It was a new day that ended with an oh-so similar feeling for Marquette men’s basketball.
Let’s start with the new: There is no more Tyler Kolek or Oso Ighodaro. Now onto the similar: Everyone else is still there.
Monday night’s 102-62 season-opening win over Stony Brook (0-1) proved that — and what it means.
The Golden Eagles (1-0) are operating with the same fire and brimstone defense and the same explosive offense akin to the one that first turned heads and made analytics religionists swoon.
The feeling surrounding Marquette is eerily familiar to the team that earned a Sweet 16 birth last season for the first time in over a decade. Different in one way, yet still the same in so many others.
Kam Jones finishes two points shy of career-high
Kam Jones is here as the point guard.
No more No. 2 for K1. He is at the top of every Golden Eagles’ opponents’ scouting report, nowhere to run, nobody to hide behind. The guy.
It’s the first time in his four years in the blue & gold he’s been in this position, and it was the ideal way to start.
Jones finished with 32 points, two shy of his career-high, and shot 14-for-16 from the field. But the real stat lies in how well he produced inside the arc, as the Memphis, Tennessee native finished a perfect 10-for-10 on two-pointers.
“He’s one of the best finishers for a guard that I’ve ever seen, and he was able to get down there and just create a lot of short shots,” Marquette head coach Shaka Smart said. “He’s a very good post player. You don’t really think of guards that way, but he’s good at turning his back to the basket and then using his craftiness to create.”
He remained unstoppable when got to his left hand inside the paint. He remained red-hot from deep with a 4-for-6 clip on threes. He kept punishing the ensuing traps and unrelenting switches with zippy passes, the best of which got the attention of all 14,100 heads in attendance.
QB1… we mean K1 with the dart 🎯#MUBB | #WeAreMarquette pic.twitter.com/cyZHNwfohP
— Marquette Basketball (@MarquetteMBB) November 5, 2024
“That’s Kam Jones,” Chase Ross, the receiver of that quarterback-esque pass, said. “He just does what he does. I mean, it doesn’t surprise me. I mean, it might surprise y’all out there, but I mean, you’ve been putting in work all summer and fall as well, doing what he got to do.”
Hello Chase Ross
Long time no see, Ross.
His tumultuous sophomore campaign, which saw him battle injuries and sickness, perhaps made people forget about the hyper athleticism and big-play capabilities he brings.
It’s a new day, though, and there’s no more forgetting to be had.
Not when he scored a career-high 23 points — beating his previous personal best of 13 with over 19 minutes to play — on 9-for-11 shooting, going 2-for-3 from beyond the arc.
Not when he brought his usual hounding defense that has the same effect on the opponent’s offense as a plastic bag over someone’s head.
Not when he transformed his offensive game beyond a transition fiend and into a three-level threat, which forced the defense to quickly tighten up its coverage.
And not when he led Marquette with a tied-game-high eight rebounds and finished second on the team in assists with four.
“I’m just trying to trying to help my team as best as I can,” Ross said. “So just getting in the gym, doing what I got to do. Play to my advantages, work out to my advantages, and just doing the things that’s going to help us in the offensive and defensive end.”
Forget forgetting, that’s something people won’t be able to do again.
“He’s been our most improved player from really the end of last season to now. It’s not even close,” Smart said. “The biggest thing is his confidence is on a whole different level than it was last year at this time.
“He knows he can do it. He knows we need it from him. He’s got an aggressiveness to him. He’s been shooting the ball very, very well in practice. Going to finish, he’s going to go in there and try to dump the ball, or he’s going to attack aggressively. So proud of him, but I still think he can keep getting better.”
This article was written by Jack Albright. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter/X @JackAlbrightMU.
