Last season, though, it never materialized.,”Sophomore forward Lazar Hayward says he's always had it. He says you have to have it growing up where he did, playing ball in the park and knowing that if your team lost, it would be awhile before you got back onto the court.

Last season, though, it never materialized. Hayward was productive enough for a freshman stepping straight into quality minutes for a Big East contender.

But the missing element that kept Hayward from making a bigger impact for the Golden Eagles a year ago is the same element teammates say will allow him to break through this season.

"That killer mentality; that killer instinct," junior guard Wesley Matthews said. "Doesn't matter who's guarding him, doesn't matter what team he's on, he's gonna be in your face."

Marquette will need him to crowd the personal space of many an opponent this season, specifically in the frontcourt where the team needs to improve the most. Hayward averaged 3.6 rebounds per game last season, a statistic that will need to rise if he hopes to fend off senior forward Dan Fitzgerald for a spot in the starting lineup.

Head coach Tom Crean said he has seen a greater tenacity on the boards from Hayward during practices this fall.

"I was watching tape (to prepare for an Oct. 27 scrimmage against Kansas State) from when we were (in Manhattan) a year ago, and he's just a completely different player," Crean said. "He's got a toughness. He's one of our most consistent, tough, hardened guys in practice day in and day out."

How that toughness translates during games will help determine how many minutes Hayward logs as the season wears on. Last season, he made 16 starts and averaged 16.3 minutes per game – decent numbers but not enough to satiate someone who is used to competing for court time.

Hayward said he developed the foundation for his killer instinct while playing pick-up games growing up in New York. "When you're used to playing in the park, as soon as you start playing and lose, you won't get back on the court for awhile," he said.

There is an anxiety that comes with losing pick-up games and then having to watch as other players run up and down the court. Yes, the sting of defeat plays a role, but the feeling is born more out of a belief that you should still be playing, that you belong where you can no longer be.

Hayward felt that same anxiety during the months leading up to his freshman season. The NCAA declared Hayward could not officially practice or play with the team while it investigated his eligibility status.

So while the rest of the Golden Eagles took part in team-organized workouts at the Al McGuire Center, Hayward trekked over to the Rec Center and jumped on the treadmill.

The NCAA concluded its investigation and found no wrongdoing. Hayward's full eligibility was reinstated Oct. 27, 2006, but the player did not realize the full extent of what he had missed until this summer, when he was allowed to participate in all the activities he was banned from the year before.

Box jumps and ladder drills never felt so good. "I think me being able to work out the whole summer, I took care of improving my agility and explosiveness," Hayward said. "And my conditioning is better than it was last year."

It had better be. Junior guard Dominic James said Hayward has "a very good chance" of being the team's leading scorer this season, which will only happen if he logs considerably more minutes than he did a year ago.

"I feel like last year, as a freshman, he was ready to step up, but he didn't show it," James said. "He's got a lot of weight on his shoulders, but I know he's ready to respond to that pressure that he has."

First, Hayward will have to crack the starting lineup and stay there. Crean said Hayward's offseason development does not necessarily mean the sophomore is ready to start in the Big East.

Ask his competition, though, and a different feeling arises. "He's the best teammate for me to go against because he's so strong," Fitzgerald said. "If I can stop him, I can stop anyone in the league."

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