Media updates from around the interwebs

With only nine days remaining before Marquette Madness here are a few media updates:

Fox Sports' Jeff Goodman previews the BIG EAST in his latest effort. Goodman slots MU in as the league's 12th best team but disappointingly leaves Lazar Hayward off of his first-team All-BIG EAST pre-season squad in favor of Devin Ebanks and Greg Monroe.

In case you missed our tweet on this yesterday, Wesley Matthews started and scored 16 points for the Utah Jazz in their exhibition game against the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night. Matthews scored 11 points in the third quarter and drew high praise from Basketball Hall of Famer Jerry Sloan.

"I think he has a great body for basketball," Sloan said. "Just trying to figure out what he's doing, what we're trying to accomplish and all that stuff will take him a little time. But I like some of the things he's done."

Many thanks to the guys at the NBE Basketball Report for including Rob's stellar JUCO analysis in their league-wide update this morning. Among the notes in their update is the ESPN.com report that MU is now in the final three for Reggie Smith, a guard from Thornton High School, south of Chicago. Smith is also considering USC and UCLA with the Trojans and former MU coach Kevin O'Neill considered the leader.

BTW, here is a video with clips of Reggie Smith -- tip o'the cap to dw3dw3dw3 at MUScoop for finding this.



Don't forget to follow CrackedSidewalks on Twitter -- click here to check it out. We keep a running update of Tweets on the right nav bar too.

Also -- Al's Run needs your support.

A few more thoughts on BE JUCO players

I just wanted to follow up on a few more thoughts about JUCO players in the BE. If you missed it, check that out, or even the original Look at Top 100 Recruits.

We were remiss in posting the information regarding Marquette JUCO players. Basically, Kinsella, Blackledge, and Fulce all received Incompletes / Non-Factors. Jamil Lott technically qualified as a non-factor, but that's a little bit unfair with his ORtg (97.4) and Usage (16.9%). Lott was basically a little bit worse than average, but not egregiously bad.

As previously mentioned, Jimmy Butler was an off the charts role player, with a combination of ORtg (131) and Usage (14%). A question was raised regarding Butler. If he was that good, doesn't it then show that Buzz is better at judging talent (and we can therefore expect more from DJO/Buycks?) I agree entirely with MUScoop.com poster "The Sultan of South Wayne" who says that:

Or it could be that Butler succeeded because of his limited role. He played on a team with three seniors where he could be the "hustle guy." Come off the bench to play a little defense, get some rebounds, score some points, etc.

It will be impossible for him to retain that offensive production with more minutes and his surrounding cast gone. Furthermore, it will be hard for DJO and Buycks to attain that status with one, or both of them starting and counted on to be essentially the only scorers in the guard positions.

Butler was playing with four players that would all qualify as Studs (ORtg > 100; Usage > 20%). As a reminder, there is a clear and direct relationship between the number of possessions a player uses and how efficient they are with those possessions. Elite players can manage to maintain a high offensive rating while still using a large number of possessions. If anything, we should expect Butler to be far less efficient this season than last year. Honestly, his 08-09 offensive efficiency seems like a statistical anomaly.

Not covered in the original analysis was that there was a high percentage of JUCO players that ended up not sticking with programs after year one. (HT: bma) Of the list of 30, there were a full nine players that ended up transferring, or almost a third. This was something that clearly registered, but I wasn't sure how to include initially. When we combine the fact that almost seven out of ten juco players are non-factors on the court in their first year, or that one out of three JUCOS end up even transferring... well you can make your own inferences about the implications on program stability when it comes to JUCO players.

That said, although the issue of recruiting JUCO players boiled to the surface during the Monterele Clark saga, I don't personally have any issues right now. First, although many players get the JUCO tag, it seems particularly relevant that Fulce, Butler, and DJO are all three year players. Honestly, I consider a three year player a lot closer to a four year recruit than a true JUCO. Second, I just accept (for now) that this is an area where Buzz has a lot of recruiting connections. However, this isn't by any means a consensus opinion among other CS contributors, as others feel strongly about the number of JUCOs at Marquette.

A question has also been raised about the notion of guaranteed minutes and what impact that may have. In principle, I definitely agree that there will be plenty of minutes available for the taking. However, when one builds in the possessions already for Lazar, Acker, Cubillan, and Butler, there are not as many possessions as one might think. Using envelope math, it appears that half of DJO, Buycks, Maymon, or EWill ends up with less than 20% of possessions. (ie - a role player or non-factor). I'll try to approach this with more rigor in subsequent posts.

Finally, thanks to BMA (again), we also have the final set of data to look at for incoming players in their first year. This data is for HS / Prep school players that weren't Top 100. Once this is processed, we'll have a full set of information and can then look at broader questions, so stay tuned for more information.

PS - Donate to Al's Run!

The season approaches

....so here are a host of media reports to keep you updated on Marquette hoops:

Marquette's schedule for the upcoming season is now finalized. That BIG EAST slate is brutal -- starting off with a game at West Virginia on December 29. Rosiak has the news here.

Marquette graduate Dominic James will play the game for a living this winter after agreeing to a contract with Mersin in the Turkish basketball league. Former Tennessee All-American Chris Lofton played for Mersin last season. The "super athletic" James could suit up as soon as next week for his new team. Good luck, Dominic!

Jeff Sagarin's all-time ranking of college basketball programs is a mess and shows what can happen when you become a slave to stats. The guys at Deadspin lay into the most egregious errors while Pat Forde picks it apart as well. MU is ranked #24 all-time by Sagarin -- the highest-rated Jesuit university on the list. Looking to other Jesuit programs --- Georgetown inexplicably falls in at #42. SLU (!!!???) lands at #53, St. Joseph's at #56, Xavier at #59, Betting Central at #73, and San Francisco at #75.

Looking to recruiting, the Sports Bubbler updates the status of MU target Vander Blue. Blue is back on the market after de-committing from Wisconsin-Madison during the summer. Meanwhile the top player in New York City, JayVaughn Pinkston, has MU in his top five. Buzz is also looking at Jordair Jett from Notre Dame Prep (where Lazar Hayward laced'em up). The guys at the NBE Report like MU's chances for Blue and SF Justin Coleman from Virginia.

Finally, media day for MU is scheduled for October 14 and Marquette Madness will kick things off on October 16 at The Al.

Oh --- Al's Run....must. donate. Thanks for your support -- click here to join the effort.

Great Buzz Story..

Hat tip to Sir Larry for finding this..

On Gene Mueller's blog on 620 WTMJ he writes the following:

FEELIN' BUZZED:

What I thought was going to be a pep rally turned into a fairly incredible experience Friday night on the Marquette Campus. It's Family Weekend and my wife and I went to "Behind The Boards With Buzz": a session with basketball coach Buzz Williams. There were mascots and cheerleaders who failed to generate reciprocal energy from the lethargic gaggle of moms and dads. There was video, and player introductions, and then there was Buzz. I settled in for what I thought would be a chalk talk and perhaps even a subtle season ticket pitch.

We got nothing of the sort.

Williams spoke of his upbringing--being raised by an illiterate grandfather who gave him quarters for each half-hour he spent reading aloud. He talked of the Marquette mission: the school's, not the team's. Williams said his players are no more important to MU than our children are. And then, he gave us his cellphone number and e-mail address. He told us to call anytime we had a question or a problem--not with getting seats to a big game, but instead if we needed a hand with our kids.

Not a word about hoop. No mention of "plenty of good seats still being available".

Will I ever call the coach if my boy is bombing out in his theology class or has girl troubles? No, but something tells me that if I did, Buzz Williams would be on the other end, or at least be able to put me in touch with someone who could help.

Update: Video from the event

MUTV - MU Basketball Weekly

MUTV is doing a great job producing more and more MU basketball videos.

From the looks of it .. this might be a weekly show. Sorry Dennis Krause, these guys are going to eat your lunch.

MUTV: Erik Williams

Here's a video from MUTV:

JUCO's in the Big East

First things first... have you Donated to Al's Run yet?

UPDATED - Received some additional feedback from BMA about JUCO players
====
Reflecting back on the post on Top 100 recruits, who would have guessed that Junior Cadougan would end up as one of the recruits to get an incomplete in their first year? Tough break for the player.

Anyways, as discussed, I wanted to take a look at what the typical expectations are for JUCO's in their first year. This time, I pulled data from JucoJunction.com and ran that through the ringer. For the data, we went back to 2004-2005, because that was as far back as Pomeroy's database goes.

Quick hits

• Over this period (2004-2009), there were thirty-four JUCOs that committed to BE teams and played in the first year.
• The team with the most JUCO players was Cincinnati (nine). I know that you all find that to be very shocking.
• Number two was South Florida (seven)
• Marquette had five JUCO players... (Mike Kinsella, Joseph Fulce, Lawrence Blackledge, Jimmy Butler, Jamil Lott)

Of course, there are two JUCO players joining the team this year in Dwight Buycks and Darius Johnson-Odom. The hyperbole surrounding both of these recruits has been very high. We've seen Buycks referred to as "one of the best JUCO guards in the nation", and expectations are also high for DJO. Not only that, but Jimmy Butler was outstanding last year, raising expectations even higher.

But what does history tell us?


If you recall the post on Top 100 recruits, the distribution was fairly even between the different categories. About 25% of the players that got playing time ended up in the Stud, Role Player, Ball Hog, or Non-Factor categories. (As a reminder, the breakdown is average number of possessions (20%) vs average offensive rating (100)). However, the story is not distributed nearly as evenly over the past five years.

• Only four JUCO players ended up as Studs (offensive rating > 100 ; possessions > 20%). Four. Their names are Kentrell Gransberry, Rodney Epperson, John Williamson, and Jihad Muhammad.
• Twenty-three of the thirty-four JUCO players were non-factors, with both sub-par offensive ratings and limited possessions. That's the great big group on the bottom left. 68%, if you will.
  
• Only five of the JUCO players were even quality role players in their first year. Top of the list was actually our very own Jimmy Butler, who is the big yellow circle up way up above anyone else. Butler was off the charts good as a role player.
  

Frankly, what this limited set of information suggests is that it is rare for a first year JUCO player to be more than a complete non-factor, let alone a legitimate stud. Given that Butler was so good last year, my fear is that the expectations may be just a little bit too high for Buycks and DJO.

Al's Run .. here we go.

It's that time again. Well, actually it's past that time. Al's Run is under two weeks away, October 10th, moved back a few weeks from its usual date.


Last year was a monster success, as Marquette Basketball fans raised $4,430 for the cause. We've been raising money for four years running, setting a new record each year.

We sucked so much money out of the economy last year, raising money for Al's Run, Lehman Brothers failed.

This year? Well, we don't want to over-reach. Last year was special, with lots of big donations. Let's start with a goal of $1,977, and work our way upwards.

Cracked Sidewalks doesn't sell you stuff here, we don't even show you advertisements, we just give you pure Marquette Basketball goodness.

All we ask for is a few bucks every year, for Al's Run.

So do us a solid, and pony up a few bucks, put a little something something in the tip jar. It all goes to a great cause, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. Sure, some will pledge $25, $50 .. but imagine if all our loyal readers gave FIVE measly bucks? Bingo, that's $10k.

So, click here, whip out your credit card and pay your respects to Al, and Marquette: http://www.firstgiving.com/MarquetteFans

Odds-n-Ends

With Midnight Madness just a few weeks away here are a few items to check out:

Earlier this week MU continued its excellent coverage of the program with this conversation with freshman Erik Williams. For additional perspectives on Williams check out our interview with his high school coach, Jon Harmatuk, from earlier this year.

Just one week earlier MU posted this Q/A with sophomore Darius Johnson-Odom.

Erik Schmidt from the Marquette Tribune opines on the Dwyane Wade Effect here -- probably a good read for the incoming freshmen more than anything.

Lazar Hayward won't sneak up anybody this season, and the national press are rightly acknowledging the senior's talents. Mike DeCourcy from The Sporting News slots Lazar in as the 10th best power forward in the nation -- not bad for a guy who will play out of position once again this winter. In addition, Hayward is featured on the cover of the current issue of Basketball Times, the hook The Examiner needed to file this profile of the Golden Eagles' most dependable player.

Looking to MU's basketball alums, Strotty takes a look at the NBA possibilities for the Three Amigos here. McNeal is trying to stick with the Clippers, James with the Bucks and Matthews with the Jazz.

Pico at The East Coast Bias pulled together a virtual panel of Big East bloggers to assess the face of the Big East. Pico also assembled this interesting Cash or Clunkers discussion. Well done, Pico.

By the way don't forget to bookmark the MUScoop Wiki page for the 2009-2010 schedule. A link to the schedule also appears in the right margin.

Also, last week Buzz Williams spoke at the annual Coaches Luncheon in Chicago -- the guys at MUScoop took notes and talk it up here.

The Madness begins on October 16 -- Joe Fulce has details (and it's great to see Joe dunking and apparently healthy)

This off-season can't end soon enough

The injury-marred close to Marquette's 2008-2009 season was sure to give way to an off-season of discontent for Warrior Nation but the past several weeks can rightly be referred to as cruel and unusual punishment.

Other than receiving positive news about the eligibility of incoming freshmen Junior Cadougan and Youssoupha Mbao, Marquette has become Floyd Patterson to reality's Muhammad Ali, held up in the turnbuckle absorbing a barrage of hits and humiliation.

How bad are things for the Golden Eagles? The best news for the program in the last month and a half was the departure of 6'9" freshman Brett Roseboro and the oh-so-convenient reinstatement of the diminutive and unproductive Maurice Acker. While the news of Roseboro's departure validated months of rumors about the possibility some media reports left the impression that the 6'9" Pennsylvanian was run out of the program, at best a 'mistake' by both parties.

Acker clearly isn't a talent upgrade but he has the added benefit of freeing up an extra scholarship for a higher ceiling player in the incoming 2010 freshman class. At the very least this 'swap' reinforces negative stereotypes about what is really valued in college basketball.

More recently the Golden Eagles likely bid adieu to one of its top recruits for the incoming 2010 class when 6'10" Monterale Clark was charged in connection with a sexual assault on the campus of Hill College where he is a student. The details of the alleged sexual assault are gruesome, and while justice has yet to be meted out in the case it would be difficult to envision Clark ever suiting up for Marquette at this point.

Perhaps it's too bad Roseboro already completed his transfer to St. Bonaventure -- he can't take the convenient Acker U-Turn back onto the now depleted 2010 roster.

While Roseboro and Clark figured more heavily into Marquette's future plans, the upcoming campaign is already shaping up to be a long season. Capping off Marquette's 45 days of discontent, highly-touted point guard Junior Cadougan suffered a potential season-ending Achilles injury which is sure to sideline him for four to six months. Adding insult to injury sophomore transfer Darius Johnson-Odom injured his foot and will miss at least a month of action. Good thing Acker is back!?

There are few fates worse than early season injuries for unestablished talent in Buzz Williams' program. Last year early season injuries to freshman Chris Otule and junior college transfer Joseph Fulce stunted the development of these players, marginalizing their contributions for the entire season as the coach shortened the bench during conference play.

At this point one must presume that Cadougan will be fitted for a medical redshirt soon after the national signing period concludes. There's still hope for Johnson-Odom, who figures to be the most talented newcomer to the roster this year and, presuming an on-schedule recovery, would still have time to work his way into the backcourt rotation and take the lion's share of playing time along side Dwight Buycks.

Still, MU is not out of the woods with the current roster. While Mbao was cleared academically by the NCAA, his amateur status is still under review due to his participation on an overseas team that included a few professional players some years ago. Expect Mbao to miss a pair of games this season for each game he was on the roster of that team, compromising his development which, experience shows us, could make him a non-factor this year.

On the recruiting front, 2010 target Aaron Bowen de-committed but MU gained a better prospect when Jamail Jones cast his lot with the program. Bowen's summer performances were less than stellar and with lingering concerns over the health of his shoulder Buzz Williams was right to continue to pursue more talented options.

While Jones is in the fold, Williams has recently missed out on a host of talented kids from the 2010 class including Carson Desrosiers (verbal to Wake Forsest), J.J. Moore (eliminated MU from consideration), and Cameron Clark (verbal to OU). Additional reports indicate that top target Jay Pinkston is a Villanova lean while Doron Lamb is a pipedream.

With three scholarships presumably available who will Williams target next? The tide has to turn at some point for a program that is in desperate need of back-to-back strong recruiting classes. Wisconsin de-commit Vander Blue remains a possibility.

Good news for ...

Good news, for those of you who love loooong seasons.

It just got longer.

Todd Rosiak is reporting that Junior Cadougan ruptured his right Achilles’ tendon and will likely be out for the entire season.

With Darius Johnson-Odom also spraining a ligament in his left foot, he'll miss the next month as well.

That leaves Dwight Buycks, David Cubillan, and Maurice Acker, as the three true scholarship guards who aren't wounded.

And, don't forget Joe Fulce’s continued recovery from knee surgery, which leaves the Warriors with 9 healthy players.

Top 100 Recruits

UPDATED
I realized after this was originally posted that I tried to compare offensive efficiency for a team (points per 100 possessions) to an individual's Offensive Rating (which is a complex formula). That's a no-no. I guess it means that it's been too long since I've done real basketball analysis. guh

====
One of the things I am looking forward to most about this season is that it is completely up in the air. In a somewhat down Big EAST, Marquette could legitimately finish anywhere from 4th to 14th. I'm particularly excited to see how all of the various new players will perform this season, partially for the same reason. No one knows what to expect, especially with such a huge influx of new talent.

The question of what we expect from the new players drove me to take a look at Top 100 recruits in the Big East, and how they performed in their first year.

Thanks to the help from bma and statsheet.com, I tracked down every Top 100 recruit for the Big EAST from 2005 through last year. Because there were a number of puts and takes, this list may have some inaccuracies.

Over this four year period, there were 89 players listed as Top 100 by one recruiting service or another.

• The heavy hitters were exactly what you'd expect: Georgetown (10 players), Louisville (9), Syracuse (9), UConn (8)
• Marquette had five top 100 players. You know their names (James, McNeal, Matthews, Hayward, Mbakwe)
• In somewhat surprising information, Rutgers had six Top 100 players.
• South Florida was the only Big EAST team with zero Top 100 players
• It's important to note that ten of the players in this pool (including Mbakwe) end up as incompletes due to injuries or lack of production. I actually consider this somewhat good news, because I would have expected the percentage to be a lot higher.
  

Over this period, how did these players perform their first year on the team?

Somewhat surprisingly, the average first year player, even as a Top 100 recruit, was... average. Seriously, the average of the remaining 79 players was an offensive rating of 100.4 and a usage of 20.6%. It doesn't get much more average than that. The first point that this brings up is that even Top 100 recruits are most likely not very efficient offensive players.

In fact, 70% of the Top 100 recruits in their first year had an offensive rating of 105 or less. Here is the breakdown of all of the players.


As you can see, I've broken down the players into four quadrants of Stud, Role Player, Ball Hog, and Non-Factor. They are surprisingly consistent across categories (20 Studs, 19 Role Players, 17 Ball Hogs, and 23 Non-Factors.

• Stud - A player that has an above average offensive rating and an above average usage is a first year stud. These are players like Jerome Dyson, Greg Monroe, Samardo Samuels, DeJuan Blair, Jonny Flynn, and Scottie Reynolds. You know every single player on this list
• Role Player - A player with above average offensive rating and a below average usage. They're not the focal point, but they are efficient on the court. In their first year, role players include Jeff Adrien, Kemba Walker, Austin Freeman, Jerry Smith, Kyle McAlarney, and Levance Fields
• Ball Hog - A player that is below average offensively but above average in terms of usage. Guys in this category include Deonta Vaughn, Wilson Chandler, Chris Wright, Derrick Caracter, Mike Rosario, and Paul Harris. These guys put up points but hurt the team.
  
• Non-Factors - Below average offensively and in terms of usage. Many of these players prompted a "who?" when I saw their names. Sometimes the players just need time (like Thabeet), but often, these guys simply become role players later, like Andre McGee or Reggie Redding. Or they don't contribute at all later.
  

Again, this is a view of how Top 100 players perform in their first year. So the second point is that there is a pretty even split as to whether or not these players will be true studs, simple role players, ball hogs, or even just a non-factor on offense.

I'm sure you'll note that I didn't mention any Marquette players in the list above. How did they do in their first year?


James was a legit stud his first year, with an offensive rating of 104.9 and a usage of 27.7%. McNeal was a true ball-hog that first year, consuming almost the same amount of possessions (27.1%) with an offensive rating of 87.7. woof. Lazar and Wesley were basically average players (100.5, 99.1, respectively) with slightly above average usage (22.5% each).

The good and the bad news


Here is how last year's top five players (JB = Jimmy Butler) would have stacked up against the same list of first year players. The Big Four were all studs, with offensive ratings and usage above average. It's no surprise that players improve over time. So even if the guys joining the team next year are sub-par with their offensive ratings, they can still get a lot better. That's the good news.

I previously mentioned that 70% of top 100 recruits have an offensive rating of 105 or below. Well, Marquette had four of its top five players above an offensive rating of 105. The only one of the top five producers not above 105? James, who was right there at 104.0. Heck... even Dwight Burke would have qualified as a solid role player (ORtg 109.9, usage of 9.9%). To put it another way, Marquette was a very good offensive team last year. If you are expecting a team that looks nearly as good offensively on the court as last year's team, well... that's the bad news. Even Top 100 recruits rarely match the level of production we saw last year.

Looking at Marquette's Top 100 Recruits
(I'll look at Darius Johnson-Odom and Dwight Buycks separately)

Barring injury, Erik Williams, Junior Cadougan, and Jeronne Maymon will receive somewhere close to the average number of possessions. The number of possessions they receive will probably be the most important aspect of how they perform in their first year and there are plenty of possessions to go around.

While it's almost certain that their offensive skills will be limited, there appears to be a chance that one (or more) of them will shine as a true first year stud. However, it also appears that one (or more) of them may end up as a ball hog. Regardless, even if these highly touted recruits struggle offensively, we should expect to see them grow into more offensively efficient players in subsequent years.

MU Player Videos .. part 2

More videos from MU:

Marquette releases the 2009-2010 Schedule

Marquette released the 2009-2010 schedule today. Check out the previous link for the details, or download the full PDF to keep. Rosiak checks in with his own coverage of the schedule as well, where he focuses on how the young Warriors will need to grow up in a hurry.

Picking up on some other comments, some of the noteworthy points on the season include

• Kicking off at West Virginia. Do you think a vengeful Huggins is going to cut any slack?
• Playing mirror opponent Villanova twice in seven days.
• Marquette has exactly zero games on Big Monday.
• There are only three BE Saturday games this year.
• Game times are still being worked out.
  

With an opening stretch of @WVU, Nova, Georgetown, and @Nova, Marquette would be lucky to go 2-2, with 0-4 a very real possibility for such a young team. This could be a very long season.

---

OOC SCHEDULE
Sat. Nov. 7 MSOE Exhib.
Fri. Nov. 13 Centenary
Tue. Nov. 17 Maryland Eastern Shore
Sat. Nov. 21 Grambling
Tue. Nov. 24 South Dakota

Old Spice Classic - Orlando, Fla. (All classic games on ESPN/2/U)
Thur. Nov. 26 vs. Xavier
Fri. Nov. 27 vs. Michigan/Creighton
Sun. Nov. 29 vs. TBA

Sat. Dec. 5 NC State
Tue. Dec. 8 Milwaukee
Sat. Dec. 12 at Wisconsin - ESPN2
Sat. Dec. 19 North Florida
Sun. Dec. 27 Presbyterian

BIG EAST SCHEDULE
Tue. Dec. 29 at West Virginia
Sat. Jan. 2 Villanova ESPN2
Wed. Jan. 6 Georgetown
Sat. Jan. 9 at Villanova
Sun. Jan. 17 Providence
Wed. Jan. 20 at DePaul
Sat. Jan. 23 at Syracuse
Tue. Jan. 26 Rutgers
Sat. Jan. 30 at UConn
Wed. Feb. 3 DePaul ESPN2
Sat. Feb. 6 at Providence
Sat. Feb. 13 USF
Thu. Feb. 18 Pittsburgh ESPN
Sun. Feb. 21 at Cincinnatti
Wed. Feb. 24 at St. John’s
Sun. Feb. 28 at Seton Hall
Tue. Mar. 2 Louisville
Sat. Mar. 6 Notre Dame (SENIOR NIGHT)

Mar. 9-13 BIG EAST Conference Championship - New York, N.Y. ESPN

MU Player Videos..

MU has posted a few player interview videos:

Aaron Bowen Decommits from MU..

Todd Rosiak has reported that Aaron Bowen, a 2010-2011 commit, has backed out of Marquette and re-opened his recruitment.

Rosiak writes...

The primary reason for Bowen's change of heart, Rosebrock said, was the departure of Williams' former assistant, Dale Layer, who was hired as head coach at Liberty University on April 8.

Layer had been the point man in the 6-5 1/2, 180-pound guard's recruitment, which began last fall and ended with Bowen's commitment to MU last Nov. 20.

Discuss here ..

Bowen's Wiki page..

Rosey out, Mo returns.

In cased you missed it last week ..

Freshman forward Brett Roseboro decided to leave Marquette before the school year began. Yesterday, Roseboro was picked up off the waiver wire by St. Bonaventure.

In his place, after Mo Acker left the team in June, he has now returned. Who knew there were sabbaticals in NCAA basketball?

Can't remember the roster? Check it here.

Oh, and Happy Birthday, Coach Buzz!

Bo Ellis Golf Outing Update

Last month Bo and Candy Ellis hosted the 2nd Annual Warrior Day Golf Outing to honor the memory of their daughter Nikki. This year's event was a rousing success, highlighted by strong attendance from a number of Warrior greats at the Grand Geneva. Off the course, participants enjoyed terrific entertainment from Walter Downing's own jazz band during cocktails and dinner.

The organizing committee is already in the process of setting a date for next year's outing. In the meantime, here's a slideshow from the 2nd Annual Warrior Day Golf Outing, enjoy.

M Club Hall of Fame Videos

Video vignettes of the M Club Hall of Fame Inductions.


2002-03 MU Men's Basketball Final Four Team Induction Video


Dwyane Wade Induction Video



Bill Cords Induction Video

Wade Taping "Homecoming" in Chicago Plus other Links

Want to go see a taping of ESPN's "Homecoming" series with none other than Dwyane Wade? Well, they are taping tomorrow night in Chicago and can accommodate 600 more guests. Details are below (HT: MU Athletic Dept)



Plus, sorry about lack of posting, but here are a few other quick links

7'2" Center Youssoupha Mbao was declared eligible by the NCAA Clearinghouse. Temper this a bit, however, because he still needs his amateur status cleared as well. People are also still waiting to hear on Cadougan's eligibility as well.

In addition, Marquette secured a verbal 2010 commitment from Jamail Jones. Jones is a highly rated (Top 75) recruit that moves the team one step closer to being comprised entirely of interchangeable 6'6" players (kidding)

Speaking of Wade, he's doing a partnership with Marquette in support of the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee. What is cool is that Marquette is providing up to three full-tuition scholarships annually to winners of BCGA Youth of the Year program. I'm not exactly clear what Wade is doing as part of this partnership except "promoting it", but his name certainly helps add value.

Go to the "Homecoming" taping!

MU All-Access Media Day

MUTVSports was at Marquette's Media All-Access day and filed this video report:

Pre-Season Q&A w/Marquette's Broeker

Mike Broeker, Marquette's Deputy Director of Athletics, was kind enough to answer some questions about the 2009 program for Cracked Sidewalks. This is the second time he's addressed questions with Cracked Sidewalks in a Q&A... catch last year's version here.

Let's get to it:

Scheduling/Re-seating
Q: The pre-conference schedule didn't contain any surprises. Any commentary on this year's scheduling process?

MB: Our kids will be challenged early with the Old Spice Classic and with games against NC State, UW-Milwaukee and at Wisconsin. The rest of December allows us to focus on getting better each day as we move in to conference play. Confidence is critical for young teams.

Q: Were we close on any other Home & Homes?

This year, our focus is more on building the team than scheduling home and homes. Replacing close to 5,000 points is daunting enough a task for Coach Buzz. Next year we’ll be back in the market for home-and-homes and potentially a neutral site game. Also, we’ll get two quality neutral site games in the CBE Classic. At last check that field includes Duke, Kansas State and Gonzaga.

Looking two-years down the road we’ve signed on to participate in the 2011 Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands.

Q: How did re-seating go this year with the new online system?

It was terrific. Nearly 60-percent selected on-line and we will look to see that number grow in future years. Ticket technology is changing so fast and to benefit the consumer. We’d be foolish not to take advantage.

Marquette and the Economy
Q: To what extent has the continuing economic condition impacted expected revenues for the program in 09-10? (for example, signage / marketing rights / selling radio time / associated athletic department sponsorships)

We are really fortunate. The passion and excitement surrounding Marquette Basketball has allowed us to weather this storm. We set revenue records for giving and tickets sales (thank you fans!) and Nelligan continues delivering to budget. The value of doing business with Marquette has never been better. We are thankful.

Q: Does MU expect a revenue decline from the men's basketball program this year? If so, how will that affect non-revenue sports?

We’ve budgeted conservatively and asked all of our programs to be as prudent without compromising competitiveness. Early returns from ticket sales have been promising; a great sign but we need to continue working smart and working together.

Ticket Packages
Q: The $99 ticket package seems to be a big hit. Can you explain the thought process behind releasing this ticket package, and how successful do you think it’s been? Did the package attract new ticket holders or just allow the more price sensitive customer the ability to retain tickets? Ballpark, how many tickets were sold to brand new ticket holders?

We spent a lot of time talking about the economy and whether or not enough diversity existed in our ticket offerings. Our goal is to drive full-season ticket sales. This option has allowed a small number of existing season ticket holders a place to keep their basketball tickets, while at the same time becoming an extremely popular option for younger alums and fans seeking the full Marquette experience. We are very conscious of revenue around men’s basketball. We approach any new concept or idea with great caution because of its larger impact. The concept is similar to the limited number of $10 tickets NBA franchises make available.

Close to 70-percent of the tickets sold in this area are new accounts. The number of tickets available is small in comparison to the overall population. We’ve sold almost 750 in a month.

Athletic Department Initiatives
Q: We note that MU is now on facebook, twitter, and youtube. There’s even a Steve Cottingham twitter feed. Last year seemed to be a big year for Marquette in terms of self-produced content. What other changes has the Athletic Department focused on this year?

Our marketing and media relations staff do a terrific job producing content. This trend will continue. They understand a good way to get your story across is to do it yourself. Our goal is to make gomarquette.com first stop for anyone interested in Marquette Athletics. The media landscape changes daily, almost too fast to keep up. As a department, we have embraced social media such as twitter, facebook and whatever comes next.

Big EAST
Q: Does Marquette expect any policy changes or shifts in strategy with the transfer of power to a new Big EAST commissioner?

No. John Marinatto, like his predecessor, is the Big East Conference. He has worked in and around the league his entire life, as have many of those on his staff. Our conference office is the best in the business. People like Dan Gavitt, Tom Odjakjian, John Paquette and of course the new commissioner is why this league is special. The level of support they extend the membership is remarkable. The future holds nothing different.

Q: You’ve answered our questions. Any additional comments you’d like to add for the Cracked Sidewalks readers?

Your passion and support allows our program to compete at an elite level. You’re an integral part of our success. Thank you!

----

Thanks, Mike!

So there you have it. MU will be in the CBE next year, and the Paradise Jam the following year. Online reseating was a big hit. The economy didn't stop MU from hitting new donation and sales records. The $99 ticket package was huge, capturing 500+ new ticket holders and counting.

And Mike ended his email "Go Warriors!" (cough)

Joint post by Rob, Tim, and Kevin.

Could Lazar Have a Better Senior Season than Novak?

Fresh off of yesterday's Open Gym Report from Rosiak, he has an interview with Lazar. In the interview, they touch on a number of different topics, including a lot of discussion about the World University Games.

The (few) highlights from this offseason have mostly involved Lazar, and with good reason. After all, despite the standard coaching comments about everyone having to earn a spot, Hayward is probably the only player that is guaranteed a starting spot. Given his relatively good performance in the WUG, and some minor consideration for the NBA draft, much is expected of the team leader.

There are some obvious parallels to the 2006 season, as Tim highlighted by looking at the Wayback Machine. After all, both seasons involve a senior leader and then a talented set of incoming players. However, it wasn't until the following thread on MUScoop that really got me thinking. Is it just a crazy notion to think that Lazar could have a similar impact that Novak did?

There's no disputing that Novak is one of the all-time great shooters at Marquette (and maybe ever). After all, he was the #3 most efficient offensive player in 2005 and the #1 most efficient offensive player in 2006. In the country. Plus, Novak was already good enough to be drafted and play in the NBA. Furthermore, Steve had numerous games where he delivered amazing performances, like dropping eight three pointers at #4 Louisville in 2004, going perfect in OT against Missouri in 2003, or even being otherworldly against UConn with 41 points and 16 rebounds. Holy crap... I almost forgot the ND game winning shot! (btw - a bunch of those game links have video recaps if you want to relive the fun). Finally, one can make the argument that because of his singular skill, Steve Novak made everyone else's position on the team easier.

Novak's exploits are legendary, so case closed, right? There is no way that Lazar even measures up. (This is the part where I say not so fast).

First, although he was often overlooked by the Three Amigos last year, Lazar was a pretty good player in his own right. For example, did you know that he finished ranked among the BIG EAST leaders in scoring (10th, 16.3 ppg), rebounding (7th, 8.6 rpg) and free throw percentage (4th, 82.0%)? Or that he had ten double-doubles (TEN!) last year? How about that in one game he had eighteen rebounds? Finally, lost in the disappointment of the NCAA tournament was that Lazar had a game-high 26 points and 8 rebounds vs USU and 13 points and a game-high 11 rebounds against Missouri. Too bad the Missouri performance was overshadowed by one step on the line...

Second, I've become convinced that there's a problem with basketball. The game overvalues scorers... but there is a LOT more involved to winning a basketball game than just scoring. A player that is a great shooter (like say Novak) may not be as valuable as conventional wisdom suggests. I've largely been convinced of this logic based on the writings in "The Wages of Wins", and from The Wages of Wins Blog.

(skip if you have no interest in wonkish stuff)

Because I largely started off working with basketball stats based off Pomeroy's website, which itself was largely based on the work of Dean Oliver's "Basketball on Paper", I'd largely shunned the idea of a rating that could effectively handle the value of a single player. Oliver, in particular, was effective in arguing against the notion. However, after having read The Wages of Wins on my own, I feel better with the concept, mostly because I understand how Wins Produced is derived. The basic notion is that one can use regression analysis to figure out what actions on the basketball court lead to wins. Adjust for position, and those are wins produced.

Now, if one doesn't feel like going through the effort in figuring out Wins Produced vs Win Score, there is a simpler value that can be used to assess a player's productivity or value on the court. It's also based on regression analysis, but it's been simplified because there's not a huge difference between a coefficient of 0.497 and 0.5. That is Berri's Win Score.

Points + Rebounds + Steals + ½Assists + ½Blocked Shots – Field Goal Attempts – Turnovers – ½Free Throw Attempts – ½Personal Fouls

So how do things look when we compare Lazar and Novak using this formula?

What this comparison tells us is that for productivity, Novak was a more productive player than Lazar for Freshman year. However, in Lazar's sophomore and junior years, he was actually a more productive overall player than Novak (despite Novak's scoring ability). In fact, on a per-game basis, Lazar was almost as productive last year as Novak's senior year, and Lazar was just slightly more productive on a per-minute basis than Steve.

Why is this the case? Because Hayward is more than just a scorer. He gets double-doubles, blocks, and steals.

Of course, this does not mean that next year's team will have similar results as the 2005-2006 team that finished 4th in conference with a 10-6 record. It also doesn't mean that Lazar will make the NBA because his overall game is better than Novak's special skill. In conclusion, if we use our crystal ball, it means that it's reasonable to believe that Lazar will have a better senior season than Novak if we look at more than just scoring. If nothing else, that's not a bad place to look for some optimism for 2009-2010.

Monday Links Update

Hey there folks. Just a few updates getting started off the week (and catching up from previous weeks).

Rosiak says, "I'm baaaaaack" from a three week vacation. Right out of the gate, he has delivered some coverage of a recent open gym at the Al McGuire Center. If you want a glimpse of how players are looking, the post is great. Of course, there is still the issue that neither Cadougan nor Mbao are with the program yet as they continue to work through Clearinghouse issues. Might we end up missing Acker more than thought?

Marquette finally released their full non-conference schedule. It is chock full of woofers, with some particularly terrible ratings for opponents like UM Eastern Shore (#341), Grambling (#342), South Dakota (were they even D1 last year?), and North Florida (#335). However, that seems just fine to me. After all, the schedule still includes the Old Spice Classic, as well as games against NC State and UW@Madison. Not to mention that next year's team will be very, very young, so it doesn't necessarily hurt to have some easier games for the team. If the schedule is like this in two years, that's an issue, but does anyone really think it won't get tougher as the team gets better?

That said, I still think it was a silly decision to release the games one by one. After all, if Marquette wanted to drive traffic to their site, they could have just highlighted these two outstanding interviews.

• First is a Q&A with David Cubillan. Cubillan comes across as yet another classy representative for Marquette, especially considering that he had been speculated as a potential transfer.
• Next up is a Q&A with Lazar Hayward that even has a video clip segment. It's really worth checking out.
  

Don't have season tickets yet? Or are you looking for tickets for a few games but are holding out? Consider the $99 season ticket package that is evidently selling like hotcakes. Evidently according to the MU Facebook posts, "We're now up to 832 season tickets sold in the new $99 price level... 167 more to reach our goal of 999."

In the final update for today, Dwyane Wade has moved from Converse to Nike's Jumpman brand. This will have an impact on the uniforms that Marquette wears next year. Marquette moves from being the only school sponsored by Converse to one of a handful of Jumpman schools.

TW Sports .. Summer Videos

Here's a few YouTube videos from Time Warner Sports:

Warrior Day Golf Outing -- Last Call

Don't forget, the 2nd Annual Warrior Day Golf Outing to benefit the Nicole Ellis Foundation will be held at the Grand Geveva on Tuesday, July 21st. There is still time to sign up for the event -- for golf and dinner, or just dinner.

Bo has a great lineup of participating Warrior greats including Tony Smith, Travis Diener, Steve Novak and George Thompson. Coach Hank Raymonds will spend the day on the golf course as well, and the day will close with some unbelievable auction items.

For more information on the outing and visit The Nicole Ellis Foundation or email them at nicoleellisfoundation@yahoo.com. The event promises to be a great time -- last year sure was.

Marquette wades into Non-Conference Schedule Bit by Bit

UPDATED

Evidently, the reason to release the schedule one day at a time is to drive additional traffic to the www.gomarquette.com website. In truth, the folks at Marquette do a pretty good job with their online content. Their video clips are great, so visit the website and click around.

That said, I still think releasing the schedule one day at a time has limited upside and more downside.

====
I've always been a fan of ripping the band-aid off right away instead of the slow pull. I like to jump straight into the pool instead of wading in slowly. Basically, it's my preference to get the unpleasantness over with as quickly as possible. And let's face it. Almost always, the non-conference schedule is some level of unpleasantness. This portion of the schedule is not the reason that people buy season tickets. In fact, griping about the non-conference schedule is somewhat of an annual ritual amongst Marquette fans.

Therefore, I found it weird (at best) that Marquette has insisted on releasing the schedule one game at a time. Today's announcement is that Marquette is going to open up the season with...

CENTENARY! YES!

I guess the logic is that we get an entire day to focus on each opponent. Maybe this gives each team on the schedule an opportunity for a further analysis. Perhaps Centenary gets their time in the sun. Who knows? Maybe the non-conference schedule is a treat to be savored slowly and enjoyed, instead of unpleasantness and pain. Neat... their nickname is the Gents.

Or, we can find out that Centenary was 8-23 last season in the Summit League, with a Pomeroy Rating of 246. We could also do a little digging, and find out that their best Pomeroy Rating was back in 2004, at 181. Since then, they've been 316, 317, 248, and 279. Instead of being a savory morsel, Centenary is truly just another bad team Marquette will play because the economics dictate it. Now, for an entire day for two weeks, we get to focus on each portion of the non-conference schedule being bad.

I appreciate the desire of Marquette, or any organization, to experiment. In general, their coverage is outstanding (like last year's video clips). But a good chunk of the schedule is already out there in draft format on the Wiki. Not to mention that Wisconsin has already posted their schedule (by the way, we play them on Dec. 12th). We even provided more info a few weeks ago. Why not just release the whole thing all at once? Is there that much suspense to find out what Friday or Saturday in December we play Seattle?

Like a ritual of late summer, Marquette releases the non-conference schedule, and then the Internet breaks out with complaints. It usually goes as follows:

• Defender - all major programs play some number of crap teams for non-conference schedules
  
• Season Ticket Holder - yeah, but I'm the one shelling out $XXXX(X?) to watch this junk
• Rinse and repeat as necessary.

One exception to griping was last year, when the comments weren't actually that bad. I attribute this mostly because MU had added another tough opponent in NC State. That was a surprise last year but isn't this year. Plus, the schedule was released and then we moved on. Now, get ready for a solid two weeks (at least) of replaying the above complaints about the non-conference schedule. Maybe tomorrow we can find out when MU plays Presbyterian. Yay?

Lazar leads USA to Bronze with 14 points

Congrats, Lazar.

More details here.

Star System Predicts MU 5th to 9th in BE

The 5-star system for rating new recruits has become very familiar to even the casual college basketball fan since William Gates went to a 5-star camp in “Hoop Dreams” before landing at Marquette in 1992.

With Buzz Williams landing three 4-star recruits (6-foot-6 Jeronne Maymon and Erik Williams, 6-1 Junior Cadougan), as well as three 3-star recruits (7-2 Youssoupha Mbao, 6-2 Dwight Buycks and Darius Johnson-Odom) and a potential steal in 6-10 Brett Roseboro, the question is how this incredible class will do next year.

I have worked on a system to equate the 5-star system with what returning players have accomplished, to try to give more of an apples-to-apples between new recruits and returning players. The system basically factors in rankings of returning players from www.nbadraft.net and www.kenpom.com to rank each player coming back for another season from 1 to 6 stars in a ratio consistent with how “star” recruits typically progress. I added the “6-star” rating only for players that are projected to go in the NBA draft after next season on www.nbadraft.net. The ratings of 5, 4, 3.5, 3, 2 or no stars are determined for returning players by a formula using ratings in www.kenpom.com. New 3-star recruits who are ranked among the top 150 recruits in www.rivals.com are given 3.5 stars.

Lazar one of eight 6-star players in Conference as projected #29 NBA pick

Lazar Hayward is now one of eight returning Big East players projected to go in next year’s NBA Draft (as the #29 pick), so those are the only players to get a 6-star rating. The formula gives Jimmy Butler 3.5 stars. With the aforementioned three 4-star recruits and three 3-star recruits, that gives Marquette a total of 30.5 stars from it’s top 8 players, which is as deep as the system goes.

The system isn’t perfect. Obviously, we all see potential upside in David Cubillan, and a lot of muscle underneath in Joe Fulce at 6-7 and hopefully healthy, as well as 6-10 players Chris Otule and Brett Roseboro. But for comparison purposes, we compare the top 8 players on each roster based on their stars.

While Marquette is the only team in the Big East with newcomers making up six of its top eight players in this system, the league is much less experience this year – giving MU a shot to do well. Providence is the only other team in the Big East with five of it’s top eight players as newcomers, but UConn, Pitt, Nova and Notre Dame all have four newcomers among their top eight players.

30.5 stars puts MU in 2nd tier – 5th to 9th place in Big East

Even assuming Ater Majok never puts on a uniform for UConn after the recruiting controversy, UConn still tops Nova as the top team in the Big East looking forward to next year, by a total of 36 stars to 33.5 stars. Syracuse and West Virginia are close behind, to seemingly set up a favorite four that comprise the top-tier.

Marquette seems to be in a pretty tight group from 5th place to 9th place, within one star either way of Georgetown and Cincinnati (31 stars), then Marquette (30.5 stars), followed by Pitt (30) and Louisville (29.5).

This is just a raw measure of overall talent, and it does not make any attempt to break down teams’ strengths and weaknesses by position. For example, while Syracuse is just behind Nova in third place, they did lose their backcourt and it appears all their top line talent is on the front line. It’s easy to see why a return of Johnny Flynn might have made them a favorite to go all the way this year – but without him it appears 3.5 star recruit Brandon Triche, a shooting guard, may be the closest thing they have to a new point guard.

Height no longer a disadvantage

The other thing you may notice below is the average height of each team, which is based only on its top 8 players. At 6-foot-5 1/4, the only three teams with more than a half inch advantage on MU during the upcoming year are Georgetown, West Virginia and Cincinnati. This also does not take into account either Otule or Roseboro, who if they excel and are part of an 8-man rotation, would make MU taller than every team but those three after being the 295th tallent team in the country last year.

The ability to match up with height and add another tenacious 6-6 rebounder in addition to Lazar, certianly means MU will no longer go into “David v. Goliath” battles every time out.

Rankings of the teams – and listing of the top 8 players for each

Please do not any corrections you see. Obviously anyone who was a senior or was drafted was taken off a team’s roster, and any new recruits added, but let me know if you see someone listed who has transferred out for any reason. The order of finish in the Big East for the 2009-2010 season based on the Star system outlined above is as follows, with stars, height, and class listed for each of the team’s top 8 players:

1, UConn (36-stars, 6-5.75), Jerome Dyson (6-stars, 6-4, Sr), Kemba Walker (6-stars, 6-1, So), Stanley Robinson (5-stars, 6-9, Sr), Alex Oriakhi (5-stars, 6-9, New), Jamal Coombs-McDaniel (4-stars, 6-7, New), Darius Smith (4-stars, 6-2, New), Gavin Edwards (3-stars, 6-9, Sr), Jamaal Trice (3-stars, 6-5, New).
2, Villanova (33.5-stars, 6-4.75), Mouphtaou Yarou (5-stars, 6-9, New), Scottie Reynolds (5-stars, 6-2, Sr), Isaiah Armwood (4-stars, 6-7, New), Reggie Redding (4-stars, 6-5, Sr), Dominic Cheek (4-stars, 6-5, New), Corey Fisher (4-stars, 6-1, Jr), Maalik Wayns (4-stars, 6-1, New), Antonio Pena (3.5-stars, 6-8, Jr),
3, Syracuse (33-stars, 6-6.75), Arinze Onuaku (6-stars, 6-9, Sr), Rick Jackson (5-stars, 6-9, Jr), Paul Harris (5-stars, 6-4, Sr), Andy Rautins (4-stars, 6-5, Sr), DaShonte Riley (3.5-stars, 6-11, New), Brandon Triche (3.5-stars, 6-3, New), Kris Joseph (3-stars, 6-7, So), James Southerland (3-stars, 6-6, New),
4, West Virginia (32.5-stars, 6-6.875), Devin Ebanks (6-stars, 6-9, So), Da'Sean Butler (6-stars, 6-7, Sr), Darryl Bryant (4-stars, 6-2, So), Kevin Jones (3.5-stars, 6-8, So), Wellington Smith (3.5-stars, 6-7, Sr), Dalton Pepper (3.5-stars, 6-5, New), Deniz Kilicli (3-stars, 6-9, New), Dan Jennings (3-stars, 6-8, New),
5, Georgetown (31-stars, 6-6.75), Greg Monroe (6-stars, 6-11, So), Chris Wright (5-stars, 6-1, Jr), Hollis Thompson (4-stars, 6-6, New), Austin Freeman (4-stars, 6-4, Jr), Henry Sims (3-stars, 6-10, So), Julian Vaughn (3-stars, 6-9, Jr), Nikita Mescheriakov (3-stars, 6-8, Jr), Omar Wattad (3-stars, 6-5, Jr)
6, Cincinnati (31-stars, 6-6.75), Yancy Gates (5-stars, 6-9, So), Lance Stephenson (5-stars, 6-6, New), Deonta Vaughn (5-stars, 6-1, Sr), Rashad Bishop (3.5-stars, 6-6, Jr), Alvin Mitchell (3.5-stars, 6-5, Jr), Anthony McClain (3-stars, 6-12, Jr), Steve Toyloy (3-stars, 6-8, Sr), Darnell Wilks (3-stars, 6-7, Jr)

7, Marquette (30.5-stars, 6-foot-5.25-inches average), Lazar Hayward (6-stars, 6-6, Sr), Jeronne Maymon (4-stars, 6-6, New), Erik Williams (4-stars, 6-6, New), Junior Cadougan (4-stars, 6-1, New), Jimmy Butler (3.5-stars, 6-6, Jr), Youssoupha Mbao (3-stars, 7-2, New), Dwight Buycks (3-stars, 6-2, New), Darius Johnson-Odom (3-stars, 6-2, New) – not factored, but with great upside, Dave Cubillan (2-stars, 6-0), Chris Otule (6-10), Brett Roseboro (6-10) and Joe Fulce (6-7).

8, Pittsburgh (30-stars, 6-5.5, Jr), Dante Taylor (5-stars, 6-8, New), Gilbert Brown (5-stars, 6-6, Jr), Jermaine Dixon (4-stars, 6-3, Sr), Lamar Patterson (3.5-stars, 6-5, New), Brad Wanamaker (3.5-stars, 6-4, Jr), Talib Zanna (3-stars, 6-9, New), J.J. Richardson (3-stars, 6-7, New), Ashton Gibbs (3-stars, 6-2, So),
9, Louisville (29.5-stars, 6-5.75), Samardo Samuels (5-stars, 6-9, So), Rakeem Buckles (4-stars, 6-8, New), Peyton Siva (4-stars, 6-0, New), Terrence Jennings (3.5-stars, 6-9, So), Edgar Sosa (3.5-stars, 6-2, Sr), Preston Knowles (3.5-stars, 6-1, Jr), Stephan Van Treese (3-stars, 6-9, New), Jared Swopshire (3-stars, 6-8, So)
10, Seton Hall (29-stars, 6-5.875), Robert Mitchell (5-stars, 6-6, Sr), Jeremy Hazell (5-stars, 6-5, Jr), John Garcia (4-stars, 6-9, Sr), Eugene Harvey (4-stars, 6-0, Sr), Mike Davis (3-stars, 6-11, Jr), Ferrakohn Hall (3-stars, 6-7, New), Jordan Theodore (3-stars, 6-0, So), Brandon Walters (2-stars, 6-9, Jr)
11, St. John's (29-stars, 6-5.375), Sean Evans (4-stars, 6-8, Jr), Justin Burrell (4-stars, 6-8, Jr), D.J. Kennedy (4-stars, 6-6, Jr), Paris Horne (4-stars, 6-3, Jr), Rob Thomas (3.5-stars, 6-6, Jr), Malik Boothe (3.5-stars, 5-9, Jr), Dele Coker (3-stars, 6-10, Jr), Quincy Roberts (3-stars, 6-5, So)
12, Notre Dame (28-stars, 6-5.875), Luke Harangody (6-stars, 6-8, Sr), Tory Jackson (4-stars, 5-11, Sr), Tyrone Nash (3-stars, 6-8, Jr), Mike Broghammer (3-stars, 6-8, New), Jack Cooley (3-stars, 6-8, New), Tom Knight (3-stars, 6-8, New), Joey Brooks (3-stars, 6-5, New), Jonathan Peoples (3-stars, 6-3, Sr)
13, Rutgers (28-stars, 6-5.25), Gregory Echenique (4-stars, 6-9, So), Dane Miller (4-stars, 6-5, New), Mike Rosario (4-stars, 6-3, So), Hamady N'Diaye (3.5-stars, 6-11, Sr), Corey Chandler (3.5-stars, 6-2, Jr), Austin Johnson (3-stars, 6-7, New), Earl Pettis (3-stars, 6-5, Jr), Mike Coburn (3-stars, 6-0, Jr)
14, DePaul (26.5-stars, 6-5.75), Mac Koshwal (5-stars, 6-10, Jr), Dar Tucker (4-stars, 6-5, Jr), Will Walker (3.5-stars, 6-0, Sr), Devin Hill (3-stars, 6-9, So), Tony Freeland (3-stars, 6-5, New), Mike Stovall (3-stars, 6-5, New), Jeremiah Kelly (3-stars, 6-1, So), Krys Faber (2-stars, 6-11, So)
15, Providence (25-stars, 6-3.125), Marshon Brooks (4-stars, 6-5, Jr), Sharaud Curry (3.5-stars, 5-10, Sr), Johnnie Lacy (3.5-stars, 5-10, New), James Still (3-stars, 6-8, New), Kadeem Batts (3-stars, 6-8, New), Brian McKenzie (3-stars, 6-4, Sr), Vincent Council (3-stars, 6-1, New), Duke Mondy (2-stars, 6-3, New)
16, South Florida (25-stars, 6-6.125), Dominique Jones (5-stars, 6-4, Jr), Augustus Gilchrist (3.5-stars, 6-10, So), Chris Howard (3.5-stars, 6-3, Sr), Alex Rivas Sanchez (3-stars, 6-10, Sr), Toarlyn Fitzpatrick (3-stars, 6-7, New), Shaun Noriega (3-stars, 6-4, New), Eladio Espinosa (2-stars, 6-7, So), Mike Mercer (2-stars, 6-4, Sr)

Hayward shoots up to 1st round NBA status

Lazar Hayward recently became a member of the US team competiting in the World University Games, and has done quite well. Apparently, his stock is rising among the NBA Scouts as well.

Just days after Marquette fans sat through a 2nd round of the NBA Draft that saw teams ignore Jerel McNeal and Wes Matthews in favor of European players they have no intention of signing, Hayward is suddenly back in the thick of the 2010 mock draft.

http://www.nbadraft.net/2010mock_draft

I was actually researching for an early preview column of next year's Big East, comparing the incoming freshman's "star" rating at rivals.com with the returning players each team has based on their productivity last year and which ones are good enough to make the NBA.

I went to nbadraftnet to see how the NBA-duos for West Virginia (Devin Ebanks/DeSean Butler) and UConn (Kemba Walker/Jerome Dyson) were faring in the mock draft, when I noticed that Lazar is now forecast to be the 4th Big East Player in the NBA Draft and the 29th player taken overall.

If the reports are true that Lazar is handling the ball more often and well are true (this was theoretically the reason he dropped out of the mock draft last year despite his incredible shooting and rebounding) then this could be quite a key development to help the great recruiting class gel next year.

The comparison of recruiting classes and returning players from each Big East team will be forthcoming, but I wanted to get this out.

2009-10 Schedule becomes clearer..

The Big East announced the home/away schedule today.

The Warriors will have mirror games versus DePaul, Providence, and Nova.

Home - Bradley Center
DePaul
Georgetown
Louisville
Notre Dame
Pittsburgh
Providence
Rutgers
USF
Villanova

Away
Cincinnati
Connecticut
Providence (Mirror)
DePaul (Mirror)
St. John’s
Seton Hall
Syracuse
Villanova (Mirror)
West Virginia

That looks like a really good draw for a young Marquette team. The Any Given Sunday rule applies, but playing DePaul twice (0-18 last year) is a gift.

Lots of great games at the BC: Gtown, UL, ND, Pitt, Nova .. probably all of those are top-half of the BE, so playing them at home is huge.

Plus, we don't have to play @UL, @ND, @Pitt, @Gtown, four very tough venues.

As for the Out of Conference Games at the BC.. here's what we know so far:

• UWM Dec 8.
  
• Presbyterian
• Centenary Nov 13.
  
• Seattle
• NC State

Marquette will also play UW @ Madison, and participate in the Old Spice Classic (Alabama, Baylor, Creighton, Florida State, Iona, Michigan, Xavier) on Nov 26-29.

As always, you can check the MUScoop wiki for the latest info on the schedule.

Todd Rosiak has more on the schedule.