Marquette Basketball: What does an NIT run mean for Steve Wojciechowski?
By Brian Foley
Wojo hasn’t been good enough
With has much history as Marquette basketball has, and with as much as MU spends on the program, this current run has not been good enough. Fans are getting antsy. While the offense excels, the defense has regressed each year, and has become unwatchable in 2017-18 (177th in adjusted defensive efficiency this season).
Wojo is clearly an adept recruiter, but how is he as a player developer? If there is so much talent on the roster, why hasn’t it translated into more wins?
Seven players have transferred in Wojo’s four seasons (though Wojo supporters will say those players either were Buzz’s guys, not in MU’s long-term future, or they left because of extenuating circumstances). Still, when big man Matt Heldt graduates next year, he will be Wojo’s first commit to stay for all four years. Is that an anomaly or something bigger?
A 20-point loss in the first round of the tournament as a 10-seed should not be the crowning achievement of the Wojo era. Yes, the cupboard was bare when Wojo arrived, but now, the cupboard is all his. This current iteration of the team is young, but it’s also making many of the same mistakes that it was making back in November, particularly on the defensive end. It’s fair to wonder if Wojo has the chops to lead a high-quality Big East team.