Recruiting as of 4/15/25

[GoldenEagles03]

So for those that know better than me, what are realistic expectations for Jones this upcoming season?  More of a rotation player (15-20 MPG)?  Possibility to compete for the starting PG role?  Specialist ( 5 - 10 MPG)?

Sean or Kam?

[Skip Intro]

I didn't want to make a new thread for this, but this also isn't the best place to put this. But what players have been advancing in the Tournament that Marquette was in on?

Did we recruit Jalen Wilson on Kansas? How about Jaylen Williams on Arkansas? Definitely went hard after Kendall Brown at Baylor. Did Dain Dainja even play at all this season? Obviously Jonas Aidoo at Tennessee. Others that we had a shot at?

Ethan Morton at Purdue.  He's essentially become a defensive specialist for Painter, but his role will definitely increase in the coming years. 

He came out of my high school alma mater, and I have a good friend who was close to his recruitment and actually accompanied him on his Michigan visit (she is a former UM athlete).  She told me that he ruled out MU when Hausergate happened.

[DoctorV]

So for those that know better than me, what are realistic expectations for Jones this upcoming season?  More of a rotation player (15-20 MPG)?  Possibility to compete for the starting PG role?  Specialist ( 5 - 10 MPG)?

I don't know better than you, but I'll take a crack.

He's a frosh. He's super athletic, but so was/is Emarion Ellis.
He can score in bunches, but so could/can? Stevie.
He seems to be lightning quick and a good distributor for his stature.
The info on him says that he's an elite defender, but I have no idea how soft/strong that Ohio league is or how that will translate to the Big East.

All in all, if his defense progresses as expected (as good as Stevie's would be a dream, better than Kolek/Kam is an expectation), and his offense opens up the game then he should see substantial minutes for a frosh.
His outside shot will obviously be a key.

Prediction 1: I think that as the season went on Shaka might've soured a bit of TyKo as the future starting/go to pg. That's just my opinion from what I saw.
The vision and passing ability are nice, but the shooting and quickness/ability to pose a multiple threat option at pg are severely limited.
Kam is a 2. Stevie needs to find that HS scoring touch to be an alpha.
So, I think starting/go to pg is in play.
Don't think Jones wins it from the jump, but I could see him entering the starting lineup further along in the season if things go ideally for him. Especially if there are guards that transfer out, which I sort of expect.

Prediction 2: We all thought Stevie was the frosh guard of the season and no one gave Kam a second thought, some even discussed possible redshirt, and several weeks into practices it started seeming clear that Kam was the more impact guy from day 1. So, you just never know until they hit the court and compete against each other.
I'm not sure that's a prediction, other than no one really or truly knows.

Good news for Sean Jones is that Shaka likes to play a lot of guards and he seems very high on Sean before seeing him at the Al

[BM1090]

I think Sean will definitely take some minutes at the point and they'll slide Kolek into a secondary playmaker role. He's super high energy and has a good handle. Good defender, very quick but may struggle against bigger guards.

If the defense can hold up with Kolek and Jones lack of size, I think you'll see a lot of minutes with them playing together. Kolek will probably start at the point but I'd be surprised if Jones played less than 15 MPG in that spot.

[BCHoopster]

I think Sean will definitely take some minutes at the point and they'll slide Kolek into a secondary playmaker role. He's super high energy and has a good handle. Good defender, very quick but may struggle against bigger guards.

If the defense can hold up with Kolek and Jones lack of size, I think you'll see a lot of minutes with them playing together. Kolek will probably start at the point but I'd be surprised if Jones played less than 15 MPG in that spot.

Jones is really a good shooter when he has time to set himself up for his shot, has hard time creating his own shot as he seemed a step slow against quicker guards.
Weight room to get stronger is a must.  Kolek I have been told will be working with coaches at AP, he knows his issues and I expect he will be much better next year.
He could easily double his scoring output just by learning how to shoot a floater and a mid range jumper, if not, his bench time will be serious as Jones is much quicker
has a mid range game.  D is suppose to be good, but his height might be a problem.

[Vander Blue Man Group]

Sean or Kam?

Sean

[GoldenEagles03]

Sean Jones is 3x All State and current Ohio Player of the Year.

Simply put, if he was 6'4" instead of 5'10" he'd be a one and done lottery pick.

Obviously height can't be taught so he'll have to find out how to be effective at the D1 level, but he is a HIGH level talent and has skills that not many have. We are lucky to have him.

https://twitter.com/JakeSpegal270/status/1509250148337078277?t=DMabDR2OWokn72-ph6P5jQ&s=19

[BrewCity83]

https://twitter.com/JakeSpegal270/status/1509250148337078277?t=DMabDR2OWokn72-ph6P5jQ&s=19

Ooh, he's gonna be fun to watch.

[GoldenEagles03]

Ooh, he's gonna be fun to watch.

Indeed.  I've seen a lot of comments about how he is advanced when it comes to shooting, dribbling, jumping, work ethic, body, and all of the above.  The only thing he doesn't have is height, but when you're good, you're good.  Sean Jones is good.

[JakeBarnes]

Sean Jones is 3x All State and current Ohio Player of the Year.

Simply put, if he was 6'4" instead of 5'10" he'd be a one and done lottery pick.

Obviously height can't be taught so he'll have to find out how to be effective at the D1 level, but he is a HIGH level talent and has skills that not many have. We are lucky to have him.

https://twitter.com/JakeSpegal270/status/1509250148337078277?t=DMabDR2OWokn72-ph6P5jQ&s=19

His handle is great. Definitely has hops and explosiveness. Hoping that once the college game slows down for him he can be a Fatts Russell-type player for us--feels like he has hands everywhere, good jumper, big energy.

[panda]

His handle is great. Definitely has hops and explosiveness. Hoping that once the college game slows down for him he can be a Fatts Russell-type player for us--feels like he has hands everywhere, good jumper, big energy.

Wow - Seen a lot of clowns worried about Shaka's recruiting. Kudos for him for not chasing stars and committing to a certain type of player and winning those battles. He's building in the right way. Looks like elite level athleticism for a guy of his size.

[Pakuni]

Wow - Seen a lot of clowns worried about Shaka's recruiting. Kudos for him for not chasing stars and committing to a certain type of player and winning those battles. He's building in the right way. Looks like elite level athleticism for a guy of his size.

Yeah, after attending the McDonald's AA game last night, I sure am glad those aren't the kind of players MU is getting. Only a clown would want those stars.

Look, time will tell the effectiveness of Shaka's recruiting for MU. Maybe Chass Ross and Sean Jones have been criminally overlooked. But you're kidding yourself if you believe MU is going to consistently compete and win at a high level without star players.

[panda]

Yeah, after attending the McDonald's AA game last night, I sure am glad those aren't the kind of players MU is getting. Only a clown would want those stars.

Look, time will tell the effectiveness of Shaka's recruiting for MU. Maybe Chass Ross and Sean Jones have been criminally overlooked. But you're kidding yourself if you believe MU is going to consistently compete and win at a high level without star players.

It was a reference to the Wojo recruiting strategy. Square pegs into round holes.

[GoldenEagles03]

Yeah, after attending the McDonald's AA game last night, I sure am glad those aren't the kind of players MU is getting. Only a clown would want those stars.

Look, time will tell the effectiveness of Shaka's recruiting for MU. Maybe Chass Ross and Sean Jones have been criminally overlooked. But you're kidding yourself if you believe MU is going to consistently compete and win at a high level without star players.

When has Marquette ever gotten star players?  Marquette is Marquette because of guys who are a tier below the top building something special together with the occasional breakout star.

Stop it.  They can and will compete without 5 stars.

[brewcity77]

But you're kidding yourself if you believe MU is going to consistently compete and win at a high level without star players.

Do you need talent? Yes. But culture has been beating talent for years. Nova in 16 & 18, UNC in 17, Virginia in 19, Baylor last year. I won't deny that adding big time pieces is necessary, but you need the culture in place first.

Shaka learned that at Texas. He landed the Mo Bamba, Jarrett Allen types, but his best team was loaded primarily with juniors and seniors.

Talent matters, but in modern college basketball culture is far, far more important when it comes to winning at the highest level.

[Goose]

Pakuni

I love chasing and getting the big time players and that was the one thing I liked about Wojo. I am willing to give Shaka some wiggle room on recruiting, and type of guys recruited, until I see someone play. IMO, the transfer portal is a big part of the process and I am happy with Kolek and Omax additions moving forward. At this point I am not concerned on who Shaka is recruiting, but that could change down the road.

[GoldenEagles03]

Do you need talent? Yes. But culture has been beating talent for years. Nova in 16 & 18, UNC in 17, Virginia in 19, Baylor last year. I won't deny that adding big time pieces is necessary, but you need the culture in place first.

Shaka learned that at Texas. He landed the Mo Bamba, Jarrett Allen types, but his best team was loaded primarily with juniors and seniors.

Talent matters, but in modern college basketball culture is far, far more important when it comes to winning at the highest level.

I must be missing something here.  Brew shouldn't even have to say this.

Since when do we expect stars to come to Marquette?  That's not who we are, nor do we need to be.  What is happening to this fanbase?

[panda]

Our best players in the last twenty years have been two juco guys and a partial qualifier.

I'd love to sign an Arkansas type class (or a quarter of their haul) but that's not realistic. We need to find guys like Sean Jones who may have been overlooked for some reason but are absolute ballers.

[rocky_warrior]

We need to find guys like Sean Jones who may have been overlooked for some reason [height] but are [may be] absolute ballers.

FIFY - the uncertainty was misplaced.  Despite the glowing reviews from a couple posters, I think I'll wait to declare such things.

[Pakuni]

Do you need talent? Yes. But culture has been beating talent for years. Nova in 16 & 18, UNC in 17, Virginia in 19, Baylor last year. I won't deny that adding big time pieces is necessary, but you need the culture in place first.

Culture and talent are not mutually exclusive. In fact, the best programs have both.
As for the teams you mention, they didn't suffer a lack of star players:

Nova '16 had nine RSCI top 100 players and six future NBA players
UNC '17 had 10 RSCI top 100 players, including four top 20 players and four future NBA players
Nova '18 had seven RSCI top 100 players, including two top 20 players and five future NBA players
Virginia '19 had five RSCI 100 players and six future NBA players
Baylor '21 had five RSCI 100 players and two future NBA players (so far)


For comparison's sake, if Justin leaves, MU's roster next year will have two top 100 players, both of whom ranked in the 90s (Stevie and Oso). And I'd have to squint really hard to imagine anyone on the roster in the NBA, barring major progression.

Shaka learned that at Texas. He landed the Mo Bamba, Jarrett Allen types, but his best team was loaded primarily with juniors and seniors.

Which team are you calling his "best?"
Last year's team - his highest in the preseason and final AP poll and probably most successful - had seven RSCI top 50 players. Another ranked 51st. Another ranked 55th. In all, 10 kids were in the top 100. Two were McDonald's All Americans.
Doesn't seem like his best team was loaded with scrappy, overlooked three stars who bought into a culture. They were all studs.

Talent matters, but in modern college basketball culture is far, far more important when it comes to winning at the highest level.

Final Four rosters say talent is pretty darn important.

Look, one (shortened) recruiting cycle is way too early to judge. But people here are kidding themselves if they think ignoring high-end talent in favor "overlooked" unranked kids is some sort of master plan to win a title. And, fwiw, I think Shaka knows this* and will go after the high-end talent. The question is whether he can land them at MU. Time will tell.

* Edit:
Just furthering the point, the first players Shaka went after when he got to Marquette were Seth Trimble (#32 ranked) and Leon Bond (#63). Seems like he wanted star talent. Which he should.

[panda]

FIFY - the uncertainty was misplaced.  Despite the glowing reviews from a couple posters, I think I'll wait to declare such things.

Personal opinion alert -

Watching his tape, not highlight packages but actual game footage, his athleticism lets him play much bigger than his listed height. He isn't a reincarnation of the tiny Wojo guards who couldn't play on the court at the same time. He's also very good at using his stature to his advantage when he's on the ball. He stays very low which makes him extremely difficult to guard and opens up passing lanes you don't normLly see. Tenacious on ball defender. Like most freshmen, he'll need some time to get accustomed to off the ball d and ball screen coverage.

[Johnny B]

its not even about slining 5 stars all the time. most years you wanna see a kid or two in the 30-80 range. typically kids with solid talent who will be here multilple years.

[willie warrior]

When has Marquette ever gotten star players?  Marquette is Marquette because of guys who are a tier below the top building something special together with the occasional breakout star.

Stop it.  They can and will compete without 5 stars.

Define compete
They need studs, not 3 star guys. Hell, I have seen plenty of posters here denigrate Kolek to the bench as a 3 star who can't compete

[brewcity77]

Culture and talent are not mutually exclusive. In fact, the best programs have both.

The point is you don't get there overnight. Simply chasing talent, McDonald's types, rarely works. It didn't when Jay made that his focus, or when Scott Drew went that route, or for Shaka. It was when they established the culture first, brought in players that were talented but also developed for years in the system. Guys who were fringe 3/4 stars that grew into NBA talents, and then added additional talent around them.

If you're watching the McDonald's game thinking "let's go get those guys" I think you're putting the cart a few miles in front of the horse.

[Daniel]

Yeah, after attending the McDonald's AA game last night, I sure am glad those aren't the kind of players MU is getting. Only a clown would want those stars.

Look, time will tell the effectiveness of Shaka's recruiting for MU. Maybe Chass Ross and Sean Jones have been criminally overlooked. But you're kidding yourself if you believe MU is going to consistently compete and win at a high level without star players.

Like Al used to say, bring in one blue-chipper a class