Seth Davis on Wojo in The Athletic

[mug644]

A good read. Won't change anyone's mind about Wojo as a coach, and may shed some light on his humanity. Which, thanks to some deep-pocketed MU boosters, he has plenty of money to explore in a relaxed way.

https://theathletic.com/3531387/2022/09/20/steve-wojciechowski-marquette-duke-coaching/

[brewcity77]

Load of BS. Fans chanting Fire Wojo down the stretch in 2020-21? In the year he was fired, fans were at ONE game and it was what, 1,800 fans? Blaming his players for not working as hard as he did as a player? Local media turned on him? Ben Steele never wrote a negative article and there was no other consistent beat reporter.

This is just whitewash trash. Ignores his record as a coach, that he wouldn't take admin recommendations to save his job, or that him deleting his Twitter happened BEFORE his contract extension. Just trying to paint someone who did a poor job in the best possible light by obfuscating and outright lying through the piece.

[avid1010]

Is he not coaching somewhere else because he's still being paid by MU...or because no one else wants him?

[brewcity77]

Is he not coaching somewhere else because he's still being paid by MU...or because no one else wants him?

Sounds like he was trying hard to get back in with the Utah Jazz and Quin Snyder, but that opportunity dried up. I'm sure the old Duke ties got him his recent stint back at USA Basketball. Seems like a combination of not being in very high demand but also not being willing to lower himself. One of the rumors I heard was that he wasn't interested in a mid or low major job, but honestly, proving himself there is probably his best chance at getting back.

[DienerTime34]

Reads like a Players Tribune piece, not an investigative report. It seems if you write something long enough and get a photo of someone staring off into the distance, people will call a story "great" or "beautiful."

In reality, Wojo is a nice guy, not a great basketball coach. Not sure whey this story was deserved. Plenty of people who are dedicated and hardworking get laid off - with no safety net. It's always tough. Not quite as tough when you have a $9 million buyout and can spend your days hiking and doing hot yoga.

[Scoop Snoop]

Sounds like he was trying hard to get back in with the Utah Jazz and Quin Snyder, but that opportunity dried up. I'm sure the old Duke ties got him his recent stint back at USA Basketball. Seems like a combination of not being in very high demand but also not being willing to lower himself. One of the rumors I heard was that he wasn't interested in a mid or low major job, but honestly, proving himself there is probably his best chance at getting back.

He spent 15 years next to K and, rather than prove himself at a mid-major, waited for a school like Marquette that would buy into the Duke pedigree BS. Remember the "Duke North" crap?

Although it was only one moment, the Butler game where he did not know what the score was epitomizes his tenure at Marquette for me. I hated the hire from the day it was announced but was really hoping to be proven wrong.

[MUCam]

Load of BS. Fans chanting Fire Wojo down the stretch in 2020-21? In the year he was fired, fans were at ONE game and it was what, 1,800 fans? Blaming his players for not working as hard as he did as a player? Local media turned on him? Ben Steele never wrote a negative article and there was no other consistent beat reporter.

This is just whitewash trash. Ignores his record as a coach, that he wouldn't take admin recommendations to save his job, or that him deleting his Twitter happened BEFORE his contract extension. Just trying to paint someone who did a poor job in the best possible light by obfuscating and outright lying through the piece.

A little harsh, wouldn't you say? Even if what you are saying is correct it sure seems harsh. The article is a fluff piece that skews some facts favorably towards Wojo. Anyone who was present during his tenure knows that. But that doesn't mean we have to call him or Seth Davis (who makes his money writing fluff pieces by the way) out. It sounds like the cries of a jilted lover to do so. Let bygones be bygones.

Marquette took a chance and gave Wojo an opportunity to prove himself as a head coach. He was afforded resources many others simply will never have. The man tried, and I have little doubt he tried his hardest. In some aspects he was successful, but overall he failed. He was in over his head. Trying hard is not enough, and it sounds like he would agree. So, he was fired. End of story. Calling BS on some fluff story sure doesn't seem a good look in my opinion. But, then again, who am I.

I personally enjoyed the article, even knowing it is a fluff piece. Wojo is part of MU's history and it is interesting to read. And, as the original poster said, it is always good to have some appreciation for a person's humanity.

[Markusquette]

A little harsh, wouldn't you say? Even if what you are saying is correct it sure seems harsh. The article is a fluff piece that skews some facts favorably towards Wojo. Anyone who was present during his tenure knows that. But that doesn't mean we have to call him or Seth Davis (who makes his money writing fluff pieces by the way) out. It sounds like the cries of a jilted lover to do so. Let bygones be bygones.

Marquette took a chance and gave Wojo an opportunity to prove himself as a head coach. He was afforded resources many others simply will never have. The man tried, and I have little doubt he tried his hardest. In some aspects he was successful, but overall he failed. He was in over his head. Trying hard is not enough, and it sounds like he would agree. So, he was fired. End of story. Calling BS on some fluff story sure doesn't seem a good look in my opinion. But, then again, who am I.

I personally enjoyed the article, even knowing it is a fluff piece. Wojo is part of MU's history and it is interesting to read. And, as the original poster said, it is always good to have some appreciation for a person's humanity.

Very well said and I agree. It's nice to read about the humanity and not get so wrapped up in numbers, stats, etc. The Wojo era was an interesting one and disappointing from a results standpoint, but I have no problem with the guy. Glad he's relaxing and enjoying a slower pace of life out west.

[tower912]

The crowds on Scoop were chanting 'Fire Wojo. '

[panda]

A little harsh, wouldn't you say? Even if what you are saying is correct it sure seems harsh. The article is a fluff piece that skews some facts favorably towards Wojo. Anyone who was present during his tenure knows that. But that doesn't mean we have to call him or Seth Davis (who makes his money writing fluff pieces by the way) out. It sounds like the cries of a jilted lover to do so. Let bygones be bygones.

Marquette took a chance and gave Wojo an opportunity to prove himself as a head coach. He was afforded resources many others simply will never have. The man tried, and I have little doubt he tried his hardest. In some aspects he was successful, but overall he failed. He was in over his head. Trying hard is not enough, and it sounds like he would agree. So, he was fired. End of story. Calling BS on some fluff story sure doesn't seem a good look in my opinion. But, then again, who am I.

I personally enjoyed the article, even knowing it is a fluff piece. Wojo is part of MU's history and it is interesting to read. And, as the original poster said, it is always good to have some appreciation for a person's humanity.

A lot of it seems like sour grapes and inaccuracies pushed off as truths. Blaming the lack of talent that he recruited and coach k saying he worked himself too hard is plain comical.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

A lot of it seems like sour grapes and inaccuracies pushed off as truths. Blaming the lack of talent that he recruited and coach k saying he worked himself too hard is plain comical.

Exactly.

[jfp61]

Blames his players for not putting in a 10/10 effort.

Encourages a player to play injured in an NIT game.

Player transfers out 2 years later.

(What a load of crap this article is)

[Boone]

"load of crap" aptly describes Wojo's alleged coaching ability. Wish we could can him again...minus buyout

[avid1010]

So who cares about any of this...if he was a great coach that got screwed by fans, admin, etc. other universities would know this and scoop him up.  The fact that no one, at a level similar to MU, has wanted him says a lot more than any article or rumor.

[The Lens]

I'm glad Jack & Charlie's Dad got his life straigtened out.  But after that, you don't even need to read the byline to know that was Seth Davis not Dana O'Neil or Brian Hamilton.  A masterful slurp of a Duke adjacent subject.

[muwarrior97]

Very well said and I agree. It's nice to read about the humanity and not get so wrapped up in numbers, stats, etc. The Wojo era was an interesting one and disappointing from a results standpoint, but I have no problem with the guy. Glad he's relaxing and enjoying a slower pace of life out west.

Agreed, well said.  I always wished he would succeed and show he could coach, unfortunately the item that seemed lacking was his inability to coach, kind of important for someone with Title of Head Coach.

Seems like a good person, father, husband and brought a lot of high character kids into the program he just didn't succeed with results on the court.  Don't blame the Fanatical fans for the bad experience, you've got 9 MILLION reasons to relax in yoga class or in the back-country

[brewcity77]

A little harsh, wouldn't you say?

No. You can tell a nice story about Wojo without calling into question the work ethic of our players, lying about our fans, and lying about local media.

The article is repeatedly dishonest and tries to alter history to make Wojo look good. Tell the true story, fine, but you shouldn't have to libel those associated with Marquette to do so.

[Jay Bee]

No. You can tell a nice story about Wojo without calling into question the work ethic of our players, lying about our fans, and lying about local media.

The article is repeatedly dishonest and tries to alter history to make Wojo look good. Tell the true story, fine, but you shouldn't have to libel those associated with Marquette to do so.

Libel is key. That's what it is. Really pathetic "journalism". I've got zero I'll will toward Wojo and appreciate his time here tbh. However, the blatant lies in the article are sickening.

#FakeNews #Lies #ThePathletic

[MuggsyB]

It sounds like a ridiculous, untruthful, and inexcusable article.

[withoutbias]

No. You can tell a nice story about Wojo without calling into question the work ethic of our players, lying about our fans, and lying about local media.

The article is repeatedly dishonest and tries to alter history to make Wojo look good. Tell the true story, fine, but you shouldn't have to libel those associated with Marquette to do so.

Libel is key. That's what it is. Really pathetic "journalism". I've got zero I'll will toward Wojo and appreciate his time here tbh. However, the blatant lies in the article are sickening.

#FakeNews #Lies #ThePathletic

Libel against...who, exactly?

You're overreacting.

[TSmith34, Inc.]

Libel is key. That's what it is. Really pathetic "journalism". I've got zero I'll will toward Wojo and appreciate his time here tbh. However, the blatant lies in the article are sickening.

#FakeNews #Lies #ThePathletic

ill not I'll

[rocket surgeon]

wojo might have practiced tough and played tough as a player, but none of that translated to his coaching.  how often did you see him show any emotion on the sidelines?  if he was so disappointed in his players not giving 110%, he should have been riding their a$$es from the sidelines.  he was afraid of doing anything to hurt joey's feelings.  hell, we saw what happened when markus tried to tell joey to pick it up a little.  wojo should have benched his ass right there.  give him the izzo treatment-coach like ya got a pair.  did he ever go out on a limb for his players, get T'd up to show support during some tough times?

    i wanted him to succeed so bad, but he just ain't got coaching in his dna

[avid1010]

how often did you see him show any emotion on the sidelines? 

Wtf?

[wadesworld]

ill not I'll

Nice.

[cheebs09]

Wtf?

Haha if anything, you could say he showed a little too much. I thought Wojo was pretty tightly wound on the sidelines and it translated to the players. The wild punches when we gave up a basket on big possessions (which was frequent) is one of my lasting images of Wojo.