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How about Buzz?

2019-20 16–14
2020–21 8–10
2021–22 27–13
2022–23 25–10
2023–24 21–15

Buzz Williams ladies and gentlemen, coming from the people who don’t trust Mitch Barnhart to make the hire.

Buzz Williams ladies and gentlemen from the people who refer to Tubby Smith as 10 loss Tubby. Buzz Williams has been coaching for 17 years and has 14 10 loss seasons. He lost 9 twice and 8 in the other 3 seasons.
 
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I’m to the point to where I don’t look at NCAA tournament success all that much. I look at ability to recruit and master NIL/Transfer portal. Winning a strong conference regular season is impressive to me. The NCAA tournament is so random. If it were only about that they why don’t we give Tony Bennett or Kevin Ollie a call.
 
I would take Buzz Williams in a heartbeat. He would recruit a lot better at Kentucky than he has so far.

And he has more class in his little finger than Cal has in his whole body.
I covered Buzz Williams when I was a sports reporter in Virginia. Buzz is a very interesting guy, and I don't mean that in the best way. Tries very hard to keep his blue collar persona, but has diva qualities behind the scenes. He's a great basketball coach, and his players would run through a wall for him, but he can't recruit to the level that he'll have consistent contenders. He's also a Texas guy. If we're simply looking for a really good X's and O's coach... I'd rather have Dana Altman at Oregon or McDermott from Creighton. Buzz in no way could handle the Ambassador role that automatically comes with being the UK coach.
 
I’m to the point to where I don’t look at NCAA tournament success all that much. I look at ability to recruit and master NIL/Transfer portal. Winning a strong conference regular season is impressive to me. The NCAA tournament is so random. If it were only about that they why don’t we give Tony Bennett or Kevin Ollie a call.
And this is the wrong way to look at it. We have been the best with recruiting and talent and it has gotten us nothing. You NEED to be focusing on motivation to win basketball games and the experience and savvy to execute that at a high level. The recruiting will take care of itself.
 
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Here’s a novel idea, let’s go down to about the 30th coaching candidate for the UK job, and make a thread about it.

So while I’m here, let me try this…

“There’s no way Buzz would leave his current employer for the UK job, that’s just silly talk!”🤣
 
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Have we sank so low that we want Buzz Williams? I would rather just watch a Cal coached UK game with a buzz. I mean if we are going to throw out names of people who have coached for years and done very little to justify being the head man at the premier college basketball program in the country then why not throw out Kevin Ollie? He won a title at UConn so that has to mean something right? It is better than Buzz has done in his post season career. How about Steve Alford? He has taken 5 different teams to the NCAA tournament and has a better career win percentage than Buzz. Any other mediocre Joe's out there that deserve this job? 🙄
 
And this is the wrong way to look at it. We have been the best with recruiting and talent and it has gotten us nothing. You NEED to be focusing on motivation to win basketball games and the experience and savvy to execute that at a high level. The recruiting will take care of itself.
I agree with you. Above all else it should be a hungry coach that is a smart x and o guy and one that actually prepares for opponents. I’m just saying that looking at a certain coach and wanting them because they won a championship is nutz. Bad coaches can win a random tournament. young and hungry anyday for me over Drew, Wright, Stevens, even Donavan. They have made their name and money.
 
Have we sank so low that we want Buzz Williams? I would rather just watch a Cal coached UK game with a buzz. I mean if we are going to throw out names of people who have coached for years and done very little to justify being the head man at the premier college basketball program in the country then why not throw out Kevin Ollie? He won a title at UConn so that has to mean something right? It is better than Buzz has done in his post season career. How about Steve Alford? He has taken 5 different teams to the NCAA tournament and has a better career win percentage than Buzz. Any other mediocre Joe's out there that deserve this job? 🙄
Tony Bennett, Brian Dutcher, Leonard Hamilton
 
I covered Buzz Williams when I was a sports reporter in Virginia. Buzz is a very interesting guy, and I don't mean that in the best way. Tries very hard to keep his blue collar persona, but has diva qualities behind the scenes. He's a great basketball coach, and his players would run through a wall for him, but he can't recruit to the level that he'll have consistent contenders. He's also a Texas guy. If we're simply looking for a really good X's and O's coach... I'd rather have Dana Altman at Oregon or McDermott from Creighton. Buzz in no way could handle the Ambassador role that automatically comes with being the UK coach.
He just recruited well enough *from A&M* to take us out behind the woodshed twice and take Houston to the wire. Respectfully, nothing you said is concrete. For example, if you want us to believe Buzz has multiple diva qualities then you should probably name a single diva quality he has so we can decide if we even think it’s problematic.
 
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Eddie Sutton, Tubby Smith, Billy G, maybe even Joe B weren’t great coache when hired. I think it’s about who fits with the culture and understands today’s basketball. Will Wade would kill it here, I’m not sure Lamont Paris would. Todd Golden might but no one really knows. I just can’t stand the thought of getting someone that isn’t hungry to win. Oates, Musselman and Pearl are still hungry but who know about Drew and the more established guys.
 
Homeless guy living under a bridge would be a big upgrade over Cal
Yeah, let’s tie ourselves to a homeless guy under a bridge or some other unqualified coach for 5 years because of fans hatred of Cal. Getting back at Cal trumps what’s doing the best thing for the program.
 
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He just recruited well enough *from A&M* to take us out behind the woodshed twice and take Houston to the wire. Respectfully, nothing you said is concrete. For example, if you want us to believe Buzz has multiple diva qualities then you should probably name a single diva quality he has so we can decide if we even think it’s problematic.
He recruited well enough to underachieve this season (they were pre-ranked in the top 15 and ended up on the bubble by years end). Also, what has he ever won? Think he made one elite eight with Marquette back in the day.

Buzz had a terrible relationship with the local media. He would get pretty combative at times over simple questions or very aloof, skirting his media responsibilities on more than one occasion (sound familiar?). Unless of course the national spotlight was on him, such as the national anthem press he got or the one postseason he was a personality on TNT for the NCAA Tournament... Then he seemed like a dream.

One personal example... We were in Washington DC covering the ACC Tournament. Our station vehicle got a flat right outside of the arena, so we're on the side of a very busy street trying to change a tire. None other than Buzz walks by. We're in a marked station vehicle, and Buzz obviously recognizes who we are since we see him at every press conference. He kinda chuckles and says "That sucks!" in a sarcastic way that was somewhat making fun of our situation. Did I expect him to stop traffic and help us change the tire? Of course not. But to me, it she'd a little more light on ole Buzz. Anyone that has worked halfway close to him (and I'm not saying I know him personally) would say he's quite the mercurial guy.
 
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He just recruited well enough *from A&M* to take us out behind the woodshed twice and take Houston to the wire. Respectfully, nothing you said is concrete. For example, if you want us to believe Buzz has multiple diva qualities then you should probably name a single diva quality he has so we can decide if we even think it’s problematic.
For me, the fact that he was getting the benefit of every call in our game with them, and yet as they went to halftime he complained to the refs for 5 minutes tells me he is a diva.
 
For me, the fact that he was getting the benefit of every call in our game with them, and yet as they went to halftime he complained to the refs for 5 minutes tells me he is a diva.
That situation is its own proof that it’s not a problem. Here we’ve gotten screwed by whistles for fifteen years because Cal is the specific kind of diva that makes refs hate him. If Williams is some other kind of diva that makes him get “the benefit of every call” then please bring me some of that.
 
Please see my a
That situation is its own proof that it’s not a problem. Here we’ve gotten screwed by whistles for fifteen years because Cal is the specific kind of diva that makes refs hate him. If Williams is some other kind of diva that makes him get “the benefit of every call” then please bring me some of that.
Please see my above response.
 
That situation is its own proof that it’s not a problem. Here we’ve gotten screwed by whistles for fifteen years because Cal is the specific kind of diva that makes refs hate him. If Williams is some other kind of diva that makes him get “the benefit of every call” then please bring me some of that.
There was no distinction about whether he was a good or bad diva just he was a diva.
 
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He recruited well enough to underachieve this season (they were pre-ranked in the top 15 and ended up on the bubble by years end). Also, what has he ever won? Think he made one elite eight with Marquette back in the day.

Buzz had a terrible relationship with the local media. He would get pretty combative at times over simple questions or very aloof, skirting his media responsibilities on more than one occasion (sound familiar?). Unless of course the national spotlight was on him, such as the national anthem press he got or the one postseason he was a personality on TNT for the NCAA Tournament... Then he seemed like a dream.

One personal example... We were in Washington DC covering the ACC Tournament. Our station vehicle got a flat right outside of the arena, so we're on the side of a very busy street trying to change a tire. None other than Buzz walks by. We're in a marked station vehicle, and Buzz obviously recognizes who we are since we see him at every press conference. He kinda chuckles and says "That sucks!" in a sarcastic way that was somewhat making fun of our situation. Did I expect him to stop traffic and help us change the tire? Of course not. But to me, it she'd a little more light on ole Buzz. Anyone that has worked halfway close to him (and I'm not saying I know him personally) would say he's quite the mercurial guy.
This is a clearer picture. Thanks.
 
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Have we sank so low that we want Buzz Williams? I would rather just watch a Cal coached UK game with a buzz. I mean if we are going to throw out names of people who have coached for years and done very little to justify being the head man at the premier college basketball program in the country then why not throw out Kevin Ollie? He won a title at UConn so that has to mean something right? It is better than Buzz has done in his post season career. How about Steve Alford? He has taken 5 different teams to the NCAA tournament and has a better career win percentage than Buzz. Any other mediocre Joe's out there that deserve this job? 🙄
Buzz will eventually win a NC.
 
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