"My rule was I wouldn't recruit a kid if he had grass in front of his house.
That's not my world. My world was a cracked sidewalk." —Al McGuire

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Looking at the Transfer List

Last year Marquette added Trent Lockett, who proved to be the Leatherman of basketball, chipping in a little bit in every aspect of the game. Lockett was a big addition, especially after losing do-it-all Jae Crowder to the NBA. With Jake Thomas, Jamal Ferguson, Juan Anderson, and Vander Blue all leaving Marquette, Buzz Williams finds himself with two open scholarships rather than the expected one-too-many. It seems Marquette may need a guy who is immediately eligible as all three guys leaving projected to play the 2/3 positions at MU. Here are the 5 most intriguing immediately eligible players:

1) Antonio Barton: When looking at Memphis transfers that can play next year, Barton won't be the first name most Marquette fans think of. But in terms of need, Barton fits more of a hole than #3 on this list. He is an excellent shooter from range and would fill an immediate need of providing minutes at the 1-2 positions. Also the brother of former Marquette target and current NBA player Will Barton.
2) Josh Davis: Davis is a beastly power forward that averaged a double-double at Tulane last year. While Marquette has a lot of talent in the front court Davis would allow Jamil and Taylor to play down a position. He has also shown some ability to shoot the three and has the frame to play on the wing. He would allow for some very big lineups at the BC.
3) Tarik Black: Like Davis, former Marquette recruit Black would allow guys to play down a position, but unlike Davis it's highly unlikely Black would be able to rotate out to the wing. Black would be a solid pickup, but would create more of a logjam at the 4/5 positions where MU already has Otule, Gardner, and McKay.
4) Jerron Granberry: He missed his senior season and elected to transfer instead of staying at UNF. The question would be can he contribute at the high-major level? Granberry is an efficient scorer, shoots the three well, rebounds, and makes his free throws. He might be worth a look.
5) Sheldon McClellan: Okay, I lied...McClellan isn't immediately available, but he is the most legitimate star available. The 6'4" Texas native can put up a lot of points, draws fouls, is reliable at the line, and can hit the three though isn't great from distance. Sound like someone we know? He would be well worth having on scholarship for 3 years in order to have a proven high-major player for two years after the 2013-14 season is done.

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