Marquette Basketball: 2017-18 season preview for the Golden Eagles

Reserves

Jamal Cain

Marquette’s bench is filled with unproven players. This will give a talented freshman like Cain a great opportunity to carve out a role. Cain was ranked as a top-100 recruit and should be able to play multiple positions due to his length and versatility. The 6’6″ wing has a great chance to earn the sixth man role, especially if he can make immediate defensive contributions. Expect Cain to play 15-20 minutes per game and see time at the 2-4 positions.

Harry Froling

Froling becomes eligible after the first semester, but when he returns, he should compete with Heldt for the starting center position. Froling shares more similarities with former starting center Luke Fischer than he does with Heldt. The 6’11″ Australian has significant offensive upside as a low-post scorer and even flashed a perimeter jump shot as a freshman. Froling left SMU after just one semester because he did not fit with the team’s style, but he should be used much more at Marquette since they desperately need interior scoring. He averaged 4.3 ppg and 3.2 rpg at SMU, but has double-digit scoring upside for this season.

Sacar Anim

Anim redshirted last season due to an unclear path to playing time, but he should earn a solid reserve role this season. Anim is the only reserve who has experience playing at Marquette which will give him an advantage when trying to earn early playing time. Even though he has the most experience, he has not appeared in many games (16 total) or in any high leverage situations. Anim averaged just 1.2 ppg, but he should be more productive with consistent minutes. Like Cain, Anim can play 2-4, which gives the Golden Eagles even more lineup possibilities.

Theo John

John is a sleeper in the starting center competition. The 6’9″ freshman has been generating buzz throughout the offseason and could challenge Froling and Heldt for minutes. He also can slide up to the power forward position when Marquette uses a bigger lineup. John was not a highly rated recruit, but it looks like he will be a productive bench piece.

Greg Elliot and Ike Eke

Elliot and Eke are both three-star recruits and they will provide depth for the Golden Eagles as freshmen. Elliot is a late-blooming combo guard who generated some high-major interest in the spring before committing to Marquette. Eke will provide depth inside and could be a redshirt candidate since Theo John is more highly regarded and in the same graduating class.

Marquette needs newcomers Cain, Froling, and John to contribute off the bench. The Golden Eagles have no proven bench players so it will be imperative for these three players to make an immediate impact. Establishing quality depth could be the difference between making the NCAA Tournament and the NIT.