MU 2026-27 - Not too early

[Newsdreams]

All of them.

More I think about it, Sheek and Miletic have to go, too. I mean, they haven't scored a single point for this season's team!

Wasted scholarships

[GoldenEagles03]

My ideal situation for next year

Starters:
Nigel
Stevens
Zaide
Parham
Portal Senior Center

Bench:
Sean?
Portal Senior Shooter Specialist
Phillips
Egbuonu
Pearson
Clark

Lower Bench:
Johnston
Miletic
Nash

Hamilton, Norman, Owens gone

Add just 2 high level players from the portal. A star center to start and a high level shooter to come off the bench. Doesn't block Pearson long-term in the front court and add much needed shooting from long range. 2 simple adds. No one is blocked from developing.

[jesmu84]

Take this roster.

Remove Chase and Ben.

Add freshmen (who almost definitely won't contribute as much as Chase or Ben).

Terrifying.

[MU82]

My ideal situation for next year

Starters:
Nigel
Stevens
Zaide
Parham
Portal Senior Center

Bench:
Sean?
Portal Senior Shooter Specialist
Phillips
Egbuonu
Pearson
Clark

Lower Bench:
Johnston
Miletic
Nash

Hamilton, Norman, Owens gone

Add just 2 high level players from the portal. A star center to start and a high level shooter to come off the bench. Doesn't block Pearson long-term in the front court and add much needed shooting from long range. 2 simple adds. No one is blocked from developing.

Not just a center but a STAR center ... "simple add."

Yep, can't get much simpler than adding a Kalkbrenner or Zuby. Lots of 'em out there whose programs won't fight to keep 'em.

Easy peasy!

[GoldenEagles03]

Not just a center but a STAR center ... "simple add."

Yep, can't get much simpler than adding a Kalkbrenner or Zuby. Lots of 'em out there whose programs won't fight to keep 'em.

Easy peasy!

If we are spending $6 Million on this roster? We can get an all league caliber center quite easily. Yes.

[MU82]

If we are spending $6 Million on this roster? We can get an all league caliber center quite easily. Yes.

Thanks. Please provide exact dollar figures (or at least ranges) for "star" centers, and also show how common it has been for a "star" center to leave one program for another. If you can, please also quantify how "easy" it's been for the new programs to lure those "star" centers.

FWIW, the much-discussed Owen Freeman, who went from Iowa to Creighton, was not even an honorable mention all-conference choice last season. So he wasn't anywhere near "star" quality by your own definition. And he was one of the few decent centers to change teams in the offseason. So I'm looking forward to seeing your research.

This already reminds me of when you predicted that the Weasels would "easily" finish top 3 in the Big Whatever last season. (They didn't, easily or otherwise.)

[PointWarrior]

Like Wojo's 2015 team?

At some point, we may want to consider just putting 4 guys out on the floor, aina? Might throw off the other team.

[GoldenEagles03]

Thanks. Please provide exact dollar figures (or at least ranges) for "star" centers, and also show how common it has been for a "star" center to leave one program for another. If you can, please also quantify how "easy" it's been for the new programs to lure those "star" centers.

FWIW, the much-discussed Owen Freeman, who went from Iowa to Creighton, was not even an honorable mention all-conference choice last season. So he wasn't anywhere near "star" quality by your own definition. And he was one of the few decent centers to change teams in the offseason. So I'm looking forward to seeing your research.

This already reminds me of when you predicted that the Weasels would "easily" finish top 3 in the Big Whatever last season. (They didn't, easily or otherwise.)

Listing names is a waste of time considering we won't be using the portal, but there were plenty of really solid centers available that would have made our team better.

A few that come to mind that I liked a lot were Moustapha Thiam, Nick Pringle, Blake Buchanan, Xavier Booker, Quincy Ballard.

There's obvious names like Morez Johnson, Henry Veesar, Jayden Quaintence, Pharrel Payne, Aday Mara and plenty others that we would never compete for, but there are always good players available.

Caedin Hamilton will do though.

[MU82]

You didn't say "solid," you said STAR.

And you said we could get a STAR  "easily."

Talking out of your butt (again) will do though.

[GoldenEagles03]

You didn't say "solid," you said STAR.

And you said we could get a STAR  "easily."

Talking out of your butt (again) will do though.

All of those guys that I mentioned would be top 2 players on our team and all league caliber. I consider that profile a star player. Much like Oso alongside Kolek, not the best, but all league caliber. That's what we need.

We could get players like that easily.

[wadesworld]

Buddy makes a long post about next year's ideal roster, which includes two portal additions, and then says listing names is a waste of time because we won't use the portal, and then lists the names. Then he says we'd never compete for the guys that would be all league players that would be easy adds.

[MU82]

All of those guys that I mentioned would be top 2 players on our team and all league caliber. I consider that profile a star player. Much like Oso alongside Kolek, not the best, but all league caliber. That's what we need.

We could get players like that easily.

Spin spin spinny spin spin!

Weasels EASILY top 3.

[GoldenEagles03]

Spin spin spinny spin spin!

Weasels EASILY top 3.

There is 0 spinning. Marquette could compete for all league players in the portal. It seems pretty irresponsible that we don't when everyone else is. We did it with Morsell. Kolek became that too. Players that would undoubtedly make the team better. We can get those players.

Not sure what the last part has to do with anything related to Marquette 26-27.

[MU82]

It's never enough for you to say something like, "Marquette could compete for good players in the portal." Which is something just about every Scooper would agree with.

You have to say they can get STARS. And not just get stars, but get them "easily."

You can't say the Weasels will contend. You have to say "top 3." And not just contend for top 3, but do so "easily."

It's silliness.

And then you get called out on your silliness, and so you quadruple down. Well done!

[GoldenEagles03]

It's never enough for you to say something like, "Marquette could compete for good players in the portal." Which is something just about every Scooper would agree with.

You have to say they can get STARS. And not just get stars, but get them "easily."

You can't say the Weasels will contend. You have to say "top 3." And not just contend for top 3, but do so "easily."

It's silliness.

And then you get called out on your silliness, and so you quadruple down. Well done!

You are that upset about something from like 3 or 4 years ago? It's completely unrelated to Marquette 26-27.

Marquette can compete for all league players in the portal. That's the point.

[MU82]

You are that upset about something from like 3 or 4 years ago? It's completely unrelated to Marquette 26-27.

Marquette can compete for all league players in the portal. That's the point.

I'm not upset at all. I'm amused at how wrong you consistently are but refuse to admit it. It's not upsetting. It's laughable. And it wasn't 3 or 4 years ago, it was last season.

None of those guys is "all league." Certainly none is a "star." And you have absolutely no idea for whom Marquette could or couldn't compete - "easily" or not. But keep spinning.

[Jay Bee]

Easy solution to our issues:

"We need to grow our hair out to protect our brains so we don't forget how to play like us."

PS - it is kinda funny (alarming?) that some seem to think acquiring transfers is just looking at the menu, deciding what you want (value/cost consideration).. and if you want to buy, bang, #donedeal.

[brewcity77]

A few that come to mind that I liked a lot were Moustapha Thiam, Nick Pringle, Blake Buchanan, Xavier Booker, Quincy Ballard.

We didn't necessarily need a star, we needed serviceable. If you want to make these lists, look around the Big East. We needed a second scoring option and a big man. A proven point wouldn't have hurt, but the expectations for Sean were that he'd be that, so I get where we are.

Scorers: Jaylin Sellers (Providence), Bryce Lindsay (Villanova), Michael Ajayi (Butler)
Bigs: Vince Iwuchukwu (Georgetown), Stephon Payne (Seton Hall), Duke Brennan (Villanova)

There are many more guys out there, but we certainly could've competed for this level of player. All would be improvements to our current roster. Give us one from each list and we're 8-1 and comfortably in the bubble (at worst) conversation.

[The Sultan]

We didn't necessarily need a star, we needed serviceable. If you want to make these lists, look around the Big East. We needed a second scoring option and a big man. A proven point wouldn't have hurt, but the expectations for Sean were that he'd be that, so I get where we are.

Scorers: Jaylin Sellers (Providence), Bryce Lindsay (Villanova), Michael Ajayi (Butler)
Bigs: Vince Iwuchukwu (Georgetown), Stephon Payne (Seton Hall), Duke Brennan (Villanova)

There are many more guys out there, but we certainly could've competed for this level of player. All would be improvements to our current roster. Give us one from each list and we're 8-1 and comfortably in the bubble (at worst) conversation.

And I think any of those guys are well within our NIL budget.

[DoctorV]

And I think any of those guys are well within our NIL budget.

Especially if you remove someone like Tre or Caedin or even Damarius from that budget.

I've never been in the camp of running kids off but it's now become a business, and as a business owner you must survive and adapt. The only constant is change.

The thing that I really wonder, more than anything on the financial side, is how Shaka/Marquette will distribute funds in a season like next year.
From everything we've heard, the big dog gets a nice payday and the Sr class gets compensated well for their commitment and so on and so forth down the line.

I would be willing to bet that if scoopers saw the salary that someone like Benny or SJ22 or Tre are getting this season it would lead to complete meltdown.

It's also why I feel like Shaka will spend more than he has in the past on a highly ranked freshman or two, because I just can't see how he dishes out multiple millions to the Sr class next year, so it should leave a funding surplus compared to years past for incoming recruits or a transfer

[brewcity77]

I've never been in the camp of running kids off but it's now become a business, and as a business owner you must survive and adapt. The only constant is change.

I also think if you truly believe in the RGV model, you have to acknowledge that when players aren't growing in your system, they may be better served in another system.

Greg Elliot had a decent year as a reserve in Shaka's first year, but wasn't in the plans after that which allowed him to take a starting role on a tourney team at Pitt. Had Keeyan Itejere stayed, he likely wouldn't be a three-year D1 starter. Emarion Ellis likely never would've carved out a real role here, but was able to become a spot starter at Nicholls because he left.

I really think sometimes the best thing you can do for Relationships and Growth is to help your charges to better opportunities than what you have to offer. As nice as "the only place to leave Marquette for is the NBA" that only works when all of your players are either NBA players or major contributors by their junior/senior years. When they aren't, keeping guys around who aren't good enough to contribute at this level does a disservice not just to the program but to the players who could likely be growing more somewhere else.

[MU82]

We didn't necessarily need a star, we needed serviceable. If you want to make these lists, look around the Big East. We needed a second scoring option and a big man. A proven point wouldn't have hurt, but the expectations for Sean were that he'd be that, so I get where we are.

Scorers: Jaylin Sellers (Providence), Bryce Lindsay (Villanova), Michael Ajayi (Butler)
Bigs: Vince Iwuchukwu (Georgetown), Stephon Payne (Seton Hall), Duke Brennan (Villanova)

There are many more guys out there, but we certainly could've competed for this level of player. All would be improvements to our current roster. Give us one from each list and we're 8-1 and comfortably in the bubble (at worst) conversation.

Thanks for a reasonable, well-thought-out post. We needed that here.

[Johnny B]

If everyone and especially seniors are compensated so well why would anyone leave? are guys like ham and tre, maybe owens making so much it would be a huge pay cut to go down a level? Why leave then? Might just be stuck.