Ball handler needed 2018-19

[OldWarrior]

I'm happy with the way Marquette is continuing to win in the NIT, but it is painfully obvious that we lack serious ball handling skills in our backcourt. It would be really helpful if we could find a point guard who is a grad transfer who can also shoot free throws for those pressure moments at the end of the game. Any thoughts that might be?

[GGGG]

I'm happy with the way Marquette is continuing to win in the NIT, but it is painfully obvious that we lack serious ball handling skills in our backcourt. It would be really helpful if we could find a point guard who is a grad transfer who can also shoot free throws for those pressure moments at the end of the game. Any thoughts that might be?

If you look here, you will find some names.

https://www.muscoop.com/index.php?topic=55365.0

[OldWarrior]

Thanks.

[Class71]

Nothing new just more and more obvious. Some say Howard is going to improve over the summer and become our new improved point guard. Others feel we will need a grad transfer. We have no control over either option so no point debating which it will be.

[connie]

Love Marcus, but that's a lot of improvement.

[79Warrior]

Nothing new just more and more obvious. Some say Howard is going to improve over the summer and become our new improved point guard. Others feel we will need a grad transfer. We have no control over either option so no point debating which it will be.

I doubt he gets any taller 😀

[Mr. Sand-Knit]

Two ball handlers would be nice grad transfer n a transfer or frosh

[bilsu]

Nothing new just more and more obvious. Some say Howard is going to improve over the summer and become our new improved point guard. Others feel we will need a grad transfer. We have no control over either option so no point debating which it will be.

It is possible that Howard improves significantly in this area. I think over the last 15 games Rowsey is a significantly better point guard than he was the first 19 games. What tells me that Wojo is a good coach is the improvement of our players during the season. Cain, Elliott and John have significantly improved over day 1. Anim has become an offensive threat. I think Heldt and Hauser are playing to the top of their abilities. In essence Wojo is getting the most out of the talent he has. The only one that may be underperforming is Froling.

[GoldenZebra]

It is possible that Howard improves significantly in this area. I think over the last 15 games Rowsey is a significantly better point guard than he was the first 19 games. What tells me that Wojo is a good coach is the improvement of our players during the season. Cain, Elliott and John have significantly improved over day 1. Anim has become an offensive threat. I think Heldt and Hauser are playing to the top of their abilities. In essence Wojo is getting the most out of the talent he has. The only one that may be underperforming is Froling.

It might be a "trial of fire" of sorts. Froling has not been asked to do much, from my perspective, and only came in when there was noone else that could sub in for foul trouble. Cain, Elliot and even Theo have had to play big stretches in tight games and that has begun to show their improvement.

[jesmu84]

It is possible that Howard improves significantly in this area. I think over the last 15 games Rowsey is a significantly better point guard than he was the first 19 games. What tells me that Wojo is a good coach is the improvement of our players during the season. Cain, Elliott and John have significantly improved over day 1. Anim has become an offensive threat. I think Heldt and Hauser are playing to the top of their abilities. In essence Wojo is getting the most out of the talent he has. The only one that may be underperforming is Froling.

Blasphemy!

The ones on this board - those who have forgotten more about bball than you'll ever know - will be quickly here to admonish you

[GooooMarquette]

It is possible that Howard improves significantly in this area. I think over the last 15 games Rowsey is a significantly better point guard than he was the first 19 games. What tells me that Wojo is a good coach is the improvement of our players during the season. Cain, Elliott and John have significantly improved over day 1. Anim has become an offensive threat. I think Heldt and Hauser are playing to the top of their abilities. In essence Wojo is getting the most out of the talent he has. The only one that may be underperforming is Froling.

I agree completely that Markus may improve. But even with his improvement, Rowsey struggled against the press when Markus and Sam weren't there as outlets (and even often when they were there). So if we have an improved Markus but no true ballhandler, we might end up right back where we found ourselves in the fourth quarter against Harvard and Oregon.

I look back to our 2009-10 season, when we did far better than most expected. Acker and Cubillan were both excellent ballhandlers, and Butler, DJO and Hayward were all good enough to help out significantly. We would need a TON of improvement by lots of guys to even approach that.

I have faith in Wojo...but I'll feel a lot better about next year if we get a PG.

[Marcus92]

The difference between Andrew and Markus as the primary ballhandler was abundantly clear in this game. While Andrew got caught with the double team a couple times, he's far more confident and sure-handed overall. And he's hands-down the superior distributor. This will be perhaps the single biggest issue to address for next season.

[Mr. Sand-Knit]

Agree Wojo has done well in development but Markus is so far from a competent  ball handler and point guard that there is bo way he can make up that much ground in 6 months.  If he had those talents there would be some indication by now, it clear hes not even close. Hes a solid 2 guard let him play to his talents

[Juan Anderson's Mixtape]

Add a pg and keep developing Howard. Joey is also a good ball handler for a 4.  A ball handling 4 helps a lot against the press.

[Herman Cain]

Nick Noskowiak is waiting for our phone call.

[Its DJOver]

I find threads like this interesting because ideally you should break a press using very little dribbling.  We couldn't break the Harvard press because we tried to do it by dribbling.  We had the most success breaking the Oregon press by passing.

How many Big East teams have a press as good as Oregon's was today.  Based on my observations, most Big East teams have a 3/4 press like us, but very few have a solid full court press.

Markus will suffer breaking presses because he can't see over it to make the right pass, that is why Sam is so vital in press breaking.  When we were able to break the press consistently in the first half, we absolutely torched oregon, that's why they went away from it.

Don't get me wrong, we still need a pass first defensive minded PG, but press breaking is successful because of good passing, not great ballhandeling, although that obviously helps.

[Marcus92]

Sam even brought the ball up the court once tonight. Pretty slowly, but he's a very good ball handler and excellent passer.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Nick Noskowiak is waiting for our phone call.

He will keep waiting

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

We had two bad possessions against the press in a row in the 4th quarter, but I thought we did a great job of breaking the press most of the night. We punished them for the press in the first half.

I feel like if we have a single turnover against a press in a game this board thinks we are terrible at breaking the press. Teams use press defense because it works.

[rocky_warrior]

Sam even brought the ball up the court once tonight. Pretty slowly, but he's a very good ball handler and excellent passer.

Yeah, not that MU couldn't use another guard, but with a healthy Sam, Joey, and Elliott next year, I don't see a problem with the press break.  Markus probably doesn't even need to involved except to help if needed.

[CTWarrior]

I find threads like this interesting because ideally you should break a press using very little dribbling.  We couldn't break the Harvard press because we tried to do it by dribbling.  We had the most success breaking the Oregon press by passing.

How many Big East teams have a press as good as Oregon's was today.  Based on my observations, most Big East teams have a 3/4 press like us, but very few have a solid full court press.

I disagree, against some teams, once the PG gets the ball in his hands the press is over.  We need a guy to just dribble through it like Tony Miller did when destroying Kentucky's press.

[mu_hilltopper]

Am I crazy, or .. in his limited moments with the ball, Anim seems pretty solid as a ball handler.

[Its DJOver]

I disagree, against some teams, once the PG gets the ball in his hands the press is over.  We need a guy to just dribble through it like Tony Miller did when destroying Kentucky's press.

PG like that are very rare.  If we don't get a grad transfer as good a Tony Miller do you think we'd have no chance at press breaking?

If you can get a PG that good you absolutely take him, but having an elite point guard is not the only way to break a press.

[Its DJOver]

Am I crazy, or .. in his limited moments with the ball, Anim seems pretty solid as a ball handler.

He doesn't seem to turn it over, but he also seems hesitant to put the ball on the floor unless he's driving.

I still maintain that you should be able to beat a press by a combined 3 or 4 dribbles.

[forgetful]

Am I crazy, or .. in his limited moments with the ball, Anim seems pretty solid as a ball handler.

He's just smart about not doing things with the ball that he isn't capable of doing.  His handle isn't terrible, but not strong enough to work against pressure.

Maybe a summer of working on it could get him comfortable.