Golden Eagles hear preseason predictions, but using doubts as fuel
MILWAUKEE -- For a variety of reasons, the preseason prognosticators aren't expecting much out of Marquette's men's basketball team this year.
The outside perception of the first Steve Wojciechowski-led Golden Eagles squad is that their lack of depth and size, along with an unproven roster, makes 2014-15 a rebuilding season for Marquette.
But instead of letting the opinions of some bother them, the Golden Eagles are banding together with hopes of proving they can compete for an NCAA tournament berth.
"Our guys don't live in a bubble," Wojciechowski said at Marquette's media day Thursday evening at the Al McGuire Center. "They understand that most people who predict these things don't think we're going to be very good. When that's the case, any competitor wants to get out there and compete."
While the Big East preseason poll has yet to be released, Marquette is expected to be picked somewhere in the lower half of the league.
The concerns surrounding the Golden Eagles are valid. Marquette's top four scorers from a year ago are gone. Only nine scholarship players will be eligible to play until Dec. 14 with just one of them being taller than 6-foot-6.
Throw in a first-year head coach and the challenges facing Marquette have been well documented in the offseason.
"You hear all the outside stuff," senior guard Derrick Wilson said. "Even though it goes through one ear and out the other, you still hear it. It puts a chip on your shoulder and makes you want to get better. That's how I feel like everybody is on our team.
"Everyone is saying we aren't going to be any good, but we all think different."
Practice is less than a week old, but the Golden Eagles are already well aware of where they are predicted to finish.
"That's definitely motivation," sophomore guard Jajuan Johnson said. "A lot of people have us finishing second to last in the conference, saying we might not win many games.
"Coach mentions that every time we have a meeting. He tells us that people are talking bad about us. It is definitely motivation."
Expectations were completely different before the 2013-14 season, as Marquette was picked to win the Big East and the talk at media day was of taking the next step following an Elite Eight berth.
But the Golden Eagles never came together and stumbled to a 17-15 record, missing the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2004-05 and sitting out of the postseason completely for the first time since 2000-01.
Former head coach Buzz Williams bolted for Virginia Tech, while three of the four expected incoming freshmen enrolled elsewhere.
"We all know we weren't as good as we should have been," senior forward Juan Anderson said. "We all know that. We all use that as motivation. We all have our own personal things that motivate us. At the end of the day, we all want to get to the NCAA tournament."
Just because Davante Gardner, Jamil Wilson, Chris Otule and Todd Mayo are gone doesn't mean Marquette is hurting for talent. The Golden Eagles have highly recruited players up and down their roster.
Whether or not Marquette exceeds expectations depends on how players like Duane Wilson, Steve Taylor Jr., Jajuan Johnson, Deonte Burton, Luke Fischer and Sandy Cohen perform. The only proven scorer on the roster is senior transfer Matt Carlino, who averaged 13.7 points per game last season at BYU.
"I think we have a number of guys who are unproven at the college basketball level," Wojciechowski said. "But my feeling is that we will have a number of guys who will prove themselves. I think they are looking forward to that opportunity.
"We lost a lot of scoring and rebounding from last season's team. It's not going to be just one person making that up. It's got to be a collective effort."
Marquette was a regular participant in the NCAA tournament under Williams, but Wojciechowski realizes there are numerous obstacles standing between the Golden Eagles and a return to the Big Dance.
"Obviously our goal is to play in the NCAA tournament, but we're going to be very process-oriented with this team," Wojciechowski said. "We have a number of young guys who have yet to do it at the college level, so our primary focus has to be growing every day and growing as a team, figuring out how you make the people around you better.
"If we're able to do that on a day-to-day basis throughout the course of the season, the byproduct of that, in my opinion, can be up to the standards of Marquette."
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