was adding BYU transfer Matt Carlino.
Ellenson averaged 8.7 points and 5.7 rebounds in just 12 minutes while playing for the USA Basketball squad that just captured the gold medal at the Under-17 championships in Dubai. He’s big, he’s skilled – and he’s local. He is exactly the kind of breakthrough recruit who could jumpstart a moribund program.
Rice Lake is closer to Minnesota than to Madison or Milwaukee.
Landing Ellenson is pivotal, but Wojciechowski has done well to lock up verbal commitments from two of the top high school seniors in Wisconsin: 6-2 point guard Nick Noskowiak and Matt Heldt, a 6-10 center. “We can recruit nationally, but we need to have a base in the Midwest,” he said. “Fortunately, there are a lot of players there.”
Seth conveniently fails to mention both players are Top-100 players nationally. For a program in such rough shape, seems shocking they'd choose a school like that.
So yes, Marquette will probably lose its share of games next season. You might think that will be hard on Wojciechowski because he came from a championship-level program, but he reminded me that when he was a freshman at Duke in 1994-95, the Blue Devils won just two ACC games because Krzyzewski missed most of the season while recovering from back surgery. “We went 31-31 my first two years,” he said. “For us to make the NCAA tournament my sophomore year was incredible."
Yes, the program is near death like Duke in 1995. And they somehow overcame near death to make the NCAA Tournament a year later!
Thus, the territory he now travels is not as unfamiliar as it may seem. For Marquette and its rookie head coach, the season will present an opportunity for a fresh start, as well as a new attitude. In case you haven’t noticed, Steve Wojciechowski is not a boy anymore. He wants his guys to man up. “There’s some uncertainty and not a lot of proven commodities, but if the players and staff embrace it the right way, it can really be an important year in the history of the program,” Wojciechowski said. “Our fan base and our program have a lot of pride. They tend to remember things. Our players have a chance to be remembered.”
Sounds awful, doesn't it.
As for the narrative, Buzz is what made Maqruette go, well, Matt Norlander of CBS pushes that narrative along with this article today. The man who built it, lessened it and left instead of trying to live up to "expectations" and rebuild after his first rough patch. Fascinating how the national media sees Marquette and the coach who "built the program".
Yes, Marquette is basically DePaul.
Let's FJM some key passages from Seth's piece:
This program is on shaky footing, which is largely why Williams left for Blacksburg. Last season, the Golden Eagles finished sixth in the Big East with a 9-9 record (17-15 overall) and failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament for the first time in nine years.
No, Buzz left because he created expectations he didn't feel he could continually match. The going got tough, so Buzz got going.
And let's talk about why the program is "on shaky footing." The recruiting classes Buzz assembled in 2011 and 2012 have been pedestrian at best. PG Derrick Wilson and F Juan Anderson have been quality role players at Marquette. Both can serve a role on a good team but neither has shown the capabiliy to be All-Conference type players. The other member of that class was the maddening Todd Mayo who left the program this summer to pursue a pro career. The only player left from 2012 is Steve Taylor, Jr. who almost certainly would have transfered had Buzz stayed. The 2013 class only saw limited minutes for JaJuan Johnson, a top-50 recruit, PG John Dawson and F Deonte Burton, who Buzz wouldn't trust on defense. Duane Wilson had a medical redshirt and JUCO Jameel McKay transfered shortly before the season. Things would probably be less "shaky" had the previous coach developed his freshmen and not lost yet another player in McKay transfer.
The task of replenishing those losses was made more difficult when two of the school’s recruits were released from their commitments so they could follow Williams to Virgina Tech, while a third backed out and signed with Kansas State.
Really? The coach who left a program on shaky footing, totally justifying a move, I guess, took 2 recruits with him? As for Malek Harris, who signed with Kansas State, he never signed his LOI. Had he enrolled, Buzz would have had to lose a scholarship player. All signs pointed to JaJuan Johnson and Steve Taylor moving on had Buzz stayed. Mayo was probably gone, too. Wojo did a damn good job keeping everyone sans Mayo aboard. As for the lost recruits of 2014, the players Buzz was bringing in never would have fit the style of play Wojo will try and implement. I'd argue keeping Sandy Cohen was far more important, as was adding BYU transfer Matt Carlino.
Ellenson averaged 8.7 points and 5.7 rebounds in just 12 minutes while playing for the USA Basketball squad that just captured the gold medal at the Under-17 championships in Dubai. He’s big, he’s skilled – and he’s local. He is exactly the kind of breakthrough recruit who could jumpstart a moribund program.
Rice Lake is closer to Minnesota than to Madison or Milwaukee.
Landing Ellenson is pivotal, but Wojciechowski has done well to lock up verbal commitments from two of the top high school seniors in Wisconsin: 6-2 point guard Nick Noskowiak and Matt Heldt, a 6-10 center. “We can recruit nationally, but we need to have a base in the Midwest,” he said. “Fortunately, there are a lot of players there.”
Seth conveniently fails to mention both players are Top-100 players nationally. For a program in such rough shape, seems shocking they'd choose a school like that.
So yes, Marquette will probably lose its share of games next season. You might think that will be hard on Wojciechowski because he came from a championship-level program, but he reminded me that when he was a freshman at Duke in 1994-95, the Blue Devils won just two ACC games because Krzyzewski missed most of the season while recovering from back surgery. “We went 31-31 my first two years,” he said. “For us to make the NCAA tournament my sophomore year was incredible."
Yes, the program is near death like Duke in 1995. And they somehow overcame near death to make the NCAA Tournament a year later!
Thus, the territory he now travels is not as unfamiliar as it may seem. For Marquette and its rookie head coach, the season will present an opportunity for a fresh start, as well as a new attitude. In case you haven’t noticed, Steve Wojciechowski is not a boy anymore. He wants his guys to man up. “There’s some uncertainty and not a lot of proven commodities, but if the players and staff embrace it the right way, it can really be an important year in the history of the program,” Wojciechowski said. “Our fan base and our program have a lot of pride. They tend to remember things. Our players have a chance to be remembered.”
Sounds awful, doesn't it.
As for the narrative, Buzz is what made Maqruette go, well, Matt Norlander of CBS pushes that narrative along with this article today. The man who built it, lessened it and left instead of trying to live up to "expectations" and rebuild after his first rough patch. Fascinating how the national media sees Marquette and the coach who "built the program".
Friday, June 20, 2014
The Curious Case of Buzz Williams
If there's one thing we should know by now as sports fans, the teams we follow are populated with people we don't know. We know their faces, names, accomplishments, etc. But in very few cases, we don't know them.
This is the one thing I try to impart on people when they talk about sports figures. Don't put them on a pedestal, don't bury them because we don't know them as people. So and so appears "classy" and then we find out he's a raging a-hole and so on. I cheered for Brett Favre and he was/ is one of the bigger d-bags to ever play in Green Bay. Knew it, didn't care. My QB, won games and wasn't Randy Wright on the field.
That brings us to Buzz Williams. Buzz abruptly left Marquette for Virginia Tech last March. Gary Parrish of CBS tackled the question of why, yesterday http://mweb.cbssports.com/ncaab/eye-on-college-basketball/24592329/new-faces-new-places-why-did-buzz-williams-leave-marquette-for-vtu.
Paint Touches responded to the Parrish piece today http://painttouches.com/2014/06/20/buzz-offers-his-explanation-for-mu-departure/. It asks the questions Parrish either didn't ask or get answered and paints Buzz in a bad light.
I don't know if I really believed Marquette was better off moving on after he left. I'd convinced myself they were because that's what fans do. Now, I'm pretty sure of it. Buzz is a strange dude who did good things in Milwaukee. Yet, it's clear he never invested himself into 2013-14 and while a man of many words and slogans, far too often, they were just cliches to him.
Monday, May 5, 2014
Big East-B1G Challenge
It was announced today that the Big East and B1G will begin a season-opening "challenge" beginning with the 2015-16 season. It will be known as the "Gavitt Tipoff Games", named after Big East founder, Dave Gavitt. The games will be played over 4 nights of the opening week beginning on Tuesday, ending on Friday with two games per night. Games will be played at home campuses or arenas. The contract runs through 2022 and guarantees each B1G team will play at least 4 times during this stretch and Big East teams will play at least 6 times.
The B1G will also continue with its annual ACC-B1G challenge, which is aired exclusively on ESPN family of networks. This new series will have TV controlled by the home schools. The Big East will certainly put the games on FoxSports1. Fox owns 51% of the B1G TV Network, so it's likely they will air home games from B1G schools on the B1G Network.
The TV part of this is interesting from the standpoint B1G TV rights are up for grabs in a few years. ESPN is favored to retain those rights but expect Fox to make a serious run at them to fill air time and help legitimize the network as a major player in sports programming.
This series will not include annual match ups between Marquette-Wisonsin, Creighton-Nebraska and Seton Hall-Rutgers (snickers). Also, the games will not be scheduled based on geography but similar to the ACC-B1G Challenge where similarly competitive teams play. Next year's games would probably look something like this:
Villanova vs. Wisconsin
Creighton vs. Michigan
Providence vs. Iowa
Xavier vs. Michigan State
St. John's vs. Nebraska
Georgetown vs. Ohio State
Marquette vs. Maryland
Seton Hall vs. Minnesota
Certainly, at this moment, it helps the Big East more in adding another quality opponent. Either way, it's a fun concept to open the season for both leagues. College basketball has never done opening week well. Things like this should help. Sounds like a Big XII-SEC Challenge will be announced at some point, too.
These things are silly from the standpoint nothing is "settled" but give fans something to look forward to and are better than opening the season against Alcorn State
The B1G will also continue with its annual ACC-B1G challenge, which is aired exclusively on ESPN family of networks. This new series will have TV controlled by the home schools. The Big East will certainly put the games on FoxSports1. Fox owns 51% of the B1G TV Network, so it's likely they will air home games from B1G schools on the B1G Network.
The TV part of this is interesting from the standpoint B1G TV rights are up for grabs in a few years. ESPN is favored to retain those rights but expect Fox to make a serious run at them to fill air time and help legitimize the network as a major player in sports programming.
This series will not include annual match ups between Marquette-Wisonsin, Creighton-Nebraska and Seton Hall-Rutgers (snickers). Also, the games will not be scheduled based on geography but similar to the ACC-B1G Challenge where similarly competitive teams play. Next year's games would probably look something like this:
Villanova vs. Wisconsin
Creighton vs. Michigan
Providence vs. Iowa
Xavier vs. Michigan State
St. John's vs. Nebraska
Georgetown vs. Ohio State
Marquette vs. Maryland
Seton Hall vs. Minnesota
Certainly, at this moment, it helps the Big East more in adding another quality opponent. Either way, it's a fun concept to open the season for both leagues. College basketball has never done opening week well. Things like this should help. Sounds like a Big XII-SEC Challenge will be announced at some point, too.
These things are silly from the standpoint nothing is "settled" but give fans something to look forward to and are better than opening the season against Alcorn State
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Early Top Ten
Now that all the Early Entrants have declared and Myles
Turner selected a college we can take a quick look at next year’s early top 10.
1.
Kentucky – With the Harrison’s returning they
have the most talent by far. The only questions is can all these player
co-exist with only 1 ball?
2.
Wisconsin – Returns all but Brust and I expect
Nigel Hayes to be huge next year. The class of the Big 10
3.
Duke – The #1 recruiting class and finally a big
man in the post. Everybody love Okafor and their guards but I’m excited
to see Jefferson play at the 4
4.
Arizona – Yes, they lost Gordon and Johnson but
their bigs return and Stanley Johnson is a stud.
5.
Villanova – only lose 1 starter from a 29 win
season. No sneaking up on people next year
6.
Texas – Myles Turner moves them into the top
10. No defections and still very young.
7.
North Carolina – A solid recruiting class and
Marcus Paige back. JP Tokoto is primed for a big year
8.
Wichita State – Cleanthony is gone but their 3
guard tandem is all back
9.
Kansas – It doesn’t matter who they lose, they
just keep reloading and winning Big 12 titles
10.
SMU – maybe a little high but I like what
Emmanual Munday will bring
11.
Gonzaga – As an added bonus you get the 11th
team in my list. Bell and Pangos return but I’m excited to see what
Kentucky transfer, Kyle Wiltjer can do.
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