Each of the past two seasons, under Head Coach Buzz Williams, the Marquette Golden Eagles have exceeded experts and coaches predictions of where they would finish in the ultra-competitive Big East Conference. In 2008, Marquette was picked to finish sixth and finished the season in fifth place. In 2009, the coaches poll had Marquette finishing twelfth and they responded by finishing fifth. This season, the coaches have picked Marquette to finish eighth and judging by the past two seasons, I would think Buzz will find a way to exceed expectations once again. The fiery, third year head coach has an energy about him that gets the most out of his players. Coach Williams will have to work his magic again as this years Marquette squad is full of young, inexperienced talent. A few key contributors return but much of the success of the season will rely on how quickly the new guys adjust to the higher level of play.
Coach Williams will have veteran senior forward Jimmy Butler to help lead the team and be the coach on the floor. Marquette also returns last season's second leader scorer in Darius Johnson Odom. Butler was voted as a preseason second team All-Big East and Johnson Odom was selected to the preseason Honorable Mention All-Big East team. Senior guard Dwight Buycks also returns and will possibly be used by Coach Williams as a point guard until one of the younger point guards is ready to step into that role which would allow Dwight to return to his natural two guard position.
The incoming freshman class is full of Buzz Williams type players. Leading the class is four star prospect and Madison, WI native Vander Blue. The Madison Memorial product is an ultra athletic two guard who can shoot as well as get to the basket of the dribble. Blue gained valuable experience this summer as he helped lead the under 18 US national team to a gold medal in the U18 FIBA Americas. Joining Blue in the 2010 class is the incredible athletic point guard Reggie Smith. The Chicago native is only six feet tall but plays above the rim and may end up being the best on ball defender Marquette has. His ball hawking abilities are raved about by Coach Williams and he brings an energy that is hard to match. Jamail Jones is another impact freshman that is a slasher and scorer from the wing. A raw yet talented forward will most certainly make an impact with his shooting and scoring abilities. If he is able to pick up his defensive abilities, he will most certainly see more minutes.
Darius Johnson Odom was the JUCO player of the year before he transferred to Marquette and that was an obvious success, so Coach Williams followed that pattern and brought in last season's JUCO player of the year in Jae Crowder. The do-it-all forward is often compared to Lazar Hayward for his style of play. Crowder is a strong athlete with inside and outside abilities with a knack for rebounding and scoring. He has a smooth jump shot yet is willing and able to play with his back to the basket and will be an automatic contributor for a Marquette team that lost it's leading scorer and team leader in Lazar Hayward.
As always, the upcoming college basketball season has many questions that will be answered throughout the season, but it's hard not to be excited with the talent that Coach Williams has assembled with this years squad. The roster is made up of Buzz Williams type players who are athletic and able to play multiple positions. Marquette will be undersized again, but will be quick and scrappy and will play high pressure defense that will hopefully allow the team to get out and run and showcase that athleticism. They will also be able to shoot the three from 4 positions on the floor. Only time will tell what this year's team is capable of and I am sure the ride will be fun to watch.
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