Three Stars From the Opener

By Mike Nelson

It’s been nearly 24 hours since Marquette’s season commenced.

There were six players that scored in double-digits in Marquette’s 91-37 victory over Mount St. Mary’s on Friday.

Junior Cadougan posted a double-double (10 points and 10 assists). The Golden Eagles forced 29 turnovers.

There was a lot for coach Buzz Williams to be pleased with. That makes it more difficult to pick out three stars from the opener.

The criteria to select these three players was a combination of the performance itself and how it compared to what we expected from the player.

Without further adieu, No. 3:

3. Vander Blue

The sophomore guard had a game-high four steals and played tremendous defense throughout the game, something coach Buzz Williams and the coaching staff expect from Blue – Williams told Blue on Tuesday that he was very close to becoming a lockdown defender.

His four steals were a game high and the starting nod has to be a nice boost of confidence for him moving forward.

But almost as a shock to the world, Blue showed confidence on the offensive end. He shot 39.4 percent from the floor last season.

On Friday he scored 10 points (all in the second half), only the seventh time in his Marquette career he reached double-digits in a game, on 5-of-7 shooting (one miss on a tip-in attempt, another on a 3-pointer). Of his five field goals made, four came off of dunks or layups and the fifth came off of a jumper.

His shot still looks shaky, but it looks much better than the 2010-’11 model.

2. Chris Otule

We knew what the redshirt junior center’s strengths and weaknesses were entering the 2011-’12 campaign.

Otule’s forte has always been his ability to alter shots in the lane and play tough defense against the Big East’s best post players. His weakness has been an ability to contribute offensively.

In the opener we saw Otule affirm his strengths and show improvement in his offensive game. He dropped 14 points and grabbed five rebounds. Both were second best on the team.

His three blocks were a game high and, as usual, he altered many more shot attempts within the lane with his 6-foot-11 frame.

Offensively, he had a new confidence about himself as he maneuvered through the lane. He demonstrated a high basketball IQ by knowing when to roll to the hoop after his defender left him to meet a penetrating guard in the lane.

And he has the full confidence of his coach Buzz Williams as affirmed by Friday night’s post game press conference.

Expectations shouldn’t change too much after this performance given the talent level and size of the opposition in Mount St. Mary’s, but it was a showing that demonstrates Otule’s continued progression as a Golden Eagle.

1. Jamail Jones

The sophomore forward was the only non-starter to post double-digits in the season opener (10 points, 5-of-10 shooting).

His evening was highlighted by a breakaway dunk that had the Bradley Center fans going crazy. It reeked of athleticism – which is exactly what he can bring to this team. He can provide an athletic scoring punch off of the bench.

He also had three rebounds and two steals.

Otule, not prompted by any question, went out of his way during the post game press conference to express his appreciation of Jones’ opening night performance.

As a freshman Jones looked lost, confused and unsure of himself. In the opener he looked like a  new player. He was confident, sure of himself, and even got after it on the defensive end – arguably his biggest concern entering this season.

With freshman forward Juan Anderson out the first three games and Jamil Wilson struggling to show signs of life offensively in the opener (although defensively he was phenomenal) Jones could get an edge up on his competition. Wilson may be the defensive force at the small forward position while Jones could be the offensive guy for the ‘3,’ which could leave Anderson on the bench.