MU Mentions On ESPN Insider

[Tugg Speedman]

July 16, 2011
Backcourt an area of concern?

UPDATE: Earlier this week we wrote that missing on Gabe York meant Marquette would likely zero in on Kris Dunn (New London, Conn./New London).

Dunn, however, may be a tough get for Buzz Williams and the Golden Eagles. Adam Finkelstein of ESPN Recruiting writes today that "Dunn's recruitment is rising in correlation with the level of his play."

In terms of which team might have the lead on the point guard, one Big East school might have the advantage. "Villanova became the latest Big East school to jump on board but no one has recruited him harder than Providence, who has had a coach on hand every time he has taken the court this week," writes Finkelstein.

Dunn was one of the top performers last weekend in New England tournament action. Here is Finkelstein with more below on the talented junior point guard.


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Late last week Gabe York -- one of the top rated guards in the West in 2012 -- narrowed his list to Arizona, Washington and Marquette. But soon thereafter, York announced over the weekend that he would be a Wildcat.

Look for the Marquette staff to now shift its attention to ESPNU 100 point guard Kris Dunn (New London, Conn./New London). In a way, Dunn is more of a need for the Golden Eagles anyway; Vander Blue, Jamal Ferguson, T.J. Taylor and Todd Mayo are four talented shooting guard types who will be on the roster in 2012.

Getting someone like Dunn, rated a 95 by ESPNU, would instantly upgrade Marquette's point guard play. Junior Cadougan has yet to flourish in two years in the system and 2011 signee Derrick Wilson is more of a combo guard than a pure point guard.

- Joe Kaiser

Adam Finkelstein
Dunn's a force on both sides of the ball
http://espn.go.com/college-sports/recruiting/basketball/mens/story/_/id/6760653/kris-dunn-highlights-new-england-elite-75-first-eight

"One area of his game that doesn't get enough credit is the strength of his left hand. He plays with great dexterity in the backcourt, has the ball on a tight leash with his handle and can pass or finish through contact to either side, as well. While undoubtedly still a drive-first player, he's smoothed out the release on his jumper and is shooting the 3 with much more consistency. He was impressive offensively, but his best work came on the other end as he was a ball hawk on top of the press and a free safety flying into passing lanes."

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July 11, 2011
Expectations high for DJO


Last season was an off year for Marquette's Darius Johnson-Odom. The junior led the team in percentage of shots taken (29 percent, up from 24.2 percent in 2010) but the guard's three-point percentage took a huge dip (36.4 percent). While the guard attacked the basket more often (258 two-point attempts) and converted at a higher rate (48.4 percent), he also attempted more than a quarter more threes.

However, in a recent breakdown of Johnson-Odom's play at the LeBron James Skills Academy, ESPN's Fran Frascilla expects a rebound -- and breakthrough -- season for the senior guard. Fraschila notes that his three-point shooting was not on point at the Skills Academy but DJO was much more aggressive in the half-court and was aggressive on defense.

Taking a more in-depth look and analyzing data from Synergy Sports Technology, it appears one area of Johnson-Odom's offensive game noticeably slipped last season. In 2010, DJO scored .82 points per possession shooting off the dribble but fast-forward one season and that number slipped to .68. Furthermore, it's interesting that while DJO is left-handed (a trait that Fraschilla points out), the 6-foot-2 guard prefers to drive right for his pull-ups, converting at a rate of 69 percent.

[GGGG]

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Getting someone like Dunn, rated a 95 by ESPNU, would instantly upgrade Marquette's point guard play. Junior Cadougan has yet to flourish in two years in the system and 2011 signee Derrick Wilson is more of a combo guard than a pure point guard.

While technically correct, Junior hasn't "flourished" mostly due to his injury (which isn't mentioned).  He is going to have two very strong years at point.  But we are going to need someone in this upcoming class to work for a year under him and take over when he leaves.  Although DWil might end up being that guy...or TJ Taylor...

[TedBaxter]

If Buzz waits to get another point guard in the 2013 class, Marquette will be fine. 

Would love to get Kris Dunn, but if Buzz lands a frontcourter with one of the two remaining scholarships, he can choose the best available player with the other scholarship.

[jsglow]

I tink the PG position is solid for the next 2 years.  Consider where we stood a year ago . . . DB needing to cover the position while we wondered if JC could come back from injury.  Either a 2012 or a 2013 Top 100 need.

[dwaderoy2004]

I'm a little nervous this season about our point guard situation.  Not about Junior...kid is gonna be good.  But god forbid he gets hurt.  I don't want Vander making decisions with the ball in his hands, and otherwise, we are giving the ball to a freshman in D-Wilson.  Suppose DJO or J-Wilson could handle it too, but neither is a great option.  Mayo has some PG experience, but everything I read is that he's a scorer.  We have plenty of guys who could, but no one that we know can.

[brewcity77]

If JC went down, I think Jamil would be our primary ball-handler. Blue and DJO, maybe Derrick too, would get some time, but I'd like Wilson's chances. It might surprise people, but I could also see Anderson playing some in that type of role. Early on, he might be better suited as a point forward than as a natural 3.

[bamamarquettefan]

Wow brew city, I would love it if jamil or Anderson showed they could play point forward a bit.  If we go from the best 6-5 and under team in the land to having a magic johnson sized point guards when junior is out.

I am very high on Anderson all-around, but I do wonderful if having just grown a couple of inches would make it harder to do while still adjusting to his height while protecting his dribble.

[mug644]

I'm a little nervous this season about our point guard situation.  Not about Junior...kid is gonna be good.  But god forbid he gets hurt.  I don't want Vander making decisions with the ball in his hands, and otherwise, we are giving the ball to a freshman in D-Wilson.  Suppose DJO or J-Wilson could handle it too, but neither is a great option.  Mayo has some PG experience, but everything I read is that he's a scorer.  We have plenty of guys who could, but no one that we know can.

Might it turn out that Blue could be better at the point than at the 2? I gotta believe he feels the pressure of being a scorer while at the 2. Maybe, just maybe, he'd settle down at the point. And with his height and athleticism, it could be interesting.

Not that I want to test that thinking. Stay healthy, Junior.

[bilsu]

We may not see it much this year, but at some point we will have a forward combination of Wilson and Anderson on the floor. They are both great passers and it will be interesting to see them on the floor at the same time. Point guard is not a problem for this team. The problem is the power forward spot. Crowder will be undesized there and we have no powar forward to back him up. Having switchables is fine on offense, but we will not fare well defenisvely against a true good power forward.

[jeffreyweee]

Wilson can guard the power forward spot.

[ErickJD08]

Might it turn out that Blue could be better at the point than at the 2? I gotta believe he feels the pressure of being a scorer while at the 2. Maybe, just maybe, he'd settle down at the point. And with his height and athleticism, it could be interesting.

Not that I want to test that thinking. Stay healthy, Junior.

He doesn't have great court vision and he had tunnel vision once the ball hit the floor.  He is a 2.  Although he coudln't find AT ALL last season, I have always thought that the weight room would pay big dividends for him.  Truthfully, he reminds me of McNeal.  McNeal was a terrible shooter and finisher his freshmen year.  If he can just fix the jumper and hit the weight room, he should be fine.

[brewcity77]

Well, I'll say this for Vander, he is in very good shape. I saw him waiting for his game to start with his shirt off. I was surprised by how defined he is. Not sure he's added lot of size, but he's definitely more toned than he was when he arrived on campus.

[mu03eng]

He doesn't have great court vision and he had tunnel vision once the ball hit the floor.  He is a 2.  Although he coudln't find AT ALL last season, I have always thought that the weight room would pay big dividends for him.  Truthfully, he reminds me of McNeal.  McNeal was a terrible shooter and finisher his freshmen year.  If he can just fix the jumper and hit the weight room, he should be fine.

I'm going to have to disagree, I think Vander has excellent court vision.  My buddy and I noticed it at last years Pro-Am, and this year again.  He looked overwhelmed in general during the Big East season so he didn't really put much of anything on display other than defense.  Besides, if Vander is going to make the association, he is going to have to do it as a 1.

[tower912]

Wilson can guard the power forward spot.

That's pretty good for a 6 ft PG.     


Oh.   You probably meant the other one.   

[4everwarriors]

Well, I'll say this for Vander, he is in very good shape. I saw him waiting for his game to start with his shirt off. I was surprised by how defined he is. Not sure he's added lot of size, but he's definitely more toned than he was when he arrived on campus.

So the dude who picked a fight with him had to be nuts?

[g0lden3agle]

So the dude who picked a fight with him had to be nuts?

I'm sure we all know something about Liquid Courage.

[bilsu]

That's pretty good for a 6 ft PG.     


Oh.   You probably meant the other one.   

Wilson can, but now you are moving a starter over to back up the four. idealy you back up all spots with a player off the bench.

[MattyWarrior]

Most of the time there is no respect for Marquette on ESPN Insider. Their summer series of 24 most intriguing programs in the
nation has teams like UNLV,VCU,George Mason and Indiana. No mention of MU.They do it all the time with recruiting, too.
That really irks me.

[brewcity77]

Most of the time there is no respect for Marquette on ESPN Insider. Their summer series of 24 most intriguing programs in the
nation has teams like UNLV,VCU,George Mason and Indiana. No mention of MU.They do it all the time with recruiting, too.
That really irks me.

I was a bit disappointed to see that as well. I understand a few mid-majors, but we are coming off a Sweet 16 and will likely be a top-20 ranked team. That's got to be worth some interest, doesn't it? St. John's, Mississippi State, Baylor? I guess they're interesting, but we have more momentum than any of them, and I'd think are just as compelling.

But whatever, that's part and parcel with "We Are Marquette". Being Marquette means being ignored by the national media, underrated by the pundits, and still shocking everyone by beating the teams we shouldn't have a chance against. We were never ranked last year, and yet finished as one of the last 16 teams in the nation still standing. I hope that we overachieve that much again next year...if we do, we could well find ourselves in the Final Four.

Speaking of actual Insider mentions, however, we were mentioned with Tyus Jones (2014 PG) again today. Looks like Duke is also coming hard for him. Buzz is certainly aiming high: two of his 2014 targets are top-ten players (Jones and Theo Pinson) and we're competing with the likes of Duke, UNC, and Ohio State for them. Here's hoping Buzz can actually win a couple of these battles over the next few years.