DJ Carton going Pro

[Daniel]

How long ago do we guess Shaka knew?  Enough time to make a plan? 

[NolongerWarriors]

Wow, MU's guard play will now be horrifically bad.

And if/when Garcia leaves, the talent is worse than Wojo brought in

[Farley36]

Didn't we finish under .500?

Good luck to DJ.

This!  No one should be crying over losing anyone from last year.  Next year may be a tough year but the future is bright. 

[rocky_warrior]

Didn't we finish under .500?

Yes, but at this point we're basically 2020 Georgetown - young with some talent.  Ended with the same # of wins as MU, statistically a little better.

[MuggsyB]

This!  No one should be crying over losing anyone from last year.  Next year may be a tough year but the future is bright.

Point well taken.

[mileskishnish72]

Said it many times, he's nowhere near ready for the league. Others have noted his trouble holding on to the ball, defensive liabilities, etc. Nonetheless, he battled demons and had some very good games and some highlights for us. Good luck, DJ. Hope you do well.

[Lennys Tap]

DJ who?

If he had been honest from the jump I'd wish him the best. Instead he BSed us all over social media and then pulled the rug out. I don't wish him bad luck, mind you - I just don't really care.

[rocky_warrior]

Next year may be a tough year but the future is bright.

Here's where I'll mildly disagree.  As we've all seen, you can't project a roster 2-3 years in the future.  Too much turnover.  At this point we'll be young with no "core" playing together in 2021-2022.   That may improve the next couple years, but too difficult to predict now.

I've not given up all hope - but at this point we'll be young next year (that was really the case with or without Carton).  Schools like MU (with 3-4 star players) do well by getting "old".  And staying 'not young'.

[withoutbias]

DJ who?

If he had been honest from the jump I'd wish him the best. Instead he BSed us all over social media and then pulled the rug out. I don't wish him bad luck, mind you - I just don't really care.

Lol. Given how many scholarships Shaka had given out prior to this announcement, my guess is DJ hadn't "pulled the rug out" on anyone who he owed anything to. I'd be absolutely floored if this came as one bit of a surprise to Shaka. He owes nothing to the 70 year olds who apparently follow his every social media post.

[Daniel]

Can't expect a lot next year. We have our usual 3 and 4 star guys - but basically all new who haven't played together.   Maybe there's  a miracle but.... who knows?

Shaka must have a plan.  He acted quickly on the recruits.

[MuggsyB]

Here's where I'll mildly disagree.  As we've all seen, you can't project a roster 2-3 years in the future.  Too much turnover.  At this point we'll be young with no "core" playing together in 2021-2022.   That may improve the next couple years, but too difficult to predict now.

Shaka may not be done for 21-22 Rocky.  It's true that you can't project too far out, but let's see what we've got with all these new faces.  It's a young group but we could have more than you think off the bat.  I expect a transition year but don't forget our grand total of NCAA tournament wins in 7 yrs under Wojo was....wait for it.....zero.  I think Shaka will eventually get things back on track despite the tough news today.

I've not given up all hope - but at this point we'll be young next year (that was really the case with or without Carton).  Schools like MU (with 3-4 star players) do well by getting "old".  And staying 'not young'.

[brewcity77]

What do people foresee with O-Max?

Developmental player that will get rotation minutes early and have impact as a junior and senior. Clemson fans were high on him and some on their message boards as an Aamir Simms replacement next year.

[MuggsyB]

Developmental player that will get rotation minutes early and have impact as a junior and senior. Clemson fans were high on him and some on their message boards as an Aamir Simms replacement next year.

Is he really a guard?  Handles? 

[blue and gold]

Wow, MU's guard play will now be horrifically bad.

And if/when Garcia leaves, the talent is worse than Wojo brought in

Shaka Smart has a top 20 recruiting class and has signed transfers from Oklahoma and Clemson and signed the reigning A10 freshman of the year.

Also, the roster isn't finalized, and I would expect to see more changes in the coming weeks.

[Farley36]

Here's where I'll mildly disagree.  As we've all seen, you can't project a roster 2-3 years in the future.  Too much turnover.  At this point we'll be young with no "core" playing together in 2021-2022.   That may improve the next couple years, but too difficult to predict now.

I've not given up all hope - but at this point we'll be young next year (that was really the case with or without Carton).  Schools like MU (with 3-4 star players) do well by getting "old".  And staying 'not young'.

Yes so best to get as much young talent in as possible and let them grow.  Even if DJ stayed this year he would have left next year so may be actually doing the team a favor long term by leaving now.

[MU82]

Like many others, I'm surprised because of what DJ had been saying. And it's always a little jarring when it's a surprise like that.

DJ is a very talented player who could have really blossomed next season, with a better group of players on the roster and a better coaching staff. I was thinking he had a legit shot at being All-Big East.

Those who just dismiss him -- we sucked last season; he's just a Wojo guy; too many turnovers; whatevs -- seem to think athletes don't improve. Probably the same folks who said after Vander's sophomore year that he would never be a good college player.

I think DJ has a good chance to play in the NBA, and I wish him well. Selfishly, I wish we could have gotten another season out of him because I really wanted to see what he'd do in Shaka's system.

But yes, next man up. That's life in the big city.

[WarriorFan]

I wish him well.  His athleticism is definitely NBA level and he's got confidence for the big situations.  I really think that this is a good move for him.  He'll play G league probably for a year or two and may even be good enough to get a 2 way contract right away.  He will develop faster under professional coaching with professional facilities and training.  As for where it leaves MU, I trust Shaka has a plan for this...

[MU82]

As HutchWasClutch (and maybe a couple others) said in another thread, maybe we shouldn't have been so surprised by this because DJ did, after all, supposedly say a year ago that he planned to play only one more season of college hoops.

[Viper]

Shaka Smart has a top 20 recruiting class and has signed transfers from Oklahoma and Clemson and signed the reigning A10 freshman of the year.

Also, the roster isn't finalized, and I would expect to see more changes in the coming weeks.

good points...and I'll add, Wojo isn't the coach. That's worth something too.

[JWags85]

I don't view him leaving to be pulling the rug out.  I think genuinely likes Marquette and the program and probably really was excited about Shaka as a result.  However, once the season ended, he likely began getting feedback about his pro prospects.  He likely got positive responses over the last few weeks and changed course.  And as others have said, Shaka has been extremely active in the transfer market and hasn't slowed up, so I'm sure he and DJ had an open dialogue about it and knew this was a possibility, if not coming.

[Lennys Tap]

As HutchWasClutch (and maybe a couple others) said in another thread, maybe we shouldn't have been so surprised by this because DJ did, after all, supposedly say a year ago that he planned to play only one more season of college hoops.

So what a guy "supposedly" said a year ago trumps what he actually said 2 weeks ago? Makes sense.

DJ who?

[brewcity77]

Is he really a guard?  Handles?

Simms played center for Clemson.

[Jockey]

Yeah, that's not happening. Doesn't mean he won't be making some decent cash somewhere though.

He'll make some money, but he is a long, long way from being NBA-ready.

[Jockey]

DJ who?

If he had been honest from the jump I'd wish him the best. Instead he BSed us all over social media and then pulled the rug out. I don't wish him bad luck, mind you - I just don't really care.

You read my mind, Lenny.

[MashudaMarauder]

Honestly, good riddance to anyone who thinks they're better than they are. Wojo probably told him he was the next best thing to Wade at Marquette to get him here... Wojo suffered from an ego.

Doesn't make either of them bad people, just makes them wrong.