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Marquette Basketball: Key takeaways after November start

By Todd Welter

Nov 18, 2021; Charleston, South Carolina, USA; Marquette Golden Eagles head coach Shaka Smart pounds on the floor after a basket by the Mississippi Rebels in the second half at TD Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Yeazell-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 18, 2021; Charleston, South Carolina, USA; Marquette Golden Eagles head coach Shaka Smart pounds on the floor after a basket by the Mississippi Rebels in the second half at TD Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Yeazell-USA TODAY Sports /
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Marquette Basketball Takeaway No. 4: Smart’s style of play is working

Shaka Smart has felt like a breath of fresh air on the Wisconsin Avenue campus since taking the head coaching job last spring.

It has felt like he has breathed new life into a program that was slowly declining into irrelevancy under previous head coach Steve Wojciechowski.

Shaka has embraced using analytics into his offense and his defense.

His offensive guru, Nevada Smith, has created three types of shots categories to grade and coach the players on when it comes to scoring. The first type of shot is any basket made or attempted between zero and six feet from the basket. The second is an unguarded three-pointer. The third is any other shot.

He also brought the pick-and-roll offense into Marquette’s halfcourt offense and the results so far have been positive.

Smart is also preaching the importance of deflections on defense to disrupt the other team’s offensive flow and force turnovers. The goal is to get 32 deflections per game. It is something emphasized to the point a team manager holding up a sign with how many deflections the team has after every official timeout.

Shaka has been asking the defense to press more like his VCU “Havoc” days. Marquette likes to run a 1-2-2, three-quarter full-court press off a made basket, and full-court press off a made free throw as observed by ESPN’s analyst Debbie Antonelli.

Marquette is currently ranked in KenPom.com’s top-60 defenses. The Golden Eagles finished only once in the KenPom top-60 defense under Wojo.

Smart is not afraid to challenge his players. Shaka knew center Kur Kuath needed to be challenged before the Illinois game. Kuath took the challenge and played outstanding defense to help Marquette pull off the upset.

Shaka has incorporated a culture that goes well beyond the previous administration’s “Win Every Day.” No one knew how Wojo was going to win every day but it was a catchy slogan. Under Shaka, Marquette’s followers know what his program is about. He does not treat his program’s core values like they are some state secrets or some slogans used to sell tickets.

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