Busting Brackets
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Marquette Basketball: 2018-19 player reviews for the Golden Eagles

By Brian Foley

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 15: The Marquette Golden Eagles huddle before the game against the Seton Hall Pirates during the semifinal round of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 15, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 15: The Marquette Golden Eagles huddle before the game against the Seton Hall Pirates during the semifinal round of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 15, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 21: Sam Hauser #10 of the Marquette Golden Eagles and Jamal Cain #23 react during the first half of the game against Kansas Jayhawks during the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament at Barclays Center on November 21, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 21: Sam Hauser #10 of the Marquette Golden Eagles and Jamal Cain #23 react during the first half of the game against Kansas Jayhawks during the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament at Barclays Center on November 21, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

F Jamal Cain (SO)

1.7 ppg – 2.1 rpg – 0.4 spg – 44/27/25 percent shooting

Season’s Successes

Rebounding: This was a truly disappointing season for the stretchy sophomore, but boy can he still sky. Cain did not have many opportunities for big-time dunks this year, meaning his only opportunities to show his flight skills came when he was cleaning the glass. Cain is the rare player who provides breathtaking boards and he finished in the 94th percentile in defensive rebounding rate in 2018-19.

Areas to Improve

One Defined Skill: Cain is a bundle of raw athleticism, but through two seasons, he and the coaching staff have yet to steer that talent into even one plus skill. His three-point shooting predictably fell off a cliff. He can’t shoot free throws. He doesn’t really have the handle to drive and finish in the lane. Defensively, he isn’t quite smooth enough to guard smaller players on the perimeter, and his skinny frame prevents him from matching up against bigger bodies in the paint.

Cain showed plenty of flashes as a freshman and he was certainly in the team’s plans this year; the 6-foot-7 sophomore topped 15 minutes in each of the first five games, taking 29 total shots in the process. But he went into witness protection program from then on, receiving double-digit minutes in just four games throughout the rest of the season. Even after a mini-surge in mid-February, Cain closed out the season shooting just 1-4 from the field in the team’s last eight contests. It’s unfortunate to see a talented young player relegated to the dog house, and there is still something there, but he needs to find at least one Big East-level skill before he moving back into the Golden Eagles’ rotation.

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