It’s Time to Think Bold

[Shooter McGavin]

I think everyone knew this year was a rebuild in some capacity or another but the issue, in my opinion, is with the sophomores. We knew a long time ago that Tre wasn't developing as we hoped. Zaide came out of the blue the second half of last year but looked lost for the beginning and given what Royce showed last year and Owens showed in scrimmages I think a lot of us were banking on that class being the next "Guardians". If they continue to bust as they have so far, we're back to a complete rebuild to get old.

Now maybe Owens pulls a Zaide and gets it together the back half of the season after looking inept the first half of sophomore year but as it stands (given I already accepted this year wasn't going to be much to write home about) I am more concerned that Zaide can't fill Chase's shoes, Parham can't fill Ben's and neither of Owens & Tre developed into remotely serviceable upper class men. That means we're eating two seasons to get experienced and good again.

Agreed completely unless Nigel James and Adrien Stevens are truly the next DJ and JM.  And Alex  is a revelation.

[MU82]

Agreed completely unless Nigel James and Adrien Stevens are truly the next DJ and JM.  And Alex  is a revelation.

And Sheek.

I still think Parham is gonna have what most would consider a good year in which he'll have progressed nicely. Only wishful thinking? We'll see.

[Superfan]

When talking about the struggles this year and possibly next, let's not forget that last year's conference play was also nothing to write home about.

[Markusquette]

So, I hear you, but not every team is stacked 1-15, even 1-5. If we get one or two hits and the third or fourth are culture and practice guys who get spot minutes, is it that much different than the portal hits and misses? We aren't getting the unicorn big or the 6'4" three point shooting point guard in the portal, only a couple teams are. So, in four years of Shaka's philosophy with his roster, we should be an eight strong deep consistently. Seems good to me.

Key words: should be. I genuinely hope that comes to fruition. Certainly don't need to be 10 deep with 2-3 high caliber players each year.

However I disagree about unavailability in the portal. The off season is essentially a giant free agent pool. There's no reason to think MU can't bring in a couple of high-impact players each year, if they want to. Many of our fellow Big East competitors and the loathed Badgers do it successfully.

Shaka's so married to "Our Way" he's boxed himself in as much as developed a unique vision. Portal is about supplementing the philosophy. One or two vetted, high-character guys with real college tape keeps a growing roster competitive. Miss rate is lower when you're evaluating proven production, not AAU projection. What's frustrating is seeing a big gaps in the roster for a couple of years knowing the potential impact a solid transfer could have made.

[forgetful]

I think there is really only one option at this point. Here's a poem to sell the final, and should be only candidate.

In a land where rumors sprout like threes from Markus Howard's hand,
Marquette's latest coaching chatter spreads boldly 'cross the land.
Not that anyone requested it, but here we go again—
Let's hunt a coach who'll bring the glory... or at least a decent grin.

First up: the alumni legends, scattered far and wide,
All coaching somewhere respectable—or at least they tried.
There's Travis Diener, in Fond du Lac, a sideline mastermind,
Who'd run the team like TBT: shoot early, shoot often, you'll be fine.

Wesley Matthews, still playing?, but let's just hand him the board—
He'll draw up plays like "Give the ball to me," and instantly be adored.
Or maybe Tony Smith, a hometown coach with flair,
Could stroll in, sip a coffee, yell "Defense!"—vibes everywhere.

Brian Wardle, proven winner, could stride back into town,
Clipboards in hand, ready to teach transition before the ball hits the ground.
He'd bring structure, effort, hustle—and a raised eyebrow or two—
Perfect prep for every Big East game that ends 59–52.

Bart Lundy left Milwaukee, but hey, he's done this gig before;
He could return like a sitcom reboot that no one asked for.
And don't forget Jim McIlvaine, with height enough to see
What every ref on earth somehow still misses constantly.

But wait—what's this?
Across the horizon, with hair perfectly blown...
A familiar figure appears, stepping into the light alone.
A man of passion. A man of volume.
A man of timeout usage unknown.
Tom Crean.
Back to save the day, rewrite the lore,
And maybe yell "Let's GOOOOOO" just a little too loud once more.
He'd install 47-ball-screen offenses, extremely optional defense,
And charm every recruit's parent with enthusiastic... "energy presence."

Could he return? Should he return?
Would anyone stop him if he just walked in?
A mystery. A legend. A man with a laminated practice plan
And more motivational quotes than your cousin selling vitamins on Instagram.

So raise a glass, Marquette fans,
To coaching names from far and near—
Because nothing says "program stability"
Like talking about this in a perfectly normal year.

[Uncle Rico]

TLDR, please keep this thread on topic.  Thank you for your attention to this matter!

[MU82]

Key words: should be. I genuinely hope that comes to fruition. Certainly don't need to be 10 deep with 2-3 high caliber players each year.

However I disagree about unavailability in the portal. The off season is essentially a giant free agent pool. There's no reason to think MU can't bring in a couple of high-impact players each year, if they want to. Many of our fellow Big East competitors and the loathed Badgers do it successfully.

Shaka's so married to "Our Way" he's boxed himself in as much as developed a unique vision. Portal is about supplementing the philosophy. One or two vetted, high-character guys with real college tape keeps a growing roster competitive. Miss rate is lower when you're evaluating proven production, not AAU projection. What's frustrating is seeing a big gaps in the roster for a couple of years knowing the potential impact a solid transfer could have made.

Shaka's "way" is not opening a bigger bag for a free agent than the bags he's promised to returning players who have made multi-year commitments to Marquette.

You might think he should, and that's ok. We all have opinions. But there is no reason to think he will change that part of his philosophy. So pining for it is unproductive.