Our second best player

[Lennys Tap]

We have a first team All American, a possible POY. Who is our second best player? Sacar Anim, 5th year senior? Brendan Bailey, senior by age, sophomore by experience? Fourth year transfer Koby? Junior C Theo John? Lots of age/experience there, but how much talent? Would any of them be the second or even third best player on any other BE team? How many would be starters on other Big East teams? Which teams (if any)? Some here think Sacar is super senior glue guy. That Koby is (at minimum) 2nd team All Big East guy. That Bailey is on a path to be a Marquette “all timer” guy and that Theo is only a half a year away from being a “stud” guy. All I see are are “guys”. Nice guys? Likely. Hard working guys? Sure. But other than a game here and a game there, as players they’re just guys. Sure hope those freshmen are ready from the jump next year - they’ll need to be.

[DoctorV]

We have a first team All American, a possible POY. Who is our second best player? Sacar Anim, 5th year senior? Brendan Bailey, senior by age, sophomore by experience? Fourth year transfer Koby? Junior C Theo John? Lots of age/experience there, but how much talent? Would any of them be the second or even third best player on any other BE team? How many would be starters on other Big East teams? Which teams (if any)? Some here think Sacar is super senior glue guy. That Koby is (at minimum) 2nd team All Big East guy. That Bailey is on a path to be a Marquette “all timer” guy and that Theo is only a half a year away from being a “stud” guy. All I see are are “guys”. Nice guys? Likely. Hard working guys? Sure. But other than a game here and a game there, as players they’re just guys. Sure hope those freshmen are ready from the jump next year - they’ll need to be.

I’m sure everything you said is valid.
The answer to the question, and the problem to this squad, is that we don’t know.

If Markus plus Koby plus Sacar don’t score fiddy this team is doomed. I’m confident by March however

[Jockey]

Spot on, Lenny. When we don't even have a clue as to who is the 2nd best player on the team, we are in big trouble.

Reminds me of NFL coaches who brag about having a competition at the QB position because they have 2 really good players. If there is a competition at QB, you have zero good QBs.

Likewise, if we are trying to decide between 3 guys as to who is 2nd best, we don't have a 2nd best. We just have - as Lenny said - "guys".

[RJax55]

Our two best wins are Purdue and Nova, which happen to be McEwen's best games of the season. I don't think that's a coincidence. The problem of course is that he's been a non-factor pretty much the rest of the season.

MU needed either McEwen or Anim to be an all-conference selection, but that's not happening. Combined with the brutal play coming from the 5 spot and little to no bench production, the poor start to conference play isn't much of a surprise.

[Goose]

Lenny

As you said, it appears that this is great group of young men and hard workers that represent MU well on and off the court. But, I have said it all season, aside from Howard, none of these guys would play significant minutes on a top ten team. Koby or Bailey would be pick as our second best player and I think pretty easy to pick those two.

For those who thought the Hauser's would not be missed, I hope by now it obvious they are missed a great deal. Losing those two left Wojo with one top tier player and nine role players. Said early in the season, at the moment this team is a one trick pony.

[hairy worthen]

Lenny

As you said, it appears that this is great group of young men and hard workers that represent MU well on and off the court. But, I have said it all season, aside from Howard, none of these guys would play significant minutes on a top ten team. Koby or Bailey would be pick as our second best player and I think pretty easy to pick those two.

For those who thought the Hauser's would not be missed, I hope by now it obvious they are missed a great deal. Losing those two left Wojo with one top tier player and nine role players. Said early in the season, at the moment this team is a one trick pony.

Yet every time we received a committment from one of these non Howard types many scoopers acted like we won the NC and proclaimed what a fantastic recruiter Wojo and his staff are. I contend Wojo recruiting is over rated. Either that or the system and coaching is not helping the players not named Howard. I laugh when some here get all giddy with the prospect of MH scoring 30. 40. 50 points. That's not good basketball. Great for Howard, fun to watch at times, not good for the team and player development

As far as the Hausers, I remember many of the slurpers all excited about having a quicker more cohesive team with the Hausers gone. The team would actually be better and play defense and be fun to watch, blah, blah, blah.  How asinine. I bet Izzo and Bennet are thrilled to have them.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

That's why I think this idea of being excited about next year's recruiting class is fool's gold.  No use getting these guys in here if they can't be coached up.

[hairy worthen]

That's why I think this idea of being excited about next year's recruiting class is fool's gold.  No use getting these guys in here if they can't be coached up.

Well the excuse next year will be, they are freshmen

[real chili 83]

Sacar is more like the question, instead of the answer. 

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

And to Sacar's defense, he was never meant to be our second best player.  He is the perfect role player and defender who can go off now and again when he gets hot.  He was supposed to be our fourth option on offense.

[Goose]

hairy

The slurpers sure were wrong on the new improved Warriors minus the Hausers. Anyone that truly believed that should be banned from posting on here. Sam and Joey are big time players and no one on this roster was going to replace them.

The scoopers that grew up on video games vs. watching great ball are the ones that love Howard going for 40 or 50. Study the game and guys that score like Howard play on poor teams. It is not good basketball and he has proven it does not equate to winning basketball.

[willie warrior]

Yet every time we received a committment from one of these non Howard types many scoopers acted like we won the NC and proclaimed what a fantastic recruiter Wojo and his staff are. I contend Wojo recruiting is over rated. Either that or the system and coaching is not helping the players not named Howard. I laugh when some here get all giddy with the prospect of MH scoring 30. 40. 50 points. That's not good basketball. Great for Howard, fun to watch at times, not good for the team and player development

As far as the Hausers, I remember many of the slurpers all excited about having a quicker more cohesive team with the Hausers gone. The team would actually be better and play defense and be fun to watch, blah, blah, blah.  How asinine. I bet Izzo and Bennet are thrilled to have them.

Yes, I remember the comments. Good riddance, addition by subtraction, etc
Blame the Hausers, etc. That fiasco is on Wojo. Did he even do anything to try to reconcile the issues there. Doubt it, he has trouble preparing his players and making in game adjustments.

[Hards Alumni]

Sacar is more like the question, instead of the answer.

Where's Sacar?

[Silent Verbal]

Down the stretch last year, Wojo had two choices:  Reign in Markus and feature the Hausers more, or double down on Markus and call the Hausers’ bluff if they threatened to transfer.  He’s living with his decision now, and many on here, over the last ten months, had come to laud him for it.  “We have all the guys who want to be Warriors now” they said.  “We’ll be quicker and have better chemistry now that the quitters are gone” they said.

Outside of Markus, this team has a bunch of Mike Deane level players.  I think Bailey might be the one exception, depending on the game.  But that’s about it.

[NickelDimer]

Is it so much a lack of talent, or poor coaching, game planning, etc. which isn’t putting them into position to succeed?

My feeling is if you gave this same group to a good coach they’d suddenly look quite a bit more capable/talented.

[4everwarriors]

Yet every time we received a committment from one of these non Howard types many scoopers acted like we won the NC and proclaimed what a fantastic recruiter Wojo and his staff are. I contend Wojo recruiting is over rated. Either that or the system and coaching is not helping the players not named Howard. I laugh when some here get all giddy with the prospect of MH scoring 30. 40. 50 points. That's not good basketball. Great for Howard, fun to watch at times, not good for the team and player development

As far as the Hausers, I remember many of the slurpers all excited about having a quicker more cohesive team with the Hausers gone. The team would actually be better and play defense and be fun to watch, blah, blah, blah.  How asinine. I bet Izzo and Bennet are thrilled to have them.

Woj totally mishandled and fooked up the entire fiasco. Unfortunately, numb nuts let the camp fire turn into a forest fire all the while hoping it would self extinguish.

[GooooMarquette]

For those who thought the Hauser's would not be missed, I hope by now it obvious they are missed a great deal. Losing those two left Wojo with one top tier player and nine role players. Said early in the season, at the moment this team is a one trick pony.

The only way we would have the Hausers is if Markus would have left for the draft. So no - we would not be a better team if the Hausers had stayed.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

I've seen some pretty disturbing body language out of our guards lately, including late in the game yesterday, that leads me to believe there are still problems with team unity.

[Goose]

Gooo

I would take two Hausers over one Markus all season long. They make other guys better and Howard does not.

Fluff

It looks to me that Koby has little interest in passing the ball to Howard. He is better player than he is showing, but pressing when he gets the ball. No doubt in my mind that chemistry remains an issue.

[mu_hilltopper]

The only way we would have the Hausers is if Markus would have left for the draft. So no - we would not be a better team if the Hausers had stayed.

I don't believe that to be true.  There were other ways.

[Silent Verbal]

I've seen some pretty disturbing body language out of our guards lately, including late in the game yesterday, that leads me to believe there are still problems with team unity.

There was a play yesterday, I think it was in the second half, where Koby was dribbling and Markus was at the top of the key calling for the ball.  Koby refused to pass to him and Markus did a “Joey” and kind of shrugged his shoulders/shook his head in frustration.  The end result of that play was an open three for Bailey that missed.

Not sure if anyone else saw that, but I thought it was odd.

[🏀]

Gooo

I would take two Hausers over one Markus all season long. They make other guys better and Howard does not.

Fluff

It looks to me that Koby has little interest in passing the ball to Howard. He is better player than he is showing, but pressing when he gets the ball. No doubt in my mind that chemistry remains an issue.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

There was a play yesterday, I think it was in the second half, where Koby was dribbling and Markus was at the top of the key calling for the ball.  Koby refused to pass to him and Markus did a “Joey” and kind of shrugged his shoulders/shook his head in frustration.  The end result of that play was an open three for Bailey that missed.

Not sure if anyone else saw that, but I thought it was odd.

That is the exact play I was thinking of.

[Goose]

Anyone that thinks a guy taking 33 shots in a game is a good idea does not know ball. Any competitive person wants to be part of the action, not just watching one guy shoot every time down the court. The second half of the Buffalo game last season created a monster and the coach has allowed to continue.

[GooooMarquette]

Anyone that thinks a guy taking 33 shots in a game is a good idea does not know ball. Any competitive person wants to be part of the action, not just watching one guy shoot every time down the court. The second half of the Buffalo game last season created a monster and the coach has allowed to continue.

Brendan, Sacar and Theo had plenty of shots yesterday. They just kept missing them. With those guys shooting a combined 14%, Markus had to shoot.