2016 guard Mustapha Heron visiting MU

[JakeBarnes]

Look, I know this will get criticized a bit as "making lists" isn't enough... but look at the caliber of players that are putting Marquette on their lists. Especially some of the West Coast kids as of late given our connections out there--this is pretty impressive. Wojo is gunning hard for 4 and 5 star guys and getting in the top 5 for it and has shown success in the process with his first class.

Really loving what this program is doing right no on the recruiting front. They play it close to the vest most of the time, but I am quite happy with how it has gone so far.

That said, I cannot wait to watch it transpire on the court.

[muwar2003]

The only problem I would have is if we never get any of the 4 or 5 Star players.  I remember when Majerus was coach and we were mentioned with alot of good players.  But the only one we got was Doc.  We have to be able to get a C, Pf, Pg or whatever 4 or 5 star.

[warriorchick]

The only problem I would have is if we never get any of the 4 or 5 Star players.  I remember when Majerus was coach and we were mentioned with alot of good players.  But the only one we got was Doc.  We have to be able to get a C, Pf, Pg or whatever 4 or 5 star.

Hank was head coach when Doc played for us.

[4everwarriors]

Trotter was one of them Street & Smith cats, ai na?

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

The only problem I would have is if we never get any of the 4 or 5 Star players.  I remember when Majerus was coach and we were mentioned with alot of good players.  But the only one we got was Doc.  We have to be able to get a C, Pf, Pg or whatever 4 or 5 star.

Wojo's first class contained one 5 star and three four stars. Our current roster has one 5 star and seven 4 stars. I don't think we have to worry too much about not getting the 4 stars. Maybe the 5 stars but Wojo has already reeled one in.

[Galway Eagle]

Wojo's first class contained one 5 star and three four stars. Our current roster has one 5 star and seven 4 stars. I don't think we have to worry too much about not getting the 4 stars. Maybe the 5 stars but Wojo has already reeled one in.

I thought JJJ was a five star on one of the sites? Or am I thinking of Vander?

[bilsu]

Trotter was one of them Street & Smith cats, ai na?

I was in Nebraska 10 days ago and the Nebraska newspaper listed the top 100 athletes from Nebraska. Trotter was 92ND on the list. First was Bob Gibson and 2ND was Gayle Sayers.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I thought JJJ was a five star on one of the sites? Or am I thinking of Vander?

Maybe one did but a vast majority had him as a four star.

[willie warrior]

Trotter was one of them Street & Smith cats, ai na?

saw Trotter play several times in HS, and saw him a lot at MU. He was an absolute HS stud, and had a very good career at MU.

[ATL MU Warrior]

I was in Nebraska 10 days ago and the Nebraska newspaper listed the top 100 athletes from Nebraska. Trotter was 92ND on the list. First was Bob Gibson and 2ND was Gayle Sayers.

Was ATL MU Warrior on that list?  If not, it's a travesty. 

[muwar2003]

Trotter was one of the biggest disappointment as far as how good he was supposed to be .  I saw games when it seemed he couldn't dribble and walk. 

[Dr. Blackheart]

Trotter was one of the biggest disappointment as far as how good he was supposed to be .  I saw games when it seemed he couldn't dribble and walk.

http://www.crackedsidewalks.com/2009/05/look-back-marquettes-history-with-top.html

[Nukem2]

http://www.crackedsidewalks.com/2009/05/look-back-marquettes-history-with-top.html

Yes, Kerry did have a nice career.  Interesting "miss" in the article is Walter Downing.  In his first few games at MU after transferring, Walter was absolutely dominating.  But, then he dislocated his shoulder at Northwestern blocking a shot. He was never the same after that other than the 7 blocked shots against UNC.  The combination of the bad wheel and popping out shoulder were too much to overcome.

[Logi4three]

Photo:

Any updates on MUstapha's visit?

[brewcity77]

The only problem I would have is if we never get any of the 4 or 5 Star players.  I remember when Majerus was coach and we were mentioned with alot of good players.  But the only one we got was Doc.  We have to be able to get a C, Pf, Pg or whatever 4 or 5 star.

We don't get 4-star players? Uhh...what? Pretty much anyone who's on the RSCI top-100 has to be considered a 4-star, right? So what about...

2015 -- 9 Henry Ellenson, 87 Haanif Cheatham, 96 Matt Heldt
2014 -- 75 Sandy Cohen (Lost 61 Ahmed Hill because of coaching change)
2013 -- 30 Jajuan Johnson, 54 Deonte Burton, 59 Duane Wilson
2012 -- 82 Steve Taylor
2011 -- 81 Juan Anderson
2010 -- 48 Vander Blue, 74 Jamail Jones
2009 -- 47 Junior Cadougan, 67 Erik Williams, 73 Jeronne Maymon
2008 -- (Lost 73 Tyshawn Taylor & 88 Nick Williams because of coaching change)
2007 -- 91 Trevor Mbakwe
2006 -- NONE
2005 -- 36 Dominic James, 57 Jerel McNeal, 61 Wesley Matthews
2004 -- NONE
2003 -- 71 Dameon Mason
2002 -- 57 Steve Novak
2001 -- 40 Travis Diener
2000 -- 85 Scott Merritt
1999 -- NONE
1998 -- NONE

So in the time RSCI has been keeping ratings, only 5 times did we not get at least one top-100 kid. Two of those were the first two years they kept ratings. The past 7 years straight we've had at least one 4-star kid and 16 of the last 19 years we had at least one four-star come in, with one of those three years we didn't (2008) happening because of a coaching change.

You can argue some of them didn't pan out well (Mason, Nick Williams, Junior, E-Will, Jamail, Juan, and Steve all underwhelmed) but we haven't had a problem getting those kids to commit. I'd guess few programs have that track record of success unless you are talking about true blue bloods, especially as that shows sustained success through three different coaches (and I'd happily wager Sam Hauser will be a top-100 kid in 2016 once rankings come out).

[Nukem2]

.

You can argue some of them didn't pan out well (Mason, Nick Williams, Junior, E-Will, Jamail, Juan, and Steve all underwhelmed) but we haven't had a problem getting those kids to commit. I'd guess few programs have that track record of success unless you are talking about true blue bloods, especially as that shows sustained success through three different coaches (and I'd happily wager Sam Hauser will be a top-100 kid in 2016 once rankings come out).

I really don't think one could say that Junior did not pan out well as he was a key cog in two Sweet 16s, an Elite 8 and a BE championship and provided an emotional lift for the team when he came back post-Achilles as a frosh.

[Jay Bee]

I really don't think one could say that Junior did not pan out well as he was a key cog in two Sweet 16s, an Elite 8 and a BE championship and provided an emotional lift for the team when he came back post-Achilles as a frosh.

"did not pan out well" may mean different things to different people.. but certainly I think it's fair to say Junior's time at MU wasn't as good as many hoped and certainly when compared to his rankings...

Look at the basics - his ORtg (95ish average, never better than 96).. eFG% low-mid 40's.. his turnover rate - mid to high 20's, 26% as a senior is extremely high... declining free throw rate, incredibly low 3FG% over his career...

He had his moments, but...

[brewcity77]

"did not pan out well" may mean different things to different people.. but certainly I think it's fair to say Junior's time at MU wasn't as good as many hoped and certainly when compared to his rankings...

Look at the basics - his ORtg (95ish average, never better than 96).. eFG% low-mid 40's.. his turnover rate - mid to high 20's, 26% as a senior is extremely high... declining free throw rate, incredibly low 3FG% over his career...

He had his moments, but...

Junior was a part of many winning teams, but rarely was Junior the impetus behind said winning. Contributed minimally as a freshman and sophomore, and the team largely won in spite of him his junior year. Stepped up a bit as a senior, but was still the fourth offensive option on the team despite being the highest rated player and only 4-year-senior starter.

There were pros and cons to Junior, but in terms of what he actually did, I generally would expect a lot more from a top-50 kid who plays four years.

[GGGG]

He could push tempo and could see the floor alright.  Terrible shooter.  And too many opposing point guards (eg, Peyton Siva in the BET) just blew by him repeatedly.  He was OK.  Did not live up to the ranking.

[Nukem2]

He could push tempo and could see the floor alright.  Terrible shooter.  And too many opposing point guards (eg, Peyton Siva in the BET) just blew by him repeatedly.  He was OK.  Did not live up to the ranking.

Junior would have been a huge improvement over what we had at PG the past 2 years.  And, For BrewCity,Junior was indeed the catalyst for a number of big wins for MU.  Short memory there.   His foul trouble against Florida inthe NCAAs was problematic for MU.  Junior was simply a leader and a winner.  And, yes he did have an enormous amount of difficulty with Louisville guards under the old defensive rules.  Junio could be exasperating sometimes, but he sure earned his scholie.  His interaction with Davante was terrific.

[brewcity77]

Junior would have been a huge improvement over what we had at PG the past 2 years.  And, For BrewCity,Junior was indeed the catalyst for a number of big wins for MU.  Short memory there.   His foul trouble against Florida inthe NCAAs was problematic for MU.  Junior was simply a leader and a winner.  And, yes he did have an enormous amount of difficulty with Louisville guards under the old defensive rules.  Junio could be exasperating sometimes, but he sure earned his scholie.  His interaction with Davante was terrific.

It's not a short memory, I remember Junior all too well. Felt underwhelmed by him when he was here and usually felt we won in spite of him rather than because of him. He saw the court well, I'll give him that. But he was a below average defender, awful shooter, and never came close to living up to the expectation.

Junior was a great kid, a great citizen, and a great ambassador of Marquette. He played hard and always gave maximum effort. But as a player, he disappointed repeatedly. He had a few big moments and some good games where he did make the difference, but he benefited tremendously being surrounded by players like Jimmy Butler, Jae Crowder, DJO, Vander Blue, and Davante Gardner in his career. Buzz did a pretty poor job recruiting point guards. Junior, Reggie Smith, Derrick, and John Dawson were all pretty mediocre (at best) high major players. The best PG he recruited was probably Duane, who is more of a 2 than a 1.

[brewcity77]

Totally agree that he's SJU's to lose.  I'd put that at about 75%.  But if we can't get him it would be nice to add talent to the conference.

Back on the Heron topic, agree that he's likely to go to St. John's with the Slice Rohrssen/Bryan Heron connection. Still can't figure out why there are so many schools in the south on his list. He's from Connecticut, his dad went to Central Connecticut State, not sure if they lived there for a time or what. Regardless, my money is on SJU. Has been ever since Mullin hired Slice.

[Nukem2]

It's not a short memory, I remember Junior all too well. Felt underwhelmed by him when he was here and usually felt we won in spite of him rather than because of him. He saw the court well, I'll give him that. But he was a below average defender, awful shooter, and never came close to living up to the expectation.

Junior was a great kid, a great citizen, and a great ambassador of Marquette. He played hard and always gave maximum effort. But as a player, he disappointed repeatedly. He had a few big moments and some good games where he did make the difference, but he benefited tremendously being surrounded by players like Jimmy Butler, Jae Crowder, DJO, Vander Blue, and Davante Gardner in his career. Buzz did a pretty poor job recruiting point guards. Junior, Reggie Smith, Derrick, and John Dawson were all pretty mediocre (at best) high major players. The best PG he recruited was probably Duane, who is more of a 2 than a 1.

Sounds like a Derrick description.  Whether or not he achieved his ranking, MU was fortunate to have him.  We agree to disagree.

[brewcity77]

Sounds like a Derrick description.  Whether or not he achieved his ranking, MU was fortunate to have him.  We agree to disagree.

We do

[PGsHeroes32]

I'd take 8 more years of junior before I'd take 1 of Derrick.