(Editor’s Note: This was written by Adam Wouk, former host of The Golden Break podcast. I listened to those episodes weekly when they were running so when he reached out with a post, I was more than happy to share some space.)
Hello Marquette Basketball fans!!! Welcome to another episode of… Whoa… Ooops. Wrong platform.
While we may not be resurrecting the pod, I couldn’t contain the thoughts in my brain about the unique start of the year for Marquette Basketball…
It seems that many among the Marquette faithful are filled with a sense of frustration with this year’s team. Which, to be honest, took me a bit by surprise. After a 4–3 start, I found myself quite intrigued and excited about this team. Excited? Intrigued? In what world do those adjectives apply to what many would define as a miserable start? Well, to explain my positive outlook on this season, I have to pull the camera back.
Shaka came to Marquette as all of college basketball was undergoing massive changes. At Texas, Shaka pursued the top recruits. In 2017 he landed a top-10 class headlined by Mo Bamba. In 2018 Texas ranked #8 nationally, and in 2019 they were #14. He chased the top players and never found his footing.
When the Marquette job opened, I can see how it would be attractive to Shaka. It was a middle ground between VCU and Texas. He would have enough assets to chase really good players but not have the pressure to build a team of McDonald’s All-Americans that didn’t work with his systems. With those experiences behind him, he brought a new design. An experiment. A zig while the league was zagging. To pull this off, Shaka had to thread the needle.
Part of threading that needle relied on building within, relying on continuity, developing players and not chasing the portal. To do this successfully, there are two things that must be executed effectively by this coaching staff: recruiting and development. In his first 3 years, with minimal reliance on the portal, Shaka built strong competitive teams that peaked with a Sweet 16 appearance in 2024. We saw improvement from TK, Jop, Kam, Oso, Stevie, and more. We can all tell stories about some awesome wins in that stretch. Renewed energy in Marquette basketball!! But was it enough?
A question to ask yourself as a Marquette fan is: were the last 3 years enough? Were you satisfied with the outcomes?
These are questions that will have a multitude of answers, each with merit in its argument. For me, it was enough to buy him the opportunity to see this experiment through for this year. For better or for worse. This team is chapter 2 of his Marquette story. The old core is mainly gone. Now, the current roster is made up of players who CHOOSE to not find minutes elsewhere. To stay and get better. And Shaka CHOSE to give all of his resources into their development. This season is the true weather balloon of his program design. And I am here for it, especially in light of what is going in all of college basketball.
When you look at the last several years, it’s hard not to see the early trends of what money buys you. Since NIL took hold of the league in 2022, we have seen an upward trend in the teams that spend the most; having higher rates of success. By 2024, the majority of Elite Eight teams were big brands with major NIL budgets, and in 2025 the whales took control of the league. Marquette is estimated around $2.8 million and ranks in the 40’s in NIL spending. The whales are up to $8–10 million. BYU just dumped BAGS of money and surprise, surprise, they landed the No. 1 recruit. Conferences are collapsing. TV contracts are exploding. Money is shifting. Marquette is the shark trying to swim with whales…
We might be seeing the beginning of basketball becoming the league of those with and those without. Maybe it already was. But things seem to be trending even deeper into that divide. That’s why I like watching to see if Shaka’s design can work.
I came into this season excited to see the team Marquette becomes in February. This has to be one of Shaka’s most inexperienced Marquette rosters when it comes to game minutes logged. Many of these guys have not handled the big minutes, especially in big games. They actually don’t have a lot of in game continuity compared to the teams over the last few years. I don’t think we should have expected that.
Let me give an example of where the continuity difference from last year to this year shows. One of the hallmarks for this team is doubling the ball when it enters certain parts of the court. Whether it’s the timeline, sideline, or baseline, a double is probably coming. The other 3 defenders immediately switch into a zone-like mentality. Once that ball gets out of the double, every player has to be ready to either jump a passing lane or rotate. Stevie, Kam, Chase, Jop had that communication on lock. They knew each other so well they could anticipate where the other was going. Like a really well rehearsed band. More often than not they were in position and in the right place, at the right time. This developed over many many many minutes together on the court.… .
Right now, we are slow coming out of our doubles. Guys are hesitant. You can tell they are thinking and not reacting. Nigel, Chase, Zaide, Parnimal, Tre, Hammy, Ben, SJ, Stevens… Yeah… That is a lot of names. Not only do we have guys who haven’t logged a lot of game minutes but we also have a wide variety of rotations in our lineups as we begin to understand who plays well with each other. Because of Shaka’s aggressive defensive approach, this team HAS to communicate with ease to dig out of the risks they take when they seek deflections and steals. Rotating that many guys creates a tough learning curve. But that will smooth out soon….
On the flip side, In our hot streaks, we have seen this team click!! There have been some awesome stretches of defense in these games that remind you of what it should look like. Guys reading the passing lanes. Keeping a guy in front of you. Bodying up. Rotating without hesitation. It’s there! That’s why I am excited. On offense, we have seen great passing possessions. Shaka said, “Nigel giveth and Nigel taketh away.” And he is right! When Nigel giveth, it’s incredible. He is dangerous coming downhill off a screen. His vision at his age should make your mouth water. This team’s problem has been OVER-SHARING! We have had too many bad stretches where we have been hesitant to shoot from 3. We have been hesitant to attack closeouts. I have confidence that they will begin to limit those bad possessions over time and turn overs will decrease.
At some point in the weeks to come, the rotations will begin to clear up. Shaka will filter the groupings he likes, and this team will begin to take form. I can see how this team could be really, really dangerous if they can find that common rhythm on both sides of the ball.
We are used to seeing Shaka teams start hot and fade late. This may be one of those teams that stumble early but click late. I am sure the great people over at Paint Touches can give us some examples of teams that stumbled early but came on in Jan, Feb, and March. Please give us something to be hopeful about Paint Touches!!!!!!
In the meantime, let’s give Shaka some space this year to see if this approach to building a program can work. I really like Shaka. He seems to be a believer in the growth mindset. Next year he may have to adjust his approach to building a champion. For now, I am excited about what this team could be. I really enjoy the potential of every single one of these players. And let’s hope Shaka can get them to start playing in that flow state that I know he is a big fan of.
To the greatest fans in college basketball, we will see each other soon…
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Paint Touches 
agree
The most concerning aspect of this team is that it doesn’t shoot good. Especially from 3. Surprised you didn’t address this. And, I’m not sure it can be addressed. Either you have good shooting talent or you don’t.