The Golden Eagle 2009

Photo by Ryan Glazier

At his second Media Day, Buzz Williams fielded almost every question the same way: “I don’t know.”

S E A S O N P R E V I E W

Williams isn’t clueless. It’s just that due to the departure of four starters, a few key injuries (Junior Cadougan and Darius Johnson-Odom), a slew of young play-ers, and players whose skill sets straddle two or three positions, the Golden Eagles face question marks at almost every position.In comparison to last season, roles are so undefined this year that Williams said the team had ordered a tent to put in the Al McGuire Center.

“I anticipate that it’ll be a circus every day the first month and a half of practice,” Williams said.

Having to replace three record-breaking guards with a mix of freshmen and reserves will do that to a team. And of Marquette’s three current seniors, only for-ward Lazar Hayward played more than 20 minutes per game last season. But it is those seniors — Hayward, Maurice Acker and David Cubillan — whom Wil-liams is turning to for leadership and production.

“He’s on us just as much as he’s on the young guys,” Acker said. “He knows we have to step it up a notch from last year. … We were used to being behind the Big Three, and now it’s us this year.”

Acker and Hayward figure to

start for the Golden Eagles this season, but even that raises a question: Where will Hayward play?

Last season, the 6-foot-6, 225-pounder started at the power forward position but played near-ly half of every game at the center position.

“In a perfect world I wouldn’t have to battle down there. I could just sit in the wing and smile a little bit,” Hayward said with a grin and a laugh.

With the added height and strength down low, Williams has, in fact, alluded to playing Hay-ward out on that wing — sort of.

“Could we move (Hayward) out to the three and try to play big and cover it up? And if we move him to the three, then who’s the four and the five?” asked Wil-liams. “All those guys are inter-

changeable because of how we play, but how it’s going to play itself out, I don’t know.”

Hayward isn’t the only player without a clear position. Fresh-man Jeronne Maymon carries himself like a guard but is built like a tight end. Jimmy But-ler looks like a natural shooting guard but was able to play the four at times last season. No one in Wisconsin saw Joseph Fulce play enough to know where he’ll end up. David Cubillan is small even for a point guard, but his handle and court vision should lead Williams to look elsewhere. And Dwight Buycks was recruit-ed as a shooting guard but could end up playing serious minutes at the point.

“Every player is going to be in a position that they’ve never been in their entire career,” Williams said. “A lot of them have never put on a uniform until today.

“The flip side of that is, the returning guys, those four guys that played last year, they know what’s coming. They just have never been expected to do what they’re going to have to do this year.”

At least Williams isn’t the only one that doesn’t know what to expect.

I anticipate that it’ll be a circus every day the first month and a half of practice.

Buzz WilliamsMen’s Basketball Coach

Cause for concern

The Golden eaGle2

By Nick [email protected]

G Maurice Acker+ Shown that he can sufficiently manage a game and run the offense. Has experience in important games.– Needs to become a legitimate scoring threat for this team. Most importantly, he needs to knock down his open looks in order to keep defenses honest.

F Jimmy Butler+ A do-everything sixth man for Marquette last year. He can score, rebound and do the intangibles.– Will likely be the second offensive option. He needs to create his own shot and be a leader for these young Golden Eagles.

G Dwight Buycks+ Super athletic and can jump out of the gym. He’s a versatile 2-guard that can score in a hurry.– Needs to stay focused and make smart decisions with the basketball. With the injury to Cadougan, he may be forced to play minutes at the point, too.

G Junior Cadougan+ A tough, physical floor general with eyes in the back of his head who can create shots for teammates. Think of a grittier, less athletic Dominic James.– He’s hurt. All year.

G David Cubillan+ A smart, veteran player who has seen decent time in the Big East. He’s a hard-nosed defender.– Needs to stay within himself and trust his talents and instincts. There are minutes to go around this year. Now he’s got to earn them.

G Robert Frozena+ A fan-favorite energy guy that can spell a teammate and create confusion for defenders.– Needs to limit mistakes when he’s on the floor and just play ball.

F Joseph Fulce+ Many forget that it was Fulce, not Butler, that was the most heralded junior college transfer from last season. He’s athletic, powerful and finally healthy.– Didn’t see much action last year. This time, he needs to be able to spread the floor and be a scoring option.

F Lazar Hayward+ What else is there to say? Hayward is a beast and a match-up nightmare for defenders. He can post you up, get to the rim or drop a triple in your face.– Needs to handle the weight of the crown on his head and be a consistent performer — or else.

G Darius Johnson-Odom+ A scorer who can play both guard positions and will fill a valuable bench role. – Recovering from a foot injury, he needs to stay healthy and prove he is more than just an amazing ath-lete or else the Dom James comparisons will cease.

F Jeronne Maymon+ A powerful interior presence who can finish after contact and bully the opposition. – Inexperienced and will struggle adjusting to the Big East. He needs to develop his outside shot in order to draw his defenders away from the bucket.

C Youssoupha Mbao+ At 7-foot-2, Mbao is an intimidating shot blocker that will give Marquette much needed size.– Only 215 pounds, which may sound like a lot to some, but not when you’re 7-foot-2. Mbao is an un-polished talent that needs to bulk up.

C Chris Otule+ Looked much improved from a year ago during Madness: more physical, blocked shots and was able to knock down a basket or two.– Was generally a physical non-factor in limited min-utes last year. Must develop a low-post game.

F Erik Williams+ An athletic forward who can knock down a shot and at 6-foot-7 can create match-up issues for defenses. With his size, he can also guard a variety of players.– Needs to be aggressive on the floor and attack the basket. He has to trust his skills and utilize them.

STAFF PICKS

With the unpredictability of how the men’s basketball

team will fare this season, our picks range across the

board. The closer each reporter’s dot is to the appropri-

ate destination, the further he sees the team advancing.

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KraftPeltzBullock

Grover Kimes Schmidt

Nelson

Rd. 1Rd. 2Rd. 3SemisFinals Final 4Elite 8Rd. 2Rd. 1

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Make no mistake, this isn’t your ma-ma’s Marquette basketball team, because with the end of the Big Three era comes a fi stful of change.

First, let’s pay our fi nal respects to the death of a dynasty. It was a four-year run defi ned by stellar guard play and a greasy-fast offensive tempo; a better trio than Moe, Larry and Curly; a solid collection of role players and most importantly, a distinct game plan: Get the ball to one of the Big Three and get out of the way. We knew what to expect, and we were rarely disap-pointed.

This year, not so much. Much like Bigfoot or Ron Artest’s thought process, this team is a complete mystery. We literally know close to nothing heading into the season.

Nobody knows if Lazar Hay-ward can lead this team success-fully, see through walls, walk on water or actually do anything that

people are hoping he can. No-body knows if 5-foot-8 Maurice Acker can handle the tall order — pun absolutely intended — of starting at point guard all season. Nobody has any clue if Jimmy Butler can go from a cutesy juco underdog to a certifi ed starter in just one year.

Nobody knows if the skinny but skyscraper-tall Youssoupha Mbao can contribute anything worthwhile to a vertically-chal-lenged frontcourt. Nobody has any idea if David Cubillan can do anything but launch up 3-point-ers like the ball is on fi re. And we can’t even begin to wonder if new blood like Jeronne Maymon and Dwight Buycks can hang with the powerhouses of the Big East.

But here’s what we do know: Buzz Williams is coaching this team, and he’s a tough dude. Re-ally tough.

And it’s not even that he’s drill sergeant strict like other hard-nosed college coaches. He’s just fl at-out action hero tough, like Dirty Harry wearing a suit made of sandpaper. The guy belongs in a Quentin Tarantino movie.

The second year coach is short

and bald and honest and says some things that a person in his posi-tion probably shouldn’t. Things like quipping that Joe Fulce, who is recovering from an knee injury, has “missed more jumpers than he has sprints,” or that he’s going to run 244 miles (the distance be-tween the Al McGuire Center and the RCA Dome in Indiana — the location of the 2010 Final Four) before the season opener to show that he’s “tougher than everyone on the team.”

He’s got a style all his own, and I’ve got to say, I love it. I love ev-erything he’s saying and doing right now. I think it’s working, and I’m buying it. What’s more, the players are buying it as well.

Every guy on this year’s squad that isn’t named Lazar Hayward will have their ugly moments. That’s just what happens when you have a young team dealing with growing pains. But these youngsters truly believe in Buzz’s fi re and brimstone preaching, which means it’s way more likely we’re going to be seeing airballs and turnovers rather than lack of hustle. If there’s one thing to bet on it’s that this team will lead the Big East in hustle plays and

sweaty handbands.“This team is young, but they’re

trying to do the right things,” Williams said. “I’ve never seen a group get along as well as these guys have. Whether that transfers to winning, I don’t know.”

That last statement is probably going to linger until we see this team play its fi rst game, because the bottom line is that Buzz can scream and run drills and train this team into a bunch of spear-wielding Spartans, but no one has any clue how successful they’re going to be. Not the slightest idea.

But that’s OK. This isn’t sup-posed to be the year Marquette makes a run at the NCAA Cham-pionship, anyway. This year’s modus operandi is going to be witnessing the fi nal hurrah of Hayward’s brilliance and ush-ering in a new era of Golden Eagles basketball that has the name Buzz Williams branded to it instead of James, McNeal and Matthews. And if you’re lucky, maybe you’ll see this team win a few games.

So the question is, do you feel lucky punk? Well, do you?

Mystery Men

Instead, Williams speaks with a confi dence and attitude that would suggest it was he who led the Golden Eagles to the Final Four in 2003.

Now that the dust has settled from the departure of former coach Tom Crean, Williams fi rmly holds the reigns of the program. In his fi rst year as head man, Williams led Marquette to a 25-10 record, the second round of the NCAA Championships and earned a school-record 12 Big East victories.

But Williams remains level headed about his position and the year to come.

“I’m 18 pounds heavier and one year older,” Williams said. “We have one new coach. I think everybody is better from a comfort standpoint just because

Buzz Williams does not sound like a man in only his second year as coach of the men’s basketball team.

they’ve been through it. I think we are much more comfortable with each other.

“I think I have learned. I think I have grown. And I hope that I have that same answer … every year from this point forward as long as I can be here.”

Unlike last year, Williams will be without the Big Three — Wes-ley Matthews, Jerel McNeal and Dominic James. But Williams isn’t worried.

“This is an exciting time of year. The complexion of the team is different,” Williams said. “We have four guys returning that know what’s going on. How it will play out as it relates to the leadership of this year’s team, I would anticipate the four re-turning guys to take the brunt of that.”

Besides his record on the court, off the court Williams has assem-bled an impressive fi rst recruiting class. With the likes of Jeronne Maymon, Youssoupha Mbao and Junior Cadougan, he has laid the foundation for a strong team in the seasons to come. Already, Williams said he has seen im-provement and a growth of matu-rity in his new players throughout the course of the preseason.

“If you’re going to be a great coach, you need to be a great coach as it relates to the pulse of the team off the fl oor,” Williams said. “It’s been a lot of fun to be around a lot of new guys. They’re young, but they’re trying to do the right things.”

Senior forward Lazar Hayward enjoys the way Williams tests the team mentally and physically

during preseason training, known as “boot camp.”

“Buzz is a guy that always lets his players play. He lets you play your game,” Hayward said. “He puts us all in great scoring posi-tions. There is so much stuff he throws at us. And a lot of it he is making us do just so he can see how we react to it—see who is tough enough to fi ght through it.”

Senior guard Maurice Acker welcomes the newfound intensity in Williams’ coaching style and believes it will be a major boost for the young squad this season.

“He is a lot harder on us this year,” Acker said. “But he has to be with all the young guys. This year he has stepped it up a notch. He is coming in ready every day. And I love it.”

Erik Schmidt

Second time around3

By David [email protected]

Not only is Buzz Williams without the Big Three on his side, he also has history working against him. Not all of these Big East coach-es made the Big Dance in their fi rst season with their respective teams, but after they did, fi ve of the eight came back with a worse re-cord the next season.

Against the grain

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Following Season (2006-’07):

mikeBREYFirst Tournament with Notre Dame (2000-’01):


CALHOUNFirst Tournament with Connecticut (1989-’90):


jamieDIXONFirst Tournament with Pittsburgh (2003-’04):


johnTHOMPSON

30-7

First Tournament with Georgetown (2005-’06): 23-10

BOEHEIMFirst Tournament with Syracuse (1976-’77):


rickPITINOFirst Tournament with Louisville (2002-’03):


First Tournament with West Virginia(2007-’08):


jayWRIGHTFirst Tournament with Villanova (2004-’05):


bobHUGGINS

20-10

22-11

20-9

31-5

28-5

24-8

22-6

26-4

23-10

26-11

20-11

31-6

20-10

25-7

“If I’d have had enough fore-thought, I might have redshirted Dwight last year,” Williams said.

Last season, the Marquette big man and 6-foot-8 power forward scored 2.8 points per game and finished fifth on the team in re-bounds.

Starting all 35 games, Burke was a constant in the Golden Ea-gles lineup, but was never “Mr. Reliable” when it came to the stat sheet.

However, Williams spoke vol-umes about what Burke meant to last year’s team.

“Dwight Burke got zero credit throughout his career, partly be-cause he couldn’t score a basket,” Williams said. “But what he did on a daily basis for our team was incredibly important as a leader.

“As the season went on, our players counted on him as well. They didn’t count on him to score baskets, but they counted on him to know what was going on.”

Replacing Burke on the block will be an inexperienced bunch. Sophomore center Chris Otule, 6-foot-10, has the most collegiate time under his belt. He saw ac-tion in nine games last season but scored just 12 points.

Williams, though, has seen vast improvement from Otule.

“Chris Otule is a completely different human being than he was a year ago at this time,” Wil-liams said.

Otule has admitted that he won’t be the biggest scoring threat for opponents, but he’ll make his presence known in the paint.

“I’m not looking to score a whole lot but just to help out with rebounding and blocking shots,” he said. “My role will be getting a lot of rebounds and bringing energy down low. I want to make the other big men work just as hard as I’ll be working.”

Two newcomers who will also see minutes in the low post will be freshmen Jeronne Maymon and Youssoupha Mbao.

Maymon was named Wiscon-sin’s Mr. Basketball last year and comes to Marquette from Me-morial High School in Madison. Although undersized at 6-foot-6, he can match up against bigger guys because of his strength and build.

“I’m not worried about the physical part of the game, be-cause I’m a big dude,” Maymon said. “I’m a solid 250 pounds,

and I’m not easily pushed around. I can handle my own down there in the paint.”

Originally from Dakar, Senegal, Mbao played high school ball at Stoneridge Prep in California. At 7-foot-2, his size will cause prob-lems for opposing teams, but un-like Maymon, his strength is one aspect that is of some concern.

“I expect to play a lot of min-utes, I just need to gain some more weight,” Mbao said. “I’m really excited for my first year and helping the team on the de-fensive side.”

Historically, players of his size lack the skill set to be effective in the post, but Williams insists that Mbao comes to Marquette with plenty of ability.

“(Mbao) is, in my opinion, one of the most skilled freshmen that is a true, legit big guy that I’ve seen in my career,” Williams said.

To be certain, none of these three big men are Dwight Burke. But what will prove a compelling storyline all season is whether they are a step up or a step down. For now, Williams votes step down. For now.

The Golden eaGle4

The big problemMen’s coach Buzz Williams is still talking about Dwight Burke.

Marquette is notorious for being a guard-oriented team, so replacing three superstars who have been the face of this basketball team for four years will be no easy task.

Senior guard Maurice Acker is back for his third season with the Golden Eagles. Although he stands at 5-foot-8, Acker’s ability to play point guard successfully was appar-ent when he filled in for the injured James last season.

“(James) was a real good ex-ample, because he put in the work on and off the court,” Acker said. “Now, I just want to be able to run the team this year.

“I will be pushing everybody by being more vocal this year. I most definitely look at myself as a leader on this team.”

When asked about the point guard position, coach Buzz Wil-liams compared the issue in doubt to the end of last season.

“I don’t think our team’s figured it completely out,” Williams said. “It’s very similar to what it was the last seven games of the season for us last year. Dominic was out and (Acker) had to play heavy min-utes.”

As for the small forward posi-tion, the one Matthews occupied throughout his career, Williams is left with a few options.

Coming on strong off the bench last year was Jimmy Butler. He showed flashes of greatness last year, highlighted by a 19-point per-formance against Villanova in the Big East Tournament.

“It feels good to have things on my shoulders this year,” Butler said. “With Lazar being the go-to guy, I just hope the team has trusted me that if Lazar’s not open they can give me the ball.”

Butler’s strength last season was

Backcourt reconstruction

crashing the boards and scoring in the paint, but with this inexperi-enced squad he’ll be expected to step out and shoot as well.

“I think my game is going towards the basket, but like coach says, you have to make them respect your outside game, too,” Butler said.

Last season, McNeal played the shooting guard position and aver-aged 35 minutes per game. He led the team in minutes, blocks, steals and points. When the team needed a go-to guy, he was it. He also left as the school’s all-time leading scorer. So how do you replace a player of his caliber?

It’s difficult to think anyone will compare to McNeal, but junior col-lege transfer Dwight Buycks should be a nice fit for the job. Buycks, a junior, hails from Milwaukee and last played at Indian Hills Commu-nity College, where he led the team in scoring, assists and steals.

“Coming here to Marquette gives me an opportunity to come in and play right away and lead the team right away,” Buycks said. “I couldn’t pass up this opportunity for anything.”

Buycks has shown a lot of poten-tial and garnered his teammates’ at-tention as well.

“Dwight has been the most im-pressive on the court because of his ability to score,” senior guard Da-vid Cubillan said. “He’s just a pure scorer.”

It is safe to say that James, Mc-Neal and Matthews will be missed, but with players like Acker, Butler and Buycks filling the void, oppo-nents may not want to count Mar-quette out yet.

Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Matthews are gone.

By Tim [email protected]

DoneThaT

It’s no news that the Marquette lost a vital part of its team to graduation in Dominic James, Jerel McNeal, Wesley Matthews and Dwight Burke. Now coach Buzz Williams needs to find a new rotation, but how will Buzz fare? Take a look at how teams have rebuilt after losing some key players to graduation and the NBA.

nexT SeaSonRecoRD DepaRTuReSStud freshman Tyreke Evans paced Memphis to a solid 33-4 record, but Missouri knocked the Tigers out in the Sweet 16.

In 2006-‘07, after the departure of three stellar guards (ring any bells?), Villanova went 22-11 and earned a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament, due in large part to freshman Scottie Reynolds.

2004-’05 Illinois Fightin’ Illini Bruce Weber

2007-’08 Memphis TigersJohn Calipari

2005-’06 Villanova WildcatsJay Wright

2001-’02 Duke Blue DevilsMike Krzyzewski

28-5, Elite Eight

Coach K brought in seven fresh-men the following year including J.J. Redick, Shelden Williams, Shavlik Randolph and Sean Dockery.

Led by Dee Brown and James Au-gustin, Illinois rebounded well and snagged a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament, where it eventually bowed out to No. 5 seed Washing-ton in the round of 32.

38-2, National Championship Runner-up

37-2, National Championship Runner-up

31-4, Sweet 16

Derrick RoseChris Douglas-RobertsJoey Dorsey

Allan RayKyle LowryRandy Foye

Jason WilliamsCarlos BoozerMike Dunleavy Jr.

Deron WilliamsLuther HeadRoger Powell

Been By Tim Kraft


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big east breakdown

The Big East title and top seed in the Big East Tournament may very well be on the line when the Mountaineers battle the Wildcats. These two teams are projected to go No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the preseason Big East coaches’ poll, and the game will give Villanova a chance to get revenge for the 93-72 beating it took at the hands of West Virginia last season.

The last time these two teams met up, the Orange took down the Huskies in a classic six-overtime, 127-117 game in the 2009 Big East Tournament. Both teams have lost their core players — Connecticut lost Jeff Adrien, A.J. Price and Hasheem Thabeet and Syracuse bid farewell to Jonny Flynn, Eric Devendorf and Paul Harris — but hope to maintain the winning ways they have grown accustomed to.

These Big East rivals face off in what should be a clash of big men. Notre Dame’s forward Luke Harangody averaged 23.3 points and 11.8 rebounds last season and is the preseason pick for the Big East Player of the Year. He will match up against Georgetown center Greg Monroe, who averaged 12.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, in a battle for low-post dominance.

big east breakdown

deonTa VaUGhn, SR. G — Cincinnati

Vaughn is the leader of the up-and-coming Bearcats. The 6-foot-1 senior

has led Cincinnati in scoring in each of his fi rst three seasons, averaging

14.5, 17.3 and 15.3 points per game, respectively. Last season, Vaughn

also averaged 4.7 assists in 35.8 minutes per game. Vaughn is one of four

returning Bearcat starters and hopes to return the team to the NCAA

Tournament for the fi rst time since 2005.

SCoTTIe ReYnoldS, SR. G — Villanova

Reynolds will be a veteran presence on his talented Wildcats squad.

Standing at 6-foot-2, this guard is the leading scorer (15.2 ppg) returning

from the 2009 Final Four team. He also led Villanova last year in assists (3.4

apg) and steals (1.6 steals per game). An All-Big East honorable mention

last year, Reynolds declared for the NBA Draft in April but chose to return

to the Wildcats for his senior season.

GReG MonRoe, So. C — Georgetown

After being named last year’s Big East Rookie of the Year, Monroe looks to

be one of the most dominating big men in the Big East this season, maybe

even all of college basketball. Forgoing the NBA for another year, the

6-foot-11 sophomore center led the Hoyas in fi eld goal percentage (57.2

percent) and rebounds (6.5 rpg) last season, and looks to improve on his

12.7 ppg from last year.

Georgetown

After fi nishing the 2008-’09 campaign 16-15 (7-11 Big East) and bowing out in the fi rst round of the NIT, Georgetown looks to improve by returning four starters and an experienced core of Greg Monroe (12.7 ppg), Chris Wright (12.5 ppg) and Austin Freeman (11.4 ppg). The 6-foot-11 Monroe is the key, however, and will need to help the Hoyas boost their 32.7 rpg, which was last in the Big East last year.

Cincinnati

A one-time Conference USA juggernaut, Cincinnati has failed to show it is capable of holding its own in the Big East. The Bearcats have improved each of the last three seasons and fi nished last year at 18-14 (8-10). Deonta Vaughn (15.3 ppg, 4.7 apg) returns for his senior season to lead the team. The Bearcats need a running mate for Vaughn, however. Their 68.3 points per game was 12th in the Big East.

Notre Dame

Luke Harangody (23.3 ppg and 11.8 rpg) is returning for his senior season, and his presence on the court alone will help to keep the Fighting Irish in contention. Last season they lived by the three-point shot, shooting a league-best 39.8 percent from beyond the arc. Kyle McAlarney, Ryan Ayers and Luke Zeller combined for 75 percent of the team’s threes, but Notre Dame lost all three players to graduation.

Seton Hall

The Pirates return four of fi ve starters to a team that fi nished 17-15 (7-11 Big East) last season. Jeremy Hazell will lead the charge for Seton Hall once again, af-ter averaging 22.7 ppg last season. One major area of focus for the Pirates will be on the boards, where they struggled last year with 33.8 rebounds per game, second worst only to Georgetown.

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Syracuse

Syracuse owned the Big East’s best offense last season, scoring 80.2 ppg. However, with the exit of Jonny Flynn, Eric Devendorf and Paul Harris, 45.1 ppg left with them. This shouldn’t slow down an Orange team that returns a vet-eran to both the front (Arinze Onuaku, 10.3 ppg) and backcourt (Andy Rautins, 10.5 ppg).

Marquette

Graduating two of the top six scorers in the Big East last year (No. 3 Jerel McNeal with 19.8 ppg and No. 6 Wesley Matthews with 18.3 ppg) will hurt the Golden Eagles. Lazar Hayward (16.3 ppg and 8.6 rpg) returns to lead the way for Marquette, but without help from his supporting cast of Jimmy Butler (5.6 ppg), Maurice Acker (2.8 ppg) and Chris Otule (1.3 ppg), this team won’t be able to get too far.

Pittsburgh

DeJuan Blair, Sam Young and Levance Fields are all gone. The Panthers must now turn to last year’s role players, Jermaine Dixon (8.4 ppg) and Tyrell Biggs (6.4 ppg), to step up and shoulder much of the offensive load. With a relatively weak non-conference schedule — featuring Big Ten doormat Indiana as the toughest early-season competition — it won’t be until January rolls around that we’ll see if this team is just a pretender.

St. Johnʼs

Last year’s team returns its top nine scorers. Led by juniors Paris Horne (14.6 ppg and 2.2 apg) and Sean Evans (10.3 ppg and 7.1 rpg), St. John’s is starting to turn its program around. By getting a little more offense out of starting guard Malik Boothe (6.4 ppg in 33.8 minutes per game) and defending better against the three (opponents shot a Big East-best 36.9 percent from beyond the arc), the Red Storm should be greatly improved.pret

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South Florida

With junior Dominique Jones (18.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.3 spg) at the helm, there is a chance for this Big East bottom-feeder to emerge from the cellar and improve its 9-22 (4-14 Big East) record from last season. To succeed, the team must make big offensive strides. South Florida was last in the Big East in all major offensive categories, including scoring (59.0 ppg), free-throw percentage (59.8 percent) and fi eld-goal percentage (39.9 percent).

DePaul

The Blue Demons were another victim of the vaunted Big East last season, going 0-18 in conference play. It would be easy to say things have to go up from here, but DePaul lost its best player, Dar Tucker, to the NBA. Tucker’s 18.5 ppg will be greatly missed by the Demons. The silver lining for this team is that it returns two veteran players in Mac Koshwal (12.2 ppg and 9.6 rpg) and Will Walker (14.6 ppg).

Rutgers

Mike Rosario (16.2 ppg) and Gregory Echenique (8.4 ppg and 8.4 rpg) both had respectable freshman seasons, but Rutgers needs the two to continue improving. Turnovers were what really hurt the Scarlet Knights last season. Rutgers committed a Big East-worst 15.5 turnovers per game, and both Rosario and Echenique had more than two turnovers to every assist.

Providence

Inexperience is going to plague the Friars this season, as the team returns only three players who averaged over 10 minutes per game (Sharaud Curry, Mar-shon Brooks and Brian McKenzie). Last year’s leading scorer (Weyinmi Efejuku, 15.7 ppg) and leading rebounder (Geoff McDermott, 8.5 rpg) are gone, but the real problem for coach Keno Davis was defense — Providence allowed a league-high 76.7 ppg last year.a

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West Virginia

West Virginia returns four of fi ve starters, including last year’s leading scorer, Da’Sean Butler (17.1 ppg) and leading rebounder, Devin Ebanks (7.8 rpg). The Mountaineers’ had the Big East-best scoring defense (61.8 ppg) last year, but they need to improve on their 42.9 FG%, which was 11th in conference. Replacing Alex Ruoff’s production (15.7 ppg) will be another important task.

Louisville

Coach Rick Pitino lost his frontcourt presence with the graduation of Terrence Williams (12.5 ppg and 8.6 rpg) and early departure of Earl Clark (14.2 ppg and 8.7 rpg) but kept his dominating backcourt duo of Edgar Sosa and Jerry Smith, along with forward Samardo Samuels. The 6-foot-9 big man will need to take a huge step forward to keep Louisville competitive.

Connecticut

The Huskies lost their top three scorers, top two rebounders and top passer from last season in A.J. Price (14.7 ppg, 4.7 apg), Jeff Adrien (13.6 ppg, 9.9 rpg) and Hasheem Thabeet (13.6 ppg, 10.8 rpg). But last season’s depth will pay off as the team returns four players who averaged over 25 minutes per game. Jerome Dyson (13.2 ppg, 1.8 steals per game) will be the go-to player this season.

5

BIG EAST STAR WATCH KEEP AN EYE OUT

By Joey Kimesbig east breakdown

Connecticut

By Joey Kimes

VillanovaWildcats

The favorite to take home the Big East crown, Villanova is led by senior Scottie Reynolds (15.2 ppg) and juniors Corey Stokes (9.3 ppg) and Corey Fisher (10.8 ppg). The Wildcats return the bulk of their attack from last season but only two starters — Reynolds and senior Reggie Redding. Still, the Wildcats allowed opponents to shoot only 40.3 percent from the fi eld last year earning them a Final Four bid.

TRIBUNE Pick to WinPick to Win

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32

Lazar Hayward is already a star.

As a junior last season, the for-ward was one of only two players in the vaunted Big East to fi n-ish in the top 10 in scoring (10th with 16.3 points per game) and rebounds (seventh with 8.6 re-bounds per game), the other be-ing Notre Dame big man Luke Harangody.

Hayward attained the rebound-ing mark while playing out of position, often giving up at least 30 pounds to opponents. He ob-tained the points as the third op-tion behind the conference’s third

and sixth leading scorers in Jerel McNeal and Wesley Matthews, respectively.

Hayward has done everything asked of him up until this point. But with a new season and the departure of not only the Golden Eagles’ top talent but their court leaders as well, Hayward is now being asked to play a different role.

“I have to be a bit more of a vo-cal leader,” he said. “Now they all look towards me. All the young guys, they want to see how hard I’m working. They want to see the things I do on and off the court.

“That’s one of the things I wasn’t used to.”

In three years with Marquette,

Hayward became known for his quiet demeanor and letting his play speak for itself. That, of course, will have to change to some degree, but junior Jimmy Butler said Hayward’s humility is precisely why the entire team hangs on his every word.

“Lazar being the person he is, everybody on this team is giving their all,” Butler said. “Basically that’s what I live for right now is to see Lazar make it to the tourna-ment. For him, I’d do anything.

“You never hear him talk about himself. You never hear him talk about going to the NBA. … You have no choice but to look up to Lazar, because Lazar’s never leading you in the wrong direc-

tion — ever.”Compared to the production

Hayward will have to replace, however, learning to speak up to his teammates might be the easier task. Much of what fi gures to be his supporting cast will have to make a bigger leap in terms of production than even he will.

Butler earned his minutes with his activity around the basket last season, grabbing offensive rebounds, picking up scraps and drawing fouls. This season he will arguably be the second op-tion behind Hayward. Junior Dwight Buycks could be as suc-cessful a junior college transplant as Butler was, or he could be as insignifi cant as Joseph Fulce was.

Even seniors David Cubillan and Maurice Acker have never been more than quality backups.

“I think I’ll be expected to do a lot,” Hayward said.

But evidenced by the fact that Butler would “do anything” for Hayward and that coach Buzz Williams said, “I hope my two boys grow up to be who Lazar is as a person,” the team believes it’s in good hands.

“He’s an incredible player,” junior forward Fulce said. “He’s willing to make sure that every-body picks it up. That’s one thing that he’s brought to the table, that’s really helped everybody out a lot is getting everybody else better as well as himself.”


Hayward: ‘I’ll be expected to do a lot’

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32

The cards are on the table and all of the Big East coaches are betting on Angel Robinson.

The junior from St. Paul, Minn., was selected to the 2009-’10 Pre-season All-Big East Team, joining two All-Americans from Connecti-cut, junior Maya More and senior Tina Charles, as the only unani-mous selections.

That is high praise for a player whose team is predicted to fi nish only tenth in the Big East, yet these accolades have not gone to Robin-son’s head.

“It still hasn’t really hit me yet,” Robinson said. “I guess it’s a good

thing. It just motivates me to keep doing better, and I can do better.”

When asked if she believed there was any added pressure on her be-cause of the selection, Robinson responded, “I don’t have any pres-sure at all. I’m an upperclassman now and I think my coaches and the team expect things out of me too,” Robinson said. “I’m just go-ing to do what they tell me to do. If I have to work harder, I’m going to work harder. They are my motiva-tion. So no.”

The facts say otherwise, though. Robinson will be expected to in-herit much of the scoring load, thrust on her with the graduation of Marquette’s all-time leading scorer, Krystal Ellis.

She becomes the sole offensive focus and will have to step up her play to help recover the 12.3 points per game lost with Ellis’ departure. She will also experience more scru-tiny, now that she is not sharing the spotlight with Ellis. This is Robin-son’s team now.

Robinson put in extra effort over the summer, however, working on both her offensive and defensive game.

“I worked a lot more on my jumper,” Robinson said. “That was totally inconsistent last year, and that’s the main thing I wanted to focus on. Work on my mid-range (jumper) and more importantly my three-point (shot).”

Defensively, Robinson said she

wants to stay out of foul trouble and not check out because of frustra-tion.

“I let my team down. ... I can’t do that this year.”

Coach Terri Mitchell wants Rob-inson’s experience to play a key role in both Robinson’s and the team’s development.

“My expectations for her are that she uses all the experience she’s had over the last two years and that we see that on the court,” Mitchell said. “That means that she has so many game minutes under her belt that she’ll understand the fl ow of the game, when is it to run, when is it to slow down, when do we need a three or a two.

“My expectations for her is that

she raises the level of everyone around her. Not only that she’s looking to score but she’s setting up everyone else too.”

The team as a whole is not plac-ing all its eggs in the Robinson bas-ket. Other players will be expected to contribute to take some of the load off Robinson.

“We’re more of a team,” junior Lauren Thomas-Johnson said. “We all want the same thing. This year, the team as a whole, we’re just so together and so focused.”

Nevertheless, the fate of this team will fall on last year’s leader in min-utes, fi eld goals, fi eld goal attempts, free-throws, rebounds, fouls, assists, points, and points per game. This is Angel Robinson’s team now.

By Andrei Greska [email protected]

Robinson: ‘I’m going to work harder’

Stanford at Connecticut 12/23/09

During this holiday season fans will be given an extraordinary gift as two of the top teams in the country face off. Stanford fi nished 33-5 last year, making a run all the way to the Final Four before being knocked off by the the eventual champs, Connecticut. The Cardinals will look to avenge that loss in one of the nation’s most enticing games.

While Notre Dame boasts the better team on paper, returning all of their key players and adding the highly touted point guard Skylar Diggins (see left), the Scarlet Knights and their newly minted Hall of Fame coach Vivian Stringer are not to be counted out. This game will showcase who is for real and who is another year away from being a legitimate Big East contender.

The rematch of last year’s NCAA Championship comes in the middle of the Big East season and is sure to have implications for national and Big East standings. Last year’s meetings were domi-nated by the Huskies, who won all three matches by a combined 89 points. The Cardinals will look to show they can be the top dog in the conference.

The Golden eaGle8

big east breakdown

da'Sheena STeVenS So. F — St. John’s

Named the 2009 Big East Freshman of the year after averaging 11.9 ppg and

6.6 rpg, Stevens was the only unanimous selection to the Big East all-fresh-

man team. She led the team in points, rebounds and blocks and broke the

St. John’s rookie scoring record of 364 points by 42 points, while averaging

just 27.5 mpg last season. If she stays out of foul trouble — something that

plagued her last season — Stevens will be a force to be reckoned with.

deSeRee' BYRd JR. G — Louisville

Her stats weren’t always pretty, but Byrd was the catalyst behind last sea-

son’s run to the National Championship. Byrd started 38 games and aver-

aged a team high 32.1 mpg last season. She dished out a team high 191

assists while also averaging 7.6 ppg. With the Cardinals’ leading scorer last

season, Angel McCoughtry, now gone, Byrd will have to fi nd new outlets

for her precise passes. As Byrd goes, so will the Cardinals of Louisville.

SKYlaR dIGGInS FR. G — Notre Dame

This highly touted freshman and South Bend native will look to take the

Fighting Irish past Connecticut this year. Diggins is a McDonald’s All-Amer-

ican who led her team to four straight state championship appearances,

winning the title in her sophomore campaign. She averaged 29.0 ppg her

senior season and was named the 2009 Gatorade National High School

Female Athlete of the Year.

Rutgers

While the Scarlet Knights lost their leading scorer from last year in guard Epiphanny Prince (19.5 ppg), they re-turn their second leading scorer, Britta-ny Ray, who averaged in double fi gures. Coach Vivian Stringer recruited a top 10 class according to ESPN’s HoopGurlz. The No. 6 prospect, forward Monique Oliver, is the focal point of the class (11.5 ppg and 9.5 rpg in high school).

West Virginia

Last year’s squad went 5-11 in Big East play, but returns two of its top three scorers including leading scorer and re-bounder Liz Repella (16.5 ppg and 8.1 rpg). They also return the Big East’s Most Improved Player in junior guard Sarah Miles (12.2 ppg). The Mountain-eers were fi fth last year in points allowed per game (60.1) and with three of their fi ve starters back from last year they’ll look to continue that trend.

Pittsburgh

The Panthers lost their top two scor-ers from last year: All-American shoot-ing guard Shavonte Zellous (22.6 ppg and 5.7 rpg) and guard Xenia Stewart (10.9 ppg). Sophomore forward Kate Poppovec, a former McDonald’s High School All-American, was the only other player to lead the team in scoring in any game last year. She’ll need to step up of-fensively for the Panthers to come close to last year’s third-place Big East fi nish.

Syracuse

The Orange lost leading scorer and re-bounder Chandrea Jones (16.9 ppg and 8.8 rpg) but return four of fi ve starters. Senior forward Nicole Michael (14.7 ppg and 8.5 rpg) is a preseason candidate for the John R. Wooden Award, given to the best player in college basketball. To challenge in conference, the team needs to hit more of its threes (29.5 percent last year) and cut down the turnovers (17.3 per game — 12th in conference).c

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Marquette

The Golden Eagles lost the school’s all-time leading scorer in guard Krys-tal Ellis. However, they return leading scorer and preseason All-Big East guard Angel Robinson (13.9 ppg). This year’s squad features only one new player — freshman forward Sarina Simmons — from a team that fi nished tied for ninth in the Big East last year and had only two players average in double fi gures. Marquette will need to improve on its 0.8 assist-to-turnover ratio.

South Florida

The Bulls were the league’s No. 2 of-fense last year (78 ppg). That production managed to get the Bulls an eighth-place fi nish in the conference. Two of the team’s top four scorers are gone, but the Bulls have a nice inside-outside game with senior center Jessica Lawson (10.6 ppg) and senior guard Janae Stokes (12.6 ppg). This may not be enough, however, to make up for their poor defense — op-ponents averaged 65.6 ppg, second worst in conference.

Georgetown

The Hoyas’ season signifi ed the es-sence of mediocrity. They fi nished con-ference play in ninth place, were 10th in blocks per game, 12th in ppg and fourth in steals per game. They only had two players average in double fi gures last year in Big East play, both under 14 points, and one of them, guard Karee Houlette, graduated. They did, however, bring in the No. 5 shooting guard in the 2009 re-cruiting class, according to HoopGurlz, in Ta’Shauna “Sugar” Rodgers.

St. John’s

The Red Storm fi nished 11th in the conference last year but mustered HoopGurlz’s No. 11 recruiting class with two top 100 recruits. However, the team lost its top scorer from last year in guard Monique McLean (17.3 ppg). They do return last year’s Big East Freshman of the Year, forward Da’Shena Stevens (11.9 ppg and 6.6 rpg), but eight of the 11 players from last year averaged less than nine points per game and seven of them averaged six points or less.pret

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Cincinnati

Last year’s squad went 3-13 in Big East play and lost its second leading scorer Jill Stephens (12 ppg) and lead-ing rebounder Angel Morgan (7.5 rpg). Last year’s leading scorer, senior guard Kahla Roudebush (16.5 ppg), will be the focal point of the offense in which she took 380 shots last year. Roudebush and Stephens were the only two to average double fi gures for a team that only aver-aged 59.2 points per game — which was 14th in the conference last year.

Providence

The leading scorer from last year, Chelsea Marandola (12 ppg), is gone. The Friars brought in only one new recruit, junior college transfer Tiffany Hurd (19.8 ppg, 8 rpg) to a team that fi nished 3-13 in conference last year — good enough for a tie for 13th place. The Friars will need to fi nd a way to take bet-ter care of the basketball this year and force more turnovers as they were 13th in turnovers and had the 15th worst turn-over margin in the Big East.

Seton Hall

The Pirates’ leading rebounder and double-double machine, forward Noteisha Womack (12.4 ppg and 10.6 rpg), is gone. Back is leading scorer Eb-onie Williams (13.2 ppg), but this stat shows how offensively challenged the team was, especially since only three players averaged double digits and one of them has graduated. Rebounding will be another issue, with only two play-ers returning that averaged more than 4 rpg.

Villanova

Last year’s Wildcats fi nished the year in a tie for fourth place in the Big East, but that team had forward Laura Kurz (17.4 ppg and 7.2 rpg). Last year the team averaged 54.8 ppg with Kurz, which was last in the conference. The team returns its No. 2 scorer, Maria Getty, but she averaged less than 10 points per game. Last year they had a -0.52 turnover mar-gin, which was overcome by their stellar defense (54.3 ppg — second best in the Big East).a

mat

eurs

By Mike Nelson and Andrei Greska

BIG EAST STAR WATCH KEEP AN EYE OUT

ConnecticutHuskies

TRIBUNE Pick to Win

Notre Dame

Last year’s top four scorers are all back this year for the Fighting Irish including guards Ashley Barlow (12.7 ppg) and Lindsay Schrader (12.6 ppg and 7.4 rpg). Add the No. 16 recruiting class according to ESPN’s HoopGurlz, which included the No. 3 prospect in the country, guard Skylar Diggins (29 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 6.2 apg) and this team capable of competing with Connecticut.

DePaul

The Blue Demons return four of fi ve starters from last season, including se-nior guard and leading scorer Deirdre Naughton (15.5 ppg). Leading rebound-er and second leading scorer, Natasha Williams (14.5 ppg and 6.7 rpg), is gone, however. Look for this team to continue protecting the ball — they averaged 15 turnovers per game last season, which was fourth best in the conference.

Louisville

The national runner-up last year lost fi ve games the entire season — three to Connecticut. Look for them to struggle with the loss of its top two players from last year: Angel McCoughtry (23.1 ppg and 9.3 rpg) and Candyce Bingham (12.5 ppg and 7.3 rpg). If Deseree’ Byrd (5 apg) and a talented group of freshmen can contribute immediately, this team will stay atop the standings.

The Huskies had the perfect season last year (39-0) winning both the Big East and a National Championship. They return 10 play-ers including 2009 National Player of the Year Maya Moore (19.3 ppg, 8.9 rpg) and 2009 All-American senior center Tina Charles (16.5 ppg, 8.9 rpg). The Huskies need to re-place their four-year starter at point guard Re-nee Montgomery (16.5 ppg, 5.1 apg).

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Louisville at Connecticut 02/07/10

the front court for the Marquette women’s basketball team will be doing most of the dirty but necessary work.

The quartet of sophomore Jessica Pachko, junior Jocelyn Mellen, junior Paige Fiedorowicz and sophomore Georgie Jones will provide Marquette with depth on the low post that will help the team play solid defense and score some points.

Pachko was selected to last year’s Big East All-Freshman team after posting 8.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.

“I think the minutes that she had last year were tremendous. She was out there in very critical situations,” coach Terri Mitchell said. “At times where we had to get her the ball, she was the consistent inside threat.”

Pachko had the most playing time of all the front court players last year, averaging 26.3 minutes per game, and that experience will serve her well this year.

Mitchell expects Pachko to demand the ball more this year, lauding her scoring and passing abilities, and saying she needs to build upon her great freshman season.

“I don’t see her as a sophomore,”

Mitchell said.Another key low-post player will

be Mellen. The junior played in only five games last year before suffering a season-ending knee injury.

“You look at those first four games and how well she played.” Mitchell said. “I don’t think enough people gave her the credit she deserved when she went out, because we lost our defensive glue when we lost her.”

Mellen averaged 4.8 rpg her freshman season, scoring 12 points to go with eight rebounds in the WNIT Championship. Marquette will need her at that level to be successful this season.

“One thing about Jocelyn, if you watch the game closely, when she’s on the court she has everyone’s back,” Mitchell said. “Our guards take more chances, because they know that if they mess up, Jocelyn has you.”

Mitchell noted that Mellen also covers for the post player whenever one of them messes up and added that Mellen has a knack for defense and rebounding.

Mellen is back at full strength. She’s been taking so many charges in practice that the coaching staff has limited how many she can

take. Mitchell said Mellen is rusty on offense but that she thinks the problem will right itself with more practices under her belt.

Fiedorowicz and Jones will also see a lot of action in the front court. Fiedorowicz’s 5.6 ppg and 3.8 rpg and Jones’ 4.8 rpg give Marquette added depth down low.

“Our underclassmen are stepping up big time, especially Georgie,” Robinson said. “I’m not just saying her name because we played at the same high school together. She has shown a lot of growth as a freshman. She doesn’t look as confused anymore.”

The front court as a whole will also be expected to contribute to Marquette’s transition into a quicker, more run-and-gun squad.

“This year we want to be a fast break team, and to be a fast break team you have to be in shape,” senior Lauren Thomas-Johnson said. “We’ve all really been working on our conditioning.”

Depth will play a key role in this, as Mitchell will be able to rotate more bodies in and out of the game. The quartet will be leaned upon heavily on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.

9

with international basketball experience and a double-digit scoring average in junior college, yet struggled to perform that way in her first year at Marquette.

Last season she averaged 4.3 points, 1.5 rebounds and .9 assists in 17.1 minutes per game. She shot 26.2 percent from the field and 25 percent from the 3-point line.

In two years at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Thomas-Johnson averaged 13.1 points, three rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. She also shot 42.7 percent from the field. Her 3-point field goal percentage was 26.7 percent.

Thomas-Johnson, a citizen of Great Britain, played for the Great Britain Under-20 team in the Under-20 European Championship in summer 2007. Her standout performance came in a 79-73 victory over Portugal, where she scored 22 points and had seven rebounds, which earned her team a third-place finish.

Johnson could not pinpoint why her production was down last year but said she was as upset about it as anyone.

“I was obviously very disappointed with the way I

played last year, but I was more disappointed with how I was as a person,” Thomas-Johnson said. “I’ve been working on not getting as frustrated with myself.”

Thomas-Johnson became especially frustrated last year when she missed open shots, an aspect she wants to erase from her game.

“Everybody misses a shot. Michael Jordan doesn’t score every shot he takes,” Thomas-Johnson said. “I’ve just really tried to focus on not getting so easily frustrated (with my misses).”

In addition to honing her mental game, Johnson spent much of the offseason working on her conditioning and shooting.

“I’ve been working on my conditioning because we want to be a fast break team; to be a fast break team you have to be in shape,” Thomas-Johnson said. “I’ve also been working on my jump shot — obviously it wasn’t very good (last year) — and my 3-point shot.”

Golden Eagle coach Terri Mitchell doesn’t have a starting lineup in place yet, but said Thomas-Johnson will be part of a seven player rotation when

the season begins. If the team does well this year, Mitchell said Thomas-Johnson and fellow senior guard Janelle Harris will have to play crucial roles.

“They are both penetrators, great defenders. Both (Janelle) and Lauren will be given the task of stopping the opponent’s top scoring threat,” Mitchell said. “If that’s two players then they’ll be on them, if it’s one then we’ll switch them back and forth.”

Harris understands her responsibility and said she and Thomas-Johnson, the lone seniors will be expected to lead by their actions.

“As Terri (Mitchell) says, ‘you go as your seniors go,’” Harris said. “(We) just have to lead by example: working hard, keeping the team up and just doing whatever we can to help the team be successful.”

As for Thomas-Johnson, she isn’t worried about the past and is now focused on improving this upcoming season.

“Last year was just one of those years,” Thomas-Johnson said. “Everyone can’t play great every year. That was my one year and that’s it; I’m done for my career.”

While Angel Robinson will get most of the attention this year,

By Andrei [email protected]

Senior guard Lauren Thomas-Johnson came into last season

By Mike [email protected]

Maya MooreConnecticut17.8 ppg, 7.6 rpg and a 42 FG% her freshman season. The next season she aver-aged 19.6 ppg, 9.4 rpg and a 51.1 FG%.

Connecticut2006-’07 Big East freshman of the year. 12.7 ppg, 8.2 rpg and a 59 FG%. In her sopho-more year she was named to All-Big East first team with 14.2 ppg , 9.2 rpg and a 60.4 FG%.

Chelsea ColePittsburghFreshman season she aver-aged 4.5 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per game with 38 blocks and a 44.4 FG%. Sophomore year she averaged 3.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 34 blocks and a 45.4 FG%.

Nicole MichaelSyracuse17.3 ppg, 8.6 RPG and a 41.7 FG%. Set school records with 156 free throws made. Averaged 12.3 ppg, 7.4 rpg in her sophomore season.

Net ThreatsMarquette sophomore forward Jessica Pachko is in good company. All of these Big East bigs also made the All-Freshmen team in their first season. Where are they now? Glad you asked.

Tina Charles

Maya Moore

Chelsea Cole

Nicole Michael

Tina Charles

By Erik Schmidt

Shot in the dark

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Sl edi

For love of the game

Last year was full of lessons for coach Terri Mitchell and her Golden Eagles. A team com-ing off a WNIT championship in 2007, they were expected to take the next step be-

hind senior guard Krystal Ellis and a rapidly improving Angel Robinson. They were expected to make a dent in the Big East and get into the NCAA Tournament.

Lesson one: Things don’t al-ways work out the way you ex-pect.

The preseason top-25 team went 17-16 on the year, and just 7-9 in conference. They were hampered by injury problems (eight) all sea-son. Krystal Ellis fizzled in her final year to the point where she was coming off the bench near the end. Marquette lost four of its last five games and bowed out in

the third round of the WNIT. That was last year.

“Last year is behind us,” said Mitchell, now in her 14th season. “We’ve been very forward think-ing. We learned from last year, and now our whole point is to every day get better, get stronger, get tougher and get ready to com-pete.”

Lesson two: Give the ball to Angel

The Unanimous All-Big East selection led the team in points and assists last season and now, without Ellis, must do it again. She’s literally got the team on her … hmm, what’s a good metaphor for Angel? I can’t think of one. I’ll just wing it. All the weight’s on her shoulders. And everyone knows it, including her.

“As an individual I was incon-sistent last season,” Robinson said. “I want to be more consis-tent on both ends. My scoring, my passes, my all around game. There were times I let my team down. I can’t do that this year.”

It’s a new year for the junior, along with a new attitude, and a new number. She’s switched from her familiar No. 1 to 32.

“I had my experience with No. 1, and I came to the conclusion that it was bad luck,” Robinson said. “I talked to my father about it. His favorite basketball player is Magic Johnson. He said, ‘If you wear No. 32, you can’t play like a scrub.’ So you’ve got to move to his expectations. It’s a fresh start with a new number.”

Lesson three: We are family.This is still a veteran team that

includes just one incoming fresh-man, forward Sarina Simmons, a top 60 recruit according to ESPN Hoopgurlz. Mitchell’s projected rotation of eight or so players with solid minutes include both seniors, guards Janelle Harris and Lauren Thomas-Johnson, whose leadership and speed on the wings needs to translate into wins.

“I believe you go as your se-niors go,” Mitchell said. “I sat them down and told them, … ‘If I

can’t rely on you two, then I can’t rely on anyone else.’ They’ve tak-en it to heart, and they are playing unbelievably well.”

Another key contributor figures to be sophomore Jessica Pachko, who impressed last year with her Big East All-Freshman team se-lection. It will be up to these play-ers to compliment Robinson and stop defenses from solely focus-ing on her.

Lesson four: There’s always next year.

And that year is now. So they’ve lost the program’s all time lead-ing scorer. So they haven’t made it to the NCAA’s in two years. So what? If you ask these women, it just gives them more motivation.

“We’re more of a team,” Thom-as-Johnson said. “We’re all on the same page, and we all want the same thing. I just feel like this year the team as a whole is so to-gether and focused. We want to get to the big dance.”

Make it happen.

lesson Plan

since the team joined the Big East Conference in 2005.

Last season’s disappointing 17-16 campaign is something Mitchell wants all of her players and coaches to move on from.

Mitchell said that she has learned a lot of lessons from last year. This season it’s all about taking small steps to get better every day and being ready to compete in the Big East. Mitch-ell admitted that even though the team is moving forward, last year was a drain on her mentally.

“Last year, when the season started to go how we didn’t want it to go and we lost one game af-ter another, there were times - I will admit - when I was frustrat-ed. My words have a tremendous impact on my team,” she said.

The Golden eaGle10

“There’s a time and a place to be honest, but I’d rather encourage. I’m an encourager. That’s what I am. I lost some of that last year based on frustration and I’m not going to do that this year.”

In addition to being more of an encourager, Mitchell wants to en-joy this season more than last.

“What you’re going to see from me is just a coach out there hav-ing fun,” Mitchell said. “This is my passion, and when I’m not passionate about it then I’m out. I can say this year that I have found the love deeper than ever before.”

Before Mitchell’s father died this past April she promised him that this team would have a great season. That only adds to her mo-tivation for this season.

Last year the Marquette women’s basketball team suffered its worst record under coach Terri Mitchell

“I’m not going to forget the promise that I’ve made him,” Mitchell said. “So every day I wake up pretty motivated to make what I promised happen.”

Mitchell seems to have her team more together this year. Se-nior guard Lauren Thomas-John-son said Mitchell built a team that believes in one another.

“We trust each other a lot more,” Thomas-Johnson said. “We know Jocelyn (Mellen) isn’t going to take all the charges. So we know Jocelyn isn’t going to do to it so I have to do it. If I don’t do it then Janelle (Harris) needs to stand up and do it. That’s a big thing this year: Everyone has each other’s back.”

Junior guard Angel Robinson said she and Mitchell spend more

time trying to get on the same page than ever before.

“I never used to go back to the offices to at all talk to (the coach-es),” Robinson said. “Terri and I build more trust within us each and every day and that’s really important.”

Mitchell said regardless of the season, her goals remain the same.

“Our goal is to win a Big East championship and be in the NCAA Tournament. That’s how I coach, that’s what I believe and how I believe every day,” Mitch-ell said. “If I don’t believe that I shouldn’t be the leader of this program.”

EricGrover

Marquette features two seniors in Janelle Harris and Lauren Thomas-Johnson, but more than likely Rob-inson will pace the Golden Eagles in points and the trend will continue.

2005-’06

13.0

Christian Quaye,

2006-’07

18.0

Krystal Ellis,

Krystal Ellis,

2007-’08

19.4

13.9

Angel Robinson,

2008-’09

Leading Senior Scorer

Leading Scorer

7.8

Carolyn Kieger

Christian Quaye

Jr.

So.16.0

Jr.7.8

12.3

Svetlana Kovalenko

Krystal Ellis

So.

Since Marquette’s entry into the Big East in 2005, women’s basketball coach Terri Mitchell has produced some prolific scorers. Inter-estingly enough, in the four years the team has been in the conference, not once has a senior led the team in scoring.

Mitchell has never com-plained about underclass-men stepping up, but is she to blame for seniors falling under the radar? Do the se-niors lead by example and leave the scoring to up-and-coming stars? Here’s a clos-er look at the leading scor-ers the past four seasons.

Senior

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By Mike [email protected]

+ Marquette’s prized recruit, she is an athletic play-er who could see a lot of minutes as a freshman. Looked great in the team’s first exhibition match.– We don’t really know what kind of player she’ll be yet, but her clearest flaw right now is lack of ex-perience.

loss of games and the loss of three seniors, including Marquette’s all-time leading scorer Krystal Ellis.“We are very excited the new sea-

son is upon us. Last year is behind us,” Mitchell said. “We learned a lot of great lessons. Everyone al-ways asked what the expectations are of the program and they’ll never change — be an NCAA playoff team.”

Star guard Angel Robinson, who led the Golden Eagles last season with 13.9 points per game and was the team’s second leading rebound-er with five rebounds per game, re-turns for her junior year. Robinson said the team worked hard over the summer and has high expectations for the season.

“We just have a lot more positiv-ity on the team this year,” Robinson said. “We know how it feels to be down and out. We just want to win and be happy playing the game.”

This year, Robinson was chosen as one of three unanimous selec-tions to the Preseason All-Big East Team. Robinson said the accolade

hasn’t sunk in yet but now she’s just focused on improving her game and role on the team.

“I want to be more consistent on both ends of the floor,” Robinson said. “Staying out of fouls. On the offensive end more consistency with scoring and my passes. We just have a totally different team this year.”

Another key returnee for Mar-quette is Lauren Thomas-Johnson, who had 18 steals and averaged 4.3 points per game. She was not happy with her game last season, but as a senior this year, she knows that she needs to pick up her game in order to lead the team.

“I was so frustrated with myself and that kind of reflected on the team and that brought the team down a bit,” Thomas-Johnson said. “Everybody misses a shot. I was dis-appointed last year but as coach said ‘last season is last season.’ We’re all about this year and this season and moving forward.”

Newcomer freshman forward Sarina Simmons is ranked No. 8 by

the Collegiate Girls Basketball Re-port and the 14th best wing recruit in the country by ESPN Hoopgurlz.

“Sarina Simmons is our only freshman,” Mitchell said. “Every-one is really aware of her but on the other hand she needs to stay up with her big sisters.”

Last season, the team finished just above .500 with an overall record of 17-16. In the team’s last seven Big East games, it won the first three in a row but lost the last four. That kind of play earned the team a Big East preseason ranking of 10th.

“I think that preseason rankings are just that — they are preseason rankings,” Mitchell said. “I totally understand why people put us at tenth. Our concern is where we finish in March. What I look at is the 13 games in non-conference to get us ready for the Big East to see where we belong. We don’t want to just be in the middle; we want to be on the top.”

11

S E A S O N P R E V I E W

High expectationsCoach Terri Mitchell looks to reform her team’s identity after a season dominated by loss:

By David [email protected]

F Sarina Simmons

F Jasmine Collins+ At 6-foot-2, Collins has the size and athleticism to be a game-changer on the defensive side of the ball.– She’s never been able to develop the skills to go along with her natural talents. Averaged only 1.4 points and 1.8 rebounds per game last season.

F Paige Fiedorowicz+ She’s a skilled low-post player with the size and strength to match up with nearly anybody. Has a sweet stroke from the charity stripe, shooting an even 80 percent last year.– Slightly injury prone in her career and seemed to fall out of Terri Mitchell’s favor last season.

G Janelle Harris+ She is a solid player who makes few mistakes. She has the ability to contribute in every aspect of the game.– Doesn’t have one attribute that makes her special. She’s not a great shooter or rebounder and doesn’t have the vision to be a playmaker.

C Georgie Jones+ Amazing athlete with a lean body and long arms. Led team with 22 blocked shots last season, and that number should only improve.– At 6-foot-2, has the height and tools to be a great defender and rebounder, but her offensive skills are extremely limited.

G Tatiyiana McMorris+ Small, quick and possessing an accurate jump-shot, she could likely be in the starting backcourt this season. – Plays out of control at times and can be an exces-sive source of bad turnovers. At only 5-foot-7 she doesn’t have the size or ability to finish at the rim.

F Jocelyn Mellen+ Very talented forward with solid all-around skills. Showed flashes before going down with a knee in-jury in the team’s fifth game last season. – Hasn’t proved she can stay on the court and with team’s frontcourt depth she might see her minutes limited simply as a health precaution.

F Jessica Pachko+ Was a Big East All-Freshman Team selection last season and led the team in rebounds. An accurate shooter and skilled post player.– A little injury prone and could use some work on her conditioning. The main obstacle will probably be competing for minutes in the frontcourt.

G Angel Robinson+ Robinson is a star. She’s a preseason All-Big East First Team Selection and will probably lead the team in every offensive category. – Robinson is going to shoot a lot this year. She’s not the most accurate shooter, so some games that will work out great and others not so much.

G Lauren Thomas-Johnson+ LTJ is a freak athlete. She’s probably Marquette’s fastest player, and at 5-foot-10 she possesses ideal height for a guard.– She can’t shoot. At all. Which is scary because she’ll be looked upon to contribute a lot this sea-son.

G Courtney Weibel+ Holds the national record for most three-pointers in a high school career with 471.– The record is more of a result of shooting way too much rather than being a dead-eye from deep. Not a bad shooter by any means, but her trigger finger is too happy for her skill set.

STAFF PICKS

It looks to be a rebuilding year for the women’s basketball

team. Frustration set in mIdway through last season and

the team has put that in the past. Below, our staff picks

where they believe the team will finish. The closer the dot

is to the hoop, the further the team will advance.

Greska

NC

AA

CH

AM

PSW

NIT

CH

AM

PS

KraftPeltzBullock

Grover Kimes Schmidt

Nelson

Rd. 2Rd. 3Rd. 4SemisFinals Final 4Elite 8Rd. 2Rd. 1Rd.

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Photo by Ryan Glazier

The Golden Eagle 2009

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