Former Duke assistant coach Steve Wojciechowski was officially hired to replace Buzz Williams Tuesday, ushering in a new era of Golden Eagles basketball.
Marquette continues to follow the trend of selecting assistants with little to no head coaching experience. Buzz Williams spent his first 16 years as an assistant at various schools before coaching New Orleans for one season. He was then brought to Marquette, where he served under Tom Crean.
Crean led Marquette for nine years without any prior head coaching history.
The Golden Eagles courted a number of coaches in their search, and Wojciechowski was the only assistant coach in the mix.
Below is a list of suitors who either chose not to fill Marquette’s vacancy or were passed up by the university.
Cuonzo Martin
Martin interviewed with Marquette Sunday, leaving him and Wojciechowski as the apparent finalists for the job, but the Tennessee coach pulled himself out of consideration Monday.
If Martin wanted a buyout from the Volunteers, he would’ve needed to strike a deal yesterday to get his full $2.6 million. His buyout now stands at $1.3 million. It is more logical for Martin to now seek an extension with Tennessee, and that shouldn’t be an issue. The Vols advanced to the Sweet 16 this season as an 11-seed, even after taking part in a play-in game.
Ben Howland
Howland and Marquette engaged in talks last week about arranging a deal. The former Pittsburgh and UCLA coach reached the Final Four in three consecutive years (2006-08) with the Bruins, and his recruiting pull is unquestionably one of his strongest abilities.
But that was also Howland’s ultimate downfall at UCLA. Toward the end of his tenure, his players often caused trouble off the court, and Howland rarely used disciplinary actions.
Marquette wanted a coach who could easily establish a positive rapport with players. It’s difficult to pass on a coach with a rich winning tradition, and while Howland may have learned his lesson from the UCLA debacle, his past will always lurk close behind.
Shaka Smart
Despite the rumors early last week that Smart to Marquette was a sure deal, the Virginia Commonwealth coach flat-out said no to Marquette’s offer.
This should not come as a surprise. Smart is comfortable in his current job and has a contract that extends as far as 2028. He also declined other high-profile programs in the past like UCLA and Illinois.
Smart’s goal is to make the Atlantic-10 a powerful league. The conference sent six teams to the NCAA Tournament, with Dayton making serious noise by advancing to the Elite Eight. His successful past made VCU a destination for athletes across the nation, not limited to the mid-Atlantic.
Brian Wardle
Wardle is a familiar face in Marquette basketball lore. The program’s third all-time leading scorer, Wardle played for the Golden Eagles from 1997-2001 and was an assistant coach from 2003-05. Wardle now coaches at UW-Green Bay and led the Phoenix to a 24-7 record this year.
Last week, Green Bay expressed its desire to retain Wardle, who has three years left on his contract and is being paid about $133,000 annually. Marquette could certainly have offered him a tremendous amount more, but in the end, the Golden Eagles rolled the dice on a coach who spent the last 15 years learning under legendary Duke leader Mike Krzyzewski.
