The rumors out of Milwaukee Wisconsin are swirling and regard all sorts of surprising and unexpected successors to ex-coach Buzz Williams who recently left for Virginia Tech. The specific circumstances of Williams' departure are also unknown and are creating another strain of rumors of their own. Complicating matters with hiring a new Men's Basketball coach, Marquette is also looking to hire a new Athletic Director who would be the boss of any new coaching hire, as well as a new University President who the new AD would report to. It is also rumored that Buzz Williams had a role in forcing former AD Larry Williams to step down last December if things were not already confusing enough.



Buzz Williams leaving for Virginia Tech is a surprising matter on its own. Williams had been quite successful at Marquette and had been long rumored to be eyeing a return to Texas if a high major position should open up. The move to Virginia Tech - a program scraping the bottom of the barrel in the ACC and the 4th best basketball program in the state of Virginia - without receiving a significant raise in compensation creates intrigue and speculation. Most have speculated that Williams wanted to leave the new Big East before it eventually becomes what some perceive to be a mid major conference, but rumors of an NCAA investigation have also been whispered regarding possible recruiting violations. Other rumors include allegations of a possible criminal cover-up involving players on the men's basketball team that lead to problems with the Marquette administration at the highest levels.

To further confuse matters, rumors of Williams' replacement have also been surprising and seemingly impossible even though published by several outlets. Virginia Commonwealth head coach Shaka Smart has been rumored to be accepting the Marquette job to the point of it being reported as a 'done deal' by several inside sources including TV stations. Further rumors have included other high profile coaches like former UCLA coach Ben Howland and current Indiana and former Marquette head coach Tom Crean. UW-Green Bay head coach and former Marquette star Brian Wardle has also been mentioned and logic indicates that he would be the most realistic candidate. In addition to being interested in the job, Wardle could offer security and loyalty as a former player and would seem less likely to use Marquette as a stepping stone to a power conference.

Rumors of big coaching upgrades after being spurned by Williams amidst rumors of an NCAA investigation don't seem to make much sense. The safest bet is to assume that none of the rumors have much truth to them. It's certainly possible that media leaks have interrupted the recruiting process, but it is safe to assume that MU will try to fill the vacancy with the best possible candidate as soon as possible. This will most likely mean filling the vacant President and Athletic Director positions very soon as new Athletic Directors typically want to select their own coaches.

Update: Marquette has hired a new University President. Expect new University President Mike Lovell to make his first order of business hiring a new Athletic Director or possibly even Men's Basketball coach.

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