When the final whistle blew on Marquette’s season last year, after the Golden Eagles dropped an NCAA Tournament first-round game to Murray State, there were many reasons for optimism in Milwaukee coming into this season.
For one, the Golden Eagles were coming off a 24-win year, one that saw them go 12-6 in the BIG EAST, finishing one game behind Villanova for the regular-season crown, and secondly, Marquette was returning all five starters, which had some preseason prognosticators salivating over how far the Golden Eagles could soar this season.
Heck, optimism was so high, the Golden Eagles looked to have the rare opportunity to unseat the Green Bay Packers as the top sports choice in Wisconsin. (No small feat).
But then came the news that Sam and Joey Hauser, two program stalwarts, were transferring and suddenly Marquette was not held in the same high esteem with those very same preseason prognosticators.
But while the loss of the Brothers Hauser was a solid 1-2 shot to the body for Marquette, let’s not forget who DID decide to come back for his senior season. That would be one Markus Howard, the reigning BIG EAST Player of the Year. And with Howard on your roster, well, all things are possible.
Just to refresh your memory, but do you remember the 53 points he dropped at Creighton last year? How about the 45 points he ambushed Kansas State with in another victory? In fact, Howard topped the 30-point mark 11 different times last season. So the important transaction surrounding the Marquette program was not who left, it was who came back.
So why did the Golden Eagles’ All-Conference/America/World guard decide to spur NBA riches for a senior season in Milwaukee?
“I felt there were things I could get better at,” said Howard, who averaged 25 points a game last year, good for sixth in the nation. “I also wanted to come back and get my degree because that was very important to me. But from a basketball aspect, I know there were still a lot of things that I wanted to accomplish here at Marquette. So being able to end on the right note was very important to me in terms of coming back.”
But coming back to a team that lost its second and third leading scorers and top two rebounders? Not a problem, Howard said. It’s all about the next man up.
“Losing two players doesn’t make or break a team,” said Howard, who drained 120 three-pointers last season, just 13 less than the combined totals of the Hausers. “We got a lot of great players on our team and I think it’s going to be another great year and I’m looking forward to it.”
Yes, it’s true, the Golden Eagles’ cupboard is hardly bare. And while Howard will undoubtedly be the focal point of Marquette again this season, there are other very capable players dotting the roster.
Up front the Golden Eagles return both junior Theo John and senior Ed Morrow. The 6-9, 240-pound John led the BIG EAST in blocked shots last season with 70 and is considered one of the top post defenders in the league. The 6-7 Morrow was a solid rebounder last season, averaging 4.5 per game, and he also knows his way around the basket on the offensive end.
While Brandon Bailey and Jamal Cain provide solid depth, the addition of graduate transfer Jayce Johnson, a 7-0, 235-pounder from Utah, will also be looked at to be an impact contributor.
In the backcourt, Howard will be joined by senior Sacar Anim, who was fourth on the team last year in both scoring (8.3 ppg.) and steals (18). But his biggest asset is his defense and he was part of the reason why Marquette went from last to first in the BIG EAST in field goal percentage defense last season.
Another transfer, Koby McEwen from Utah State, is expected to be another scoring option for the Golden Eagles. McEwen averaged 15 points per game over two seasons with the Aggies and was crowned the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year in 2016-17.
So you see, the cupboard is far from bare.
“I think everyone is going to have a big role on our team but more specifically Koby McEwen is definitely going to be a big part of our team,” Howard said. “Even when he wasn’t playing (last year as he sat out as a transfer) he was still a part of our team in practice. So guys like Koby and Jayce are definitely going to be a big help to us. I know we’re excited to have those two be able to play.”
Of course we’d be remiss not to mention the fact that Howard is 31 points shy of surpassing Jerel McNeal (1,985) to become Marquette’s all-time leading scorer. But as you might expect, Howard prefers to think team and not personal goals.
“That is definitely a blessing in itself but I’m just looking forward to continuing the year and trying to win more and try to go further down the line this season and play longer than we have in the past,” Howard said. “The individual stuff is great but what I’m looking forward to the most is being able to play and win games.”
With his last go-around at Marquette set to tip off with a Nov. 5 season-opening home game against Loyola (Md.), Howard said he plans to savor his final ride and cherish each game as it comes.
“I definitely will,” Howard said. “It’s important. This is my last time so I want to be sure that every moment I can, I’m taking a step back to appreciate it. That’s something that I will definitely be doing throughout the year.”
And with last year’s first-round loss to Murray State in the NCAA Tournament driving him, Howard hopes to make his senior season one that includes a lot of meaningful tournament games deep into March before he takes his final bows.
“That’s definitely important, especially this being my last year,” Howard said. “I’m just trying to do whatever I can to put us in the best position to win and take those experiences and try to learn from them so that we can go further down the line once the time comes. But I think we have a lot of experience on our team and it’s going to help playing in those tough games.”