With just nine players left on scholarship for the 2014-15 season, Marquette men’s basketball coach Steve Wojciechowski has four remaining roster spots at his disposal. As the 2014 recruiting process gets long in the tooth, he will need to employ unconventional strategies to fill those last four places, if he does so at all. Here’s a look at what he is doing to have as complete a roster as possible for next year.
Just one of Buzz’s 2014 class stays with MU
When Buzz Williams left Marquette for Virginia Tech March 21, his nationally-ranked 2014 recruiting class mostly left with him. While Interim Athletic Director Bill Cords did not grant recruits releases from their national letters of intent until after Marquette hired a coach, Wojciechowski changed that. Thus far, three of Marquette’s four signed players asked for and were granted releases from the program and committed elsewhere.
The class’ highest ranked member, Atlanta’s Ahmed Hill, tweeted his intentions to decommit from Marquette last week. Two days later, he and fellow former Marquette signee Satchel Pierce, a center from Pennsylvania, committed to play for Williams at Virginia Tech after a joint visit.
Following their leads, Marial Shayok, another one of Marquette’s 2014 signees, committed to the University of Virginia to play for coach Tony Bennett. Shayok was the New Jersey State Player of the Year at Blair Academy.
Wojciechowski did get Green Bay’s Sandy Cohen to honor his commitment just a few days after Marquette hired him. Cohen will fill the team’s 10th roster spot and factor into the playing time discussion at both shooting guard and small forward.
The fifth member of Marquette’s recruiting class, Malek Harris, officially decommitted to the program after not signing in the fall with the other prospects. Harris, who was kicked off of his high school team, is rumored to have verbally committed to Kansas State.
Wojo eyeing Carlino to transfer, play immediately
In 2012, Williams landed Trent Lockett after the Minnesota native graduated from Arizona State in three years and elected to transfer. This immediate transfer loophole is one Wojciechowski should look into, and one he seems to be exploring.
On Tuesday, ESPN’s Jeff Goodman tweeted that BYU transfer Matt Carlino will visit Marquette in a few weeks, likely on May 9. Carlino, the Cougars’ starting point guard, averaged at least 11 points and four assists in all three of his collegiate seasons. He scored 15 points and had five assists in BYU’s NCAA Tournament second round loss to Oregon at, ironically, the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Carlino would transform a Marquette backcourt that was the worst in Buzz Williams’ six-year tenure last season.
Recruiting focused on 2015 class
While Wojciechowski will try to make the 2014-15 as competitive as possible, indications are that his primary focus is ensuring Marquette’s long-term success. With the exception of Carlino, most rumors about the former Duke assistant’s early actions tend toward the recruiting class of 2015.
Milwaukee’s Diamond Stone, who ESPN ranks No. 5 in the class of 2015, must be a top priority for the new coach. Jerry Meyer of 247 Sports, who originally had Stone’s most likely landing place as Marquette before Williams’ departure, now has North Carolina even with Marquette. Stone, a 6-foot-10-inch center at Dominican High School is also considering Wisconsin, UCLA and Connecticut, among others.
According to Mark Miller of the Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook, Marquette is one of a few schools interested in Minnesota’s Wally Ellenson. Barring any hardship, Ellenson, who played in just 18 games in two seasons with the Gophers, will have to sit out a year. Averaging just two points per game in his career, he would provide depth following the graduations of Derrick Wilson and Todd Mayo.
Wojciechowski was also linked to Minneapolis’ Jarvis Johnson and Seattle’s Mandrell Worthy and Matisse Thybulle.
