It wasn’t a rebus. Not a Rubik’s Cube, cryptogram or labyrinth. It also wasn’t a sudoku or crossword. Nor a jigsaw.
But you couldn’t be faulted for thinking it was some kind of puzzle.
One look at the Marquette men’s basketball now-signed class of 2025 and you’d probably think Shaka Smart recruited like he was entering his class into some competition where the winner is the one who produces the most beautifully-crafted, well-rounded finished product.
In a way, he was.
He thought about what he’d need to refill for next season: point guard Kam Jones, defensively stout glue guy Stevie Mitchell and 6-foot-8 microwave scorer David Joplin.
He then moved onto finding the pieces necessary to doing that, and completed the roster construction with guys that have a level of complimentary traits akin to actual pieces in a puzzle.
The point guard: Nigel James Jr. The dogged defender: Adrien Stevens. The lengthy, upside-abundant shooter: Michael Phillips II. A 6-foot-7 vessel of versatility: Ian Miletic.
Four gaps filled with four different players with four different attributes coming together to complete Marquette’s No. 13 ranked 2025-26 recruiting class — Smart the dissectologist behind it all.
“There’s a compliment that they provide to our team, most importantly, and then also with each other. Any time you bring in a class, you want them to fit with each other, but you also want them to fit the greater team,” Smart said Wednesday after the four commits signed.
“And I think we’ve definitely done that.”
‘He’s a point guard’
Smart teased the possibility of 6-foot-0 James and 5-foot-10 Sean Jones together on the court.
“It’d certainly be the smallest backcourt out there,” he quipped.
Smart’s larger point was that both point guards are similar.
When he discusses the attributes of James, it sounds like the exact things he’s said about Jones: speed, quickness, explosiveness, decision-making.
“He’s a point guard. He is a guy that, knowing the ball is in his hands, you feel good. You feel like he’s going to create for others,” Smart said. “Can make good decisions. Defensively, he can really be a pest.”
In Jones’ attributes were a grocery list, James could check off almost every single item on it.
“What I’ve learned over the years is those type of guys with that type of heart, they more than make up for any lack of size,” Smart said. “And again, what he and Sean have in common is they both have really good minds, too.”
“So when little guys, you know, have toughness, grit, heart and a great mind, then they really got a chance.”
James averaged 11.9 points and 4.3 assists per game as a junior at Long Island Lutheran High School, and is rated No. 90 on 247Sports.
Coming soon to the 4️⃣1️⃣4️⃣#MUBB | @nigel_j24 pic.twitter.com/kdxxEkhiKk
— Marquette Basketball (@MarquetteMBB) November 13, 2024
‘Kicking ass’ after an interesting introduction
Based on Smart’s recounting of his first interaction with Stevens, it is almost shocking he ended up as his coach.
It was two years ago. Stevens was a sophomore. Smart was in the Bullis School gym to watch another guy. Stevens was wearing a Villanova sweatshirt. He hadn’t played a lick of varsity basketball.
Not exactly the dream first interaction between the two.
But then Smart saw Stevens “kicking ass” while working out. And then he saw Stevens have a “really successful” sophomore year. And then he got to know him and his family. And then he watched him “change the trajectory” of a game his junior year with his defense to lead his team to a win.
And now, two years after that first meeting, he is Stevens’ coach and Stevens is his player.
“Adrien’s a guy that can play either guard position. He’s good handling the ball. He can play in pick and roll. He can shoot the ball, very good, catch and shoot. And defensively, man, he’s something else,” Smart said.
“Really excited about the way that he’ll fit with us on both ends of the floor.”
Stevens helped his team earn back-to-back Interstate Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles and led the Bulldogs with 14 points in the championship game as a junior. He is the Golden Eagles’ highest-rated commit at No. 84 on 247Sports.
Coming soon to the 4⃣1⃣4⃣#MUBB | @AdrienStevens3 pic.twitter.com/lbtCqiiSii
— Marquette Basketball (@MarquetteMBB) November 13, 2024
‘He’s paying attention’
Phillips II is the quintessential Shaka Smart prospect.
A lengthy shooter with a lot of upside and untapped potential who enjoys playing defense, has a high basketball IQ for his age and cares about relationships.
When Phillips was with Smart on a visit, Smart talked to him about the postgame hugs between his players and how important they are to him and his culture.
So when Team USA won the olympics over the summer and Steph Curry and Kevin Durant celebrated with a hug, Smart sent both his players and recruits the photo. Phillips responded immediately.
“He said, ‘Yeah, that’s the hug you’re talking about,'” Smart said. “So he’s paying attention, you know? And I know that seems like a little thing, but when you get here, you get a million things thrown at you.
“And the guys that are really locked in and pay attention, they just they get it quicker, and they learn faster.”
Phillips went to the same high school as former Marquette big man Keeyan Itejere, which helped kickstart the initial recruiting process.
“It was really the (GRACE Christian School) coach, DeShannon Morris that drove the initial part of that recruitment,” Smart said. “Both him calling us and saying, ‘Hey, this is a guy you really need to take a hard look at.’
“And then him communicating with the Phillips family — particularly Mr. Phillips, who is on the coaching staff — that this would be the type of place they should take a hard look at. And that it might really align with the values of their family.”
Phillips reclassified into the class of 2025 after averaging 15.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game as a junior. He is 152nd in 247Sports’ rankings.
“We kind of knew that that was a possibility all along. He’s a guy that’s really ascending,” Smart said. “He’s not as far along age-wise as the other guys in this class. But man, he’s getting better and better.
“And he shoots the ball really, really well. He can score the ball. He’s really good on the defensive end. So there’s a lot of great attributes that we’re excited about.”
Coming soon to the 4️⃣1️⃣4️⃣#MUBB | @m_phillips_07 pic.twitter.com/fe359A3CLX
— Marquette Basketball (@MarquetteMBB) November 13, 2024
‘Our kind of guy’
Miletic has been a frequent attendee of Marquette games and practices since committing in June.
Being from suburban Chicago makes the trips up to Milwaukee easy, so it’s been a point of emphasis from both sides to be as involved with the program as possible.
He most recently attended Marquette’s student-only game at the Al McGuire Center Friday, wearing a shirt he got to his signing.
Congrats to @Ian7Miletic and his family on his official commitment to @MarquetteMBB ! Very proud of you! pic.twitter.com/ZQpd1kW3dg
— RM Boys Basketball (@RMBoysHoops) November 13, 2024
When assistant coach Neill Berry first looked into Miletic, Smart said it was clear from an early point he was “our kind of guy.”
“He really, really cares about relationships. He’s one of the best leaders at that age that I’ve seen with his high school group,” Smart said. “He’s really growing. He’s on a great trajectory. He’s serious about his growth. He puts a lot of time and energy into his growth, and he cares deeply about winning. So the fact that he’s aligned with those core values means a lot.”
Miletic averaged 19.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game as a junior at Rolling Meadows High School, en route to earning all-conference, all-area and all-state accolades. 247Sports places him No. 104 nationally and has him tabbed as the best prospect in Illinois.
Coming soon to the 4️⃣1️⃣4️⃣#MUBB | @Ian7Miletic pic.twitter.com/VZ8Kc6nX9y
— Marquette Basketball (@MarquetteMBB) November 13, 2024
This article was written by Jack Albright. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter/X @JackAlbrightMU.
