Marquette Hires Wojo

[TheA_Bomb]

Long time Duke assistant (since 99) hired by Marquette to replace Williams. I wouldn't feel good about this hire if I were Marquette.

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

[cheeseman]

Well it won't be long before Marquette is in trouble with the NCAA - when Quinn went to Missouri he got caught doing the same things he and all of the Duke staff did all the time. Quinn's defense was "we did this all the time at Duke and we never got in trouble" - "I thought is was ok". The NCAA will be watching Marquette now since they can are not allowed to go after Coach K and Duke.

[MB73]

Well it won't be long before Marquette is in trouble with the NCAA - when Quinn went to Missouri he got caught doing the same things he and all of the Duke staff did all the time. Quinn's defense was "we did this all the time at Duke and we never got in trouble" - "I thought is was ok". The NCAA will be watching Marquette now since they can are not allowed to go after Coach K and Duke.

Unsubstantiated. Balderdash.

So Quinn Snyder, a coke head, chased co-eds, screwed up at Mizzou. So that will happen again every time a Duke guy gets a job?

Can you name any other Duke assistants and / or graduates that have coached NCAA hoops besides Quinn? How have they done?

Has Duke ever been cited for any significant offenses by credible entities (i.e. not North Carolina bloggers or broy)?

[sludevil]

The argument against Wojo based on other K guys is pretty weak. (Hell, even Snyder has apparently turned his life around and is now an assistant with the Atlanta Hawks.) With guys like Amaker, Dawkins, Collins, Hurley, and Brey out there now, the K coaching tree seems to be doing ok. (For what it's worth, the expectation is that Capel will not remain an assistant for long, either.)

The argument against Wojo based on Wojo is stronger. He hasn't proven to be a great recruiter, and there are some questions about his ability to teach and develop players. His fiery personality can be a polarizing force, too. But he evidently has D Wade on board, so that's a good start. And at least he won't leave them for Va Tech. Probably.

[dlarry]

I saw Wojo at the CBC @ Chaminade game watching FBJT.

I walked in front of him and slapped the ground, he was not amused. Im guessing some like myself does that to him on a regular basis.

[JettFlight5]

Unsubstantiated. Balderdash.

So Quinn Snyder, a coke head, chased co-eds, screwed up at Mizzou. So that will happen again every time a Duke guy gets a job?

Can you name any other Duke assistants and / or graduates that have coached NCAA hoops besides Quinn? How have they done?

Has Duke ever been cited for any significant offenses by credible entities (i.e. not North Carolina bloggers or broy)?

The only Duke one I can think of off the top of my head would be the Lance Thomas situation.

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/64146/lance-thomas-scandal-remains-opaque

[For-DaLove]

Let's be honest, what Quinn Snyder did at Mizzou is the stuff of legends. Coke, Arri's Pizza, and hot college chicks - what's not to love. Most people dream of that life

[thetorch]

Let's be honest, what Quinn Snyder did at Mizzou is the stuff of legends. Coke, Arri's Pizza, and hot college chicks - what's not to love. Most people dream of that life

Quin's last team he was a coach on wanted to sign Kleiza to the team and he nearly agreed until both parties realized Quin was on the coaching staff.

[Dwayne's_World]

I saw Wojo at the CBC @ Chaminade game watching FBJT.

I walked in front of him and slapped the ground, he was not amused. Im guessing some ###### like myself does that to him on a regular basis.

+1

[slu72]

He's been an AC for a long time. And really do you have to recruit at Duke? One phone call from Coach K seals the deal w/ most of their highly rated targets. Ain't gonna be that easy at MU. As for Quinn, I think he found this out at Mizzery, ie recruiting at most schools is a down and dirty business unlike what he was used to at Duke. At Duke the kid had his pen in hand before the LOI was even handed to him.

[sludevil]

He's been an AC for a long time. And really do you have to recruit at Duke? One phone call from Coach K seals the deal w/ most of their highly rated targets. Ain't gonna be that easy at MU. As for Quinn, I think he found this out at Mizzery, ie recruiting at most schools is a down and dirty business unlike what he was used to at Duke. At Duke the kid had his pen in hand before the LOI was even handed to him.

For what it's worth, Duke's inability to land a non-Plumlee big over the past few years has largely been blamed on Wojo (who, prior to Capel's arrival, was coaching the bigs). Mitch McGary even came right out and pointed to Duke's inability to develop bigs as a major driver in his decision to attend Michigan over Duke. So there's that. And I don't think it's a coincidence that, as soon as Capel starts coaching the bigs, we pull the #1 C in the class. (In this class, Capel also took point on Justise Winslow and Tyus Jones.)

So I think there are legitimate concerns about Wojo's ability as a recruiter, and particularly as a recruiter of bigs. (On the other hand, other K guys - including Collins, Dawkins, and Amaker - are pulling historically good recruiting classes for their respective schools. So, hey, what do I know.)

[OkieBilliken]

Jeff Capel is a nice guy but as dirty as they come. He left OU basketball in shambles. Lon Kruger has done a decent job of putting the pieces back together but they are a shell of what they used to be. Capel also couldnt coach his way out of a paper bag. Horrible at xs and os. I'll bet he put together the Mercer game plan for Coach K.

[Box and Won]

I saw Wojo at the CBC @ Chaminade game watching FBJT.

I walked in front of him and slapped the ground, he was not amused. Im guessing some ###### like myself does that to him on a regular basis.

I love this.

[jimbofive]

I saw Wojo at the CBC @ Chaminade game watching FBJT.

I walked in front of him and slapped the ground, he was not amused. Im guessing some ###### like myself does that to him on a regular basis.

this is good. fu.ck fu.cking floorslappers. slapping the floor is like telling a bi_.tch that you're coming when you start to come. YES, she knows you're fu.cking coming, and YES, we know you're about to pick up your man at half court and start fouling him. piss up a rope, wojo.

[Dwayne's_World]

this is good. fu.ck fu.cking floorslappers. slapping the floor is like telling a bi_.tch that you're coming when you start to come. YES, she knows you're fu.cking coming, and YES, we know you're about to pick up your man at half court and start fouling him. piss up a rope, wojo.

Post of the year nominee.

[slu72]

this is good. fu.[/size]ck fu.[/size]cking floorslappers. slapping the floor is like telling a bi_.tch that you're coming when you start to come. YES, she knows you're fu.[/size]cking coming, and YES, we know you're about to pick up your man at half court and start fouling him. piss up a rope, wojo.

Ah, Jimbo, you ain't lost your touch. Basketball = Sex, rock and roll, alcohol. You should write a screenplay. I get credit for the title.

[Billikenswin]

this is good. fu.ck fu.cking floorslappers. slapping the floor is like telling a bi_.tch that you're coming when you start to come. YES, she knows you're fu.cking coming, and YES, we know you're about to pick up your man at half court and start fouling him. piss up a rope, wojo.

I must say that Jimbo sometimes drives me crazy but I was laughing out loud at this post--very funny!!!!!!!!

[bonwich]

Those Duke Polacks have always been such snappy dressers.

[cheeseman]

The argument against Wojo based on other K guys is pretty weak. (Hell, even Snyder has apparently turned his life around and is now an assistant with the Atlanta Hawks.) With guys like Amaker, Dawkins, Collins, Hurley, and Brey out there now, the K coaching tree seems to be doing ok. (For what it's worth, the expectation is that Capel will not remain an assistant for long, either.)

The argument against Wojo based on Wojo is stronger. He hasn't proven to be a great recruiter, and there are some questions about his ability to teach and develop players. His fiery personality can be a polarizing force, too. But he evidently has D Wade on board, so that's a good start. And at least he won't leave them for Va Tech. Probably.

Amaker was not very successful until he ended up at Harvard, Brey has had his own problems being successful - I have to admit I am not that up on Collins and Hurley. My point simply was that getting a Duke AC is not a ticket to success and could be troublesome.

[Bay Area Billiken]

Another Dukie, Johnny Dawkins at Stanford, was said to be under an NCAA Tournament or else edict this season, but his Stanford team did make the NCAA this year, and the Sweet 16 to boot.

[slu72]

I truly don't believe Duke ACs know how to recruit in the real world. Face it the 5 stars of the world have their sights set on one of about 7-10 programs. Duke is probably número deux on that list, behind KY. Now how hard is it to convince a top player to sign w/ the Dookies? Let's see KY has about 6 openings every year, so not very. You go to an AAU event wearing a Duke polo, you pretty much got the pick of Calipari's leftovers. I think the mighty Q and Amaker found this out at Mizzery and UM. Q went overboard and did everything and anything to get top recruits when he discovered just because he had Duke bloodlines they weren't visiting Columbia w/ pen in hand, which they do at Duke. Now Amaker has found success at Harvard because he can get the best Ivy candidates w/o the benefit of scholies, although, am pretty sure the financial road is made a little smoother somehow. Still, hand it to him, he's found his groove in Cambridge. I don't think he'll be leaving there any time soon. Bottom line, MU may have made a big mistake w/ hiring Mr. Slap the Floor.

[sludevil]

So I don't disagree that the K coaching tree could use some work. There have certainly been notable failures (including by some of the guys currently experiencing success), but there have also been successes. Looking at the total body of work, I think the K coaching tree is probably a little more positive than negative, but not by a wide margin. My point is that it's simply a bad argument to point to failed K guys as prime evidence that Wojo is doomed to failure. Because the opposite argument could be made with equal or greater force. Though, again, if you really want to make the case against Wojo, why go the indirect route? A pretty solid case can be made against Wojo based on nothing more than Wojo.

Re: Duke ACs recruiting: I don't think I believe that. Dawkins and Amaker are pulling historically good recruiting classes for their respective schools. And in his first year at the helm at Northwestern, Collins pulled the highest-rated recruit (first ever in the top 100) in program history. Though, again, Wojo hasn't exactly been tearing up the recruiting trail during his time at Duke, and what other K guys are doing isn't going to be of much help with Marquette recruiting.

[slu72]

Don't know about Dawkins, but Amaker's got it pretty nice at Harvard. According to friend, Harvard Alum, Amaker's been able to convince Harvard admissions to go the extra mile on admitting some of his players. Now these kids would have no problems qualifying anywhere else so they are not dumb jocks, but if they didn 't play hoops they likely wouldn't be getting into Harvard either. That's a pretty good setup when you can offer a 2 or a 3 star a chance at a Harvard degree and all the good ol' boy connections that come with it. There are Jeremy Lin's out there and if you're Harvard or Stanford you've got a built in advantage.

[TheA_Bomb]

Don't know about Dawkins, but Amaker's got it pretty nice at Harvard. According to friend, Harvard Alum, Amaker's been able to convince Harvard admissions to go the extra mile on admitting some of his players. Now these kids would have no problems qualifying anywhere else so they are not dumb jocks, but if they didn 't play hoops they likely wouldn't be getting into Harvard either. That's a pretty good setup when you can offer a 2 or a 3 star a chance at a Harvard degree and all the good ol' boy connections that come with it. There are Jeremy Lin's out there and if you're Harvard or Stanford you've got a built in advantage.

Don't fool yourself there are plenty of boys and girls that get into these schools because of who Daddy or Mommy is too. You can certainly study hard but you could hide out too. They have their equivalent basket weaving classes. The sports thing happens at almost all schools.

As to Marquette, I think if I would want a guy that has HC experience already. That would be my preference you could poach from a decent mid-major program like a St. Mary's (just throwing out a name not saying he would go back to the Mid-west).

[Clock_Tower]

Don't fool yourself there are plenty of boys and girls that get into these schools because of who Daddy or Mommy is too. You can certainly study hard but you could hide out too. They have their equivalent basket weaving classes. The sports thing happens at almost all schools.

As to Marquette, I think if I would want a guy that has HC experience already. That would be my preference you could poach from a decent mid-major program like a St. Mary's (just throwing out a name not saying he would go back to the Mid-west).

Don't fool yourself there are plenty of boys and girls that get into these schools because of who Daddy or Mommy is too. You can certainly study hard but you could hide out too. They have their equivalent basket weaving classes. The sports thing happens at almost all schools.

As to Marquette, I think if I would want a guy that has HC experience already. That would be my preference you could poach from a decent mid-major program like a St. Mary's (just throwing out a name not saying he would go back to the Mid-west).

Yes. I am surprised that Marq couldn't poach an "up and coming head coach" from a "lower" D1 school. Also, guess they didn't have "a succession plan" like SLU is supposed to have or like X, VCU, Gonzaga, Butler, etc. have all had. I get that they couldn't attract Shaka, etc. but suggest that these would have been lateral moves (Marquette isn't as good of a program as their fans/alumni believe it is). And by comparison, we have twice promoted from within (Brad and Crews) and twice have landed existing head coaches in Spoon from SMS (Mo State) and Romar from Pepperdine.

Also, I believe what some are suggesting is that recruiting at Duke (almost more of a national recruiting base along with a Southeaster local bent due to its actual location) is much different than even recruiting at another strong program and for an equally good coach such as Michigan State/Tom Izzo (which is certainly draws kids nationally but which has a strong regional recruiting base -- the same as Marquette). I have no idea who Izzo's latest assistant coaches but I do know that prior guys have been poached. The advantage, of course, in getting a Michigan State, Michigan, Ohio State, Iowa, etc. assistant coach is that the guy would already know the Wisconsin/Michigan/Northern-Mid-East region. Wojo will be a complete new comer to this area just like Quin was a complete new comer and the Duke name/legacy only goes so far. Then, again, if Marquette is our competition, then I think this is wonderful hire along the same lines that I think the hiring of Frank Haith was a wonderful hire!!