Hugh wrote:

He also started and played 31 minutes in the opener. So a lot must've changed in the past two weeks. This is all really confusing to me.

Actually, much has changed since the opener.  It appears that an injured Sean Walker is now health, and that Amir Harris is eligible.  These are minutes that would have gone to Mazzulla.

 

Was Walker injured? Not saying you're wrong (or being hostile), just actually don't recall seeing that. If he was, then yes that is a big change, though whether he deserves those minutes over Mazzulla is a different conversation.

Regardless, I get that a coach wants his guys and not all of the holdovers will be fits. But without any inside knowledge of what's happening, my perception of someone leaving the program who was voted team captain as a sophomore and was named to the all-academic team, combined with the dismal start to the season, is that things are not lined up with the program as they should be. The game notes for every game include "turnaround artist" about JC. As fans they've tried to sell us on things turning around right away, but that's just not how things seem right now. If it will be a longer turnaround, that's fine, but this isn't what the athletic department, and JC himself have been trying to sell us. I think as a paying season ticket holder I have a right to express this, especially since the coaching staff and athletic department surely are reading here.

Having the guy who started game 1, after starting at the point the last past 1.5 seasons,  leave the program 4 games  later, is not a good look.
As for being recruited over, Mazz played well in the A10 last year, the minutes going to newer players as we lose to some of the worst teams in D1 hasn't looked like he was recruited over. Shawn Walker out of nowhere  suddenly got all of his minutes.   Mazz played hard and gave 100% effort every minute out the court, something I haven't seen anywhere near enough from GW players in recent years.

New Coaches lead to lots of change, but having guys leave 5 games into the season is anything but good.
This is shitty, but not overly concerned about the general state of the new regime though.  

DJ and TNJr chose to leave, that's one thing, going from opening night starter to game 5 departure is a bad look, it just is, and the minutes aren't going to big time transfer or highly touted Freshman who has shined, so yeah whomever said the guy voted Captain of the team leaving after 5 games isn't good, and more so, recruited over seems at best like wishful thinking at this juncture.
 

Last edited by The Dude (11/21/2019 2:19 pm)

First off, and sincerely, thanks GWRIsing for the initial tip. That's what the board is for because no one covers us. It would be even more pathetic than what happened if someone we don't know from Twitter broke this.
Well, either you know or you don't. The truth is probably somewhere in between. And JC is going to have his spin on it. But as FredD aptly pointed out, if the Mr. Rogers inspirational shtick was still there, it's gone with this.
The rationale is likely going to be difficult to stick, given Mazz's reputation. DMV pointed out examples of Mazz's exemplary activity as a real student athlete representing GW. We saw him bust his butt on a losing team every game, sacrificing his body at times, for the glory of GW whose name he had across his chest.
He had the same work ethic this year when frankly, a lot of his teammates didn't--one reason where we were defeated by much lesser teams. And he was successful: a major reason why AU didn't embarrass us even further at home, just the game before Mazz was sidelined in a truly bizarre move. Why was he yelled at and seemingly in retrospect humiliated when JC doesn't do this across the board. Have no problem with a coach yelling at a player. Do have a problem with selective yelling.
  Unlike say, DJ, Mazz bought himself the right to have some slack. So again, as hyperbolic example, it has to be more than fiery words a few times; he has to be caught with gasoline and matches. This is not only one of our best five players so far this year, it is someone who was an academic all conference.
    This has a bad look. It usually seems quizzical  when someone leaves the team mid-season. But after game 4, it's really, really odd. Only time this early I can recalls is Montrell McDonald with Hobbs. And the guy who assaulted a team manager, maybe at Thanksgiving or Christmas time tournament.
   This helps no one. Maybe Mazz quit in frustration, but it sure doesn't seem like. Attempts to demonize him which may come are difficult because of his reputation, but I looked over at the bench one time in the Morgan State game and Mazz was the most vociferous and active cheerleader over one of our few bright spots.
  Mazz has no opportunity to play or get NCAA credit for sitting out until at least mid-December. We've wasted us of him. And though this may be used as an excuse, it would seem really cruel to deprive a young man who has worked so hard of a trip to the Bahamas. It isn't a good signal to the team, either, no matter how this is spun.
   It's not a good signal to Maceo, which JC should know. Maceo is a good example of the type of player we need in this currently not working JC system. And another good guy. It is also a terrible signal to Arnaldo, whom we really, truly need both this year and next year. Arnaldo is a truly elite rebounder. A number of people here has been saying that we need to win some games to keep Arnaldo happy. We might not want to dismiss longtime teammates also to keep Arnaldo happy.  And no one seems to be saying Mazz wasn't dismissed. Personally, very, very interested in keeping Arnaldo happy to be a GW through next season, as he not only is a good guy, he is our real rebounder, 
    As stated in an earlier post,JC clearly ran off Brown and Littles. And DJ, no longterm loss, and Terry, now that was mixed both personally and professionally were either dismissed or given a tough line. All of which can be justified,one way or another, at least before Mazz.
  Players may feel justified in feeling like JC has different standards for his recruits than the previous recruits. That's never a good idea, but  outside of JNJ's future potential and possibly Amir when he comes back,we don't have any sparkling diamonds that JC recruited this year, And not bowled over for next year either,so a good idea again to keep Arnaldo and Maceo.
It's considered Ok to say there's not going to be any playing time. Personally, I'm not  Ok with saying you have to go. Don't know if that was the case with Shandon and Marcus, but Shandon got an immediate waiver. Many of us were up in arms over the Nebraska coach dismissing Amir.
  This isn't a reality show where you can just say, "You're Fired!." Or shouldn't be. Coming up with halfhearted excuses isn't going to cut it. If you have more info, GW Rising (and thanks again for the initial tip) or anyone, let us know. But it doesn't look right and smell right.
   Sorry, absent some real damning information and it needs to be really substantive, or some way to make this Mazz's decision to quit on the spot, this is not a good look for GW. Mid-semester departures are not normal in the college basketball world. And it's not good for recruiting
     It's one thing to suck during a transitional year, though AU was a bad loss and Morgan State was truly unacceptable. Hopefully this will turn around soon.
 But to suck and have this type of cloud or to be charitable, odd situation, is the worst of all worlds. 

      
 

We've heard rumors of Jamion Christian running off Mojo's players(Shandon Brown, Marcus Littles, DJ Wiliams) in the past, so Justin Mazzula being dismissed or quitting isn't that surprising to me. This could be a win for Mazzula because he only played in 4 games this season, there is a good chance that Jamion Christian will help Mazz get a waiver that allows him to have 2 full years of eligibility(instead of 1 and a half) at his next school. I'm assuming J.Christian assisted Shandon Brown in getting a waiver at Niagara, so he'll most likely do the same for any Mojo holdover that leaves GW.

I just think this comes down to the cold-hearted nature of coaching in college, Jamion Christian wants to get all of "his guys" in as soon as possible and start the rebuilding process, so some guys are going to be forced out. 

jf,  unfortunately college coaching seems to be like a reality show where a new coach(and sometimes the long-time coach) can just tell a player "You're Fired" without any repercussions!! Hoiberg at Nebraska and Jamion Christian here at GW seem to have fired players, and the show just goes on!! GW will still enjoy their stay in the Bahamas and play 3 games starting tomorrow.    

Thomas, I think the situation in the sport broadly does suck and it is yet a reality.  Yet, in this case Mazz was a starter, at least opening night and all of last year, and even end of his Freshman season. I'm not saying a great player, but a valuable player and big member of the program the last few years on and off the court, a scholar a team leader and an court clear contributor.  What changed so quickly in last few games?

As the team has played worse this season and his minutes going to (as yet ineffective) other players its hard to lump him in with the standard chased off program situation.    
IS the GW program at  such a strong point where Justin Mazzula can't contribute this year and next? is the recruiting suddenly so strong the Coach feels there is no role for him on a court? Would GW not benefit by having Mazz Graduate next year a Colonial?
  
Battle was a Mojo recruit, Shawn Walker a JC recruit, Amir a transfer that hasn't played yet. TNJr DJ and Shandon left.  We are already a thin, talent lacking roster.

We have had, as all programs do, some players who really coudn't compete at this level, and Mazz was hardly one of them.  What would be the benefit, all of this to replace senior year Mazz?
 

I was at the Morgan game and took my kid to the team autograph session after the game. Mazz was (unexpectedly) in high spirits, saw my daughter wearing Michigan gear and made small talk about his buddy being a defensive tackle on the team. He had every right to be disengaged and pouty, he just sat the whole game while he watched his team lose to a garbage opponent, but he wasn’t and I appreciated that.

I grew up in CT and pull for UConn, and I’ve noticed the anti-Hurley talk on the message board (I get it, he’s a lot and coached a rival A10 squad). That being said, not a single player has left UConn’s team since he was hired and he seems like a real sonofabitch to play for. JC bringing in “his guys” and finding them playing time to build the program is certainly understandable but there is a level of dignity that the kids on the team deserve. I don’t think Mazz was afforded.

Last edited by Bmac3920 (11/21/2019 7:04 pm)

These people with “inside” Information should either broadcast most of what they know or if they are uncomfortable with that SAY NOTHING and shine with an inner glow that they know. The point of a sports message board is fans take any publicly available information and parse, surmise, speculate and tell the other guy he is dead wrong.

I haven’t been on the board in two days and just saw this thread.  I think I’ve read all of it - am I missing something? 

Why do most of the posters here assume this has something to do with playing time?  Why are people assuming JC ran him off? 

I’m not saying they are wrong, but is their some reason other than that s the only reason you as fans can imagine a player leaving the program in November?

FredD wrote:

Poog you are correct. I was thinking about the posts that asked people not to assume things while intimating they knew things they couldn’t divulge. Im no fan of accusations. For myself the debacle of the previous regime makes me sensitive to any potentially negative disruption.

FredD, I think you missed what I was saying. I said there are no facts in evidence other than the departure so you should not assume anything as to the reasons. I also said I learned of this and perhaps the reasons for it but could not verify them. As a result, I am not placing the specific reasons here because that would be possibly unfair to one party or the other. I further gave you my impressions in a later post but again those were couched as assumptions and thoughts and not facts but based on what I would view to be reliable but unverified information. I am asking no one to accept my version only that they not jump to any conclusions, one way or the other. The only reason I made that last post was to push back at some of the narrative being pushed here as fact.

The alternative would have been to provide this board with no information and you all would be in the dark completely as to Justin's status. Happy to do that in the future if this is going to be the result.