2026 Transfer Portal

[The Sultan]

How does being on Scoop for anyone have anything to do with the teams performance? Absolutely nothing.

Uh...you were the one who made the claim. WTF are you talking about?

[Juan Anderson's Mixtape]

To no one's surprise, Daniel Freitag is portaling.

https://x.com/i/status/2038983355023163811

[The Thing]

Olivier Rioux in the portal. Does he qualify as an aircraft carrier?

[wadesworld]

You for got the Big East and I am here because I want the team to be as competitive as UCONN, but I guess that is too much to ask.

Yes, I think 2 national titles and a Final Four (and potentially turning that into a 3rd national title) in a 4 year period is probably too much to ask for Marquette to become.

[Pakuni]

It's also better for the program that Nevada Smith stays.  The offense did it's job last season - the players simply weren't good enough.

This is something I go back and forth on a bit.
Is an offense predicated on getting shots that your players are incapable of hitting a good offense? I'm speaking specifically about the 3s here. MU definitely got open looks from 3 all year, but what good are they if you can't hit them? Should an offense be tailored around the skills of your players or is the goal simply creating open shots and letting the chips fall where they may? Because this year was more the latter.
It's a bit like having a football offense that can get receivers open deep, but not having a quarterback who can throw a deep ball (looking at you, Dolphins).

I can't say things would have been better this year with a lesser focus on shooting threes, but there was definitely a mismatch this year between the offense and the players' skills.

[wadesworld]

This is something I go back and forth on a bit.
Is an offense predicated on getting shots that your players are incapable of hitting a good offense? I'm speaking specifically about the 3s here. MU definitely got open looks from 3 all year, but what good are they if you can't hit them? Should an offense be tailored around the skills of your players or is the goal simply creating open shots and letting the chips fall where they may? Because this year was more the latter.
It's a bit like having a football offense that can get receivers open deep, but not having a quarterback who can throw a deep ball (looking at you, Dolphins).

I can't say things would have been better this year with a lesser focus on shooting threes, but there was definitely a mismatch this year between the offense and the players' skills.

Also, is the team getting open looks because the offense is generating them, or are they getting open looks because teams gameplan to allow poor 3 point shooters to shoot a lot of 3 pointers?

Watching teams like Iowa, Nebraska, UCONN, Michigan, etc. and the player off ball movement, the ball movement, the off ball screening, etc. is just infinitely better than what Marquette does.  Marquette relies on a single individual player's excellence (Kolek, then Kam, now Nigel) to break down the defense using pick and roll and spraying the ball out to shooters when they get the defense to collapse.  Pick and roll offense is the NBA way because they have the most talented individual players in the world.  In college it can work, but a motion offense is way more effective, in my opinion.

And if we're going to continue to be pick and roll dominant, then I hope we're adding bigs like Oswin Erhunmwunse over Kyle Evans, as we need rollers and rim runners who finish above the rim.  Sheek fits that style incredibly well, but I don't think he'll be ready to play 25-30 mpg in the BE next year.

[MuMark]

I disagree. He became an outstanding defender but he was not a good one when he arrived at MU. But that's beside the point. The point is that freshmen are often poor defenders.

Just as a point of clarification........Jimmy was never a freshman at MU.......his first year was as a juco  transfer sophomore.

FWIW my recollection is that he wasn't terrible on defense but was kind of lost on offense........it's funny how memories differ 10 plus years down the road.

Ps I'm not saying you're wrong......just not how I remember him.....🫡

[tower912]

Every offense is predicated on getting good shots for the players.  MU's did a good job last season of getting shots at the rim and open looks from 3.  That is the holy grail.  When MU stunk at the rim AND from 3, MU stunk.  When MU got better at the rim and still stunk from 3, MU was competitive. 

Far more interesting to me was the evolution of the defense.

[Pakuni]

Every offense is predicated on getting good shots for the players.  MU's did a good job last season of getting shots at the rim and open looks from 3.  That is the holy grail.  When MU stunk at the rim AND from 3, MU stunk.  When MU got better at the rim and still stunk from 3, MU was competitive. 

Far more interesting to me was the evolution of the defense.

Is a good shot a good shot, regardless of who's taking it? I would suggest an open corner three from Markus Howard and Ben Gold are not the same shot.

[tower912]

I would suggest that logic would apply if that were actually a choice.   And yet, when Markus was accused of shooting too much and being a cancer.
And also never played in this offense.
Fans are funny.

For the 25-26 season, I wanted Ben shooting the corner 3.

[Vander Blue Man Group]

This is something I go back and forth on a bit.
Is an offense predicated on getting shots that your players are incapable of hitting a good offense? I'm speaking specifically about the 3s here. MU definitely got open looks from 3 all year, but what good are they if you can't hit them? Should an offense be tailored around the skills of your players or is the goal simply creating open shots and letting the chips fall where they may? Because this year was more the latter.
It's a bit like having a football offense that can get receivers open deep, but not having a quarterback who can throw a deep ball (looking at you, Dolphins).

I can't say things would have been better this year with a lesser focus on shooting threes, but there was definitely a mismatch this year between the offense and the players' skills.

The team wasn't converting at the rim, either. And if I'm remembering correctly, they were one of the best teams in the country and getting shots within a few feet of the basket.

It didn't help that both Ben and Chase, two of our highest volume shooters, shot well below their career averages. 

Same thing happened with Kam and Jop the previous season. How much of that is just random vs guys being in different roles? Probably a combination.

So, Shaka has to bring in better talent. But I'll take an offense that generates open 3s and shots at the rim all day.

[Pakuni]

I would suggest that logic would apply if that were actually a choice.   And yet, when Markus was accused of shooting too much and being a cancer.
And also never played in this offense.
Fans are funny.

For the 25-26 season, I wanted Ben shooting the corner 3.

I'll assume you're a fan of clanging noises.

[tower912]

The whole team clanged.  But, since the point of the game is to score, open shots have to be taken, even if the whole team is shooting poorly.

[Pakuni]

The team wasn't converting at the rim, either. And if I'm remembering correctly, they were one of the best teams in the country and getting shots within a few feet of the basket.

Yes, which is why I wrote "I'm speaking specifically about the 3s here."

So, Shaka has to bring in better talent. But I'll take an offense that generates open 3s and shots at the rim all day.

I'll take an offense that generates open shots its players are best suited to make. If that's open 3s, then all the better.
My mild criticism here - if you even want to call it that - is that the offense wasn't adjusted to fit the talents of the players.
Unless the argument in opposition here is that the players were so lacking in offensive talent that any scheme would have brought similar results. Which may be true. I don't know, and I don't think there's any way of knowing. I just know that this scheme and roster were not in alignment.

[illiniwarriors]

I thought you were suppose to recruit players that fit your offensive and defensive philosophies.

[Pakuni]

The whole team clanged.  But, since the point of the game is to score, open shots have to be taken, even if the whole team is shooting poorly.

Ben was this team's best finisher at the rim. The offense had him taking nearly two-thirds of his shots from beyond the arc, even as he shot 26% from out there (and 23% in conference).
Doesn't seem to be an effective recipe for scoring.
And it doesn't help that no one else on the team rebounded much, pretty much ensuring that all of Ben's misses were one-and-done possessions.

[Zog from Margo]

Yes, which is why I wrote "I'm speaking specifically about the 3s here."


I'll take an offense that generates open shots its players are best suited to make. If that's open 3s, then all the better.
My mild criticism here - of you even want to call it that - is that the offense wasn't adjusted to fit the talents of the players.
Unless the argument in opposition here is that the players were so lacking in offensive talent that any scheme would have brought similar results. Which may be true. I don't know, and I don't think there's any way of knowing.

My preference is for a coach to play a system and recruit to it. As you note, coaching adjustments should be made when needed given the players you actually have, but for me the bottom line is the recruiting was off base. To play the Nevada Smith system you need guys who can hit the 3. Maybe the pool of players who can play Shaka's style of defense and execute Smith's offense is too shallow.

[tower912]

Ben was very good at the rim.  Kudos to you for recognizing something blatantly obvious often overlooked by other scoopers.

Prior to his senior season, mid 30s shooter.  Over his 4 seasons, probably too deferential.  But that also meant that he rarely forced a bad 3 or took one out of rhythm.  Yup, he did not make at the rate any of us might have liked.  But the shots he took were almost universally good shots.

In the context of Nevada's offense and Ben's role in it and as a senior leader, I probably muttered more about open looks he passed on that I wanted him to take than I did about shots he forced.

I hope his ankle surgery goes well and his ribs finally heal.

[muwarrior69]

Yes, I think 2 national titles and a Final Four (and potentially turning that into a 3rd national title) in a 4 year period is probably too much to ask for Marquette to become.

So COLE?

[Scoop Snoop]

So COLE?

 

[willie warrior]

Yes, I think 2 national titles and a Final Four (and potentially turning that into a 3rd national title) in a 4 year period is probably too much to ask for Marquette to become.

The gap widens

[Uncle Rico]

The gap widens

Wouldn't have happened if woke fans like you hadn't pushed against hiring Pitino.

[milwaukee expat]

Yes, which is why I wrote "I'm speaking specifically about the 3s here."


I'll take an offense that generates open shots its players are best suited to make. If that's open 3s, then all the better.
My mild criticism here - if you even want to call it that - is that the offense wasn't adjusted to fit the talents of the players.
Unless the argument in opposition here is that the players were so lacking in offensive talent that any scheme would have brought similar results. Which may be true. I don't know, and I don't think there's any way of knowing. I just know that this scheme and roster were not in alignment.

"the offense wasn't adjusted to fit the talents of the players." This seems to me undeniably true.  Also when judging an offense you have to look at the outcomes imo.  The offense objectively stunk in that it wasn't efficient, didn't generate points etc.  I personally don't think any organization gets better if there isn't accountability.  Someone should go on the coaching staff because the offense did not deliver over a season and a half.  I have no idea if that someone is Nevada or someone else - but when you are failing you need to shake it up.  Just my 2 cents.

[Juan Anderson's Mixtape]

Hopefully the MU boosters are ready to pay up for a starting C.

https://x.com/i/status/2038734762731319694

[onepost]

https://x.com/joetipton/status/2039040441740308619?s=46&t=XcHvMHlRF0oCgzQY_T0_eg