Really Good Day for the Future of Marquette Basketball

[Vander Blue Man Group]

We just watched a bad Xavier team put up 1.331 PPP againist Marquette.

And people are being positive.

Gross

100%.  How dare we be positive when it looks like we have multiple young stars to build around, some nice incoming redshirt & freshman talent, and the news that Marquette will use the portal going forward. 

It definitely makes more sense to focus entirely on this awful season and wallow in the disappointment.

Thanks for setting us straight!

[panda]

We just watched a bad Xavier team put up 1.331 PPP againist Marquette.

And people are being positive.

Gross

I legitimately cannot believe people have watched this team all year and think we can turn into a tournament team with just two portal additions and freshmen contributions.

[GoldenEagles03]

I legitimately cannot believe people have watched this team all year and think we can turn into a tournament team with just two portal additions and freshmen contributions.

It's not that crazy. A lot of our issues came from 1 position. Our Freshman and Sophomores will become Sophomores and Juniors. Then we add another strong Freshman class.

Adding 2 or 3 strong players from the portal easily gives this team a chance at being a tournament team.

[Pakuni]

Announcing it yesterday vs. NMD is not going to make any difference in regard to it reaching the right audience (donors, prospective transfers, etc.).

Right, that's my point. I think this is a message tailored directly to a specific target audience, likely some whales whose unhappiness has been growing as the season has gone on. My curiosity is a function of wondering what's occurred of late to make MU decide they need to go public with this. Shaka could have jumped into the portal a month from now without announcing his intent this weekend. Why broadcast it now? I suspect there's a behind-the-scenes reason.

And I don't imagine many prospective transfers are watching Shaka postgame press conferences or paying attention to the inner workings of MU basketball in mid-February, so it's probably not that.

[panda]

It's not that crazy. A lot of our issues came from 1 position. Our Freshman and Sophomores will become Sophomores and Juniors. Then we add another strong Freshman class.

Adding 2 or 3 strong players from the portal easily gives this team a chance at being a tournament team.

2 portal additions means that only 1 player from the current roster leaves. Sorry I'm not buying that is a tournament team, unless we find two massive portal additions.

[jfp61]

A lot of our issues came from 1 position.

Adding 2 or 3 strong players from the portal easily gives this team a chance at being a tournament team.

Having abysmal team defense is not a "one position" issue. 2018-2019 Markus Howard would be the second best defender on this team.

And if we arn't a tournament team next year, we are looking for a new coach.

[GoldenEagles03]

2 portal additions means that only 1 player from the current roster leaves. Sorry I'm not buying that is a tournament team, unless we find two massive portal additions.

Ok.

[jfp61]

You've been a big Chase Ross fan over the years.  Any thoughts around his fall off defensively, and offensively this season?  His 91 O-Rating in Big East play, including his dud yesterday sure doesn't help a squad win. 

Shaka has had 1 year in the last 14, prior to this year where his teams weren't ranked Top 50 in Defense, and that was Year 1 at MU.  I look at this year as an outlier.

Being a chase ross fan, means you like defense.

Because no one on this entire roster is a "big east" level defender except him.

[GoldenEagles03]

Having abysmal team defense is not a "one position" issue. 2018-2019 Markus Howard would be the second best defender on this team.

And if we arn't a tournament team next year, we are looking for a new coach.

Abysmal team defense, largely because we have no rim protector.

You don't think Nigel and Adrien are good defenders? I promise you they are. They are playing alongside Chase Ross who looks like he isn't trying on defense, and the largest issue of all, either Ben Gold or Caedin Hamilton as their rim protector.

If we get an actual center it changes everything.

[SonOfWarrior]

If only Shaka listened to the gems in this forum more often, we'd be on a three peat Big East Championship run.

[jfp61]

Abysmal team defense, largely because we have no rim protector.

You don't think Nigel and Adrien are good defenders? I promise you they are. They are playing alongside Chase Ross who looks like he isn't trying on defense, and the largest issue of all, either Ben Gold or Caedin Hamilton as their rim protector.

If we get an actual center it changes everything.

Sure, if Aday Mara, Patrick Ngongba, or Flory Bidunga show up tomorrow our defense would drastically improve. But none of that makes the current team we have good.


Adrien stevens has been a horrible defender through his first 26 games. He has the physical tools to be better, but he isn't good. Hardly positive defensive box score. High Adjusted Team Defensive Eff. 104.2. And it isn't like morsell where morsell would take the hardest matchups and his defense would look worse than Koleks, the matchups still go to Ross.

Nigel james feels like he is a good defender because he gets runouts. His defensive box score is the second best on the team because of these runnouts. However he is short. He has a High adjusted Team Defensive Eff 104.7. (only Sean is higher). Now is he a better defender than a short freshman guard should be, sure. However, Short guys = limited defense. If you want examples of his poor defense rewatch the second half of Wisconsin, he got targeted on 5+ straight possessions.

"chase ross isn't trying"... This crowd is stupid. He is still been the only Big east quality defender on this team the entire year. And his defense hasn't slipped in the last thirty days in any measurable way. People are just finding ways to justify the bad defense of those around him.

[Scoop Snoop]

I suspect there's a behind-the-scenes reason.

Exactly. Other than chirping "we believe in growth" after fiascos like the UW game  and other assorted RGV chatter, there has not been any serious attempt to communicate with fans or acknowledge the awful season that we are having.  It's been mostly "radio silence".

[MuggsyB]

What does the future look for us defensively?  We haven't gotten stops in any of our close games down the stretch.  When I've mentioned the necessity of snagging badass bigs moving forward, I'm thinking a 6'7ish switchable that can guard multiple positions and a power player who is an interior presence and serious glass cleaner.  If we can check these boxes, things will be a hell of a lot better.  We simply have no choice and must these guys on our roster if we want to compete for a tourney berth in '27.  And I love NJ, RP, and AS but we NEED MORE. 

[Biggie Clausen]

Exactly. Other than chirping "we believe in growth" after fiascos like the UW game  and other assorted RGV chatter, there has not been any serious attempt to communicate with fans or acknowledge the awful season that we are having.  It's been mostly "radio silence".

As another poster suggested, I'm guessing Broeker (or someone higher than him) got a stern talking to by some big donors about the results of this season, and what that might mean going forward if Shaka stays the RGV course.  Stern enough that they had to come up with a plan for damage control.

[Billy Hoyle]

As another poster suggested, I'm guessing Broeker (or someone higher than him) got a stern talking to by some big donors about the results of this season, and what that might mean going forward if Shaka stays the RGV course.  Stern enough that they had to come up with a plan for damage control.

I also think Broeker (not Kimo, he was too busy filming videos for social media) may have said they have the money to recruit from the Portal or pay Shaka's buyout, his choice.

[willie warrior]

Right, that's my point. I think this is a message tailored directly to a specific target audience, likely some whales whose unhappiness has been growing as the season has gone on. My curiosity is a function of wondering what's occurred of late to make MU decide they need to go public with this. Shaka could have jumped into the portal a month from now without announcing his intent this weekend. Why broadcast it now? I suspect there's a behind-the-scenes reason.

And I don't imagine many prospective transfers are watching Shaka postgame press conferences or paying attention to the inner workings of MU basketball in mid-February, so it's probably not that.

Good analysis. Sounds like there are behind the scenes things going on.

[The Sultan]

Exactly. Other than chirping "we believe in growth" after fiascos like the UW game  and other assorted RGV chatter, there has not been any serious attempt to communicate with fans or acknowledge the awful season that we are having.  It's been mostly "radio silence".

They really don't owe anyone that acknowledgement though. It's pretty obvious that this season was a failure and anything they have done in the last few weeks is setting themselves up for next season more than anything.

[willie warrior]

2 portal additions means that only 1 player from the current roster leaves. Sorry I'm not buying that is a tournament team, unless we find two massive portal additions.

Agree here. Massive portal additions. No way Shaka pulls that off. There is hope for the future. James, Parham, Stevens, the redshirts, recruits coming in, all will help. But more is needed. Shakas philosophy  has failed this year, so change must happen quickly to pull us out of the low major status that he has put the team in.

[willie warrior]

Being a chase ross fan, means you like defense.

Because no one on this entire roster is a "big east" level defender except him.

Right about that. Goooolllldbrick is not a BEast defender. Let the chorus line begin in 3..2..1.

[MU82]

Ok, we can compare him to @MU82 and others here, if you like.

Aw, shucks.

Nah. Shaka would be one in a bazillion if MU82 did the math.

For the gazillionth time, I'd have never said that!

[willie warrior]

I'm all for Marquette modernizing the program in terms of using the portal more, but I don't know about this whole GM thing.  I mean, it's not like these teams are hiring Ron Wolf or Theo Epstein.  Rick Pitino's GM lasted for about half a season at St. John's.  In college sports, the head coach will always run the show.

Pitino did have an Epstein. You know the child trafficker that allegedly committed suicide. That probably suited Pitino to a T.