Theo John on the blocks

[Marcus92]

Theo's block percentage of 12.0% currently ranks 15th in the country and 1st in the Big East per KenPom. Only one other Big East player ranks in the Top 100: Xavier's Zach Hankins, at 8.0% (69th). So how does that compare to other recent Marquette defenders?

8.9% (40th) Chris Otule, 2010-11
8.5% (60th) Luke Fischer, 2014-15
7.2% (66th) Luke Fischer, 2016-17
6.7% (109th) Chris Otule, 2012-13
6.4% (118th) Ousmane Barro, 2007-08
6.4% (122nd) Chris Otule, 2013-14
5.8% (135th) Jamil Wilson, 2011-12
5.4% (144th) Marcus Jackson, 2004-05
5.0% (184th) Luke Fischer, 2015-16
4.8% (148th) Scott Merritt, 2001-02
4.8% (192nd) Matt Heldt, 2017-18

[mug644]

I get that you are focusing on players for while MU has been in the Big East, but what was the block percentage for Jim Mac, for further comparison?

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I get that you are focusing on players for while MU has been in the Big East, but what was the block percentage for Jim Mac, for further comparison?

Not sure the data goes back that far. But Jimmy Mac was in a class by himself. Theo is putting up numbers not seen since the Racine Rejector

[Skatastrophy]

We don't have BLK% from back then, but Jimothy Mac's PER40 numbers are

90-91 - 6.8 blocks/40 (averaging 19.3 minutes per game)
91-92 - 4.9 (24 minutes/game)
92-93 - 5.9 (19 min/game)
93-94 - 6 (28.7 min/game)

Freshman Year
Mac - 6.8 (19.3 min/game)
Theo - 2.7 (11.8 min/game)

Sophomore Season
Mac - 4.9 (24 min/game)
Theo - 4.7 (19.9 min/game)

Big step up for Theo here in his Sophomore season, like we've seen.

[Marcus92]

To echo TAMU's point, the KenPom data on block percentage only goes back to the 2001-02 season. Jim McIlvaine is MU's all-time leader in blocked shots for a good reason. His record may stand for another 25 years. But we are clearly witnessing something special with Theo's emergence as a defensive presence.

[Marcus92]

We don't have BLK% from back then, but his PER40 numbers are

90-91 - 6.8 blocks/40 (averaging 19.3 minutes per game)
91-92 - 4.9 (24 minutes/game)
92-93 - 5.9 (19 min/game)
93-94 - 6 (28.7 min/game)

Theo's averaging 4.7 blocks per 40 minutes this season (19.9 mpg). Gives you some idea of just how good Mac was defensively.

[Goose]

No comparison on John vs. Mac. As for seeing something special with John's defensive emergence, that is a bit of a stretch, IMO. What Howard is doing, is something special.

[Marcus92]

No comparison on John vs. Mac. As for seeing something special with John's defensive emergence, that is a bit of a stretch, IMO. What Howard is doing, is something special.

The best in 20 years, the best in a generation -- to me, that is something special. Agree there's no comparison with Mac. He came in when I was at Marquette. His combination of size, length, quickness and anticipation were unmatched. We will likely never see another shot blocker like him.

[Skatastrophy]

Theo's averaging 4.7 blocks per 40 minutes this season (19.9 mpg). Gives you some idea  of just how good Mac was defensively.

Yeah man, I just added that to my post. Mac was playing 5 more minutes per game as a sophomore. Hopefully Theo figures out how to stay on the floor for longer. He appears to have a high ceiling.

[Marcus92]

The even scarier thing for opponents is that Theo is maintaining that high block percentage in conference play. He isn't just racking up huge numbers against inferior teams. Just the opposite, in fact -- in 10 games against against Top 50 opponents, his block rate is 13.6%.