Al and some MU history - great story

[Goose85]

The anniversary of the 1977 championship had me thinking back to Al and some of our MU history (and how perfectly Buzz fits our MU mold).

Al was a classic and didn't just walk to the beat of a different drum, he would do the drumming too. Everyone loved him when he was with Enberg as an announcer, but many forget how much non-MU people hated him when he was a coach because of his antics and his success.

Al led you to believe he just managed and Hank did all the X and O's (Al was smarter than he wanted you to know - sound like another coach you know). Technical fouls, fights, jumping on the scorers table, theatrics all the time.

Picture Al coaching against Dick Vitale, the only thing louder than the sideline theatrics were the sport coats and pants the two coaches wore. A quick little dance in front of an empty arena sounds pretty tame in comparison to the man whose name we still have on our uniforms.

Anyway, the 1977 anniversary, all of the crap of late with the media, worrying about who is offended by a dance, taking chances on underdog Juco players, and how perfect Buzz fits into our legacy had me thinking about a particular Al story.

Al - Ray Meyer - Pat Smith - Local Media - Lake Michigan - A Beach Ball

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/goldeneagles/29259894.html

[DavidBoone2inchesTaller]

Goose, thanks for posting this. I would have never seen the story otherwise.

[IWB]

The back and forth between Al & Ray Meyer was awesome - the photo op is a classic example, you just can't do that stuff anymore... one little two-step and all hell breaks loose.

[Dan Silvestri]

Thanks Goose - nice read. Boy things were different then. And more fun

[Mark Miller]

Classic. Absolutely classic.

[warriorfan4life]

This is why I appreciate Buzz so much. There were a lot of fun moments during the Crean era, but it felt a bit manufactured and forced. With Buzz, you never know what you are going to get (but it will be entertaining), and I love the style of basketball we played this past year. Back then, Marquette was cool, and Marquette is cool again with Buzz at the helm and the pressing defense and free wheeling on offense style of play (yet still structured and disciplined enough most of the time).

[MUMac]

Did anyone else attend one of Al's Medalist Basketball Camps? He would appear and speak to the campers. The stories he told were so good, I remember them word for word all these years later!

A favorite Al story, though, came to me from Ron Curry. He said early on KO had Al speak to the team. As Al was talking was walking in and around the group. He would talk in an animated way, using his hands for emphasis. He spoke about concentration, about how you know your surroundings, how you can't lose focus no matter what. He turns as he is speaking. He kept taking his hands in and out of his pockets. When he turned, a $100 bill fell out of his pocket on the ground. Oblivious to that, he continues talking. Damon Key grabs the bill as Al has his back turned to him. He continues to speak for another 20 or so minutes. When he was done speaking, he walks up to Key and asks for his $100 bill. With all the laughter, he ties it all together with an emphasis.

[The Reptile]

Great article. I agree with others about the Al-Buzz parallels. What stands out to me is that I can see Buzz recruiting Al's players for the same reasons tha Al did and vice versa. Both seem to be searching for qualities beyond ranking and how a kid passes the look test on the basketball court. I keep thinking about some scenes from the movie Miracle where Herb Brooks picks his team and the USA Hockey board says he left some of the best players off of the roster and he replies that he wasn't looking for the best players, but the right players. Later, he tells Craig Patrick he gave the players a psych test to see how far he could push them. Both Buzz and Al seem to have a thing for players with an edge that they could push. Clearly, both got the most out of those types of players.

The other thought I had was Al's handling of Jim Chones going pro. I can see Buzz making that very same decision for the very same reason. I can't think of other MU coaches doing the same thing. I'm glad that we are repeating history.

[Gato78]

Al recruited the best players he could--had nothing to do with team. He recruited Lew ALcindor--4 time all-City in NYC. He recruited Dean Meminger---4 time all-City in NYC. He recruited Jim Chones, considered the next Lew ALcindor at the time and best player in the country by many. He recruited Earl Tatum, best plyer in NY at the time. He recruited Butch Lee, best player in NYC at the time. AL loved stars and catered to them. It had nothing to do with chemistry. Al created the chemistry which was: Al is in charge. We all hate Al, until we graduate. That was Al's team chemistry.