Wojo to Marquette - Congrats!

[blazindw]

Per ESPN's Jeff Goodman (and no, I don't think this is an April Fool's joke):

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/10708664/marquette-hires-duke-assistant-steve-wojciechowski

[Mike Corey]

Terrific news. Best of luck to Coach Wojo and his family.

<slaps floor/>

[rthomas]

Per ESPN's Jeff Goodman (and no, I don't think this is an April Fool's joke):

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/10708664/marquette-hires-duke-assistant-steve-wojciechowski

There goes our chance to recruit Centers.

[roywhite]

Per ESPN's Jeff Goodman (and no, I don't think this is an April Fool's joke):

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/10708664/marquette-hires-duke-assistant-steve-wojciechowski

Just saw that. Congratulations to Wojo and best wishes.

Ideally, I'd like to see Wojo and Chris Collins have great success in their current jobs, with one eventually succeeding Coach K at Duke.

[Dukehky]

He deserved a shot, and this is a big one. Good luck Wojo. I'm not super excited about his leaving, but it was time for him to go his own way. He's been in Durham since he was 18 years old, change of scenery might be nice.

[GGLC]

Great news for Wojo! He deserves it and I wish him sustained success.

[Henderson]

So that creates a vacancy. Scheyer moves up a chair? And then?

How about Doug Gottlieb? Then the whole planet can just ignore him.

[rthomas]

So that creates a vacancy. Scheyer moves up a chair? And then?

How about Doug Gottlieb? Then the whole planet can just ignore him.

I saw that Battier is retiring from the NBA. Just saying.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Congrats and a heartfelt thank you for everything he has done at Duke. Best wishes to making a solid program even better.

[NashvilleDevil]

So that creates a vacancy. Scheyer moves up a chair? And then?

How about Doug Gottlieb? Then the whole planet can just ignore him.

Was Nate moved up when Collins left last year? Wouldn't the staff be Capel, Nate and Jon now?

[CameronDuke]

So that creates a vacancy. Scheyer moves up a chair? And then?

How about Doug Gottlieb? Then the whole planet can just ignore him.

I think Capel gets promoted to Associate Head Coach and Scheyer gets promoted to Associate Coach.

Congratulations Wojo! I hate to see you go and will miss you on the sidelines (and the halftime interviews) but it is time you build a program as a head coach! Best of luck and I know you'll do great!

[CameronBornAndBred]

I think Capel gets promoted to Associate Head Coach and Scheyer gets promoted to Associate Coach.

Congratulations Wojo! I hate to see you go and will miss you on the sidelines (and the halftime interviews) but it is time you build a program as a head coach! Best of luck and I know you'll do great!
What about Coach Badass? I would think he would move up before Scheyer. (Scheyer is currently listed as "special assistant, James is "assistant" and Capel is "associate".)

[SupaDave]

Gives K a few different things. A chance to add a few more pupils to the coaching tree and potentially puts Capel as coach in waiting now. Kudos to Wojo - it was time.

[NashvilleDevil]

What about Coach Badass? I would think he would move up before Scheyer. (Scheyer is currently listed as "special assistant, James is "assistant" and Capel is "associate".)

I think Nate moved up a seat when Collins went to Northwestern. This allows Jon to move up a seat and leaves the special assistant postion open for Tyler next year.

[CameronDuke]

What about Coach Badass? I would think he would move up before Scheyer. (Scheyer is currently listed as "special assistant, James is "assistant" and Capel is "associate".)

I think Nate James is worthy of a promotion I just give the edge to Capel given his head coaching experience at VCU and Oklahoma. I think his resume may be a bit more impressive than James's at this stage in Nate's career. Who knows for sure though!

[The Gordog]

We knew this day would come. Wojo has been a great asset to Duke for many years now, and we wish him a heartfelt Thank You and All the Best of luck, except when you are playing Duke, which I'm sure the committee will try to arrange every time you make the NCAAT.

Go Wojo! Go Duke!

[CameronBornAndBred]

I think Nate moved up a seat when Collins went to Northwestern. This allows Jon to move up a seat and leaves the special assistant postion open for Tyler next year.
Wojo was "Associate HC", so it would make sense that Capel takes that spot, James takes Capel's as "associate", and then Jon loses the "special" tag. Semantics, mostly, but I would assume each position carries different duties in regards to recruiting as well. And Capel will most likely be the new half time interview guy.

[CameronDuke]

This will give Wojo some time to prove his value as a head coach at an elite program. If Coach K retires in 5 years, Duke surely has many legit options to replace him with one of his students now. I'd put the following coaches in the mix in likelihood that they will replace him. Keep in mind this is just my opinion: Collins, Dawkins, Wojo, Amaker, and Capel.

[CameronBlue]

Crazy idea but how about bringing on Jason Capel? I know it won't happen but after listening to Austin Rivers completely embarrass the posers on PTI with his subtle understanding of Lebron's game, seeing the instant impact Collins is having at NWern, the family pedigree can't be over-stated The Capels were born to be coaches. Or maybe Capel Sr? This is the April Fools Day story DBR should have written....but I'm serious.

[FerryFor50]

Crazy idea but how about bringing on Jason Capel? I know it won't happen but after listening to Austin Rivers completely embarrass the posers on PTI with his subtle understanding of Lebron's game, seeing the instant impact Collins is having at NWern, the family pedigree can't be over-stated The Capels were born to be coaches. Or maybe Capel Sr? This is the April Fools Day story DBR should have written....but I'm serious.

A Tarheel on the Duke coaching staff?

::vomits::

[Lar77]

Wojo was "Associate HC", so it would make sense that Capel takes that spot, James takes Capel's as "associate", and then Jon loses the "special" tag. Semantics, mostly, but I would assume each position carries different duties in regards to recruiting as well. And Capel will most likely be the new half time interview guy.

Question about Capel: why is nobody chasing after him for an HC job?

[CameronDuke]

Crazy idea but how about bringing on Jason Capel? I know it won't happen but after listening to Austin Rivers completely embarrass the posers on PTI with his subtle understanding of Lebron's game, seeing the instant impact Collins is having at NWern, the family pedigree can't be over-stated The Capels were born to be coaches. Or maybe Capel Sr? This is the April Fools Day story DBR should have written....but I'm serious.

Duke needs some toughness and meanness to them. I'm thinking Christian Laettner would be a good fit for an assistant coaching position. :)

[Henderson]

A Tarheel on the Duke coaching staff?

::vomits::

Plus Jason Capel didn't handle things well at Appalachian State.

Agree with FF50: No.

As for Jeff Capel: His time will come again, but he's still washing a little Oklahoma off him I think.

[53n206]

Super for Wojo, and many, many thanks. Great for our group. Something to talk about and wonderful speculation subject.

[Dukehky]

I think Nate moved up a seat when Collins went to Northwestern. This allows Jon to move up a seat and leaves the special assistant postion open for Tyler next year.

I've said this before, Nate and Jon are very green, with very little coaching experience. Nate doesn't do a whole lot of coaching, he is there for motivation, loyalty, positive attitude, and Jon is literally learning what to do. I doubt he gave much thought to coaching when he was a player because he was probably going to play in the league, and would have had he not gotten his eye nearly gauged out.

I am not completely behind the simple promotion from within this year. I don't think Nate is ready to be 3rd in command, and I think Jon needs a little more watch and learn. Wojo had to sit out a year before he joined the bench after he graduated, and I think that Tyler should wait until most of the team has not played with him in order to be an effective coach. It's a different thing to lead as a player and then lead as a coach or special assistant or whatever. You lived with these kids as a peer, I don't think that's a good dynamic to have on the bench

This leads us to who we are going to bring in. Now of course the option provided above is probably the most likely, but I think there are a couple of must asks. I think we need to at least inquire to see if Hurley or Laettner want the job. Both have coaching experience, both have been away from the program for a while and might inject some new energy if that's what's needed. If neither of them wants it, ask Shane, screw it, just ask, probably won't happen. I know I criticized Jon and Nate for not having coaching experience, but Shane has seen and done it all and was the coach on the floor probably every year he's ever played basketball, and seriously, who wouldn't want Battier on the bench? I think if Mike Jarvis wants to coach again, he and K have a very good report and could be a good hire. He's the only guy I could see coming in from outside the program to be honest.

I doubt Hurley would move to be an assistant coach because he did a good job at Buffalo this year, and I think is enjoying the challenge of being a Head Coach. Laettner is a D-League coach, he could either be absolutely incredible, or he would get fired int he first month, but if he wants to give it a shot, it's worth the risk.

I'm excited to see Wojo run a team, can't wait to see him walking the sidelines, falling back in his chair, and dropping an inordinate amount of F-bombs in some gold and blue, running his own show.

[CameronBlue]

Super for Wojo, and many, many thanks. Great for our group. Something to talk about and wonderful speculation subject.

As Joe Ovies likes to say about his web persona "I don't get paid to be a journalist, I get paid to generate content."

[Bay Area Duke Fan]

How about bringing Paulus back as assistant?

[sagegrouse]

Just a review of the rules: each team (men and women) is allowed three assistant coaches, who can participate in direct coaching and in recruiting. I believe that the other suits on the bench -- special assistants, video coordinators, strength coaches -- cannot participate directly in practice and cannot recruit off-campus. Therefore, Spec. Asst. Jon Scheyer can look at a lot of film but cannot be on the court at practice.

[hurleyfor3]

How about bringing Paulus back as assistant?

To coach quarterbacks?

[Dukehky]

How about bringing Paulus back as assistant?

No, thanks.

[Bay Area Duke Fan]

To coach quarterbacks?

Is that what he does at OSU?

[CameronBlue]

To coach quarterbacks?

To learn how to take a charge?

[sagegrouse]

I've said this before, Nate and Jon are very green, with very little coaching experience. Nate doesn't do a whole lot of coaching, he is there for motivation, loyalty, positive attitude, and Jon is literally learning what to do. I doubt he gave much thought to coaching when he was a player because he was probably going to play in the league, and would have had he not gotten his eye nearly gauged out.

.

I don't believe what you say about Nate. Evidence? Citations? Or is this just Mr. Anonymous in the internet world doing character assassination?

[CameronDuke]

Please do NOT bring Paulus back as an assistant.

[Henderson]

What about Nolan Smith? He's playing in Croatia now. I have no idea what his interest or coaching abilities would be. Same with DeMarcus Nelson.

I like the idea of Laettner or Jarvis for the experience and credibility factors, but I'm not sure about the fit. Especially with the rest of the staff. Those guys would bring some elbows.

[theAlaskanBear]

I saw that Battier is retiring from the NBA. Just saying.

Congrats to Wojo!! I hope he has great success at Marquette.

Also, I too, would love to see Battier on the Duke sidelines. However, let's say the Heat make another deep run into summer. Will that give him time to integrate into the Duke coaching program? How will we handle the vacancy for summer recruiting, and preparation for the new fall season? But can you imagine a better recruiter than Battier? "I made millions of dollars playing in the NBA, I won an NCAA, and two (or three) NBA championships. Let me tell you how Duke will make you a better person and basketball player."

[Mike Corey]

I'd like to see Duke bring in someone outside Coach K's tree. Shake it up.

I highly doubt it will happen. But I think a very fresh perspective, albeit one that will fit within Coach K's structure, would be a good thing.

Of course, I'll likely be happy with whomever we bring in--as long as it's not a newbie to the profession.

[Billy Dat]

How about bringing Paulus back as assistant?

Wow, a lot of anti-Paulus sentiment around here (not your note but some of the responses). Perhaps that is a sign that he should not come back.

He seems to be really moving up the ladder at OSU. I think he already jumped from video coordinator to a full assistant coach's position. Thad Matta is a stud, a great basketball mind to learn from. I see no reason why Paulus would want to come back.

[DevilWearsPrada]

Plus Jason Capel didn't handle things well at Appalachian State.

Agree with FF50: No.

As for Jeff Capel: His time will come again, but he's still washing a little Oklahoma off him I think.


Jeff's time will come again!

Any thoughts on Grant Hill? He has done a great job during the NCAAs and I love his commercials! Christian Laettner is available also! Both are National Champions and former NBA players and would be an asset to the Duke Coaching Staff as well as developing the Bigs and Power Forwards!

Congrats to Wojo! He has done an incredible job at Duke! I wish him and his family all the best on his new Head Coach position!

[flyingdutchdevil]

What about Nolan Smith? He's playing in Croatia now. I have no idea what his interest or coaching abilities would be. Same with DeMarcus Nelson.

I like the idea of Laettner or Jarvis for the experience and credibility factors, but I'm not sure about the fit. Especially with the rest of the staff. Those guys would bring some elbows.

Nolan Smith is making decent bank in Europe right now. I assume that Tyler will do the same.

I think you need to look at players who have graduated at least 5 years ago. Scheyer is the exception, but that's because his eye injury prevented him from playing at a high level.

I like the idea of bringing in players from the 1989-1992 dynasty. Wow!

[hurleyfor3]

Any thoughts on Grant Hill?

I do think Grant has greater ambitions than a couple weeks a year of studio work, but I see him more as an nba front office guy.

[Clay Feet POF]

You will make Milwaukee Famous!!

[Dev11]

What about Nolan Smith? He's playing in Croatia now. I have no idea what his interest or coaching abilities would be. Same with DeMarcus Nelson.

I like the idea of Laettner or Jarvis for the experience and credibility factors, but I'm not sure about the fit. Especially with the rest of the staff. Those guys would bring some elbows.

Nolan specifically answered the question in a tweet earlier that expects the keep playing, but would like to coach at Duke down the road.

Laura Keeley just posted on her blog that Jon Scheyer has been promoted to assistant coach, so now the assistant staff is Capel, James, and Scheyer. I doubt Shane Battier would take a job as a special assistant.

[Duvall]

Please do NOT bring Paulus back as an assistant.

Sure Paulus has experience as an assistant with a successful program outside the Duke system - far more coaching experience than most of the names listed in this thread - but aside from that, what does he have to offer?

[moonpie23]

kinda sad, but really happy for Steve and his family……

duke history right there folks….

[Dukehky]

Nolan specifically answered the question in a tweet earlier that expects the keep playing, but would like to coach at Duke down the road.

Laura Keeley just posted on her blog that Jon Scheyer has been promoted to assistant coach, so now the assistant staff is Capel, James, and Scheyer. I doubt Shane Battier would take a job as a special assistant.

Well that renders my earlier post pretty inconsequential. Congrats Jon, if you got promoted, you must have earned it, because it doesn't just come. Carrawell had this job and then got demoted to the women's program when Capel came in, so you definitely aren't given anything as a part of that coaching tree.

[CameronBornAndBred]

I've said this before, Nate and Jon are very green, with very little coaching experience.
I appreciate your thoughts, and for the most part your post is good, but in the case of Nate James, you are very wrong.


Former Duke standout Nate James has been a member the Blue Devils' staff since the 2007-08 season, serving as an assistant strength and conditioning coach for one year and spending three seasons as an assistant coach prior to being named a special assistant on April 8, 2011.
http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=1458688&

[Henderson]

I think you need to look at players who have graduated at least 5 years ago. Scheyer is the exception, but that's because his eye injury prevented him from playing at a high level.


Well, not exactly. Collins joined the Duke staff 4 years after graduating, but he had two assistant stints before that, including the WNBA and at Seton Hall under Tommy Amaker. He squeezed in some playing time in Finland, but has less pro experience than Nolan Smith or DeMarcus Nelson, both of whom have played in the NBA, unlike Wojo or Chris. Wojo graduated in '98 and joined the Duke staff in '99. He has less pro experience (none if I'm not mistaken) than Scheyer.

[Dukehky]

I appreciate your thoughts, and for the most part your post is good, but in the case of Nate James, you are very wrong.


http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=1458688&

I should clarify what I meant by coaching experience because those were not the right words for Nate. I don't think Nate's role on the staff is to be an X's and O's guy, maybe that will change with Collins and Wojo gone, as I'm sure his role will expand now. Thanks for calling me on that, because as you pointed out, it certainly wasn't correct.

[CameronDuke]

Sure Paulus has experience as an assistant with a successful program outside the Duke system - far more coaching experience than most of the names listed in this thread - but aside from that, what does he have to offer?

He has, what, one year as an assistant coach at a non service academy program on his resume? Other than that, he was a video coordinator I believe. I'd take a guy with NBA D-League coaching experience or even professional playing experience over that any day.

Also, we need a coach to work with the bigs. Our coaching staff is very guard heavy in terms of their playing experience. We have three great bigs slotted in to be on our team next year (AJ, MP3, and Big Jah) and with proper coaching, they could be one of the best front courts in the league in my mind.

[Jarhead]

The decisions coming up for Grant and Shane should be in what political office they will change history.

[sagegrouse]

I do think Grant has greater ambitions than a couple weeks a year of studio work, but I see him more as an nba front office guy.

Grant Hill's future CEO spot is the Director of the Museum of Modern Art. He is a world-class art collector.

I expect Shane to remain in the public eye through broadcast journalism before entering politics.

[53n206]

Coach K has shown that he is loyal to his players, family, university, country--not necessarily in any order. Undestandably family first. He will probably look to former players as the replacement. I can see no rush. But I would like to see who he thinks, from outside, would be a suitable addition.

[sagegrouse]

I don't believe what you say about Nate. Evidence? Citations? Or is this just Mr. Anonymous in the internet world doing character assassination?

Dukehky sent me a PM that explained his post, and I found it reasonable. I may not have expressed his thoughts the same way, but I have no problem with his post.

[WiJoe]

Congrats Wojo!

One word: Saz's!

[CameronDuke]

Zoubek may be an option. Coach K raved about his senior season leadership skills he showed and we need a big man coach that actually was a viable big man at one time. We need a guy in the fox hole that was actually at one time in that fox hole. I know his Dream Puff business went Kapooey and maybe he'd be willing to put his real estate career on hold for a while.

[Henderson]

Coach K has shown that he is loyal to his players, family, university, country--not necessarily in any order. Undestandably family first. He will probably look to former players as the replacement. I can see no rush. But I would like to see who he thinks, from outside, would be a suitable addition.

I agree, but I'm kind of warming to the Mike Jarvis idea a bit more. Jarvis and Capel as Associate Head Coaches, with Nate James and Scheyer as Assistant Coaches? You cover the X's and O's, scouting, and recruiting, experience and youth, no?

[SoCalDukeFan]

I'd like to see Duke bring in someone outside Coach K's tree. Shake it up.

I highly doubt it will happen. But I think a very fresh perspective, albeit one that will fit within Coach K's structure, would be a good thing.

Of course, I'll likely be happy with whomever we bring in--as long as it's not a newbie to the profession.

I agree with the sentiment and my experience in business is that if you get too inbred you can miss things. Good to get some fresh ideas.

However one advantage of Coach K hiring staff from the program is that they have a pretty good idea as to what is expected of them. He saves time by not coaching the assistant coaches. Now if K had the summer basically free then he could bring in an outsider and who would spend part of the summer learning the ropes at Duke. However he has a major time commitment with USA BBall and a tournament in I think Spain.

SoCal

[CameronBornAndBred]

I agree, but I'm kind of warming to the Mike Jarvis idea a bit more. Jarvis and Capel as Associate Head Coaches, with Nate James and Scheyer as Assistant Coaches? You cover the X's and O's, scouting, and recruiting, experience and youth, no?
Krzyzewski, Capel, and Jarvis on one bench. That would be a powerhouse trio. I wonder how the dynamic would work behind the scenes.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Well, not exactly. Collins joined the Duke staff 4 years after graduating, but he had two assistant stints before that, including the WNBA and at Seton Hall under Tommy Amaker. He squeezed in some playing time in Finland, but has less pro experience than Nolan Smith or DeMarcus Nelson, both of whom have played in the NBA, unlike Wojo or Chris. Wojo graduated in '98 and joined the Duke staff in '99. He has less pro experience (none if I'm not mistaken) than Scheyer.

Opportunities to play professional as a career have expanded since the 1990s. Not only is there Europe, but there is also China, the Philippines, and Japan. And they are certainly pay better than a rookie assistant coach.

I'd be surprised if Duke even looked at a player who graduated after 2008/2009.

[DevilWearsPrada]

Congrats to Wojo!! I hope he has great success at Marquette.

Also, I too, would love to see Battier on the Duke sidelines. However, let's say the Heat make another deep run into summer. Will that give him time to integrate into the Duke coaching program? How will we handle the vacancy for summer recruiting, and preparation for the new fall season? But can you imagine a better recruiter than Battier? "I made millions of dollars playing in the NBA, I won an NCAA, and two (or three) NBA championships. Let me tell you how Duke will make you a better person and basketball player."

Who's Your Daddy? Battier! Shane would be a great recruiter and ambassador for Duke Basketball. Also, Battier could teach the Art of DEFENSE to these young basketball players!!!!

Should be interesting to see who Wojo hires for his staff at Marquette! I will miss seeing and hearing him at the Radio Shows.

[Kfanarmy]

Please do NOT bring Paulus back as an assistant.

why?

[CameronDuke]

I'd love to see Battier coach. In addition to being the most selfless leader ever at Duke, he has versatile big man skills and defensive skills that he could really offer to our team and coach them up.

I'm eager to see other's thoughts on this but how big an issue is it to others to have a coach that coaches a particular set of players (guards or big men) to have actually played that position? At one time, Wojo was our front court positions coach. I realize baseball is a lot different than basketball but to me that's similar to having Greg Maddux as your hitting coach or Cal Ripken, Jr as your pitching coach. I realize these guys accumulate lots of knowledge on other positions in their sport but it seems more natural to me to have former forwards/centers coaching forwards/centers and former guards coaching guards.

[DevilWearsPrada]

Zoubek may be an option. Coach K raved about his senior season leadership skills he showed and we need a big man coach that actually was a viable big man at one time. We need a guy in the fox hole that was actually at one time in that fox hole. I know his Dream Puff business went Kapooey and maybe he'd be willing to put his real estate career on hold for a while.

Coach K raved about Zoubs many times, not only as a Defender but as a Leader on the 2010 National Championship Team. Wojo has to put a Staff together for Marquette, also.

Without Brian Zoubek evolving into a True Center/Defender/Leader.......... I don't think the 4th Banner would be hanging inside Cameron Indoor Stadium. Zoubs was a beast and owned the paint!

[Duvall]

I'm eager to see other's thoughts on this but how big an issue is it to others to have a coach that coaches a particular set of players (guards or big men) to have actually played that position?

My guess is that most people here are eager to never hear anyone's thoughts on that question ever again.

[CameronDuke]

why?

I thought he tried hard at Duke and tried being a leader but he had a very underwhelming career at Duke especially considering his gaudy 5 star rating coming out of high school. One of the reasons I thought he struggled was his lack of foot speed on defense. This caused him to allow dribbling, penetrating guards to dribble around him to the rim very routinely. I think it would be difficult for him to teach proper defensive techniques given this occurrence. He may know the game but I think it would be hard for him to relate to quicker, more agile defenders. I could be wrong though.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Well that renders my earlier post pretty inconsequential. Congrats Jon, if you got promoted, you must have earned it, because it doesn't just come. Carrawell had this job and then got demoted to the women's program when Capel came in, so you definitely aren't given anything as a part of that coaching tree.
You had me wondering what happened to CWell, so I looked him up. He's been coaching in the D-League since 2011, when he was hired away from the women's team by the coach of the Springfield Armor. He is the only assistant listed on their website (http://www.nba.com/dleague/springfield/roster/) so I would assume that he has been pretty well exposed and involved in the X's and O's side of coaching. (Springfield doesn't seem to have too hot of a record this year.)

[CameronDuke]

My guess is that most people here are eager to never hear anyone's thoughts on that question ever again.

I think you need to guess again, although I could not care less if you did or didn't.

[Doug.I.Am]

Zoubek may be an option. Coach K raved about his senior season leadership skills he showed and we need a big man coach that actually was a viable big man at one time. We need a guy in the fox hole that was actually at one time in that fox hole. I know his Dream Puff business went Kapooey and maybe he'd be willing to put his real estate career on hold for a while.

Beat me to it. He could teach his world class spin moves that only Z could/can do. :rolleyes: With that said, wishing Wojo great success with a bit of sadness seeing him go.

[FerryFor50]

I thought he tried hard at Duke and tried being a leader but he had a very underwhelming career at Duke especially considering his gaudy 5 star rating coming out of high school. One of the reasons I thought he struggled was his lack of foot speed on defense. This caused him to allow dribbling, penetrating guards to dribble around him to the rim very routinely. I think it would be difficult for him to teach proper defensive techniques given this occurrence. He may know the game but I think it would be hard for him to relate to quicker, more agile defenders. I could be wrong though.

Yea, you totally need athleticism and lateral quickness to be able to coach.

That's why Rick Majerus was so successful.

[J4Kop99]

Z is not a bad idea but that would mean the poor guy would have to go out and buy like 10 custom-fit suits. Doesn't sound like fun for a 7+ foot man. That might be even harder than the coaching itself.

[FerryFor50]

Yea, you totally need athleticism and lateral quickness to be able to coach.

That's why Rick Majerus was so successful.

Also, you have to have had an elite playing career and have the defensive prowess of Gary Payton to coach effectively.

Chris Collins should just quit Northwestern right now,

[sagegrouse]

I thought he tried hard at Duke and tried being a leader but he had a very underwhelming career at Duke especially considering his gaudy 5 star rating coming out of high school. One of the reasons I thought he struggled was his lack of foot speed on defense. This caused him to allow dribbling, penetrating guards to dribble around him to the rim very routinely. I think it would be difficult for him to teach proper defensive techniques given this occurrence. He may know the game but I think it would be hard for him to relate to quicker, more agile defenders. I could be wrong though.

CameronDuke, you will forgive me if we disagree. Your position is of a piece with the canard that only big men should coach big men. Paulus will be a terrific CBB coach, I predict, and whatever limitations there were on his physical game will be totally offset by his knowledge, hard work and leadership.

Greg Paulus, moreover, is the star of one of the great Blue Devil stories of all time. I mean, this guy sits out football for four years, enrolls at Syracuse as a grad student and becomes the starting quarterback. This event doesn't happen without physical gifts, mental toughness, and leadership skills.

[CameronDuke]

Yea, you totally need athleticism and lateral quickness to be able to coach.

That's why Rick Majerus was so successful.

Good point. I see your Majerus and Collins and raise you Johnny Dawkins, Tommy Amaker, Billy Donovan, and Kevin Ollie.

[DBFAN]

I was theorizing about Battier coming in on FB and just got ripped apart from people telling me there is no way that will happen. Saying he will do TV and the money would be better doing that. I still have hope tho. I also don't think it would be crazy to think Laettner might be candidate With Okafor coming, and the lack of confidence the past few teams seem to have had Laettner would be a great choice. And since there were some rumors about him when Auburn first opened up, it shows that people are at least thinking

[FerryFor50]

Good point. I see your Majerus and raise you Johnny Dawkins, Tommy Amaker, Billy Donovan, and Kevin Ollie.

I see your Dawkins, Amaker, Donovon and Ollie and raise you pretty much every other college coach out there. A lot more non-players and former not so good players coaching than former stars.

[J4Kop99]

When it comes to Battier, I doubt money will be a factor. He will do whatever excites him the most. If he wants to coach, I'm sure that is what he will do. If he wants to start a business, he will do that.

I would personally love to see him on the sidelines but who knows what he has planned. An assistant coach at a major national program is a big deal to most, but for a guy like Battier, it may not be as challenging as he would like. Who knows?

[Matches]

CameronDuke, you will forgive me if we disagree. Your position is of a piece with the canard that only big men should coach big men. Paulus will be a terrific CBB coach, I predict, and whatever limitations there were on his physical game will be totally offset by his knowledge, hard work and leadership.



Well you'll get no reasonable argument re: being a hard worker - Greg certainly was/ is that in spades. Also a great teammate and a fine representative of Duke while he was here.

I never saw any evidence of leadership, though, despite this site extolling his leadership skills over and over. Also did not see a guy with a particularly high basketball IQ. Not that he was a *low* IQ player - just average. Nothing about him screamed "coach" to me except that he was a hard worker who probably wasn't talented enough to play professionally.

Probably a moot point in any event in light of Scheyer's promotion - the special assistant position isn't one that's going to be filled by anyone other than a newbie.

[sagegrouse]

I was theorizing about Battier coming in on FB and just got ripped apart from people telling me there is no way that will happen. Saying he will do TV and the money would be better doing that. I still have hope tho. I also don't think it would be crazy to think Laettner might be candidate With Okafor coming, and the lack of confidence the past few teams seem to have had Laettner would be a great choice. And since there were some rumors about him when Auburn first opened up, it shows that people are at least thinking

Neither Shane Battier nor Grant Hill is likely to ever sit on a college basketball bench playing -- essentially -- "work-ups,*" when they can walk into any sports TV studio and many corporate boardrooms and do ten times better on day one.

Kindly, Sage
*"Work-ups," you Yankees understand, means starting as, say, video coordinator, then becoming director of operations, then taking the last assistant coach spot, then becoming associate head coach, before becoming a head coach. In the South, when we played baseball but only had 9-10 people, we used the more elegant Latin derivative, "motion," where one starts in RF, then moves up position by position until one gets to be the batter

[CameronDuke]

I see your Dawkins, Amaker, Donovon and Ollie and raise you pretty much every other college coach out there. A lot more non-players and former not so good players coaching than former stars.

That's an exaggeration to say pretty much every other college coach out there (I mean I can keep going: Bobby Hurley, Tony Bennett...) wasn't quicker or more athletic than Paulus but I'll stop the pissing match and concede the argument to you as it doesn't matter all that much to me. I'm simply saying, while Paulus displayed a heart of a warrior and at times shot the ball well, our team needs defensive coaching in my mind after last season's debacle on defense and he was not the best defender I have ever seen due to his lack of foot speed and agility. It wasn't because he mentally didn't understand defensive schemes it was because he just wasn't athletic enough to stay in front of dribbling, penetrating guards.

[CameronDuke]

CameronDuke, you will forgive me if we disagree. Your position is of a piece with the canard that only big men should coach big men. Paulus will be a terrific CBB coach, I predict, and whatever limitations there were on his physical game will be totally offset by his knowledge, hard work and leadership.

Greg Paulus, moreover, is the star of one of the great Blue Devil stories of all time. I mean, this guy sits out football for four years, enrolls at Syracuse as a grad student and becomes the starting quarterback. This event doesn't happen without physical gifts, mental toughness, and leadership skills.

I don't think he was extremely physically gifted. He didn't have a spectacular (statistically speaking) career at Duke and didn't at Cuse either in football. Was he athletic? Yeah. Physically gifted? Ehhhh, He wasn't an antelope prancing around out there. He stuck around long enough at Duke to essentially be forced into being a Senior leader and to his credit, his Senior season he took home the ACC Title and made the Sweet 16. But I still find it hard to think such a limited defender would be able to help shore up our defensive struggles when the struggles we had last year were similar to the struggles he showed in his career.

[Henderson]

I see your Dawkins, Amaker, Donovon and Ollie and raise you pretty much every other college coach out there. A lot more non-players and former not so good players coaching than former stars.

Woody Allen: "Those who can't do, teach. And those who can't teach, teach gym."

In reality, you don't have to be a star basketball player to be a good coach. Teaching and playing are different skills. But you have to know what you're talking about to teach it. And that's very hard without playing history. Rick Majerus is an outlier. The guy played HS ball (so there's that) then tried to walk on at Marquette and didn't make it. But they hired him as a student assistant, and off he went.

Playing history = probably required. Exceptional athletic ability, probably not. It's not like Coach K ever played pro ball. Or Bill Self or John Calipari or John Wooden or Roy Wiliams. And there have been some great basketball talents who turned out not to be such good coaches. Most don't even go into coaching. And some who do (Isiah Thomas comes to mind) don't acquit themselves well.

Knowledge born of experience? Essential. Correlation between playing ability and coaching ability? Not so much.

[CameronBornAndBred]

I don't think he was extremely physically gifted. He didn't have a spectacular (statistically speaking) career at Duke and didn't at Cuse either in football. Was he athletic? Yeah. Physically gifted? He wasn't an antelope prancing around out there. He stuck around long enough at Duke to essentially be forced into being a Senior leader and to his credit, his Senior season he took home the ACC Title and made the Sweet 16. But I still find it hard to think such a limited defender would be able to help shore up our defensive struggles when the struggles we had last year were similar to the struggles he showed in his career.
Someone peed in your Wheaties this morning. You noted in one post that "It wasn't because he mentally didn't understand defensive schemes it was because he just wasn't athletic enough to stay in front of dribbling, penetrating guards". If he then understands the schemes, and learned them from one of the best defensive minds, (and played on teams that generally played defense better than we did this year), why does his own inability and limitations have any impact on his ability to coach them? He's not going to be the one out there playing.

[the_grad_student]

I'm going to throw out a wildcard for best coaching candidate among recent Duke alums - Tyler Thornton.

I could definitely see him as a coach on the rise in 12-15 years. He's got the knowledge for the game and leadership ability (that always seemed to exceed his physical ability). I think it's probably too soon to add him to the staff, but I'd keep an eye on him. He captures the toughness and defense-first mentality that coaches love.

[sagegrouse]

I don't think he was extremely physically gifted. He didn't have a spectacular (statistically speaking) career at Duke and didn't at Cuse either in football. Was he athletic? Yeah. Physically gifted? Ehhhh, He wasn't an antelope prancing around out there. He stuck around long enough at Duke to essentially be forced into being a Senior leader and to his credit, his Senior season he took home the ACC Title and made the Sweet 16. But I still find it hard to think such a limited defender would be able to help shore up our defensive struggles when the struggles we had last year were similar to the struggles he showed in his career.


Woody Allen: "Those who can't do, teach. And those who can't teach, teach gym."

In reality, you don't have to be a star basketball player to be a good coach. Teaching and playing are different skills. But you have to know what you're talking about to teach it. And that's very hard without playing history. Rick Majerus is an outlier. The guy played HS ball (so there's that) then tried to walk on at Marquette and didn't make it. But they hired him as a student assistant, and off he went.

Playing history = probably required. Exceptional athletic ability, probably not. It's not like Coach K ever played pro ball. Or Bill Self or John Calipari or John Wooden or Roy Wiliams. And there have been some great basketball talents who turned out not to be such good coaches. Most don't even go into coaching. And some who do (Isiah Thomas comes to mind) don't acquit themselves well.

Knowledge born of experience? Essential. Correlation between playing ability and coaching ability? Not so much.


CameronDuke: Your position, logically pursued, suggests a causal link between basketball ability, not just knowledge, and coaching ability. In that sense, Coach K should be a worse coach than any of his assistants now or his players currently coaching, because he was just an average college player and all of them were better than that. Yet most people think K is in the discussion for the best coach of all-time and was even put in charge of the USA basketball team, when he never even sniffed the NBA (or an NBA bench, for that matter). And BTW Greg Paulus was a far better college player than Mike Krzyzewski.

Kindly, Sage
'Actually K was probably a better college player than Mike Brey, who played somewhere down in Louisiana after prepping at DeMatha'

[Matches]

I'm going to throw out a wildcard for best coaching candidate among recent Duke alums - Tyler Thornton.

I could definitely see him as a coach on the rise in 12-15 years. He's got the knowledge for the game and leadership ability (that always seemed to exceed his physical ability). I think it's probably too soon to add him to the staff, but I'd keep an eye on him. He captures the toughness and defense-first mentality that coaches love.

Not sure how quickly K intends to fill the special assistant position (or even IF he'll fill it - he doesn't have to), but I don't think TT can be offered a paying job while he remains enrolled at Duke.

Also I believe TT wants to play professionally. Likely he'll end up in coaching at some point but I think he intends to try his hand overseas for awhile first.

[Spoke]

Space on the Duke coaching bench is limited. I am wondering what former Duke players might be showing up on Wojo's staff at Marquette.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Space on the Duke coaching bench is limited. I am wondering what former Duke players might be showing up on Wojo's staff at Marquette.
Without Googling (I'm currently too lazy), did any go with Collins? Or Dawkins? You have a good point, since the tree now has so many branches. (I'm leaving Tommy out of it since he didn't spend years on our bench as a coach.)

[Henderson]

Without Googling (I'm currently too lazy), did any go with Collins? Or Dawkins? You have a good point, since the tree now has so many branches. (I'm leaving Tommy out of it since he didn't spend years on our bench as a coach.)

I don't think either has one now. I'm too lazy to look at the pedigrees of the former assistants at Stanford, but I don't see any Duke names I recognize on the current coaching rosters at either school.

Stanford: http://www.gostanford.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30600&SPID=127028&SPSID=816811

Northwestern: http://www.nusports.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/nw-m-baskbl-mtt.html

[CameronBornAndBred]

I don't think either has one now. I'm too lazy to look at the pedigrees of the current assistants at the two schools, but I don't see any Duke names I recognize.

Stanford: http://www.gostanford.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30600&SPID=127028&SPSID=816811

Northwestern: http://www.nusports.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/nw-m-baskbl-mtt.html
I think Nolan had a pretty unique relationship with JD. If he were to get into coaching, that would be a direction that wouldn't surprise me. I'm sure there are other players that identified closely with an assistant as much or maybe even more so than K himself. I have no idea if Nolan is even interested in the coaching path, his is just a good name to use as an example.

[Mike Corey]

If I'm Wojo, I'd be calling Coach Carrawell and Coach Jarvis.

[CameronBornAndBred]

If I'm Wojo, I'd be calling Coach Carrawell and Coach Jarvis.
Yup...very good point. He will be making some hires, too. He has relationships with guys that he played with, and are closer to him in years. Will be interesting to see his who makes up his staff.

[gwlaw99]

This had to happen sooner rather than later if Wojo wanted to considered for the Duke job after Coach K.

[Kedsy]

But you have to know what you're talking about to teach it. And that's very hard without playing history. Rick Majerus is an outlier. The guy played HS ball (so there's that) then tried to walk on at Marquette and didn't make it. But they hired him as a student assistant, and off he went.

Roy Williams never played college ball either (I think he played on the UNC freshman team). And lots of college coaches had less-than-impressive college careers. John Calipari flamed out at UNCW and ended up playing Division III ball. Brad Stevens also played Division III. Rick Pittino's college career wasn't that much more impressive than Greg Paulus's and Bill Self's was probably less impressive. Someone else already mentioned Coach K. Dean Smith rode the bench during his playing time at Kansas.

I know you're not the one who espoused this belief, but the idea that you need to be a good player to be a good coach is not supported by history.

[Ichabod Drain]

His Airness Michael Jordan needs to start using his physical gifts to run the Bobcats a little better. I can't believe he's not using his lateral quickness enough in the draft room.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Congrats and good luck Wojo! :9f:

[FishStick]

I don't think either has one now. I'm too lazy to look at the pedigrees of the former assistants at Stanford, but I don't see any Duke names I recognize on the current coaching rosters at either school.

Stanford: http://www.gostanford.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30600&SPID=127028&SPSID=816811

Northwestern: http://www.nusports.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/nw-m-baskbl-mtt.html

Interestingly, all of JD's assistants have a Duke pedigree (team manager or a spot on Coach K's bench in the past) while none of Chris's do. In fact, Chris brought on 1) his high school coach, 2) a Northwestern alum, and 3) a Kent State alum. Quite different models!

[SoCalDukeFan]

Does anyone know if Wojo's leaving might impact Jarbari's decision?

Thanks
SoCal

[CameronBornAndBred]

Curious as to who Wojo has coming in to play for him next year, I found this article. I would think that the recruits all would be ok with his hire, but I'm sure he's still making some reassuring phone calls today.


It's been just over 12 hours since news broke that Buzz Williams was leaving Marquette to fill the vacancy at Virginia Tech. We're probably going to get a lot of questions answered in rapid fire fashion by the close of business on Monday, and definitely by a week from now. But until we have solid answers, let's at least look at the issue of Marquette and recruiting so everyone knows where everything stands for now.
http://www.anonymouseagle.com/2014/3/22/5537264/the-2014-recruiting-class-and-marquettes-next-coach

[BD80]

Duke needs some toughness and meanness to them. I'm thinking Christian Laettner would be a good fit for an assistant coaching position. :)

Laettner would make the freshmen cry.


... I see no reason why Paulus would want to come back.

Really? No reason?


Yea, you totally need athleticism and lateral quickness to be able to coach.

That's why Rick Majerus was so successful.

You obviously never saw Rick at a buffet. You want to talk lateral quickness? Not to mention hand speed, footwork, boxing out, hustle and sheer determination ...

[FerryFor50]

Curious as to who Wojo has coming in to play for him next year, I found this article. I would think that the recruits all would be ok with his hire, but I'm sure he's still making some reassuring phone calls today.


http://www.anonymouseagle.com/2014/3/22/5537264/the-2014-recruiting-class-and-marquettes-next-coach

I'm a little worried that Marquette will be back in the hunt for Diamond Stone, though Nate James has been the one recruiting him.

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/145063/diamond-stone

[OldSchool]

ESPN.com April 1, 2014 Coach Mike Krzyzewski of Duke University today announced a shake-up of the men's basketball staff in the wake of the departure of long-time assistant coach Steve Wojciechowski to Marquette University. In a move that surprised the basketball world, Coach K has appointed his USA basketball coaching staff to coach the Duke men's basketball team.

"The main problems with this year's team was that we didn't have enough offense and we just didn't play nearly enough zone," said Coach K. "I think Coach D'Antoni and Coach Boeheim will help us enormously in this respect. Also, it will be nice to have Coach McMillan's focus on defense, but defense was not our problem this year, other than not playing enough zone."

"These men are all making a big sacrifice giving up their other coaching positions. But they understand that coaching the Duke team will be the most important thing they will ever do in their coaching careers," said Coach K.

Coach K's current assistants will shift to other responsibilities. Jeff Capel will be opening a coaching clinic focusing on teaching the last-second heave shot. Nate James will be appointed by Athletic Director Kevin White as Roving Special Assistant for Mental Discipline, sharing his coaching insights with all of Duke's sports teams. "Those young ladies on the golf team will be eating sand and crapping glass when I'm done with them," said Coach James. Jon Scheyer will become Special Assistant for Video Game Applications, bringing 21st Century virtual reality approaches to coaching basketball.

4053

LINK (http://www.e-forwards.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/April-fool-fool.jpg)

[johnb]

Greg Paulus, unathletic? Hey, the guy started (games) at PG and QB for two different div I schools. If that is the standard for unathletic, I hate to see where the rest of us would be assessed.

Nate James, not a good coach? How do we know? All I can tell is that he's the only non guard that K has ever hired (I think). We do know he's a strong recruiter (as are Capel, Collins, and Wojo), but presumably he's not a bad assistant or he wouldn't be on the Duke bench.

Hard to imagine Shane Battier and Grant Hill wanting to be an assistant to anybody unless they could bring their own personal assistants with them to do the dirty work. Hubert Davis did it, but I can't offhand recall long-time NBA starters taking entry level NCAA jobs.

Hard to imagine K hiring anyone right out of college to be an assistant, though TT could be one of the few.

Oh, and congrats to Wojo--one of my favorites. We knew this day was coming, and it's a little bittersweet.

[Kedsy]

Hard to imagine K hiring anyone right out of college to be an assistant, though TT could be one of the few.

Didn't he hire Wojo right out of college?

[wilson]

Didn't he hire Wojo right out of college?Wojo played a year in Poland and then spent another year with the Duke Management Company (the University's endowment arm) before beginning with the basketball program in the '99-'00 season.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Wojciechowski#Player_career

[burns15]

I don't think he was extremely physically gifted. He didn't have a spectacular (statistically speaking) career at Duke and didn't at Cuse either in football. Was he athletic? Yeah. Physically gifted? Ehhhh, He wasn't an antelope prancing around out there. He stuck around long enough at Duke to essentially be forced into being a Senior leader and to his credit, his Senior season he took home the ACC Title and made the Sweet 16. But I still find it hard to think such a limited defender would be able to help shore up our defensive struggles when the struggles we had last year were similar to the struggles he showed in his career.

Just because Paulus couldn't perform defensively does not mean he doesn't know what he was supposed to do. Do you think K could have stayed in front of most of the athletic guards Duke plays against now? Probably not, but he, for the most part, has certainly constructed teams that do well defensively. Scott Hatteberg in the book Moneyball said, when referring to his old coaches, something to the effect of... "Jim Rice, not a great hitting coach because he taught everyone to hit like he did. Jim Rice was a genetic freak, no one can hit like he did." Where as about his current hittng coach, he said " He doesn't try to make us hit like he did because he hit . 220, he knows how he hit didn't work." In essence its the same thing here, if Paulus understands the defense, understands motivational techniques and how to effectively communicate to players, why couldnt he teach the defense? The same way you could probably tell me how, mechancially, to throw a baseball/football/shoot a basketball, but that doesn't mean you could do it effectively at the ACC level.

[Matches]

4053

LINK (http://www.e-forwards.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/April-fool-fool.jpg)

I don't think any of those guys are tall enough to be the big man coach. :) We probably should add Sean Bradley to do that.

[devildeac]

To coach quarterbacks?

Too short:rolleyes:.

[Troublemaker]

Press conference in case anyone's interested: http://www.gomarquette.com/allaccess/?media=443176

Press conference starts around 11:00 mark

Coach Wojo introduced around 21:00 mark

[dukelifer]

I don't think any of those guys are tall enough to be the big man coach. :) We probably should add Sean Bradley to do that.

Well D'Antoni will be looking for a job after the season. Not too far fetched that he could join coach K.

[English]

Well D'Antoni will be looking for a job after the season. Not too far fetched that he could join coach K.

If this is a 4/1 joke, it's a good one. I want to frame the press release that announces the Lakers' head coach taking the special assistant coaching position (or video coordinator post) at Duke University.

[Kedsy]

Wojo played a year in Poland and then spent another year with the Duke Management Company (the University's endowment arm) before beginning with the basketball program in the '99-'00 season.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Wojciechowski#Player_career

That's too many years. He graduated in 1998. There was only a year between then and the 1999-2000 season. But if your point is he didn't join the Duke staff directly out of college, then either way it seems you're right.

[Dukemomof2]

Neither Shane Battier nor Grant Hill is likely to ever sit on a college basketball bench playing -- essentially -- "work-ups,*" when they can walk into any sports TV studio and many corporate boardrooms and do ten times better on day one.

Kindly, Sage
*"Work-ups," you Yankees understand, means starting as, say, video coordinator, then becoming director of operations, then taking the last assistant coach spot, then becoming associate head coach, before becoming a head coach. In the South, when we played baseball but only had 9-10 people, we used the more elegant Latin derivative, "motion," where one starts in RF, then moves up position by position until one gets to be the batter

Given that a new guy would be coming in at a lower level and essentially replacing Jon Sheyer, as Sage indicates, how about this idea - bringing in Tyler Thornton. From we've heard, Thornton is a player for whom Coach K had the utmost respect. K liked all those intangibles he brought to the game plus his leadership. I've heard that Thornton wants to be a coach some day. What could be a better match than to have him coordinating videos while lending some of his spirit to the team?

Though I'd love to see either Battier or Grant Hill come back, I don't think they'd ever come back to coach at a lowly position. They're both ideal for broadcasting and they can make a ton more money for less effort. They've earned that and I look forward to seeing both of them on TV for many years to come. Soon we can have an all-Duke team of broadcasters.

[-jk]

I don't think either has one now. I'm too lazy to look at the pedigrees of the former assistants at Stanford, but I don't see any Duke names I recognize on the current coaching rosters at either school.

Stanford: http://www.gostanford.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30600&SPID=127028&SPSID=816811

Northwestern: http://www.nusports.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/nw-m-baskbl-mtt.html

Not an asst coach, but NU's Chris Lauten is a Dukie - 5 year manager, last two as head manager.

-jk

[Karl Beem]

why?

His lack of lateral quickness would really hamper his coaching.;)

[-jk]

His lack of lateral quickness would really hamper his coaching.;)

As the kids say: IKR! It was such a handicap for Dean Smith, too.

How many of the top 20 all-time coaches had lateral quickness?

-jk

[Karl Beem]

I don't think either has one now. I'm too lazy to look at the pedigrees of the former assistants at Stanford, but I don't see any Duke names I recognize on the current coaching rosters at either school.

Stanford: http://www.gostanford.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30600&SPID=127028&SPSID=816811

Northwestern: http://www.nusports.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/nw-m-baskbl-mtt.html

O'Toole and Schrage were on K's staff.

[Billy Dat]

Press conference in case anyone's interested: http://www.gomarquette.com/allaccess/?media=443176

Press conference starts around 11:00 mark

Coach Wojo introduced around 21:00 mark

They REALLY hit hard on the Team USA and D-Wade connections. I think that played a huge role, although Mike Hopkins was up for this job too and would have had the same story.

[TruBlu]

Coach K should be breaking new ground and naming the "DBR In-Game-Thread" as the new 'Special Assistant'. We have some ideas. Some may even be good ideas. :rolleyes:

Or he could hire . . . me! I would like to go to more away games. Our opponents would never be able to prepare a game plan for us, 'cause even we wouldn't know what we were doing day to day. Our strategy would change depending on how my medications were working (or not working). I also wouldn't cause a problem with the budget, as I would work for what I'm worth.

Seriously, great news for Wojo. Congrats and best of luck, unless you play us.

(After my daughter got over her crush on Bobby Hurley, she fell in love with Wojo.)

[Billy Dat]

Wojo played a year in Poland and then spent another year with the Duke Management Company (the University's endowment arm) before beginning with the basketball program in the '99-'00 season.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Wojciechowski#Player_career

Who else remembers Wojo carrying water for the Duke Radio Network, poised courtside with his mic getting interviews for one year right before Matthew Laurence/Mel Silver arrived? I distinctly remember a game, maybe a UNC game, at Cameron where the ESPN camera focused on Wojo just as a tight game was being decided in Duke's favor. With Duke Radio mic in hand, he looked at the ESPN camera, emotionless and flashed a quick thumbs up. Classic.

[tbyers11]

They REALLY hit hard on the Team USA and D-Wade connections. I think that played a huge role, although Mike Hopkins was up for this job too and would have had the same story.

Also, according to Jeff Goodman on Twitter Wojo's great relationship with Austin Rivers may have played a role. Austin and Doc were very impressed with Wojo. Doc played at Marquette and currently sits on the Board of Trustees. No inside info but I bet Doc's recommendation helped a bit.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Or he could hire . . . me!
No way, you live in Atlanta. We already got razzed once this year for missing a game due to a little snow. :rolleyes:

[Kfanarmy]

I thought he tried hard at Duke and tried being a leader but he had a very underwhelming career at Duke especially considering his gaudy 5 star rating coming out of high school. One of the reasons I thought he struggled was his lack of foot speed on defense. This caused him to allow dribbling, penetrating guards to dribble around him to the rim very routinely. I think it would be difficult for him to teach proper defensive techniques given this occurrence. He may know the game but I think it would be hard for him to relate to quicker, more agile defenders. I could be wrong though.

Fair enough. I always thought of him as a fighter, getting everything he could out of his physical abilities. Seemd to work his rear end off at Duke, doing whatever was asked of him. Heart is, it seems to me, often the most important thing one can bring to a physical contest. GP may not be the best option, but there are a lot of worse options. While it appears a moot discussion now, FIRE would be one of my most desired qualities to add to the Duke sideline.

[Matches]

If this is a 4/1 joke, it's a good one. I want to frame the press release that announces the Lakers' head coach taking the special assistant coaching position (or video coordinator post) at Duke University.

That would be pretty awesome though, right? :) Maybe we could get Erik Spolestra to be the head trainer or something?

[gus]

Without Googling (I'm currently too lazy), did any go with Collins? Or Dawkins? You have a good point, since the tree now has so many branches. (I'm leaving Tommy out of it since he didn't spend years on our bench as a coach.)

Huh?? Tommy was an assistant for a decade!

[Troublemaker]

They REALLY hit hard on the Team USA and D-Wade connections. I think that played a huge role, although Mike Hopkins was up for this job too and would have had the same story.

I've been skimming posts from the busiest Marquette forum on the internet (http://www.muscoop.com/index.php?board=2.0) and most of their fans really loved Wojo's introductory press conference. Not a surprise. He was nervous/wooden for the first minute or so, but then got emotional, loosened up, and really came off as an energetic, high-values, family man. The few fans who are upset about the hire are upset because they think Wojo is just using Marquette as a stepping stone to Duke.

[summerwind03]

I've been skimming posts from the busiest Marquette forum on the internet (http://www.muscoop.com/index.php?board=2.0) and most of their fans really loved Wojo's introductory press conference. Not a surprise. He was nervous/wooden for the first minute or so, but then got emotional, loosened up, and really came off as an energetic, high-values, family man. The few fans who are upset about the hire are upset because they think Wojo is just using Marquette as a stepping stone to Duke.

Can you summarize the press conference? I'm going to miss Wojo!

[gus]

Nate James, not a good coach? How do we know? All I can tell is that he's the only non guard that K has ever hired (I think

Jay Bilas was a coach for a few years. I think he's the only front court player.

[Troublemaker]

Can you summarize the press conference? I'm going to miss Wojo!

Here's a summary from a Marquette fan: http://www.reddit.com/r/mubb/comments/21y849/liveblog_of_the_cowojo_presser/

[CameronBornAndBred]

Huh?? Tommy was an assistant for a decade!
I swear, my memory is getting worse by the day, I blame my recent surgery, and this beer in my hand. You are correct. (You can put Tommy back in the discussion.)

[rocketeli]

I could see Battier doing it just for the lulz. He could audition as a "special assistant" with Basketball USA to see if he and K could work together-but I don't see him doing the 80 hour a week thankless task apprenticeship. I expect to be voting for President Battier in the 2036 elections. But he might do a time limited, work limited but very valuable assistant role for a year or two-imagine what he could teach the young big men! Laettner might actually be interested, but that might not go so well. If that happened and Bob Knight was back in coaching people might transfer to Knight's program for a kinder, gentler experience.

[FerryFor50]

The few fans who are upset about the hire are upset because they think Wojo is just using Marquette as a stepping stone to Duke.

Lol

Yea because being an assistant head coach at Duke Duke makes a terrible stepping stone for Duke.

Some fans are just idiots.

[summerwind03]

Here's a summary from a Marquette fan: http://www.reddit.com/r/mubb/comments/21y849/liveblog_of_the_cowojo_presser/

Thanks. That was interesting. I loved when Wojo said he tried to hire Coach K as his assistant, but he told him he couldn't afford him!

[Troublemaker]

Doc Rivers on Wojo (http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/253455281.html) (no need to click on link, entire statement is below):


“As a Marquette alum, I can't tell you how happy I am that we are bringing Wojo into our family," Rivers told the Journal Sentinel through a spokesman for the Clippers. "Wojo has been preparing for this job for over 15 years by working under one of the best coaches of our era in Coach K. Marquette has had a long, successful history of hiring coaches who worked for legendary coaches – from Rick Majerus and Al McGuire to Tom Crean with Tom Izzo. Wojo falls right in line with our history.”

Jay Bilas on Wojo (http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/253396531.html) (should click on link, lots more effusive praise from Jay contained in there):


“He’s a really good competitor,” Bilas said. “He’s an excellent X and O coach. He relates well to everybody. I think the fact that he competed at a high level guard helps. He has coached big guys. He is certainly not one-dimensional. He has seen the game from every angle.”

[Troublemaker]

Thanks. That was interesting. I loved when Wojo said he tried to hire Coach K as his assistant, but he told him he couldn't afford him!

There was an extra funny line in there that the summary didn't capture. What Wojo said was that he asked Coach K to become his assistant and do halftime interviews. Ha!

[richardjackson199]

I could see Battier doing it just for the lulz. He could audition as a "special assistant" with Basketball USA to see if he and K could work together-but I don't see him doing the 80 hour a week thankless task apprenticeship. I expect to be voting for President Battier in the 2036 elections. But he might do a time limited, work limited but very valuable assistant role for a year or two-imagine what he could teach the young big men! Laettner might actually be interested, but that might not go so well. If that happened and Bob Knight was back in coaching people might transfer to Knight's program for a kinder, gentler experience.

I don't care if Battier says no. K should definitely go after him. With Battier's NBA experience, brilliant natural leadership, and role model behavior, he would be an amazing recruiter and coach. Helping coach next year's team with K, Capel, Scheyer, and fellow 01 national champion Nate might just be too fun to pass up. I doubt Shane is worried about earning enough money at this point.

[Dukehky]

I don't care if Battier says no. K should definitely go after him. With Battier's NBA experience, brilliant natural leadership, and role model behavior, he would be an amazing recruiter and coach. Helping coach next year's team with K, Capel, Scheyer, and fellow 01 national champion Nate might just be too fun to pass up. I doubt Shane is worried about earning enough money at this point.

I really can't see the harm in asking... It Scheyer's second year in the program, I'm sure he's not going to feel slighted if Coach K tries to hire SHANE FREAKING BATTIER, as in Who's yo daddy Battier. No harm in asking. If I had my druthers I would prefer Laettner because I think he's kind of a sociopath when it comes to competition, and I like that... Plus, when people are mean to us on the road, they'd have a pretty good reason. God I love Laettner.

[Researchc]

Best of luck to him. I was truly happy to see him land such a good first time head coaching job. It was time for him to get his own program. It seems with Coach Collins at Northwestern and Coach Wojo at Marquette, they are interviewing to take over for the GOAT in five (or ten) years. Even though I like to think of Coach K as immortal, he will eventually retire one day. I have always envisioned one of them taking over for K once he retired.

[Aditya]

I really can't see the harm in asking... It Scheyer's second year in the program, I'm sure he's not going to feel slighted if Coach K tries to hire SHANE FREAKING BATTIER, as in Who's yo daddy Battier. No harm in asking. If I had my druthers I would prefer Laettner because I think he's kind of a sociopath when it comes to competition, and I like that... Plus, when people are mean to us on the road, they'd have a pretty good reason. God I love Laettner.

Laettner has also expressed interest in college basketball coaching, IIRC, and he seems to be / have been a D League assistant coach (http://www.nba.com/dleague/news/christian_laettner_fort_wayne_coach_2012_01_20.htm l). I think his edginess could translate well in terms of motivation and building team toughness.

[g-money]

If this is a 4/1 joke, it's a good one. I want to frame the press release that announces the Lakers' head coach taking the special assistant coaching position (or video coordinator post) at Duke University.

I'll admit that when I saw the Wojo headline on the DBR front page today, my first thought was that it was the annual DBR April Fools ruse. Which would have been hugely irresponsible... but also pretty fun to watch in terms of the subsequent explosion across the Twitterverse.

Anyway, good luck to you at Marquette, Wojo! You will be missed.

[Dsuke17]

Congrats Wojo!! I'm very happy for him and his family. I'm sure he will be successful at MU.

As for new staff at Duke, how about Tony Lang? I think he will be good for big men coach. He was great defender, leader while he was playing. He had been offerd AC position by Coach K when Dawkins left for Stanford. He has been coaching in Japan for eight years now, four years as AC, four as HC. Though his HC record had not been great, his team made playoff this year. His son will be playing at Virginia Tech next season, so maybe it's time for him to come back to US. Just an idea.

[Ky-Dukie]

Congrats to WoJo ! I also think Laettner would be great. I mentioned that on a different thread the other day.

[burnspbesq]

I'm going to be the contrarian in this thread.

Unless he was unequivocally told that he was not going to be considered for the vacancy at Cal, Wojo made a mistake by committing to Marquette.

Like it or not, the Big East's days as a power conference in men's basketball are over. Even worse, the fan bases at Big East schools are in denial about this. Wojo may very well be able to keep Marquette at the top of the Big East, but his chances of keeping the Eagles nationally relevant are vanishingly small. And the in-denial fan base will inevitably turn on him.

[brevity]

I'm going to be the contrarian in this thread.

Unless he was unequivocally told that he was not going to be considered for the vacancy at Cal, Wojo made a mistake by committing to Marquette.

Like it or not, the Big East's days as a power conference in men's basketball are over. Even worse, the fan bases at Big East schools are in denial about this. Wojo may very well be able to keep Marquette at the top of the Big East, but his chances of keeping the Eagles nationally relevant are vanishingly small. And the in-denial fan base will inevitably turn on him.

In the sense that the BCS football conferences might secede from the NCAA and form their own basketball tournament, yeah, I can understand why taking a Big East job might be a bad idea. But I don't see that happening in the next few years, and even if it did, that doesn't preclude Wojo from moving up into a BCS program eventually.

And by the way, I see you as a contrarian in that you are one of the first people on this thread to actually discuss Wojo at Marquette, which quickly became a Duke without Wojo thread and never really looked back.

So... any Milwaukee insiders? In what shape is Marquette's program? Are Buzz Williams' recruits sticking to their decisions? DBR has knowledgeable people who have discussed Northwestern and Stanford in exquisite detail. I know it's early and sudden, but maybe Wojo and Marquette get the same treatment.

[JTaylor]

What about Shelden Williams?

[Saratoga2]

Glad you found a head coaching job that you richly deserve.

[OldPhiKap]

Best of luck, and you are always part of the family!

[Troublemaker]

So... any Milwaukee insiders? In what shape is Marquette's program? Are Buzz Williams' recruits sticking to their decisions? DBR has knowledgeable people who have discussed Northwestern and Stanford in exquisite detail. I know it's early and sudden, but maybe Wojo and Marquette get the same treatment.

Yes, I'd be interested in reading locals' takes on Marquette as well. I've been trying to play catch-up by reading that Marquette message board, and eventually I'll have a good sense of it. The only things I knew about Marquette going in were that they won the 1977 title under Al McGuire and that one of the Hoop Dreams kids went there.

Here's an SI writer's take (http://college-basketball.si.com/2014/04/01/steve-wojciechowski-duke-coach-k-marquette-head-coach/?eref=sircrc) titled "At Marquette, Wojciechowski will have the best situation of any former Coach K assistant." Sounds like Buzz left Wojo in good shape with young talent (this year's frosh and next year's frosh), if they continue on with Marquette.

[Troublemaker]

Marquette sophomore Steve Taylor probably would've transferred had Buzz stayed. But sounds like Wojo made a great first impression on the players, and Taylor might be sticking around now: http://painttouches.com/2014/04/01/steve-taylor-reveals-truths-about-knee-playing-time/

Excerpt:


Taylor smiled when asked if his plans had changed after hearing of Wojciechowski’s hiring. Derrick Wilson said he expects every non-senior player on Marquette’s roster will return, and it sounds as though Taylor will make the prediction come true. Taylor said he was able to watch a few video clips of Wojciechowski playing at Duke, noting his coach’s defensive intensity. But more important was the way Wojciechowski spoke to Taylor and the rest of the players, assuring them he understood the hardships of seeing a head coach and entire coaching staff leave abruptly, and that left an imprint.


“First impressions are everything, and he nailed that as soon as he got in,” Taylor said. “He told us he understood that it was tough as a player this last week, because you’re hearing a lot of different voices, hearing from a lot of different places and schools and stuff, so he understood all that.”



Wojo was probably referencing Coach K's back surgery in '95.

[CameronBornAndBred]

I'm going to be the contrarian in this thread.

Unless he was unequivocally told that he was not going to be considered for the vacancy at Cal, Wojo made a mistake by committing to Marquette.

Like it or not, the Big East's days as a power conference in men's basketball are over. Even worse, the fan bases at Big East schools are in denial about this. Wojo may very well be able to keep Marquette at the top of the Big East, but his chances of keeping the Eagles nationally relevant are vanishingly small. And the in-denial fan base will inevitably turn on him.
Prior to Wojo's hiring, I posted similar thoughts about Marquette and the Big East and their sustainability of relevance; I still have those concerns after his hiring. But that isn't to say it can't be done. I don't think anyone wonders about the UCONN women's program fading into obscurity, as an example. It will be up to Wojo to create an OOC schedule that demands attention; if he does that, and they compete successfully, he can avoid the pitfalls. Another example could be Notre Dame football. Prior to the ACC, and even now with a limited 5 game schedule, they have used their independence as a strength. Although on the flipside, and in counter to my point about the UCONN women, I would say the ND women used their new presence in the ACC this year very much to their advantage.
Schedule well, and win in that schedule, and Marquette will do ok. Schedule poorly, or lose in their OOC schedule, and they will have issues.

[tbyers11]

I'm going to be the contrarian in this thread.

Unless he was unequivocally told that he was not going to be considered for the vacancy at Cal, Wojo made a mistake by committing to Marquette.

Like it or not, the Big East's days as a power conference in men's basketball are over. Even worse, the fan bases at Big East schools are in denial about this. Wojo may very well be able to keep Marquette at the top of the Big East, but his chances of keeping the Eagles nationally relevant are vanishingly small. And the in-denial fan base will inevitably turn on him.

I agree with you that California is a better job than Marquette, but I do wonder if Wojo actually had a shot at that job. Very few big name jobs hire assistants (in-house promotions excepted). They want coaches with head coaching experience. Wojo was the only assistant considered by Marquette. I think Wojo hit just about the highest level head coaching job you can get these days without head coaching experience.

I also agree that the Big East ain't what it used to be but I am not quite as down on Marquette and the Big East as you are. I think the top 3-5 teams (out of 10) will regularly be in the tourney. Marquette played a strong non-con schedule this year with 6 NCAA teams on it (Ohio St, AZ St, GW, San Diego St, Wisconsin, and New Mexico). Problem is they went 1-5. If they keep that quality of non-con schedule I think they can have the same level of relevance. They will never be one of the BIG boys but in the last 10 years, Marquette has made the NCAA tourney 8 times (missed in 2005 and this year). They were a 3 seed in 2012 and 2013 but were seeded between 6 and 11 the other years. I think making the NCAA tourney 80% of the time with a seed in the 6-10 range is doable. If Wojo accomplishes this and the fan base isn't happy there are always other jobs.

[Billy Dat]

Dijana Kunovac ‏@dijana_kunovac 11m
whoa! RT @thebiglead ESPN's Jay Williams in Talks with Duke Blue Devils About Assistant Coach Opening http://wp.me/p3LRnW-1zmf

[MCFinARL]

Dijana Kunovac ‏@dijana_kunovac 11m
whoa! RT @thebiglead ESPN's Jay Williams in Talks with Duke Blue Devils About Assistant Coach Opening http://wp.me/p3LRnW-1zmf

Interesting--according to the USA Today article linked in the tweet,
There’s a rumor around the Duke program that Jeff Capel, a current assistant who previously coached at VCU and Oklahoma, could be in the mix for the California Bears head coaching opening.

If there is a chance of Capel leaving soon, I would think it might be especially important to bring in someone a bit older, if not more experienced in coaching, than Jon Scheyer or someone like, say, TT.

Mods, I'm assuming it is okay to post this because it comes from published material, even though it is reporting a rumor. If that is not the case and this post violates the rumors policy, my apologies, and please feel free to delete the post.

[gotoguy]

I thought he tried hard at Duke and tried being a leader but he had a very underwhelming career at Duke especially considering his gaudy 5 star rating coming out of high school. One of the reasons I thought he struggled was his lack of foot speed on defense. This caused him to allow dribbling, penetrating guards to dribble around him to the rim very routinely. I think it would be difficult for him to teach proper defensive techniques given this occurrence. He may know the game but I think it would be hard for him to relate to quicker, more agile defenders. I could be wrong though.

I think the ability or lack thereof to allow penetrating point guards to dribble around our defenders has been a problem since Bobby Hurley and Grant Hill graduated.

[phaedrus]

I live in Milwaukee but until this week, was not really a Marquette fan (though I've wished them no specific harm). I've been pleasantly surprised to see how happy Marquette fans were to nab Wojo. It was less than 2 weeks ago that I walked out of a downtown bar to massive applause and raucous cheering as the seconds ticked away in Duke-Mercer; now, the city is beside themselves talking about their respect for Coach K and Wojo's pedigree. I expect to see a marked increase in floor-slapping at my weekend pick-up game.

As others have pointed out, Wojo's success or failure will have a lot to do with the fate of the Big East (though Wojo's potential role in determining that fate should not be ignored). The fans I know here are realistic about that. They don't really know what to expect with the Big East, but they are hopeful because there is a decent class coming in, some talent returning that was underutilized last year, and a coach who knows how to recruit. No doubt that for Marquette fans, Wojo's arrival is a welcome break from hearing about the Badgers.

[gep]

An impression I have of Wojo... from the 2013 Coach K Academy. Good clip of Wojo coaching up his players.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvCU7-TdfwM

His intensity was just amazing... even for the attendees at the Coach K Academy. I can only imagine his intensity with a Div I basketball program and players and games. Can't wait to see Wojo in action :cool:

GO DUKE... and STANFORD, and HARVARD, and NORTHWESTERN, and now... MARQUETTE!!!

[Troublemaker]

A few links:

A "Welcome to Marquette, Coach Wojo" (http://www.muscoop.com/index.php?topic=43563.0) post made by a fan that I thought was decent. Explains a few things about the fans, program history, rivalries, and the area.

Another fan post (http://www.muscoop.com/index.php?topic=43566.0) that briefly compares Marquette to Duke and states that it's a positive for Wojo that he "will understand the MU dynamic better than any other candidate."

Wojo will be missed in recruiting (http://www.thesportsbank.net/college-bball/steve-wojciechowski-marquette-recruiting-394/). In this article, Grayson, Justise, Tyus and Reid Travis discuss the very positive impressions Wojo made when he was recruiting them.

[Henderson]

A few links:

A "Welcome to Marquette, Coach Wojo" (http://www.muscoop.com/index.php?topic=43563.0) post made by a fan that I thought was decent. Explains a few things about the fans, program history, rivalries, and the area.

Another fan post (http://www.muscoop.com/index.php?topic=43566.0) that briefly compares Marquette to Duke and states that it's a positive for Wojo that he "will understand the MU dynamic better than any other candidate."

Wojo will be missed in recruiting (http://www.thesportsbank.net/college-bball/steve-wojciechowski-marquette-recruiting-394/). In this article, Grayson, Justise, Tyus and Reid Travis discuss the very positive impressions Wojo made when he was recruiting them.

Good links. Thanks.

A couple of them mention Diamond Stone as the big target for Marquette. Who for Duke has been the primary recruiter for him?

[Troublemaker]

Good links. Thanks.

A couple of them mention Diamond Stone as the big target for Marquette. Who for Duke has been the primary recruiter for him?

Capel. He's been coaching the bigs for the past year and travelled with Coach K over winter break to see Diamond play: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3W_SYjj72Ao

[Ichabod Drain]

Capel. He's been coaching the bigs for the past year and travelled with Coach K over winter break to see Diamond play: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3W_SYjj72Ao

Casually dropping.. "When I was coaching Blake Griffin in college..." would probably be a plus in recruiting big men if I had to guess.

[Henderson]

I agree with you that California is a better job than Marquette, but I do wonder if Wojo actually had a shot at that job. Very few big name jobs hire assistants (in-house promotions excepted). They want coaches with head coaching experience. Wojo was the only assistant considered by Marquette. I think Wojo hit just about the highest level head coaching job you can get these days without head coaching experience.

That could very well be. It also could be that Wojo thought to himself that, coming out of Baltimore, and having played professionally in Poland, he'd just feel more comfortable coaching, living, and having his recruiting base in Milwaukee than in Berkeley. Maybe it doesn't mean much, but Wojo just doesn't seem like a Bay Area kind of guy. And if you are HC at Cal, your recruiting base is California. He may have decided that, even if Cal were interested, he'd rather be talking to Midwestern kids and parents about attending a smaller midwestern Catholic school than talking to California kids and parents about attending a big public California university. At least at this stage of his career. He doesn't have big school or state university experience.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Curious as to who Wojo has coming in to play for him next year, I found this article. I would think that the recruits all would be ok with his hire, but I'm sure he's still making some reassuring phone calls today.


http://www.anonymouseagle.com/2014/3/22/5537264/the-2014-recruiting-class-and-marquettes-next-coach

I was right, but they may not all have been the "reassuring" phone calls I was thinking they would be.


Still, Noskowiak’s college decision may come down to how badly Wojciechowski wants Noskowiak, not the other way around.

“(Wojciechowski) has never seen me play, so I’d like him to be interested in me, and I’d be really excited if he would like to recruit me,” Noskowiak said. “I fell in love with Marquette when Buzz Williams was there, last April. So I kind of just felt like I had to start over, start the recruiting process over.”


http://host.madison.com/sports/prep-boys-basketball-marquette-commit-nick-noskowiak-re-opens-recruitment/article_035f9f26-ba7e-11e3-b3b6-001a4bcf887a.html

[CameronBornAndBred]

And another good article about the current recruits who may or may not be rethinking things.


On top of that, as Mr. Kensington pointed out (http://www.anonymouseagle.com/2014/3/22/5537264/the-2014-recruiting-class-and-marquettes-next-coach)right after Buzz Williams departed for Virginia Tech: Marquette is bigger than any one recruit or even one recruiting class. The future of Marquette's basketball program or the university in general does not hinge on whether or not Marial Shayok decides to enroll and put on a pair of blue and gold shorts. If you want to see Coach Wojciechowski get Marquette to the next 10 Sweet 16s, you have to realize that he's going to make that 10th one with players that are currently in third through sixth grade. Think about that. We're talking about 10 successive excellent recruiting classes that develop into excellent players. You have to think big picture here.
http://www.anonymouseagle.com/2014/4/3/5577982/marquette-basketball-recruiting-wojciechowski-cohen-hill-shayok

[cspan37421]

Serendipity!

http://americanlivewire.com/2014-04-04-pabst-blue-ribbon/

[brevity]

Serendipity!

http://americanlivewire.com/2014-04-04-pabst-blue-ribbon/

Great find. If Pabst Blue Ribbon does return to Milwaukee, Wojo won't be surprised (http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?33527-The-Jabari-Parker-draft-vigil&p=723348#post723348). Besides, he's already started drinking another local brew: Shotz (http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/museum/artifacts/archives/002403.asp).

(Speaking of Laverne & Shirley, take a look at actresses Zoe Kazan and Zooey Deschanel. Just sayin'.)

[Saratoga2]

With coach K heading to his 68th birthday and the loss in a couple of years of two of his chief assistants, one has to wonder if coach K is trying to do too much in taking on the US team, recruiting and running the Duke team. He is a great coach and it is nice to have his assistants recognized for their ability but will so much activity become a problem for coach K to handle? He did show some dizziness this past season. With 4 freshmen and at least two sophomores on the team and two more fairly low experience players to deal with, I would think a great deal of energy will be needed next season. I am 73 myself and recognize that no matter how well you take care of yourself, your health and energy level "will slowly go by" as the song tells us. I am hoping his assistants are given more latitude to help get the best performance from our stellar team next season. Still wondering if adjustment will be made in the style of play, but if so, that will take a lot of effort.

[fuse]

Great find. If Pabst Blue Ribbon does return to Milwaukee, Wojo won't be surprised (http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?33527-The-Jabari-Parker-draft-vigil&p=723348#post723348). Besides, he's already started drinking another local brew: Shotz (http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/museum/artifacts/archives/002403.asp).

(Speaking of Laverne & Shirley, take a look at actresses Zoe Kazan and Zooey Deschanel. Just sayin'.)

Saw Wojo at last fall's World Beer Festival in Durham. I'm sure he'll find some good watering holes in Milwaukee.

[lotusland]

I'd love to see Battier coach. In addition to being the most selfless leader ever at Duke, he has versatile big man skills and defensive skills that he could really offer to our team and coach them up.

I'm eager to see other's thoughts on this but how big an issue is it to others to have a coach that coaches a particular set of players (guards or big men) to have actually played that position? At one time, Wojo was our front court positions coach. I realize baseball is a lot different than basketball but to me that's similar to having Greg Maddux as your hitting coach or Cal Ripken, Jr as your pitching coach. I realize these guys accumulate lots of knowledge on other positions in their sport but it seems more natural to me to have former forwards/centers coaching forwards/centers and former guards coaching guards.

I imagine Maddux could offer a wealth of knowledge to hitters.

[cspan37421]

Great find. If Pabst Blue Ribbon does return to Milwaukee, Wojo won't be surprised (http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?33527-The-Jabari-Parker-draft-vigil&p=723348#post723348). Besides, he's already started drinking another local brew: Shotz (http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/museum/artifacts/archives/002403.asp).

(Speaking of Laverne & Shirley, take a look at actresses Zoe Kazan and Zooey Deschanel. Just sayin'.)

Oh, I know. Both are very easy on the eyes. And no PBR needed for that effect.

Anyway, all this talk of Wojo and Milwaukee makes me want some beer and brats!

[lotusland]

Greg Paulus, unathletic? Hey, the guy started (games) at PG and QB for two different div I schools. If that is the standard for unathletic, I hate to see where the rest of us would be assessed.

Nate James, not a good coach? How do we know? All I can tell is that he's the only non guard that K has ever hired (I think). We do know he's a strong recruiter (as are Capel, Collins, and Wojo), but presumably he's not a bad assistant or he wouldn't be on the Duke bench.

Hard to imagine Shane Battier and Grant Hill wanting to be an assistant to anybody unless they could bring their own personal assistants with them to do the dirty work. Hubert Davis did it, but I can't offhand recall long-time NBA starters taking entry level NCAA jobs.

Hard to imagine K hiring anyone right out of college to be an assistant, though TT could be one of the few.

Oh, and congrats to Wojo--one of my favorites. We knew this day was coming, and it's a little bittersweet.

Dawkins?

[lotusland]

Congrats Wojo!! I'm very happy for him and his family. I'm sure he will be successful at MU.

As for new staff at Duke, how about Tony Lang? I think he will be good for big men coach. He was great defender, leader while he was playing. He had been offerd AC position by Coach K when Dawkins left for Stanford. He has been coaching in Japan for eight years now, four years as AC, four as HC. Though his HC record had not been great, his team made playoff this year. His son will be playing at Virginia Tech next season, so maybe it's time for him to come back to US. Just an idea.

if Lang had not clipped his finger nails, Grant Hill might have had 3 championships at Duke!

[Tripping William]

if Lang had not clipped his finger nails, Grant Hill might have had 3 championships at Duke!

Thanks for the reminder. Blasted Charlotte manicurists. I loved that team. *sigh*

[devildeac]

Saw Wojo at last fall's World Beer Festival in Durham. I'm sure he'll find some good watering holes in Milwaukee.

I don't think this would be too far for him to drive:

http://www.newglarusbrewing.com/

:)

[tommy]

Highly regarded recruit Ahmed Hill has decommitted from Marquette, tweeting that he committed there because of his relationship with the previous coaching staff, and that he doesn't feel the same about the new coach.

This on the heels of the de-commitment of Marial Shayok from the Marquette program.

Shoot. Not what I was hoping for for Wojo in his first few weeks in his new gig.

[CDu]

Highly regarded recruit Ahmed Hill has decommitted from Marquette, tweeting that he committed there because of his relationship with the previous coaching staff, and that he doesn't feel the same about the new coach.

This on the heels of the de-commitment of Marial Shayok from the Marquette program.

Shoot. Not what I was hoping for for Wojo in his first few weeks in his new gig.

Yeah, that stinks. Not altogether unexpected, but it still stinks for Wojo and Marquette.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Yeah, that stinks. Not altogether unexpected, but it still stinks for Wojo and Marquette.

I honestly think it may be a blessing in disguise. Talent is talent, and you can't replace it if it's gone, but losing incoming recruits / current players provides the following:

a) Expectations for Wojo are even more reduced for the next couple of years

b) Allows Wojo to bring in his own players

2014-2015 may completely blow for Wojo, but starting from a cleaner slate may just work out.

[MCFinARL]

I honestly think it may be a blessing in disguise. Talent is talent, and you can't replace it if it's gone, but losing incoming recruits / current players provides the following:

a) Expectations for Wojo are even more reduced for the next couple of years

b) Allows Wojo to bring in his own players

2014-2015 may completely blow for Wojo, but starting from a cleaner slate may just work out.

I think you make some good points here. If a recruit doesn't feel a fit with the new coach, probably better for both of them to move on than to spend a lot of energy trying to make it work and possibly end up with a transfer situation later anyway. Then that energy, from the coaching side, can go into building the new program and recruiting for the future.

A bit off point, but I wonder whether either of these players will end up at Virginia Tech, since they apparently felt strongly about Buzz Williams.

[tommy]

Former Marquette commit Ahmed Hill has now committed to Virginia Tech, following Buzz Williams and a key assistant who also left Marquette and followed Williams to Blacksburg. Va Tech looks to have a pretty decent backcourt next year.

[brevity]

Jeff Goodman
@GoodmanESPN

Marquette has landed a commitment from BYU graduate transfer Matt Carlino, a source told ESPN. Eligible to play this coming season.
3:30pm - 25 Apr 14

https://mobile.twitter.com/GoodmanESPN/status/459791580518703104

[Tripping William]

Jeff Goodman
@GoodmanESPN

Marquette has landed a commitment from BYU graduate transfer Matt Carlino, a source told ESPN. Eligible to play this coming season.
3:30pm - 25 Apr 14

https://mobile.twitter.com/GoodmanESPN/status/459791580518703104

Could be an interesting transition.

Mormon school to Catholic school.

Provo to Milwaukee.

Dave Rose to Wojo.

[brevity]

More (https://twitter.com/GoodmanESPN/status/461540670482546688) from ESPN's Jeff Goodman:

Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN 48m
Marquette Steve Wojciechowski hires former Florida star Brett Nelson to complete his staff. Mark Phelps, Chris Carrawell and Nelson.

One of the reply tweets in the link above points out that Nelson worked for then-head coach Mark Phelps at Drake.

[tommy]

More (https://twitter.com/GoodmanESPN/status/461540670482546688) from ESPN's Jeff Goodman:

Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN 48m
Marquette Steve Wojciechowski hires former Florida star Brett Nelson to complete his staff. Mark Phelps, Chris Carrawell and Nelson.

One of the reply tweets in the link above points out that Nelson worked for then-head coach Mark Phelps at Drake.

Hate the Drake.

[Clay Feet POF]

Hate the Drake.

We really should give them a gift...maybe a TV

[tommy]

We really should give them a gift...maybe a TV

What are you, a hipster doofus?

[Clay Feet POF]

What are you, a hipster doofus?

Sorry, but I had a friend who had Rabies once, and it unnerved me. I need help!

[Tappan Zee Devil]

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/11665784/transfer-gabe-levin-leaving-marquette-ever-playing

[subzero02]

Their tallest eligible player when the season starts will be 6'7"...

[CameronBornAndBred]

Their tallest eligible player when the season starts will be 6'7"...
The whole team is too short for Wojo to coach.

[gep]

Give him a couple of years... his shortest player will be 6-7 :cool:

[Nosbleuatu]

I wonder if Levin's departure is related to Ellenson's commitment. Not that Wojo couldn't have used both players.

[Clay Feet POF]

Give him a couple of years... his shortest player will be 6-7 :cool:


Enlightenment Please!!