Ryan Ellerbusch
FORWARDS : Grade A-
(Jimmy Butler, Jae Crowder, Joe Fulce, Erik Williams, and Jamail Jones)
What more can be said about the senior leader on this year’s team, Jimmy Butler. Butler has been Mr. Consistent for the Golden Eagles this year and is averaging 15.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Butler is a prime example of head coach Buzz Williams’ motto “Character Revealed” and has put the team on his back, performing well for the most part in pressure situations. Butler leads the team with his 80% free-throw shooting and it will be only a matter of time before he hits a clutch game-winning shot like he did twice last season. Jimmy Butler is a prime example of what every Marquette men’s basketball player should look up to and is one of the main reasons why the Golden Eagles are an NCAA tournament bound team. Alongside Butler, last year’s junior college player of the year Jae Crowder, in my opinion, has been the biggest surprise and versatile player on the current roster. Crowder is 6’6” and leads Marquette in rebounds with 6.9 per game and has tallied a team-high 31 steals. Possessing a deadly three-point shot from the top of the key and a great inside game, the sky is the limit for Crowder who played the game of his life on New Year’s Day against West Virginia totaling 39 minutes with a career-high 29 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals in the victory. Butler and Crowder together are two of the three most vital players alongside Johnson-Odom that Marquette needs playing well if they expect to win games on a nightly basis. Senior Joe Fulce, battled by a knee injury that forced him to miss three games during the season, has recovered nicely and continues to provide stability at the forward position contributing anyway he can when given the opportunity to play. Sophomore Erik Williams hasn’t seen much action in Big East play, but his baseline jumper and rebounding will be crucial to the Golden Eagles success in the near future in addition to freshman Jamail Jones, a three-point specialist anxiously awaiting the chance to show Buzz Williams what he’s capable of.
Part 4 of 4 COMING SOON: Mid-Season Report Card - Marquette Centers
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