The Marquette men’s basketball team checked off everything it wanted to do on its trip to Vancouver.
The Golden Eagles won all three exhibition games handily, and the coaches got to see different player combinations on the court.
And, probably most important for a team with key new pieces, there was plenty of bonding time.
“We were intentional about the roommates to try to get guys with people that we wanted to build relationships with,” MU head coach Shaka Smart told the Journal Sentinel. “So that part was fun.
“And then the guys had some really good experiences together, some great meals together, and just some of the stuff we did off the court was cool.”
There was whale-watching, a grizzly bear sighting and a traipse across a suspension bridge.
While the competition wasn’t on the level of NCAA Division 1 teams, Smart shared some basketball insights from the games.
Sananda Fru and Nolan Minessale fit nicely with top returners
Transfer portal additions Sananda Fru and Nolan Minessale were in the starting lineup alongside returning players Nigel James Jr., Adrien Stevens and Royce Parham, though Stevens missed the last game while feeling under the weather.
“I thought they played really well together,” Smart said. “We didn’t face a lot of adversity. The only mini-adversity we faced was the second game. It was probably the best, most organized team we played, and they also did a really good job changing defenses.
“So I think halfway or maybe even two-thirds of the way through the first quarter it was tied and we were down a little bit. So that was about the closest we came to any type of adversity. We ended up winning by a lot.”
Fru’s fit as a screener and finisher around the rim has been obvious all summer, but Minessale is finding his role as a glue guy and secondary play-maker.
“He was aggressive,” Smart said. “He actually did the best job of anyone pushing the ball in transition.
“He created some opportunities. His aggressiveness was good. He shot the ball decently well from outside. It was a really good trip for him and Sunny just to get some time together on the court with the guys.”
Damarius Owens and Michael Phillips II chasing consistency
Damarius Owens and Michael Phillips II are X-factors for the roster, and Smart said those two and the five starters are the clear top seven players so far, though things can obviously change in the months before regular season begins.
Owens, a 6-foot-7 junior, got the starting nod when Stevens was out.
“With Damarius, everything in my opinion has to start with defense,” Smart said. “He was phenomenal on defense in that second game, getting his hands on the basketball, making guys miss.
“He has a lot of defensive potential, but we’re fighting for consistency. But he had some good moments on the trip offensively as well. I think he was second on the team getting to the foul line behind Royce, which was good.”
Phillips, a 6-6 sophomore, struggled to shoot in the first two games, going 2 for 11. But he busted loose in the finale, shooting 5 for 6, including 3 of 4 on 3-pointers.
Smart said he and Phillips had a good talk on a long bus ride to the game.
“I said ‘Man, your order is messed up right now,’ ” Smart said. “ ‘You got offense before culture and defense, and the way you’re going to be your best, and the way the basketball gods are going to reward you on the court, is if you go culture, defense, offense.
“And, of course, the reward system in sports and basketball is often the opposite. You get most rewarded for what you do offensively, probably least rewarded for how you act, interact and respond, like as a teammate and to adversity and what happens on the floor.
“But I thought he just did a way better job with those things, the clarity of mind to follow a process. He’s a guy that puts a lot of pressure on himself to create outcomes because he’s so conscientious and he wants it so bad. It comes from a great place. I mean, a great place. I’d love to coach 15 Mikes.”
The Golden Eagles finished 23 for 79 on 3-pointers (29.1%) in the three games.
“The game that we did not shoot the ball well from three, we shot way more 3s, 37 compared to 21 in the other two games,” Smart said. “We played against changing defenses, which I’m so glad that we did because I felt like early in the year last year, we struggled some against zone.
“Albany, Arkansas-Little Rock and Dayton played primarily zone in three out of our first six games. It’s always valuable to play against someone else’s zone as opposed to our own in practice. So that was a good experience and that’s a good video that we’ll be able to utilize.”
Freshmen Ethan Johnston and Alex Egbuonu make MU ‘debuts’
MU freshman guard Nash Walker didn’t play in the games on the trip as he recovers from shoulder injury, though he has been practicing a lot.
“There’s just kind of one movement that the trainer wasn’t comfortable being able to protect him from in a game, so he wasn’t cleared,” Smart said.
That left MU a player short in the backcourt, and Smart got to experiment, including using 6-7 freshman Ethan Johnston to initiate the offense. Johnston’s versatility allows him to fit into different lineups.
“He was the most pleasant surprise of any player on our team of the summer,” Smart said. “He reminded me this summer of the way that Chase Ross was in his first summer.
“He just blended really well. When he’s in there with some of the guys that are maybe further along than him, he didn’t try to do too much.”
Fellow freshman Alex Egbuonu had the most shots on the team in the three games, but the 6-7, 235-pound forward is learning how to do all the little things.
“It starts with some cultural components,” Smart said. “Readiness, so never letting the play catch you by surprise.
“Whether it’s ready to shoot. Whether it’s ready to be in the right spot defensively. Whether it’s ready to know what we’re doing next with a play call.”
Players will get a break before school starts
The MU players will scatter on Aug. 7 and get a break until school beings on Aug. 31.
The coaches will continue to think about what they saw in Canada. That will be the only outside competition the Golden Eagles see until their closed scrimmage and two exhibition games before the season.
“Just because we don’t have any other games for quite a while, I’ll probably watch these multiple times,” Smart said. “Then just the offensive clips, just the defensive clips, and then just kind of break them down.
“Just watch the baseline out-of-bounds. Just watch the baseline out-of-bounds defense. Same thing with zone offense or when we were pressing or when we were in a zone and just try to see where we need to grow.
“Because these are all just to prepare to be ready for Nov. 2nd.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Shaka Smart breaks down what he saw on Marquette’s foreign trip
Reporting by Ben Steele, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Ben Steele, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
