2023 Team Outlook

[brewcity77]

I’m far too lazy to look at the rosters of team’s we’ll be playing but are we really going to face many 6’11, 250:guys?

Here's what projected starting bigs are listed at:

Manny Bates, Butler: 6'11" 230
Adama Sanogo, Connecticut: 6'9" 240
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton: 7'1" 256
Nick Ongenda, DePaul: 6'11" 210
Qudus Wahab, Georgetown: 6'11" 240
Oso Ighodaro, Marquette: 6'9" 215
Clifton Moore, Providence: 6'10" 240
Tray Jackson, Seton Hall: 6'10" 210
Joel Soriano, St John's: 6'11" 255
Jack Nunge, Xavier: 7'0" 245
Eric Dixon, Villanova: 6'8" 255

At a glance, my hope is that he's been able to add 15 pounds of muscle this year. Especially as Keeyan Itejere is listed at 6'9" 205.

Typically, Shaka has recruited beefier guys at the 5. Jericho Sims, Will Baker, and Dylan Osetkowski were more in that 6'10" 240 mold.

[MU82]

It is quite literally impossible to speculate how far they could go in an NCAA tournament on June 3rd. We don't even know what we have yet.

I think it's quite likely they are in the 5-7 range again with a shot at a bid due to the fact that they return everyone they were supposed to. Development and retention are real and Shaka develops.

I agree with much of your thesis here, but it is literally easy to speculate on how far Marquette can go in the NCAA tournament.

It's literally easy to speculate on anything because it's speculation, not fact.

I literally can speculate that you'll be the next president of the United States. You probably won't get elected (you're too young), but any of us literally can speculate about it or anything else.

Literally has literally become the most misused (and overused) word in the English language.

I did like your inclusion of "quite" before "literally," though.

[Vander Blue Man Group]

Sure it does. With or without Lewis in my opinion the best MU could do this coming season is a first round NCAA loss.

The only difference Lewis would of made was increasing our chance to make the tournament.

Thank you for explaining again. It still doesn’t make any sense.

[PointWarrior]

I assume the magical Kenpom ratings will have the Badgers in the 3-7 range to start the season.

Instead of Kenpom, we really just need team NIL spending rankings to understand how teams will perform this year.

Can’t wait to see where KenPom pre-season has them.  Always a good indicator of what to expect and what will need to happen for them to be a top team.  It’s why head coaches use KenPom among other reasons.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Who says they have to be one and dones?  Cooley brought in a redshirt freshman and two sophs among his transfers this year.  Shaka brought in two Covid freshmen last year.  The transfer portal isn't just filled with senior and grad transfers.

As far as sending a message to returning players, I don't see Duke, Kentucky, UNC, etc, backing off on their recruiting in deference to their current rosters. Coaches who want to win simply don't take a pass on a better player out of some sense of loyalty to their current roster.

There are different ways to build a team but Scoop needs to pay attention to Shaka's words how he plans to build his culture at MU. Scoopers had MU chasing every transfers out there. Yet, Shaka grabbed only one, and that one was for the spot he knew he was going to have open. He has also left a spot open.

He also moved on from Greg (even leaving that spot still open), leaving Oso the only player who played for Wojo (although Shaka recruited him). Follow the words and actions people.

Yet, Scoop debates me when I simply reiterate that Shaka is doing what he said he was going to do: Build a culture based on trust and relationships, not skirt chasing every transfer out there to supplant kids who bought into what Shaka was selling.

We will see how that works in Year 2.

[Goose]

Dr. B

I agree and am confident it will pay off. I am not disappointed at all with the makeup of the team going into next season.

[MU82]

Dr. B

I agree and am confident it will pay off. I am not disappointed at all with the makeup of the team going into next season.

I like your optimism as usual, Goose, and I agree with much of it.

But I do believe you said not all that long ago that you'd be very disappointed if Shaka didn't bring in a transfer to do what Morsell did last season. Unless I'm misremembering, which is possible.

Lewis and Morsell won't be easy to replace, but I'm hopeful that Shaka can get the absolute most out of the players we do have, that those kids will work very hard to improve, and that a year in the system will make everything work better.

It'll be a huge season for Shaka and the program. It would not be a good look if we "take a step back," and I don't think we will as long as the players we're counting on to make major improvements do actually improve majorly.

We Are Marquette!

[Goose]

82

He might bring in someone to replace Morsell, but if not I trust his judgement. If we take a step back, I will be very disappointed. This is Shaka’s team and a full offseason to get the guys ready.

Getting back to replacing Morsell, I fully expected a transfer out and that did not happen. My gut says Shaka feels the returning guards are up to the task.

[Uncle Rico]

I assume the magical Kenpom ratings will have the Badgers in the 3-7 range to start the season.

Instead of Kenpom, we really just need team NIL spending rankings to understand how teams will perform this year.

KenPom is used by head coaches, so I’ll trust what I see there versus people mocking his numbers. 

[GoldenEagles03]

Here's what projected starting bigs are listed at:

Manny Bates, Butler: 6'11" 230
Adama Sanogo, Connecticut: 6'9" 240
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton: 7'1" 256
Nick Ongenda, DePaul: 6'11" 210
Qudus Wahab, Georgetown: 6'11" 240
Oso Ighodaro, Marquette: 6'9" 215
Clifton Moore, Providence: 6'10" 240
Tray Jackson, Seton Hall: 6'10" 210
Joel Soriano, St John's: 6'11" 255
Jack Nunge, Xavier: 7'0" 245
Eric Dixon, Villanova: 6'8" 255

At a glance, my hope is that he's been able to add 15 pounds of muscle this year. Especially as Keeyan Itejere is listed at 6'9" 205.

Typically, Shaka has recruited beefier guys at the 5. Jericho Sims, Will Baker, and Dylan Osetkowski were more in that 6'10" 240 mold.

Either Sanogo is shorter than 6'9" or he's heavier than 240. I find it hard to believe that if he is a true 6'9" he's only 240. He is a big fella.

[WhiteTrash]

Instead of Kenpom, we really just need team NIL spending rankings to understand how teams will perform this year.

That would be the best indicator of future results. 

[Milkshakes]

82

He might bring in someone to replace Morsell, but if not I trust his judgement. If we take a step back, I will be very disappointed. This is Shaka’s team and a full offseason to get the guys ready.

Getting back to replacing Morsell, I fully expected a transfer out and that did not happen. My gut says Shaka feels the returning guards are up to the task.

I fully expect a “step back”. Maybe not a huge one but I don’t think next year will be as good as last year.  Shaka had the luxury of two studs in his first year. Culture does not take hold in a year. It takes time. I for one am willing to give Shaka next year to really build it with his guys recognizing that they are still young and need time to mature and fully grow into what Shaka is building.  Of course, I will be delighted to be proven wrong but will be understanding if I’m right.

[MU82]

82

He might bring in someone to replace Morsell, but if not I trust his judgement. If we take a step back, I will be very disappointed. This is Shaka’s team and a full offseason to get the guys ready.

Getting back to replacing Morsell, I fully expected a transfer out and that did not happen. My gut says Shaka feels the returning guards are up to the task.

That's all reasonable, Goose. Of course, if he wasn't able to land any of his targets, Shaka has little choice but to feel the returning guards are up for it. But maybe he just said, "I love what we have here" and stopped looking.

I fully expect a “step back”. Maybe not a huge one but I don’t think next year will be as good as last year.  Shaka had the luxury of two studs in his first year. Culture does not take hold in a year. It takes time. I for one am willing to give Shaka next year to really build it with his guys recognizing that they are still young and need time to mature and fully grow into what Shaka is building.  Of course, I will be delighted to be proven wrong but will be understanding if I’m right.

Who was the second stud? Morsell? Shaka benched him in multiple games. We had one stud IMHO, and now he's gone.

But it is a coach's job to help returning players take that next step, and I have confidence Shaka and his assistants will do so with several of our guys.

I also will "give" Shaka next season ... but what choice do either of us have?

The only definition of a "step back" from last season would be missing the NCAA tournament (or worse, having a losing record), and I'd be pretty disappointed with that.

[bilsu]

Replacing Morsell and Lewis does not concern me as much as the center position. Oso was a very good backup center. I am not sure he will be a great starter. We need significant help at center from at least one of Gold, Wrightsil or Itejere.

[BCHoopster]

I agree the center position for MU looks troubling, Oso even with another few pounds to me is on the bottom of the list. I can see Wrightsil, Gold and Omax playing and Oso watching them most of the time.  Oso will get his chance, but he  needs to learn how to rebound and have some more skills other then dunking.  I hate dunking highlights, every team in America has kids that are impressive dunkers. I have seen Itejere dunk on video many times, is that all he can do?
Show me he has improved his outside shot if he has one.

[MU82]

Replacing Morsell and Lewis does not concern me as much as the center position. Oso was a very good backup center. I am not sure he will be a great starter. We need significant help at center from at least one of Gold, Wrightsil or Itejere.

Kuath also was a good backup center.

I'm not gonna get all worried about stuff 5 months before the season starts. And even then, there's nothing I can do about it.

Now that I've already made my $3.5 million contribution to the NIL collective, that is.

[Vander Blue Man Group]

I agree the center position for MU looks troubling, Oso even with another few pounds to me is on the bottom of the list. I can see Wrightsil, Gold and Omax playing and Oso watching them most of the time.  Oso will get his chance, but he  needs to learn how to rebound and have some more skills other then dunking.  I hate dunking highlights, every team in America has kids that are impressive dunkers. I have seen Itejere dunk on video many times, is that all he can do?
Show me he has improved his outside shot if he has one.

Oso was a good FT shooter for a big man so that gives me some hope he can hit the 10-15 footer. Whether or not he gets the green light and that becomes part of his game, we’ll see.

I do feel some are being a bit too hard on him. A big jump from his this season wouldn’t shock me. Regardless, we need him to be better, especially on the boards.

[Room510]

When comparing next year's team to last season, first question is - which team from last season are we comparing to ?  If it's to the team that played from Jan 4 to Feb 2 - no way next year's team will be as good as that one.  If it's to the team that played the last 9 games after Feb 2 - I hope and expect next year will be much better than that team. If not, MU will be battling to stay out of the Big East basement.

When the season ended, I think a majority felt that for next year MU needed a talent upgrade that would come from the portal.  It's not quite over yet, but that does not appear to be happening.   We were reported to have reached out to a lot of guys, but apparently without much success.  Did potential NIL opportunities impact this ?  We really don't know. 

So we have to rely mainly on big improvements from the current guys, which will take longer.  I think we are probably yet another season away from having a team that can be in the top half of the Big East or win a game in the NCAA tournament. 

[PointWarrior]

Analytics showed Marquette sucked at rebounding last year, why did Shaka not use that knowledge to make his team better?

KenPom is used by head coaches, so I’ll trust what I see there versus people mocking his numbers.

[Uncle Rico]

Analytics showed Marquette sucked at rebounding last year, why did Shaka not use that knowledge to make his team better?

Because he’s never valued rebounding as evidenced by his history as a head coach.

He values other analytics

[Newsdreams]

Analytics showed Marquette sucked at rebounding last year, why did Shaka not use that knowledge to make his team better?

Because his teams are not structured to focus on rebounding.

[Tha Hound]

There are different ways to build a team but Scoop needs to pay attention to Shaka's words how he plans to build his culture at MU. Scoopers had MU chasing every transfers out there. Yet, Shaka grabbed only one, and that one was for the spot he knew he was going to have open. He has also left a spot open.

He also moved on from Greg (even leaving that spot still open), leaving Oso the only player who played for Wojo (although Shaka recruited him). Follow the words and actions people.

Yet, Scoop debates me when I simply reiterate that Shaka is doing what he said he was going to do: Build a culture based on trust and relationships, not skirt chasing every transfer out there to supplant kids who bought into what Shaka was selling.

We will see how that works in Year 2.

I’ve seen people say this time and time again and it’s just not even close to true. We have a 60+ page thread full of transfer targets Shaka and co. reached out to. Will we ever know how many ever went beyond “check-in” stage? No. But the reality is Shaka was in on and didnt close on any high level transfers we reached out to.

[jfp61]

I’ve seen people say this time and time again and it’s just not even close to true. We have a 60+ page thread full of transfer targets Shaka and co. reached out to. Will we ever know how many ever went beyond “check-in” stage? No. But the reality is Shaka was in on and didnt close on any high level transfers we reached out to.

They only really tried with 3-5 guys and got one of them. Aimaq early, Gainey,  Zach Wrightisil who is coming, Warren Washington, and Efe abogidi kinda* (they rather have Lewis).

Sending a phone call to a nijel pack level guys/ local kids is not a "recruitment". So maybe let be less dramatic than saying  "60 pages of scoop posts".

Their scope of recruiting targets was rather small. They only tried to get commitments from 4s and 5s. Top 50 transfers. All guys who would leave after 1 season.

I do think at a some point Shaka will talk with certain guys who will leave the program for playing time, so the "building culture thing" is slightly overblown. But the notion that this staff was desperate for change is BS. They have only contacted near pros with there 13th scholarship. The staff is demonstrating they are rather content.

[PGsHeroes32]

I agree the center position for MU looks troubling, Oso even with another few pounds to me is on the bottom of the list. I can see Wrightsil, Gold and Omax playing and Oso watching them most of the time.  Oso will get his chance, but he  needs to learn how to rebound and have some more skills other then dunking.  I hate dunking highlights, every team in America has kids that are impressive dunkers. I have seen Itejere dunk on video many times, is that all he can do?
Show me he has improved his outside shot if he has one.

If you think Oso only "dunked"

Not sure what you watched last year

[Tha Hound]

They only really tried with 3-5 guys and got one of them. Aimaq early, Gainey,  Zach Wrightisil who is coming, Warren Washington, and Efe abogidi kinda* (they rather have Lewis).

Sending a phone call to a nijel pack level guys/ local kids is not a "recruitment". So maybe let be less dramatic than saying  "60 pages of scoop posts".

Their scope of recruiting targets was rather small. They only tried to get commitments from 4s and 5s. Top 50 transfers. All guys who would leave after 1 season.

I do think at a some point Shaka will talk with certain guys who will leave the program for playing time, so the "building culture thing" is slightly overblown. But the notion that this staff was desperate for change is BS. They have only contacted near pros with there 13th scholarship. The staff is demonstrating they are rather content.

Absolutely baseless speculation from, with all due respect, someone who is not in the know (? unless there's something you'd like to share)

Now I am certainly no insider, but we have all seen tons of reports from many different journalists linking us to plenty more players than those listed above. Like I said in my previous post, the extent to which we pursued them we will never know. But my original point still stands.