Upcoming Marquette Milestones

MU Viking, one of our very first contributors here on Cracked Sidewalks, takes an early look at several milestones that might be achieved this winter by the 2007-2008 Marquette Golden Eagles. Here's his article from Marquette Hoops.com.

Nice job, Vike.

Big East Transfers: Maurice Acker

Nice work by the Big East Basketball report in their latest entry on impact transfers for the upcoming season. The author has good info on Maurice Acker - - a key for MU this year.

Anybody remember how predictable and boring MU's offense became last season when Jerel McNeal went down with a wrist injury? .........that can happen when your team only has one other player who can penetrate and create opportunities for his teammates. MU became incredibly easy to defend after McNeal went down - - shades of the Mike Deane offense were dancing in my head.

Well, this season Tom Crean will have three guys on his roster who can penetrate, create their own shots, and improve looks for others (not to mention the flexibility of playing DJ at the SG slot a bit more). The result? A more dynamic offense -- which has the added benefit of making snipers like Dan Fitzgerald, David Cubillan and incoming freshman Scott Christopherson potentially more effective from beyond the arc.

Look at it this way. Last season, folks figured MU had the best backcourt in the Big East -- and that was before anybody saw what the surprising David Cubillan could do on the court. Those guys are all back this season. Adding a unique, productive player like Maurice Acker into the mix will magnify MU's advantage in the backcourt this season.

Happy Birthday, David Cubillan!

Josh Crittle Update

Per the Bullseye Brothers:

Don't believe everything that is out there concerning 6'8 Josh Crittle from Hales Franciscan High School in Chicago. What is accurate is that Marquette and Indiana are the current frontrunners, with Iowa right behind them. Not to say that there isn't also interest from other schools, but right now anything else concerning any others right now is pretty much hearsay. However, one other school that Illinois Prep Bulls-eye knows is showing heavy interest in Crittle is S.M.U. In fact, Mustang assistant coach Lance Irvin, who has strong Chicago-based connections, was in the gym to watch a majority of Crittle's games with Mean Streets at the NIKE Peach Jam.

Their full report can be found here.

UPDATED
Meanwhile Crittle's outstanding summer league team, MeanStreets, made it to the final four of the Nike Main Event in Las Vegas this week where they fell to the to the eventual champs, the New York Gauchos. ChicagoHoops has a report.

The Marquette basketball experience rocks

.......just ask this current student from Notre Dame.

I came into ND excited about being a student at a school with a big time college basketball program. I was very disappointed after my first year as a Bball fan at ND, especially in light of the fact that most of my friends attended Marquette and could not stop bragging about how great their basketball environment was. FWIW, in the past two years, I have attended the vast majority of ND home games, and a few away games (@ Depaul both times, @Marquette). When I read your Section 12's post, I immediately thought about Marquette basketball games. I would like to offer some suggestions on how ND games can become more like Marquette games (in terms of student excitement).

Discuss at MUScoop via the link above.

Recruiting updates: Johnny Lacy, Renaldo Woolridge, Frank Ben-Eze , Josh Crittle and Erik Murphy

Mark Miller of Wishoops.net offers a terrific profile of Johnny Lacy, a fast-rising 2009 PG prospect from Milwaukee Bay View High School. The lightning-quick Lacy recently received a scholarship offer from Marquette after his performance at Crean's camp earlier this month:

“When coach Crean offered me the scholarship after the camp ended, I was surprised,” Lacy said. “I like Marquette, and the school has a history of developing solid guards.”

The updates below are for kids in the 2008 class:

• IWB at MarquetteHoops.com filed a premium article today on 6'10" big man Frank Ben-Eze, a key Marquette target for 2008.
• Renaldo Woolridge, son of the former NBA star and domer Orlando Woolridge, lists MU as one of his top six per a report from Adam Zagoria. Woolridge is a 6'7" wing forward from Hollywood, CA.
• Rivals. com reports today that Marquette continues to lead for Chicago PF Josh Crittle (premium article).
• Kevin McNamara of the ProJo reports that MU has strong interest in 6'8" forward Erik Murphy:

Murphy, a 6-foot-8 forward who’ll be a junior at St. Mark’s School in Southboro, Mass., is nursing a sprained knee. But that hasn’t stopped coaches from BC, Marquette, Virginia, Syracuse and other high-level schools from expressing their interest.

McNeal: Top Stopper

Rivals.com's Bob McClellan has picked Jerel McNeal as college basketball's "Top Stopper".

If your team was protecting a one-point lead with time running down and you could pick any player in college basketball, who would you choose to guard the opposition's top scoring option?

Simply put Jerel McNeal is the best defender in college basketball, and he prides himself on locking up people. He knows better than anyone that it's his ticket to the next level.

I spoke to him a couple of weeks ago for another story, and here's how he described himself.

"I've got a good frame for playing defense," McNeal said. "I'm not tall, but I have long arms and quick feet. Everything else is mental things - anticipation, thinking about plays that the offense will make before they make them. It's a combination of physical ability and getting inside my opponent's head."

McNeal was 10th nationally in steals and was the Big East Defensive Player of the Year (notice he didn't share the award with anybody). He also thinks on his feet.

"If a guy makes a move and gets by me, it won't happen twice," McNeal said. "I pick things up quickly in a game. The next time he tries it he's gonna have a problem."

Kudos, Jerel!

David Cubillan named to Venezuelan National Team

Muy bien hecho, David!

Marquette's David Cubillan was named to Venezuela's national team earlier this week. Cubillan, a sophomore-to-be at MU will play in the upcoming FIBA Americas Championship Aug. 22-Sept. 2 in Las Vegas where his squad will attempt to qualify for the 2008 summer Olympics.

Kudos to Adam Zagoria for reporting on this.

CS EXCLUSIVE: Mike Bargen Update 2

Remember back in May, we brought you a Mike Bargen Update? Well, I hunted his email address down, and asked him for a real update on his life after Marquette.

Here's his letter to home:

I am currently the head basketball coach at Butler Community College, in El Dorado KS (25 minutes NE of Wichita). I was named head coach in March of this year at the end of our season. Our head coach at the time decided to get out of coaching and they appointed me immediately. I have been here for 3 seasons as an assistant and worked for two legends of Junior College Basketball: Dennis Helms and Randy Smithson.

Before I came to Butler, I was a Graduate Manager at Creighton University, and finished my MBA in 2004. I'm not Catholic, and yet I have both my degrees from Catholic schools. It must be that great Jesuit education... right Father Kelly? The team was very successful the 3 years that I was there... not like I had anything to do with it, but it was a lot of fun being back in my home state and working for
Coach Altman.

In April my wife, Kacy, and I had our first child, John Elliott. It is a lot of fun being a dad, and he is changing everyday. We are working on his basketball skills, but I wouldn't mind seeing him play football. Remember... I am from Nebraska.

I have been very blessed with all the opportunities that God has given me this year, and want to thank the people at Marquette for helping me get started. I really enjoyed my time at Marquette and stay in touch with a lot of my former teammates. And occasionally you will catch me back in Milwaukee to visit friends.

By the way, I ran into Coach Deane recruiting last weekend. It was good to catch up with him, and it sounds like he's doing well.

Sorry for taking so long... but I don't think anyone was waiting by their computers to read what I'm up to.

Au contraire, Mike. We love the letter!

Mike Bargen - Head Coach - Butler CC

Mike Bargen Wiki Entry

Travis Diener to sign $4.9M deal with the Indiana Pacers

Fantastic. Per reports today, Travis Diener will sign a 3-year, $4.9M deal with the Indiana Pacers shortly. The deal includes a player option for the third year.

If the deal goes through, Diener would be the primary backup to Jamaal Tinsley.

Here are a few reports:

Fond du Lac Reporter

"Money was secondary," said Bob Diener, whose son was unavailable for comment Thursday. "He wanted an opportunity to play. "The Pacers seemed like a good opportunity to prove himself."

Indianapolis Star

"The Pacers noted their interest in Travis early in the process and they followed up consistently," said Diener's agent, Doug Neustadt. "There's a wide-open spot there for minutes and Travis is looking forward to the opportunity."

Orlando Sentinel

It's wicked early, but is MU a pre-season top 10 team?

The guys at the March Madness All Season seem to think so.

Marquette returns one of the best guard groups in the country in Dominic James and Jerel McNeal, as well as wing Wesley Matthews. Ousmane Barro leads a capable collection of players up front. James will need to regain his freshman season form if the Golden Eagles are going to make a run. Furthermore, post production needs to improve from the likes of Barro and Lazar Hayward.

Hey, I'm a believer. MU returns just about everybody from a team that won 24 games last season, including 10 in Big East action. A team that started three sophomores and a freshman for much of the Big East season, mind you. So, with an influx of young talent (Acker, Christopherson, and hopefully Mbakwe) and a full year of seasoning for its once young roster, this team could emerge as one of the nation's best. We have months and months to analyze this - - once MU's roster is set, we'll take a more in-depth look.

Anyway, here is March Madness All Season's take on the top 10 teams in the country as of this week.

UPDATED
Meanwhile, the off-season MU buzz also caught the attention of NCAA Hoops Today where they look at the Golden Eagles as a team who could have a breakout year based on the return of a strong core of players

So which trio could have a big breakout this year? ........ Marquette trio of Dominic James, Jerell McNeal and Wesley Matthews. I'm not saying they are going to win the natinoal championship, but they have a very good chance of having a season to remember (Big East title, Elite 8 or Final Four even)

Again, count me in.

Goulbourne names Marquette as an early leader

Lance Goulbourne updates his recruiting today on Adam Zagoria's blog:

A pleasure to interview, Goulbourne is bright, thoughtful and level-headed.

He said he has settled so far on a list of schools that includes Rutgers, Wake Forest, Vanderbilt, Marquette, Georgetown, Northwestern and St. Joe's.

"I want to take my visits in September and make a decision in October," he said.

Goulbourne is a 6'7" 215 pound senior to be at The Hun School in Princeton, NJ.

Iman Shumpert trims list...or does he

Iman Shumpert, one of the top guards in the class of 2008, today narrowed his list of suitors to just five: Bradley, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Marquette and UNC. Per the Chicago Sun-Times, Shumpert hopes to make a decision by the start of his senior season. Or did he?

hmmmm, this is odd.........the direct link above still works - - but if u go to the main landing page at the Sun-Times prep blog, the article does not appear.

Now we have a report from this morning's Chicago Tribune regarding Shumpert indicating something entirely different.

What is uncertain is the list of finalists for Oak Park guard Iman Shumpert, ranked No. 32 nationally by Rivals, despite reports.

Oak Park coach Al Allen said late Monday that he had spoken with Shumpert, Shumpert's family and his AAU coach, and that no list of finalists would arrive until early August, when the player expects to narrow his choices to a final three.

"There is no list," Allen said. "There is no longer list, there is no shorter list. Things will be decided once August comes around."

The Sun-Times and recruiting Web site Illinois Prep Bulls-Eye had reported Monday night that Shumpert shaved his list of suitors to five, with Illinois failing to make the cut. But both Illinois Prep Bulls-Eye and the Sun-Times pulled the reports later.

Ah, the joys of recruiting.

Who's going to Vancouver, eh?

As mentioned before, Marquette will be going to Vancouver, BC to play a couple games over Labor Day weekend (or as the Canadians probably say it "Labour Day"). A perfect time for a getaway.

Game information:

Sept. 1 - MU vs. "Moult Athletic" .. which, after some googling .. I still have no idea who they are. Looks like an Athletic Apparel company, maybe like the Nike All-Star teams we played in years' past. Game is at noon (PST).

Sept. 2 - MU vs. Douglas College Royals, 10am (PST).

Sounds like a couple of barn-burners. The Douglas Royals are gluttons for punishment .. playing 4 games in 3 days, vs. Idaho, MU, Boise State, and then Oklahoma.

For game dates and times and ticket information call Douglas College at 604-527-5513.

Full Release: http://www.douglas.bc.ca/csrw/athletics.html

As always, you can see the entire 2007-8 schedule, as it's known, at the 2007-8 Season page of the MU Wiki.

Take off, eh?

The pursuit of a center...and Iman Shumpert

OK....so we know that MU is all over Maurice Sutton of Upper Marlboro, MD. He's a 6'10, 200# kid who came on strong as junior.

Now it looks like MU is in the mix for Christian Morris, an absolute bull of a center from Notre Dame Prep (MA) -- the same program that delivered Saunders and Hayward to MU. Morris is a 6'9" 270 hulk.

MU is also recruiting Frank BenEze, a 6'10" 235# center from Bishop O'Connell high school in McLean, VA. Think Ousmane Barro clone.

Any more names?

UPDATED
Scout.com has a new aritcle on Iman Shumpert up right now.


D'OH!!!! So much for Christian Morris -- he committed to Rutgers today. Congrats to him.

McNeal, Matthews cut from Pan-Am roster

Wesley Matthews and Jerel McNeal were cut from the Pan-Am team over the weekend. Here's the updated roster. Also, Dominic James did not attend the tryouts -- learn why from Rosiak.

Wiki Top 10

Every time I write about the Marquette Sports Wiki it gets a large spike in traffic. So I know you're interested.

I was looking at the website stats, and how it's grown from 10-15 users/day to 150-200+ users/day in the 7 short months it's been alive. That's a lot of folks consuming Marquette information on a daily basis!

Top 10 Most Viewed:

1. 2007-08 Season Page - Includes Known Schedule
2. 2007-08 Recruits
3. 2008-09 Recruits
4. 2006-07 Season Page
5. Mike McCarter - "Freeway"
6. Real Chili Info & Recipe
7. MU Drinking Games
8. Marquette Graduation Commencement Speakers / Speeches
9. Alphabetical Player List
10. Tom Crean

But, some of those top 10 are there because they were promoted in a posting somewhere.

So here's a list of 10 pages that have some great info, and shouldn't be missed:

1. MU Coaches through the ages
2. Doc Rivers
3. Bobble Heads
4. 1973-4 Season - NCAA Runners-Up
5. Marquette Game Jerseys
6. 1993-4 Season - Great Midwest Champs
7. Brian Wardle
8. Bo Ellis
9. Jimmy Mac
10. Ticket Stubs of the Ages

Make sure .. if you go to the wiki today, don't just look at one page .. surf around! There's hundreds of pages of info on the seasons and your favorite players.

And of course, if you know something, please share it. Click "Edit" on any page, and type away!

BREAKING NEWS: Big East Schedule Announced

The 2007-2008 Big East schedule was announced (well, at least the home-away opponents) today. MU will play an 18-game conference schedule highlighted by home and home games against the following teams:

• Seton Hall Pirates
• Notre Dame Fightin' Irish
• Louisville Cardinals

As for the rest of the schedule:

Home
Notre Dame
Seton Hall
Louisville
Georgetown
Providence
Rutgers
South Florida
Pittsburgh
DePaul

Away
Notre Dame
Seton Hall
Louisville
UCONN
West Virginia
Villanova
Cincinnati
St. Johns
Syracuse

Su-weeet.......MU at MSG against the Johnnies, finally. And wow, its good to see MU draw PC, Georgetown, Pitt and to a lesser degree DePaul at the Bradley Center this year.

Regarding the home/home games, that's a decent draw for MU. On the surface it is slightly more manageable than last year's mirror games, though SHU should make a big leap forward this coming season. The match-ups make sense: Louisville has emerged as arguably MU's fiercest rival, ND is a traditional rival, and playing SHU provides the program with greater visibility in the NYC/NJ area (hello recruits!).

Follow the discussion here.

Check here for MU's 2007-08 schedule so far.

Bill Simmons Throws Down the Gauntlet

I know the rule is that you are suppose to either worship or revile Bill Simmons, but I find myself somewhere in the middle.

About 1/3rd of his columns are great (like the one after the Boris, Amare suspensions) and the rest range from boring to repetative to "dear God why am I reading this?"

This statement from his ESPN chat today, however, must not go unchallenged:

Jake (Denver): If you were forced to fight any player in the NBA, your choice, who's your pick? In pro sports?

Bill Simmons: (12:48 PM ET ) I think I could take Travis Diener.

We need to make this happen. There is no way a Connecticut prep school Internet guy could take 175. lbs. of Fond du Lac fisticuff fury.

I don't care if it's for charity in those blow-up Sumo suits. We need this fight to happen. Now.

Spread the word, let's get this thing done.

Watch your back Sports Guy, Travis is a-comin'.

UNC offers Iman Shumpert

The Bullseye Brothers have the scoop today:

It is now official--the University of North Carolina has now officially become a player in the recruitment of 6'4 guard Iman Shumpert from Oak Park High School in Oak Park, IL, as they have extended a scholarship offer. Tarheel head coach Roy Williams followed Shumpert extensively throughout the Lebron James Skills Academy in Akron, OH and made the offer upon the camp's conclusion. In addition to North Carolina, Shumpert still has Illinois, Marquette, Georgia Tech, Clemson, Notre Dame and Bradley at the top of his list and has not yet begun to trim it any further.

UPDATED
Per the Chicago Sun Times Preps blog, Shumpert said he's "going to give them (UNC) a closer look now. I said I would look at them more seriously if they offered me. I'm thinking of taking an unofficial visit there."

Crap.

Anybody remember the Bobby Frasor recruiting saga? Well, this sounds familiar. Of course, Bobby Frasor is barely a role player at UNC these days. When Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington follow you to campus a year later -- cheerleading happens. There's nothing quite like being recruited over, class by class, on Chapel Hill.

Tom Crean has been all over Shumpert for a while -- we'll see if that sustained interest and commitment registers with the youngster from Oak Park/River Forest.

Alumni Update: Steve Novak

The Houston Rockets are looking for a greater return on their 2006 NBA draft investment. With new coach Rick Adelman leading the Houston Rockets, Novak has a chance to step up and command more playing time:

Coaches always seek ways to get a shooter on the court, and Rick Adelman's offense would seem a good fit for Novak's talents with its priority on spreading the floor.

"There are a lot of things we do offensively that are going to benefit him," Adelman said. "No matter what system you have, what philosophy you have as a coach, the player has to figure out where his strengths are and how he's going to take advantage of that. There's a lot of possibilities for him at both the three and four ... because he does have a great shot and he's smart. It's important for him to show us what he can do."

Adelman added, "He definitely has the stroke. He's got to be smart defensively. Whatever his liabilities are, he has to eliminate those the best he can. That's going to be up to us to help him there."

Read all about it here in the Houston Chronicle.

Good luck Steve!

Crittle, Shumpert updates

Chicago Hoops reports that MU target Iman Shumpert is having a strong showing at the LeBron James Skills Academy. Shumpert's every move is monitored by a host of big-time coaches, including MU's Tom Crean and UNC's Roy Williams.

Shumpert told ChicagoHoops.com that he will look to trim down his list of schools after he gets an opportunity to make visits to both Notre Dame and Bradley. Shumpert is also looking forward to playing out the balance of the month of July with both Full Package, and also his Oak Park-River Forest High School team.

Meanwhile, MU's early lead for PF Josh Crittle has evaporated. Midstate Hoops reports that Indiana has offered Crittle, who now lists MU and IU as his favorites.

UPDATED: Buzz Williams new MU Assistant + Staff Changes

According to Fox Sports, Buzz Williams, 34, former New Orleans coach, will become one of Tom Crean's assistants.

Sources indicated that Williams was frustrated because of financial limitations and other obstacles at the program in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Williams informed his team of the decision on Friday afternoon.

Williams brought in an impressive recruiting class this season, and also fielded interest from Kentucky head coach Billy Gillespie to be an assistant there before deciding on Marquette.

The timing of the move was rare as it happened on the first day of the July recruiting period.

UPDATE:
Other coaching changes have now been revealed to the public:

• Former A&M Consolidated star and MU player Brian Barone has returned to the Warriors as the "coordinator of basketball operations" and "video coordinator".
  
  
• Coach Rabedeaux has taken an indeterminate leave of absence this summer. When he returns, he will take the Director of Basketball Operations that Todd Townsend vacated. Double T went to Northeastern in Boston.
  
  
• Tim Buckley will slide into Rabedeaux's spot as Assistant Coach.

It's interesting to note that with Rabedeaux, Buckley, and Williams, Marquette now has 3 former head coaches working as assistants for Crean. That's a ton of experience. Barone is no slouch, either, spending the past 6 years coaching, primarily at Illinois State U.

Rosiak has the entire story.

Three for two: Who's gonna be left out?

With Dr. Nicholas J. Contorno's classic pep band CD on repeat, the MU hoops version of musical chairs is on!!

Marquette is currently over-subcribed for scholarships in the 2007-2008 season and this high stakes game of chance has fallen to Trevor Mbakwe, Damian Saunders and Trend Blackledge.

Ring Out Ahoya!...Elvira.....The Final Countdown (repeat)

Round and round the players go, where they stop nobody knows!

But what we do know is that somebody won't be back this fall and in the meantime TC appears to be adept at keeping the concerned parties in the game for as long as possible.

Ring Out Ahoya!....Elvira.....The Final Countdown (repeat)

So, who's gonna be left standing along when the music stops and the chairs are taken? Who will take their eligibility somewhere else, at least for the time being?

• Trend Blackledge -- suspeneded for academic reasons early in the spring 2007 semester and apparently still working things out in the classroom;
• Damian Saunders -- Connecticut prep schooler with a recent legal issue;
• Trevor Mbakwe -- the highest-ceiling player of these three, a PF from Minnesota who is apparently grappling with summer school to secure eligibility.

So, which player is left out? We'll know when the music stops.

Jerel McNeal working through the summer

OK, a bit of legit basketball to report on.

Rivals speaks with Jerel McNeal, the heart and soul of the current MU vintage, about his workouts this off-season. Gotta love this fellas' moxie:

"I've got a good frame for playing defense," McNeal said. "I'm not tall but I have long arms and quick feet. Everything else is mental things - anticipation, thinking about plays that the offense will make before they make them. It's a combination of physical ability and getting inside my opponent's head."

MUScoop newsletter: cool idea

The fellas at MUScoop have instituted a new feature -- a newsletter........just received mine this afternoon -- it wraps up current and past threads, features, Wiki updates and more. Cut/pasted below verbatim:




Welcome to MUScoop.com's inaugural newsletter!

We're starting a new feature where each month we'll attempt to summarize important events, let you know about new things happening on the site, and what's coming next month for Marquette Basketball.

We'd love to get your feedback - send it to muscoop@muscoop.com or post it to the suggestions board

1. June Highlights

• Dominic James Withdraws from NBA Draft
• Bradley Center adds $1 ticket fee
• Season Ticket Reseating - June
• $5M Soccer Stadium - Crean gives $100k for effort
• 2007 Recruiting: BE #1, MU 10th in BE
• All-Time Walk-on Team
• Asst. Coach Sichting Leaves for Timberwolves
• Tim Buckley rejoins MU as Director of Basketball Ops
• Coach Rabedeaux was named one of college basketball's top 25 assistant coaches on Monday by Rivals.com. The decision was based on recruiting ability and knowledge of the game.

2. June Off-Topic Scoop Threads

• Midwest Express closer to be taken over
• Marquette makes the PC news
• NY Times and JFK Terror Plot not on Front Page in NY Times

3. What's coming up in July?

• McNeal, Matthews & James try out for USA Basketball's Pan Am Games
• Look for MU to fill Sichting's Assistant Coach position and other staff changes.
• July-August, we'll know if our 4 incoming recruits are all on campus, and look for more information on the scholarship situation

4. Marquette Sports Wiki

As you may know, one of the best places to look for Marquette information is the Wiki, at http://wiki.muscoop.com. If you haven't visited, here are a few examples of some great information you can find on the Wiki:

• MU Basketball - Start Page
• Amal McCaskill
• Dan Fitzgerald
• Aaron Hutchins
• 2006-07 Season Capsule - Everything from the roster, to box scores of each game.

A wiki, of course, depends on volunteers. We need your help. Spend a few minutes and update your favorite player's page. Or, maybe you remember 1995 like it was yesterday, and can improve the season recap for that year.

Help us here:

• Robb Logterman
• Bob Dukiet
• 1992-1993

5. Sports Sites of the Month:

• Marquette Sports Wiki
• Cracked Sidewalks
• GoMarquette.com
• ESPN MU Page
• Rosiak's Blog
• Big East Basketball Blog

We at MUScoop.com look forward to seeing you in the boards as we all eagerly look forward to the next season. Please remember that this site is dedicated to being "by the fans, for the fans". If you have any suggestions at all to improve YOUR site please post it to the suggestions board. Until next month - happy rebounding.. err.. boarding!

If you would like to be removed from this list, and all future MUScoop mailings (including breaking news announcements) just go to your MUScoop profile's notifications section, deselect "Receive forum announcements and important notifications by email" and click "Save settings"

Thoughts on Jim Boylan

Here's the latest Cracked Sidewalks contribution from Ray Floriani of Hoopville.net and Basketball Times:


The mention of the 1977 Marquette National Championship team brings back vivid recollections. One of the key players on that team was a local (for me in New Jersey) player by the name of Jim Boylan. He was a tough take charge point guard who honed his craft on the playgrounds of Jersey City. Boylan attended St.Mary’s High School and later signed on at Division II Assumption. In a twist of irony North Carolina coach Dean Smith had a hand in getting Boylan to Marquette. Assumption was a good school and several Hudson County players, liked Boylan, played there over the years. Boylan however wanted to test his ability at a higher level. He contacted UNC’s Smith. Dean told him that he was set at the guard spot but would put a word in for him to Al McGuire.

McGuire and Boylan were a perfect ft. As noted he was a tough player who didn’t care about points - just hustling and doing anything to put his team in the win column. He played a solid floor game and no small part in Marquette’s ascension to the ’77 title.

Got a chance to meet Boylan when he played at the Jersey Shore Summer League after graduation. I covered the league for Eastern Basketball and Boylan was on one of the teams. In some media guide shots and on the floor his game face portrayed him as tough as nails. He had the look of a ‘dead end kid’ from a Leo Gorcey movie but on meeting him I found Boylan to be very soft spoken, cooperative and a personable type who went out of his way to say hello and explain some concept to a writer trying to get more insight.

Boylan later coached in college and is now an assistant coach in the NBA. Not a flashy type player who could get on Sportscenter, Boylan today is still revered and widely respected in Jersey City basketball annals.

Ray Floriani

Rosiak: MU working hard

Todd Rosiak has a great blog entry from yesterday's practice session.

Highlights:

• Lazar is the most improved player this summer
• Mo Acker is a stud
• Steve Novak is helping the team
• McNeal and Kobe
• Pan AM prep

Read it all here.

Happy Independence Day

Steve Rushin vs Stuart Scott: Steel Cage Commencement Speech Deathmatch

......now it is time for a break from our regularly-scheduled Marquette basketball prorgramming.....

If only we had claymation for this one.

Courtesy of the nifty MUScoop Wiki, in this corner we have the full text of MU alum Steve Rushin's sublime commencement address to the graduating class of 2007 at Marquette University.

...And in this corner we have the text from Stuart Scott's commencement address at UNC from 2001.

I double dog dare you to read each speech and conclude that Stu Scott's was better. Double dog dare you.

Rushin's remarks are heartfelt, genuine, witty and poignant. Benchmark material.

Scott's? Incoherent is the best I can come up with (though narcissistic was the leader in the clubhouse). As if graduation ceremonies aren't tedious enough -- smart Tar Heel grads had to pass the time listening to this on the occassion of their crowning achievement?

Steve Rushin wins in a unanimous decision. Advantage, Marquette sports journalism.