Recruits: Big East 2nd best path to NBA, and MU 2nd best NBA path in BE

With the guaranteed 2-year contracts going to 1st round picks Wesley Johnson, Greg Monroe, Dominique Jones and our own Lazar Hayward, the Big East has 69 players coaching or playing the NBA, more than any other conference except the ACC (74).

What is truly amazing is that if Hamady N'Diaye of Rutgers makes the Wizards then all 16 Big East teams will have former players in the NBA (despite all having fewer tams, no other conference has every team represented in the NBA).

Not only does the Big East have the 2nd most players in the NBA, but among Big East schools, Marquette ranks 2nd at getting players to the NBA. Here is the complete list:

1st) Connecticut 12 - Allen, Ray (G-Boston), Thabeet, Hasheem (C-Memphis), Okafor, Emeka (C-New Orleans), Boone, Josh (C-New Jersey), Villanueva, Charlie (F-Detroit), Gay, Rudy (SF-Memphis), Hamilton, Richard (G/F-Detroit), Butler, Caron (SG-Dallas), Gordon, Ben (G-Detroit), Williams, Marcus (PG-Memphis), Ollie, Kevin (PG-Oklahoma City), Price, A. J. (PG-Indiana). Trying out (2nd round, 10-day or end-of-season contacts, etc.); Robinson, Stanley (SF-Orlando).

2nd) Marquette 8 - Doc Rivers (Coach-Boston), Wesley Matthews (G-Utah), Jim Boylan (Assistant-Milwaukee), Maurice Lucas (Assistant-Portland), Novak, Steve (F-LA Clippers), Hayward, Lazar (SF-Minnesota), Wade, Dwyane (SG-Miami), Diener, Travis (PG-Portland).

3rd) Notre Dame 7 - Monty Williams (Coach-New Orleans), Adrian Dantley (Assistant-Denver), Bill Laimbeer (Assistant-Minnesota), John Shumate (Assistant-Phoenix), Murphy, Troy (PF-Indiana), Carroll, Matt (SG-Dallas), Quinn, Chris (PG-New Jersey). Trying out (2nd round, 10-day or end-of-season contacts, etc.); Kurz, Rob (F-Chicago), Harangody, Luke (F-Boston).

4th) Syracuse 7 - Frank Hamblen (Assistant-LA Lakers), Thomas, Etan (C-Oklahoma City), Warrick, Hakim (PF-Chicago), Greene, Donté (SF-Sacramento), Anthony, Carmelo (SF-Denver), Johnson, Wesley (SF-Minnesota), Flynn, Jonny (PG-Minnesota). Trying out (2nd round, 10-day or end-of-season contacts, etc.); Rautins, Andy (G-New York).

5th) Villanova 6 - Alvin Williams (Assistant-Toronto), Allen, Malik (PF-Denver), Cunningham, Dante (PF-Portland), Thomas, Tim (F-Dallas), Foye, Randy (G-Washington), Lowry, Kyle (PG-Houston).

6th) DePaul 5 - Tyrone Corbin (Assistant-Utah), Hunter, Steven (C-Memphis), Simmons, Bobby (SF-New Jersey), Richardson, Quentin (SF-Miami), Chandler, Wilson (G/F-New York).

7th) Georgetown 5 - Patrick Ewing (Assistant-Orlando), Hibbert, Roy (C-Indiana), Monroe, Greg (F/C-Detroit), Green, Jeff (PF-Oklahoma City), Summers, DaJuan (F-Detroit).

8th) Pittsburgh 4 - Tim Grgurich (Assistant-Denver), Gray, Aaron (C-New Orleans), Blair, DeJuan (F/C-San Antonio), Young, Sam (SF-Memphis).

9th) Louisville 3 - Clark, Earl (F-Phoenix), Williams, Terrence (SF-New Jersey), García, Francisco (SG-Sacramento).

10th) Seton Hall 3 - Adrian Griffin (Assistant-Milwaukee), Mark Bryant (Assistant-Oklahoma City), Dalembert, Samuel (C-Sacramento).

11th) South Florida 3 - Jones, Solomon (C-Indiana), Jones, Dominique (SG-Dallas), Atkins, Chucky (G-Detroit).

12th) Cincinnati 2 - Maxiell, Jason (F/C-Detroit), Martin, Kenyon (PF-Denver). Possible addition Stephenson, Lance (SG-Indiana).

13th) St. John's 2 - Robert Werdann (Assistant-New Orleans), Artest, Ron (SF-LA Lakers).

14th) Providence 1 - Gomes, Ryan (SF-Portland).

15th) West Virginia 1 - Alexander, Joe (SF-Chicago). Trying out (2nd round, 10-day or end-of-season contacts, etc.); Butler, Da'Sean (SF-Miami) and Ebanks, Devin (SF-LA Lakers).

16th) Rutgers 0 – None. Trying out (2nd round, 10-day or end-of-season contacts, etc.); N'Diaye, Hamady (C-Washington).

The players listed are among the 593 players who are currently on an NBA roster, AND are also; 1, a head coach; 2, an assistant coach; 3, a 1st round pick with a guaranteed 2-year contract; or 4, a returning player who earned at least $100,000 last year in the NBA. Any player who earned less than $100,000 last year is typically someone who was just picked up on a 10-day or end of season contract, which is why they are listed with 2nd round players who often don’t make rosters under “trying out.” Of course there are other players like Jerel McNeal getting a good look from Charlotte who are “trying out” but not listed.

MU > Wisconsin and Big East > Big 10

The good news for recruiting in state is that Marquette’s 8 former players top the 2 for Wisconsin, and the Big East easily tops the Big 10 by a 69 to 42 margin.

Here is the list for Wisconsin and the conference-by-conference ranking:

Wisconsin 2 - Harris, Devin (PG-New Jersey), Finley, Michael (SG/SF-Boston). Trying out (2nd round, 10-day or end-of-season contacts, etc.); Stiemsma, Greg (C-Minnesota) and Butch, Brian (C-Denver).

Top Conferences (top 2 teams in each conference)
1. ACC (74) – UNC 22, Duke 17
2. Big East (69) – UConn 12, Marquette 8
3. Pac 10 (60) – UCLA 16, Arizona 11
4. SEC (53) – Kentucky 16, Florida 10
5. Big 12 (44) – Kansas 12, Texas 10
6. Big 10 (42) – Ohio State 10, Michigan State and Indiana tied 6
7. Atlantic 10 (20) – Xavier 5, St. Joe’s 3
8. Mountain West (14) – UNLV 7, New Mexico 2
9. WAC (10) – Fresno State 3, Nevada 3
10. Conference USA (10) – Memphis 5, Marshall 2 AND West Coast Conference (10) – Gonzaga 3, Santa Clara 2

LAZAR! 7th first round pick means MU only school with 4 NBA seniors since 2005

I was on a three hour drive through rural Alabama wearing a Lazar Hayward jersey last night when I heard the crackling voice from Cincinnati’s ESPN affiliate say the word “Lazar” and I knew Marquette’s leader had defied all odds to become the 7th player in MU history to be selected in the 1st round.

That announcement guaranteed $850,800 for the upcoming season and $914,600 for the following season. After four years of unselfish play that included playing out of position for the good of the team and willing MU to the NCAA after the Three Amigos left, no one could have deserved it more.

His guaranteed contract as a first round pick means that he will join Travis Diener (2005), Steve Novak (2006) and Wesley Matthews (2009) as the 4th player since 2005 to play all four years at Marquette and then go straight to the NBA. In an era of one-and-dones, Marquette is the only school that can make that claim.

Seniors to go to NBA since 2005

FOUR SENIORS (1 school): Marquette (Travis Diener 2005, Steve Novak 2006, Wesley Matthews 2009 and Lazar Hayward 2010.)

THREE SENIORS (4 schools): Arizona (Channing Frye, Salim Stoudamire, Hassan Adams), Duke (Shelden Williams, JJ Redick, Daniel Ewing), UNC (Tyler Hansbrough, Danny Green, David Noel) and Washington (Brandon Roy, Jon Brockman, Quincy Pondexter).

TWO SENIORS (14 schools): Boston College, Florida, Florida St., Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan State, New Mexico, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, UCLA, UConn and Villanova.

ONE SENIOR: 32 schools

ZERO SENIORS: 296 schools

As for the history books, The list of “First Round Pro Picks” for Marquette on page 262 of ESPN’s Basketball Encyclopedia will have to be expanded to seven: Dean Meminger (1971 New York), Jim Chones (1972, New York ABA), Maurice Lucas (1974 Chicago), Bo Ellis (1977 Washington), Butch Lee (1978 Atlanta), Dwyane Wade (2003 Miami) and Lazar Hayward (2010 Washington).

After being listed as a possible late 2nd round pick or undrafted by ESPN and most mock draft services, Lazar Hayward’s four years of hard work was rewarded when he became the 7th Marquette player ever selected in the first round. The closest prediction came from www.nbadraft.net, which moved Lazar up to the 6th pick of the 2nd round the day of the draft, but even that was not high enough.

Three months after being snubbed for All-Big East honors, Lazar at least 12 spots ahead three of the 1st team selections in Da’Sean Butler (42nd pick), Luke Harangody (52nd pick) and Scottie Reynolds (undrafted). I hope all the Big East players make it, but I’m glad the NBA scouts and coaches who are hired and fired based on picking the best players got it right.

Fellow Big East players Dominque Jones, Wes Johnson and Greg Monroe joined Lazar in the first round, so will also enjoy guaranteed contracts the next couple of years.

Certainly Kentucky can take pride in being the first school ever to have five players chosen in the first round, but with four of those five players playing only one year for the Wildcats, I’ll take getting to watch Diener, Novak, Matthews, Hayward as well as McNeal and James for four years each over Calipari’s one-and-dones anytime.

NBA Draft Day: Lazar Hayward Day?

The 2010 NBA Draft is just hours away and as GoMarquette reported earlier in the week Marquette graduate Lazar Hayward has moved up the draft boards recently and stands a good chance of being picked tonight. The Buffalo News caught up with its hometown hero recently, so check that out. In the meantime, here are a few memorable clips of Lazar to pass the time until the draft begins.

Lazar posterizing a Mountaineer


Lazar in an NBA prospect profile



Lazar dominating the all-star game at the 2010 Final Four



Homer's interview with Lazar from 2009

Hayward could give MU 13th biggest NBA presence

Only 1% of Division I college basketball players make the jump to the NBA each year, so the fact that Lazar Hayward could become the 8th former Marquette player drawing an NBA paycheck next year puts MU in elite company.

Lazar has shot up to a projected 38th pick in Thursday's draft (www.nbadraft.net), and all 16 times a Marquette player has gone in the first two rounds, he has played in the NBA. In fact, Wesley Matthews was the 14th MU player NOT drafted in the first two rounds to still make the NBA, meaning Lazar could be MUs 31st NBA player, and he could join seven former MU players who were drawing an NBA paycheck last season.

As for the future, DJO emerged as a potential future NBA player when he was selected as one of the Top 15 college guards by Chris Paul’s camp, and 5-stars like Vander Blue have a pretty good record of making the NBA (Note to Vander, we are talking about the 2014 draft for you AFTER your 4-year career at Marquette):

Colleges with the most NBA players, coaches and projected 2010 draft picks
1 UNC 23
2 Duke 18
3 UCLA 17
4 Kentucky 16
5 UConn 13
6 Kansas 13
7 Arizona 12
8 Texas 11
9 Ohio State 11
10 Florida 10
11 Georgia Tech 10
12 Notre Dame 9
13 Marquette 8
14 Alabama 8
15 Oklahoma 8
16 LSU 7
17 Memphis 7
18 Wake Forest 7
19 Syracuse 7
20 Southern California 7

Ed Davis’ projected 10th pick gives the Tar Heels 23 former players, while Jon Scheyer's rather shaky projection as the 52nd of 60 picks (14 spots behind Lazar), gives Duke 18 former players to break a tie with UCLA for 2nd.

Kentucky’s five projected picks starting with John Wall shoots them up to 4th place, while Kansas and Texas move up the list as the only other two teams with more than two projected picks this year.

Obviously, these counts won’t necessarily be the same as the actual rosters at the beginning of the next season. We could have our hearts broken like last year’s draft with Lazar not being called, Doc Rivers (or coaches Jim Boylan or Maurice Lucas for that matter) could hang it up, and Steve Novak or Travis Diener could always be cut, though Wes Matthews and Dwyane Wade look like pretty sure things to be back.

However, this is true of any of the teams listed. There are very few sure bets to be back as a player or coach. And we can still hope for McNeal or James to follow Tom Copa's steps by going oversees for a couple of years before coming back to play in the NBA.

The important thing is that when players like Vander Blue get down to their short list, they are only going to consider programs that have shown they can produce NBA players. With Buzz appearing to be able to develop players like Wes Matthews, Jimmy Butler and DJO, there are really only seven schools that can argue that they clearly offer a better chance for a player to make the NBA (Arizona, Connecticut, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, UCLA) .

Marquette is really on par with the other 13 schools on this list, and ahead of the other 327 Division I schools.

MU offers recruits the opportunity to play in front of the 10th largest crowds in the country, play for one of only 11 programs to make it to the NCAA tournament all of the last five years, and go to the only program in the country where they have this strong a chance to make the NBA AND don’t have to compete with football players for attention on campus. I mean really, why would any 4- or 5-star want to go anywhere else?

High Stakes Realignment – 94% of 4-stars chose BCS or Memphis

The Big East gives 20% to 25% of all US Television sets access to Marquette basketball games, which is crucial to those of us who don’t live in Chicago or Wisconsin. More important, it provides advertising in New York and elsewhere that the University could not afford to buy, and has helped MU land nine 4-star or better players since joining the Big East.

Yes, the stakes of the current realignment are high. Signing even a single 4-star player in a class is a rare feat if you are not in a BCS conference. Last year 83 four- or five star recruits chose either Memphis or a BCS school, leaving only St. Joe’s, Dayton, Xavier, LA-Monroe and Florida International with ONE 4-star player, and the other 278 non-BCS programs without a single 4-star player.

For the second time in six years, the Big East’s status is threatened by Conference expansion. However, the Big East came out even stronger in basketball after the ACC’s 2004 raid of Virginia Tech and Miami, and there are five scenario’s under which Marquette and Big East basketball could not only survive but come out as strong or stronger.

First, let’s acknowledge the current BCS pecking order, since only the top 4 to 6 conferences on this list will retain BCS status for football purposes:

1. Big 10 - $23 million payout
2. SEC – over $17 million, tops in football now
3. Pac10 – if they get the Texas teams, they nail down the No. 3 spot
4. ACC – would be the 4th BCS ahead of Big East unless…
5. Big East – see below
6. Mountain West Conference – Boise State and eyeing Big 12 leftovers
7. Big 12 – on brink of dissolving unless Texas keeps it together this week

Thank goodness B10 picked Nebraska over Rutgers first

As scary as this week was, the important good news is that by picking Nebraska instead of Rutgers, the Big 10 actually set a realignment in motion that – temporarily at least – made the Big East the 5th strongest BCS conference, ahead of the endangered Big 12. The Nebraska move provides five potential scenarios that keep Marquette with BCS-level status:

1. The Big 10 does not go to 16 teams. The first thing we all need to remember is that the Big 10 does not need to go to 16 teams. They remain No. 1 with only the SEC anywhere close, and going to 12 teams adds the lucrative Conference title game. The immediate impact of adding another four more teams would be for all 12 Athletic Directors to give up about $6 million per year, so the ADs are going to have to feel pretty confident in the long-term benefit of a 16-team conference to give up that kind of money while the economy stinks. If the Big 10 doesn’t go to 16 teams, then the Big East could remain largely intact to remain a 5th BCS Conference.

2. Notre Dame joins the Big East in football. I’ve rooted against Notre Dame football since they beat Bama in 1971, but if they were to choose the Big East over remaining independent or joining the ACC or Big 10, they would assure the BCS-status and I’d grudgingly be very thankful.

The first two scenarios would solve the threat without the Big East doing anything proactive, but if they don’t happen, there are still three proactive steps the Big East can take to stay one of four to six elite conferences.

3. The Big East acquires Kansas, K-State and perhaps even Missouri. Make no mistake, the Mountain West hopes to pass the Big East in the pecking order by adding K-State and Kansas to their recent acquisition of Boise State to make the case that they should take the BCS spot. TCU will fight against allowing Baylor into the conference. If the Big East were to claim the Kansas schools and any other combination of Baylor and Missouri, it can stay ahead of the MWC, make the case for BCS renewal, and create an incredible basketball conference.

4. The Big East passes a weakened, SEC-raided ACC. Right now the assumption is that if we go to four 16-team Super Conferences, then the ACC beats out the Big East for the fourth and final spot. However, just remember that the Big 12 was way ahead of the Big East until the potential raid by the Pac 10. Here in SEC country there is some talk of a pure Florida-Virginia grab by the SEC (Miami, Flo State, Virginia and Virginia Tech let the SEC dominate the Florida markets and add DC and Virginia’s Hampton Roads market). This would leave the ACC with five teams from the Carolinas to go along with Georgia Tech, Maryland and Boston College. While the ACC would certainly try to raid the Big East to replace those teams, it also creates the possibility that Boston College would get tired of fighting to make it to an ACC championship game attended by 7,000 fans, and come back where it belongs. If BC came back to the Big East, Maryland might consider a New York venue for their conference title after years of complaining about having to play in Carolina almost every year. Unfortunately, this scenario would become less likely if former Bama coach Gene Stallings is successful in getting Texas A&M to go to the SEC instead, because that turns their attention west instead of north to Virginia.

5. Dumped elite basketball-only schools pull off one extra High Major conference. If the first four scenarios fail and all the Big East football teams are lost, then the task is to form one basketball conference that is on par with the BCS conferences for basketball. Such a conference could compete for 4- and 5-star athletes by giving them the only major conference they could attend to be the big stars on campus rather than be overshadowed by the football players on campus. While the payouts would be much lower on a school-by-school basis, the budgets could be as strong since none of the schools would incur the huge costs of running a football program. Even assuming a worst-case scenario under which all Big East football programs left for the Big 10 and ACC, the remaining schools could combine with the Atlantic 10 and a few other elite programs to form a Conference as good as any BCS conference in basketball:


Butler, Dayton, DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Memphis, Old Dominion, Providence, Richmond, Saint Joseph's, Seton Hall, St. John's, Temple, VCU, Villanova and Xavier.

The only teams in that conference with football are Temple, which plays football only in the MAC, and Memphis, who hopefully would figure out something to do with possibly the worst Division 1 football team in the country.

In basketball, Memphis No. 55 Pomeroy ranking last year would have put them in the Top 8 of all six of the BCS conferences. In that new conference, Memphis would have ranked as the 11th best team. Under this scenario recruits could be offered a spot in the deepest basketball conference in the country, with New York and many other major markets intact, and it could be the only of the five major basketball conferences on which they could be the biggest stars on campus ahead of the football players at all BCS schools.

Crazy times – but we have hope.

Buzz Williams on The Difference Network

Great video. Sit back and enjoy these 10 minutes. Classic Buzz.

Hold on to your ass....the first domino has fallen...conference realignment begins

Well, we've all known it's coming and the first domino dropped today. Nebraska is going to the Big Ten, which is perfect since the "N" stands for knowledge and the Big Ten already had 11 schools in the fold. A marriage in heaven. One of the most boring brands of football played (at Nebraska) now goes to easily the most boring football conference in America, the Big Ten.

Most likely the destruction of the Big 12 is all but assured, with 4 to 6 schools likely to go to the Pac Ten (soon to be Pac 14 or Pac 16). But that's only where the initial fun begins, and more importantly where Marquette is is impacted greatly.

Without football, Marquette is a bystander while all the girls get invited to the dance, even the really ugly ones with bad breath and hairy arm pits. The reason is simple, no football means not wanted in conference realignment, at least from a BCS perspective.

Now, it's possible (perhaps even likely) that my view point is skewed and in Debbie Downer overdrive, but let's just play along and say it isn't. Here's what could be happening and fast.

Nebraska to the Big Ten. Are they done? Maybe, but could add 2 to 4 more (Missouri, Rutgers, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, etc)
6 Big 12 schools to the Pac Ten \ Pac 16

What does the SEC do? They sure as hell aren't going to sit on 12 schools and give up that revenue. Look for them to add 4 schools either from the Big East or the ACC (Florida State, South Florida, West Virginia, Louisville, are all candidates)

How about the ACC? Will they try to cut the SEC off at the pass and grab Syracuse, Rutgers and maybe Pitt and some other school?

Which leaves us with the Big East, the weakest of the BCS football conferences to begin with. In my eyes, this conference is dead, at least in football. It's going to lose prominent members, not gain them for football. Sure, Central Florida or Memphis might want to join, or Houston and even a Kansas or Kansas State, but that's a patch work situation.

Marquette, Villanova, St. John's, DePaul, Georgetown? What becomes of these schools? Could there be some kind of conference alliances that allow members to be in football for one conference but basketball for another? Unlikely, but wilder things have happened.

It is entirely possible if enough of the Big East football members find other homes that the Big East is relegated to a basketball only conference. At that point, you embrace that legacy and history and make it the best basketball only league you can. You add Xavier, UMass, maybe Saint Louis and Temple. Let's face it, good programs (some even very good) but not the Big East.

At the end of the day, if all this happens, then MU is going to be in a BCS-less conference which is not a good thing. As Bill Self of Kansas put it bluntly, "I'm not in panic mode yet, but I'm very concerned," Self said. "I believe that Kansas will be OK no matter what, but for us to continue to compete at the level where we've been competing, and recruit at that level, I really believe that we need to be aligned with a BCS conference."

Bill Self is right and you don't have to be in Kansas anymore to share that same line of thinking.

So grab you asses folks, because the next month plus is going to be a wild ride that could have a profound affect on Marquette University athletics and the Big East for decades to come.

Davante Gardner beats out 3- and 4-star players for Virginia All-State honors

Davante Gardner has been chosen ahead of all other state 3-star players, and even some 4-star players, to be named 1st team All-State in Virginia.

Virginia continues to be a strong basketball state, including 15 current 3-star players and 12 that are 4-star or higher. Just two years ago my alma mater of Benedictine in Richmond, Virginia produced the No. 4 recruit in the country in Ed Davis. I believe this is an excellent sign that the coaches who have watched Davante continue to improve and shed weight during his 23-ppg, 13-rpg senior campaign chose him over all of his fellow 3-star recruits and even over some 4-star recruits for the honor.

Davante is joined on the All-State front line by highly sought after 4-star juniors in Dorian Finney-Smith (who also had listed Marquette as one of many potentials for 2011) and Travis McKie (Wake Forest bound after playing in my native city of Richmond).

The 4-star players Davante beat out for the honor include the likes CJ Barksdale (out of Danville, Virginia Tech-bound). He beat out fellow 3-stars such as Dimitri Batten (going to Gtown killer Old Dominion) and Andrew White, a junior out of the Richmond area.

The fact that the coaches at least seem to think Davante has gotten better than all the other 3-star players and at least some of the 4-star players is an excellent sign, because as I’ve documented on this blog before, 3-star players usually have very little impact their freshman year in the Big East while 4-star players usually have an immediate impact worth a couple of additional wins. If the high school coaches’ evaluation of his current level is indicative of Davante really being a 4-star level 6-foot-9, 280-pound big boy inside, then this signing really could be the breakthrough big man we’ve all been waiting for since Robert Jackson went to the Final Four.

To be fair, this does not prove that Davante is now one of the top 5 players in the state. The coaches also picked a backcourt of small guards who I assume are your typical awesome high school players that are not big time college prospects in Melvin Henderson from Roanoke and Max Lenox of WT Woodson (the high school from the movie Remember the Titans).

Clearly, if the coaches were picking the best five players in the state, the back court would have been the Oak Hill backcourt of 5-star Doron Lamb (going to Kentucky) and 4-star Juwan Staten (going to Dayton). However, the coaches don’t consider these players out of the Oak Hill machine that scheduled only seven games against Virginia teams, including beating my alma mater 79-65, as they continually play for the national title.

However, between the continuing reports of great progress from Chris Otule, and this latest indication that Davante Gardner has worked himself to a 4-star level, guard play may not be the only thing that excites the Bradley Center in the future … and having a shot at Virginia talent in future years would not be a bad thing either.

Quick Links

Welcome back from Memorial Day to the NBA-version of today's links

First, Tim did a write-up of Lazar for Ballin' is a Habit. (And before anyone criticizes Tim for talking about Lazar's lateral quickness, note that it was written before the draft testing results came out). Speaking of which, check out Rosiak's blog post on how Lazar measures up. He did awesome. Not only that, but even Andy Katz is giving Lazar some love on ESPN.

As a reminder, the NBA draft is on June 24th, and we see that Lazar is showing up as a second round pick on many sites (nbadraft.net, draftexpress, collegehoops.net.

GoMarquette.com has a nice interview with Wesley Matthews. The entire interview is embedded below.

A trip through the interwebs

Good day, sports fans ..... here a few updates of note:

• Villanova By the Numbers takes a stab at analyzing the BIG EAST contenders for next season by evaluating the impact of departing players, team by team.
• While we were regrettably asleep at the switch for the latest The East Coast Bias effort---a review of the 2009-2010 season: here is part one, here is part two, here is part three, and here is part four.
  
• Marquette ranked 10th nationally in attendance last season with an average of 15,617 fans packing the Bradley Center. MU was third in the BIG EAST in average attendance (trailing Syracuse and Louisville), second among private institutions nationally (Syracuse), and first among all Jesuit institutions. MU details the news here.
• Congratulations are in order for new Marquette University graduates Lazar Hayward, David Cubillan and Maurice Acker. These young men carry on a laudable tradition with the Marquette hoops program where "61 of 63 MU players...have graduated in the last 19 years and ...each of the 34 players to complete their eligibility at Marquette since 1999-2000 season ... have gotten their degrees." Remarkable.
• Buzz Williams will host his annual BBQ next month -- info can be found here.
• Congratulations also to Lazar Hayward for being named one of the 2010 Ralph H. Metcalfe Senior Outstanding Athletes. Ralph Metcalfe -- what a great American.
• Check out this Marquette link. Besides the video, make sure you drill down into other links for cool info on drills, workout programs, and leadership thoughts.
  
• The 2010 Warrior Day Golf Outing is two months away --- please register
  

Finally, here is a cool Draft Combine Interview with Lazar

Is there anybody out there?

After holding what amounted to open auditions for a big man over the last several months, Buzz Williams found his man in 6'8" bruiser Davante Gardner. The Virginia product got the nod earlier this month after MU cycled through visits from Kevin Noreen, Gorgui Dieng, David Hahn, Steadman Short and presumably others. Welcome to the remarkably wacky world of recruiting. It says here that MU isn't done building next season's roster, so stay tuned.

Gardner talks about his decision to attend Marquette here. To make room for the latest recruit Yous Mbao left the program.

Other updates of note:

• Marquette University graduate Wesley Matthews is set to cash in as a free agent this summer. $34M anybody? Crazy money - good for him.
• Dominic James wrapped up a successful season in Turkey and spoke with the Richmond paper about his experience.
• MU signed a home and home with Vanderbilt.
  
• Also, please check out this well-written 'eulogy' on last season by Cian O'Day. Good stuff.
• Rosiak catches up with MU signee Jamail Jones.
  
• The Anonymous Eagle opines on Lazar Hayward's NBA chances.
  
• ESPNU recently covered the NBA Draft Camp in Chicago and had this segment on Lazar Hayward.

Finally, please consider sponsoring or participating in the 2010 Warrior Day Golf Outing.

MUTV interview w/Vander Blue

Catching up with Frank Zummach – before he and John Wooden turn 100

How long will we remember heartbreaking last second losses to Stanford, Missouri and Washington? How about 28,584 days?

Saturday I talked to Frank Zummach, the only living professional head coach from the 1930s and the oldest living Marquette player. We talked about Zummach making history by setting up 9 points in 59 seconds, helping to take MU near the top of college basketball as a player and assistant coach and building a professional champion as a head coach, but he still hasn’t forgotten one missed shot against John Wooden.

It’s been 28,584 days since Zummach and his Marquette teammates fell just short, 26-23 at Purdue, to John Wooden and eventual the national champion Boilermakers. When I caught up with Zummach Saturday, he still remembered the loss like it was yesterday. The humble 99-year-old started by blaming himself for the narrow loss to the eventual national champions.

“I played against Johnny Wooden, there’s a name you should remember,” Zummach told me Saturday night, in remembering the February 3, 1932 game. “He was a senior and I was a junior. I missed a gimme shot in that game that I really should have made. I always thought if I’d just made that shot we would have beaten Purdue that year. A while ago Johnny Wooden sent me an autograph since he had played against me.”

Wooden went onto his third straight All-American season and was named national player of the year (an award now named after him). Zummach was very appreciative when Marquette invited him to an on-court event several years ago, but said he unfortunately broke his hip before the event and didn’t want to take the court in a wheel chair, so he sent his son instead.

Zummach and Wooden both turning 100 years old

Wooden, who finished his career by coaching UCLA to 10 national titles in his final 12 years, will turn 100 years old on October 14. Zummach will turn 100 three months later on January 28, 2011.

It was actually a mistake in my book that led to my conversation with Zummach. He is not only the oldest living MU player, but last alphabetically of the 667 players I listed in the Ultimate Hoops Guide – Marquette University released a few years ago. Therefore, the back cover states; “Aamot to Zummach: Stats on every MU player.” However, I made a mistake on page 178. I wrote, “A solid contributor until he was benched by the loaded 1934 squad.” In piecing together the scraps of stats and info from early years, I thought Zummach had played in the 1931-32, 32-33 and 33-34 seasons. In fact, he started a year earlier, and was in law school for the 1933-34 school year, the first of six years he served as an assistant coach during the Golden Age of Marquette sports.

I ranked Zummach as one of the 200 greatest players in Marquette history (of 667 who have played), as he was a key to rescuing MU from a stretch of eight straight seasons without a winning record. To set the record straight, here is his career:

Freshman year – 1929-30 – Marquette’s 8-year skid continues before Zummach

Zummach didn’t come to Marquette with any intention of playing basketball.

“I was not recruited by Marquette. I just went to Marquette after going to Marquette High School. I always say that I only played at Marquette because they only had four players and they needed a fifth,” Zummach said Saturday. “Back then you were expected to come to school as a freshman and learn how to study. Then you could play your sophomore year. Now they can come right there and play as a freshman.”

Zummach had not had any intention of playing basketball at all, but when the team lost at Creighton on February 17, 1930, it guaranteed Marquette would fail to have a winning record for the 8th straight season and the program started to get desperate for players.

Sophomore year – 1930-31 – MU ends 11-game skid to rivals in Zummach’s debut

Bill Chandler replaced Cord Lipe as coach Zummach’s sophomore year in school.

“The Tribune ran an ad asking people to come out and try out, and I made the team. I didn’t expect to play at all,” Zummach told me, however spots started to open up. “Half of the players played football too back then, and one of them got hurt at the end of the football season to free up one spot. There was another guy from Chicago who they thought was going to be a star, but he had some trouble and was asked to leave the university, so that freed up another spot.”

Chandler liked Zummach, but he still sat the bench the first four games as MU started 3-1. Then on December 30, Wisconsin came to town.

“Back then, Wisconsin was our main rival. We could lose the rest of our games, but if we beat Wisconsin, that’s all that mattered. We had almost the same feeling about Notre Dame,” Zummach said. At the time, Notre Dame and Wisconsin had combined to beat Marquette 11 straight times, dating back to a 9-8 MU win over Wisconsin in 1923. “I sat on the bench for the first quarter against Wisconsin, but then he put me in and I played the last three quarters of the game. People don’t believe this, but I never took a shot. I was very coachable. I did whatever the coach needed done.

“Go back and check my memory, but I believe we beat Wisconsin 16-14 that game when Joe King hit a shot from downtown at the end of the game.”

Zummach’s memory is apparently perfect at the age of 99. The record books show the 16-14 win that day. Zummach had found a spot with Chandler, and would continue to contribute despite not shooting. He was part of a much improved MU team that went 11-7, and was almost much better with four losses of three points or less against Michigan State and Notre Dame.

“That first year I did whatever they wanted me to do. The rest of the guys were on scholarship, but I wasn’t. At the end of the year, I went to the athletic director and told him the rest of the guys were on scholarship, and if he didn’t get me one, then I would drop off the team and not come back to play the next year. Coach went to the Athletic Director and got him to give me a scholarship.”

Because Zummach was not scoring, he didn’t show up in the stat sheets I combed, and I didn’t even give him credit for the season in the book. However, Chandler obviously was impressed.

Junior year – 1931-32 - Stars as co-captain

Chandler not only argued for the scholarship, he made Zummach a co-captain along with Whitey Budrunas, and the two made history that season.

Zummach scored 56 points his junior year, an excellent total in an era in which there was still a jump ball after every basket, and the jump shot had yet to be invented. Zummach’s defense helped Marquette give up just 27.8 points a game that year, so he was basically a very strong defensive team player who averaged the equivalent of about 10 points a game by modern standards.

I asked Zummach about the fact that basketball purists at the time viewed the jump ball as a key part of basketball strategy, and were not happy the Pac 10 had changed the rules to the modern practice of inbounding the ball after a basket. It turns out Zummach was one of the keys to Marquette’s jump ball strategy.

Just eight days after the heartbreaking loss at Purdue, Grinnell visited Marquette on February 11, 1932, and Zummach made history. Budrunas was dominating jump balls, and Zummach took advantage.

“I once got 5 tips in a row and threw the ball to Whitley Budrunas each time” Zummach said of the 43-29 MU win. “He scored 9 points in 59 seconds. It made it into ‘Believe It Or Not.’”

Zummach had registered four assists in 59 seconds, and was only denied a fifth because Grinnell finally fouled Budrunas the fifth time. In the book I named Budrunas, who led the team with 169 points that year, as the top center of the decade. MU registered its second straight winning season at 11-8.


Senior – 1932-33 – Zummach hits double figures vs. Northwestern and MU goes 14-3

Zummach’s senior year was a breakthrough for Marquette, which went 14-3 and swept Wisconsin, and also won on the road at Notre Dame, Michigan State and Detroit, in addition to beating Indiana at home. Zummach again didn’t shoot as much, helping to set up Marquette’s first All-American Ed Mullen and incredible scorer Raymond Morstadt for many of his 163 points. However, when Chandler needed Zummach to score, he did. Zummach saved his best for his third to final game, a crucial 26-24 win against Northwestern on March 2.
“I scored five baskets to score 10 points against Northwestern. That was my best game,” he said.

After going through eight straight losing seasons before Zummach took the court, MU had three straight wins during Zummach’s time on the court, including one of the best years in MU history his senior year.

As assistant coach, just misses first national tourney

Zummach went onto law school for the 1933-34 school year. Three years after Chandler had to fight to get Zummach a scholarship, he made him the first paid assistant at MU.

Because Chandler convinced him to stay on as an assistant coach while attending law school for the 1933-34 school year, I mistakenly thought he was still playing but had been moved to the bench with almost everyone else back to lead the team to another 15-4 mark.

After a couple of rebuilding years, Chandler and Zummach coached MUs second All-American Dave Quabius to the verge of making the first NIT national championship in 1939. In those first tournaments, a bid would have made MU an Elite 8 team.

Zummach therefore played or coached all but the first year of the 1930s decade, MUs third best decade (63% winning percentage) behind only the 1970s and the 2000s.

Head coach of charter member of NBA

Despite his law practice, Zummach then jumped to take over the professional Sheboygan Red Skins. The Red Skins were part of the National Basketball League (NBL), one of two professional leagues (along with the Basketball Association of America) that would merge to form the NBA in 1949. Zummach is the only living head coach from the 1930s.

Like at Marquette, Zummach stepped into a team that was struggling (11-17 record the year before he took over). However, he made them a consistent winner during all of his seasons and laid the groundwork to bring the NBL title to Sheboygan, where he still lives.

Zummach coached the Red Skins to a spot opposite the Oshkosh All-Stars in the 1941 NBL finals. He formed his team around Marquette alums, including All-American Dave Quabius, Glenn R. "Sparky" Adams, George Hesik, Bill McDonald and Paul Sokody. Sandlotter Otto Kolar, from Cicero, Ill., was rated as one of the best guards in the Midwest and ran Zummach’s the Red Skins offense.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar recently mentioned Zummach as the coach who won surprising approval for black players from the Harlem Globetrotters to sleep in a hotel of an all-white city during the height of segregation in 1940 before they played his Sheboygan team. With Zummach spending fulltime with the lawfirm, the Red Skins only last one year in the NBA.

“The problem we had with the NBA was with Madison Square Garden. They asked how they would find Sheboygan, and why they would play there in front of 1,200 fans when they seated 17,000,” said Zummach, who built the foundation but had to leave the team the year before they acquired Hall of Fame guard Buddy Jeannette and won the NBL championship. “For what they were paying me I couldn’t have eaten bread and butter, and the law practice was doing well.”

Matthews on pace to be one of top MU NBA scorers of all-time; 1st time 4 MU players in NBA since 1987

Despite a bad day for Milwaukee in the NBA with the Bucks being eliminated and the Jazz losing their opener against the Lakers, Wesley Matthews had another solid performance.

It’s worth noting that this year marked the first time since 1987 that four former Marquette players were in the NBA in the same year. That year it was Maurice Lucas, Doc Rivers, Jerome Whitehead and Michael Wilson, while this year of course it was Matthews joining Travis Diener, Steve Novak and Dwyane Wade.

Baring injury, Wade will become Marquette’s all-time leading scorer early next year, needing only 346 to pass the great Maurice Lucas, now a coach with the TrailBlazers. But I believe what Wade’s incredible numbers eclipse is the fact that if Matthews just keeps his current pace he would have more than 3,000 regular season points by the end of the 2013 season, which would mean in just four seasons he would have passed greats like Dean Meminger and Tony Smith to be 8th among MUs all-time NBA scorers.

Top MU grads in NBA scoring:

1, Maurice Lucas 12312; 2, Dwyane Wade 11967; 3, Don Kojis 9931; 4, Glen (Doc) Rivers 9418; 5, George Thompson 8128; 6 Jim Chones 7663; 7, Jerome Whitehead 4531; (Matthews would top 3000 by 2013 at his current pace); 8, Dean Meminger 2538; 9, Larry McNeil 2525; 10, Earl Tatum 2515.

11, Tony Smith 2514; 12 Chris Crawford 1663; 13 Lloyd Walton 1432; 14 Jim McIlvaine 1083; 15 Travis Diener 854; 16 Steve Novak 791; 17 Alfred (Butch) Lee 778; 18 Wesley Matthews 769; 19 Maurice (Bo) Ellis 605; 20 Bob Lackey 412.

With the fierce competition from overseas as well as 347 Division I teams and Division II powerhouses, only 19 teams have more players on NBA rosters than Marquette. The fact is that it is such a tiny percentage of players that make an NBA roster, that having two producing at the level of Matthews and Wade this year is fantastic for the program. Marquette’s NBA presence is even stronger when you add coaches, as Jim Boylan (Bucks), Maurice Lucas (Trailblazers) and of course Doc Rivers (Celtics) give MU seven players or coaches, more than all but 12 other colleges (Arizona, Connecticut, Duke, Florida, Georgia Tech, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Texas and UCLA).

Importance for Recruiting

Obviously the importance of MUs strong NBA presence cannot be overstated, as 4- and 5-star players want to know that the school they choose has a history of producing NBA players. It’s unlikely we catch the rest of the class without Doc Rivers and Dwyane Wade being ambassadors for the school, and certainly Matthews is continuing to make the case.

The six NBA factories – UConn, Duke, UNC and UCLA are the only four schools with 12 players on NBA rosters, and Kentucky and Kansas are about to rejoin that distinction – are going to get the first looks from the 5-stars, but Marquette is carving out a nitch in that next bigger tier of potential destinations.

Historical perspective

I also continue to maintain that a player proving he can make it on the next level is often a vindication of how great a player he was at MU, even if it doesn’t come out completely in his stats while at Marquette. Doc Rivers stats weren’t phenomenal at MU as defenses sagged and stalled without a shot clock rather than challenge him. Tony Smith’s stats were not great until his senior year, and his best record was 15-14 because he was doing it by himself. Matthews was an incredibly unselfish player who stepped aside for DJ while he was dominating, and often for Jerel during his All-American campaign, and continued to simply box out opposing big men so that other players could grab the rebound stats.

When I update my rankings of all-time MU greats after each season, I believe I am correct to include a small factor for what they are doing in the NBA, as a true indication of how great a player they were at MU even if they chose to be unselfish until the team needed them to be the scorer.

As for MUs all-time mark in the NBA, it happened during both the 1979 and 1980 seasons in the wake of the National Championship. Both of those seasons, there were eight Marquette players on NBA rosters. They included Jim Chones, Bo Ellis, Butch Lee, Maurice Lucas, Earl Tatum, Lloyd Walton and Jerome Whitehead both years. In 1979, Larry McNeill finished his last season to make it eight players, and in 1980, Bernard Toone tooks his place as the 8th player.

MUTV catches up with DJO and Chris Otule

The guys at MUTV Sports are keeping the Marquette hoops content flowing right through the close of the academic year. This week Todd Warner and Brad Galli catch up with Darius Johnson-Odom and Chris Otule -- good stuff.

DJO


Otule

2010 Warrior Day Golf Outing is coming up

Folks don't forget to mark your calendars for the 2010 Warrior Day Golf Outing on Monday, July 26. Hosted by Bo Ellis and his family, proceeds from the event will support the American Liver Foundation (ALF) and endow The Nicole Ellis Scholarship Fund at Marquette University. To register please visit The Nicole Ellis Foundation web site.

This year's event will be held at the the Hawks View Golf Club in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. As you'd expect the outing will bring out many all-time Warriors greats as well as lunch, dinner and prizes. Here are some highlights from last year's event

Wish list for additional BE teams if anyone is raided

While we are in a holding pattern waiting to see if Buzz signs Dieng or Noreen, stays with the current roster, or signs someone else, Joe Paterno this weekend once again called for the Big 10 to move quicker to expand. If they do manage to get some combination of Pitt, Rutgers, Syracuse, UConn and Notre Dame, the SEC is expected to raid the ACC and the dominoes will start falling.

It will be hard to stop either conference, since at a reported $22 million (Big 10) and $17 million (SEC after new CBS deal), either conference could probably go all the way to 16 teams if they want, and the Pac10 has a pretty free shot at Utah, Boise State and Colorado, and might even play for Texas schools. That would leave the Big 12, Big East and ACC weighing options.

I hope the Big East stays intact with the Big 10 just grabbing one Big East school and going west for the rest (they really don’t care about college football in New York), but if the conference is raided, the following is my first stab at a wish list of potential replacement teams.

My criteria is footprint (believe we need to be in Florida and the Northeast), if the basketball could realistically get up to the level of Big East play, and if the school has a football program that could help offset any football teams that left to maintain the BCS status. I have no idea which of these are realistic, so shoot holes in it, but here we go. I list current conference, basketball ranking among 347 schools and football ranking among 120 schools:

1 Boston College, currently in the ACC, ranked 62nd in basketball by Pomeroy, ranked 43rd in football by CBS – First on my wish list would be getting BC back. They can’t be happy traveling to empty ACC football title games instead of playing their northeast rivals.

2 Maryland ACC 11 106 - If Big 10 raids the Big East, it’s pretty clear the SEC will raid the ACC going after Clemson, Georgia Tech and Florida State, at which point we might have a shot at getting both BC and Maryland from a weakened ACC.

3 Temple A10 22 60 – Football is really improving, and certainly the basketball is always there if Nova doesn’t object to another Philly school.

4 Marshall CUSA 81 65 – same as Temple, good fit if WVa doesn’t mind.

5 Butler Horz 12 no football – Butler, Xavier and Dayton offer no football, but could help keep the Big East as the top hoops conference if we lose a few others.

6 Xavier A10 14 no football

7 Dayton A10 26 no football

8 Central Florida CUSA 167 61 – if the SEC grabs Florida State and even Miami, the theory is the ACC will push hard for South Florida. I believe Central Florida could excel in basketball as quickly as they have in football with the huge growth and funding behind all the Florida schools, which is why I list a couple of other state schools further down.

9 Ohio MAC 93 54 – maybe I’m overreacting to one upset win over Gtown, but with a football team that led Ohio State in the 4th quarter a couple of years ago, that might be a play.

10 Memphis CUSA 55 112 – starting to stretch the geography a little, but if we did start to look at 20 teams the hoops is obviously there and a BCS affiliation would help them keep some of the incredible local football talent.

11 Buffalo MAC 164 87 – they played UConn tough in hoops, and the football is just one year removed from a conference title.

12 Houston CUSA 89 39 – I know we are really stretching geography here and the Big 12 would probably grab them if the Pac10 and/or ACC raid them, but if we got Memphis we may want to recreate a division of our former CUSA foes.

13 Central Michigan MAC 193 20 – admittedly purely a football play.

14 Western Michigan MAC 143 93 – if we brought in Central Michigan, Western does have a little big of basketball history.

15 Florida Atlantic SB 208 95

16 Florida International SB 291 108

17 Bradley MVC 114 no football

18 St. Louis A10 94 no football

19 UAB CUSA 64 88

20 Navy Pat 288 25 – if another David Robinson were to ever show up, Navy’s resurgent football would be a nice fit, but I just can’t see them getting remotely respectable in basketball.

As I said, hopefully the Big East stays in place and the Big 10 grabs Rutgers, Nebraska and Missouri, but if not, this is my wish list for consideration.

Playboy: MU #1 Catholic Party School

As if recruits needed another reason to select Marquette, Playboy named the institution as the nation's #1 Catholic party school.

This should help recruiting. Think about it .. Buzz will be telling some mom how great a Jesuit education is, how valuable a MU degree is, then mom leaves to get lemonade, boom. #1 party school, Playboy edition.




Oh, that quote 20 seconds in from a "Marquette Message Board"? "This is awesome. I'm updating my resume."

That wasn't some graduating senior, some job hunting 22 year old. It was more like a 41 year old, former Season Ticket Holder of the Game, who writes for Cracked Sidewalks. Hmm .. who could that be?

If my mom was alive, she would be so proud right now.


More coverage from the MU Tribune.

MU honors the 2009-2010 Warriors

Marquette hosted its annual basketball banquet last night at The Al. With more than 500 in attendance a series of awards were handed out, punctuated by Lazar Hayward being named the team's MVP for the season. Surely the highlight of the evening was this excellent video recapping highlights from last season.

No surprises as signing period opens

As expected Marquette today announced that junior college standout Jae Crowder and Philadelphia prep star D.J. Newbill signed their letters of intent with the university.

Crowder, a dead-ringer for Denver Nuggets forward Rolando Balkman, fills the program's most immediate need -- replacing Lazar Hayward. At 6'6" and 220 pounds, Crowder figures to step into the Warriors' rotation and contribute immediately. Todd Rosiak delivered a terrific feature on Crowder earlier today. The official Marquette news release can be found here.

D.J. Newbill also formally signed with MU today after verbally committing in January. The official Marquette news release can be found here. Newbill will join a talented group of freshmen guards this fall -- Vander Blue, Reggie Smith and Jamail Jones.

....Now things get interesting for Buzz Williams. By all accounts Williams and his staff are aggressively recruiting a number of talented players, one or two of whom could be on campus this fall. Among the names floating around --

• Former N.C. State commit Luke Cothron, a 6'8" forward. Cothron is thought to be a Crimson Tide lean but is considering MU along with Auburn, UConn and Tennessee.
• 6'8" Davante Gardner (Kings Fork HS, Virginia) is reportedly deciding between MU and USF.
• 6'11" Wake Forest signee Carson Desrosiers might be back on the market. The Massachusetts product signed with Wake over MU and others during the early signing period and speculation abounds that he might re-open his recruiting pending a review of the Demon Deacons' new head coach Jeff Bzdelik.
• 6'10" Gorgui Dieng will visit Marquette and Colorado. The Senegal native is also considering Louisville.
• 6'9" Reggie Murphy from Los Angeles is said to be considering TCU, Oklahoma and MU with the Horned Frogs in good position to land him.
• 6'4" guard Patrick Swilling apparently did not sign today and he was very interested in Marquette several weeks ago.
• Josh Langford, linked to Marquette after de-committing from Louisville, appears to have moved onto other suitors.
  

I'm sure there are many other kids in play for Marquette with nearly a month to go in the spring signing period. Of course, as constituted the Warriors are full-up on the scholarship front for next season so if Buzz is out recruiting, somebody is on their way out.