G Joseph Chartouny (SR)
3.0 ppg – 2.3 rpg – 1.9 apg – 45/38/63 percent shooting
Season’s Successes
Non-conference Play: Chartouny – a grad transfer from Fordham – shook off a sluggish opening week in the blue and gold with several impressive performances during MU’s out-of-conference slate. The senior dropped 16 points and 5 boards in a comeback win against Presbyterian; 13 points, 7 steals, and 6 assists vs. Charleston Southern; 5 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists against North Dakota; and 11 points and 2 assists in a win over Buffalo. He still had a few clunkers mixed in, but it looked like he was finding his sea legs in time for Big East play.
(That dream, of course, did not come to fruition. Chartouny struggled throughout the conference season and went just 4-13 from the field and 0-2 from the line over Marquette’s final 11 games, forcing Markus Howard’s usage rate to astronomical levels.)
Area to Improve
Perimeter Defense: The offseason addition of Chartouny looked absolutely ideal on paper. He was a double-digit scorer with solid assist numbers in the respected Atlantic-10 Conference, and even if the offense took a step back, his defense would carry the day next to Howard. Instead, the 6-foot-3 Canadian was surpassed on the defensive depth chart by both Sacar Anim and Brendan Bailey, as he didn’t seem to have the foot speed to stick with the revolving door of speedy Big East guards.
More surprisingly, his previously impressive steal numbers completely cratered. The man who had finished in the top five nationally in steals per game and steals rate in each of the past two seasons provided only 25 takeaways in 34 games this year. Yes, his minutes were cut in half, Marquette seemed to play a more conservative defensive scheme, and steals are not the true measure of defensive value. But steals seemed to be the one constant in Chartouny’s profile, so when even that skill fell short, it was clear that Steve Wojciechowski had finally misevaluated a transfer guard.