Exerpts from an article in the 'Milwaukee Journal Sentinel':
Marc Marotta, a former Marquette basketball star, prominent supporter of the basketball program and chairman of the BMO Harris Bradley Center board of directors, said Friday that Buzz Williams' decision to leave for Virginia Tech was a mistake.
"For him to leave Marquette is one of the most idiotic moves I've ever seen anyone make," Marotta said. "I like Buzz but this is a move that is inexplicable."
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"There is not one good reason for him to leave to go to that program. That job is a dead end. It's a bad move," Marotta said.
"To me it's obvious Buzz felt that he wasn't getting the kind of love he was used to getting," Marotta said. "If coaches feel like they aren't loved, they get upset. That was the case here. I'm sure people were unhappy with the season. But these guys have big egos and they want to have them stroked."
But Williams, he said, was leaving with Marquette in a defensive posture. Father Robert Wild is serving as president in an interim capacity, replacing Father Scott Pilarz who resigned. And former athletic director Larry Williams stepped down after clashes with Williams, and was replaced on an interim basis by Bill Cords, a former Marquette athletic director.
"We've been caught a little bit with our guard down in some very key positions," Marotta said of Wild and Cords. "I'm not blaming them. They should be commended for coming back."
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The university is facing additional challenges as well. The top academic leader, John Pauly, stepped down last year, and the position continues to be filled on an interim basis by Margaret Callahan. And last month, Marquette announced it was reducing staffing by 105 positions, which included laying off 25 people immediately.