If you’ve read this space, heard any podcasts, or follow me on Twitter, you’ve probably heard me reference my 9-year-old son, Addison, multiple times over the past 2 years. I find watching games with him and through his eyes to be thrilling. It’s our thing where he gets to stay up late unlike his sisters, and he lives for it.
I’ve been doing the stats thing for so long, sometimes I get lost in it and fail to remember the big picture. Having him next to me, experiencing the same highs and lows but with the multiplier of being a little kid is an incredible reminder of what sports can be, which is fun and excitement.
Of course, sports isn’t all fun and excitement, and the pain of losing hits extra hard to a little boy. Take Friday night against Villanova.
I have him brainwashed on KenPom already, so he knew both that Marquette was expected to win and that they had given up a lot of 3pt shots of late. As Nova got out to a hot 5/5 shooting start from 3, he would look over at me for reassurance that they would stop hitting at some point. The math says no team ever shoots that well on a lot of shots over a decent time frame.
So when the shots kept falling, he started to grow more and more irritated. I mean, I was too, I live by reversion to the mean, but the beauty (or horror in this case) of sports is that weird stuff happens once in a while. No, Nova probably couldn’t go 12/15 again in a shooting drill as a team, but they did in a game for a half and it sucked to be on the receiving end. But my irritation turned toward poor closeouts and scrambling defense, channeled through becoming more and more quiet, while my son’s manifested itself as sadness and anger.
He’s gotten much better at it, but as any parent of a child under 10 can attest, they get emotional quickly. And a lot. So the tears started. Again, this isn’t anything new and it’s something he’s improved at by Chase-like leaps and bounds since 2023. But unlike previous years and times, the on court product never really improved. So as the Marquette attempts at a comeback would be stopped with a foul or a bucket, he’d start the quiet tears again.
Finally, with about 11 minutes left in the game and the deficit over 20 he couldn’t hold in the frustration and was full on bawling. It wasn’t my best moment, but I had had enough and told him if he was just going to get that upset at a game, he shouldn’t be watching at all.
So I sent him to bed for the night.
Culmination of a bad month
Marquette basketball is a lot of things for me personally, and I’ve documented that extensively in columns on Paint Touches. A way to connect with older (and now newer) generations of MU alums, an outlet from real life, a bonding experience with my family, a way to get over grief. Mostly it’s fun.
Obviously losing in and of itself isn’t fun, but, for me, I’m not one to say I need X result to have a good time. Some of the most fun I’ve had watching Marquette was with mediocre teams that didn’t amount to much and didn’t leave any hardware or legacy.
But I think I speak for all Marquette fans that the past month of basketball has been anything but fun.
And no, this isn’t an overreach from 1 particularly bad game, I have been saying so for 2 weeks now.
I still get the nervous excitement on game days. I still dive deep into the numbers before, during and after. I still yell at the TV and cheer at every play. None of that has changed. But on the whole, the product on the court seems to be laboring. Against good or bad opponents, there isn’t the same flair as we saw earlier in the year.
If you follow along on Twitter or participate in group chats, I would be confident in saying you have felt it as well. I think dread is too strong a word, but irritability might make more sense.
And my theory is that this team did so well in the nonconference portion of the schedule, it collectively raised the fanbase’s (and media’s) expectations so highly that the current descent has felt particularly rough.
Here are Marquette’s individual D1 ranks on Bart Torvik’s site since Shaka has been head coach. This has been the 3rd worst month for any of his MU teams. So the frustration is warranted.
But it feels particularly confusing based on where the team started. If it had gone 7-4 in the noncon and generally played like a bubble team, there would still be angst and frustration, but it would be based off a benchmark of this team just wasn’t great this season.
But we saw over lots of minutes against more than a handful of high quality opponents that this group had more than enough to be a 2nd weekend team, and flirt with a 3rd weekend if everything broke right. It wasn’t just a small sample. And it wasn’t a particular hot streak shooting, or things like that which can sometimes create a mirage. It was a very good team.
And then it wasn’t.
End of an era
I keep thinking back to the high water mark of the season, which was probably early December after a resounding win over Wisconsin. It wasn’t just that it was Shaka’s first win over the in-state rivals, but there was a prolonged moment at the end of the game where Shaka pulled the 4 year seniors together. As Kam Jones, Stevie Mitchell, David Joplin and Cameron Brown stood on the sideline, they reflected over the culture they built.
Kam called that group the guardians in his post game interview on FOX.
And this is what makes the last month+ so heartbreaking. These players have stayed loyal and committed to a school in an era where that is incredibly rare. They have brought one of the most successful 4-year periods in Marquette history. They helped lay a foundation and rebuild a program alongside Kolek and Oso. This was their year to show the strength and talent that remained, and they truly did so.
I had conversations with non-MU fans in January about the question which MU team was better, this one or 2024? All of that may feel like a distant memory, but it wasn’t even 60 days ago.
The steep and sudden drop makes for an incredibly confusing fan experience. Was I wrong to believe? Did I project too much? Is it time to disinvest emotionally?
But it’s also why I refuse to give up on them. I have a myriad of stats that shows their current shortcomings, but once the clock hits 0 on their last game, none of that will ever matter again.
Kam Jones loves Marquette more than any player ever has, according to Shaka. He has played at an All-American level all season and will most likely be named as such, only the 8th player in MU history to get that honor. We have been spoiled by his talents and ability to score and elevate others. He could have easily commanded 7 figures on the NIL market this offseason if he wanted to cash in on a great 2024, but immediately recommitted to MU and finishing what he started.
Stevie Mitchell has never been the best player on a Marquette team, but has been called the heart and soul each of the past 3 seasons. His relentless effort and ability to impact the game in ways that can and can’t be measured makes him the ideal role model for any young player. He has given more to MU than probably he has to give, particularly this season, playing through constant injury.
David Joplin is an example of Shaka’s growth mentality even if still has meat left on the bone. After posting what was statistically his worst game of the season on Friday, and generally struggling over the last month, it sets the table for one last push to his career. He came in an offensive force who couldn’t defend a strert light, and has been a stalwart defensively at various points of the season. He may not ever reach his potential, but it will not be from lack of effort.
These 3 embody everything that’s right about Marquette’s tremendous culture and I don’t take it for granted. But I also know they have the talent and experience to put it together one last time, for one last March run.
There are 4 regular season and 1 Big East Tournament games guaranteed. Only 5 more chances to enjoy their gifts and relish the joy they have brought, even if it currently isn’t hitting the same way.
It may not end like I want it for them. They may fall short of the steep bar we had set. I may still grumble and sigh through both process and results. But one thing I won’t do, and won’t let my son do again, is give up on them before the end credits roll.
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