Because I've posted this a few years in a row without getting in trouble...
(Information in this team report is as of Oct. 1.)
Marquette Golden Eagles
Last Season 25-10 (.714)
Conference Record 12-6 (5th)
Starters Lost/Returning 4/1
Coach Buzz Williams (Oklahoma City '94)
Record At School 25-10 (1 year)
Career Record 39-27 (2 years)
RPI Last 5 years 94-40-27-20-30
COACH AND PROGRAM
Buzz Williams stepped into an enviable situation for a young coach last season, a fact he freely admitted to anyone who would listen.
With four-year starters Jerel McNeal, Wesley Matthews and Dominic James comprising the backcourt and forward Lazar Hayward primed for a breakout, the 2008-09 campaign wound up being one to remember both for the Golden Eagles and Tom Crean's little-known successor.
An 11-2 mark in the non-conference season highlighted by wins at Wisconsin and NC State got MU off to a solid start. It followed that up with a surprising 9-0 start to the Big East season that included wins over Villanova, West Virginia, Notre Dame and Georgetown and saw the Golden Eagles -- as imbalanced as they were with virtually no size and little depth to complement their four best players -- sitting atop the league standings at 9-0 in the first week of February.
A stunning upset at USF followed by a blowout loss at Villanova knocked MU from its perch, but the team regained its footing by answering that slide with three straight wins, the third coming at Georgetown and setting up a monumental match-up with second-ranked Connecticut on the Golden Eagles' home court on Feb. 25.
What looked to be a great game on paper turned out to be perhaps MU's most deflating loss of the season, and in more ways than one. Not only did the No. 10 Golden Eagles fall, 93-82, they also lost a key cog in James, their point guard, to a broken left foot early in the game. Without their floor general, a torturous close to the schedule that also included games at No. 6 Louisville, at No. 4 Pittsburgh and at home against No. 25 Syracuse turned out to be a complete disaster, and the Golden Eagles rolled into the Big East Tournament on a four-game skid.
A drubbing of St. John's in a second-round match-up ended MU's streak, but a heartbreaking 76-75 loss at the buzzer to Villanova in the quarterfinals sent the team into the NCAA Tournament on something of a down note. The Golden Eagles rebounded and defeated Utah State, 58-57, in the first round, but lost another tight affair, this time to Missouri, 83-79, in a game made more significant by an unexpected return to the court by James.
He wound up not having much of an impact on the outcome, but James still left MU as the school's third all-time leading scorer, while McNeal finished No. 1 and Matthews No. 8. Together they also helped pave the way for a second straight 25-win season and a school-record 12 wins in Big East play -- heights the Golden Eagles might not reach for the foreseeable future now that the trio has graduated, and Williams is welcoming a staggering seven new players into the fold for 2009-10.
PLAYERS
In fact, looking at the team as a whole, 10 of the 12 players were recruited by Williams (eight as head coach and two as lead recruiter for Crean) and only one veteran, Hayward, is expected to play a major role this season. It's the type of turnover that would lead to many sleepless nights for most coaches -- especially in the meat-grinder that is the Big East.
But Williams, as MU fans have quickly learned, isn't like most coaches. The 37-year-old is relishing the challenge ahead, and eager to have nearly an entire stable of players he's brought in less than a year and a half into the job.
"I'm really excited that we're able to construct the roster and the personnel in the way that we are," Williams said. "It's probably a little too much, too fast, and we'll have to make sure that we do a great job building from the ground up in regards to what our culture is, what we expect of these guys on and off the floor, and then also teaching them the basics in regards to how we play and why we play the way we play. And I think that takes time. As a coach, experience is always priceless."
Williams, who in his first season in charge of the program earned a reputation as a coach who relies heavily upon numbers, is well aware of what the loss of McNeal, Matthews and James means for he and his squad.
"We're last in the league in returning minutes, we're last in the league in returning points and we're last in the league in returning rebounds -- distinctly last in each of those categories," he said. "And if you remove Lazar from our team, it would almost be nothing. Lazar, in essence, is the only contributor to those three categories. If you did a study -- and we're doing a little bit of this right now in some different ways -- I think we're last in returning minutes, points and rebounds in all BCS leagues.
"How to quantify it, I don't know, because you never know how those seven new guys are going to react."
As Williams mentioned, the only player he can really pencil into the starting lineup heading into the season and expect significant production from is Hayward, the 6-6, 225-pound senior whose averages of 16.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game last year rank him fifth and third, respectively among returning Big East players.
Having learned all about leadership and toughness from that departed senior trio, Hayward embraced his role as the Golden Eagles' undisputed alpha dog in the off-season -- when he was around the Al McGuire Center, that is. In June he was chosen to USA Basketball's World University Games team, which ultimately won a bronze medal in Belgrade, Serbia, and returned to Milwaukee even more confident and skilled than he'd been when he left.
For the fourth season in a row Hayward will play out of position, either at the four or the five rather than his natural three, because of a dearth of experienced talent in the frontcourt. He presents a match-up nightmare for opposing coaches because of his ability to step out and hit the three (career-best 53 in 2008-09), and has pulled down as many as 18 boards in a game despite often being much smaller than his opponent.
"I think Lazar's a really good player, and I mean this in a very genuine way -- I'm much more grateful that Lazar the person is in our program than Lazar the player," Williams said. "Because his impact resonates whether I'm present or not. Whether it's in the gym, in the dorm, at the mall. Who he is as a person is exactly what I want my sons to grow up to be. And for him to be a senior, and to be able to be a part of helping those new kids, there will be more of an impact in that regard than there will be the points and the rebounds he's going to score.
"Hopefully he'll get those same numbers this year. Will it be more? Possibly. But who he is, the example of who he is, is more beneficial than who he is as a player."
One of Hayward's likely running mates up front will be Jimmy Butler (5.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg), a 6-6, 215-pound junior swingman who was Williams' first signing as head coach in April, 2008. After a slow start to the season, the transfer from Tyler (Texas) Junior College eventually became the Golden Eagles' sixth man and second-best rebounder behind Hayward.
Butler was one of Williams' most indispensable players down the stretch, playing 38 minutes and putting up 12 points and a career-high 14 boards in an OT loss to Syracuse, and a career-high 19 points in the Big East Tournament loss to Villanova. A solid off-season of work should have helped his limited offensive game grow as well.
"I know he's had a great summer," Williams said. "He's been here a little over a year now, and he's grown exponentially. I knew he was a good kid; I didn't know he was quite as smart as he is. I knew he was a good player; I don't think he's a great player. The thing that makes him better than what he really is is he wants to be great. He likes to work, he's bought into the culture that we have, and it radiates within him.
"That's who he is, that's what he wants to be, and he's excited to wake up every day and go to work. There's a premium on guys like that."
Also on the wing this season will be a pair of freshmen, Jeronne Maymon and Erik Williams, and Joe Fulce, a junior who was a teammate of Butler's at Tyler Junior College.
Of the three, Maymon is the best positioned to make an impact early. The 6-6, 250-pounder from Madison Memorial High School was a consensus Top 100 recruit and was chosen Wisconsin's high school player of the year the last two seasons. He's got a body and game that appears to be well suited to the Big East. With a deceptive handle as a lefty, Maymon can step out and shoot it as well as bang inside against bigger players.
He averaged 17.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.1 steals for a 26-1 team that won the WIAA Division I Championship last season.
"Jeronne Maymon may be the best, most unselfish teammate I've ever seen entering as a freshman," Williams said. "His body for is age is a beast. I think he's a guy that can pass, dribble and shoot. I think he can play in and out. But the thing I like about him best is, 'Coach, I just want to play to help us win.' "
Williams, 6-7, 200, forged a reputation at Cypress Springs High School in Houston as a high flier with an uncanny knack for blocking shots (6.1 bpg last season). At MU that skill will come in handy, as will his ability to knock down the three-point shot.
"Who he guards is the question that I have," said Williams. "I love his length, his skill set. Wherever he plays makes him have to be guarded. But who is he going to guard? That's the thing we have to figure out. I hope that Erik can have a role for us, I think that Erik can have a role for us. What that role is today, I'm not sure."
Fulce, 6-7, 205, is a big-time athlete but a major question mark after battling a split kneecap his entire sophomore season. He wound up playing in just 11 games, and underwent major surgery over the summer in an attempt to try to solve the problem. In late summer, there were still questions as to whether he'd be available to Williams this season.
"I feel bad for Joe as a human being," he said. "When they have to put you to sleep two times in the same year on the same leg, I don't think that's good. We just need to know if he's going to help us."
MU's two true big men this season -- 6-10 sophomore Chris Otule, 7-2 freshman Youssoupha Mbao -- are as young and untested as they come.
Otule (1.3 ppg, 1.1 rpg) was a non-factor as a freshman after breaking a foot in practice early and then playing in just nine games once he returned. He had a productive off-season but is still a major question mark.
"I would say he was second-best on our team in regards to his efforts this spring, and in regards to his work this summer I would say he was the best," Williams said. "The injury relative to basketball really hurt him. He's got to have a role for us."
Mbao, a native of Senegal who played for Stoneridge Prep in California last season (13.4 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 6.0 bpg) is regarded as a big-time shot blocker who can also run the floor, but is completely raw and could wind up having to sit out some games early because of amateurism issues stemming from his playing with professional players overseas last year.
"He's a difference maker because he's different in regards to anybody that we have," Williams said. "And I do think when you have somebody behind you that can cover up for you and block some shots or at least alter some shots, that gives those perimeter guys more confidence in how much pressure they're applying to the ball."
After four years, MU's backcourt will be undergoing a complete reformation, a prospect that's undoubtedly jarring for Golden Eagles fans. And while the faces will be mostly new, their versatility and games may in some way bring back memories of 'The Big Three'.
The transition may be made a bit easier in that two additions, Milwaukee native Dwight Buycks and Darius Johnson-Odom, arrive at MU as first team JUCO All-Americans -- the 6-3 Buycks as a sophomore at Indian Hills (Iowa) Community College and the 6-1 Johnson-Odom as a freshman at Hutchinson (Kansas) Community College. Both have been through the battles at that level, and are expected to carry on the toughness and athleticism to the backcourt that's become a staple in recent seasons.
Meanwhile, Junior Cadougan (22.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 8.0 apg, 4.0 spg at Christian Lie Center Academy in Humble, Texas), 6-1, 205, is a Toronto native who arrives in Milwaukee as consensus Top 100 player who probably has the inside track on starting at the point because of his ability to set teammates up. Buycks and the left-handed Johnson-Odom also appear to have the ability to play the point, but will probably be better-suited to play the two.
"I like guards that can pass, dribble and shoot. I don't like guards that can only do one thing, because they're easy to guard," Williams said. "We want to sign as many guys that we can sign that are hard to guard. And I think Junior is a true, run-your-team point who makes everybody better. I think Dwight Buycks can play the 1, 2 and is tough enough to play the three. I think DJO, as far as an athlete, he's the best athlete we've signed. He's the fastest, the highest jumper, the quickest."
David Cubillan (1.6 ppg, 0.5 rpg) is one of two seniors on the team along with Hayward and is healthy after battling injuries to both shoulders the past few seasons. His ability to lead as well as knock down open threes could be big coming off the bench.
"He knows what the deal is," Williams said. "He knows what I will allow him to do and what I expect of him, and I hope that will transfer to some of those new kids. But I hope that he has a distinct role for our team, because I know it helps us."
Adding more depth in the backcourt will be senior point guard Maurice Acker (2.8 ppg, 1.8 apg), who rejoined the team in late August, a little more than two months after leaving it to concentrate on his academics.
Acker was a bit player until the stretch run for MU, when he started the Golden Eagles' final seven games after Dominic James suffered a broken foot. He averaged 5.3 points, 2.7 assists and 2.0 rebounds in those games but is much better suited to playing a more limited role because of his slight 5-7 frame.
It's likely he'll be relied upon a bit to spell MU's three newcomers, as well as to provide leadership along with Cubillan.
BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS
BACKCOURT: B-
BENCH/DEPTH: B-
FRONTCOURT: B
INTANGIBLES: C
Because of the lack of experience across the board, it's going to be difficult for the Golden Eagles to register their fifth consecutive season of double-digit victories in Big East play. A fifth straight NCAA Tournament berth might be a long shot as well.
Then again, the Big East appears to be up for grabs this season aside from Villanova and West Virginia, and Williams has way more physical talent and depth -- albeit young -- than he did a season ago. If it can get an All-America season from Hayward, and major contributions from players like Butler, Buycks and Johnson-Odom, MU might very well surprise observers in the same way it did back in 2005-06 when then-freshmen McNeal, Matthews and James led the way to a fourth-place finish in the Big East and back into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the Golden Eagles went to the Final Four in 2003.
(For the most comprehensive previews available on all 334 Division I teams, order the "Bible" of college basketball, the 2009-10 Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, at www.blueribbonyearbook.com or call 1-877-807-4857.)