Why RGV? Maybe $400 million donors at other Power 4 schools?

[rocky_warrior]

Miss some shots and we're 3-7, with losses to Central Michigan and Valpo.

Is a negative shooting % possible?

[Viper]

Is a negative shooting % possible?

go 0-for and maybe make one for the other team?? 😂 akin to Jalen Hurts having two turnovers the other night on a single play!

[CountryRoads]

Thanks for sharing.
Interesting times for men's MUBB.

Agree. Great article. Hopefully many more like it coming. For the first 15 minutes, it was cool that MU was different and resisting the new landscape (even though they've always taken transfers??). Now that everyone else has long since adjusted, no one cares or respects it anymore, it's no longer commendable, and we're just fading into irrelevance as a result.

Like has always been the case, MU can't compete for recruits with certain schools. Though it's inexcusable that the season has been a lost cause since before Thanksgiving and we're a lowly Q4 team that started 3 seniors and 2 third year players. I'm checked out on RGV and I'm for whatever it takes to get us out of it the fastest. I think the attendance numbers this year will show many feel the same way.

[Pakuni]

Is it reasonable to expect MU to regularly outperform schools that pay more? BYU and Utah are examples of schools that MU has often been better than in the past but now look like they will be able to pay more.

No, it's not reasonable to expect MU to regularly outperform schools that pay more more. Just like it's never been reasonable to expect MU to regularly outperform Duke, UNC, Kansas, etc. Some schools will always have resources and advantages that Marquette does not. This is not a new phenomena.
Likewise, it's not unreasonable to expect that Marquette regularly outperforms schools with lesser resources and is on par with programs with similar resources.

Again, none of us have access to MU's books, but there's no reason to believe the program is or needs to be in the poor house.

[MarquetteMike1977]

As a result of the refusal of both of these key roster-building principles in the age of NIL, this Marquette team.  It is one thing to stand on your principles, but when everyone else is playing within the rules and building a roster through the transfer portal, it's going to be either adapt or lose your job.  If coach Smart doesn't start using the portal, Marquette might turn into DePaul, and then coach Smart will be out of a job, like it or not. This is how the game is building rosters.[/i]

https://bustingbrackets.com/shaka-smart-and-potential-tournament-in-dubai-lead-the-week-of-bad-beats-basketball
[/quote]

Agree Dislike NIL but it is a reality

[Galway Eagle]

True, although Henry and Joey already had brothers in the program at Marquette, so I'd argue they were special cases.  Then again, I forgot that Greg Elliott - at least according to some Scoopers - was Izzo's top target in that year's recruiting class, and possibly - again, according to some Scoopers at that time -  the most coveted recruit of Izzo's entire career.  That's just how it was in the Wojo era. 

Markus chose us over Indiana, Baylor, and Arizona. While not Duke MSU etc it seems worth mentioning.

[Pakuni]

Markus chose us over Indiana, Baylor, and Arizona. While not Duke MSU etc it seems worth mentioning.

Wojo always gets his man.

[MU82]

Markus chose us over Indiana, Baylor, and Arizona. While not Duke MSU etc it seems worth mentioning.

And Oso chose Marquette over Shaka/Texas, though Shaka successfully re-recruited him for Marquette.

[SonOfWarrior]

What I get from this is transfer students are criminals

Shaka doesn't want glue sniffers.

[Biggie Clausen]

And Oso chose Marquette over Shaka/Texas, though Shaka successfully re-recruited him for Marquette.

Yeah, and Steve Novak chose MU over Illinois and Florida.  But I never mentioned Illinois and Florida in my original post, and I didn't mention Indiana or Texas, either.

Yes, Joey and Henry chose MU over MSU and whatever other blue bloods were after them.  But those guys were special, and very similar, cases.  Using those two as the only examples of a guy picking a blue blood over Marquette is like saying Sofia Coppola must be a great actress because she got a lead role in The Godfather III.

[MU82]

Yeah, and Steve Novak chose MU over Illinois and Florida.  But I never mentioned Illinois and Florida in my original post, and I didn't mention Indiana or Texas, either.

Yes, Joey and Henry chose MU over MSU and whatever other blue bloods were after them.  But those guys were special, and very similar, cases.  Using those two as the only examples of a guy picking a blue blood over Marquette is like saying Sofia Coppola must be a great actress because she got a lead role in The Godfather III.

You were wrong, but that's ok. It happens to all of us.

[Jay Bee]

You were wrong, but that's ok. It happens to all of us.

And like most Scoopers, when wrong he chose to move goalposts / change arguments! #TrueScooper

[Biggie Clausen]

And like most Scoopers, when wrong he chose to move goalposts / change arguments! #TrueScooper

Okay, sure, I was wrong.  There.  For the next step in my Scoop journey, I plan to litter the board with dreadfully stale and unfunny bits.  You'd be the perfect guy to give me guidance on that.

[brewcity77]

The reason RGV isn't working is twofold.

First, we haven't seen growth into star level players from the current sophomore/junior classes like we got from Justin Lewis, Oso Ighodaro, and Kam Jones. Worse, while we do have one star in Chase, you need 2-3 guys like that anchored by back end starters/bench players on par with Stevie Mitchell & David Joplin. We maybe have two of those in Zaide & Ben, but neither are consistently giving that level of play.

If the Growth doesn't come, the talent evaluation needs to be on point and in an era where pay for play is a reality, you need to identify & pay for the Matthew Hodge, Oswin Erhunwumse, Cam Ward, Amari Allen, & Jamarion Batemon types that we were involved with but ultimately didn't land. Next year, will that be Lucas Morillo we're saying that about?

Bottom line, the staff failed. They misidentified talent and didn't Grow it enough to be front line contributors. As a result we're starting down the barrel of possibly the worst Marquette team in more than 3 decades. And based on what we've seen from the current roster, it feels awfully unlikely that we're going to Grow out of this next year without Chase & Ben.

[GoldenEagles03]

The reason RGV isn't working is twofold.

First, we haven't seen growth into star level players from the current sophomore/junior classes like we got from Justin Lewis, Oso Ighodaro, and Kam Jones. Worse, while we do have one star in Chase, you need 2-3 guys like that anchored by back end starters/bench players on par with Stevie Mitchell & David Joplin. We maybe have two of those in Zaide & Ben, but neither are consistently giving that level of play.

If the Growth doesn't come, the talent evaluation needs to be on point and in an era where pay for play is a reality, you need to identify & pay for the Matthew Hodge, Oswin Erhunwumse, Cam Ward, Amari Allen, & Jamarion Batemon types that we were involved with but ultimately didn't land. Next year, will that be Lucas Morillo we're saying that about?

Bottom line, the staff failed. They misidentified talent and didn't Grow it enough to be front line contributors. As a result we're starting down the barrel of possibly the worst Marquette team in more than 3 decades. And based on what we've seen from the current roster, it feels awfully unlikely that we're going to Grow out of this next year without Chase & Ben.

I don't think Shaka has to change his ways too drastically but next year might be a year he needs to use the portal to avoid a repeat. And then after next year he can go right back to not using it.

But when it goes sideways you gotta switch it up. Similar to his first year. Use the portal to add the necessary talent and then fallback on RGV but without missing on talent in HS recruiting.

[jfp61]

I don't think Shaka has to change his ways too drastically but next year

How? Who is good on this roster? The two best players are still the seniors.

Who do you trust from this team to start next year on a team that will make the tournament?


This is just an incorrect assessment. Shaka needs to blow this roster up for his staff to still have jobs.

[GoldenEagles03]

How? Who is good on this roster? The two best players are still the seniors.

Who do you trust from this team to start next year on a team that will make the tournament?


This is just an incorrect assessment. Shaka needs to blow this roster up for his staff to still have jobs.

Did you even read?

I think he has to use the portal next year to help the talent deficit.

Nigel, Stevens, Zaide, Royce those are good players. They need more.

[Billy Hoyle]

How? Who is good on this roster? The two best players are still the seniors.

Who do you trust from this team to start next year on a team that will make the tournament?


This is just an incorrect assessment. Shaka needs to blow this roster up for his staff to still have jobs.

There is no way for one to rate Ben Gold as one of the two best players. I like Ben and have heard how popular he is with students on campus because of being a friendly and outgoing guy, but come on.

Nigel James has established himself as the #2 on the roster. He's a building block, and there are others who are potentially as well, so while I don't see a reason to "blow up the roster," there does need to be a change in its construction and honest conversations held with some of those with eligibility remaining. 

[Shooter McGavin]

There is no way for one to rate Ben Gold as one of the two best players. I like Ben and have heard how popular he is with students on campus because of being a friendly and outgoing guy, but come on.

Nigel James has established himself as the #2 on the roster. He's a building block, and there are others who are potentially as well, so while I don't see a reason to "blow up the roster," there does need to be a change in its construction and honest conversations held with some of those with eligibility remaining. 

Ben is one of the 3 most indispensable players on this roster.  I would agree Nigel is one of the three as well. 

Hoping to say that about two more (RP and AS) in the next couple of weeks if they can progress and be more consistent. 

[Mu8891]

Ok.  So Gold is in the top 3. But ...
If SS does not go to the portal
( and I don't think that he will ), then how is this team not just as bad or
Worse next year ?

And guess what... James will have lots of suitors after the season. $hit, he probably has people sniffing around already. So, if he likes V better than the RG, then... uhh ...

[jfp61]

Nigel James has established himself as the #2 on the roster. He's a building block, and there are others who are potentially as well, so while I don't see a reason to "blow up the roster," there does need to be a change in its construction and honest conversations held with some of those with eligibility remaining. 

Dumb anti this take stat of the day, Nigel James is +16 well Caedin Hamilton is +26.

I would like to see Nigel defend anyone before I say "he must stay". He is largly worse than freshman year Kam Jones who was a activly bad defender, but unlike Jones, James's offensive prowess isn't as sustainable for the future. His is shooting is Meh at best. He currently over dribbles and plays like a guard who wants to gain stats instead win. I would feel much more comforatble with him long term if he simply played less and learned more.

James is in the middle of the pack for creative freshman guards so far. He would be behind Kingston Flemings, Mikel Brown Jr., Mario Saint-Supery, Chance Mallory, Either Arkansas Guard, Acaden Lewis, Ebuka Okorie, Aiden Argabright, Azavier Robinson, and we watched Rakim Chaney outplay him for Valpo.

 

Nigel, Stevens, Zaide, Royce those are good players. They need more.

Maybe (freshman guard with quesitonable defense), Maybe( freshman guard with quesitonable defense and limited creativity), No (junior guard with limited creativity who is playing so poorly he was benched for stevens), Maybe (he was good last year but he can't shoot, bad from FT line and 3point land).

[brewcity77]

There is no way for one to rate Ben Gold as one of the two best players.

BPR rates Ben at #40 in the Big East. He's second on the team and far ahead of team fifth and Big East #79 NJ.

Offensively, Ben is better from 2, better from 3, better eFG%, and turns it over less.

Defensively, Ben is a better positional defender, and while NJ generates turnovers, he's often a feast or famine player, taking himself out of position when he doesn't get the steal.

I like NJ. He has the higher long term ceiling, and you can even find metrics like PORPAGATU! that like him better than Ben, but that's largely an offense only metric that doesn't factor in the areas NJ is comparably weakest.

You can make a case for NJ, and in the long term he's the higher value asset, but not only is there not "no way" to rate Ben higher at the moment, but you have to engage in some serious mental gymnastics to put anyone other than Ben second to Chase. We have one guy (Chase) who would be a starter on any team in the league, one guy (Ben) who would start on most teams in the league, and the rest are role players who would be bench players pretty much anywhere else. And NJ, FBOW, is one of those because he isn't a fully formed two way player yet.