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MU88

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  1. Would you say that you like the candidate

    Yes, I think it would be an excellent hire. I know am getting ripped for spreading rumors, but this isn't a rumor. BTW, to the guy that made the suggestion, he is not affiliated with Marquette, nor has he ever been associated with Marquette.

  2. Linc Darner at UWGB would be a great hire. He is a rising star. His team won the D-2 national championship last year and got GB in the NCAAs this year. Was a finalist for the DePaul job last time it opened up. If you are looking at assistants, TJ Otzelburger makes a ton of sense. One of the best recruiters in the country. Recruited most of Iowa State's current roster. Has been the associate head coach at ISU and Washington, under Romar. Doesn't hurt that he is a Catholic boy from Milwaukee. Both would make excellent hires.

  3. The Greek kid and John Henson are the milwaukee young rising stars and best hooe for a future all star. Thr problem is thst Milwsukee ovrrpaid to keep Ilyasova 2 years and no matter how awful hes been he continues to start and rake minutes from ghem. Their young frontcourt of Ssnders, Henson. Antetokounmpo is the defensive minded, and extrrmely long and athletic. If they csn add a good shooting wing in the draft to place next to Antetokounmpo, they could cault right back into the playoffs. Parker would be ideal, if not him, you cant pass on Wiggins, if they are both gone, you csn take a point guard like Exum or Smart and play Brsndon Knight at shooting bec a use he can shoot it

    NBA is a boring game. Too many one on one and two man plays. It may be better if Milwaukee had an NBA team.

    Listened to Hammond at a private event a couple of weeks ago. Ilyasova has a contract that makes him a trade bait in the final year of his deal. The team can opt out of the contract for $200,000. Hammond thinks he can turn Ilyasova's contract into a first round pick in a couple years from a team needing cap relief. He also said, Exum is not a point, he just thinks he is one. He really liked Randle, but you could tell Parker was his favorite. He was a bit indifferent about the Kansas kids.

    As for the rest of the team, Sanders is awful. No court sense on the court, no common sense off the court. Being suspended by the league for the positive dope test is just the lastest screw up. Henson has regressed this year. Don't know why. Not athletic enough for the 4, not strong enough for the 5. I like Giannes, but he has a long way to go. Needs strength.

  4. Kohl bought the Bucks for less than $20 million. He has no direct heirs. Kohl has a net worth of several hundred million dollars in addition to the value of the Bucks. The team is profitable at this point in time. Kohl has promised to make a "significant" contribution to the new arena, even if he sells the team. There are rumors that he might contribute the profit from his sale of the team towards a new arena as a legacy gift to the community. He has also repeatedly stated that he will not sell the team to anyone who will move it. So, under that backdrop, there are rumors of a sale.

    As someone said, Junior Bridgeman is a favorite to be involved. He is one of the 250 richest African-Americans in the US, with an estimated net worth of around $400 million. He is currently part owner of the Kings. Bridgeman got involved with the Kings to help keep them in Sacramento. JB probably can't by the team outright, but it ts rare for a single individual to buy a team nowadays. Most of the time, it is some kind of group. Hence, there are rumors that the owner of the Brewers might be interested. He too has indicated that he might contribute to a new arena. Other names mentioned as potential owners include Oprah, a native or Milwaukee, and Craig Leapold, NHL owner who married into the SC Johnson family. Leapold lives in Racine, just south of Milwaukee.

    In view of the foregoing, I am optimistic that the Bucks will not leave Milwaukee.

  5. Exactly. That is the key. If we do not get in by then, we are in deep ca-ca.

    Well, you can panic, although I don't think its necessary. PC President indicated during the press conference that would be reviewing membership during the middle of next year (I am assuming he meant middle of the next school year, so around Christmas)

    Things are fallings exactly the way I heard two months ago. 10 teams to start, including X, Butler and Creighton. Four schools fighting for the last 2 spots. SLU, Dayton, VCU and Richmond. With Georgetown leading the charge, the east coast schools are vehemently against VCU for reasons that have nothing to do with academics.

  6. Well, I have been a member on this board for a long, long time, probably since we were in the same conference. Given that we may be in the same conference, I am interested in what you guys are hearing.

    As for UConn and UC, the issue was the BE football conference. There will be no football in the C7, hence, no decisions will be made with football in mind. If UC and UConn are fine with that, I would be perfectly happy with them in the conference. I know its a minority opinion. But, I would rather have a stronger conference, then keep out those schools simply because they play a sport outside the conference. I view it no differently than Providence's hockey program. If they decide to leave in the future, so be it. Losing those 2 would not have any long term effects on the conference.

  7. <blockquote class='ipsBlockquote'data-author="AlumniFan" data-cid="345074" data-time="1361488076"><p>

    <br />

    Obviously because they want exposure in that basketball rich recruiting environment of....Omaha? <br />

    <br />

    This really does not make sense <strong class='bbc'>unless</strong> one assumes that Marquette looks at SLU and says, "SLU is really coming on strong in terms of commitment to basketball, we don't want to have to compete with them, but Creighton, although a good program, doesn't have the high end potential that SLU has, at least on paper." That is the <strong class='bbc'><em class='bbc'>only </em></strong> thing that makes sense to me. Getting to Omaha is not easier than getting to St. Louis. There is no historic rivalry there to the extent that there is with SLU. Creighton will not be as big of a draw as SLU would be, especially in Milwaukee. And Marquette doesn't have nearly the focus on recruiting students from Omaha relative to St. Louis.</p></blockquote>

    I've said this since the first day I stepped foot on the campus of Saint Louis U and that's " Marquette." If Tom crean coached the USA basketball team against Iran, I'd root for Iran. That one year with wade propelled them into the big east. They are the most arrogant fan base in the country and the most undeserving of praise.

    You are wrong on a number of things. Creighton is a long time rival of MU, having played almost 100 times. I would guess MU has played Creighton at least twice as much as SLU. Historically, outside of the 15 year period between 1989 and 2004, MU has minimal history playing SLU (outside of football, that is). In addition, the President of Creighton is on the MU board. It could be a reason why MU has actively supported inviting Creighton to the new conference. Further, Creighton would be a good draw in Milwaukee, at least as good as SLU, which has never drawn all that well, There are a fair number of MU students come from Omaha and MU actively recruits the area.

    That said, I have heard nothing about MU supporting or not supporting SLU as a member of the conference. MU has had some issue with Dayton in the past, which could be an issue. But, I haven't heard anything about them either. My understanding is the east coast schools are against VCU for a variety of issues. Richmond is being pushed for one of the final two spots by Georgetown.

    As for undeserving of praise, that is your opinion. It seems to have touched a nerve that MU doesn't consider SLU a rival and isn't fighting to get SLU into the conference. However, given the minimal history between the schools on the court, its not surprising that few MU fans who are over say 45 or under say 28 consider SLU a rival. But for the Jesuit connection, the schools have little history. So, like most MU fans, I really don't care one way or another if SLU gets in the new conference. I (and most fans I know) feel the same about Richmond, VCU and Dayton too. None of them stir up any excitement or great distain for that matter. They are simply warm bodies getting the conference to 12. Personally, if they were interested, I would let UC and UConn park their non-football sports in the C7 till the get in a BCS conference. Those programs would certainly increase the national appeal (and potential tv revenue) of the new conference. However, that does not look likely.

  8. Well, as to point 1, the tv offer is evidently from Fox Sports 1. Just like ESPN was, its a new network. Unlike ESPN in 1979, Fox Sports 1 has an over the air network behind it. The new conference could get significant exposure during NFL games, and maybe even, a game of the week on Fox after football ends. Sunday afternoon BE basketball on Fox has a nice ring to it.

    As for your other point,the original BE had 5 of the Catholics in the C7, Pitt, Syracuse, BC and Uconn. So, 2 public schools. UConn and DePaul are about the same size. UConn, like DePaul now, was also a pretty much a doormat with no fans for most of the 70s and 80s. If the new conference adds VCU, its about the same size as Pitt, albeit in a smaller market. Syracuse is a wildcard because it is a fairly big private with a pretty large following in NYC. So, while the old BE might have had a bit larger alumni base, its was not that much larger than what is being proposed right now.

  9. For basketball, 12 doesn't make a lot of sense, but for increasing the number of games available for broadcast. However, how valuable is a Dayton-Seton Hall game on a Tuesday? I think people assume 12 is a good number because football conferences think it is, but I am not so sure its a good number for basketball. 10 is a good since it allows for an 18 game home-home schedule. 12 does allow for a few more midwestern teams, which will reduce travel costs for non-revenue sports. Actually, 9 isn't a bad number. The old BE had 9 for many years. Leaves room for some nice out of conference, made for tv matchups.

    I think the 7 view themselves as a league already. I would guess the reduced payout would be akin to an enterance fee for the other schools. Long term, I think everyone will receive the same payout. I also question ESPN reporting on a FOX offer. Doesn't make much sense. ESPN ceased being a news source years ago. There has to be an alterior motive for the report.

  10. That's actually incorrect. Crean made more at Marquette than Anderson does now at Mizzou. He did get even more money at Indiana but he left without talking with anyone from Marquette. Marquette was never given the opportunity to bump his already very high pay. It's a big reason(how he left) why Marquette fans are mixed in their evaluation of the 9 year Crean period. He didn't even talk to the school President, poof, nobody. He just showed up at the IU presser to be the new coach. He wanted to go to a big state school. He was previously close to taking the Illinois position and he had has name leaked for the UCLA position as well but wasn't considered.

    Marquette would bump Williams to $2 million. Money wouldn't be the reason Williams would leave if he ever did. I think you'll see a bump in pay. Extension etc...but we'll see what happens.

    Actually, Cream made more his last year at MU ($2.35 million) than his first year at Indiana. MU will match any offer for Buzz. What they can't match is the lure of home. Buzz went to OCU and his wife is from Oklahoma City, I believe. If his family wants to move closer to home, there is nothing MU can do to stop it. That said, he is very happy at MU. Plus, he has a huge buyout. The number $3.8 million has been floated. Not sure if that is correct. I have heard its very large. In any event, will OU pay it, after coughing up over $2 million for Capel plus give Buzz $2+ million per year? That is a huge investment.

    BTW, I don't think Rick would want to come back to MU. He has reconnected with the school over the past few years, but I think there are still some hard feelings.

    I just read that Jeff Goodman wrote in is online chat that Rick was unhappy at SLU. I am a little surprised. He seemed energized when he took the job. I wonder if its true.

  11. Majerus raised millions for MacGuire Center and Marq still won't play SLU this makes me hate them more.

    Standing invitation to all Jesuit schools to play ball.

    Majerus may want to join "Old Warsaw" Country Club but can't if they won't have him

    Bernie says they should start it a club for Pols

    Majerus replies they will serve perogis

    Perogis sound real good especially some potato onion and cheese

    No offense, but why should MU play SLU? It makes no economic sense. SLU is going to want a home-home, so that means MU has to give up a home game to play in St. Louis. So, MU gives up $400,000-$500,000 in gate revenue, for what? It is doubtful the game will be on national tv. MU has no players from the St. Louis area. The game will not draw more in Milwaukee than a traditional buy game. It doesn't make sense. Now, I am sure that MU would be willing to play a 1 and done in Milwaukee. But, SLU won't do that, nor should they.

    Further, MU has a limited history with SLU. It is not a longtime rival. Yes, we were in the same conference for about 15 years, but prior to that, the schools rarely played. In the past 15 years, I believe that MU has played at Loyola, Santa Clara, Fordham, Xavier, Dayton, Detroit, San Francisco, and others. However, with a $23 million athletic budget, the school needs to play as many home games as possible. It already has an ongoing home-home with Wisconsin, and has 2 for 1s with UWGB and UWM. That leaves room for 1 road game (2 on the outside) and a tournament each year. Next year, MU is playing at USC. In 2011, MU is playing at LSU. Sorry, ESPN has is significantly more interest in BCS schools, than A-10 schools.

    Put it this way, should SLU play a home-home with say Drake, a school with which SLU has a fairly long history with (83 games), even if it didn't make financial sense? Why not? Why isn't Rick willing to give up a home gate to do a favor for an old rival? What about Loyola? SLU has a long history with them. Its another Jesuit school. I don't see SLU having home-homes with them? Detroit anyone? Schools have to do what is in the best interest of their program to be successful. We are dealing with big money here.

  12. The Bradley Center is not a typical NBA arena- it was done about 1989 if I have my facts right, and it doesn't have very many luxury boxes or other bells and whistles that other NBA arenas have. It's a good size for that market and has good sightlines for basketball but I'm curious to see how long they keep it around.

    The NBA is a little different than the NHL. The Bucks rarely play back-to-back home games. Consequently, as primary tenant, MU gets second choice of dates, after the Bucks, but before the Admirals, Iron and concerts. MU has will 4 Saturday games in a row during January and February. I know a lot of schools that get booted out of their off campus arenas for ice shows, etc. That supposedly won't happen as a primary tenant.

    As for the BC, its a terrific arena. Its almost in as good shape as the day it opened. However, it does have issues which primarily effect the income stream for the Bucks. The problems really have no effect on MU. The arena is pristine. It only has 40 or so luxury boxes. Too many of the seats are in the upper bowl, instead of downstairs. There is no room for expansion for shops, year round restaurants, a hall of fame, etc. NBA teams make a lot of money off these side businesses. Finally, the arena was build for hockey so some of the sight lines stink since you are a little far from the action. However, being 6 blocks from campus, its almost an on campus arena. From that perspective, its one of the best in the country. I have been to a number of arenas throughout the country, and the BC ranks right up there.

    Weighing in on the Spoon vs. Deane debate, I think Deane was probably the equal of Spoon as a coach. Spoon recruited slightly better players. More importantly, Spoon seemed to get people excited about SLU basketball in St. Louis. Deane did the opposite. Deane rubbed certain people the wrong way (although he was always willing to sociallize with the alums). He liked to have cocktails and he didn't pull punches. He also didn't have a lot of vision for the school. You may think MU has limited potential, but you can't say it. Like any fanbase, no one wants to be told you can't be the best.

    I think SLU's future is bright. There is no reason SLU can't be battling X each year for the A-10 title. But, you have to be patient. Let Rick's kids get some experience. Next year will be a work in progress, but I see a lot of potential for a terrific year in 10-11.

  13. I obviously think MU success has a lot more to do with luck than anything else. You mention facility disparities, but they've always been even, with SLU now well ahead. You mention coaching disparities, but there really weren't any. The two teams played in the same conference for several years. They have similar budgets. The large differences are that Marquette won a national championship 31 years ago, and has always recruited well locally (maybe the 2 are related?). And yes, Marquette lucked out with Dwayne Wade. His success and that surrounding his teams led to an eventual Big East invite and improved recruits. It wasn't just landing Wade that was lucky, it was the timing. The improved recruits post Wade have turned Marquette into a competetive team in the Big East and in turn will continue to foster more recruits. As Bay Area Bill points out, SLU simply wasn't as lucky with Larry Hughes. With another year of Hughes, who knows what would have happened with the program? My main point is that with the pieces now apparently in place, SLU is primed to break out.

    Facilities: The AL at Marquette is considered the finest practice facility in the country according to Sporting News. The BC is about 6 blocks from campus (as was the arena before it). It is considered a primary tenant in that building. Until SLU's new arena was built, MU enjoyed a huge advantage over the past few years.

    Budgets: MU had the 4th highest bball expenses in the country last year, around $8 million. SLU's budget was around $2.4 million. Even in CUSA, MU spent a lot on hoops.

    Recruiting: MU rarely recruits locally. I am not sure if there are any Wisconsin kids on the roster this year, but for Matthews. Al made a name for itself recruiting NY. Chicago has produced many of MU's greats, Ellis, Rivers, McNeal, etc. Sure, a Novak or Chones comes around once in a while, but not all that often.

    Wade and BE: Little or nothing to do with MU's entry in the BE. MU almost entered the BE with ND in the early 90s. It was a long term goal put in place by MU prior AD. I think their relationship with ND was MU's foot in the door.

    Success: I am not sure Wade is the reason MU is successful now. MU has always been successful to differing degrees. 40 winning seasons in 43 years is proof of that. Joining the BE allowed MU has allowed MU to take a good program and make it better. Is luck a part? Sure, but you kind of make your own luck. 10+ years of banging on the door of the BE coupled with a huge financial investment in the program put them in this position. That said, a few mistakes and it all could slip away. Staying good requires a lot more than luck.

    BTW, O'Neil was a huge potty mouth and a pain in the heinie. But, the man could recruit and coach on the defensive end. Deane inherited a Sweet 16 with a top recruiting class coming in. Deane was a terrific, albeit eccentric coach, but he was a terrible recruiter. After his statement that an NIT should be considered a good year and that the best MU fans could hope for was an occasional NCAA run, he was fired. The administration found his comments unacceptable.

  14. Most MU alums view Deane as a great coach who couldn't recruit.

    MU graduates more engineers than any Catholic school. It is very highly regarded and is about to build a new $100 million Discovery Learning Complex on campus.

    MU peaked at the right time to get into the BE. But, truth be told, MU was working on BE membership for 15 years. According to MU's old AD, SJU changed their vote when ND was admitted or MU would have been in the BE in the early 90s. So, I am not sure how much Wade, the Final Four and Crean had to do with it.

    I think MUs longterm success has made it a fairly easy job. MU has had something like 40 winning seasons in the past 43 years. The fan support is extremely strong. Attendance has averaged over 10,000 per game for every year but one since the late 60s. Poor facilities led to the downfall of the program in the late 80s and probably hurt recruiting through Crean's early years, but the AL changed all that.

    So, why is MU successful? In a radio interview last week, Buzz was asked what surprised him most during his tenure at MU. His response was the administration. He said he has never been around an administration that was so supportive of the basketball team. There is nothing that he has asked for that hasn't been provided. He said it was the finest administration that he has ever been around.

    No reason why SLU can't be successful. Although, I am not convinced an on-campus arena is a must. Georgetown does pretty good without one. Other schools like Creighton also do fairly well.

    You have a quality coach in place. You have new facilities. Right now, I think all you need is patience. You need your freshman and soon-to-be freshmen to grow up. If the administration at SLU continues to support the team, good things will happen. Viewing it as an outsider, it seems to me, that in the past, SLU's commitment to D-1 hoops was up and down. Romar was learning on the job during his SLU tenure, and why anyone would think hiring Soderburg was a good idea is beyond me. I remember having an ongoing disagreement on this board about the guy after he was hired. While he won at SDSU, his records were worse than the coaches prior to and directly after him. His style of play alienated fans, and he couldn't recruit. Very, very poor choice. Anyway, things are looking up and if you stay the course, you should be at the top of the A-10 shortly.

  15. Read the article on MV in golden.net. Lot of people interested in this kid. We were in there first. Wonder if that means anything. According to Nate not much chance of him coming to SLU.

    I read on another board that he has high interest in Wisconsin (his mom is evidently an alum), but they are out of scholarships. He may be waiting to see if something frees up. As with all message board ramblings, take it with a grain of salt.

  16. "SLU will have better schedules in the future."

    What is your confidence level in this statement and what do you credit that confidence level to? Its an open-ended, forward-looking statement that isn't based on any fact. I can see us "enjoying" the same respect YouDee does now, and that might be at best.

    As I understand some of the goings on at YouDee, they are constantly getting the same shaft ---- Cincinnati will play them but only if they either come to the Shoe or at least the Fifth Third Bank Center in Cincy. Not a real home game but c'mon, you can't really get any closer than that. Kentucky played them, but it wasn't a traditional home-and-home --- Dayton went to Rupp, Kentucky would only come to the Fifth Third as well. Purdue played them -- but only at "neutral" Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. They had to use the typical mechanism that is the NIT to get Ohio State to play them --- and they still had to go the 50 or so miles to Columbus to do that. The only real stand up guy that would come into the Dayton Pit was Jamie Dixon with his Pitt Panthers last year. If SLU does indeed achieve the same status Dayton has (which really isn't that much better but is certainly in a higher pecking order right now then ours IMHO), I can see the same thing happening ot us. For their Miami of Ohio, we have Southern Illinois and Missouri State. Mizzou will continue to avoid us ala them and Ohio State and Cincy. If they do come, it will be at "neutral" venues like Savvis, the Dome or even crossstate at Kemper or somewhere.

    I'd like to believe in the pulled quote that opened my response. I just don't think it will happen with any ease.

    I am not sure anyone can expect a schedule with multiple high major home games. It just doesn't happen anymore.

    Most schools need to maximize the number of home games for budget reasons. The only reason high major schools travel are: 1) rivalry games (this is happening less and less); 2) made for tv games; 3) play a game in a recruits home town or for a favor to a coaching friend; 4) to play in an exempt tourney; or 5) to fix a scheduling problem/mistake. They don't need to play a tough non-conference schedule to get in the NCAAs because their conference schedule is so tough.

    There aren't very many exceptions. Marquette is a prime example. They are playing Wisconsin at home (home-home rivalry series); an exempt tourney in Chicago (which will be close to a home game); Nashville against UT in the BE/SEC challenge; and at NC State on tv. The home non-conference schedule if full of buy games. Major schools don't play home/homes anymore without a reason.

    Even North Carolina's best non-conference home games last year were against Valpo, Nevada, and Kent State. Decent, but nothing to write home about.

    Given the changing circumstances surrounding college basketball, I am not sure that SLU's home schedule is going to upgrade significantly even with the new arena.

  17. CT, minor clarification-I believe that I have seen a couple of posts recently about the Big East having 6 teams in the Tourney. Actually, they had 8, which I think is half their membership.

    RM will stay here. He will not be offered the Marquette job-too old/short term. By the way wasn't he fired from that job b/4 going to Ball State? Also, I don't see one Jebbie school going after another Jebbie's HC.

    Rick quit to become an assistant with the Bucks. He then left the Bucks for Ball State.

    I have no doubt that RM isn't going to MU. Rick felt like he was under too much pressure at MU. I don't think he wants to come back. By the same token, I don't think MU is interested. Rick and MU have made nice, nice over the past few years. I think both are at peace with the current situation.

    Heard today that MU is willing to pay around $2 million for the next coach. It has the nicest practice facilities in the country (according to Sporting News a couple of years ago). The team is talented with almost all its starters returning next year. It has one of the highest budgets in college basketball at around $5.8 million. Its a good job. There is a reason that it has had only a couple of losing seasons in the past 40 years. It will attract a number of highly qualified applicants. Will it be Miller, Bennett, etc? I don't know. People change jobs for all sorts of reasons. It won't be because of a lack of pay or because the facilities are subpar.

  18. 3 star there is a thread started at the a-10 board by a dayton fan where that fan said that the big east has 5 wins vs top 50 teams.

    here is the link:

    http://www.basketballforum.com/atlantic-10...east-fraud.html

    Okay, but its not true. The BE had 8, the same number as the A-10. But, so what? The BE had a higher out of conference strength of schedule so their schedules could not have been too bad.

    As for scheduling non-BCS teams, its a matter of money. It makes no financial sense for schools that draw well to play on the road. I am a Drake and an Marquette alum. So, I see both sides of the issue. But, I understand why MU won't play a home-home with Drake. Let's say Drake draws 7000 per game at probably less than $20 per seat. So, Drake's gate is around $140,000. MU averages 15,000-16,000 per game at $25-$30 per seat. Face it, except for maybe Memphis, no mid-major, is going sell any significant number of seats, much less fill the BC. So, you are looking at a gate of $375,000 minimum for the Drake game, and nothing the following year when you go to their place. Why give up a home game against Little Sisters of the Poor to play a home-home against Drake, when you are going to lose the $375,000 gate when you play anyone? Drake isn 't going to compensate MU enough to give up that home game, because their gate isn't large enough. So, for financial reasons, MU plays Florida Gulf Coast one year and Coppin State the next, instead of Drake.

    Non-con road games should only be played by schools with high attendance if 1) its a tradional rival; or 2) its part of an exempt tourney; or 3) it made for tv with some extra cash on the table. Sure there are a few exceptions, you are stuck scheduling, you want to do a favor for another program, etc. Otherwise, it makes no financial sense. This argument that BCS schools are afraid to play non-BCS schools on the road is silly.

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