ESPN Blue Ribbon Preview

[MisterJaylenBrownMU]

Does it violate any rules of this board/ESPN to post the Blue Ribbon preview for Marquette?  If not, I'd be more than happy to put it up.

[Gwaki]

i think insider stuff has been posted before... but I am not 100% sure.  I know I have posted it before

[MisterJaylenBrownMU]

Well, an open note to the moderators:  if this offends any policies, just take it down for me.  I mean no harm.

Team preview: Marquette
Blue Ribbon Yearbook

(Information in this team report is as of September 29)

COACH AND PROGRAM
Buzz Williams had just returned from a recruiting trip when he received the phone call that would ultimately change his life.

"I flew back on [April 1] and when I got off the plane, I got a call that said, 'You need to go to coach's house,' " Williams recounted over the summer.

So Williams, having just finished his first season as an assistant at Marquette, headed to Tom Crean's home just north of Milwaukee, where the Golden Eagles' head man confirmed the news that had gotten out just a few hours before: he had accepted the head-coaching job at Indiana.

Williams, like everyone else in Crean's home that Tuesday afternoon, was understandably shocked. But that shock soon began to wear off, replaced instead by the possibility that Williams himself could be a legitimate candidate for a big-time job in the Big East.

So after some preliminary discussions later that night and the following day, Williams headed off early that Thursday morning for San Antonio, on a pre-scheduled trip to the Final Four. But as soon as his plane touched down, Williams received word he was wanted back at Marquette for another, more formal round of interviews.

"I distinctly remember every step of the way, each of those days," Williams said. "But similar to how I try to live in everything else, I wasn't really trying to think about, 'Well, I'm going to get it and this is what I'm going to do.' I was trying to think about, 'What do I need to do today to put myself in a better position to get the job?' "

Marquette's decision-makers believed in Williams' ability to not only recruit at a high level -- he had already proven his worth in that area by helping land five commitments for MU spanning two different classes in about four months' time -- but also in his potential to keep the talented core of the Golden Eagles together.

Williams also had a year as a head coach -- 2006-07 at New Orleans -- on his resume.

That's not to say Marquette didn't do its due diligence. It made repeated attempts at luring Tony Bennett -- a Green Bay, Wis., native -- back to his home state. It also made inquiries into Xavier's Sean Miller and Virginia Commonwealth's Anthony Grant.

But through all of it Williams remained optimistic, if not the darkhorse candidate. And sure enough, six days later Williams was hired as the 16th head coach of a program that ranks as one of the top 10 winningest programs in college basketball in the last 40 years.

"As the days progressed I was really just trying to be as sharp as I could be in how I presented myself and my thoughts and my plan for the program, and I never really tried to get caught up in what anybody was saying in regards to, 'They're going to talk to so-and-so or look at so-and-so,' " he said. "I can't control any of that. All I can do is what I can do, and so I never really looked at it and thought, 'Yeah, I'm going to get it,' or 'No, I'm not going to get it.' I don't think you can do that."

Some questioned Marquette's decision, saying it hadn't explored enough candidates and that it was running a huge risk by hiring a young (35) and relatively inexperienced coach to run a team that was projected to finish in the upper third of the biggest and most demanding league in the nation in the Big East.

Williams understands the concerns. He also has refused to get caught up in them, instead using a detail-oriented approach and tireless work ethic since being selected coach to re-tool the entire program.

First and foremost, he worked to get his players -- many of whom were still raw from the fact they learned from ESPN and other news reports that Crean was leaving initially, not from Crean himself -- back on board. He's been careful ever since to keep every Golden Eagles player in the loop about everything and anything relating to the program, and always quick to shift the praise and focus their way as well.

As far as tweaking the roster, Williams gave two recruits their releases, bid adieu to two transfers and brought in junior-college guard Jimmy Butler to address this year's roster, and finally signed 7-foot Canadian Liam McMorrow with an eye toward next season. Williams also re-affirmed a commitment from Erik Williams, a key recruit in the 2009-10 class, and then finished up by adding three other high-level, versatile players to that group.

Williams also welcomed back all-everything guard Jerel McNeal after a brief dalliance with the NBA draft, and hired almost an entirely new staff of assistants and support personnel. The changes have been sweeping, indeed.

What has remained almost completely intact, though, is the nucleus of the team Williams will lead into the 2008-09 season. And what a team it should be, coming off a 25-10 season and having finished one heartbreaking Brook Lopez basket away from an appearance in the Sweet 16.

McNeal will lead the charge, having taken the reins from fellow senior Dominic James last year. A third senior guard, Wesley Matthews, is also back, along with junior forward Lazar Hayward, who was in the running as one of the Big East's most improved players a season ago.

Four of five starters back -- three of them seniors -- for your first go-round as head coach in the Big East? Not a bad situation at all, as Williams is already fully aware.

"I'm excited about who's returning," he said. "Extremely grateful I get to coach the guys that are returning. The known quantities are Lazar and Dominic and Wes and Jerel. What's the next four? And the next four?

"Those [last] eight guys, we've got to get some production from them because we're putting an incredible amount of pressure on those first four -- not just offensively; I feel confident that we'll generate enough baskets -- on what are, in essence, four guards defensively."

Williams said he learned plenty from his one-year stint at New Orleans -- in which he led the Privateers to a 14-17 record after signing five players in August who never took an official visit to the school -- when it comes to both coaching and recruiting. As far as the style of basketball he prefers to play, he probably won't get too far away from what Crean had done with this group over the previous few seasons.

"Offensively I want to take the first, best shot we can get, and defensively I want to ensure that we don't allow the opponent to take the first, best shot they can get," he said. "I think with the complexion of our team, the new guys are all going to have to have a distinct role in order for us to be really good. We can do some different things defensively -- whether that's to speed the game up, slow it down. "But I think that our roster is comprised of guys that can guard multiple-position players, and I think that's important to have, and we'll continue to recruit that way."

As far as scheduling goes, Williams has also shown a willingness to bolster the non-conference portion at least a little. Already locked into games against Northern Iowa and Dayton in the Chicago Invitational, the annual rivalry game against Wisconsin and a game against Tennessee in Nashville in the SEC/Big East Challenge, he also gave the nod to starting a home-and-home series at NC State just before Christmas rather than just adding another guarantee game at home.

Considering the amount of experience Marquette will boast, they're games that Williams feels confident will serve as solid preparation for yet another meat-grinder of a schedule in the Big East. They should also serve Williams well, as he tries to get a better feel for his system and his players, and vice versa.

[MisterJaylenBrownMU]

PLAYERS
PG-DOMINIC JAMES (5-11, 185 lbs., SR, #1, 12.9 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 4.4 apg, 1.8 spg, 30.3 mpg, .398 FG, .310 3PT, .664 FT, Richmond HS/Richmond, Ind.). Last season was a trying one for James, no question about it. As a freshman he was one of college basketball's most electrifying players, earning Big East Rookie-of-the-Year honors and, quite possibly, first-round draft status had he chosen to give the NBA a try.

He stuck around, however, and suffered through a downer of a sophomore season, one in which his most major warts -- perimeter shooting and running a team -- were exposed. He stuck his toe into the NBA pool in the spring but ultimately pulled out at the last minute after a disastrous showing at the pre-draft camp.

James returned to Marquette with a renewed sense of focus and a better attitude and was enjoying a solid start to his junior year when a hard foul by Seton Hall's Jamar Nutter just three games into the Big East schedule left him with a badly sprained right (shooting) wrist. That injury, coupled with a sprained right ankle he suffered roughly six weeks later, left James at less than 100 percent for the stretch run.

Even still, he came up with some solid performances: 25 points and five three-pointers two nights later at Villanova, 15 points against Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, and then nine points and 10 assists two nights later in the Golden Eagles' overtime loss to Stanford in the second round.
This season, James' challenge will be to show increased accuracy from the field, the same high-intensity, man-to-man defense that had he and McNeal fighting for the toughest assignment on the opposing team each night, as well as the court sense and leadership he brings to the point as a battle-tested senior.

"I think Dominic has really focused on trying to play the game the right way from a run-your-team, point-guard perspective," Williams said. "And I would say that as athletic and talented as he is, his run-your-team, point-guard mentality, if it continues to improve, in addition to whatever he already has, he becomes a much more valuable commodity to our program."

SG-JEREL MCNEAL (6-3, 200 lbs., SR, #22, 14.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.5 apg, 2.2 spg, 30.2 mpg, .456 FG, .304 3PT, .702 FT, Hillcrest HS/Chicago). McNeal was slogging along early last February. Not playing horribly, mind you, but certainly not up to the standards he had set his previous two years at Marquette.

Shooting just 36.7 percent, his scoring and rebounding down, McNeal realized he had to get back to being that high-intensity ball hawk that earned the Big East's Defensive Player of the Year a season earlier in order to jump-start the rest of his game. It took a little time, but when things finally came together for him down the stretch, McNeal entered a rarified air not seen at Marquette since the days of Dwyane Wade.

Over the Golden Eagles' final six games, McNeal averaged a cool 23 points per game to go along with 6.2 rebounds. He knocked down 52.3 percent of his shots and 42.4 percent of his three-pointers -- both vast improvements on his season and career numbers in those areas -- and almost single-handedly willed Marquette into its first-ever semifinals appearance in the Big East Tournament, and its first NCAA Tournament victory since Wade's last go-round in 2002-03.

McNeal was out of his mind in the Golden Eagles' final game, a heart-breaking overtime loss to Stanford in the second round of the NCAAs, pouring in a career-high 30 points and knocking down three three-pointers in the extra session alone to keep Marquette afloat.

That last stretch of games was enough to convince McNeal to do what James did the previous year and dip his toe into the NBA draft waters. But he, like James, found the reception lukewarm at best and decided to return, albeit without competing in the pre-draft camp. So he returns to Marquette this season as the Golden Eagles' unquestioned go-to guy, and finally enjoying some of the recognition that comes along with that.

Assuming he's able to tighten up the few weaknesses he has left in his game, and continue shooting the ball at a high rate, McNeal might very well see his NBA dreams come true in another year.

"Jerel is the toughest, most competitive player along with Bo McCalebb that I've ever coached," said Williams, referring to the 2006-07 Sun Belt Player of the Year he had at New Orleans. "To an extent, five percent of his game is negatively impacted because of that because he's so hard-driving and wants to hit you in the mouth so hard, that sometimes it gets his rhythm out of whack. He's got to get that five percent tightened up. He's got to be efficient in everything that he does team-wise, not just individually."

SF-WESLEY MATTHEWS (6-5, 215 lbs., SR, #23, 11.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.0 spg, 28.8 mpg, .434 FG, .313 3PT, .790 FT, Madison Memorial HS/Madison, Wis.). Like McNeal, Matthews might very well have turned a corner in his Marquette career in the Golden Eagles' two-game NCAA Tournament stint last season.

While McNeal was lighting up the scoreboard, Matthews was making some huge plays of his own when the lights were at their brightest -- be it knocking down four clutch free throws in the closing seconds to help beat Kentucky in the first round, or stealing a Stanford inbounds play in the second half and diving onto the ball while calling a timeout, thus saving a possession.

Those are the types of things the Golden Eagles would like to see more out of Matthews, who has mostly lived in the shadow of James and McNeal since coming to Marquette with them in 2005. He's had his moments individually over his first three years, but for whatever reason hasn't been able to put it all together on a consistent basis to this point.

This season Matthews' versatility will be needed more than ever. Considering the Golden Eagles' overall lack of size, Matthews will have to rebound at a higher rate than ever before, and also guard players much larger at times. He'll also need to be more aggressive offensively, which would help take some of the pressure off McNeal and James.

"Wes has all the physical attributes -- great size, great body, pound-for-pound, body fat, vertical jump, shuttle run -- a whiz test guy," Williams said. "He knows how to play, he under-stands the game. What Wes has got to do is take all of those things that he's good at -- he's an unbelievable teammate -- and become a tough skill guy, a tough teammate. He's got to have a toughness mentality every single day.

"He has it in him, and it comes in spurts, but it's got to be a longstanding toughness."

PF-LAZAR HAYWARD (6-6, 225 lbs., JR, #32, 12.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.1 spg, 25.4 mpg, .474 FG, .451 3PT, .773 FT, Notre Dame Prep/Fitchburg, Mass. and Buffalo, N.Y.). The strides Hayward made across the board last season were remarkable.

With a full off-season of work behind him -- something he was denied heading into his freshman season because of an NCAA Clearinghouse inquiry into his academics -- Hayward simply exploded. Playing as an undersized power forward, Hayward statistically was twice the player he was as a freshman, and along with McNeal as indispensable a starter as the Golden Eagles had because of his ability to produce in the paint both offensively and on the glass.

His 6.5 rebounds per game average led Marquette, which was and will again be undersized down low. Underscoring his versatility, his 45.1 percent accuracy on 41 three-pointers also led the Golden Eagles, who struggled at times from beyond the arc and could once again this season.

"I think he's become so good, sometimes you expect it," Williams said. "I thought throughout the year his game began to evolve. He became catch-shoot to one-dribble pull up to out-running his guy in transition and finishing the break to defensive rebound and helping initiate the break. All of that in his game he has worked to expand. Talk about a multi-positional guy. What is Lazar? I think he's just a player."

Hayward, who earned second-team All-Big East honors along with James and McNeal last year, will again start at the four and be penciled in for even better numbers as a junior.

The challenge for him, however, is to tighten up his game on the defensive end. His struggles at times can be traced back to the fact he's many times undersized matched up against bigger fours or not quick enough afoot to guard quicker threes. But Williams is hoping another solid off-season of work will help nullify some of that.

"If there's one thing that he needs to work on, he's just got to continue to evolve," he said. "Offensively I think that will happen, but he's got to get to a point where, 'Lazar, are you going to guard the three and Jerel guard the four because you can't guard it? Or are you going to guard the four because you can, the three because you can? Get to the point where you can guard the two because you can?' That's what he's got to get to."

C-DWIGHT BURKE (6-8, 250 lbs., SR, #12, 2.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 11.8 mpg, .604 FG, .500 FT, St. Benedict's Prep/Newark, N.J. and Brooklyn, N.Y.). On a team that's woefully devoid of big bodies, Burke stands out. He's every bit of 6-8 and 250 pounds, and for that reason -- along with the fact he's a senior -- Burke will see plenty of playing time this season.

But once again considering the ridiculous amount of quality big men playing in the Big East, the Golden Eagles are going to need Burke to do more than just take up space and provide five fouls. And while he won't be expected to score much, he'll need to do all the damage he can on the glass and on defense for Marquette to hang with the big boys in its conference.

The performance he turned in Marquette's inspired victory at in-state rival Wisconsin last season could serve as a microcosm of what Burke would do for the Golden Eagles in a perfect world: 12 points, nine rebounds (eight offensive) and a few pressure-packed free throws with the game on the line.

Expecting Burke to do that on a nightly basis would be dreaming, of course, but putting together such an effort once every three or four games would be a definite boon -- especially considering the only other true big body Marquette has on its roster is freshman Chris Otule, who will enter the season raw, to say the least.

"I think a lot of that has to do with how the three eligible newcomers fit in," Williams said when asked about Burke's role. "They've never played at this level, their bodies are not completely ready for this level, I don't know that their minds know what's about to happen at this level.

"Dwight has more experience than all of those guys, and I think that's beneficial. But that experience that he has, in order for it to be beneficial, he has to utilize what he knows is coming and utilize it every single day."

F-JOE FULCE (6-7, 205 lbs., SO, #21, 16.6 ppg, 13.2 rpg, .551 FG, Tyler JC/Tyler, Texas and Plano HS/Plano, Texas). For having never played a Division I college game, Fulce certainly has been through a lot. And through all of it, he's remained on Williams' radar screen.

Fulce committed to Texas A&M out of high school -- where Williams was recruiting coordinator under Billy Gillispie at the time -- but wound up going to Massanutten (Va.) Military Academy instead because of academic concerns. After a year there he re-opened his recruitment and wound up signing with New Orleans, where Williams had recently been hired as head coach.

Williams left New Orleans a little less than three months after Fulce signed, and Fulce was given his release and ultimately wound up at Tyler, where he ranked second in the NJCAA in rebounding and earned second team All-America honors. During that time, though, he committed to Marquette, where Williams was now recruiting coordinator for Crean.

Shortly after Fulce's season finished, he received the news that Crean had left for Indiana. Not long thereafter he re-affirmed his commitment to Marquette and Williams, who is expecting big things out of the lanky wing this season. Got all that?

"I've known Joe since he was a kid. He has one of the most unique talents in finishing around the basket that I've ever seen," Williams said. "In transition, in the half court, if he's near the basket, no matter what's going on, he has a unique ability to be able to score. And he's gotten to where if his feet are set and it's not a bad shot, he'll make an open shot from three. I think in transition he's really, really good because he's so long and guys can throw the ball up to him and he can go get it and finish.

"Joe has got to be able to guard somebody. Who is that somebody going to be able to be? He can rebound the ball, partly because he's long and athletic. When he's around the bas-ket and the shot goes up, he's got a nose for it, and we really need that this year specifically from him. I like what he gives our team right away. He will have a distinct role."

G-JIMMY BUTLER (6-6, 215 lbs., SO, #33, 18.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 3.1 apg, .548 FG, Tyler JC/Tyler Texas and Tomball HS/Tomball, Texas). Butler was Fulce's running mate at Tyler, and had some strong scholarship offers -- Kentucky, Iowa State and Mississippi State -- before keeping Williams' Texas pipeline intact and signing with the Golden Eagles roughly two weeks after Williams got the job at Marquette.

His addition is a big one for the Golden Eagles, who lacked athleticism and length off the bench last season. Fulce and Butler both bring that, with Butler probably being the more polished offensive player and more ready to absorb the pounding of the Big East because of his thicker frame.

Butler isn't a deadeye from long range, but the possessor of a nice mid-range game who also has the ability to take the ball to the basket and finish. He and Fulce should also help shore up what has been one of the Golden Eagles' biggest weaknesses the last few seasons -- defending the ultra-athletic threes and fours that many teams in the Big East boast.

"For us to be able to sign Jimmy Butler that late in the game was a blessing," Williams said. "I think he really knows how to play, has a great pace to how he plays. Jimmy's glide speed is what you want. He's not a guy that immediately is going to score 40 points or be a lock-down defender, but he's a guy that as he continues to blossom within what we do, I think he's got a really high ceiling."

G-MAURICE ACKER (5-8, 165 lbs., JR, #2, 4.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 1.8 apg, 13.3 mpg, .442 FG, .426 3PT, .788 FT, Hillcrest HS/Chicago and Ball State). A high-school teammate of McNeal's, Acker toward the end of last season did a good job playing Robin to McNeal's Batman, providing slick passing and some steady shooting from three-point range and the free-throw line.

More often than not, though, Acker had to be spotted minutes strictly because of his size. He's tough as nails, but is at a disadvantage almost every time he steps onto the court because of his diminutive frame. Teams often targeted him, and he struggled defensively as a result.

But there is a role for Acker. He's a press-breaker extraordinaire, a heady player and someone to whom Williams can turn for a change of pace. His steady shot is also a weapon, and he's likely to play a similar amount of minutes this season in the same role as James' backup at the point.

"Our guys like playing with Mo because he'll deliver the ball on time, on target," Williams said. "He knows when to pass, when not to pass, when to shoot, when not to shoot. He knows how to play. But he's got to be able to create space, because at times the physicality of game will swallow him. So he's got to be able to play the way everybody wants him to play, but he can't allow the physicality of the game to take away how it is that he plays."

G-DAVID CUBILLAN (6-0, 175 lbs., JR, #10, 5.1 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 1.6 apg, 17.6 mpg, .373 FG, .336 3PT, .783 FT, St. Benedict's Prep/Newark, N.J. and Maracaibo, Venezuela). Big things were expected last season from Cubillan, a fiery Venezuelan, after he led Marquette in three-point accuracy as a freshman in 2006 at 42.5 percent.

But almost from the outset he struggled shooting the basketball, and just didn't seem to be himself. By the end of the year he had limped home having knocked down just 33.6 percent of his treys and scored just 15 points over the Golden Eagles' final nine games.

Something was clearly wrong with Cubillan, and not long after the season ended it was determined he needed surgery on not just one shoulder, but both. So he underwent two separate arthroscopic procedures within a few months of each other, and spent the rest of the summer and early fall recuperating.

Where that leaves him heading into his junior year remains to be seen. If he's healthy he can be a great weapon, especially considering the fact the three-point lines are moving back. There remains a good chance he won't be ready for the start of the season, though, a circumstance for which Williams is already prepared.

"He's one of the most diligent people in our program," he said. "To be able to forecast where he'll be as a player 200 days from now? I don't know. If it's based on how hard he's working, he'll be fine. But are his shoulders going to feel better? I don't know. The doctors say everything is fine, he'll be better, he won't have pain. I don't want him to have pain.

"But I hope that he can have a distinct role on our team, because he gives us something that nobody else gives us. When he makes a shot and gives you his Venezuelan shuffle, he's a pretty excitable player to be around."

BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS
BACKCOURT: A
BENCH/DEPTH: B+
FRONTCOURT: C
INTANGIBLES: B+

Williams received the opportunity of a lifetime when he was hired as Crean's successor on April 7. Not only did he land a Big East head-coaching job at just 35, he also inherited a team that's primed to make a deep run into the NCAA Tournament.

In McNeal, James and Matthews, Williams has just about everything a coach could want: athleticism, experience, intelligence, desire and pride. All three players will go down as some of the best in Marquette history, with James likely becoming the all-time leading scorer should he remain healthy, and none of them take their legacies for granted.

Williams also has some other nice pieces with which to work, most notably Hayward. But there's no way to gloss over the Golden Eagles' lack of size and strength in the post. Williams will need to game plan and scheme like crazy in order to mitigate that weakness, but when you're facing the likes of Earl Clark, Hasheem Thabeet, Luke Harangody and DeJuan Blair on an almost nightly basis in the Big East, that becomes an awfully tall order.

Since joining the Big East in the 2005-06 season, Marquette is one of only three teams -- Georgetown and Pittsburgh are the others -- to record 10 or more league victories in a season. There's no reason to believe the Golden Eagles can't hit that number once again, or perhaps even pass the high-water mark of 11 they notched last year.

Doing so would send Marquette's senior class out in style, and help lay the foundation for what Williams hopes will be an even more successful run for a revamped and renewed Golden Eagles program in the years to come.

[mu_hilltopper]

(That's fine.  I'd say the only outlet we're extra sensitive to is pasting content from the Scout network.)