TSN: Why Buzz Williams made the move (Link)
Marquette coach Buzz Williams is headed east to coach Virginia Tech, the Hokies announced. The news was first reported by Yahoo Sports’ Dan Wetzel and Pat Forde.
On the surface, the move seems rather surprising, given that the Hokies are not a team known for much basketball success in recent years, and Williams had proven himself as a coach with the Golden Eagles, having led the team to three straight Sweet 16 appearances before struggling this past season when Vander Blue made the surprising move to enter the NBA Draft following the 2012-13 campaign.
However, a source close to Williams told Sporting News’ Mike DeCourcy that his situation at Marquette had grown less attractive in the past year, which made him interested when Virginia Tech’s new AD, Whit Babcock, pursued him.
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Moving to the ACC will give Williams a higher profile than he enjoyed in the newly configured Big East. But Williams has considerable work to do to get his team to become a contender. The Hokies have been to the NCAA Tournament only once since 1996, and that berth came seven years ago. Williams replaces James Johnson, who went 22-41 in two seasons with the school. He was fired earlier this week.
