Center is problem #1

[4everwarriors]

Falk dude has grater up side, hey?

[Marcus92]

Does anyone here think that Theo John can be more, progress, and learn?

He's going into his Junior year and he is a physical specimen.

But, he still seems to me a guy who is playing at basketball rather than a basketball player.

He has trouble catching and holding on to the ball.  If he holds on to the ball he doesn't show an ability to get a shot off. He doesn't seem to have developed any inside moves other than dunks. Getting good position in the paint isn't something he's learned so far either.

So, you've got a raw aggressive athletic guy who really needs to polish his game.

Based on what I saw at the open practices this season, Theo and Ed are working on post moves every day. Neither are likely to become All-Big East offensive players. But I think both can improve. Theo has the greatest potential if he continues to put the work in; he's younger and longer. At 6-7, Ed is an undersized 5 and can get his shot blocked more easily by opposing defenders.

[RJax55]

Does anyone here think that Theo John can be more, progress, and learn?

He's going into his Junior year and he is a physical specimen.

But, he still seems to me a guy who is playing at basketball rather than a basketball player.

He has trouble catching and holding on to the ball.  If he holds on to the ball he doesn't show an ability to get a shot off. He doesn't seem to have developed any inside moves other than dunks. Getting good position in the paint isn't something he's learned so far either.

So, you've got a raw aggressive athletic guy who really needs to polish his game.

Honestly, unless a big is a one and done type, this what you're going to get. Either a guy who has some skills, but body needs work or a guy with the body, but needs skill development.

No question, Theo needs more polish. Hands need to improve. His free throw shooting has to get better. He flashed at the beginning of conference play, but struggled the back-half of the season.

[frozena pizza]

Theo has improved over last year and he can continue to get better.  He needs to learn to play solid positional defense and only go for blocks from the help side or when he has an angle that works to his advantage.  If he does that he can reduce his fouls, grab more rebounds and have a higher rate of success in his block attempts.  He is way too aggressive right now but that is what bumped up his block numbers.

Offensively we will never run offense through Theo or Ed.  Their benefit is spacing, rebounding on both ends, setting screens, and scoring on dump offs and tip ins and maybe getting it on the low block with an aim to kick out to a shooter.  Post offense is a pretty dated proposition these days and while these guys have value they just aren't very skilled at scoring at the rim or converting free throws.  We really haven't had an offensive force down low since Gardner.

[Marcus92]

Here's where I expect the most improvement from Theo:

Fouls committed
He actually showed some improvement here this season, committing 7.4 fouls per 40 minutes versus 8.5 as a freshman (per KenPom). Clearly more work to be done here.

Offensive efficiency
A lot of this relates to turnovers. Last season his TORate was 27.7%; this season it was down to 20.9%. Still too high, but trending in the right direction. Theo also upped his field goal percentage from 57.3% to 60.2%. As a result, his offensive rating was up from 91.7 as a freshman to 105.9 this season (114.4 in Big East play).

Defensive rebounding
Theo's been okay, but not great here. Defensive rebound percentage is pretty much flat from freshman year (15.9%) to this season (16.2%). That's behind Sam, Ed and even Jamal. I think he can do better.

Offensive rebounding
Theo is already strong here, improving his offensive rebound percentage from 8.2% to 11.1%. I'd be pretty happy with him simply  maintaining this level of performance. (Ed put up an impressive 15.5% this season, which is top 10 level.)

Where I don't expect much improvement:

Free throw shooting
Shot 50% as a freshman, 50.6% as a sophomore. I'm sure he'll continue to work on it, but I don't think it's in the cards.

[Coleman]

Here's where I expect the most improvement from Theo:

Fouls committed
He actually showed some improvement here this season, committing 7.4 fouls per 40 minutes versus 8.5 as a freshman (per KenPom). Clearly more work to be done here.

Offensive efficiency
A lot of this relates to turnovers. Last season his TORate was 27.7%; this season it was down to 20.9%. Still too high, but trending in the right direction. Theo also upped his field goal percentage from 57.3% to 60.2%. As a result, his offensive rating was up from 91.7 as a freshman to 105.9 this season (114.4 in Big East play).

Defensive rebounding
Theo's been okay, but not great here. Defensive rebound percentage is pretty much flat from freshman year (15.9%) to this season (16.2%). That's behind Sam, Ed and even Jamal. I think he can do better.

Offensive rebounding
Theo is already strong here, improving his offensive rebound percentage from 8.2% to 11.1%. I'd be pretty happy with him simply  maintaining this level of performance. (Ed put up an impressive 15.5% this season, which is top 10 level.)

Where I don't expect much improvement:

Free throw shooting
Shot 50% as a freshman, 50.6% as a sophomore. I'm sure he'll continue to work on it, but I don't think it's in the cards.

Good post. It is nice to see the year to year progression in every category.

I'm a big Theo John fan. He just needs to foul less.

[Marcus92]

I give the coaches a lot of credit for Theo's development. He came in physically ready for Big East play, but played a limited role as a freshman. The difference in just one year has been dramatic.

[Jockey]

Any fan who said Theo is the problem is clueless! He might be as important as Howard is if he is not called for phantom fouls and thrown out of games unnecessarily!

He and Big Ed screen well, run the floor and when they are finally fed down low they can catch the ball most of the time and finish.

Neither one of their games will translate to the Pro game but they can be a major cog for this team going forward.

A guy who averages 5.5 points and <5 rebounds a game is not as important as Howard. But that is funny.

More importantly, the team cannot even count on him being on the floor when they need him.

I would ask you what basketball skill he brings other than shot blocking - which is the very skill that makes him unavailable for much of the game and leads to putting the other team in the bonus. Remember, FT% doesn't matter. Free throw attempts do.

He made huge strides from year 1 to year 2, but there is much work to be done.

[Goose]

While I do not hold Theo in the same regard as many do, center is far from the biggest problem. I get that we might not agree on what is elite, is Wojo the guy or how much progress has been made over five years, but center as #1 problem threw me for a loop.

[Its DJOver]

A guy who averages 5.5 points and <5 rebounds a game is not as important as Howard. But that is funny.

More importantly, the team cannot even count on him being on the floor when they need him.

I would ask you what basketball skill he brings other than shot blocking - which is the very skill that makes him unavailable for much of the game and leads to putting the other team in the bonus. Remember, FT% doesn't matter. Free throw attempts do.

He made huge strides from year 1 to year 2, but there is much work to be done.

Both of our big's do a lot of things that don't show up in the box score.  Sacar probably gets about 4 additional ppg due to good seals provided by ThEd.  I do not believe that shot alterations are an official stat, and ThEd has a lot of those.  Also, just looking at total rebounds can be misleading, in 2012 Chris was 4th on the team in rebounding, mostly due to the fact that whenever a shot went up, he stuck his backside into the nearest opponent he could find, and that was usually the other teams biggest player.  His box-outs allowed our 6'-5" guard to lead the team in boards per game. 

Is Theo as important as Markus?  No. Is there work to be done as you say? Yes, but he is not the biggest problem and is the anchor on a much improved defensive team.

[Cheeks]

Big men develop slower, that has been the case for as long as I can remember.  Theo made a nice jump from Frosh to Soph.

[Marcus92]

Theo sets the vast majority of the picks that free up Markus and others for open shots -- more than 15 screens in many games. Doesn't get a lot of attention, but it's essential to running our offense.

[#UnleashSean]

Any fan who said Theo is the problem is clueless! He might be as important as Howard is if he is not called for phantom fouls and thrown out of games unnecessarily!

He and Big Ed screen well, run the floor and when they are finally fed down low they can catch the ball most of the time and finish.

Neither one of their games will translate to the Pro game but they can be a major cog for this team going forward.

While I agree with Howard not being the most important piece. It's definetly not John.

[Jockey]

While I do not hold Theo in the same regard as many do, center is far from the biggest problem. I get that we might not agree on what is elite, is Wojo the guy or how much progress has been made over five years, but center as #1 problem threw me for a loop.

My original post was misleading. I should have placed a '?' After the statement that center was the #1 problem. I was looking to open a discussion rather than make a declarative statement.

[MU82]

Here's where I expect the most improvement from Theo:

Fouls committed
He actually showed some improvement here this season, committing 7.4 fouls per 40 minutes versus 8.5 as a freshman (per KenPom). Clearly more work to be done here.

Offensive efficiency
A lot of this relates to turnovers. Last season his TORate was 27.7%; this season it was down to 20.9%. Still too high, but trending in the right direction. Theo also upped his field goal percentage from 57.3% to 60.2%. As a result, his offensive rating was up from 91.7 as a freshman to 105.9 this season (114.4 in Big East play).

Defensive rebounding
Theo's been okay, but not great here. Defensive rebound percentage is pretty much flat from freshman year (15.9%) to this season (16.2%). That's behind Sam, Ed and even Jamal. I think he can do better.

Offensive rebounding
Theo is already strong here, improving his offensive rebound percentage from 8.2% to 11.1%. I'd be pretty happy with him simply  maintaining this level of performance. (Ed put up an impressive 15.5% this season, which is top 10 level.)

Where I don't expect much improvement:

Free throw shooting
Shot 50% as a freshman, 50.6% as a sophomore. I'm sure he'll continue to work on it, but I don't think it's in the cards.

Excellent list, Marcus.

I would be thrilled thrilled thrilled if Theo improves as much from Year 2 to Year 3 as he did from Year 1 to Year 2.

I certainly expect him to improve again, thanks to practice and experience.

[Goose]

MU 82
With you being a 40 year + MU ball fan I hold your opinion in fairly high regard, but this season I think you either have doubled down on wanting to create conversation or have become soft:). You have been consistent all season in support of Wojo, status of program, player development, strength of schedule, power of the BE and I am sure several more and I am fine with all of that.

While I have never met you, I do know folks who have met you, I do think I know you a little bit from reading 100's, if not more, of your posts over the years. Serious question, are you just trying to create conversation and piss off the anti Wojo guys or do you really believe everything you have preached this season?

[MU82]

MU 82
With you being a 40 year + MU ball fan I hold your opinion in fairly high regard, but this season I think you either have doubled down on wanting to create conversation or have become soft:). You have been consistent all season in support of Wojo, status of program, player development, strength of schedule, power of the BE and I am sure several more and I am fine with all of that.

While I have never met you, I do know folks who have met you, I do think I know you a little bit from reading 100's, if not more, of your posts over the years. Serious question, are you just trying to create conversation and piss off the anti Wojo guys or do you really believe everything you have preached this season?

Not sure what I said about Theo that elicited that from you, Goose, but OK ...

Unlike chicos, I don't argue just to argue. And unlike Smuggles, I don't post just to post (unless I'm throwing out a silly/snide/sarcastic one-liner).

Of course I believe what I have said about Wojo. Folks do tend to gloss over the many times I have criticized Wojo's strategy and even his comportment. I know he is not a great coach and I know his results are not as good as any of us want them to be. He really pissed me off the way he treated that student reporter last year. Etc. He's not close to perfect by any means.

But yes, I honestly believe that he has improved as a coach and that our program is heading in the right direction. And I honestly believe that firing him would hurt our program significantly (which is moot, because he's not going to get fired, no matter how much some of the knee-jerk Scoopers desperately want it to happen). And I honestly believe that other coaches who were being considered in 2014 have done absolutely nothing at their current posts to indicate that they would have done better at Marquette than Wojo has.

I have plenty high expectations for our program. They might not be as high as those of the 70s crowd who think we will be failures if we don't return to our Al-era success. However, I do think that we can and should get back at least to our Buzz-era success and that Wojo can get us there.

I am not an insider like many on this board claim to be, so I just know what I've read here -- that Wojo was hired to build a program differently than Buzz did -- with few if any jucos, for example -- and I am a realist who knows that will take time.

I want to win as much as anybody else here, and I get just as upset while watching our bad games as anybody does -- as my poor dog, who goes scrambling into another room when I get especially loud and testy, would attest.

Big picture, though, I am a patient, realistic, optimistic guy. It's just how I am wired. I also try very hard not to get bent out of shape about things that are out of my control.

I do see Wojo's weaknesses, and I don't know of any of Wojo's defenders here who say he has no weaknesses. But unlike some of his critics, I also see his strengths, and I think he has several.

If we take a step backward in 2019-20, I will not be all seashells and balloons about Wojo, I assure you that. But if we continue trending forward (as we clearly have been ever since his first year), and if I continue getting enjoyment from watching the team play (as I mostly have these last several years), I will continue to support Wojo and our players.

Did that answer your question, Goose?

[muguru]

With the shooters MU has, how nice would it be to have a big down low, that when the shots aren't falling ,you can dump it in and it's almost a guaranteed 2 points?? Theo is definitely not that. Ed has a lot more offensive game then Theo..but man oh man would a Davante Gardner be nice on this team. I know they probably don't have a spot or are even looking at grad transfers, but 7'1" Derick Smits(son of Rick) is transferring from Valpo...averaged 12 and 5. He would be a perfect fit.

[Mr. Sand-Knit]

Honestly, unless a big is a one and done type, this what you're going to get. Either a guy who has some skills, but body needs work or a guy with the body, but needs skill development.

No question, Theo needs more polish. Hands need to improve. His free throw shooting has to get better. He flashed at the beginning of conference play, but struggled the back-half of the season.

I agree problem with MU always seens to be when we do finally get a big he gas to play n fail when ges young.  Would be nice to get a big every year that way we have 1-2 in training and 1-2 upperclassmen playing

[AZMarqfan]

Watching all the games this past week, I can't think of another team in the tourney that struggles to have their guards handle the ball, especially bringing it into the paint and distributing.   Virtually every team has multiple guards that can seemingly weave their way through traffic at will.  The lack of creative ball handling and distribution means our offense relies solely on chucking it from deep.

With regards to Theo, he appears to have some nice moves but often doesn't get touches after the first possession of the half. 

[Cheeks]

Not sure what I said about Theo that elicited that from you, Goose, but OK ...

Unlike chicos, I don't argue just to argue. And unlike Smuggles, I don't post just to post (unless I'm throwing out a silly/snide/sarcastic one-liner).

Of course I believe what I have said about Wojo. Folks do tend to gloss over the many times I have criticized Wojo's strategy and even his comportment. I know he is not a great coach and I know his results are not as good as any of us want them to be. He really pissed me off the way he treated that student reporter last year. Etc. He's not close to perfect by any means.

But yes, I honestly believe that he has improved as a coach and that our program is heading in the right direction. And I honestly believe that firing him would hurt our program significantly (which is moot, because he's not going to get fired, no matter how much some of the knee-jerk Scoopers desperately want it to happen). And I honestly believe that other coaches who were being considered in 2014 have done absolutely nothing at their current posts to indicate that they would have done better at Marquette than Wojo has.

I have plenty high expectations for our program. They might not be as high as those of the 70s crowd who think we will be failures if we don't return to our Al-era success. However, I do think that we can and should get back at least to our Buzz-era success and that Wojo can get us there.

I am not an insider like many on this board claim to be, so I just know what I've read here -- that Wojo was hired to build a program differently than Buzz did -- with few if any jucos, for example -- and I am a realist who knows that will take time.

I want to win as much as anybody else here, and I get just as upset while watching our bad games as anybody does -- as my poor dog, who goes scrambling into another room when I get especially loud and testy, would attest.

Big picture, though, I am a patient, realistic, optimistic guy. It's just how I am wired. I also try very hard not to get bent out of shape about things that are out of my control.

I do see Wojo's weaknesses, and I don't know of any of Wojo's defenders here who say he has no weaknesses. But unlike some of his critics, I also see his strengths, and I think he has several.

If we take a step backward in 2019-20, I will not be all seashells and balloons about Wojo, I assure you that. But if we continue trending forward (as we clearly have been ever since his first year), and if I continue getting enjoyment from watching the team play (as I mostly have these last several years), I will continue to support Wojo and our players.

Did that answer your question, Goose?

I argue only when necessary.  This is why I hardly say a word on the ticket exchange board because stupid things aren't said there.

[burger]

Offensive rebounding.....I do not know where you get the "we are OK".......

We are ranked somewhere in the 200's in offensive rebounding......

With the size we have......We should be a lot higher than that.....

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Offensive rebounding.....I do not know where you get the "we are OK".......

We are ranked somewhere in the 200's in offensive rebounding......

With the size we have......We should be a lot higher than that.....

We are ranked 131st in offensive rebounding% and 81st in defensive rebounding% (said another way preventing opponents offensive rebounds)

We were not great but I'd argue that we were actually better than ok.

[NickelDimer]

Not sure what I said about Theo that elicited that from you, Goose, but OK ...

Unlike chicos, I don't argue just to argue. And unlike Smuggles, I don't post just to post (unless I'm throwing out a silly/snide/sarcastic one-liner).

Of course I believe what I have said about Wojo. Folks do tend to gloss over the many times I have criticized Wojo's strategy and even his comportment. I know he is not a great coach and I know his results are not as good as any of us want them to be. He really pissed me off the way he treated that student reporter last year. Etc. He's not close to perfect by any means.

But yes, I honestly believe that he has improved as a coach and that our program is heading in the right direction. And I honestly believe that firing him would hurt our program significantly (which is moot, because he's not going to get fired, no matter how much some of the knee-jerk Scoopers desperately want it to happen). And I honestly believe that other coaches who were being considered in 2014 have done absolutely nothing at their current posts to indicate that they would have done better at Marquette than Wojo has.

I have plenty high expectations for our program. They might not be as high as those of the 70s crowd who think we will be failures if we don't return to our Al-era success. However, I do think that we can and should get back at least to our Buzz-era success and that Wojo can get us there.

I am not an insider like many on this board claim to be, so I just know what I've read here -- that Wojo was hired to build a program differently than Buzz did -- with few if any jucos, for example -- and I am a realist who knows that will take time.

I want to win as much as anybody else here, and I get just as upset while watching our bad games as anybody does -- as my poor dog, who goes scrambling into another room when I get especially loud and testy, would attest.

Big picture, though, I am a patient, realistic, optimistic guy. It's just how I am wired. I also try very hard not to get bent out of shape about things that are out of my control.

I do see Wojo's weaknesses, and I don't know of any of Wojo's defenders here who say he has no weaknesses. But unlike some of his critics, I also see his strengths, and I think he has several.

If we take a step backward in 2019-20, I will not be all seashells and balloons about Wojo, I assure you that. But if we continue trending forward (as we clearly have been ever since his first year), and if I continue getting enjoyment from watching the team play (as I mostly have these last several years), I will continue to support Wojo and our players.

Did that answer your question, Goose?

Come on man. You troll quite a bit. A lot of your posts are made with the intent to provoke. That's fine but own it.

[jesmu84]

My biggest annoyance with Theo is the fouls when reaching over/jumping over a player in attempt to get a rebound he clearly has no chance at