W. Tennis. Hush Earns Student-Athlete of the Week Honors

Source: Maquette Official Site

Gillian Hush of the women's tennis team has been named the GoMarquette.com Student-Athlete of the Week, presented by The Opus Group, after receiving the ITA's Cissie Leary Award for Sportsmanship for the Midwest Region.

M. Basketball. Marquette Finishes 13th In The Nation In Men's Basketball Attendance

Source: Maquette Official Site

The Marquette University men's basketball team finished 13th in the nation in average attendance in 2011-12, according to official numbers released by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

W. Tennis. Hush Earns ITA Midwest Region/Cissie Leary Award for Sportsmanship

Source: Maquette Official Site

Marquette University women's tennis senior Gillian Hush has been named the recipient of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Cissie Leary Award for Sportsmanship for the Midwest Region.

5.14 Morning Coffee: Nothing Happened Edition

Source: Anonymous Eagle by Admiral Ackbar, S.J.

Track. Track & Field Concludes Regular Season

Source: Maquette Official Site

Sophomore Kristen Gaffey led the way for the Marquette University men's and women's track and field teams Friday afternoon with a pair of personal bests in the shot put and discus, while junior Kyle Winter won the 800-meter run at the Cardinal Twilight Classic in Louisville, Ky.

The Milwaukee Bucks, A New Stadium, and Marquette

Source: Anonymous Eagle by Brewtown Andy

Last week, Senator Herb Kohl, the owner of the Milwaukee Bucks, announced that it was time to begin planning for a new arena in Milwaukee for the Bucks and that he would be willing to make a personal contribution towards construction of said arena. Since a new arena would have to be multipurpose to assure its financial viability, I think it's safe to say that Senator Kohl and the Bucks would be more than happy to have Marquette games played in this new arena. Whether Marquette would want to play their games in this arena would probably depend on its location,

Track. Golden Eagles Head to Last-Chance Meets

Source: Maquette Official Site

The Marquette University men's and women's track and field teams return to action Thursday, May 10-Friday, May 11 in a pair of last-chance meets at the Dr. Keeler Invitational and the Cardinal Twilight.

LSU transfer looking at NC State (Rivals)

Source: Yahoo! NCAAB

The coaching transition at LSU could help out NC State. LSU sophomore wing Ralston Turner is leaving the Tigers and could be considering NC State.

M. Lacrosse. Smistad Named Men's Lacrosse Captain For 2012-13

Source: Maquette Official Site

Marquette University junior Andrew Smistad (Calgary, Alberta) has been named captain of the Golden Eagles' men's lacrosse team for 2012-13, the program's first official year of varsity competition, head coach Joe Amplo has announced.

M. Basketball. Anthony Travel Featuring Special Packages To EA Sports Maui Invite

Source: Maquette Official Site

Anthony Travel has designed travel packages for Marquette fans to enjoy the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational and Hawaii while benefiting from camaraderie, convenience and exclusive access to events!

M. Basketball. Marquette Well Represented In Leagues Around The World

Source: Maquette Official Site

The Marquette University men's basketball program continues to be well represented in professional basketball leagues all across the world, with several former Golden Eagles suiting up for teams at varying levels.

Camps. Track & Field Announces 2012 Camp Dates

Source: Maquette Official Site

Marquette University track and field will host the event day camps, focusing on speed and jumps, June 25-28 at Valley Fields.

Track. Track & Field Announces 2012 Camp Dates

Source: Maquette Official Site

Marquette University track and field will host the event day camps, focusing on speed and jumps, June 25-28 at Valley Fields.

UW transfer Uthoff to visit Marquette

Source: Journal Sentinel

Has coach Buzz Williams and the Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball program set its recruiting sights on former University of Wisconsin forward Jarrod Uthoff?

M. Basketball. Marquette Adds Arizona State Transfer Trent Lockett

Source: Maquette Official Site

The Marquette University men's basketball program has added Arizona State transfer Trent Lockett to the roster for the 2011-12 campaign, head coach Buzz Williams announced Monday afternoon.

Trent Lockett’s transfer makes Marquette a team to watch once again (The Dagger: College Basketball Blog)

Source: Yahoo! NCAAB

Since Arizona State has been a doormat the past two seasons at a time when the Pac-12 has fallen behind its major conference peers, few outside of Tempe know much about the best player on those Sun Devils teams. As a result, Trent Lockett's announcement Saturday that he'll attend Marquette for his senior season didn't receive nearly the attention it should have. Lockett, a 6-foot-4 guard who will be eligible immediately at Marquette, averaged more than 13 points per game and shot 50 percent or better from the field each of the past two seasons for the slow-paced Sun Devils. What's more, Lockett was an asset in other facets of the game last season as a result of his length and athleticism, grabbing 5.8 rebounds per game and posting 1.5 steals per game despite Arizona State's reliance on zone defense. What Lockett did best at Arizona State was attacking the rim off the dribble. He attempted only 51 3-pointers as a junior, but he showed a knack for finishing at the rim, getting to the free throw line or sinking a mid-range jump shot. It would benefit Marquette if Lockett can consistently knock down a 3-pointer next year, but his presence might make the Golden Eagles a top 25 team once again even if he isn't a threat from behind the arc. Lockett should help Marquette weather the loss of all-league seniors Darius Johnson-Odom and Jae Crowder both offensively and defensively. He'll likely start at wing alongside point guard Junior Cadougan, enabling Buzz Williams to bring either Todd Mayo or Vander Blue off the bench.

Track. Jon Kusowski's BIG EAST Performance Earns Student-Athlete of the Week

Source: Maquette Official Site

Senior Jonathan Kusowski scored nine points for the Marquette men's track and field team at the 2012 BIG EAST Outdoor Championships, earning him GoMarquette.com's Student-Athlete of the Week.

5.7 Morning Coffee: Lockett Up Edition

Source: Anonymous Eagle by Admiral Ackbar, S.J.

Big East Presidents To John Marinatto: SCRAM

Source: Anonymous Eagle by Brewtown Andy

CBSSports.com's Brett McMurphy is reporting that the Big East presidents asked commssioner John Marinatto to resign yesterday and that Marinatto has followed through on that request this morning.

McMurphy's story also points out the following items that make the timing of this move interesting to say the least:

There are Big East league meeting scheduled for next week.
The BCS is in the middle of regular meetings to hammer out the plan for a college football playoff.
The Big East will begin negotiating a new TV contract this fall.

Given all of that, I would like to think that the league presidents wouldn't have made this

Track. Marquette Men Notch Second-Highest Point Total at BIG EAST

Source: Maquette Official Site

The Marquette University men's and women's track and field teams concluded the final day of action Sunday at the 2012 BIG EAST Outdoor Championships at USF Track & Field Stadium with the men recording their second-highest point total in BIG EAST competition.

Welcome Aboard, Trent Lockett!

Source: Anonymous Eagle by Brewtown Andy

The last two weeks, we've gotten news from Marquette's athletic department late on a Friday afternoon. This week, Friday passed without incident. Little did we know that this week's news was coming on Saturday afternoon.

Yesterday afternoon, Arizona State guard Trent Lockett announced that he would be transferring to Marquette for his senior season. Lockett has earned a degree in Business Communications from ASU in three years and has elected to exercise his ability to transfer to a school with a graduate degree program that ASU doesn't offer and play immediately while moving

Fan support lures Lockett to Marquette

Source: Journal Sentinel

Former Arizona State guard Trent Lockett pointed to the "ridiculous" amount of fan support the Marquette University basketball team received as a major reason he decided to make an oral commitment to coach Buzz Williams and the Golden Eagles' program Saturday.

Track. Golden Eagles Through Two Days at BIG EAST Outdoors

Source: Maquette Official Site

he Marquette University men's and women's track and field teams concluded the second day of competition at the 2012 BIG EAST Conference Outdoor Championships Saturday evening with the men in eighth and the women in 13th place in Tampa, Fla.

ASU's Lockett announces transfer to Marquette

Source: Journal Sentinel

Arizona State's Trent Lockett, the team's leading scorer last season, says he will transfer to Marquette for his senior season to be closer to his mother, who has been diagnosed with cancer.

Track. Marquette Men Fifth Through Day One at BIG EAST Championships

Source: Maquette Official Site

An impressive first day of competition for the Marquette University men's and women's track and field teams at the 2012 BIG EAST Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships was capped Friday evening by a fourth-place finish from Blake Johnson in the men's 10,000-meter run.

W. Soccer. Women's Soccer: 2011 Season in Review

Source: Maquette Official Site

The Marquette University women's soccer team held its annual end of the season celebration recently where it honored the team's accomplishments during the 2011 season and the careers of seniors Lindsey Page, Kerry McBride and Natalie Kulla.

W. Tennis. Women's Tennis Holds Annual End of the Season Banquet

Source: Maquette Official Site

The Marquette University women's tennis team held its annual postseason dinner and awards banquet Thursday night to honor the squad's 2011-12 accomplishments.

M. Tennis. Men's Tennis Celebrates 2011-12 With Annual Awards Banquet

Source: Maquette Official Site

The Marquette University men's tennis team celebrated its 2011-12 campaign Thursday night at the program's annual awards banquet.

Happy Quatro De Mayo!

Source: Anonymous Eagle by Brewtown Andy

It's the fourth of May, or for our Spanish speaking friends, Quatro De Mayo. What better way to celebrate than with Marquette's very own Quatro De Mayo, Todd Mayo?

Here's a clip of him throwing it down in Morgantown this season, complete with a fantastic call from Bill Raferty:

And here's MUTV's highlight package from this past season's Wisconsin game which will be commemorated as

Track. BIG EAST Outdoor Championships Await Golden Eagles

Source: Maquette Official Site

The Marquette University men's and women's track and field teams will take their largest group of student-athletes ever to compete at the 2012 BIG EAST Conference Track and Field Outdoor Championships on Friday, May 4-Sunday, May 6 in Tampa, Fla.

Marquette Men’s Lacrosse: Orsen looking up to Amplo as a mentor

Source: The Marquette Tribune by Christopher Chavez

When John Orsen arrived at Hofstra to play lacrosse as a freshman, it was Joe Amplo’s first year as an assistant coach. When Orsen arrived at Marquette to be an assistant coach, it was Amplo’s first year as head coach.

Over the years, the relationship between Orsen and Amplo has developed on and off the field to the point where Amplo now turns to one of his former players for advice.

“I loved playing for him,” Orsen said. “On the field he is very intense. Off the field, you could talk to him about any problems you might have in your life.”

When Amplo was coaching with the Pride, Orsen was an instrumental player in the team’s run to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I Tournament. In his junior and senior year, Orsen served as captain due to his leadership and versatility. He was flexible and open to playing any position on the field, which ultimately strengthened his I.Q. of the game.

“While being a good defender, you have to have an offensive mentality,” Orsen said. “After playing as an attackman my whole life, I knew what an attackman’s tendencies were. As a defender you’re trying to take that away.”

Amplo believes that Orsen’s transition as a player speaks the values of the traits he wants to instill in his team now.

“The most important thing that I want to instill in the guys here at Marquette is to buy into our team concept of doing everything for the team first,” Amplo said. “There’s not a person that I’ve been around that exemplifies that more than (Orsen). He put the team ahead of himself.”

Orsen is still growing as a recruiter and as a coach. Before arriving at Marquette, he spent the last few years as a manager for Trinity Lacrosse, one of the more renowned lacrosse programs that offers summer camps and clinics all around the country.

According to Orsen, teaching fundamentals to five-year-olds is not as easy as it sounds, and he uses the experiences from Trinity Lacrosse to reiterate the importance of nailing the basics on the field.

After working with Orsen for a year, assistant coach Stephen Brundage believes that the coaching staff made do with what it had in 2011-’12 and realized there will be obstacles on the road to the Big East.

“It hasn’t been the smoothest road, but we knew that going in,” Brundage said. “But overall, our guys have been great to and have worked their tails off. All the stuff we don’t have yet hasn’t bothered us because we just want to work and get better.”

Practices for the men’s lacrosse team ended earlier in the week and the team’s last day of weight lifting sessions was on Tuesday. Following the season, Orsen will be suiting up for Team USA in the 2011 World Indoor Lacrosse Championship in the Czech Republic. Amplo looks back on the year with his two assistants and could not be more thankful for their work.

“I want to thank them for believing in my vision for the program and understanding that there will be obstacles and challenges,” Amplo said. “They get more excited about those challenges than I do, and I need that as a head coach. I need guys that believe in the same things just as much as I do. They’ve shown that to me, and I couldn’t be more grateful.”

Marquette Men’s Basketball: Taylor next in line of JUCOs

Source: The Marquette Tribune by Mark Strotman

T.J. Taylor has been to junior college. He has been called an underdog. He is committed to working hard on a daily basis to perfect his craft and prove his doubters wrong.

No, it’s not difficult to see why Buzz Williams likes his newest guard.

The sixth junior college commitment for Williams in five recruiting classes, the 6-foot-4 combination guard from Dennison, Tex. will help fill the void left by Darius Johnson-Odom’s graduation.

“He’s got a great personality and a million-dollar smile,” said Chuck Taylor, T.J.’s junior college coach. “He’s very coachable and respectful, and people really love him around campus. He’s going to be something to see for three years.”

Like Johnson-Odom and Williams, Taylor did not take the easy road to Marquette.

After selecting Oklahoma over Marquette as a high school senior, Taylor spent one semester playing for Jeff Capel and the Oklahoma Sooners, where he suffered a concussion in preseason workouts. He never stepped on the court at Oklahoma, transferring to Paris Junior College, where he played last season.

Taylor averaged 14.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists for the Dragons, leading his team to a 23-7 record. In addition to his all-conference and all-region team honors, he was also named a third-team All-American by the National Junior College Athletic Association.

Jae Crowder, Dwight Buycks and Johnson-Odom (first team), Joe Fulce (second team) and Jimmy Butler (honorable mention) earned All-American accolades at their respective junior colleges before committing to Marquette.

“History has proven that the guys we have signed with three years of eligibility remaining have been really good for us,” Williams said. “And I have great belief that T.J. will be next in that line.”

Taylor also received MVP honors at the Paris JC basketball awards ceremony Monday night and was named the Paris student-athlete of the year.

Taylor was used primarily on the wing at Paris, allowing the freshman to stretch the defense and attack the basket. He said he can play point guard if necessary, and he excels in transition offense. The lefty also took on more of a vocal leadership role as the season progressed.

Taylor originally chose Oklahoma over Marquette because of location and familiarity, but his sustained relationship with Williams and former assistant coach Tony Benford made his second Division I commitment an easy one.

Though he had not taken any visits to Marquette before he committed, Taylor made a trip to Milwaukee for Marquette Madness. Taylor said he enjoyed the atmosphere and formed relationships with sophomores Vander Blue and Jamil Wilson.

Blue, who has made efforts to guide younger players, shared words of wisdom with Taylor on the visit.

“(Blue) told me to come in and work hard, and he told me it was going to be rough but that I’d be able to get through,” Taylor said. “Jamil (Wilson) told me the same thing, that it’s all mental.”

Taylor will arrive at Marquette with no true Division I experience, but he may be forced into a significant role in the Marquette backcourt.

Johnson-Odom started 34 of 35 games last season, averaging a team-high 18.5 points that Marquette will need to replace.

Junior Cadougan, Todd Mayo and Vander Blue are all in line to start, but Taylor’s versatility could push him into an important role off the bench, much like Mayo had last season.

Regardless of position in the rotation, Taylor said he is prepared to make the most of his second chance.

“I get to show everyone what I can do,” T.J. Taylor said. “I’ve been the underdog my whole life, and now I have a point to prove.”

TREBBY: A thank you to a few departing seniors

Source: The Marquette Tribune by Matt Trebby

Throughout the past year, I have been very fortunate to contribute to this wonderful newspaper, work for Marquette University Radio and also appear on Marquette University Television.

In doing so, I am very lucky to have been able to work with a few people that have directly affected my work in a very positive way. Those people are all seniors, and will be graduating later this month, meaning I probably won’t get to work with them ever again. This column is my way of saying thank you to them.

Through Marquette Radio, I got to work with Michael Wottreng, who gave me my first chance last year. Michael hired me as an assistant sports director and gave me the chance to meet people and have experiences I will never forget. He went from being my boss to someone who has become a great friend.

After getting hired by the Tribune in November, I was able to work with three guys who have each been fantastic to me.

Mike Nelson, who was editor of the sports desk until February, gave me the chance to write this column every week. I had a bit of writing background, but he thought I would do well for this paper. Because of that, I have discovered how well this paper is run and the great people that are a part of it.

Mark Strotman wrote most of the content on Paint Touches this year and showed incredible commitment in doing so. He would talk to players and write stories when he didn’t have to. But he did so to keep the Marquette basketball faithful up to date and entertained throughout the season.

Before I was hired by the paper, I would always read Andrei Greska’s columns, and every time I did I would always think the same thing afterward: “Wow.” So when I was hired to be the Thursday sports columnist, I felt plenty of pressure to follow up what he wrote. He has helped me improve my writing through his writing and editing. Because of Andrei, my vocabulary has forever been augmented.

MUTV has introduced me to two people that have both been great examples, and I’m pretty sure neither one knows how influential they have been to me.

Donnie Dwyer is the most enthusiastic and energetic person I have met in broadcasting. Through appearing on the MUTV show he produced, I’ve seen his passion for both the behind-the-scenes and on-air aspects of the show.

I know he has sent tapes to every station possible that is hiring, and I know one of them will see what anyone who has worked with him has seen and will give him the chance to start a successful career.

I also was an intern at 540 ESPN Milwaukee during my sophomore year, and I met plenty of people who have helped me grow. Maria Sapienza works part-time at the station and is also the director of Client Productions at MUTV.

I was able to work with Maria a lot at the station, and from this experience I learned more than she will ever realize. Saying Maria is fun to work with is an understatement, but she also knows when it is time to get work done. I have looked up to Maria’s attitude and energy ever since I worked my first promotional event with her.

It’s not only these six seniors who have greatly helped me throughout my time at Marquette. To the rest of you whom I didn’t mention, and you know who you are, thank you. While things about Marquette are fantastic. The people I have met and the friendships I have made are second to absolutely nothing.

Marquette Track and Field: Expectations high this weekend

Source: The Marquette Tribune by Christopher Chavez

The forecast is calling for 70-degree days in Milwaukee this weekend, but the Marquette track and field team will be bringing the heat as they compete in the 2012 Outdoor Big East Conference Championship in Tampa, Fla. The bar has been set for the Golden Eagles after a ninth place finish at the 2012 Big East Indoor Championship.

Coming off a home meet against Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Illinois-Chicago and Northwestern, the team returns to South Florida, where it opened its outdoor campaign. Coach Bert Rogers is taking his biggest group of qualifiers to the conference championship.

Senior thrower Robert Bleem believes the larger crowd is going to help as one of the team’s strengths is voicing support for one another.

“Marquette definitely has a bigger voice than most teams. We cheer every teammate on and want them to achieve their best,” Bleem said. “Having a big crowd is going to get people amped up and personal bests could be in place.”

For some, like junior sprinter Kyle Winter, it will be a more tactical race as he will see what the competition is doing before he decides how fast he will go. At the 2012 Big East Indoor Championship, everyone started off slow which allowed Winter to kick at the very end and pick off the competition for the win.

If the other runners start off fast, Winter could be getting some help as he tries to reach a regional qualifying time. Winter ran a 48.30 in their last visit to South Florida. This week at practice the sprinters are focused on “revving the engine.”

“We’ve been doing speed all week. We’re not doing miles,” Winter said. “We’re keeping our bodies pretty healthy and just working on speed to rev the engine.”

Rogers sees big performances coming from Winter on the men’s side, where he could be joined by several seniors like sprinter Tyler O’Brien, distance runner Jack Hackett and thrower Jonathan Kusowski to make noise at the championship.

“We’ve got a number of guys in a number of different areas that I think can get us points,” Rogers said. “I’m pretty excited about where our guys stand, and I think we want to do like we did at the indoor championship.”

On the women’s side, the focus will be on individual performances as they finished last at the 2012 Big East Indoor Championship. Rogers believes the athletes will display some personal bests.

There will still be a few meets once the conference championship concludes. The goal of those meets is to serve as a last chance opportunity for those athletes to try and secure their spot in the top 48 of their respective event in order to participate in the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds in Austin, Tex.

With their careers starting to come to an end, Bleem foresees some great times being run by the senior.

“Everyone’s got a little fire in their eyes right before they’re done,” Bleem said. “We’re going to see great marks between Blake Johnson, Peter Bolgert, and Tyler O’Brien because they’re all wanting to go out with a bang and show off what they’ve achieved in their time here.”

Marquette Men’s Soccer: Mallace getting used to professional life in Montreal

Source: The Marquette Tribune by Matt Trebby

Calum Mallace has yet to see action in a game for the Montreal Impact due to injury. Photo by Elise Krivit/elise.krivit@marquette.edu

In October, Calum Mallace was leading Marquette to a conference championship as the Big East Midfielder of the Year.

In January, he was picked in the MLS Superdraft by the Montreal Impact with the first selection of the second round. Now, his focus is breaking into the Impact lineup as a rookie.

Mallace has yet to make an appearance for the Impact, an expansion team in its first season.

He was part of the 18-man squad for the first four games of the season, but did not make it off the bench. Mallace recently suffered an ankle injury and just started training again about a week and a half ago.

Mallace is staying positive, saying he is extremely lucky to even have this opportunity, and to get paid to play the game he loves every day.

“I wake up every morning (and) go straight to training, which is the best feeling ever,” Mallace said. “I love training as much as I love games. To wake up and be able to do that every day, play the game I love, and get paid to do that, it’s an amazing feeling. I’m very lucky to be able to do that.”

The Impact’s Davy Arnaud, a midfielder, is one of the longest tenured players in the MLS: striker Bernardo Corradi has played all around Italy and scored goals wherever he’s been, and defender Matteo Ferrari has played in the UEFA Champions League.

Mallace said he doesn’t really notice he is playing against players like that until a training session is over and he can look back on it.

“You don’t really think about it in training when you’re playing against them,” Mallace said. “But after (training) you kind of take a step back and say, ‘Wow, these guys have played with the best at the highest level and hopefully they’re making me better.’”

For the rest of the season, Mallace doesn’t have a certain number of appearances he’s hoping for. As a rookie in the MLS, it is difficult to break into the starting lineup.

So Mallace is planning on working as hard as he can for the rest of the season so he gets his chance with the team.

“If I got the start next game and played every game for the rest of the season, that would be a dream,” Mallace said. “But that’s obviously not going to happen. So right now for me individually, it’s just pushing myself along every day, and contributing to the team as much as I can, and if or when I get that opportunity I’m definitely going to take it.”

Louis Bennett, Mallace’s coach at Marquette, said Mallace has a very bright career ahead of him and said he “would expect him to play about 15 games” this season.

Bennett said because of the franchise being in its inaugural season, the Impact needs to play experienced players and win games. But once Mallace gets his feet on the ground and the season gets going, he’ll break onto the team and make a difference.

“He’s definitely got the attitude,” Bennett said. “So when that door opens fully, he’s going to push it open and run straight through.”

W. Basketball. Plouffe Set for Canadian Senior National Team Tryout

Source: Maquette Official Site

Marquette sophomore Katherine Plouffe of the women's basketball team has a busy month ahead of her after being called to Team Canada's Senior National Team training camp set for May 3-16.

M. Golf. Men's Golf Team Finishes Eighth at BIG EAST Tournament

Source: Maquette Official Site

Matt Haase finished out his collegiate career with a one over-par 73 at Tom Watson Golf Course to lead the Marquette Univerisity men's golf team to an eighth place finish Tuesday in the final round of the BIG EAST Men's Golf Championship at Reunion Resort.

W. Basketball. Christina Quaye Named Assistant Coach at Marquette

Source: Maquette Official Site

Head coach Terri Mitchell has announced the promotion of Christina Quaye to assistant coach on the Marquette University women's basketball staff.

M. Soccer. All-Time Series Histories

Source: Maquette Official Site

Larry Williams talks Marquette’s future

Source: The Marquette Tribune by Michael Wottreng

Larry WIlliams. Photo courtesy of Marquette Athletics.

When former athletic director Steve Cottingham resigned in June, the Marquette athletic department looked like it was on the verge of collapse amid sexual assault allegations. The school needed to find someone that could rebuild Marquette’s image. Enter Larry Williams, a former Notre Dame football standout who played five years in the NFL. The Tribune asked Williams some questions via e-mail to learn more about his first semester at Marquette.

Q: How was your first semester at Marquette? What went better than expected? What needs the most work?

A:  My first semester at Marquette has been great. The enthusiasm that the community has for the university, especially for its men’s basketball program, is something special. I am excited to help identify and pursue a clear path that will allow Marquette to be viewed as the premier non-football-playing athletic program in the country, one that is firmly committed to the university’s core values and celebrates its rich history.

Q:  How does your experience as a former athlete help you in this role?

A:  My experience as an athlete informs every decision I make because Marquette athletics is ultimately about the full development of each of our student athletes. I was fortunate to have a broad and deep experience as an athlete, with exposure to great and less-than-great coaches and administrations, and great and less-than-great success formulas. So with every decision I make, I ask, based on my experience, what’s in the best interest of the development of our student athletes?

Q:  For a school that relies heavily on the men’s basketball program, how will you ensure the other sports get their due?

A: Amassing and channeling resources is an enormous challenge. Maximization of the resources that can be generated through men’s basketball is certainly important as some of those resources can be redirected. However, we must also be diligent about being creative in regards to revenue generation opportunities in other programs and cost containment.

Q:  How will you make sure Marquette has its say in the conference realignment discussions?

A:  It is imperative that Marquette remain elite in men’s basketball, but also Marquette must be able to demonstrate broad-based success, in order to have a voice and place in whatever the new world of conference alignment becomes.

Q:  College basketball coaches rarely stay at one place for more than a few years before seeking a better opportunity. How will you ensure Marquette is destination rather than a stepping stone?

A:  Marquette is already a destination in the world of college basketball. The investment that the university makes in the enterprise, the support that the community demonstrates for the program and the rich history and core values that underpin the university absolutely make it a uniquely desirable place in the landscape of college athletics.

As long as those elements are maintained, the coaching world knows that remarkable student athletes can be formed here and national championships can be won here.

Q: What are your top priorities for summer getting prepared for your first full season?

A:  My top priority is to finish a clear plan of action that we will take in athletics to ensure ultimately that our student athletes are formed in ways that will allow them to make the world a better place. Along the way, we will also enjoy tremendous success. Athletics is unique in its opportunity to teach remarkable skills.

Marquette Men’s Lacrosse: Brundage brings recruiting acumen

Source: The Marquette Tribune by Christopher Chavez

The opportunity to start a new program and have complete control of the offensive game is what led assistant coach Stephen Brundage’s migration from Princeton to the men’s lacrosse team at Marquette. He had been working under the direction of coach Chris Bates at Drexel and Princeton for five years and accepted a new role with head coach Joe Amplo last May.

With an up-and-coming program, not too many people are knocking on Marquette’s doors asking to play lacrosse just yet. As a result, Brundage hits the road or boards a flight every weekend to look for more players that could help the program make a name for itself early on. Amplo believes that one of the biggest strengths that Brundage brings to the table is his recruiting skills as a young, charismatic coach.

“(Brundage) is not only excited to teach but to recruit as well. He’s got an eye for evaluating talent,” Amplo said. “He’s got a great personality and understands what a young man wants to get out of college. He’s got a unique ability to portray that to them.”

Brundage learned how to recruit and coach at his first job with Drexel. His recruiting skills were put to the test in the Ivy League, where he was expected to bring in top talent with no scholarships and higher academic standards.

Princeton is currently ranked tenth in the nation and sophomore Tom Schreiber has been a big part of their team. Brundage worked closely with him on offense to make him an all-conference player. He believes that in due time, he can do the same with some of Marquette’s players.

“I am very happy with where we are with recruiting right now. We are going up against some really good schools,” Brundage said. “We’re going to get some really good players, and I will have the opportunity to coach somebody that has the potential to be an all-conference kid.”

Fellow assistant coach John Orsen is just as excited about the incoming players arriving in August. He has a positive outlook on what the team will looks like once it starts playing games.

“It’s not going to be as scary as we first thought. I think the guys have really grasped what we’ve taught this spring,” Orsen said. “We’ve got some great athletes coming in, so we’re going to match up well.”

Amplo and Brundage are no strangers to matching up against each other. They have stood across from each other on opposing sidelines, but now share the same team. Amplo and Brundage have worked well and bonded in their first year together, but they still share laughs from their days as rivals.

“(Playing and coaching against Amplo) was great because I was usually winning,” Brundage said. “I think my record while playing at Loyola was 3-1. While at Drexel and Princeton, we may have split. Coach Amplo and I didn’t know each other personally, but we always respected the other because we’d always been going at it.”

There’s no telling how the next few years will play out, but Amplo believes he will always have the last laugh.

“(Brundage) thinks he has the upper hand. However, his success in the score column is nowhere near to my success in the amount of playoff games that we’ve played in,” Amplo said. “He has different levels of evaluating success.”

Marquette Men’s Basketball: Crowder focusing on agility work

Source: The Marquette Tribune by Mark Strotman

Jae Crowder will have plenty to offer NBA teams at the next level with his unique skill set of outside shooting, rebounding and leadership.

But as he prepares to make the move from forward to shooting guard, the one area Crowder knows he will have to perfect is his agility.

Crowder has trained during the week in Milwaukee with Marquette strength and conditioning coach Todd Smith and Mike Lee, head skill development trainer at Mike Lee Basketball.

Lee, who trained Marquette’s Lazar Hayward and Steve Novak in their pre-draft workouts, also works with Darius Johnson-Odom.

The trio has focused on shooting, ball-handling and game situations, but Lee was most impressed with Crowder’s footwork during their agility work and subsequent on-court drills.

“One thing that really has stood out about Jae is that he has great footwork,” Lee said. “Playing the ‘2’ or the ‘3’, a lot of it is about footwork. He has good footwork off the dribble and catch, and that’s the basis for shots in the NBA.”

Crowder will continue to work out with Johnson-Odom and Lee in Milwaukee, but once classes end this Friday he will travel and stay in Miami, where he currently trains on weekends.

Athlete’s Edge Sports Performance Training was the landing spot for Crowder’s workouts. He has worked with two coaches the last month, one for shooting and ball-handling and the other for agility work.

Darius Johnson-Odom. Tribune File Photo

His agility coach, Mike Smith, said their focus now is improving Crowder’s explosiveness on his first step, as well as hip and lateral movement.

“At the next level it’s all about separation,” Smith, who trained Detroit Pistons point guard Brandon Knight last year, said. “It’s about going from one movement to the next and having a lightning quick first step.”

Because Crowder is only in Miami on the weekends, Smith said they have focused on “essential workouts,” but once he arrives in Miami for the duration of his pre-draft regimen, workouts will increase in difference and intensity.

Crowder will begin training on the beach, running hills and even running on tracks to improve forward movement.

For now, Crowder has focused his workouts on both bursts of speed and quick movement.

“We work on power stuff through band work and exploding into the first step,” Crowder said. “And then without, we do cone work and ladder work moving at a fast speed.”

Other agility drills Crowder and Smith work on include working with bands for resistance, medicine balls for added upper body strength and lunges for upper leg explosion.

Additionally, Crowder’s agility workouts roll over into his shooting and ball-handling drills.

The high volume of shots and the intensity of dribbling drills has helped Crowder maintain peak physical condition and improve his range.

Many of Crowder’s shooting workouts include moving without the ball and coming off screens, while his dribbling workouts include lateral movement and quick direction change.

“I’m trying to make him bigger, quicker, faster and stronger, regardless of where he’s playing,” Smith said. “I’m trying to make him more athletic. His footwork is great, and I want that to transition to basketball.”

Whatever his agility drills, both Lee and Smith agreed that Crowder’s attitude and commitment are vital to improving his agility.

That, they said, is something Crowder has had no problem doing.

“They’re easy to work with because they work,” Lee said of Crowder and Johnson-Odom. “There’s pretty much zero motivation needed on my part. They’re ready to work and ready to get better every day.”

Marquette Men’s Soccer: Finding depth is key to Marquette’s spring season

Source: The Marquette Tribune by Matt Trebby

Coming into the spring season, coach Louis Bennett wanted his team to improve their depth, last season’s biggest weakness.

Bennett believes he has now found out which of his current players are able to step in and play significant minutes, and who still needs work.

“If we lose one or two key players, I want us to be able to win games,” Bennett said. “That’s why we played a lot of people. We’ve definitely been able to see who can, who could and who might need a little bit more time. So mission accomplished, really.”

Marquette completed its spring season by winning the 2012 D1 Wisconsin Spring Cup on Sunday. They defeated Wisconsin-Milwaukee 5-1 in the morning and the Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix 2-0 in the final.

Sophomore midfielder Bryan Ciesiulka scored four goals on Sunday, including one penalty kick in each game, netting two in the morning against the Panthers and two more against the Phoenix in the afternoon. With the departure of Calum Mallace, Ciesiulka will spearhead the Golden Eagles’ attack. Scoring seven goals in two games on Sunday, that attack looked as potent as ever.

“This whole spring for me was trying to be dangerous and putting myself in positions to score and assist,” Ciesiulka said. “My teammates today just put the balls on platters for me. We played well, and they were good goals.”

Keeping the ball out of their own net has been a bit of a problem. Sophomore defender Paul Dillon, who played every minute in the fall, noted the goals they conceded came toward the start or finish of games. Dillon put that down to the constant rotation of players throughout the spring.

“We’re conceding goals either really late in games or in the first couple minutes of games, so it’s obviously frustrating,” Dillon said. “But that’s sort of a result of unfamiliar faces.”

Last year was the first time the team truly put Bennett’s preferred style of play into practice. With their smooth, passing style the Golden Eagles took the Big East by storm.

While conceding goals, the Golden Eagles have still maintained plenty of possession time, and Bennett says goals scored against them are just part of the game. He said he thought it wouldn’t be a problem in August.

“I was disappointed that we’ve given goals away in games that we’ve had over 75 percent of the possession, but soccer is like that,” Bennett said. “I was disappointed in that, and that we gave goals away late in the game.”

While there may be some new faces on the team by the time next August rolls around, Bennett is confident in the core of his team at the moment. Bennett has built a certain style of play during his time at Marquette and believes it’s up to the experienced, established players to maintain the passing game the Golden Eagles wish to play.

“Right through the spine,” Bennett said, “I think collectively Eric Pothast, Axel (Sjorberg), Ryan Robb, B (Ciesiulka), all the way up, are going to be important so we can maintain a style.”

With the core of the team in place, Bennett’s Golden Eagles look poised to be contenders in the Big East again next fall.

GRESKA: Every Rose has its torn … ACL

Source: The Marquette Tribune by Andrei Greska

Andrei Greska

So with this being my last column ever, and all I planned to get all sappy on you and tell you how fast these four year went. I’d drop in some funny anecdotes and finish with a few words of “wisdom” that you wouldn’t listen to.

And then Derrick Rose blew out his knee.

Memories of Chris Otule clutching his knee at Madison Square Garden hauntingly came flooding back in.

At 5:45 p.m. on Saturday “ACL,” “Derrick Rose” and “I cried when” were all trending worldwide on Twitter. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out how most Chicagoans were arranging the three trending topics in their tweets.

You watch sports for years on end in that vain hope that you may one day get the good fortune to see your team challenge for a championship. In Derrick Rose, Bulls fans had hit the lottery 1,000 times over.

Here was a humble Chicagoan who also happened to be one of the best basketball players in the world. He was the one that would take the Bulls to levels not seen since No. 23 broke Utah’s heart one last time. And in a simple drive to the basket — boom goes the dynamite.

BullsBlogger on Twitter summarized it best: “Title-contending seasons are rare, and who knows how many of those we’ve lost today. That’s the big-picture kick in the sack.”

It’s not just this season that has been lost — no sane human being can legitimately expect the Bulls to beat the Heat, let alone win the whole thing — but Rose will now miss the Olympics this summer and who knows how much explosiveness will return whenever it is he does get healthy.

You know it’s serious when Twitter unites in eulogizing a player. Kevin Love, Bill Simmons, Jeff Goodman, Darren Rovell and even noted LeBron-lover Mark Strotman tweeted how sad it was to see him go down like that.

I was crushed, heartbroken, incredulous and just downright miserable from that point on. How could this happen? Why was he in? Is it the shoes?

Beyond the personal grief, there was one even scarier outcome as a result of Saturday’s events: the power of false information on Twitter.

From the time the game ended it was all speculation as to what the extent of the injury would be. For the first few hours no one really knew anything, which didn’t stop people from pretending they did.

A fake ESPNChicago retweet claimed that Rose had torn his MCL and ACL, would miss the remainder of the playoffs and would have surgery on Tuesday. The real ESPNChicago account immediately rebuffed these assertions saying they still did not have any information.

However, an employee at the NBC affiliate in Miami did not get the memo — as Stacey King likes to say — about the fake tweet and ran with the information. A few minutes later the Twitter account under BreakingNews repeated NBCMiami’s claims, broadcasting the false information to its nearly 3.9 million followers.

From there all hell broke loose as tweets and retweets flowed endlessly. In a matter of minutes the whole world had been duped by one fake tweet and one reckless intern — most likely the one running NBC Miami’s Twitter feed.

It was the absolute most incriminating indictment of today’s journalism mentality. Sure there is a need to get information quickly, but in today’s scoop-getting society, speed trumps truth way too often.

Dr. Stephen Byers taught me in one of my first journalism classes at Marquette to believe none of what we were told without verifying it. Your mommy says she loves you, eh? Prove it.

That’s what you learn in journalism school. The truth is the ultimate goal.

Not anymore.

I’m scared of the implications of this first-past-the-post mentality. In the sporting world the consequences are frustrating, but in the end irrelevant. In the military realm, where a twitch of an index finger can mean the destruction of entire cities, it’s downright frightening.

You would hope that government officials would be smart enough not to fall for false tweets. Then again, there are sitting congressmen who have linked to articles from the Onion in support of their policy decisions.

So this is it. Rose has wilted and my profession flopped. I guess it can’t always be seashells and balloons.

M. Golf. Golfers Climb One Spot With One Round Remaining at BIG EAST

Source: Maquette Official Site

Sophomore Corey Konieczki shaved nine strokes off his opening-round score Monday, pacing Marquette University with an even-par 72 at Tom Watson Golf Course and helping the Golden Eagles move up one spot in the team standings with one round remaining in the 2012 BIG EAST Men's Golf Championship at Reunion Resort.

M. Soccer. All-Time Awards

Source: Maquette Official Site

Revolving door in Blacksburg: Departed assistant returns, but now is head coach (Yahoo! Sports)

Source: Yahoo! NCAAB

James Johnson was one of three Virginia Tech assistants who had left this offseason. Now he's coming back as the guy in charge of the program.