As the transfer portal takes over college sports, Shaka Smart remains consistent. He opts for team chemistry and building from within for Marquette basketball.
The tradition continues! CBB Review is again ranking the top 100 teams heading into the new college basketball season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: Marquette basketball.
Marquette basketball will look a lot different next season, as star point guard Tyler Kolek and big man Oso Ighodaro are no longer in Golden Eagles’ jerseys. Those are both massive losses, as players who affected the game, night in and night out, for Marquette.
But after those two, it’s practically all familiar faces. Shaka Smart didn’t bring in a single transfer, instead looking to Kam Jones, David Joplin, Stevie Mitchell, and Chase Ross to lead the new version of Marquette basketball. Smart wanted to stay in house, and he still brings back one of the best rosters in the Big East.
Depth shouldn’t be a problem either. Sean Jones is a great backup guard to have and sophomores Tre Norman and Zaide Lowery both have good outlooks heading into their second years of college basketball.
Damarius Owens and Royce Parham are new to this squad – the highly recruited freshmen could see the floor in bits and pieces and have the chance to earn minutes and strengthen Marquette’s bench.
The motto for the Golden Eagles is simple – keep the team chemistry as high as possible and build the team in practice, not in the portal.
Click here to learn more about our preseason top 100 teams heading into the 2024-25 college basketball season.
Head coach: Shaka Smart (4th season at Marquette, 16th season overall)
2023-24 record: 27-10 (14-6)
2024 postseason finish: Lost to NC State (67-58), in Sweet 16 of NCAA Tournament
Notable departures:
- Tyler Kolek (15.3 PPG, 7.7 APG, 4.9 RPG, 1.6 SPG, 38.8 3P%, 49.6 FG%)
- Oso Ighodaro (13.4 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.3 BPG, 1.1 SPG, 57.6 FG%)
Notable non-conference games:
- at Maryland (Nov. 15)
- vs. Purdue (Nov. 19)
- vs. Georgia (Nov. 23)
- at Iowa State (Dec. 4)
- vs. Wisconsin (Dec. 7)
- at Dayton (Dec. 14)
Projected Rotation
PG: Stevie Mitchell (6-3, 200, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 8.8 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 0.8 APG, 1.9 SPG, 51.6 FG%
SG: Kam Jones (6-5, 205, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 17.2 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.1 SPG, 40.6 3P%, 50.1 FG%
SF: Chase Ross (6-5, 210, Jr.)
2023-24 stats: 6.1 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 0.7 APG, 1.3 SPG, 36.2 3P%
PF: David Joplin (6-8, 225, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 10.8 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 0.6 APG, 35.5 3P%
C: Ben Gold (6-11, 235, Jr.)
2023-24 stats: 5.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 0.6 APG, 35.9 3P%
6: Sean Jones (5-10, 185, Jr.)
2023-24 stats: 5.8 PPG, 2.0 APG, 1.5 RPG, 16 GP
7: Tre Norman (6-4, 210, So.)
2023-24 stats: 2.0 PPG, 1.2 RPG, 0.4 APG, 18.9 3P%
8: Zaide Lowery (6-5, 200, So.)
2023-24 stats: 1.6 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 0.2 APG
9: Damarius Owens (6-7, 200, Fr.)
247Sports Composite #63 ranked recruit
10: Royce Parham (6-8, 230, Fr.)
247Sports Composite #103 ranked recruit
11: Al Amadou (6-9, 210, So.)
2023-24 stats: 1.2 PPG, 0.4 RPG, 0.3 APG, 3.7 MPG, 14 GP
Marquette Basketball team MVP: Kam Jones
While David Joplin will be an integral part of this offense, there’s no denying that Jones will still be the top option, especially at the end of games. Even on a team with Kolek and Ighodaro, Jones still led the Golden Eagles with 13 field goal attempts per game. You’d have to think that number could rise to about 15-16 a game, and we might see the Marquette star crack 20 PPG for his season average.
But Jones’ game is more than just scoring the basketball. He’s a leader, plays very careful and efficiently, and a playmaker. In the absence of Kolek, Marquette will need to find a true point guard. Mitchell and Sean Jones are both good options, but Kam Jones is an underrated playmaker. He’s the top returning player in terms of assists per game. Marquette might have lost two superstars, but they’ve got at least one coming back.
Marquette Basketball make-or-break player: Sean Jones
While Kam Jones is the undisputed top guy on this roster, Sean Jones is the most crucial to their success. The junior tore his ACL last January, only playing in 16 games. While he was seeing action, he was another crucial playmaker, a nice chance of pace from Kolek.
This year, he’ll be that much more valuable. Marquette doesn’t necessarily have a true pass first point guard with Mitchell and Kam Jones in the starting backcourt, so Sean Jones can be the critical piece in case the offensive flow struggles.
But the biggest question? When will Sean Jones return to the court? According to Anonymous Eagle in an article earlier this month, there was no update on the Marquette guard. There’s virtually no way he’ll be ready for the start of the season, but could he see the court by January? Or will he even be back this season? If Marquette is without Sean Jones for the entire 2024-25 campaign, they’re going to have some problems off the bench. If he gets back to 100% by Big East play, the Golden Eagles are that much stronger of a unit.
Key analytic: 2P%
For a team that finished 55th in three pointers attempted per game, Marquette was also a great two point shooting team last season. The Golden Eagles ranked 15th, making 56.6% of their shots taken from inside the arc.
Sure, losing Kolek and Ighodaro will affect those numbers, but they’ve got other returning pieces who also fared well in those categories. Mitchell shot over 60% from inside the arc, which is incredible as a guard. Kam Jones wasn’t too far behind, at 59.6%, and Ben Gold is another efficient player when he gets looks from two point range. In fact, only Ross and Lowery shot below 50% from two last season. It makes an offense nearly impossible to guard when you have to respect virtually every player from two, while most of the team can also make things happen from deep.
Marquette Basketball 2024-25 projections
Projected conference finish: 3rd in the Big East
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Final Four Exit