Category Archives: Features

Sacrificing for the string carried Golden Eagles through rough times

Posted on April 12, 2012 by | 1 Comment

Like most college basketball teams, Marquette dealt with adversity this year.

Injuries, suspensions and a pair of losses heading into the NCAA Tournament tested the Golden Eagles’ will as much as any team in the nation.

But through every rough stretch, Buzz’s group persevered thanks to a piece of string.

Specifically, thanks to sacrificing for a piece of string.

The Marquette basketball players chose the team’s theme, “sacrifice for the string,” at a weekend-long preseason retreat held by Williams and the rest of the coaching staff.

The team built chemistry by learning more about their teammates and, after choosing the theme, about what would be expected of them for the coming season.

Last fall, associate head coach Tony Benford called renowned sports psychologist Joseph Carr to speak with the team during the retreat. Carr had worked with athletes like LeBron James and Greg Oden and had spoken with college teams in the past.

During one of the sessions on the retreat, the team broke into groups to brainstorm possible phrases for the 2011 theme. After each group came up with their own ideas, they landed on sacrificing for the string.

Marquette was brought together in 2011 by a single piece of string. Specifically, sacrificing for a single piece of string. (Marquette Tribune Photo)

“It’s about how everyone is in a tight-knitted family and every time somebody drops the string, it’s not as tight as it can be,” freshman Derrick Wilson said. “You have to help that person pick it up.”

Each player took hold of an actual piece of string, one the team kept with them all year long, and made a commitment for the rest of the year to keep the string as tight as possible.

By holding the string, each player committed to make individual sacrifices, overcome challenges and buy into what the coaching staff preached. Shirts were made with two “S’s” tied together by a piece of string.

“It’s a long season, and we go through a lot of highs and a lot of lows,” assistant coach Aki Collins said. “So any time you’re going through those lows, we always talk about sacrificing for the string. And they understand. A lot of times they’ll say it to themselves when they see things getting out of whack.”

It took the players a few days to understand what sacrificing for the string would accomplish later in the season, but the impact was felt immediately.

“Within 24 to 48 hours, they understood it,” Collins said. “They were excited about it and they did things on their own to reinforce some of the things we had learned and talked about in regards to sacrificing for the string.”

The Golden Eagles were tested in 2011, both with injuries to junior center Chris Otule and sophomore forward Davante Gardner, and when four players, including three starters, were suspended for a half against West Virginia.

Through every low and every time the string was dropped, someone else was there to pick it back up and keep it taut.

With a new theme every year, Collins said the coaching staff’s hope is that players take themes from previous years and build on it for the future.

“It’s something that one group can pass down to the next, and then when they get there, they can combine the two or three or four,” Collins said. “And it just becomes a way of life for those guys.”

The coaching staff and players agreed: 2011's team was one of the closest-knit they had ever been around. (Marquette Tribune Photo)

The metaphor helped the Golden Eagles mentally, but there also was a direct effect on the court.

“If coach Buzz tells me to pick up 94-feet and my guy gets by me, I know my teammates are waiting in the back court to help me so I can recover,” junior guard Junior Cadougan said. “If Jae (Crowder) misses a shot, he knows Jamil (Wilson) is going to be boxing out the guy on the weak side so Vander (Blue) or Todd (Mayo) can get the rebound. We’re just sacrificing for each other.”

A 27-win season, a Sweet 16 appearance, two All-Americans and the Big East Player of the Year proved Marquette’s talent in 2011. But sophomore forward Jamil Wilson said none of it would have been possible without all 12 players buying into what sacrificing for the string meant to the team.

“The string is our team, and if someone lets down part of the string, our team is out of whack,” Wilson said. “It’s our life and death basically. It’s how we survive. If you hold your part of the string, we succeed or we don’t.”

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Features, Home

Like father, like son: Crowder carries on warrior mentality

Posted on March 17, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Corey Crowder’s words have always stuck with his son.

Jae was not old enough to recollect his father’s playing days in the NBA, and he never saw him compete overseas in France. When Corey returned home from Europe each summer, Jae would watch his father train and, at times, engage in workouts. But Corey was still unsure of his son’s commitment to basketball.

With Jae and the Golden Eagles on the verge of a Sweet 16 berth, Corey now knows.

“I can see a lot of the things in him that he may have picked up as far as the way he prepares and is a leader on the court,” Corey said. “And his intelligence of basketball is incredible. That’s the same way I played.”

Much like Jae, Corey was undersized in college. At 6-foot-5, he played power forward at Kentucky Wesleyan from 1987 to 1991. His junior season, the Panthers won the Division II National Championship, and a year later the elder Crowder was named National Player of the Year. He played for both the Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs for one year, and spent 12 seasons overseas.

Corey (L) watches on as his son is honored at Marquette Senior Day. Jae finished with a career-high 29 points. (Marquette Tribune Photo)

Now the president and owner of Crowder Financial Group, Corey still finds time to work out with his youngest son in the gym over the summer.

Jae has played basketball with his father and sought out his advice hundreds of times, but one instance solidified Jae’s professional aspirations.

The summer before Jae’s sophomore season at Howard College, a junior college in Texas, he traveled to Florida for routine workouts with his father. The day Jae arrived, the two went to a local gym to play pick-up basketball.

On one of the first plays of the game, a player committed a hard foul on Jae.

His response to the play was all Corey needed to see to know his son would be successful. Continue reading →

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Features, Home

Tagged ,

MU sinks like the Titanic at the Big East tournament

Posted on March 9, 2012 by | 2 Comments

Marquette had never been better than a five-seed at the Big East Championship.

It had never boasted the Big East Player of the Year.

It never had two players named first team all-conference since the program entered conference play in the 1989-1990 season.

But this season Marquette had it all. It was the consensus No. 2 team in the best basketball conference in the country.

Despite that, Marquette laid the biggest egg of the Buzz Williams era. This team was like the Titanic entering the Big East Championship: It was all hype that ended in an epic fail.

“I’ve never felt like this. I don’t even know how to explain,” Jae Crowder said after the 74-61 loss to Louisville.

It was the most disappointing loss of the season, and it started in the first six minutes of play. Marquette had five turnovers, went 3-of-9 on field goals, and allowed three offensive rebounds. Marquette went down 21-6.

“We didn’t bring enough energy in the first half and they just took us apart,” Darius Johnson-Odom said.

He’s completely right.

“We never got into that groove, that groove that we normally play with,” Jae Crowder said.

You got that right.

But that should have been nothing for Marquette. The Golden Eagles went down 18-2 to Louisville on Jan 16 and overcame that deficit. Marquette was the comeback king of the Big East.

“We’ve been in that situation so many times at the beginning so we were like, ‘it’s all right. We’ll come back,’” Derrick Wilson said.

At least they had the right mentality. But it was poor execution.

“I’m disappointed because we never played our best basketball,” Crowder said. “If we had played our best basketball and gotten beat, (then OK), because they made more plays. But we never got into a rhythm.”

Marquette looked unprepared, nervous and out of sync on the biggest stage of its season, allowing 26 offensive rebounds and turning the ball over 26 times. That’s not the way Marquette won 25 games this season.

“I did a really bad job. If your team has 26 turnovers, which is the most during my tenure as head coach,” Buzz Williams said, “and if your team allows 26 offensive rebounds, which is the most it has allowed since I’ve been the head coach, it’s on the head coach.”

Kudos to Buzz for taking the onus on Thursday’s loss. Marquette was never all there, something for which the head coach should take responsibility.

Beyond the team-high eight turnovers of Junior Cadougan it was Crowder who was the most off.

Crowder, playing in his first game since being named the Big East Player of the Year posted a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds). But it didn’t feel that way. The 6-foot-6 forward was in foul trouble most of the night, altering his style of play.

It came on a night when he went without the dreadlocks that distinguish him. Instead, he rocked cornrows after getting his haircut.

“I ain’t wearing this anymore. I’m going back to what I know how to do. You won’t see this (look) anymore,” Crowder said.

Like Samson, from the Biblical tail of Samson and Delilah, Crowder wasn’t the same player without his hair.

Nor was Marquette.

→ 2 Comments

Posted in Analysis, Features

Tagged , , , , ,

‘Lion chasers’ Johnson-Odom and Crowder prepare for Senior Day

Posted on March 2, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Marquette has lost its last three games on Senior Night, and head coach Buzz Williams said he’s “not any good” at the post-game ceremonies, but having Jae Crowder and Darius Johnson-Odom should make both difficulties easier.

“I think it’s hard to argue that those two guys are anything but lion chasers,” Williams said of his two seniors. “Those guys don’t get chased by the lion, they chase the lion. I think that’s very rare, that you find guys in this day and age that you can give that title to, and that’s what I think those two guys are.”

Both will be honored following Saturday’s game against Georgetown, but both Johnson-Odom and Crowder spoke to the importance of the game at hand.

“My coaching staff hasn’t won a senior day since they’ve been here,” Crowder said. “We’re all aware of it. Us getting a win tomorrow, that would put a stamp on the regular season heading into the postseason.”

Both Johnson-Odom’s and Crowder’s paths to Marquette were non-traditional, with both arriving via the junior college route. Johnson-Odom, specifically, arrived at Marquette while Williams’ attempted to overhaul a roster that saw an entire recruiting class leave in 2008.

“Obviously (Johnson-Odom) was a part of the beginning of that change,” Williams said. “And what both of those guys have meant to us speaks for itself. “

Darius Johnson-Odom will be remembered for his deadly 3-point shot, but also for his leadership. (Marquette Tribune Photo)

Williams also said his relationship with both Crowder and Johnson-Odom have been special, in part, because of the route they took to get to Milwaukee.

“Their paths here is a story in and of itself, and then what they have been able to do since they have been here is a story in and of itself,” Williams said. “And I’m very thankful for the relationship I have with them. I still have definitely a kindred relationship with these two kids.”

Crowder, who has had two “senior” days, both in high school and before he left Howard College in Texas, said he won’t be emotional after the game.

“I don’t think I’ll be emotional at all,” Crowder said. “I’ll be a little sad but I probably won’t show it. I know it had to come at some point so I’m prepared for it.”

Johnson-Odom, on the other hand, said he will be emotional, but only because of the importance of the game.

“I definitely feel very emotional about it,” Johnson-Odom said. “Not that it’s our last home game but we’ve never won senior night since I’ve been here. We have to be mentally focused. We’re playing a great team in Georgetown. We have to just find a way to get the win.”

The uncanny leadership from both, dealing with a relatively young and inexperienced roster, is something Johnson-Odom strives for.

“Me and Jae, we talk about what we have to do not just with each other but with our teammates as well,” Johnson-Odom said. “The guys do a real good job of understanding us. When they don’t understand, they do a great job of asking. So I think from freshman to senior, everybody is trying to learn what we have to do. They know the culture of Marquette. They continue to work hard and be good players, on and off the court.”

Williams agreed, noting that both upperclassmen were expected to enter Marquette as leaders, something they have done well.

Jae Crowder's leadership and positive influence on the younger Marquette players is something that will be tough too replicate for future senior classes. (Marquette Tribune Photo)

“When you’re  a guy that comes in with two years left or three years left, (Johnson-Odom) could potentially finish in the top 10 in scoring at a place that’s had a lot of good players, and he’s only been here three years,” Williams said. “And then you look at what Jae’s been able to do and his efficiency and effectiveness, I think that speaks to who they are as people. Their talent is evident, but it speaks to who they are that they’ve been able to have that sort of impact, because that impact had to begin immediately.”

Crowder spoke of the legacy he hoped to leave at Marquette whenever his time as a Golden Eagle is over.

“Someone who came to work every day,” he said. “(And) was responsible for what he did on and off the court. Just want to be remembered as one of the guys who came to work every day.”

Transitioning from unknowns to potential First Team All-Big East players is something Johnson-Odom hopes is a mark left on the program.

“Everybody wants to be known for their wins,” he said. “Me and Jae, we both want to be known as two guys nobody really knew, coming in from JuCo, and had an impact on and off the court.”

Williams said the senior duo has already accomplished all that, and that they will be remembered as such.

“That they’re lion chasers,” Williams said. “That they answer the bell every single day, that they want to compete. That they understand that the separation between good and great is winning and losing. That they want to be coached. They’re not scared to be coached. They’re not scared to be coached hard. All of those things I think speak to who they are.”

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Features, Home

Tagged , , , ,

Simeon’s Taylor will add versatility to Marquette front court

Posted on February 22, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Chicago Simeon forward Steve Taylor kept hearing the same promises from college coaches.

Guarantees of immediate playing time and future all-league accolades filled the high school senior’s head as he prepared to make his college decision. One team’s words, however, stood out among the rest.

Marquette.

Associate head coach Tony Benford, Taylor’s lead recruiter, said he spoke with Taylor about Marquette in a different way than most coaches talk about their respective programs.

“We don’t talk a whole lot about playing time,” Benford said. “We talk about, if you decide to come here, we’re going to work every day. We’re going to make you tough, and you’re going to continue to grow. It’s a family. You’re going to get better and prepared for the rest of your life.”

Taylor took those words to heart and chose Marquette.

“It felt like it was real,” he said.

Taylor also said he has formed good relationships with senior guard Darius Johnson-Odom and junior guard Junior Cadougan, and that coach Buzz Williams’ style of coaching attracted him to Marquette.

“He’s a cool coach with all his players. He’s real with them. He pushes them, and he’s tough,” Taylor said. “But he loves them afterward.”

And there’s plenty to love about Taylor.

A 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward, Taylor possesses all the traits of a “switchable,” Williams’ term to describe a player who can play either forward position.

At 6-foot-8, Taylor will provide size and versatility to the Marquette front court in 2012. (Photo Credit: MaxPreps.com)

Benford said Taylor has continued to improve since Marquette began recruiting him his junior year and Williams described him as having “a very high ceiling” and someone who “will grow to be better than any of us even think possible.”

Those sentiments are impressive, considering Taylor is a consensus top-70 recruit in the nation and the top 2012 recruit in Illinois. His ability to play inside, rebound and shoot from beyond the arc make him someone who “will be perfect for what we’re trying to do here,” according to Benford.

Taylor said Williams’ aggressive style of play will help him fit in as well.

“It’s get it off the rim and let’s go,” Taylor said, referring to Marquette’s fast-paced offense. “But he’s worried about defense. You have to play defense at Marquette, and I like that.”

Before committing to the Golden Eagles in August, Taylor considered Missouri and DePaul. But his relationship with Benford and Williams, the proximity of Milwaukee to Chicago and Marquette’s success tipped the scale.

Taylor and The Simeon Academy basketball team also have enjoyed recent success. Led by junior Jabari Parker, the consensus top 2013 recruit in the country, and Taylor, the Wolverines have aspirations of a third straight Illinois state championship.

Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose graduated from Simeon in 2007, having won two state titles of his own.

“You want winners,” Benford said. “That’s what it’s all about at the end of the day. And if you can get a kid from a winning program, he knows how to work and he wants to win. He brings that mindset to your program.”

Taylor said he needs to improve his ball handling and strength, and will continue to work in both areas both before he arrives at Marquette and in preseason workouts.

“It’s being mentally tough and making it through boot camp and practice,” Taylor said. “And once you get past that, you’re getting better off that.”

Playing time will open up in 2012 following  forward Jae Crowder’s graduation, and Benford said Taylor will have a chance to earn minutes right away.

“He’ll be ready to step right in and contribute significant minutes for us next year,” Benford said. “If he has the mindset to come in and get better every day he’ll really help us from day one.”

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Features, Home, Recruiting

Tagged , , , ,