New to the board...my thoughts

[MarquetteBallin]

Hi guys, new to the board. Huge Marquette fan and just wanted to share a few of my thoughts so far...


1. This is a team that will struggle to win 8 games in the Big East. With the exception of South Florida and Providence (which are certainly not gimmes to be sure) what games will we win on the road? Probably none. In addition, in all likelihood we lose a game or two at home. That will be the equivalent of an 8-8 season in the Big East and a 21-10 record going into the Big East Tourney. Win a game there and we're probably in the NCAA. Lose first round, and we're a typical bubble team praying for one of the last few spots. With the amount of success the mid-majors have had this year, we could be in the hurt locker.

2. This team lacks toughness and leadership. Toughness is being able to lock down and get a stop against Wisconsin when you absolutely need one. Time and again we let Tucker drive it to the basket for an uncontested lay-up. Remember, he wasn't hitting fade-aways that were simply unstoppable....he was driving it right through us. Tough teams find a way to beat NDSU in the championship game of their own tournament...at home.

3. Why aren't we tough? We don't have leadership. We lack a go-to-guy who is willing to step up and take ownership of the team...we're trying to lead by committee and it simply won't work. James is too much of an arrogant prima dona to be the type of leader that this team needs. Also, Crean is an excellent marketer and CEO of the program, but when it comes down to instilling toughness and an attitude I think he falls short.

4. This program will never reach elite status unless we go out and get good big men. I'm not talking about 6'9 skinny guys like Ousmane who will take 2 years to even be mildly effective, I'm talking about big men who can come in and make an immediate impact and be able to take over a game from the post. Our recruting for the next two years has been solid, but we aren't bringing in a big man who will be able to dominate the paint.

5. To say that we need Lazar to develop quickly is an understatement. College basketball is built for 6'7 guys who can play the 3spot and create their own shot either driving to the hoop or shooting from the outside. Lazar needs to become the kind of player that Alando Tucker is.

6. Is it safe to say we need another shooter somewhat similar to Novak? I'm not saying you're going to bring in a kid like Steve every single year, that's not possible. But it is critical to have at least one guy on the team who is a reliable three point shooter and even more importantly an automatic free throw shooter.

7. The good news about DJ is that he is shooting himself right out of being a lottery pick. No NBA franchise will gamble on a 5'10 PG who can't hit water if he fell out of a boat. That being said, he needs to get his head out of his arse and stop reading press clippings and focus on one thing: winning. You're not a great point guard if you can't shoot and you can't carry your team to a win.

Anyway, this team has a LOT of holes and we have really been exposed so far in the non-conference. Agree? Disagree?

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

Absolutely, 100 percent dead-on accurate! I agree with everything you said. Unfortunately, we'll probably never see a shooter like Novak. It's too bad that Mortensen didn't work out. He looked like he could shoot the basketball.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the weakness of the Big East will benefit us this year.

[4everwarriors]

we're working to get better, and we will. This team is a work in progress. I'll never be caught short without guards again. The crowd was unbelievable  tonight. Yada, yada, yada.

[Warriors Forever]

Please ignore the troll.

[bma725]

Lazar isn't half the athlete Tucker is, he has no chance of turning into that kind of player.

[NYWarrior]

Lazar isn't half the athlete Tucker is, he has no chance of turning into that kind of player.

correct but I think LH will be a very good college player....i think the 'great shooter' moniker is jive -- but he's a much better rebounder (esp on the offensive glass) than anticipated,  and seems to have a knack for the ball in traffic.  Sure wish he could shoot well though

[MU71]

Lazar will be a fine shooter.  If you watched much college basketball, most really good shooters (except Novak) don't become consistent until their junior or senior years.  Lazar has a nice stroke with real nice form and I think he will be a fine outside shooter.  This year he'll find his stroke later and you'll see a few big shooting games but not consistency.  He'll never have enough quickness to be Tucker but he will be a scorer.

[IAmMarquette]

Time and again we let Tucker drive it to the basket for an uncontested lay-up. Remember, he wasn't hitting fade-aways that were simply unstoppable....he was driving it right through us.

If you remember, near the end of the game, each time MU would cut the lead to 3-4, Tucker would make some spinning, off-balance, step-back, one-handed fade-away to stop the rally. Granted, there were a number of times when he did drive right through the D for uncontested layups/dunks, during crunch time he really made some plays.

Aside from that, I do agree with most of your post. If this team can find its shooting stroke, by which I mean manage to shoot at least 40%, I think 10-11 BE wins is quite realistic.

Welcome to the board!

[rocky_warrior]

If you remember, near the end of the game, each time MU would cut the lead to 3-4, Tucker would make some spinning, off-balance, step-back, one-handed fade-away to stop the rally.

Yup, I haven't watched the game again (ugh), but Tucker did make a number of circus shots that really doomed us.  Yes, there were easy ones too - but there was some good D being played on 3 or 4 shots, he hurled his body and the ball in the air, and it went through.  What can you do...

[MUHoopsfan6]

TC has stated after a few games this season that we have to play the whole game.  I think that's what really hurt us.  DJ and McNeal combined for 4 points in the first half and 32 at the end of the game, those guys need to bring it right away in the first half, and not wait till 5 minutes into the second half.  Wes had the opposite problem he was great early but faded in the second half.  I also thought that TC didn't do enough to slow down Tucker, Chris Grim style.  I really thought that Trend Blackledge on Tucker would have been a great matchup for us.

[WashDCWarrior]

I really thought that Trend Blackledge on Tucker would have been a great matchup for us.

I would have loved to see that.  Even a 2 minute experiment would have been interesting.  What did we have to lose?  No one else was containing him.

[augoman]

Lazar isn't half the athlete Tucker is, he has no chance of turning into that kind of player.

You seem to forget; 'orlando tucker and dawn' is a SIXTH year player, butch is a fifth, and most of core players are quite 'mature'.  let's give lazar 5 more years to develope and then make comparisons.

[bma725]

Lazar isn't half the athlete Tucker is, he has no chance of turning into that kind of player.

You seem to forget; 'orlando tucker and dawn' is a SIXTH year player, butch is a fifth, and most of core players are quite 'mature'.  let's give lazar 5 more years to develope and then make comparisons.

Its not a question of age.  I think Lazar can be a good to great player, but he will never be like Tucker because he doesn't have the athletic ability.  Watch Tucker more closely and you'll see what an amazing athlete he really is.  Lazar isn't that kind of athlete, and thats not something 5 more years is going to develop. 

Also, Tucker isn't that much older than Hayward.  Remember Lazar spent 6 years in high school and is actually older Jerel McNeal.  Tucker is only 2.5 years older than Hayward despite his extra time in Madison.

[Big Papi]

Hi guys, new to the board. Huge Marquette fan and just wanted to share a few of my thoughts so far...

4. This program will never reach elite status unless we go out and get good big men. I'm not talking about 6'9 skinny guys like Ousmane who will take 2 years to even be mildly effective, I'm talking about big men who can come in and make an immediate impact and be able to take over a game from the post. Our recruting for the next two years has been solid, but we aren't bringing in a big man who will be able to dominate the paint.

THere is nothing wrong with getting guys like Barro to commit to MU.  Most studs will stick around 1 maybe 2 years and probably not have us in their top 10.  The problem we have had is that we don't have more Barro like players.  Players that will progress over a full four years.  We really need one every year so that the cupboard is full every year instead of waiting 2 to 4 years for one to develop.  I think we are getting close.  I have to believe that Burke will develop and be more than adequate when Barro leaves and than we get Trevor next year under both Barro and Burke.  We just really can't afford to have a lot of transfers from here on out.

[Mayor McCheese]

I know the last few weeks have looked bleak for Marquette, however last year we struggled out of the gates (losing to Winthrop and Nebraska) and then blowing out UCONN and winning 10 in conference, something that NO ONE expected last year.  So Ill hold my judgements of what this team can and can't do.  We have seen highs (Duke) and lows (NDSU and Wisconsin), however, both games we didn't get blown out, if(would like to say when) the buckets start hitting, both games would be a win, and instead of talking about maybe making the tourny and how many games we will win, we would be talking about how many we will lose.  The Big East hasn't looked that dominating this year, Pitt just almost lost to Buffalo, and the way college basketball is now, any team can beat any team on any given night.  With that said, lets go out and beat Maryland-Baltimore County (the only reason why I know this team is because in College Hoops 2k4, the one with TJ Ford on the cover, this is one of the junk teams you could start with) by 20 or so, and change our moods 

[bheitz]

Hi guys, new to the board. Huge Marquette fan and just wanted to share a few of my thoughts so far...


1. This is a team that will struggle to win 8 games in the Big East. With the exception of South Florida and Providence (which are certainly not gimmes to be sure) what games will we win on the road? Probably none. In addition, in all likelihood we lose a game or two at home. That will be the equivalent of an 8-8 season in the Big East and a 21-10 record going into the Big East Tourney. Win a game there and we're probably in the NCAA. Lose first round, and we're a typical bubble team praying for one of the last few spots. With the amount of success the mid-majors have had this year, we could be in the hurt locker.

First, welcome to the board.  Just to throw in my 2 cents...

1.  I'm hoping we can steal a couple of road wins in addition to the wins we are supposed to get.  Repeating last year's conference record will require that and will be tough to accomplish even in a "down/rebuilding" year for the BE.  Quite possible, but tough.

2. This team lacks toughness and leadership. Toughness is being able to lock down and get a stop against Wisconsin when you absolutely need one. Time and again we let Tucker drive it to the basket for an uncontested lay-up. Remember, he wasn't hitting fade-aways that were simply unstoppable....he was driving it right through us. Tough teams find a way to beat NDSU in the championship game of their own tournament...at home.

3. Why aren't we tough? We don't have leadership. We lack a go-to-guy who is willing to step up and take ownership of the team...we're trying to lead by committee and it simply won't work. James is too much of an arrogant prima dona to be the type of leader that this team needs. Also, Crean is an excellent marketer and CEO of the program, but when it comes down to instilling toughness and an attitude I think he falls short.

2 and 3.  I don't know how to judge toughness unless you mean it in the context of Pitt from last year or the Cincy teams from the past.  In that case, yes, we aren't even close.  I will say that our intensity or energy level isn't where it needs to be.  At least it wasn't on Saturday.

The DJ prima dona comment bothers me.  I'm not agreeing or disagreeing.  I guess you raise an issue that I'm hoping isn't the case.  It would be disappointing to say the least.

I will agree with TC comment, and would even add x's and o's to the falls short list.

4. This program will never reach elite status unless we go out and get good big men. I'm not talking about 6'9 skinny guys like Ousmane who will take 2 years to even be mildly effective, I'm talking about big men who can come in and make an immediate impact and be able to take over a game from the post. Our recruting for the next two years has been solid, but we aren't bringing in a big man who will be able to dominate the paint.

4.  Whip meet dead horse.  Over the past 2 years or so, I'm not sure who we missed out on that would be able to come in and dominate in the paint.  Getting big men is easy to say, but really, how many quality bigs are there?  No doubt it would be great to have one though.

5. To say that we need Lazar to develop quickly is an understatement. College basketball is built for 6'7 guys who can play the 3spot and create their own shot either driving to the hoop or shooting from the outside. Lazar needs to become the kind of player that Alando Tucker is.

5.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed on Lazar.  I like alot of what I've seen.  The outside shooting has been disappointing while the inside game and rebounding have been beyond expectations.  I'm willing to give him more time.

6. Is it safe to say we need another shooter somewhat similar to Novak? I'm not saying you're going to bring in a kid like Steve every single year, that's not possible. But it is critical to have at least one guy on the team who is a reliable three point shooter and even more importantly an automatic free throw shooter.

6.  Paging Scott Christopherson?   

7. The good news about DJ is that he is shooting himself right out of being a lottery pick. No NBA franchise will gamble on a 5'10 PG who can't hit water if he fell out of a boat. That being said, he needs to get his head out of his arse and stop reading press clippings and focus on one thing: winning. You're not a great point guard if you can't shoot and you can't carry your team to a win.

7.  The whole DJ situation is what bothers me the most.  By situation I mean DJ playing the 2 -- especially starting the game (and I'm not just talking the UW game).  MU71 has brought up the issue about not playing a top point guard at PG and also by playing him at the 2 weakening 2 positions.  I couldn't agree more.  I'm completely perplexed by this.  It just might be time to make the run up some Monday night for TC's show.