Best Marquette players of the last 30 years

[TheSultan]

Discussion at Scoop that I thought I would bring over to get people's opinions on. Here is what I had.

First team: Wade, Deiner, Lazar, Miller, McNeal
Second team: Crowder, Novak, Wardle, Key, James
Third team: Smith, Matthews, Butler, McIlvaine, Hutchins

[Nukem2]

Only one year, but Henry needs to be in the discussion?

[TheSultan]

I originally had Henry listed, but I just don't think he had the impact.

[Alan Bykowski, "brewcity77"]

First Team: Miller, McNeal, Wade, Crowder, Hayward
Second Team: Diener, Wardle, Matthews, Novak, McIlvaine
Third Team: James, DJO, Smith, Butler, Key

Had Henry a better team I might have included him. Only significant difference was DJO over Hutchins, otherwise cosmetic changes. One more year and DJO would've been our all time leading scorer. I believe only George Thompson scored more in a three year career.

[DCwarrior]

Discussion at Scoop that I thought I would bring over to get people's opinions on. Here is what I had.

First team: Wade, Deiner, Lazar, Miller, McNeal
Second team: Crowder, Novak, Wardle, Key, James
Third team: Smith, Matthews, Butler, McIlvaine, Hutchins

I'd switch Wardle and Miller. Brian played on crappier teams, but he was the better and more productive player over his career.

I think I'd also switch Crowder and Smith. Smith was very productive over 4 years while Jae was only here for two and really only had one great season.

[TheSultan]

I was going back and forth between DJO and Hutchins for the "final spot" too.

[Markedman]

Best players or best careers at MU?

If I'm going best players then it's Wade, Diener, Crowder, Smith and Jerel.

2nd team Miller, Butler, Lazar, Hutchins, Key

Tough choices for sure

[Phantom Warrior]

Man, look at the players on posters' lists, and the problem should be obvious.

There is not one high school recruit on that list since Hayward in the Class of 2006. Everyone on that list after that is a juco player.

During that period - from the Class of 2006 through the Class of 2013 (present seniors, plus Duane), we have had our share of Top 100, even Top 50, recruits, but none of them, not one is even mentioned on most of these lists.

Top 100 recruits: Cadougan (Top 50), Erik Williams, Maymon, Blue (Top 50), Jones, Jamil Wilson (transfer - Top 50), Anderson, Taylor, Jajuan (Top 50), Luke (transfer), Duane. If we want to stretch the list, we can include Sandy Cohen in the Class of '14, and we can add Reinhardt (Top 50) even though he's been her for only one season.

Not one of those guys panned out into making the lists above. Not one. Maybe three years from now Markus and/or Sam will make such a list. I doubt Haanif will, but who knows?

Sad!

But it explains our recent and present woes. Not one high school kid in the past decade on these lists. Ugh!

[Alan Bykowski, "brewcity77"]

Buzz has long been maligned (well, by me at least) as a terrible high school recruiter. Davante was by far his biggest overachiever. Did anyone else even meet expectations?

I think in 5 years, Howard and Hauser will both have a shot to make this list.

[TheSultan]

By the time Blue was a junior, he did. But that's about it.

[Alan Bykowski, "brewcity77"]

For the one year he did, but for his career, he rarely played like a 5-star recruit.

[Phantom Warrior]

To be fair, he was a four-star recruit, but he was Top 50 (barely) on RSCI.

We'll never know, of course, what his senior year would have been like. Maybe he would have continued his upward curve, or maybe he would have plateaued at the same level he showed junior year.

[ge1974]

I have Dominic James on the second team. Four years as a starting PG...4 years for MU in the NCAAs.

[TheSultan]

For the one year he did, but for his career, he rarely played like a 5-star recruit.


I put this together back in 2014. He played basically to his ranking. People just expected more.


Blue was RSCI #48 in the country in 2010. Here is a list of the ten ranked higher than him....and the ten ranked behind:

38. Dwight Powell (Forward, Stanford...slightly better stats...2nd round pick this year)
39. Tyler Lamb (Guard, UCLA...started well, transferred to Long Beach midway though junior year where he had 21 ppg)
40. Jordan McRae (Guard, Tennessee...didn't play much as freshman but became 18 ppg scorer..2nd round pick)
41. Phil Pressey (Guard, Missouri....more of a PG...declared for 2013 draft and went undrafted)
42. Nate Lubik (Georgetown...decent role player)
43. Okaro White (Florida State...decent player with stats just under Vander's)
44. Dominique Ferguson (Two years at FIU....playing in England after declaring for 2012 draft)
45. Luke Cothron (Committed to Auburn, transferred all over the place...no idea what he is doing now)
46. Jayvaughn Pinkston (Villanova. Suspended his freshman year. Solid player for Nova)
47. KT Harrell (Started at UVA, transferred to Auburn where he had 18 ppg year last year. One year left.)
48. Vander Blue (Marquette)
49. Travis McKie (Started every game in four years at Wake. Decent stats on a terrible team)
50. Stacey Poole (One year at Kentucky, transferred to Georgia Tech. Not much to show for it.)
51. JT Terrell (One year at Wake, transferred to USC. 9 ppg scorer last year)
52. Casey Prather (Florida. Good player with nearly 20 ppg his senior year)
53. Keala King (Two years at Arizona State. Transferred to Long Beach State. 10 ppg last year)
54. Anthony Brown (Stanford. Solid role player)
55. Mychal Parker (Two poor years at Maryland. Ended career in NAIA.)
56. Lorenzo Brown (NC State. Declared for 2013 draft, went undrafted, and spent most of year in D-League)
57. Gary Franklin (Baylor. Role player.)
58. James Johnson (Started at Virginia. Transferred to SDSU. Bit player.)