It has been a very busy off-season for
Marquette. The Golden Eagles or Gold or Warriors or Hilltoppers
or whatever went through a name change, only to end up back with
the Golden Eagles. More significantly, Marquette has made the
move to the Big East, or the Too Big East as I call it. There
will be a new look on the court as well with Travis Diener not
being on the floor.
Who’s Out:
Travis Diener was a tremendous college player and has done so
much for the university on the court. He averaged 19.7 points
and a marvelous 7.0 assists per game, while only turning the
ball over 2.5 times per outing. Forward Marcus Jackson started
29 contests averaging 3.3 points and a team high 8.5 rebounds.
Frontcourt mate Todd Townsend averaged 5.9 points and 2.8
rebounds, earning nine starts in 2004-2005. Guard Dameon Mason
is transferring. He started 28 games averaging 11.9 points and
1.8 assists.
Who’s In:
Tom Crean needed a good class to replace a lot of outgoing
talent, and he got it. The new backcourt trio of point guard
Dominic James, shooting guard Wes Matthews and small forward
Jerel McNeal are expected to be very good. James is an excellent
floor leader and a great athlete. Matthews, at 6-5, can play
either wing spot. He’s a fabulous athlete, a great competitor
and very well could be a four year starter for the Golden
Eagles. McNeal, one of the top high school players coming out of
Illinois for the class of 2005, is a tough, hardworking player.
He’ll work his way into seeing plenty of minutes as a freshman.
Power forwards Dwight Burke and Jamil Lott will add some depth
to the frontcourt. Burke averaged 9.2 points, 8.8 rebounds and
3.5 blocks at St. Benedict’s Prep in New Jersey. Lott, a
transfer from North Dakota State School of Science, averaged
16.6 points and 8.0 rebounds per contest last year. Dan
Fitzgerald, a 6-9 transfer from Tulane, is versatile and a solid
defender, which will get him plenty of minutes.
Who to Watch:
Steve Novak becomes the senior team leader
since Diener is gone. With tons of talent coming in, Novak will
have to adjust and gel with the young guys for Marquette to
reach the post season again. Novak averaged 13.5 points and 4.1
rebounds last season. The 6-9 forward is a tremendous outside
shooter. He took 6.2 shots a game from beyond the arc, making
nearly half of them.
Projected Conference Rank:
There will be some growing pains for the
Golden Eagles as they head into the Big East. It is too much to
lose Diener and ask a freshman to run the point and have success
in the Big East. A 13th place finish will be a
tumultuous start for Marquette in their new conference, but with
the recruiting class heading in, the Golden Eagles will make
more noise in the years to come.
Projected Post-season Tournament:
none
Projected Starting Five:
Dominic James, Freshman, Guard, DNP last season
Wes Matthews, Freshman, Guard, DNP last season
Joe Chapman, Senior, Guard, 8.1 points per game
Steve Novak, Senior, Forward, 13.5 points per game
Ryan Amoroso, Sophomore, Forward, 6.0 points per game
