Way too early 25-26 discussion

[tower912]

Captain Quette thinks the ceiling for next season is 5th place, barring an impact transfer.   Surprising no one, I am more optimistic than that.  If no one transfers out, I see length, depth, athleticism.  Yes, players in new roles, but that is the nature of college sports.  And it happens even if  there are transfers in from the portal.  Also, lots of good players from other teams are finally leaving, too.

[Jay Bee]

Strong Nov & Dec. Then showing cracks in Jan. Feb fade in full effect with a quick tourney exit after getting a non-protected seed. #TheMUBBway #COLE

Tons of question marks but we can be good. Hoping one of the frosh can make a decent impact (eg, 35-40% minutes of high quality ball)

Will be interesting to see the alpha usage guys. Royce & DO I think will be up there, but someone's gotta ramp up. Can Chase, Ben or Zaide do it well?

#pray

Good news is our 3fg% comps will look easy to match/best

[WolfganghisKhan]

Think the defense should be good next year but the offense will sputter at points where it'll be rough for a stretch. Probs 30-40 KP team barring unforeseen leaps in underclassmen.

[tower912]

And that is where I am optimistic.  I don't consider the leaps by the freshmen and sophomores as unforeseen.   I think we are seeing the signs of them right now and I expect them to continue.

[ATL MU Warrior]

We're likely to finish as a middle of the pack Big East team this year.  Splitting with Xavier and Creighton and we'll see if we get swept by St. John's and UConn (more likely than not).  So far we've avoided the complete disaster of losing to one of the back half teams, but could still happen. 

Read this morning that Richmond is very beat up so maybe he'll miss a few games now that the conference race is all but over, would give us a better chance to beat them.  I don't think predicting 4th to 5th for next year is unreasonable. 

[Shooter McGavin]

Sorry, posted twice

[Shooter McGavin]

Will be a reset for the program.  There is definitely potential to be good with length and athleticism.  Scoring the ball will be interesting.  Can Royce make a Justin Lewis like jump?  Can Owens be a way more athletic version of Joplin without the consistently silly mistakes?  Will a true point guard help immensely?  I think Zaide and Ross will be co alphas.  Can Ben stay healthy?  Will a seven foot athletic rim protector benefit the defense? Can a couple of freshman shoot threes at a high clip?  There is great potential on next years roster but questions all over the place.  I think they are a tournament team.  Even if they are a bubble team it will be a success with the possibility of a big East championship in two years not next year.  It could be year one of Shaka all over again and that ain't bad if it looks like they are building something special.

[PointWarrior]

Captain Quette thinks the ceiling for next season is 5th place, barring an impact transfer.   Surprising no one, I am more optimistic than that.  If no one transfers out, I see length, depth, athleticism.  Yes, players in new roles, but that is the nature of college sports.  And it happens even if  there are transfers in from the portal.  Also, lots of good players from other teams are finally leaving, too.

On pace for 5th place this year.  Could next year be slightly better - maybe.

[DoctorV]

Captain Quette thinks the ceiling for next season is 5th place, barring an impact transfer.   Surprising no one, I am more optimistic than that.  If no one transfers out, I see length, depth, athleticism.  Yes, players in new roles, but that is the nature of college sports.  And it happens even if  there are transfers in from the portal.  Also, lots of good players from other teams are finally leaving, too.

I love the optimism, it's refreshing around here.
You've mentioned a few times that you think the team could get better next year, and I like that you think it's even a possibility.

I've stayed quiet on it because
A) still have, a now more muffled, confidence on a S16 and beyond run this year. The awesome defense we saw earlier and the regression to the mean on the shooting haven't come back yet though

B) I just don't see it.

Since we've got a thread on it now, I'll chime in.

After the last offseason we lost our maestro PG and all BE 5 to the NBA and I said that if Shaka makes this year work without those two then he should never be questioned again.
Then the team started unbelievable well and I was floored, but they've hit the skids.

So, it seems pretty fair to say at this point that this years team isn't as good as last years was.
Can I change my opinion on that if Marquette wins a Natty? Sure. The data shows that the team has taken a step back though.
Doesn't mean Shaka still can't make magic happen for the season on the whole, story still being written.

Now, on to next year. Marquette will be losing Kam Jones, an all American and in the running BE POY that gets you 20&5.
They will also be losing one of the best perimeter defenders in program history, and Joplin who despite all his struggles is still 2nd leading scorer and rebounder...

Can guys step up? Sure, and they will. That's a ton to replace however, yet again. Marquette has no legit answer at the point, and 5 spot is also a question. The ailments of this season seem like they are more than likely to be back next season barring some changes, either from within or out.

This doesn't mean that there aren't options, they are plenty of options and many of these guys will improve. It just means that Marquette is losing a lot and it'll be VERY hard to replace from within and reach the same heights.
I'm very bullish on several of the returning guys, but I'm also not as bullish on some of the back end of the rotation project type players.

From the early stages of things it seems to me like there is a path for Marquette to be metrically better next year, I just wouldn't count on it. IMO that path is becoming an elite, top 10/15 KenPom team with all that length and athletic ability, but they will have to rebound.

We will see. An amazing run to finish this season would likely help a lot for next season as well

[Jay Bee]

On pace for 5th place this year.  Could next year be slightly better - maybe.

If by 5th you mean 3rd

[Jay Bee]

Now, on to next year. Marquette will be losing Kam Jones, an all American and in the running BE POY that gets you 20&5.
They will also be losing one of the best perimeter defenders in program history, and Joplin who despite all his struggles is still 2nd leading scorer and rebounder...

Now do the other teams in the BE.

[JTJ3]

The ceiling next year is winning the Big East.  Now, I wouldnt put money on it, but thats the ceiling for sure.  Zaide, Owens and even Chase all keep showing flashes of getting better, and if it clicks for them we could be very good.

Another thing to remember regarding all the teams relying on the portal, it was much easier to build an old, talented team this year through the portal because theres 2 full senior classes on college ball this year.  That finally ends next year.  Theres gonna be a lot less talent in the portal this spring so the teams relying fully on it will have to take more risks on younger transfers than they did this year.  That will come with question marks, many even larger than the questions we have with our younger dudes.

[CountryRoads]

Really excited for next year. I think the program will feel it's really turned over with a lot of new faces in the mix. The offseason is a time for optimism and hope, so I'll say the ceiling is high.

Since our program is built on player retention, I hope that continues. I think some of our young guys have shown enough flashes that there will be a few vultures snooping around in the offseason. Hopefully we can fend them off.

[GoldenEagles03]

I'm not worried about next year at all. As we get longer and more athletic I think the floor of our teams rises.

The ceiling is what is TBD. I trust what's been and being built.

[TallTitan34]

Now do the other teams in the BE.

Xavier has 8 grad students and 2 seniors. 

[MU82]

Now do the other teams in the BE.

Yep. Lots of thoughts in a vacuum here.

Not to mention that all the players we'll be losing are (according to the general Scoop vibe) either bad, injured, slumping or all of the above.

Kam is beat up, can't hit 3s, and is showing he's not really a PG ... Stevie is beat up and is an offensive liability ... Jop has taken his Joppiness to even lower Joppian lows.

Doomed if we do, doomed if we don't!

[rgoode57]

The portal pool may or may not get smaller. Remember, the NCAA is seriously talking about five years of playing eligibility. If they initiate that next season. the pool of portal players essentially remains the same.

[JakeBarnes]

I share tower's sentiment. I am bullish on next season on the athleticism of the roster. It's easy to see what the "role" shaka wants people to step in (e.g., Zaide is on the Chase Ross program). Next years team is a lot more athletic than the current roster and can play with a speed and intensity that is lacking at the moment (compared to a lot of finesse with current starters). Tyler's drives into contact were a big x factor last year and the only ones who kind have that "it factor" for drives are some of our Juniors and Sophs. For next year,  Chase and Zaide have shown a lot in terms of exploding/slashing to the hoop and their outside game. Tre is showing flashes with his drives as well (I think he will spend a lot of time on the line next year...and he's started to hit FT recently). I still believe Tre runs point with SJ next year and think his 3 pt shooting will improve (35% ish). Shaka loves a 2 ball handler on the court system and outside of our bigs, most of the roster has been in that role.

Sub in DO for Jop and you replace a below the rim guy with a so-so first step with an above the rim guy that can shoot from deep. Needs defense to come around though for minutes. Then you have Parham and Gold at the wing spots. For Ben we just need health. Parham has a decent handle and needs to take that next step with running off the line and taking it to the hoop.

Stevens is gonna be the Chase/Zaide mold with the ability to step into pg role in a pinch. Militec is gonna play the frosh Joplin role of spot 3 shooting. James could work his way into PG for longer spells to get SJ some rest (although not sure how he and SJ can be on the court at same time...feels a rowsey/markus issue).  Phillips is a project, but also is that "more athletic Jop" role and might surprise us.

Not sure what we get out of Josh and Al. But Josh has shown a really high motor in the limited highlights I've seen. Could be in that Samson Johnson defensive stopper role next year (assuming he gets some lbs on that frame).

I do trust the system, despite my negativity over the past few days. Future's bright.

[Juan Anderson's Mixtape]

Next year will be telling because Shaka will finally have to stop riding Wojo's coattails!

All kidding aside, I see a rebuilding year. Missing the tournament wouldn't surprise me, but neither would making the tournament.  I view next year a lot like Shaka's 1st year with lots of unknowns.

Here's my look at the roster:

PG Sean Jones...sure he's been injured but I think a 21 year old, 4th year player has the edge over our 18 year old freshman.

SG Chase Ross...a proven BE starter. Can he make the leap to star?

SG/SF Zaide Lowery...trending towards a starter.  Possible breakout star if he continues on his rapid growth curve.

PF Royce Parham...like Zaide, he's trending towards a starting position and has breakout star potential. I think he's the backup C when we play a switchable at the 4.

C Ben Gold...not a C in the traditional sense, but despite his recent struggles we've seen stretches of really strong play. Probably never takes the star leap, but he's light-years ahead of guys like Chris Grimm, Dwight Burke, and Matt Heldt.

Bench
Nigel James...backup PG. Future starter. Does he ever beat out Sean Jones or merely bide his time for 2 years? That remains to be seen.

Tre Norman...Solid defender, but Derrick Wilson level shooter. Not sure what his future holds.

Damarius Owens... likely 6th man, possible surprise starter. Switchable 2/3/4. Get stronger, keep improving his skills, conquer the mental aspect of the game, and the sky is the limit.

Caedin Hamilton/Al Amadou/Josh Clark...a pupu platter of project post players. All have some tools, but who produces remains unclear.

Adrien Stevens...an athletic defender, but jumper is a work in progress.  Will his freshman year most resemble that of Tre, Zaide, Stevie, or Chase?

Michael Phillips...a 6-7 shooter with length and athleticism.  Needs to add strength.  Star potential, but how quickly can he get there?

Ian Miletic... haven't seen a ton of video, but he's a good athlete. Reputation of being a solid all around player and plus shooter. Gives me Alex Karraban (good version) vibes.

As you can see, next year's team has more questions than answers. Maybe they surprise, but I think Marquette's next peak is 2-3 years away.

[BM1090]

On pace for 5th place this year.  Could next year be slightly better - maybe.

We're in 3rd place so we're on pace for 3rd place.

[hawk]

I think on balance that next years team while vastly different will amount to about the same as this year, 20+ wins, 4th in conference and a 4 or 5 seed in the dance.  Jones, Ross, Lowery at guard Gold and Parham at the forward spots.  The question I have is will shaka allow the other bigs to be who they are?  If Shaka allows Hamilton to bang in the post like he is built for instead of trying to make him Oso I think Hamilton can be of great service.  I saw Cane in the open practice and if Shaka will allow him to do what is natural to him , block shots and dunk, he also could be of great service.  What is difficult to appreciate because it has been a long time, is how big next years team will be.  size matters and I think next year looks pretty stable.

[BCHoopster]

The offense for Clark that MU runs right now is not an offense for a person his size, in the scrimmage they had him on the block low, made some impressive dunks. They will have to make a few changes when he is in to make him effective.  See what happens

[JTJ3]

We know Shaka will change the offense based on the strength of his bigs, Im not worried about that.  Just look at how Kur was used year 1, a pure roll man and rim runner, never put in a position to handle the ball.  That is my view of Josh Clark, even if he's a couple years away yet.

And we've seen Caiden post up this year when he's in, he just needs to slow down and not panic when he does get the ball on the block, but that will come naturally as he gets older.

[YoungMUFan4]

Clark's role would be similar to what we saw with Kur Kuath

[MU82]

We know Shaka will change the offense based on the strength of his bigs, Im not worried about that.  Just look at how Kur was used year 1, a pure roll man and rim runner, never put in a position to handle the ball.  That is my view of Josh Clark, even if he's a couple years away yet.

And we've seen Caiden post up this year when he's in, he just needs to slow down and not panic when he does get the ball on the block, but that will come naturally as he gets older.

Those who think Shaka/Nevada don't have different offensive looks depending on personnel in the game simply haven't been watching. Gold is more comfortable on the perimeter, Hamilton is better on the block, Oso was great around the top of the key/FT line, Kur was the classic screen-setter/rim-runner. And that's where those bigs play/played the majority of the time they are/were in games.