Marquette Basketball: Golden Eagles to pick up the tempo in 2016-17

By Carmine Carcieri | Oct 24, 2016

Feb 25, 2016; Stanford, CA, USA; USC Trojans guard Katin Reinhardt (5) dunks the ball against the Stanford Cardinal in the second half at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports. /

USC graduate transfer and one of Marquette basketball’s most important players has dropped 10-to-12 pounds.

The Marquette Golden Eagles have a plethora of young talent on their roster. However, they have to somehow make up for the loss of now-Detroit Pistons forward Henry Ellenson.

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The freshman forward averaged 17.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game and was often the go-to player on the offensive end of the floor late in games for Marquette. With Ellenson out of the picture, the Golden Eagles have very little options up front beyond Luke Fischer and Matt Heldt (who played only 5.1 minutes per game).

So how will they be able to overcome the departure of their top player and front court star? Small ball. A faster pace offensively. And Katin Reinhardt.

Marquette's Katin Reinhardt has lost 10-12 pounds since arriving on campus, per Steve Wojciechowski.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) October 24, 2016

Losing 10-to-12 pounds may not seem like that big of a deal, however, this gives the Golden Eagles the option to play faster with Reinhardt at the four. At 6’6″, Reinhardt has the size to hold up at the power forward position for short stints and now may have more speed and quickness to beat bigger fours off the dribble.

He averaged 11.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game in 2015-16 with the USC Trojans. He could average in double figures in 2016-17, but Marquette is looking at Reinhardt to create match-up problems and be a key leader on a team that will rely heavily on young pieces.

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The concern that the Golden Eagles have within a potential up-and-down style of play is that Luke Fischer isn’t exactly the fastest player in the country. He has solid mobility, can finish around the rim and block shots, but he’s not going to be confused with a player like Edrice ‘Bam’ Adebayo or any other talent who thrives in an up-tempo system.

This means the Golden Eagles might even opt to play five out, with Reinhardt or freshman Sam Hauser at the five and four other guards flanking the one “big.”

Obviously this lineup is incapable of holding up for major minutes, however, it could be one way for Marquette to cause game plan issues for five-to-seven minutes per game within conference play.

The second issues lies with their non-conference schedule. The Golden Eagles will have to test out numerous combinations to start out the season, but they jump right into the fire. Steve Wojciechowski’s team plays against Vanderbilt in the Veterans Classic on the first day of the season, plays in the 2K Sports Classic in New York six days later and faces Georgia and Wisconsin in early December.

There is no time to adjust if the Golden Eagles want to build their resume.

Also, Marquette still has a lot of inexperience on their roster. How do they deal with playing at a faster tempo?

Last year, when teams put on a full court press and sped up their offense, Traci Carter and Haanif Cheatham got rattled, forcing a pile of turnovers. Marquette will just have to hope that increased maturity brings out the best in both Carter and Cheatham.

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The Big East is wide open beyond the top three of Villanova, Xavier and Creighton. Marquette could finish anywhere from the middle of the pack to the basement of the standings. And this is why they are one of the most intriguing teams in the league for me. Their youth and lacking front court create issues that are likely to turn the Golden Eagles’ into a program that relies heavily on mismatches and becomes a dream for fanatics of X’s-and-O’s.