5th Year, so judge

[Galway Eagle]

Hmm...are James, Stevens and Phillips Shaka's 3 amigos?

Hopefully much better than 8th in the country, 6 seed, and Rd of 32.

I don't think they're comparable as Chase, Zaide, DO, Parham, etc are all talented pieces around them as is the incoming class while the amigos basically only had Novak and lazar

[#UnleashSean]

Hopefully much better than 8th in the country, 6 seed, and Rd of 32.

I don't think they're comparable as Chase, Zaide, DO, Parham, etc are all talented pieces around them as is the incoming class while the amigos basically only had Novak and lazar

Dont do my boy Dan....    Fitzgerald        like that...

Sorry, I almost got through that without laughing.

[MarquetteDano]

Watching the Southern game last night made me smile knowing a majority of the new faces will be around their senior year.

I would love more late March success but my Illini friends have total rebuilds every year with massive roster turnover. Unless you are in the FF every year I prefer what Shaka does.

[DoctorV]

Watching the Southern game last night made me smile knowing a majority of the new faces will be around their senior year.

I would love more late March success but my Illini friends have total rebuilds every year with massive roster turnover. Unless you are in the FF every year I prefer what Shaka does.

I understand this and most of it makes sense.

I'd edit one part though. Very few, if any, teams "are in the FF every year"

I'd say "unless you make the FF in one year then I prefer what Shaka does"

Everything you mentioned is absolutely true- it's great doing things the right way, it's great having guys that buy into Marquette for their entire lives (after all, isn't this what we've all done?), it's great having 0 roster turnover and getting to watch the same group grow and mature as opposed to constant turnover and having no idea who you're rooting for one year to the next...

This is only great with the V part of the RGV triangle though. Without the victory, it's merely a nice way of doing things.
It surely isn't something all of us would praise 20 years from now without the victory.

The victory, on the ultimate stage in the sport, is a trip to the FF and a National Championship.
So, if over let's say a 20 year window X coach at X program makes 2 final 4s and wins one Natty with constant turnover and non-stop portalling while Marquette makes a handful of S16s, a few E8s and no FFs, well then at the end of the day X was the most successful with the ultimately happier fanbase.

We can argue what we want and say what we want about styles, but at the end of the day a FF and National Championship is the goal at a place like Marquette, any given way.

To me it seems like we are on the right track, but getting over the hill to the next step is no easy task

[Juan Anderson's Mixtape]

2023: Lowery, Jones, Norman
2024: Parham, Owens, Hamilton
2025: James, Stevens, Clark, Phillips
2026: Pearson, Miletic, Egbuonu, Walker, Johnston

I love the shear volume of quality prospects. Not all of them will develop as hoped, and some might have injury riddled careers like Joe Fulce and Greg Elliot.  But by having so many options, Shaka will have more bites at the apple of success.

I also think Shaka wants to have as deep of a roster as possible in order to play intense defense and push the pace on offense.  This roster will give him that option.

It feels like Marquette will be very similar to his VCU teams as far as playing style goes, but with better talent.  Exciting times are on the horizon.

[Pepe Sylvia]

If you want a little piece of what that feels like, go look at what Keeyan Itejere did in his debut for Rhode Island.

Gonna need to do that against better than stetson, feel like he coulda put that up here with 20 min against the dregs of d-1

[muwarrior69]

I understand this and most of it makes sense.

I'd edit one part though. Very few, if any, teams "are in the FF every year"

I'd say "unless you make the FF in one year then I prefer what Shaka does"

Everything you mentioned is absolutely true- it's great doing things the right way, it's great having guys that buy into Marquette for their entire lives (after all, isn't this what we've all done?), it's great having 0 roster turnover and getting to watch the same group grow and mature as opposed to constant turnover and having no idea who you're rooting for one year to the next...

This is only great with the V part of the RGV triangle though. Without the victory, it's merely a nice way of doing things.
It surely isn't something all of us would praise 20 years from now without the victory.

The victory, on the ultimate stage in the sport, is a trip to the FF and a National Championship.
So, if over let's say a 20 year window X coach at X program makes 2 final 4s and wins one Natty with constant turnover and non-stop portalling while Marquette makes a handful of S16s, a few E8s and no FFs, well then at the end of the day X was the most successful with the ultimately happier fanbase.

We can argue what we want and say what we want about styles, but at the end of the day a FF and National Championship is the goal at a place like Marquette, any given way.

To me it seems like we are on the right track, but getting over the hill to the next step is no easy task

I know a different era but not so long ago that is what Jay Wright did at NOVA. Let's see if Shaka can repeat that at MU in this new era of college sports.

[Nukem2]

I know a different era but not so long ago that is what Jay Wright did at NOVA. Let's see if Shaka can repeat that at MU in this new era of college sports.

With the advent of nil and the open portal, Jay kind of walked away from it all. Not an easy process to success.