I'm on mobile, so I can't embed, but it looks like Larranaga has been named ACC COY
This seems like a huge robbery from Buzz. He seemed like the clear cut winner of this award, taking a caller dwelling team and taking them to 6th place in two years.
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Don't worry, Buzz will win it next year and it won't be close.
Either the majority of voters are stupid, too lazy to change their vote on the last day, or both.
Larranaga has 24 votes, Buzz 22. Seems like some people were swayed by the game yesterday, but unfortunately not enough.
If it was that close, they should have had them arm-wrestle for it.
Buzz would literally snap his arm off
I guess we'll just have to beat them like a drum again in the ACC tournament
Miami was picked to finish 5th in the league...they finish 3rd
VT was picked to finish 14th in the league....they finish 7th
I just don't understand how coaching an experienced, emerging Miami team to their season and coaching a perennial last place VT team to their season are comparable. Bias aside, Buzz should have won this.
And if you look closer, you see that Miami's place in the standings is as much about ND and Duke not being nearlly what was expected. If those 2 live up to their preseason hype, Miami finishes 5th.
Where was Miami picked 5th? Every poll I saw had them 7th or 8th.
Right here.
I'd like to know how Roy Williams got a vote and why Brian Gregory at GT got a vote???
Gregory I can somewhat understand, GT improved quite a bit from last year but Roy getting a vote is ridiculous. For a team that was preseason number 1 and having an ridiculous amount of talent, Roy was underwhelming if anything this year.
VT was worse last year and three spots better this year just in conference play.
Oh I agree, I just think that it was likely a GT beat reporter who gave him the vote. Same deal with Brownell. Buzz and Larannaga were the only candidates you could make a legit argument for.
Because #goacc
Does Swofford get a vote? :-)
time to make the voters eat their votes; hope the Hokies march on through the ACC tournament with a vengeance!
Man, Buzz shouldn't have been such a jerk to the media /s
I hope Buzz uses this as extra motivation to make a splash in the ACC tourney.
Apparently Buzz "bet" the media he'd never make COY when they brought it up, and said he'd match all their bets when they reached for their wallets. He'd be laughing all the way to the bank if it was serious.
I like Larranaga but Buzz coached his ass off this year and he should have won COY. I bet some of these voters had their ballots done by last week.
Definitely coaches his suit jacket off
ACC is full of fantastic coaches. I'm proud to have mine.
http://www.fayobserver.com/blogs/sports/acc_basketball/bret-strelow-s-al...
This is media in the ACC.
Is this a joke?
So we're still being punished by chuckleheads like this for Greenberg? And he voted for Williams of all people? You could have put James Johnson out there with that talent and they'd still finish in the top 4 of the ACC.
You could have put Buzz Williams out there with that talent, and they would have finished undefeated.
"My original pick shit the bed, so I cant pick them, and the resounding obvious choice cant be rewarded because of shit that happened five years ago, so Im giving my vote to the team that achieved basically what I expected them to."
Tim McCarver, that you?
So instead of rewarding a job well done, this dipshit rewarded someone for a doing a slightly better job than he expected. Who knew ACC coaches were just kids at Lake Woebegon
Not according to the scoreboard he's not
Im Okay with this. Maybe now we get to keep him longer
I'm sure things would be different if we'd beaten them in football. /s
He could still win NCAA COY right?
Correct. I'm not sure if a coach outside of the NCAA tournament has ever won the Naismith College COY or the AP COY though.
It doesn't matter. We know what he accomplished this season.
There are definitely two sides to this argument. Buzz certainly did an amazing job in getting our young Hokies where they are but there are also plenty of times where great coaches get passed over for COY when they did exactly what they were supposed to do. There is a great recent article about Bill Self at Kansas being passed over for Tubby Smith at Texas Tech for this year's Big 12 COY. They speak to how Coach K has only been COY six times and Coach Williams only twice, and what Rick Pitino has done since his last COY selection. I also think that COY voting should wait until after the season is over, not just the regular season. Coaches that end up taking their teams to a national title game coach eight to ten more games with no consideration other than to make them less likely to be considered the next season if they return a big part of their team. This year you could argue that Buzz out performed Laranaga and the vote being so close supports it but there is also the argument that Laranaga is being rewarded for how he has put this team together over the last three years and gotten the most out of them so that Miami basketball is somewhere it hasn't been often in their past, which is nationally relevant in basketball. I don't think not winning COY will impact Buzz in any way other than to maybe be surprised he got the 22 votes and that's what puts Buzz in the same category as Coach K and the other hall of fame coaches in the ACC.
Agreed I think he deserves it 100% though..... We were picked to be 14th and got the 6 seed in the arguably toughest conference in the country and quality wins over Pitt UVa and Miami
And Miami was picked 8th and finished T-2.
If VT is picked 8th next yr (a realistic possibility) and finishes T-2, everybody - and I mean EVERYBODY here - would be bat shit crazy if someone else other than Buzz won COY.
Well said ltrpeter as always however - Over Ruled!
Larranaga had a team full of seniors. But its all good. The way Buzz has started at VT, we'll win the damn national championship when our guys are seniors
Fuck Miami.
Muck Fiami
Pitt can eat shit, for good meaure.
I just read through the ACC Player Awards/All-Conference rosters and there isn't a Hokie listed at all...and I'm fine with that. Here's why: I know that Buzz and our Hokies have accomplished what they have, not for accolades and awards, but because they're spending every workout/practice/game working for each other. I'm sure Coach Buzz doesn't care about this award because what he's shown each time he's spoken and coached that he cares about his players' continued success, not to be recognized with brass/glass statues by the press.
If Buzz doesn't care, I don't either. I DO care that our Hokies come out like their hair/sweat rag (sorry, coach!) is on fire against BC/FSU. I want to see them working to play another game. Live another day of this amazing season.
I'm thrilled that Buzz is a part of our school and has dedicated this much of his being into making us relevant again and that his players have answered the call, put in the sweat equity, and are beginning to reap their reward for jobs well done. Let's wreak some havoc in the selection committees! GO HOKIES!
He doesn't. If you ever hear Buzz speak in person you'll more than likely get to hear it. I recently heard him talking about how he was told by the media that we earned a 6th seed in the ACC tourney, playing the last game on Wed. All that meant to Buzz is he'd then know what time his next game would be. He said his team never preoccupied themselves with being picked near-last in the ACC during preseason, and was never concerned about where they were ranked during the season. All they were preoccupied with was making sure that from one day to the next they were better than the day before. If that meant being 14th preseason and finishing 14th, at least they could still hang their hats on knowing they got better every day. Now that they know they are 6th seeded, it is not going to make them concerned about what postseason play they might have past the ACC tourney. Their only achievement concern is the next game in front of them, and as always, to get better than they already are.
As a side note, it was funny to hear Buzz say that he's been failing #5 (Justin Robinson) lately as a coach because he's been finding himself watching as a fan, thinking "Wow that kid is fun to watch!" Buzz has always talked about how, as a coach, he can't let himself become a fan because it breeds complacency, and a coach shouldn't ever allow that.
What this tells me: "the powers that be" STILL think next to nothing of our program or our accomplishments or anyone (Buzz) affiliated with us and will look for and find any and every excuse to disregard and shit all over us. What else is new. Fine. Fuck em. I hope it pisses them off when we're winning.
just another great reason for everyone to stay motivated
I'm fine with Larranaga winning COY. He took an ok Miami team and got them to the top of the ACC and top 10 nationally. Buzz took an incredibly young and historically bad team and got them to 6th in the ACC. Both coaches deserve this award in my opinion, but I'd give the edge to Larranaga. Not to discount the incredible job Buzz did this year, but Miami has been the best team in the ACC most of this year until we booted them. The jump from perennial cellar dweller to 6th is fantastic, but to go from middle of the pack to the top in the ACC is more impressive in my mind. The exciting thing to see, where can this VT team go next year?
Larranaga had Miami ranked Top 10 for a very good chunk of this season. Historically, that program is pretty terrible as well, so to see that happen for them is very impressive.
Don't get me wrong, Buzz taking us from the bottom to the top half is damn impressive on its own, but lets not try to undersell the job Larranaga is doing down in Miami.
I agree, if Tech doesnt win those last two games, or even against Miami I dont think we would really be having this discussion.
I think the fact that he got so many of the votes with a 1 - 7 stretch through the early part of 2016 speaks to how this team really turned it on at the end.
Miami went from 10 -8 in the ACC last year to 13 - 5 this year with some big time wins over Duke, Notre Dame, Louisville, UVA, so Id say its pretty well deserved but it was certainly close.
Yep... and that's the thing. While a jump from 10 to 13 wins in the ACC doesn't seem like much, with the quality of basketball in this league, to do that you have to be playing pretty consistent good basketball throughout the year while knocking off multiple contenders.
What's exciting for us is that we got to our 10 wins by beating 2 legitimate top dogs in the conference. With more consistency (that should happen next year now that they are all experienced) and hopefully a full slate of healthy players, you can make a very legitimate argument that we could be seeing our first basketball Top 25 ranking in a while happen next year.
let's all remember that this is the same group (at least by association) that decided Al Groh and Mike London both deserved COY awards at some point in their careers. As such I don't expect to agree with their choice, you know, ever.
Can we talk for a second, Buzz's real name is Brent?
But Buzz is soo much cooler!
Waaay cooler. Can you imagine Brentsketball? There's a real Brent in the Cassell today, Miami has run into a Brent saw out there today...nah, just doesn't have that ring, does it?
I really don't think that Buzz is bothered by the lack of ACC COY. He doesn't seem the type to need vindication of his coaching by the media. All he needs is the respect of his players and he has that.
Because he's Buzz like that.
FTFY
No, Buzz is better (we talked about this already)!
I think we're talking about 2 sides of the same coin. Fired up, hollering, jumping, dancing Buzz; and humble, charitable, thoughtful Brent. Or perhaps it's more of a Clark Kent/Superman thing where Cassell plays the role of the phone booth.
Before we all get rattled, just remember that "of the year" or mvp or heisman awards rarely go to the best candidate.
Funny note: My phone auto corrects heisman to Grossman. LOL.
RGIII agrees.
Too soon
The speculators on Buzz's next coaching job are already out in full force.
Buzz Williams could be hot commodity on coaching carousel
Please no, no, please no, dammit, please no.
I'll say this. Buzz Williams does not strike me as the kind of man who would bail on this group of players after only 2 years at the school, right when they're starting to come together as a team.
Please don't jinx it.
It's about a lot more than money to Buzz. That's why I'm not sweating any carousal rumors.
Agreed, he has always preached that its about the players in his program more than anything. Everything he has done since arriving at Tech has been about a long term fix (foundation). I don't see him leaving just as the concrete has set on his foundation and he can truly start building something special. Just this morning tweeted this:
I know this could mean a variety of things, but for someone that preaches it being about the kids, I don't see him leaving for the $$$, yet.
Shane Mettlen wrote this article. He lives in Central VA. He is a Kansas graduate. This all sounds very uninteresting until you search for his name online and see on his public Google plus page a video of him walking around a Loluva tailgate and his study of a loluva pitcher warming up. Hmmmm, he seems a bit,...tilted in his desire to get Buzz hired away from VT. That is MHO, but I think he either wants him to go to the Big12 to improve that conferences basketball or he wants to insure loluva stays tops in the state in basketball. Either one of these (or both) shows why he wrote this article. A couple hints in the article:
The guy also makes several negative VT connotations in the article. I smell a rat!
Yep... kind of like the Ole Miss alums who run FootballScoop being the primary source of chatter about Dan Mullen being a primary candidate for the VT job.... the week of the Ole Miss vs Miss St game...
Everything isn't a conspiracy theory. People actually have reputations that they put at stake any time they make a claim. Mullen was a candidate and was reported as such by other sources too. To think that Buzz wouldn't possibly want to head back near Texas is just putting blinders on what could be reality soon. Who knows, but there's nothing about what he said that is some sort of UVA bias against Tech.
I thought JUGS was the primary source of chatter about Dan Mullen being the primary candidate for the VT job?
The article is spot on in terms of this:
As great a noise generator as it can be, it pales in comparison if you look around the ACC. Those of you traditionalists that love the environment seem to be getting your way but I for one am ready to see Tech make that investment in the 1) basketball program but also the 2) school 3) community by replacing Cassell with a multipurpose arena that can be modified to provide up close basketball action but also be set up to handle other larger events. Considering the weather that Tech is notorious for, having an indoor location capable of handling large events would be a critical add to the Southern Virginia community for the five to six months that cold makes it a less pleasant place to do things outside.
Lets just scrap it all and build ourselves a real Terrordome.
I'd be down as long as we can either retain OR enhance the noise generator factor. Plus, ya know, the lights.
Yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuup
I see a lot of people try to compare Cassell to Cameron in regards to why we shouldn't replace it. Well, 1, we aren't Duke who could recruit top players to play in a literal minefield, 2, Cassell has maybe a thin shard of the history Cameron does, which makes that arena special, and 3, Duke has poured money into making that venue a shrine to the game, by making those concourses museums to their illustrious history. Walking through Cameron is an experience in itself, which by far sets itself apart from any other ACC venue.
We are in desperate need of a 21st century venue to host our team. Cassell had its day, but its time to move on to something that is more fitting of the league we are in.
My prediction... Buzz sticks around and builds a nationally competitive program. VT rewards the program with a new arena - the house that Buzz built.
...and he never leaves us. EVER.
would be cool. only time will tell
This thread has been here for a whole day and sure Buzz got robbed. That's true and it sucks. However, don't forget what's really important:
But after Saturday, it should have been 38-0, bro.
I'm not completely familiar with the terms of Buzz's current contract, but perhaps Babcock may want to lock him up a little tighter before or if anyone makes a serious run at him. Would be nice to have a benefactor like T. Boone Pickens.
The problem with this more now than even before Buzz signed the original contract is that Buzz has all the leverage. Buzz essentially came to the table with some predefined clauses that he got in writing from Tech that makes this contract extremely favorable to Buzz being able to manage his life how he sees fit. Nothing short of some significant guarantees would bring him back to the table and even then it might not considering how well he got it written the first time around. Only real reason I would see him doing it was merely as a show of good faith gesture of how committed he is to Tech long term, otherwise there isnt much incentive for him considering how minimally he treats the $ portion.
Interesting, and salient point. However, I would point out that we got a hell of a coach to come to a moribund program with nothing more than the challenge he'd face digging us out of the cellar. At this point, I'm OK with that.
During those JJ years...
good word