The Marquette Golden Eagles, led by Jimmy Butler, manhandled the Centenary Gents 85-62 last Friday and walked away with a win in the opening game of the season. The win came without the help of the big three who graduated last year and left Marquette with only one of their starters from last year and little chance of being a legitimate Big East contender. Okay, so it was Centenary, a school with less than two thousand students and a team that had lost its two best players from transfers. And yes, it is a school that is starting a transition from a Division I school all the way down to Division III. I get all that and yet I am still impressed by Marquette’s performance Friday night.

There are three big reasons why I loved Friday’s game, the first and foremost being that MU basketball has officially kicked off. Another reason is that Jimmy Butler was able to take the team on his shoulders and slice the Gents’ D for a career high 27 points and that is not even mentioning his 13 boards. This is huge because it shows Buzz and the rest of MU nation that all the pressure may not have to be placed on Lazar Hayward. Butler is apparently ready to help in the role of the team’s star player. In fact, we could be looking at a dynamic duo, something that was not expected earlier in the year. Seeing If Butler can continue to light up the score board like that he may be able to fly under the radar up until Big East play. That is because teams are still going to be expecting the same player that averaged only 5.6 points a game last year. Yes truth be told we must realize that we were not playing the most defensively gifted team, but still 27 points is 27 points. From the looks of it he is going to be a threat to put up a double-double every night. However, it obviously was not just Butler playing out there and the entire team looked sharp and was able to avoid an early roadblock against Centenary.

Conveniently that leads to the third reason why Friday left me feeling pretty good about our squad this year. The fact that we beat the Gents soundly is a good sign because in the past Marquette has let lesser teams hang around in games, provided those teams survive the opening minutes. I know what you might be saying, Centenary was leading at one point with nine minutes left in the first, how is that a good sign? Well here’s how, we were able to overcome a slight surge by the Gents (10 point run) and soundly put them away for the rest of the game. I for one found this to be a good sign because there is nothing worse than being in the spot Mississippi St. is in and lose the home opener. That is not even considering the fact that it was a loss to a team that was supposed to increase the post season résumé. This win is important considering the fact that Marquette is going to need every win it can get its hands on if the NCAA tournament is going to be a legitimate goal. Plus, Marquette has had a past of letting lesser opponents hang around, and let a fluff game become an early nail biter that no fan wants to see at home in November.

It was hard to tell whether or not Friday was a good example of what we will be looking at in the coming games. Buzz used a lot of guys and gave everyone decent minutes and if anyone remembers last year, a deep bench is not really Buzz’s style. Eight players saw more than fifteen minutes of playing time on Friday and that should tell us that he is trying to get everyone as much playing time as possible. However, the fact that Acker saw less than half the game is a little concerning considering he became a team saving replacement ball-handler once James went down last year. Whether he sat out because Cubillan has gotten that much better or he does not need the minutes as much is still yet to be seen but it is something to keep your eye out for over the next couple games. Dwight Buycks looked good in his MU debut and looks ready to handle the role of being a starter in his first year in D-I. There are still questions that Marquette needs to answer such as who will be getting the majority of the playing time, but that is going to be addressed over the next couple games.

With a few more games against teams from small conferences, it is going to be important for Marquette to ready themselves for a much tougher stretch of games. The next couple of weeks are going to be strong indicators as to how this team of new faces can handles a tough field in the Old Spice Classic. However, we can worry about that when the times comes. For now let us enjoy a sound start and hope the strong play continues. Plus MD-Eastern Shore and Grambling St. should be fun blow-outs to watch, so stop by the Bradley Center to cheer on our team.

Well, sort of. With the impressive start they are on, Milwaukee could very well be contenders for a playoff spot this year. And with 20 year-old Euro-leaguer Brandon Jennings on the court, the possibilities are more than endless. That’s right, Jennings found a loophole: he was the first high-school kid to ditch college and go for the pros since the NBA instituted the age restriction rule. The pros so far as the Italian team, Lottomatica Roma, which although it may not be an NBA franchise these guys still know how to ball. In the first seven games Jennings has averaged 34 minutes in which he scored 25.6 points per game. After just dropped a two point nail-biter to the Dallas Mavericks in OT, the Bucks are 5-3 and are right behind Cleveland  for control of the Central division.  That’s right King James and the Cleveland Cavs are the only better team in a tough division right now. I have not not even mentioned the 55 he just dropped against Golden State. Heck, he did not even score in the first quarter so that is 55 in just three quarters!

Let’s do some comparing around the league to show just how impressive Jennings has been: Dirk Nowitzski averages 25.7 ppg, 37.5 mins for Dallas, Manu Ginobili averages 15.6 ppg, 25.5 mins for the Spurs, and Paul Pierce has 18.4 ppg with 34.5 minutes for the Celtics. Aside from being superstars in the NBA, these players have led all their teams to the NBA finals over the past four years. When the Mavericks went in 2006, Jennings was just 16 years of age.

If he keeps this up, he can expect a hefty pay raise once his contract with Milwaukee nears an end. Let us check those previous stars’ bank accounts: Nowitzski’s payroll: $19.8 million, Ginobili’s payroll: $10.7 million, Pierce’s payroll: $19.8 million. Brandon Jennings? $2.2 mil. Congratulations Milwaukee, your eye for bargain young superstars won out this time. This diamond in the rough has been a rare gold mine for Milwaukee – seriously, we get more bang for the Buck.

All dull puns aside, the Bucks have a lot of work to do, with upcoming matches against Charlotte, San Antonio, and Orlando through the end of November. We will have to see what this Italian Stallion lefty, who’s  probably younger than most people reading this article, has in store for his new town.  After dropping 55 on Golden State, who knows what kind of limit is in the sky for this diaper dandy. Finals, perhaps? Playoffs, at least? I think so.

Move over, Michael Redd: this young’n straight outta Compton is finding himself among the high-rises and stars of Milwaukee – and will probably be there for a while.

Villanova has seen their Big East fortunes completely reversed after starting just 2-3 in the conference. The Wildcats have pulled off a convincing five game winning streak and find themselves looking to make it six and put themselves only two games behind first place University of Connecticut. With all these huge factors leading into Tuesday’s game there was no doubt that this was a game no true basketball fan would want to miss.

In a game that was as important as it was offensive, Marquette unfortunately could not pull off the needed win. Villanova just seemed unable to miss a shot in their offensive showcase against Marquette Tuesday, and although the Golden Eagles started off hot enough to stay ahead of Villanova they just could not score as much or as often against the Wildcats. The guard-oriented Golden Eagles were beat at their own game against the red-hot Wildcats who scored 100 points in consecutive Big East games for the first time in school history. They were able to utilize Marquette’s lack of depth as the game wore on and that depth allowed them to quell every potential run Marquette tried to string together.

Both teams were lighting up the boards offensively with each team shooting over 50 percent. But in every area that Marquette excelled, Villanova simply excelled more. Marquette shot 51 percent but Villanova shot 58, including 72 percent in the second half. Marquette hit 47 percent of their three balls but Villanova shot an insane 54 percent. It just seemed that when the Wildcats decided they wanted to score they would make a three pointer or drive in the lane and drop an easy two. The man behind the Wildcat’s scoring blaze was junior guard Scottie Reynolds who erupted on the Golden Eagles for 27 points, which included five three pointers. Marquette answered with 23 from McNeal – giving him the all-time Marquette scoring title – and with 22 from Lazar Hayward who was on fire early but cooled off significantly in the second half.

Villanova simply just kept the Golden Eagles at bay throughout the entire second half and kept them from ever getting closer than their five point halftime deficit. In the end it resulted in Villanova pulling away with a convincing 18-point victory and their sixth straight Big East win. Marquette looked poised to close the gap several times in the second half including back to back slam-dunks by James and McNeal, but Villanova would just hand the ball to Reynolds who would stroke a three without hesitation.

Offensively Marquette had a great game, and if it was any other shooting night for any other team, they would probably have walked away with a solid victory. However, when a team is as zoned into the basket as Villanova was on Tuesday, it takes an enormous defensive effort to stay in the game and the Marquette guards just did not seem up to the task.

There was one proud moment for Marquette. The Golden Eagles now have a new all-time leading scorer. McNeal, who started off the game shaky (started 1-7 for 3 pointers), rebounded well and was able to score 23 points which surpassed George Thompson’s 40-year-old record and now has 1,776 career points.

The Golden Eagles look to bounce back from this disappointing loss on Saturday against the bottom-feeding Red Storm of St. John’s at the Bradley Center.

This loss obviously hurts for any Marquette fan but the Golden Eagles need to get past it and seize the home stand before they run head on into the hardest part of their schedule.

That’s about the reaction from almost every Marquette fan as they wake up today. If you haven’t checked out the newest Big East standings, you cannot help but smile when you look to the top of the 16 team list. 1. No. 8/8 Marquette 18-2 (7-0).

To put it plainly, this is awesome. But be wary Marquette Basketball fans, because in this conference, being the hunted is something new for this program. The history speaks for itself. The Golden Eagles have had at least two losses through five games in their first three seasons in the conference. Now they sit unblemished on top of an absurdly talented heap of good teams.

For the last three years, this program’s starts were not going to make opposing teams and fans sweat over the upcoming Marquette game on their schedule. A 7-0 start though… A win on the road against a ranked team… I do not care who you did it against, everyone is looking up at you.Everyone. The only problem now is they’ll be gunning for you too.

If Buzz Williams and his players wake up today and notice a strange itch developing on their backs, it might be the big red bullseye that grew overnight. And with every victory that bullseye will get bigger. Monday nights thriller against Notre Dame put the rest of the conference on alert. They have the attention of the so called “big boys” now, and they can certainly expect a rough go against them.This team isn’t sneaking up on anyone for the rest of the year.

Hey, you all wanted this. Now it’s time to put up or shut up. Saturday will bring will bring another talented Big East team to the Bradley Center that is desperate for a win. Georgetown cannot afford to lose this game. Expect the kitchen sink and then some on Saturday.

If this group gets to 8-0… 9-0… dare I say even 10-0 in conference play… with only four players scoring the basketball, Buzz Williams should get the Nobel Prize. Talk about getting the most out of your players. You could write a book on the things that this team lacks. And you could write another about overcoming adversity.

Understand this people… UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE DO YOU DOMINATE IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL PLAYING NO ONE TALLER THAN 6-FOOT-6. That doesn’t happen. Normally when coaches go to a lineup like that, it’s out of desperation, not confidence. This team plays cool, calm and collected when they’re six or seven inches shorter than the tallest guy on the floor.

I’ve always used one main criterion to determine a great team from a good one: Even when you don’t play well, you are still able to find ways to win games. In the past three seasons, if the Golden Eagles didn’t show up at the start of a game, they were dead in the water. Let the Providence game show that this trend is ending. Let Monday’s Notre Dame game show that this team has a killer instinct to match.

You can’t quite put your finger on it, but something is going on with this team. They just know how to make the extra pass. They just know how to come up with HUGE defensive stops. And the just have this innate quality to score more points than the other team.

They’re termites, all twelve of them. Even our big guys are termites (compared to what our expectation of what a “big guy” should look like). But like termites, they swarm you and they never go away. Just when you think you’ve driven them off, they’re in your face destroying your will to fight back. They demoralize you to the point where you shake your head and ask yourself what the heck happened?

The national media has begun to take notice. The student body is nearly in a frenzy. Alumni are holding their breath. And all the while Buzz Williams keeps his players focused on the next game ahead. Even with some irritated powerhouses looking up at one of the Big East’s newbies, it’s hard for fans to say they’ve never felt more confident.

Yeah, we might be termites, but we play like giants. Who knows, maybe we’re all witness to something special this season. You know, last time a Marquette team rattled off 10 straight wins in the middle of a season, they had a no name head coach, a bunch of players that had never won anything before, and an ability to frustrate teams into madness. They won a conference title and went to the Final Four.
Get on board everyone, because the bandwagon is about to fill up very quickly.

Georgetown: Georgetown like Notre Dame has a talented team who has lately not lived up to their potential. Georgetown’s season is quickly spiraling out of control and the desperately need a win, but an away game against a team as hot as Marquette does not bode well for a reeling Georgetown. This will likely be a close game but look for Marquette to pull away late in the second half and net a 74-65 victory.

Depaul: It’s hard to look at a game against Depaul and not want to look further down the schedule, and that is exactly what Marquette cannot do. This is still an away game in the Big East; therefore a game that can be lost, with that being said the Golden Eagles should be able to run away with this game winning by at least 15 points.
South Florida: The Bulls are a hardworking but generally overmatched Big East team who have given a scare to a couple of the big boys in the conference and can do so to Marquette if they are not careful. South Florida should still be overwhelmed by the big four of Marquette, and despite a second road game the Golden Eagles should be able to manage a double digit victory in The Sun Dome.

Villanova: The Wildcats are always dangerous with Scottie Reynolds leading the squad and the ‘Cats will be starving for a win after a tough game against Syracuse. This is going to be an extremely tough game for a Marquette team that will be facing its third straight road game. This looks like it could be the first Big East loss for the undefeated Golden Eagles although the game should go down to the wire.

St. John’s and Seton Hall: These two home games against the lower echelon of the Big East will be a welcomed breather for Marquette after an extended road trip and a good tune-up for the marathon performance that will be their last five games. These games will not be sleepers but as of now these two teams combine for a 3-11 Big East record and should not be too much to handle.

Georgetown: Georgetown is as tough as team as any at home and will need every win possible to solidify a decent seed come March. This will be a game that the Hoyas are going to need more than the Golden Eagles, who despite looking to finish first in the Big East, may not have as much to play for as GU. This game has the potential to be the closest game Marquette will have played since their victory against NC State, but look for Georgetown to end up on top in the end with a 72-70 win.
Connecticut: Connecticut is among the elite in all of college basketball and they will be coming into Milwaukee looking to hold a probable Big East lead. Although everyone would love to see Marquette upset the visiting Huskies, Hasheem Thabeet and Jeff Adrien look to be too much for the Golden Eagles and will probably hand Marquette their first consecutive loss of the season with a 71-60 victory at the Bradley Center.

Louisville and Pittsburgh: These two road games are going to be without a doubt the hardest two games Marquette will play this season and both are going to take near perfect efforts from every player to pull off any upset. Both Louisville and Pittsburgh are playing amazing basketball and look untouchable in the Big East. Marquette should provide two great games but in the end this road trip does not look good for the Golden Eagles and will put Marquette at four losses in Big East play.

Syracuse: For the first time this season Marquette will be in heavy need of a win as they will be looking to pull out of a four game rut. This game looks to be the single most important game that Marquette will play in the regular season as it will more than likely determine whether Marquette or Syracuse will get the fourth spot in the regular season standings and granted a pass to the quarterfinals in the Big East tournament. Syracuse is a scary team with Eric Devendorf and Johnny Flynn, but as far as guard oriented teams goes, there is none better than McNeal, Matthews, and James working together and their veteran leadership will be the key to victory. If this game were not in the Bradley the result might be different but the final home game for these three seniors will likely be their greatest career victory as Marquette ends up with a convincing 85-72 victory over the Orangemen.

Marquette has a chance to do a lot of damage in the Big East, and as long as they keep playing the caliber ball they are playing right now, they could potentially see as high as a #3 seed in the NCAA tournament. From that point on it’s as good a guess as any where this team could go, but it does not seem to be too unrealistic to see this team possibly reaching the Elite Eight in March. The most important thing that Marquette must do right now is approach each upcoming game one at a time, because once teams start looking ahead in their Big East schedule, that’s when the unexpected losses start showing up.

Even after a couple impressive early wins for our Marquette Golden Eagles this year, you get the feeling that the team is only looking to improve on their previous performances. They will be able to improve on those performances this Saturday with a cross-town battle against rival University Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

The 16th-ranked Golden Eagles looked sharp last week with a win against Houston Baptist, a transitional Division I basketball team. With Matthews getting career high points (27) and assists (8), Marquette looked poised to have a strong non-conference record and a good season during Big East play.

However, the Panthers are all too willing to spoil Marquette’s early success, hoping to pull off an early upset of a ranked team.

The Universityof Wisconsin – Milwaukee Panthers have already played in a tournament in this young season and walked away with second place after losing badly to Iowa State. They are not as good as they have been in years past, but the UWM team is always dangerous with coach Rob Jeter calling the shots.

Marquette matches up very well against UWM mainly because the Panthers will not be able to exploit Marquette’s lack of size. Hayward should have a good opportunity to get plenty of boards. Like Marquette, Milwaukee’s tallest player is just 6 feet 8 inches, so Marquette will not be at a disadvantage when going after rebounds, a luxury they will not have once Big East conference play begins.

UWM will be forced to try to deal with a quick Golden Eagles team who is known throughout college basketball as having arguably the best backcourt in the nation.

Marquette will have to play Milwaukee tight on the perimeter as the Panthers have no problems with the longer three point line and will take the shot if they are open.

This is a team that has shown it can knock down shots once the opposing team allows them to get their rhythm. However, if Marquette can press early and make it difficult for Milwaukee to be consistent they should be able to pull away early in this game. If Marquette comes out and plays Milwaukee hard without easing up they should come away with a strong win against a beatable Milwaukee team.

Nonetheless, fans should expect a competitive game between two teams looking for the right to be crowned the best team in Milwaukee.

This summer, the league took part in several drastic changes: a contentious team relocation, moving the now defunct Seattle Supersonics to Oklahoma City, the decampment of several players to international competition, the celebration of 12 gold medal winners and a significant makeover by the means of trades and big-name free agents signings.

The Milwaukee Bucks, owned by Democratic Wisconsin Senator Herb Kohl, felt the need to partake in some alterations of its own, supplanting old faces with new ones and taking part in the Olympic celebrations, boasting a gold-medalist of its own.

The clearing-house began with the firing of general manager Larry Harris near the end of last season. Harris was succeeded by John Hammond, a former executive with the Detroit Pistons in April. Hammonds did not waste much time, firing first year head coach Larry Krystkowiak less than a week on the job.

Several days later, the team hired former Chicago Bulls head coach Scott Skiles to become the 11th coach in team history. Skiles had previously led the Bulls to three postseason appearances before being let go after only 25 games last season.

The Bucks also made some key trades in the off-season, dealing Chinese national Yi Jianlian, oft-injured forward Bobby Simmons, fan-favorite Desmond Mason and uncharismatic point guard Mo Williams.

In return, the team acquired small forward Richard Jefferson from the Nets and point guard Luke Ridnour from Seattle Sloppy Seconds/Oklahoma Thunder. The trades allowed the team to shore up the small forward position and swap a shoot-first Williams for a pass-first Ridnour.

The Bucks did more shopping over the summer via free agency and the NBA Draft. The team signed veteran forwards Malik Allen and Francisco Elson and recently picked up former Pacers forward Austin Croshere.

But where the team figures to see the biggest dividends both this season and throughout the future, is from the draft. With the eighth pick, they selected West Virginia forward Joe Alexander, a player all too familiar to Marquette fans.

Last season against the Golden Eagles, Alexander scored 19 points as the Mountaineers upset then No. 10 ranked Marquette.

As far as this season goes though, Alexander has not been the biggest rookie contributor to the team. That honor goes to rookie Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, a forward from UCLA picked in the second round. He is averaging just over 9 points and 6 rebounds a game, adding a huge boost to a somewhat destitute frontcourt.

Another novelty the Bucks can add to their laundry list of improvements is a gold-medal winner. Lefty Michael Redd helped Team USA capture the gold medal in August, providing the USA a much-needed threat from beyond the arc.

While many experts do not see the Bucks destined to go very far this season, I will make a bold prediction, prognosticating the team to fill out as the eighth seed in the East.
And now, some more playoff predictions: I’ve got the Celtics and Pistons in the East and the Lakers and Suns in the West. In the Finals, the universal sentiment of change will ultimately come to end when the Celtics repeat as NBA Champions.

Analogous to the politics of today, many teams have felt the need for change, looking for any sign of hope and promise that next year will be better. For some bottom-dwellers like the Bucks, they believe they have found change they can believe in.

But Mitchell also made sure to stress the need for that hunger to stay consistent and be present throughout the entire season.

In a conference as competitive as the Big East, any signs of faltering could be devastating. The Big East is home to Connecticut, Rutgers and Louisville, all teams that rank within the top 10 of several preseason polls.

The Golden Eagles have high expectations for its backcourt to maintain the level of play it has grown so accustom to. The team’s guard play has been their “bread and butter” the past several seasons, especially during the 2007-2008 campaign.

Last season, the aforementioned Krystal Ellis led the team in scoring with 19.4 ppg (second in the Big East), was selected to the All-Big East Team for the second consecutive season, was named WNIT Tournament MVP and put herself within 272 points of the school’s all-time scoring record of 1,818 points set by Abbie Willenborg.

But it seems as though the scoring record is not the highest goal on her priority list. Rather she said she is “more focused on winning a national championship…I just want to win.”

In order for that happen, the Golden Eagles and Ellis will need continued contributions from players who performed well last season, especially throughout the WNIT Tournament.

Returning guards, sophomore Angel Robinson and senior Erin Monfre, will no doubt look to build off last season’s success and take advantage of the continuity a season together has afforded them.

Robinson, in her freshman season, showed much promise for the future by averaging 11.4 ppg and being named to the Big East All Freshman Team. Her play affords the team little drop-off at point guard when Ellis is off the court and compliments Ellis’ game when they are playing side by side.

Another player whose performance may dictate the success of the Golden Eagles is senior guard Erin Monfre. Although entering Marquette as a highly regarded shooter, Monfre has developed into a much more versatile player.

Coach Mitchell has described her as an “excellent zone defender” but more importantly, Monfre describes herself as an “emotional leader” for the team. What she brings each night may not be apparent in the box score, but it is quite clear that the team plays better with her on the floor.

In the biggest game to date in her collegiate career, Monfre led the Golden Eagles to an emotional victory over MSU in the WNIT Championship by burying 5 three pointers and scoring 15 points.

In only losing two players from last season (forward Svetlana Kovalenko to graduation and forward Kelly Lam, a senior this season who decided to forego her final year of eligibility), the Golden Eagles expect a significant amount of stability. But this does not mean that the team will not look to tweak a thing or two.

In the WNIT Tournament, the team found much success when they abandoned their traditional half-court defense for a high-pressured full-court attack. Mitchell iterated the team’s desire to start the season off in the same defensive fashion in which it left it.

Also, Marquette can expect more adjustments when it comes to playing time. Of the team’s four newcomers, all four expect to vie for a role in the rotation.

Returning junior guard Janelle Harris and England native and junior Lauren Thomas-Johnson, a junior college transfer, both figure to fit into the stacked guard rotation.

The departure of Kovalenko, last season’s lone senior and anchor in the frontcourt, leaves the team vulnerable and in the market for players to contribute down low.

“We don’t have the size of other teams in our conference,” Mitchell said when addressing the team’s most glaring weakness. But Mitchell made sure to stress the team’s WNIT success even with a lack of size last season, calling it a mental disadvantage more than anything.

The team may look to employ a forward by committee approach, getting senior Marissa Thrower, junior Breann Hill, another junior college transfer and sophomores Paige Fiedorowicz and Jocelyn Mellen involved in the forward rotation.

Freshmen Georgie Jones and Jessica Pachko are both 6-2 and may force their way into the mix with valued size and post play.

With uncertainty and inexperience plaguing Marquette’s frontcourt, the need for senior leadership becomes all that more important. Luckily for the Golden Eagles, they have stellar leaders in seniors Ellis, Monfre and Thrower.

When Ellis and Monfre were asked to describe their roles on the team for the upcoming season, each responded in sync, describing themselves as players who lead by example.

As last season clearly showed, talent is a definitive component of this team. But given the high level of play within the Big East, getting it to roll on all cylinders every single night becomes the most arduous and questionable task.

But one thing the Marquette women’s basketball does not need to question is its desire for this season. It begins and ends with a trip to the NCAA Tournament. After winning an exhibition game against Winona State Saturday and another exhibition game on November 10, the real season kicks off Saturday, Nov. 15 against Oral Roberts at the Al McGuire Center.

As Dwayne Wade says in his new Converse commercial, “the best thing about (basketball) is that every season is a new start.” And despite the criticism that the Marquette program received over the hiring of Buzz Williams, the Marquette faithful still owe Williams a fair chance.

The Buzz Williams era begins Saturday, November 8 at 1 p.m. in the form of an exhibition matchup against Colorado State University-Pueblo. Like most college basketball powerhouses, Marquette has stacked their early season schedule with cupcake teams.

With all due respect to CSU Pueblo, this is exactly the type of game Marquette wants. They can afford to go out and try new lineups, plays and sets in a game setting that cannot be replicated in practice. These early season matchups are a nice confidence booster as well.

So who is CSU-Pueblo? First off, the Thunderwolves as they are called, come from the Rocky Mountain Area Conference, out of the NCAA Division II. They are coached by Patrick Eberhart, who is in his fourth year at the helm. As if Eberhart’s crew being from NCAA Division II is not enough, Marquette players must be relishing the opportunity to take on a team that finished with a 10-17 record last season.

Like Marquette has McNeal, James and Matthews, CSU Pueblo still has its share of feature players. Rome Smith, a 6-foot-3-inch 200 pound guard is the man to watch for next Saturday. According to the CSU-Pueblo athletic site, Smith led the team with 13.1 points per game last season. He also shot 40.1 percent from beyond the arc.

In the frontcourt, the Thuderwolves are led by Senior Jake Trahern. According to his player bio on the CSU athletic site, Trahern was former Mr. Basketball in Colorado and State Tournament MVP in 2004. Last season the 6-foor-9-inch forward averaged 11.6 points per contest, while accumulating 34 blocks throughout the season. Along with Smith, Trahern hopes to form a great inside-outside combination that Coach Eberhart can count on.

Despite the talent disparity, this is not a game that Marquette should take lightly. Even though this is just an exhibition matchup, how the team responds will set the tone for the next few games.

True, there is no secret as to who is favored to win the game, but a sloppy showing for Marquette could result in a loss further down the road. For comparisons sake, nobody wants to be the next Michigan and lose to an Appalachian State team in the 2007 NCAA Football season.

Every coach, including Buzz Williams, should assure their teams that an upset cannot and will not happen.

When Marquette University hired Tom Crean’s assistant coach, Brent “Buzz” Williams, to be the Men’s Basketball head coach, a lot of people thought that the athletic department had taken the easy way out. But little did the Marquette community know that Williams himself does anything but take the easy way out. From the players to the practices, Williams has overhauled the entire men’s basketball program.

“We want to be the hardest-working, most competitive program in the country,” Williams said. And he has been making every effort to make it so, showing that Marquette might have picked the right coach after all.

Young Men First, Students Second and Players Third

In Williams’ first press conference as the Marquette Men’s Basketball head coach, he stated:
“The players in the program will not be judged always in accordance with their skill set or their talent. They will always be judged as people: as young men first, as students second and as players third. And the priorities in our program, the responsibilities within our program, will always be reflective of those things.”

The academic responsibilities for the basketball players are strictly enforced to ensure that these priorities are met.
Williams is “not going to give you any leeway,” according to Liam McMorrow, the sophomore transfer from Durham College in Oshawa, Ontario, who is redshirted this season due to National Collegiate Athletic Association transfer rules.

Each player has a personal, color-coded schedule from 6 a.m. until 11 p.m. every day of the week detailing class, study hall hours, tutoring, basketball practice and weightlifting among other things. The graduate student coaching assistants and coaching staff escort the players to class to make sure that they are on time and that they do not leave class early.

“He really cares about our academics,” said David Cubillan, one of three juniors on the team. And so far, it has been paying off.
“I think I speak for everyone. Everyone, as far as academically is concerned, is doing much better… he’s definitely a help,” said Robert Frozena, the only walk-on of this year’s team, about the educational push the members of the team have received from Williams.

“They’re always accountable for each facet of their responsibilities,” Williams said, and according to Williams, the reason they can be held accountable is because “their character is very, very high.”

Athletic Hunger

Four man groups, individual practice, team practice, and boot camp are only a few of the strategies that Williams has been using to prepare the team for the coming season. Yes, boot camp.

“Boot camp was seven or eight days. That was the longest seven or eight days of my life. But it was good,” said Lazar Hayward, returning junior forward. Boot camp was a series of intense practices where, Williams said, “our team is formed.” Every drill that was done had to be done correctly by each member of the team. If someone could not finish, everybody had to do it over again. Every single teammate was accountable for every other teammate. As Williams said, “Everyone has to pull their own weight… and [we have to] communicate as a team.”
Somehow, everyone got through it.

“They were blowing it out every day,” Williams said. “It’s the best I’ve ever seen.”

Not only has their stamina and teamwork been tested, but Williams has the team “doing defensive drills day in and day out,” according to Dominic James, returning senior guard. Concerns over the short height of the team have sparked the emphasis put on the defensive side of the ball.

“We are little. We’re short. That’s not going to change… we’re going to have to be extraordinary good rebounders… I don’t think we’re going to struggle offensively. I think we can score enough points to win games. The question will be: How can we prevent our size from being a detriment to us defensively?” Williams said.

Jerel McNeal, returning senior guard, who has always been known as a defensive player, is excited for this change of focus. “We get everybody else to play at a high level defensively, then [that will] make things a lot easier for everybody.”

Williams has confidence that his players will do everything in their power to keep their height from affecting how they perform. “I think they’re hungry. I think they like to play from behind,” he said.

The players also receive personal coaching from Williams as part of his efforts to know his players well.

Wesley Matthews, one-third of Marquette’s “Big 3” along with Dominic James and Jerel McNeal, described how Williams wants him to play. “I’ve got to be a beast. I have to be everywhere. He wants me to basically let loose, just play the way I play, lead the way I lead, and just help.”

Joseph Fulce, a new sophomore recruit from Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas, said, “He’s always trying to find a way to help us get better.”

As an extra impetus to becoming the best, Williams has let them know that their every effort has to be put on the court when the time comes. “If we don’t play hard, they’re not going to play… every single minute counts. Every single minute in a game counts,” Williams said.

All About God and Family

These new academic priorities and athletic strategies would not work if the team did not respect their coach. But they do.
“He’s one of the most hardest workers I’ve met in my life. I don’t think he sleeps,” Fulce said.

His commitment stands out, and not just his commitment to the men’s basketball team.

“He’s dedicated… he’s all about his God and his family,” said Dwight Burke, the only senior forward on the team. And now his family has expanded to include the basketball team.

“The thing that I really pay attention to is those 13 young men… what they’re doing off the court, what they’re doing in the classroom and what they’re doing on the court,” Williams said.

Some of the lessons he has been teaching his players have clearly sunk in.

“The most important thing that Buzz has taught us, is that every day is a work day, and if you’re not going to work every day, then you shouldn’t be here,” said Patrick Hazel, a sophomore forward.

Message to the Marquette Student Body

Although Williams admits that he has not done a good job connecting with the students, he knows how important the Marquette Fanatics are to the success of his team.

“The teams that have elite success have a major home court advantage, and the teams that have a major home court advantage [have it] because it’s derived from their student population. Our students have to continue what they’ve always been, because that changes what the atmosphere and the ambience is like at the Bradley Center,” Williams said.