MU seeks more production from big men
Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski was blunt in his assessment of his team’s big men after the Golden Eagles’ 96-73 loss at Indiana on Wednesday.
“We got to play better,” he said. “We need more production from that position, there’s no question about that.
“I believe they can play better and we have to help them know what it means to play better. And then they have to do it on the floor.”
MU (2-1) will face Presbyterian (3-1) at Fiserv Forum at noon Saturday before heading to Brooklyn next week for a Preseason NIT date with Kansas, which probably poses the biggest challenge down low of any foe the Golden Eagles will face this season.
The Hoosiers found no issues around the rim. They scored 50 points in the paint against MU and finished with 22 layups or dunks. The Golden Eagles did not register a blocked shot in the game.
Indiana senior forward Juwan Morgan feasted near the basket, piling up 13 points and eight rebounds in just 22 minutes. He also drew five fouls.
“In the second half, I thought we played real soft in the paint,” Wojciechowski said.
MU’s Theo John, a 6-foot-9, 240pound sophomore, started at center for the second straight game and notched six points and two rebounds in 18 minutes.
Ed Morrow Jr., a 6-7, 235-pound junior, played just four minutes and grabbed only one rebound.
Matt Heldt played seven minutes and the 6-10, 240-pound senior center had one rebound and three fouls.
Morrow, who transferred to the Golden Eagles after playing two seasons at Nebraska, is expected to provide some interior toughness.
But he is still finding his way with his new team, playing seven minutes in the opener against Maryland-Baltimore County and then showing flashes of his defensive potential with three blocks in 18 minutes against Bethune-Cookman. Morrow missed a chunk of the off-season after having hernia surgery.
“Ed’s still learning, too,” Wojciechowski said after the victory over BethuneCookman. “When you transfer and you have to sit out a year, it’s not easy.
“We got a lot of guys who are trying to get traction and learn our system and do the right thing. Ed’s one of those guys and he’s going to be a very, very important player for us.”
One of the few bright spots for MU against Indiana was 6-9, 230-pound freshman Joey Hauser, who sometimes plays at center when Wojciechowski opts for a smaller lineup. Hauser had 18 points on 6-for-9 shooting and pulled down four rebounds against the Hoosiers.
He is still adjusting to defending college players, letting Indiana senior big man Evan Fitzner get some open threepoint looks and allowing Justin Smith to score on a layup that gave Indiana a 4434 lead with just over a minute left in the first half. MU was never within single digits again.
Hauser has already earned the respect from MU’s top players, including his brother Sam and junior guard Markus Howard.
“I’ve said it from the jump, Joey doesn’t play like a freshman,” Howard said. “We hold him to a high standard and he exceeds that.
“He’s going to continue to get better as time goes on and once he gets his feet wet in the college game. Really looking forward to big things coming from Joey.”
MU is going to need bigger things from all of its big men.