Near-accident is an addition to the ‘Madness’

The Marquette men’s basketball team escaped its ten-minute scrimmage on Friday night without any injuries.

The closest call was to Golden Eagles coach Steve Wojciechowski during the team introduction segment of “Marquette Madness” at the Al McGuire Center.

Wojciechowski fired up the crowd by coming out on a fourwheel, all-terrain vehicle. As he rounded his final corner of the court, the coach nearly lost control of the vehicle and then executed a dramatic, tumbling dismount. If it was staged by Wojciechowski, the coach sold it pretty well.

Three players did not participate in the scrimmage. The team announced senior guard Andrew Rowsey, a projected starter, would not play in the scrimmage, the closed scrimmage vs. Northwestern on Oct, 28 and the exhibition game against Lindenwood on Nov. 4 due to disciplinary reasons.

Rowsey took part in player introductions and sat on the bench with junior guard Haanif Cheatham, who is rehabbing a shoulder injury, and junior walk-on Cam Marotta.

Typical of these games, the athletic wing players got to star, with Sacar Anim, Greg Elliott and Jamal Cain leading a parade of dunks.

Highlights included the muchbigger Sam Hauser trying to guard Markus Howard at the end of the first five-minute period. Howard won this battle by nailing with the sharpshooting Howard sophomore nailing a 24-footer off one foot. Other notes from Friday night:

The Golden Eagles women’s team unveiled its 2017 Big East championship banner and the players also showed off their rings.

The smooth, long-armed Elliott won the men’s dunk contest over Morrow in the finals. Eke and Cain also participated.

Several prep basketball stars were at the Al McGuire Center, including Racine Park’s Nobal Days, Nicolet’s Jamari Sibley and MU commit Joey Hauser.