Buzz Williams leaving Marquette for VA Tech

[FWalum]

I could write about this issue to ad nauseam.  Suffice it to say that I am not currently involved with basketball because of a situation in which our staff was falsely accused of impropriety.  Universities are extremely political and if you find yourself in the wrong camp, like we did with a new AD who wanted to bring in his own people, even the fact that we were historically successful in the four years we lead the program still did not save us from the rumors and innuendo that were perpetrated against us.  Despite the new AD getting himself fired just a few days later, when some of his deceptions were made evident, we did not get our jobs back.

So I find myself unwilling to take sides in this issue.  Yes I normally always err on the side of the student athlete, finding that support and tough love normally prove to be more effective than ugly criticism and sarcasm.  And with that I have to say that Brian Wardle's friends must be more powerful and politically savvy than his detractors.  Him retaining his job and having the support of some of the players forces me to think that there must be some merit to his remaining at Green Bay.  Receiving this award so close to the time he found himself in coaching duress is perhaps a little unusual, but something his supporters probably pushed for in order to get his career back on track.

[wh]

I think the official MOY announcement from CollegeInsider.com has done Brian Wardle a great disservice by not publicizing even one example where he displayed "moral integrity outside of basketball" that sets him apart from everyone else.  Presumably, his list must be a lengthy one, full of acts of kindness and innumerable examples where he has used his time, talents and financial resources in service to his university, community, church, friends and neighbors.  I assume he has such a list, because how else could he possibly have won such an award as "Man of the Year?"  After all, there are dozens of coaches out there with better basketball resumes.   

I did a Google search for Brian Wardle "the man," but nothing came up (except the alleged bullying situation). That's understandable, of course.  Men of the Year are humble, kind, soft-spoken.  They operate beneath the radar screen.  They deflect credit to others.  They are uncomfortable in the limelight.  They are people we know - but we don't know.  Again, it's a shame that College Insider didn't give us some insight into the man-behind-the-man.  Here we may have Mother Teresa in basketball shoes and we don't even know it.


   

[ARCInsider]

Are you calling me fat???

well you are from Milwaukee...

srsly, tho, meaning that he was trying to defend Wardle.

well, even the nuremberg trials had defense lawyers.

On that note...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gXEcgyu8LY&feature=player_embedded

[ARCInsider]

All of that may be true.

But can you say that Brian Wardle deserves an award as "Man of the Year", at least as awarded by anyone other than The Makers of Adult Depends™?

One might even be able to make a better case for a president deserving his Nobel Peace Prize.

[ARCInsider]

President Obama just got word of your subtle jab, LAA...here is some footage just released from CNN with his response...

[hoopfan22]

Buzz was at the Fieldhouse in Merrillville yesterday. Midwest Elite had a practice there. He had to be looking at Skara although I left immensely impressed with Zoran Talley. How did we not get him.