BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: MARQUETTE

June 30, 2008

COMMITMENT ALERT: Liam McMorrow, 7'0 Center from Toronto, Canada


Buzz Williams and staff have to be among the busiest in the entire nation. Not only do they seem to be involved with everyon 2009 and 2010 recruit we come across, but they are also crossing international borders for the class of 2008. Liam McMorrow, a 7-footer, has joined the MU program as the Center is the Final Recruit for 2008.


Projected 2008-2009 Roster:


Seniors: Wesley Matthews (WG), Dominic James (PG), Jerel McNeal (SG), Dwight Burke (BF)
Juniors: David Cubillan (G), Lazar Hayward (G/F), Maurice Acker (PG)
Sophomores: Trevor Mbakwe (PF), Patrick Hazel (F), Joseph Fulce (SF), Jimmy Butler (G/F)
Freshmen: Chris Otule (C), Liam McMorrow (C)
Early 2009 Commitments: Erik Williams (F), Jeronne Maymon (F), Dwight Buycks (JUCO G)

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Since April 1st, Marquette seems to be a team in the news more than anyone else in the Big East. Although the original jolt on April 1st was probably bad news with Tom Crean leaving for Indiana, since then, the news has mostly been positive and the transition from Tom Crean to Buzz Williams seems to be going pretty well.

It is tough to say how much the latest bit of news is going to impact the Marquette program. It is going to take some time to find out as Liam McMorrow, a 7-foot center from Toronto, Canada, has committed to the program. McMorrow is already on campus at Marquette and will join Chris Otule, Jimmy Butler and Joseph Fulce as the new faces in Buzz Williams' program. McMorrow will redshirt and work at developing into a Big East calibre player over the next 15 months before seeing live action at the college level.

McMorrow played just one season of organized basketball, avaregd 8.4 points and 6.5 rebounds in 20 league games for Durham College in Oshawa, Ontario. McMorrow had been a hockey and lacrosse player for most of his life, but a late growth spurt has him on the basketball court now.

In the middle of all the chaos follwing Tom Crean's departure and the sorting out of the aftermatch, MU Moved Quickly and Signed Jimmy Butler (Milwaukee J-S) to a letter of intent as the Spring signing period opened. Butler, a 6.6 JUCO swingman from Tyler (TX) Junior College. The 6'6, 215 lb Butler was a teammate of November signee Joseph Fulce at Tyler this past season.

Butler was Tyler's leading scorer this past season, averaging 18.2 PPG and also added 7.7 rebounds a contest. Butler, like Fulce, will have three years of eligibility at Marquette and was also looking at Kentucky, Iowa State and Mississippi State.

Fulce also re-affirmed his commitment to Marquette, which was never in much doubt as he has long been linked to coach Buzz Williams. Fulce is a 6'6, 210-pound wing from Plano, Texas who, out of high school, Fulce committed to Texas A&M where he was recruited by Buzz Williams, an assistant at the time under Billy Gillispie. However, academic concerns derailed his attempt to join the Aggies and it was off to Massanutten Military Academy in Woodstock, Virginia. In one season there, Fulce averaged 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds and re-opened his recruitment. In last seasons late signing period, Fulce signed with the University of New Orleans, who was coached by Buzz Williams. However, later in the spring, Williams resigned from New Orleans and opted to join the staff at Marquette as an assistant coach. Fulce was released from his letter of intent over the summer and has enrolled Tyler (TX) Junior College where he was once again recruited by coach Williams, this time to Marquette, where he will have three years of eligibility left.


Fulce, McMorrow and Butler join fast-developing big man Chris Otule in the incoming class as it currently stands. Otule chose to commit to the Golden Eagle program over offers from Baylor, Rice and Nebraska. Otule is an athletic specimen for a 6'10 player, but has a ways to go yet in his basketball development. As a junior at Fort Bend Bush High School, Otule came off the bench and averaged about 5 PPG and 7 rebounds a contest. Another native of Texas, the Richmond (TX) product played this seasn for Ronnie Courtney at Fort Bend Bush. Courtney took over the high school program after a six-year stint as head coach at Division I Texas Southern University.

While Williams has been busy with the class of 2008, he has also secured two new commitments for 2009 from local players, including Dwight Buycks, who thought he was headed to the Division 1-A ranks out of Milwaukee's Bay View High School as he was verbally committed to Bradley. However, academics caught up to him and forced him to head to Indian Hills CC to complete a couple seasons at the JUCO level. After just one season at Indian Hills, the interest in Buycks became intense, especially from the new Marquette staff led by Buzz Williams and Buycks has offered an early commitment to the Golden Eagles.

The 6'3, 185 lb guard led Indian Hills is scoring last season, nearly 16 points a game, as the JUCO power finished in 6th place at the NJCAA national tournament. Buycks was also generating interest from schools such as Tennessee, Memphis, Kentucky and Illinois.

The uptempo atmosphere of the Marquette offense was a big attracting to Buycks, as well the location and a chance to come back closer to home was equally important.

Earlier this spring, for the second year in a row, and third time in the last four, Marquette lands the state of Wisconsin's player of the year. This time it is Madison Memorial's Jeronne Maymon Committing to MU (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel). As a junior, Maymon averaged 21 points and nearly 12 rebounds a game and he turned it on during the state playoffs, leading Memorial to a 2nd place finish while he averaged 30.0 points, 14.6 rebounds, 4.7 blocks, 3.7 steals and 3.0 assists per game for the Spartans in the WIAA state basketball tournament. Maymon visited Marquette May 20th and has been the top target of coach Williams and his new staff since he was hired in April.

NBE Basketball Report writer Doug Ferguson recently saw Maymon perform with the Illinois Bobcats at the GBOA North AAU tournament and was very impressed with his play. Here is the recap and detailed scouting report on Maymon included: GBOA North AAU Report.

Buycks and Maymon join Erik Williams, from Cypress Springs (TX) High School, as players in the Marquette class of 2009. Although Maymon and Williams are listed as combination forwards, they compliment each other perfectly. Maymon is a physical bruiser who is likely to play power forward and Williams is long, lean and athletic and could play more of a role on the wing. Williams was a recruit that coach Buzz Williams reeled in as an assistant and he will honor his commitment as earlier in April Erik Williams Reaffirmed Commitment to MU (Milwaukee J-S). The 6'7 forward had heard from Tom Crean since he moved on to Indiana, but his comfort level in Buzz Williams was the deciding factor to stay with his commitment.

With Buycks, Williams and Maymon on board, Buzz Williams and his staff can now move onto filling their last open scholarship for 2009. Most feel a true point guard is in order for Buzz Williams and staff.

A point guard high on the Golden Eagles list of possibilities is another Bay View product in Johnnie Lacy who is also being aggressively pursued by Minnesota and Tubby Smith. Chris Colvin is also a player high on the MU radar and has a style of play that could resemble Dominic James quite a bit. Another Chicago product, Darius Smith has also seen a lot of attention early from Buzz Williams since repalcing Tom Crean at MU. Recently, Junior Cadougan, another product of the improving Canadian talent pool has been linked seriously to the Golden Eagles and could be their most immediate target for the point guard position. Cadougan is a 5'11 point guard with some bulk to him. He has beeb playing in the Christian Life Center prep program most recently.

Jamil Wilson is another in-state player the Golden Eagles would love to land, but since Tom Crean has moved on, Wilson seems to be looking at programs out of the area more than staying close to home. As the spring moves towards summer, we will also keep an eye out for potential big men that the Marquette staff will be following on the trail as well, too.

As always, for more information on Marquette recruiting and their program, visit Cracked Sidewalks on the blogger network which is a blog dedicated to Marquette basketball.