TJ Taylor leaves MU

[MUfan12]

Per MU athletics twitter.

[milkbone]

TJ Taylor withdraws from MU, leaving #mubb. “In TJ’s best interest, he has withdrawn from school today for personal reasons,” Buzz said.

“As a program, we are in complete support of his decision and we wish him all the best in his future as a student-athlete,” Buzz said. #mubb

.From another board.

[Markedman]

MU just paper thin in the backcourt without Taylor and Mayo......wow

[Goose85]

Was really counting on him this year.

Hope the kid figures out what he wants to do, but I'd guess better now for him as he has time to land somewhere without losing a year.

[Gato78]

One could tell from twitter the past two days that something was going on.

[bleedbluegold03]

so anybody mad about over commits now?

[kneelb4zerg]

Am I alone in thinking that Jake Thomas is suddenly a really important player for us next year?

[ge1974]

Isn't Stevei Clark still out there as he re-classified? We now have plenty of room.

[TheSultan]

I'm pretty sure Clark decided to stick with 2013.

[TedBaxter]

Junior Cadougan, Vander Blue, Jake Thomas, Derrick Wilson, Jamal Ferguson with Trent Lockett swinging between guard and forward. Steve Taylor and Juan Anderson will get more time teaming with Jamil Wilson. Another year on scholarship for Jake Thomas and I have no problem with Jake playing scholarship minutes.

[Nukem2]

Big opportunity for Jamal Ferguson...! This may be Buzz's first inside-oriented team...?

[TheSultan]

Junior Cadougan, Vander Blue, Jake Thomas, Derrick Wilson, Jamal Ferguson with Trent Lockett swinging between guard and forward. Steve Taylor and Juan Anderson will get more time teaming with Jamil Wilson. Another year on scholarship for Jake Thomas and I have no problem with Jake playing scholarship minutes.


And he is likely going to be on scholarship now anyway.

[MUfan12]

At the moment MU has one scholarship shooting guard that can shoot. Thank God Lockett is here.

Yiiiiikes.

[Markedman]

We are going to see a lot of zone this year............

[Goose85]

I thought this would be a really deep team where it would be tough getting minutes for the all the players deserving of minutes. I guess that has changed.

[IWB]

Pretty wild. I knew there were some issues, but did not see this coming. Playing shorthanded has become an MU way of life.

[MKE_GoldenEagleFan]

I don't know that this team is in HUGE trouble as we still have 6 guys returning who played significant minutes at a high level D1 school last year in Blue, JC, Jamil Wilson, O'tule, Gardner, and Trent Lockett... Teams rarely go more than 7 or 8 deep anyhow so really we need one or two players that are freshman or Sophmore to step up... I think Wilson is capable, I also think Steve Taylor can play spot minutes, along with Juan Anderson. I think we will be okay, losing Mayo and Taylor hurts, but I don't think it's end of the world. That being said it is dis-heartening to see all these losses, seems like bad luck for now, but hopefully Buzz can find some guys who want to be here and will put in the work.

[HillcrestConnection]

Why is everyone assuming that Mayo is gone? Am I missing something?

[Nukem2]

Why is everyone assuming that Mayo is gone? Am I missing something?No, but there seem to be a lot of whispers out there.... (:

[unclejohn]

What has Taylor been saying on Twitter that raised everybody's suspicions?

[milkbone]

http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/07/18/juco-transfer-tj-taylor-leaves-marquette-weeks-after-enrolling/

[CaribouJim]

http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/07/18/juco-transfer-tj-taylor-leaves-marquette-weeks-after-enrolling/

Wow - taking some digs at Buzz.

[Markedman]

When you have this much turnover it's not surprising.

[MUBasketball]

Pretty wild. I knew there were some issues, but did not see this coming. Playing shorthanded has become an MU way of life.

I didn't expect this, but can't say I'm surprised.

There better be more to this than his damn girlfriend back in Texas and him being homesick.

[2012Warrior]

Wow - taking some digs at Buzz.

Pretty crazy to assume that Kendrick Nunn is a done-deal and connecting the dots that is the reason why Taylor's scholarship was "pulled." For the record, I don't think this is in any way Buzz pulling a scholarship, just how it comes off from this author.

[MUBasketball]

Pretty crazy to assume that Kendrick Nunn is a done-deal and connecting the dots that is the reason why Taylor's scholarship was "pulled." For the record, I don't think this is in any way Buzz pulling a scholarship, just how it comes off from this author.

Thinking Buzz pushed him out the door is ridiculous and not even worth acknowledging. TJ would have helped this year.

[Markedman]

No question about it...no way Buzz wanted to be shorthanded again.

I obviously don't know why he left but all of this turnover is just not good. It's one thing if a kid comes and competes for 2 years like Jones and then leaves for more playing time. It's another when for the 3rd or 4th time a kid leaves after a few weeks or never even makes it to campus.

[MUAlphaBangura]

Thinking Buzz pushed him out the door is ridiculous and not even worth acknowledging. TJ would have helped this year.

Agree. But we are closer to the program. This doorknob throws this out to the public with his spin on it so others not as close to the program have no reason to question his side, BS.

[dw3dw3dw3]

This episode brings up the question on twitter usage by athletes. Most pro-athletes have somewhat of a grasp that they are being watched by tons of judging individuals and thus keep their feeds to basic, safe, and cliche type stuff.

Some of the guys on the MU team have it down and outside of lyrics they like it's mostly retweeting and offering support type of things (Jae, DJO, and VB have it down). Is this PR taught or controlled by MU in anyway? I'm was convinced Juan didn't talk to people except through twitter last year and TJ's usage this year was ominous from the get go (I followed him for the past 4 or 5 months).

[kneelb4zerg]

No question about it...no way Buzz wanted to be shorthanded again.

I obviously don't know why he left but all of this turnover is just not good. It's one thing if a kid comes and competes for 2 years like Jones and then leaves for more playing time. It's another when for the 3rd or 4th time a kid leaves after a few weeks or never even makes it to campus.

Please explain how MU has so much more turnover than anywhere else in the country. This is just par for the course in my opinion.

[TulsaWarrior]

My prediction TJ Taylor to North Texas to play for Coach Benford. Girlfriend moves to Denton. Case closed. Good luck. TJ we hardly knew yah except for those Twitter posts.

[warriorfan4life]

My prediction TJ Taylor to North Texas to play for Coach Benford. Girlfriend moves to Denton. Case closed. Good luck. TJ we hardly knew yah except for those Twitter posts.

TJ will be a monster at that level (even C-USA). Also, Rob Dauster is awesome, but he is off the ball here as everyone around the program was high on Taylor's potential and he would have played this year and good chance to start after that (even if all ends up well with Mayo).

[TheSultan]

I have no clue to Rob Dauster is, but his reporting is dangerously inappropriate. He mentions Durley, but fails to mention that MU had room due to the Jones transfer. Furthermore, we already have room for Nunn. This is creating a controversy where none exists.

[Markedman]

You think it's the norm to have situations like Durley, Taylor, Maymon, Smith, Newbill, and Roseborro? That is 6 guys in the last 3 years who either never made it to campus(Newbill/Durely) left after a few weeks(Roseborro/Taylor) or bailed less then halfway through 1 year (Maymon/Smith).

How many top programs have had that many "situations" in only 2 or 3 years? I'm not talking about transfers like Jones or Eric Williams....every school has a few of those.








Please explain how MU has so much more turnover than anywhere else in the country. This is just par for the course in my opinion.

[kneelb4zerg]

You think it's the norm to have situations like Durley, Taylor, Maymon, Smith, Newbill, and Roseborro? That is 6 guys in the last 3 years who either never made it to campus(Newbill/Durely) left after a few weeks(Roseborro/Taylor) or bailed less then halfway through 1 year (Maymon/Smith).

How many top programs have had that many "situations" in only 2 or 3 years? I'm not talking about transfers like Jones or Eric Williams....every school has a few of those.

I don't know one way or the other, but why the distinction between transfers after a few years and quicker transfers? Why is one worse than the other, or bad at all? I'd rather have guys here who want to be here and have the work ethic to cut it, better they figure it out sooner than waste a bunch of time in a bad situation.

[Nukem2]

We really need to have a couple years without all this turnover. This is getting embarrassing...? Yes, there is a 40% turnover in 2 years natiionally, but we are well beyond that...? Hope Todd comes back to stem the tide.

[kneelb4zerg]

We really need to have a couple years without all this turnover. This is getting embarrassing...? Yes, there is a 40% turnover in 2 years natiionally, but we are well beyond that...? Hope Todd comes back to stem the tide.

Again, I don't understand this mentality. Go ahead and be embarrassed, I'm embarrassed that MU fans are embarrassed. They are college kids, who knows what goes through their minds?

[MKE_GoldenEagleFan]

I agree that college kids can be hard to gauge and sometimes hard to control, but most other schools aren't having issues like this at as high of a frequency as we are. Now that being said, I don't think Buzz should be fired, or anything crazy like that. I just think Buzz needs to find a way to cut down on some of this, some of these he has no control over and the kid does something stupid, but the Durley, Newbill, and Roseboro situations I have to think we could do a better job avoiding. I think with more experience Buzz will handle these things better and this will be a none issue. As for this specific situation none of us know the real reasons so we can't really judge.

[TheSultan]

The only ones that really bother me are the ones that are staff initiated...like Roseboro, Newbill and supposedly Durley.

[lougrant]

It certainly appears that this defection wasn't staff initiated. On the surface, this just seems to be a case of a really immature kid. I place none of the fault for his departure at Buzz' feet.

[The Reptile]

One pertinent question that I dread asking. Did his transcripts ever make it through the clearinghouse? IIRC, one of the reasons he did not play in the ProAm was this in addition to being dinged up.

[IWB]

The only ones that really bother me are the ones that are staff initiated...like Roseboro, Newbill and supposedly Durley.

Roseboro: Did the staff initiate? Did the kid initiate? I think it was mutual, after all parties realized he was in way over his head. Remember, he transferred to a smaller school, didn't get any PT and now transferred to another smaller school. People can blame MU, but he realized he was in too deep. If anything, blame MU for offering in the first place, but don't blame them for initiating.

Newbill: I will defend this one until I am blue in the face. There was a lot that went on here, all behind the scenes. Who is to blame? An overzealous 'reporter', a coach that tried to take control of a situation he knew nothing about and someone who was doing someone else a favor. MU did not back off the way it was reported. And no, I can't comment any further.

Durley: When a kid plays zero minutes his senior year in high school, is it really wrong to suggest he goes to prep school for a year to gain more experience? The way the media looks at it, apparently so.

[TheSultan]

OK IWB...I will defer to you.

[Halo]

IWB-I am not sure on the Newbill one, but the other 2 are on MU for offering kids of poor talent. I just hope they do better due dilligence in the future finding the right fit. If you go through all the work of offering a kid of average talent, I believe you should honor it. But I know there is always more to the story.

[Alan Bykowski, "brewcity77"]

I don't know that Durley was a poor talent. He was well-regarded in Texas before his injury and put up legit AAU numbers behind Ridley. I think we took a flier on a promising big, and instead of trending upwards, he regressed. It's unfortunate, but not every big-body with potential pans out, and he looked like one that wouldn't based on his senior year. He didn't want to go prep and prove it was an aberration, so he goes elsewhere. That doesn't mean he didn't have legit potential, just that he didn't continue to improve.

[TedBaxter]

It certainly appears that this defection wasn't staff initiated. On the surface, this just seems to be a case of a really immature kid. I place none of the fault for his departure at Buzz' feet.

Don't do this. Just let the young man find his way without labeling him immature.

[Alan Bykowski, "brewcity77"]

We really need to have a couple years without all this turnover. This is getting embarrassing...? Yes, there is a 40% turnover in 2 years natiionally, but we are well beyond that...? Hope Todd comes back to stem the tide.

What's to be embarrassed about? This is the norm EVERYWHERE except Madison. If there's a problem anywhere, it's an hour to the west where the coach is too stubborn to admit the guy he recruited isn't good enough so he keeps sub-par players on scholarship.

Schollies are one-year contracts. If guys either can't take advantage and don't deserve it to be renewed, or if they realize they can't live up to their end, whether because of a lack of talent, competitive fire, or personal issues, better to have them leave than waste both their time and Marquette's. As much as we may not like losing players, this is a GOOD thing and ensures the roster continues to be upgraded. Just because some programs haven't figured out how college basketball works in the 2000s (much less 2010s) that's their problem, not ours.

[Nukem2]

What's to be embarrassed about? This is the norm EVERYWHERE except Madison. If there's a problem anywhere, it's an hour to the west where the coach is too stubborn to admit the guy he recruited isn't good enough so he keeps sub-par players on scholarship.

Schollies are one-year contracts. If guys either can't take advantage and don't deserve it to be renewed, or if they realize they can't live up to their end, whether because of a lack of talent, competitive fire, or personal issues, better to have them leave than waste both their time and Marquette's. As much as we may not like losing players, this is a GOOD thing and ensures the roster continues to be upgraded. Just because some programs haven't figured out how college basketball works in the 2000s (much less 2010s) that's their problem, not ours.Not so much the numbers, but how these things occur ala Mbakwe leaving at summer's end, the Acker situation, Hazel & Mbao being benched before transferring, obviously Maymon ( not MUs fault, but..), Smith, Roseboro, Newbill, Durley and now TJ. Understan there is going to be turnover/disruption in this day, but we seem to have a lot more unusual situations than other BB programs.

[TheSultan]

I think you don't hear that much about this at other schools, but it does occur. You are likely more aware because it is Marquette and because it contrasts with the school down I-94.

[Nukem2]

TJ visiting UNT

http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com

[warriorfan4life]

TJ visiting UNT

http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com

That would be an excellent spot for TJ with Coach Benford and I hope things can work out there.

[MUMac]

That would be an excellent spot for TJ with Coach Benford and I hope things can work out there.

If it helps Coach Benford, I agree. I am still perplexed by the decision to transfer after two weeks of Summer School. Combine that with his decision to leave OU before the 1st semester was up, that is why I say only if it helps Coach Benford.