Now that the Hokies' impressive stretch run on the hardwood is over, the next big test for the men's basketball program will be to ensure Buzz Williams returns to Blacksburg next season as head coach. Although Williams is remaining mum on the rumor mill, there's certainly no definitive evidence or reports that he is looking around at other opportunities. However, it's becoming more clear other programs are interested in the Head Hokie, even though Williams has an eye on what it will take for Tech to be a contender next season.
The following stories are more recent developments regarding other schools (Oklahoma and TCU) potentially courting Buzz.
TCU gathering information about Virginia Tech coach Buzz Williams (3/19/16)
An industry source confirmed Saturday that TCU administrators have been gathering information on Virginia Tech's Buzz Williams, a native of Van Alstyne, in regard to the school's search for its next men's basketball coach.
The source was unsure if contact had been made regarding an interview, but that potential became more realistic after Virginia Tech fell to Brigham Young in Friday night's second round of the NIT. Virginia Tech ended the season with a 20-15 mark in Williams' second season at the school.
Pitt coach Jamie Dixon considering TCU job offer (3/20/16)
TCU officials have zeroed in on Jamie Dixon to fill its coaching vacancy, and the Pittsburgh coach is now considering what amounts to an offer, a source told CBS Sports.
Buzz Williams, Gregg Marshall top list of possible Oklahoma State candidates (3/19/16)
Virginia Tech coach Buzz Williams: This list starts here, if only because Oklahoma State's list likely also starts here. And for good reason. Williams is from Texas and has, for a few years, seemed like a great candidate for any good Big 12 job, which Oklahoma State is. But Williams has now built Virginia Tech into something relevant. And he's returning, next season, every important piece from a team that won 10 ACC games. So would he really walk away from that for another rebuild? Perhaps. And, either way, he's too smart to not at least listen and see whether Oklahoma State will make an offer so overwhelming he simply can't bring himself to reject it.
Is Virginia Tech coach Buzz Williams a hot commodity? (3/14/16)
Would Williams leave the Hokies at this point, with a potentially bright future ahead of them? Babcock hopes not.
"Certainly we love him being here," Babcock said. "I have no reason to doubt that he doesn't like it as well. ... He and I will visit. I believe he loves Virginia Tech, but I probably shouldn't play too much of that out in the media. But we love having him here and I can think of nobody else in the country we'd rather have as our head coach."
Comments
I like how you titled this thread Joe. It'll make it easy to differentiate from Buzz Watch 2017 when we get to do this whole thing again next year.
It's interesting that Okie St. is considering Gregg Marshall. He would be at the top of my wishlist if we lost Buzz. The guy graduated from nearby Cave Spring HS and played for Randolph-Macon after all.
I doubt Marshall ever leaves Wichita. The Koch brothers are both heavily invested in the program and if they really set their minds to it the price tag to get him away would be highly prohibitive most likely
Maybe so, but Okie St. could offer him T. Boone Pickens money and a job in one of the 3 best conferences. Wichita St. is hamstrung when it comes to conference prestige.
Yeah they can but he is a god in Wichita which would never be the case at Okie State. Cost of living makes Wichita even more attractive.
Koch money > T. Boone Pickens money
(Edit: I effed up and put the wrong symbol...math, it'll get after ya...was meaning the Koch boys could run circles around T. Boone. They have what I like to call a sh!t load of money)
I'm guessing they're both pretty good.
The Koch's combine for a net worth of almost 70 billion and are like the 9th and 10th richest people in the world. They make T. Boone's net worth of 1 billion look like chump change. If they want him there he's staying
Hugely false. Pickens finances an athletic program. Koch brothers finance American politics.
Must resist urge...
let the hate flow through you...
via GIPHY
I have no problem with the Koch brothers. At least they're American...
Must resist urge.......
Randolph Macon isn't Washington & Lee or Hampden Sydney levels of revolting, but they come in a close second.
Right there with you, just pointing out the VA connection.
Ha ha. Spoken like a true Wasp. I live in Marion, Va and my daughter went to Randy Mac. For 4 years I loved wearing my Yellow Jacket garb in front of my many, many Emory friends. Have a feeling you and I have a number of mutual friends. If you played football then I'm sure you know who Bill Earp is. I used to accuse him of being a five time AA at Emory. Took him that long to get out. Hope our paths cross sometime.
I like to think Buzz is not finished in Blacksburg. Unless another school doubled his salary there is no reason to leave now. Next year should see the best team he could ask for, and he would be a fool to walk away. Buzz is no fool.
Ahhhh good old speculation and puckered sphincters.
Dixon being a TCU alum makes me think that him going there might actually happen.
You could be right, but I just don't get the appeal of leaving a solid ACC program (like Pitt is and VT is becoming) for TCU basketball. I think they've won 1 NCAA tournament game since 1968? TCU has had absolutely nothing for years. Maybe I'm risk averse, but I'd stay away from TCU if at all possible.
I'm not scared of TCU at all. Oklahoma State is who I'm afraid of.
But then again Buzz is clearly an eccentric dude. No telling what he's thinking.
He's been at Pitt a while though, and it seems that both sides may be growing tired of each other.
Seems like TCU is locked in on making it happen too, so we'll see.
I could seem him wanting a change in scenery. The alma mater thing could be a big factor too. I think Dixon would end up regretting it though.
Where's the ceiling, though?
The old Oliver Purnell strategy. Leave while you can, before they ask you to leave.
Ahh yes, leave a decent job for a cellar-dweller, get a long deal for good money and underachieve your way to retirement. The American dream! The Purnell Strategy!
You have to respect the hustle.
The Pitt fanbase is largely tired of Dixon. He took them to a new level but the years upon years of March disappointments have taken their toll on Pitt fans and probably on Dixon as well. There's been talk of moving on from Dixon around here for at least a year or two so it wouldn't surprise me at all if he's looking to get out too.
That is HOME!
And it's time for Pitt and Dixon to amicably part ways. 14 years is too long for 98% of coaching relationships.
I am holding my breath. Do you die immediately after you turn blue or does it take a while???
Hold breath - turn blue - lose consciousness - start breathing again
That's the norm, anyway. No promises.
That's what they all say, but have you actually tried it? I want clinical trials. Maybe Mom was just hoping I wouldn't call her bluff...
Call your doctor if you are still alive in four hours
But let us know so we can call Daryl Dixon first.
Some heat on SFA's Underwood and Okie St.
I was thinking to myself during that game today how I really like how SFA plays. That move wouldn't surprise me either.
Either Okie State gets him or we get him. That's how it works in my head anyways.
During the WVU/SFA game, they mentioned that Huggins and Underwood are good friends and that the two do not like facing each other and actively try to avoid it. Since WVU and Okie St are in the same conference, there's no more avoidance. You'd think T. Boone's dollar signs are enough to make Underwood reconsider that position but you never know.
Coaching wise, he'd make a TON of sense for them. He's going to be a good coach at a big school and soon. If we do lose Buzz, Underwood would be very high on my list (I'd throw everything at Archie Miller first though)
Buzz is not leaving the ACC until he wins the conference and brings a team to the big show.
I am trying really hard to care but since roundball is just a filler in-between football and beisball...
Exactly, too each his own. For me its NFL, College Football, MLB and then everything else is a distant 4th...
For me, it's College Football, MLB, then NFL. But, definitely concur that Basketball is mostly filler.
Buzzketball could change things and overtake NFL, but would never overtake my passion for the Nationals.
This is not directed at you personally, just Nationals fans in general, and this probably won't be popular with all the Northern Virginians on here, but... Nationals fan since 2005 or Nationals fan since 2012? Not that I expect them to have previously been Expos fans, but as a Braves fan I cannot stand how Nats fans have come out of the woodwork since their first division title. Where were all of you in 2008? I don't recall seeing many Jose Vidro or Nick Johnson jerseys. Nats fans remind me of UVA basketball fans. They're indifferent until they get really good, then they get a real obnoxious #Natitude.
And yes, I know Braves fans never fill Turner Field (even when they're winning) but I watch almost every game I can on MLB.TV, except when it's blacked out and I have to watch Satan himself, FP Santangelo on MASN.
Edit: Sorry to get off topic. Our basketball season is over, Opening Day is approaching and the Braves are going to suck again this year, and the Liberty game is still 165 days away.
I don't think that's fair for what was essentially a new franchise (to DC residents at least). You can't expect people to instantly be die-hard fans, even if they want to be. It takes a few years to build up good will and a sentimental attachment, and a few good years to cement a legitimate fanbase. It would be a little weird if people were so gung-ho about a team they had known for only a couple years in 2008. Now if there's a multi-year slide and all these fans disappear into the woodwork, I think you've got point, but until then the fanbase is ardent until proven otherwise.
I guess, being from Richmond, a lot of the people I know had to pick a random team at an early age. For me, it was the Braves because of the Richmond Braves. Others picked teams with no connection to the area, or generic teams like the Red Sox, Cubs, and the Yankees. And I know several people who were Yankee fans about 8 years ago who are now Nationals fans. That probably says more about Yankee fans than Nats fans. But when they're all decked out in their Nationals gear, I can't help but resent them for it, knowing they have Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada posters rolled up in their attic
Or from a less cynical angle, they're people who just wanted a home team and now they finally have it.
The Orioles moved to town in 1954
Baltimore =/= DC
But if they lived in Richmond (like the people I was referring to) before the Nats arrived, Baltimore was pretty much as good as it gets for a "home team"
Richmond is Braves country, and will probably be for a while -- I actually know very few people from RVA who root for the O's unless they have family from further north.
DC has its fair share of O's fans who grew up rooting for them due to lack of a DC Baseball team but I can tell you as a DC native I never thought of Baltimore teams as my home team and that's not an uncommon feeling among Nats fans.
I don't have a second-favorite team in anything because I want all other teams to lose, but I have started to root for the Giants a little bit lately. A lot of the Flying Squirrels have become major pieces in SF, so it's fun to watch in the same way a lot of Richmonders became Braves fans watching Chipper, Glavine, Martin Prado, Marcus Giles, Javy Lopez, etc...
Plus I have a good friend that I used to play with that was drafted by the Giants organization last year, so on the off chance he makes it to the show, I might have to break my "no second-favorite team" policy.
Richmond WAS Braves country. I grew up during the Richmond Braves and still support ATL. A lot of people were ALSO O's fans at the time, and still are. More importantly, since the Richmond Braves left and the Nat's are close, many have adopted them too.
I think you really can't generalize, and it will be more convoluted in the future with the Richmond Braves being gone so long.
First Half of my life I lived around Syracuse.Got all the Yankees games on YES, made me a Yankees Fan.
Second Half of my life up until now i've lived in Virginia and Currently a VT Student. I Get all the O's and Nat's games through MASN but O's are also AL east and Syracuse's baseball team (Chiefs) is AAA for the Nationals.
therefore, my favorite teams are the Yankees in the AL and Nat's in the NL.
I would agree with this sentiment if the Capitals didn't have atrocious attendance numbers before the team got good with Ovi. I remember throughout my years at Tech (2002-2007) you would turn on a Caps game and see large areas of empty seats. DC is a fairweather bandwagon town. But that's ok, only few places aren't.
Agreed, which is the main reason I acknowledged that as an Atlanta Braves fan, I understand a city not supporting its teams. I've seen empty seats in the upper deck at Turner Field during playoff games. Half empty arenas to watch Dominique Wilkins. Not to mention Atlanta being the only city to have two NHL teams relocate. Atlanta is a pretty bad sports town, but so is DC
Again, have to point to the Redskins. Atlanta can't support any pro teams, even when the Falcons are good. The Skins are huge in DC when they're bad, the only thing that matter when they're good. I don't know of any city that is hugely supportive of every sport regardless of how good they are*.
Boston comes to mind, but every one of those teams are perennial and/or historical powerhouses, not too hard to root for those squads.
Ehh, as a Redskins fan, I can say that we always support them no matter how good/bad they are, but a lot of that support is from our living rooms and not actually in the stadium. I see lots of empty seats during a lot of games. Still watch all 16 every year though. And every five years or so, I watch 17!
Pretty sure it has a lot to do with tickets being somewhat overpriced, the stadium being far out of the way for most Skins fans, and the traffic situation around FedEx being so poorly designed that even Ghandi would get road rage.
That's what I do too, haven't been to a game in years, but I live in RVA now so it's a bit of a trek. That said, it's true the stadium doesn't fill up like it used to, but it took 20 years of either complete incompetence or frustrating mediocrity, plus soaring ticket prices to get there. I'd say that's pretty dedicated.
It holds true for hockey, probably basketball as well. Remains to be seen for baseball. But Redskins fans are in no way remotely fairweather. That stadium sold out for up to two decades of absolute incompetence.
Skins fans aren't fairweather fans of the team as a whole, but I'd say a large portion of the fanbase is fairweather about players. The assholes that at one point in 2014 wanted Colt McCoy to start games were the same assholes that wouldn't shut the hell up about Robert Griffin III being Christ himself in 2012. But at least we can all agree that we only suck because Dan Snyder was sent by Satan, who is a Cowboys fan, to singlehandedly ruin the franchise.
Now that I can agree on. Although I don't know any fanbase that doesn't love the backup quarterback.
#MarkLealForHeisman
I live as close to DC as you can be without actually being in DC - thus I'm a Nats 'fan'. I could tell you practically zero about their roster, the ball club, and not much more about the sport of baseball in general besides what I remember from playing in early elementary school. I go to a game every once in a while and will watch a few games on tv here and there, and I like when they play well.
Does that make me a bad person?
I never understood 'bandwagon' fan hate. I've watched all but 3 of the Capitals 71 games so far this season, and those three I listened to on radio, and have been a die-hard hockey/Capitals fan since the late 90s when I was in elementary school. There are PLENTY of people (probably even a lot on this site) that would could give a rat's ass about how their doing but will watch the SCF and root for them if they're doing well because, ya know, it's fun rooting for a team that plays well and going to games and getting into the atmosphere. Could just be that I'm just a huge fan of not only the Caps but just the sport of hockey in general?
Does that make me a bad person?
Yes, yes that's what I said
But why would they watch the Cup Finals after the Caps choke in the first round?
im sure you could ask a lot of braves fans if they were fans before they dominated the 90's, virtually all yankees fans not from NY, and so on
Hate to break it to you but you could replace "Braves" with "Hokies" and your argument is just as valid. Only difference is no Virginia Tech sporting events were broadcast on TBS over a hundred times a year for decades
I'm a Braves fan because my grandfather was and we're from the south east (NC), but it helped that I became old enough to start becoming interested in professional sports in the early '90s. But I am sad to admit that I didn't find out TBS doesn't show Braves games anymore until last week. Between the Navy and marriage and life in general (and Braves decline) I've lost track of things.
I remember Bobby and Chipper retiring, and the Aces making the HOF, but they were widely popular figures that ESPN was more than happy to cover.
Well I have two responses. One is a more general one while we are in the topic of rooting for sports the other is specifically to your New York comment.
First, saying that you need to be from New York in order to root for the Yankees is a vast misunderstanding of that area. I'm from New Jersey and consider myself a die hard Yankees fan. I have been going to games my entire life and I have been to at least one game at Yankee Stadium every summer since I was born. The New York Metropolitan area stretches from southern Connecticut to northeastern Pennsylvania to central New Jersey coast line. That whole area is run by New York TV ads and is centered around NYC. The area is the most populated area in the country bar none with something like 23 million people living in the area I described. I'm not going to be labor the point but saying just cause you don't like in NY means you can't be a Yankee fan is not realistic.
Secondly, and this goes to the broader topic, people get too hung up on locale when discussing sports teams. Blacksburg and NoVA are great examples of there being no connecting with physical location and fandom. By all intents and purposes Charlotte is a smidge closer to Blacksburg than a lot of NoVA, so by basing fandom off of locale Charlotte should be VT fans and vice versa. Maybe it's just me but I personally don't care who anyone roots for, from where ever they root from or for what ever reason they root for. To me the important things are not being a douche noozle about it, being loyal through good times and bad, and having a reason other than they're winning. It's the people who go out and buy a ton of Seahawks stuff when they're in the playoffs and then go buy 49ers stuff the next year when the niners are in the playoffs that need to be called out. If you're a Braves fan living in Richmond, that's great more power to ya. But you better be one next year, you better have a reason why you like the braves and you better not go around blasting other people for being Nats fans for whatever reason they call themselves that. I'm not trying to lash out at you but I wanted to comment on this topic because it's so damn annoying to me when people are like "you're not even from there how can you like them?" Like who you want to like and at the end of the day don't be a dick.
agreed, i guess my larger point was that teams will always have more fans when they win because well, winning is more fun, and to that end i was referencing teams that have been traditionally dominant/successful (not geography, all of my jersey friends like the yankees). I don't really care why you choose to root for someone, that'd be like saying "you didn't go to tech you can't root for them", that would be insane.
at the end of the day we're just a bunch people obsessing over a bunch of super talented guys/girls playing a game
And.....there goes the no-hitter.
So, why exactly did you open and comment on a basketball related thread, if you didn't really care? Did you think we were all just anxiously waiting for you to declare your ambivalence?
Hey everyone, we can relax now. Since Jander75 doesn't care, we all shouldn't care either if one of the best basketball coaches in the country decides to leave our program on the cusp of something special.
Funny I could have sworn this is sports blog where we express our opinions and thoughts to threads and people respond with overplayed meme's and gif's...
Then why start a thread and say well I don't care if you don't care what's the point to begin with
Because it's noise. What you did is post the equivalent of "I am indifferent to this post," which adds nothing of value. Of course, it did somehow manage to spawn a huge sub-discussion about MLB fandom, so you've got that going for you. Registering an opinion is one thing, because opinions start conversations. The whole argument of "well you guys waste time with jokes and nonsense" makes no sense to me, because at least those posts are active attempts to entertain or engage others in some kind of conversation, competition (usually hilarious), or otherwise. Even the stuff that's tired and overplayed usually gets a chuckle because it's, again, an attempt to engage with others in the community and make life around here enjoyable. Posting for the sake of posting is against the Guidelines because it's noise and is useless. It's also sort of insulting to the person who wrote the post in an attempt to stimulate discussion and pass along useful information. If you have no interest or nothing to add,
Oops, forgot the s/, I was joking about the meme and gifs thing. I forget that some people still take me seriously...
Nah, I think the thing is, a whole lot of us take basketball very seriously, and have been chafing for the last few years at the way things have gone. Your joke about the meme and gifs thing was actually quite right. But that is what many on this site excel at, so if it gets old, it still seems to serve a purpose. I have been a Hokie basketball fan since '68, and still have room for football and baseball, and anydamnthingelse the Hokies are doing well in any given year. I'd say the perception of VT as primarily a football school is a relatively (to some of us longer term fans) new thing, and we older Hokies might resent that implication as short sighted and denigrating to our overall athletic effort.
I like how the article makes it seems like Buzz's rebuilding at Tech is complete because we won more ACC games this year and made it to the NIT. Really? Two year re-build? I mean if we had made a run at the NCAA tournament or won or at least go to the championship game of the NIT you may have a case.
Buzz may leave, I don't think he will, but he's definitely not done rebuilding this team. Year 4 or 5 then we'll know. That's when I think his rebuilding will really come to fruition.
There is no question that Buzz is thinking about leaving, based on his non-answer when he was questioned about it. I don't blame him at all, given that his market value is very high right now, and there is no guarantee that next year's performance will be even more dramatic. Realistically, there will be some ups and downs along the way, rather than a steady rise to the Final Four.
However, I think he actually diminishes his market value if he jumps away from this rebuilding program at the first sign of success. What program would be able to count on him for the long haul if he abandons our rebuild program just two years into it? I'm hoping he will stick with us a couple of years longer, at least until he brings Virginia Tech to wins at the big dance. Maybe he stayed at Marquette one year too long, but if he leaves VT now, it would be one or two years too soon.
No matter what happens, we can all find solace in the knowledge that it's all Hokie Fireman's fault.
(/s, obvs. I've nothing but love for our resident first responder.)
Great episode
TCU and Dixon closing in on a deal. Honestly not surprised, wouldn't be surprised if Pitt takes a step back next year, but I don't suspect they fall off the map for too long if they make a strong hire (which they should.)
I think that's a pretty good match. I think Dixon is a good coach, but I doubt he's going to take Pitt any higher than they already are. TCU gets a good coach, and Dixon gets a change of scenery (and he's going home).
Agree with this. Dixon has had long enough to do what he can with Pitt, and he's done well. However, I think he's hit his ceiling and if he leaves to TCU, through no fault of Pitt's, they should be able to land a great replacement in short order. Dixon is great, but he isn't Williams, Krzyzewski, Pitino, or Boeheim.
Don't you mean Williams, Williams, Kryzewski, Pitino, and Boeheim?
I mean I guess you could throw Roy Williams in there too
Something I was thinking of yesterday, does anyone know if Seth Allen or Zachary Leday are graduating in the spring? They will both be 5th years and would be eligible to grad transfer with buzz if he were to leave. I don't think he leaves in the first place, but still could be something to think about. Doesn't seem likely to want to transfer twice, but Adam Smith did last year so it has happened.
If Buzz leaves he isn't walking into a contender. It's their last shot at an NCAA tournament, they're not walking into an unknown.
Let's just keep Buzz, that's what I'd do!
Interesting... I've also been gathering information. Been doing some research on building a fire pit in the back yard. I think it would be a great fit.
Maybe we should start gathering information on Buzz too. We don't want TCU to have more information than us
ON IT....
via GIPHY
via GIPHY
One down, one more to go. Assuming Ohio State and Indiana stand put.
What makes you think that either OSU or IU is making a change?
I think next year without improvements, making the tourney, both coaches will be hot seat watch.
Ehh... I can't see Thad Mata being canned at Ohio St. He turned that program into a legitimate name in basketball from essentially nothing. It would be a mistake to let him go.
Tom Crean at Indiana... now I could see that, but at the same time, they're in the Sweet 16 now, with a team that probably shouldn't be there, so that could give him enough leverage to stay another year. That said, they have been failing badly to meet the expectations set by the program itself. Then again, ever since they forced Bobby Knight out, that's pretty much been the story for them.
Thad Matta is a great coach who's been to the final four and is winning more NIT games than us with a young team. Crean just beat Kentucky. They're not going anywhere.
anOSU fans, a small segment of them will not be ok with what he has done with the team the last three years, if they miss the tourney again next year look for him to be on the hot seat for 2018 season.VT and tOSU both went 1-1 in the NIT this year, but I agree with your point. Matta is a great coach.
This year, I doubt either will. But Crean was as good as gone before this season, he really pulled it together.
Matta has a lot of recruiting success and not a lot of substantial on court success. It's just one to watch in the next year or three.
Keep an eye on Beilein at Michigan as well. And how long Pitino wants to keep this up.
All good next steps for Buzz.
THIS JUST IN: Trevor Thompson has already notified Ohio State athletic department execs that he plans to transfer if Buzz Williams is hired.
It was tough watching the Florida OSU NIT game with DFS on Florida and Trevor on OSU
It was tough watching Thompson get 0 pts and 3 rebounds? He only averaged 6.5 pts and 5.1 rebounds this season so it wasn't like he lit the world on fire. Honestly Finney Smith's college career was a bit disappointing as well compared to his recruiting ranking. Florida missed the NCAA tournament the last two years (his Jr and Sr years)
Yeah but I was reading a first round NBA draft preview the other day (granted it was BR and I know it's an unwritten rule everyone here has to hate them) that had Finney-Smith going top 20. Florida has been a disappointment for sure (see Robinson, Devin specifically), but DFS has been a very good collegiate player.
That's one down....
As soon as Okie St hires someone who isn't Buzz, I'll feel a lot better about the 2016-2017 season.
Not convinced Buzz leaves to coach at another football school - over the next few years he should have the resume to get a top job at a school where basketball is #1. I'd guess several of those jobs may become open in a few years (Duke, UNC, Maryland, Indiana, UCLA, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, etc.). At that point it makes sense to leave but OK St & TCU seem like lateral jobs at best (absent the $$, and what can you do with $3 mln in Stillwater, that you cannot do with $2.4 in Bburg).
Hopefully we keep him at least 3 more years. If he leaves for greener pastures it will only be because of the success he brought to Tech. Expect a similar discussion in January with Fuente.
$3 min? Been watching too many late night commercials, have we?
"Buzz Watch 2016" got turned into "How Legit of a Fan Are You of Your Favorite MLB Team?" and I take full responsibility.
I'll respond here, since you started a major sub-thread and thus my response would be buried. Also, the use of the Nate McLouth gif is most appropriate.
Not that I feel like I need to defend my fanhood, because I appreciate the 2012 fans. The Nats needed the support. There would be no Schezer, if the bandwagon fans didn't join up. Nevertheless, I've definitely been a fan since the beginning.
Long story short: Grew up an O's fan, became disenchanted with the ownership. When the Expos were first owned by the MLB and rumors of move to DC or PR, I began watching. I was ecstatic that MLB decided to place the team in DC. Watched a few games in wretched RFK in 2005 and watched their push for the post season fall well short at 81-81. I was in line for 5 hours to get 2008 opening day tickets (the few day-of tickets) and watched Zimmerman hit a homerun to beat the Braves in the first game ever at Nationals Park. I moved to SoCal later in 2008 for grad school, and I go to most of the Padres and Dodgers games when the Nats are in town. I watch all other games on mlb.tv. Hopefully, that's enough proof of my fanhood.
Regarding 2005 jerseys and players, I have a a Zimmerman shirsey, much to the distaste of Hokie fans. Although, if I were to get a retro jersey now, it would definitely be Livo, not Vidro or Nick Johnson. Vidro was often injured and not great as a Nat as his career descended when the Nats moved to DC. Nick Johnson was essentially a never-was. He was always injured, never truly met his potential. But Livo is essentially the life and soul of the 2005 team. He was traded in 2006, but came back to the team 2009-2011. He was really the lone bright spot on the pitching staff with a 70 mph curve ball. He's definitely my favorite player from the pre-relevant days.
I shall also respond here, for fear of a buried, non important snippet that would never get a leg.
I was a braves fan, as I lived in Richmond my whole life, until I moved to DC after college, and started paying more and more attention to the Nats.
Now I am a nats fan, because the Braves left richmond, and the nats are much better than they were.
aaand, now I have to ignore comments in TWO sub threads. Thanks again for the collapse feature, joe!!
Looks like Oklahoma State will hire Stephen F Austin head coach Brad Underwood
by weeks endtomorrow according to twitter.Gottlieb is lobbying hard for Tulane.
Not hearing Buzz being seriously discussed for openings right now.
Wouldn't Buzz be interested in the Stephen F. Austin job since it is in Texas?
/ducks
His name is getting thrown around in Pittsburgh now that Dixon is gone but it's still more just people throwing names out than any actual rumors.
That wouldn't make sense to me anyways. I completely understand why he would leave for OK St but I don't see why he would leave for another ACC job in similar territory that isn't Duke/UNC.
I was going to propose Buzz to Pitt as non-serious worst case scenario type deal. But I decided just not even to tempt fate.
Looks like it's time to start the Bud Foster to Pitt rumor mill again
Gary Parrish is a good hoops reporter and he says as much
Besides Underwood being a good coach, he's also half the cost of Buzz. Even with Pickens money, paying off Ford and paying a Buzz level salary may not have been feasible at osu.
Well, has anyone suggested that Buzz may have told TCU and Okie State that he was not interested in leaving VT?
While we'll never know for sure, that's the theory I'm going with. He was first choice for both TCU and OK State and said hell no
Dang it. We didn't even get to use flight tracker.
Very coincidentally (or not), in addition to the news of Oklahoma State hiring Underwood and TCU hiring Dixon, I just got an email from Team Buzz regarding their basketball camps at Hahn-Hurst in June and July.
Just got back from practice to see the good news. There aren't any other openings in a P5 conference that would be interested in Buzz, right?
Good for Okie St. by the way, that's a great hire.
why does a gif of Frodo saying "Suck it" have "It's done" written across the bottom?
At some point we're gonna have to address future rumors so why don't we just start the Buzz Watch 2017 thread now... /s
So with TCU and Okie State getting their guys, we can go from Defcon 1 to at least Defcon 4.
Put this thread to rest, it is over! Unless those nuts want to keep talking pro baseball.
I finally stepped off the ledge, it was getting cold out there!
Well, you have to get into the tourney to have a first round exit, so they aren't technically lying.
I believe that's the joke
I was 50/50 on it. Wasn't sure if that Twitter source was a legit sports news account, in which case the media will often lobby to get coaches from behind the commentator's table back onto the sidelines, or a satire account.
A quick glance reveals the latter.
But wait, there's more....
Pitt is dreaming if they think they have a chance of Buzz making a lateral move in the same conference to a new group of players.
And remember, the extra year of sitting out if a player transfers from ACC to ACC, so he wouldn't be able to bring anyone with him, and would legitimately be starting over.
Buzz to Pitt is a Panther Pipe Dream
Yeah that seems wildly unrealistic. For a man with good christian morals, who grew up in the midwest and seems to favor the country life.. moving to Shittsburgh, from a peaceful little town like Blacksburg, doesnt sound all that desirable to me.
Plus Buzz has been aiming for Y3 since he started this job. He mentioned in the last few weeks how he built this team to be at their peak competitiveness in 2016-2017. The weakness of our nonconference schedule was prominent in Y1 and Y2, but supposedly jumps big time next season (I cant find any seeming plausible sources).
Our lone senior will be missed most for his character and effort, not his stat line. The only thing keeping this team from being a real contender is the need for dominant paint play. If one of those true bigs (6'9"+), can shape up and become a real force down low, there is no reason why the 2016-2017 Hokies can't compete for their first ACC title.
Buzz mentioned earlier in the year that we were playing a year 3 schedule, in year two, so expect a similar slate next year. (minimum 3 tourney teams). We're in the Wooden Classic in LA next year. Dayton, A&M, UCLA, New Mexico, Nebraska, so some good comp. I'm sure we'll get a decent B10/ACC game considering this season as well.
I have no doubt that the 16-17' OOC schedule will be more rigorous than last year, but don't forget that we played three tourney teams OOC this season.
You are right, I hadn't even thought of that. WVU and ISU were likely pre-season picks to be in the big dance. Not sure about St Joes out of the A10, but they were at least in the upper echelon of their conference.
Too bad we got shit on in all 3 contests. Without looking back at scores, I dont remember if any of them were even within 15-20 points. Good thing those experiences helped us right the ship in conference play. I dont if anybody could draw too much confidence in either of those 3 losses.
Exactly my thought.
That statement reeks of the inflated sense of self that you see around lots of college programs. Viewed from the outside, Buzz to Pitt seems like a ludicrous notion.
I don't see Pitt as being enough of a step up for Buzz to leave,
Plus, their $50M budget is $25M smaller than VT's:
http://triblive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/college/s_760984.html
Jamie Dixon did make $3.2M in 2014 compared to $2.3M but it's been pointed out here before that BW has the ability to make a lot more with camps.
1) No, 2) No, 3) No, 4) No, 5) No
I think Mr. Cornette is gonna be 0-5 on his list. The thing with Pitt is that their 3 most talented players are seniors next year and after them the cupboard is pretty bare because Dixon hadn't been recruiting very well the last few years. So basically any coach that goes there has next year to compete and then will have to do a pretty significant re-build. Certainly no reason why Buzz would leave one re-build for another in the same conference when he probably has more talent across the board at VT right now than what Pitt does. The two programs are going in different directions and he's at the place that's going in the right one.
Sean and Archie are both from Pittsburgh. Sean played at Pitt. He makes about as much at Arizona as Pitt was paying Dixon.
Total speculation here, but one would think Sean Miller will be near the top of the list whenever the UNC job opens up. Archie, on the other hand, would make a ton of sense for Pitt.
Take it with a grain of salt, but Jon Rothstein doesn't think either of them will end up at Pitt. He went on a local Pittsburgh radio station and had the following to say:
Yeah, I wouldn't bet on either one of them going to Pitt. With that being said, Archie is way more likely to move than Sean.
Archie may be waiting on NCSU (his alma mater) or Louisville.
Sean would be stupid to even consider it. Arizona is those closest job to the Duke/UNC/UK/KU group at the top of the foodchain. It's a better job than UCLA.
If Louisville opens up (meaning Pitino left/got fired), that will be an interesting hire for them. Buzz would likely be a name tossed around.
Sean Miller seems to confirm #sauces:
Wow, that's direct.
I'm aware. AZ is a much better gig than Pitt. Unless he REALLY REALLY wants to go home there's no other reason to leave. Archie is more realistic, but he has a really good gig at Dayton and will have pretty good team again next year there. He'll likely have his pick of jobs next offseason and could do better than Pitt. Money could possibly be a factor with Archie but i doubt it with Sean.
Eat shit Pitt
I don't mean to be petty, but I anxiously await this guy's next tweet
LOL
And this is why you don't freak out over something said by the editor of the student newspaper of the school that the coach in question left to take his current job.
brb tweeting this at him.
I saw that this morning and it made me happy.
Multiple #sauces, I'm impressed.
is anybody trolling this guy yet over these tweets?
I tweeted at him almost immediately after hearing the news. I have no problem being petty. Don't tweet stuff like that if you're not prepared for the backlash when it becomes apparent you made up a story because you wanted to see Buzz put us through what he put you through
Buzz Watch 2016 continues. Now you can watch him on the TV.
I guess now that we're out of the NIT he's going to allow himself to watch the rest of the tournament. I remember him saying he didn't care about it at all leading up to the start of the NIT.
Didn't he do this last year for them during the tournament as well? I believe I remember him roasting Sir Charles pretty bad about being too fat to fit into his old college shorts
But if we turn off the containment...you don't know what you're doing!
A ways back in this thread it was talking about winning & fan support. In the NFL, there is no question that the Redskins (who I hate) & the Broncos have the most loyal fans. The two teams hold the longest consecutive sellout streak with the Redskins #1. Not sure what the Skins number is but I arrived in Denver in 1969 in the Air Force & my Broncos started what is now a 45 YEAR sellout streak & still going. I do have the power said HeMan once.
But what I wanted to post here since this was supposedly a "Buzz is leaving" thread was that while the Hokies were in that late season run I never bothered to look at the Cassell fan numbers in that streak. In the last 7 games at Cassell, the attendance was 9567, 7084, 9567, 9567, 6949, 8911, & 8241. Winning does and will help the cause. Buzz has lit the fuse, he's not going anywhere soon (except to Atlanta for a few days) & I expect Cassell to be rocking again next year.
Gary Parrish on Dixon/Cronin/Kruger: Don't stay too long
Links to the amazing June 2014 article on Buzz.
Both articles are great reads, reminds you to not get too comfortable with your coach.
Thanks for posting. They are good reads. But my god. The comment sections on those articles, the second one in particular, are horrid. No place for humans with rational thought.
Kevin Stallings to Pitt. Rumors that Vandy will now target Will Wade, apparently he grew up a huge fan and season ticket holder.
Honestly don't see how Vandy is a better job than VCU right now, but we'll see what happens.
Unless Wade is chasing money, VCU in the A10 is a better spot than Vandy in the SEC for basketball
Apparently Vandy is his dream job, that's the only way I could see him leaving because I just don't see how someone would rather coach at Vandy than VCU at the moment.
Or he could be pulling a Buzz and leaving for the P5 football stability
He's from Nashville.
Will Wade just signed an extension with VCU.
Outside of Kentucky the SEC doesn't have a lot of basketball success. This is something I read today on its lack of history/participation in the Final Four http://thecomeback.com/thestudentsection/basketball/a-history-of-final-f...
I miss Calvin and Hobbes....
Looking for a place to put this, VT signee Khadim Sy with a last second tip in to help Oak Hill win national championship in high school basketball. Sy looks like the real deal!
Perhaps the thread that we all think "oh shit is Buzz leaving?" every time a new comment appears... not the best choice?
Yeah. This is fun news, but you're kiiiiillin' me bruh hahahaaa
Ha! I was just seeing if you guys are awake.
Soooooo, Josh Pastner is heading from Memphis to Georgia Tech. This is weird to me because Memphis didn't even like Pastner and they were trying to get out from under his contract, but good for Pastner. In March, SI's college insider Pete Thamel speculated that he could be fired from Memphis and he offered this list for possible replacements at Memphis...
LINK: http://www.campusrush.com/college-basketball-coaching-carousel-2016-rick...
#BuzzWatch2016 marches on.
I have a hard time seeing Buzz leave the ACC for Memphis.
Memphis has just proven that if you go there and do a decent job you have a chance to be offered a job at a bottom level ACC school. Why would Buzz not want that? /s
If he plays his cards right, VT might offer him.
/s
The irony of Memphis taking a coach who rebuilt our problem...
via GIPHY
I have no doubt Memphis is going to call Buzz (they probably already have). But I seriously doubt he'd go there. I mean, we don't know that Okie state backed up a money truck to Buzz's front door, but it felt like it. If Buzz is going to turn that down, what makes Memphis think he will agree to them?
He left Marquette in the Big East because his belief was that the power conference schools (ACC, B1G, SEC, P12, and B12) were about to significantly increase the gap between the themselves and everyone else. If this truly was his mindset, there is about a 0.0% chance he would even pick up the phone if Memphis called.
And....Villanova won a title. They ain't going away.
The Big East has some good basketball but they don't have the depth of the major conferences. Note the ACC with 6 teams in the sweet 16 and 4 teams in the elite 8.
Those names are hilarious. Memphis can get a solid coach but no chance Martin, Buzz, Marshall, and probably Pearl leave to a place like Memphis.
I would say bruce pearl and frank martin actually aren't THAT unlikely, they're coaching at football schools (and despite fuente's success i would say memphis is still a basketball school), and memphis has had more recent success than either of those programs.
The memphis job isn't as bad as a lot of people seem to be making it out to be
I travel to Memphis for work. I would not take twice as much as I make now to move my family there. I think this had something to do with Funte talking so much about family when he came to VT.
Yep, and the ribs aren't even as good as they are made out to be.
Actually the Memphis BBQ company in Lake Horn MS served me the best ribs I've ever eaten. Inspired me to go to dry rubbed 12 hour at 125 degree smoke over an apple hickory chip blend with my own ribs, which are way better than what I used to make, but have not quite gotten to as good as those ribs were.
Memphis isn't a bad job, they have fantastic facilities and a very good history. But they just aren't big enough to steal a big name coach from a power five conference at the current moment. Maybe I'm wrong, but I just see them having to slightly down in the ranks to find their next guy.
Geoff Calkins of the Commercial Appeal in Memphis,
http://www.commercialappeal.com/columnists/geoff-calkins/georgia-tech-sa...
That guy is super salty about Pastner.
Neither will be available to Memphis barring making them the highest paid coach in the NCAA possibly. Marshall is essentially a god in Wichita and Buzz would only need to look at the roster Pastner is leaving not even taking into account kids transferring with Pastner leaving to know he would be back at square one and be surrounded by less talented opponents.
I'm pretty sure Buzz won 10 games (including two top ten wins) in the ACC this season. Not sure if the writer of this article knew that or not..
Buzz won 10 games in the ACC, numerous respectable voters are already saying we are a ranked team going into next year and we knocked off 2 top 10 ACC teams this year... I think he's finding winning in the ACC a little easier than douchebags like this are giving him credit for.
That guy is dreaming about the status of Memphis basketball 11 Sweet sixteens. 4 are with Calipari. Others are in the Keith Lee/Metro conference era. It's not like they have that great of a tradition. I couldn't see any coach leaving a P5 job for that place, especially Buzz unless they broke the bank in a way that would be stupid for the school
Lets be honest, I don't think Buzz will leave for Memphis (I'm knocking on wood as I write), but I would kill for 11 sweet 16s. I was in school when we last went to the big dance with Zabian Dowdell and company and It was incredible. Yes, I know its way easier to make the tournament from an easier conference, but if they made it to the sweet 16 they still had to win some games. I'm not saying Memphis = UCLA, but I wouldn't laugh at 11 sweet 16s regardless of who they are with.
I guess the same could be said for Jim Boheim.
I'll provide some insight as a Memphis Alum and was in school during their Final Four run and stayed in Memphis several years after...
The entire town had/has a ridiculously over inflated sense that the basketball program is a national powerhouse. With Calipari they definitely were a force and hardcore Tiger fans would hilariously argue to their death that they could've beaten the Grizzlies (during the Griz sub 20-win years, and yes, they were stone serious. I just laughed in their faces)
Memphis is a solid job, but they only hired Pastner in a effort to salvage and maintain any shred of a connection to Calipari. Their facilities are solid, they play in the Forum and have great, albeit small, locker room space there. The on-campus practice facility is nice, but it's not even in the ball park of Hahn-Hurst.
Pastner did well with what Calipari left him, but since then, he's been mediocre at best. The upside to Memphis is that they are passionate about basketball and they take pride in being a basketball school, so whoever goes there and is successful will be embraced the world over.
Also, Calkins is the definition of salty. He's not angry that Pastner is leaving, he's silently (sort of) taking direct shots at the university and fanbase by saying they're not as relevant as they think they are, and if you think already successful coaches are going to be falling over each other to take this job, you're just dumb. But at the same time, appeases the crowds by still saying it's a desirable position. Memphis is a good job, but by no means a destination job.
Off topic, any suggestion that the ribs aren't what they're cracked up to be didn't go to the right place(s). Memphis style isn't a slab of bones drenched in sauce, so if that's what you like and what you're used to, Memphis ain't for you.
To get an idea of Calkins and his reputation among Memphians...Here's the mailbag following the above mentioned article.... This is a small sample size, but it is the norm of Calkins' rhetoric and journalistic reputation.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/columnists/geoff-calkins/a-wild-week-in-...
What's the famous rib place just off Beale St? I waited in line for two hours to get a table. One of the singularly more disappointing meals of my life.
I saw where Jeff Goodman was calling Memphis a top 20 job on twitter. Said it was easily better than Wichita St and Marshall would consider it.
You speak of Rendezvous. That is hands down my favorite, but I will say that it depends on when you go. I have had ribs that were just OK, but then the next time they were spectacular.
Memphis is a good job, but what holds them back is the conference they play in and the over-exuberant expectations among the fanbase. They can play with the big boys, but look what it took for Calipari to make that happen...I think it's a toss up with Wichita. He is a 'god' there, but how long can he sustain that at the mid-major level?? At Memphis he would be given more resources, but the expectations would be through the roof for him to replicate exactly what he did at WSU. Upon arrival, if it is Marshall, if he doesn't have them in the sweet 16 within 2-3 seasons, they'll run him out.
My personal guideline is that any restaurant seen as a tourist attraction is going to be mediocre at best as a rule. You just can't control quality at that scale. But there's probably something as good as the old place was in a hole in the wall around the corner.
I understand your idea, but in Memphis, that's not the case. The downtown area around Beale does have a bunch of places to each, but not a single one holds a candle to the Rendezvous' ribs. Most of the mom and pop hole in the wall joints aren't downtown and you'd have to double check with a local to see if it's really worth traveling into that portion of town just to get a taste.
I agree it's a tourist trap, but there's also a reason that nearly every celebrity that hails from Memphis says to go there, has been served by request to numerous Presidents aboard AF1. Yea, it's sometimes hit and miss, but even the misses are still awesome.
Good to know, seeing as I'll be visiting memphis this year.
I'll put my Memphis dry rub recipe against any sauced ribs, anywhere, anytime.
My brother-in-law's father used to make ribs that were astounding. He slow cooked them over charcoal for hours using only salt and pepper. They were as good as any I've ever eaten and much better than the majority I've had, sauced or dry rubbed.
I dry rub mine, then steam in apple cider for 5+ hours. I then lightly coat in BBQ sauce and put under the broiler to caramelize the sauce and thicken it up. I've had no complaints but I am not a BBQ aficionado like some folks always claim to be. I just know it tastes good.
This is what it's all about. I love to BBQ, but I find BBQ purists insufferable. You should have fun, drink beer all day and share the finished product with friends. That's one reason I love doing BBQ for games. It's basically a tailgate.
Steaming, i know a lot of guys that frown upon that. I used to do it at Boston Beanery, and really helps the meat fall off the bones.
Really? Steaming is the heart and soul of the Texas crutch. You just want to make sure to hit it with another hour of smoke at the end to firm the meat back up and let the bark set up.
That's why it's the "crutch".
If you want to get technical, salt and pepper is a dry rub. And done right, it's one of the best dry rubs you can use. My rub for brisket isn't much more than that.
Yep, I concur with that. He was cooking locally grown high quality pork, and was meticulous with his heat, which I suspect had more to do with it than anything else, but yeah, I'd say salt and pepper is, indeed, a dry rub.
Brings up a good point. Sauced ribs cover up the taste of the pork, while dry rubs enhance it. The better the pork, the simpler the dry rub can be.
You're absolutely right, but then you can replace "ribs" with any other food and you instantly have the apology for any regional or local dish. "You didn't go to the right place" is pretty much the "well, that's just like your opinion, man" of food arguments.
Everytime I see multiple new comments on this thread, I have a mini internal panic attack and try to mentally prepare myself for what is being discussed. I finally get up the courage to scroll down and I find a conversation about ribs...
Aaaaand Memphis hired Tubby Smith
Remember him from his VCU days.
I still think that Minnesota made a huge mistake firing him. He turned around Texas Tech real quick, this is a really good hire for Memphis.