Marquette Basketball: Breaking down the Golden Eagles’ 2018-19 rotation

Small Forward

Minutes Breakdown (40 total): Sam Hauser (20), Sacar Anim (9), Joey Hauser (7), Jamal Cain (4)

Here is where things get messy. After fielding a massively undersized squad in 2017-18, Wojo now has more threes and fours than he will know what to do with.

Sam Hauser might not start games at the small forward, but he is certain to pick up most of his minutes there. Hauser backs his elite long-range shooting with a diverse offensive game at the basket, solid perimeter defense, and sturdy rebounding down low. Expect Hauser to lead Marquette in minutes played even with so many options on the wing. Hauser and Howard deserve as many minutes as Wojciechowski can muster.

The other small forward minutes will be shared between several players, with Anim, Joey Hauser, and Jamal Cain the most likely candidates. Anim can reasonably play any wing position even at 6-foot-4, and Cain can toggle between the three and the four (he could also play the five down the road in super small-ball lineups).

Joey Hauser is the big wild card. His older brother Sam was an impact player from day one at Marquette and has since developed into an under-the-radar superstar. Well, Joey – a top-50 recruit – is supposed to be even better. The younger Hauser did miss his entire high school senior season with an ankle injury and technically redshirted last year after enrolling at Marquette in January. The 6-foot-9 forward has since been cleared for full activities, and should get plenty of practice time under his belt prior to the season opener against UMBC.

His size means he’ll see plenty of time as a power forward, but he has the skill set to make an impact on the wing as well. A Hauser explosion will further clog Marquette’s rotation, though I’m sure Wojo would be more than willing to make that trade.