Marquette - NOTES

Cheatham Attacking Basket, Contributing Offensively 

Freshman guard Haanif Cheatham has displayed the ability to consistently get to the rim and last Saturday’s outing against St. John’s was another perfect example.
The Fort Lauderdale, Florida, native finished with 15 points in 30' of action. He finished 4‐of‐8 from the floor, 7‐of‐8 from the free throw line and also chipped in 5 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal.  After reaching double figures just once in 4 outings, he has now netted 10‐or‐more in 6 of the team’s last 7 games (13.6 PPG during that time). Cheatham is fourth on the squad in scoring at 11.4 points per game and is shooting 52.4 percent (12th in BIG EAST) from the floor. He owns 65 made field goals on the year and each of them have either been a 3‐pointer or a basket at the rim.  Cheatham was named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll on Jan. 11 after averaging 15.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in a 2‐0 week and scoring a team‐high 16 points in a 65‐64 win at Providence.

Fischer, Ellenson Proving To Be Potent Duo

Junior center Luke Fischer and freshman forward Henry Ellenson have developed into one of the top front courts in the nation. For the season, the duo is contributing 29.4 points, 17.2 boards and 3.3 blocks per game. Their rebounding total is the ninth‐best in the nation (courtesy of Stats, Inc.) through games of Jan. 13. Weber State’s Joel Bolomboy and Kyndahl Hill currently own the top spot with 19.6 caroms per contest. Ellenson currently owns the top spot in rebounding (9.8 rpg.) in the BIG EAST Conference (through games of Jan. 13) and Fischer is seventh (7.4 rpg.).

Marquette Assisting At One End, Stealing At The Other

Through games of Jan. 13, the Golden Eagles lead the BIG EAST Conference in both assists (17.4) and steals (8.6) per game. Those marks are good enough for 21st and 20th in the nation, respectively.
Freshman guard Traci Carter is currently third in the BIG EAST in APG (4.9) and junior guard Duane Wilson is in possession of the 13th position (3.0 apg.). The duo has plenty of help, however, as a total of six players are averaging at least one helper per contest. Marquette’s perimeter players have claimed a majority of the team’s thefts (80.8%) on the year and as a result three players are ranked among the league’s best in that category. Carter (2nd, 1.7 SPG), junior Jajuan Johnson (10th, 1.4 spg.) and Duane Wilson (11th, 1.3 spg.) can all find their names in the top‐15.

Marquette Looking To Take Better Advantage Of Charity

The Golden Eagles are among the nation’s best at limiting opposing trips to the foul line and as a result the team has made more charity tosses than the opposition has even attempted. Marquette has knocked down 280‐of‐394 free throws (23.2 attempted per game) through 17 games, while its foes have gotten to the line on just 268 occasions (15.8 attempted per game). The differential has allowed Marquette over a 4‐point advantage (16.5‐12.2) at the charity stripe. The margin could be even larger, but for the season MU’s opponents have connected on 77.2% (would be sixth‐best team mark in the nation) of their chances from the line, one of the top marks in the nation.

Lineup Features Numerous Offensive Weapons

Last season, Marquette was forced to rely on just two players, Matt Carlino and Duane Wilson, to handle a majority of the scoring load. This year’s lineup features multiple offensive options. In the Dec. 21 victory over Chicago State, Marquette had six players finish with double figures for the first time facing Morgan State on Dec. 28, 2014. Through 17 games, the Golden Eagles have had at least 5 players net 10‐or‐more points on 6 occasions (Belmont, Arizona St., Grambling St., Maine, Chicago St., Presbyterian). In the team’s 32 games last season, Marquette had 5‐or‐more players net at least 10 points just twice. In 14 of the team’s 17 contests this season, Marquette has had at least 4 players finish with 10‐or‐more points, including Wednesday night’s game at Villanova.

Marquette Claims Legends Classic Title

Marquette claimed the 2015 Legends Classic title Nov. 24 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., downing Arizona State 78‐73 in overtime. The Golden Eagles trailed the Sun Devils by as many as eight points late in the second half, but were able to tie the score at 67‐67 on a pair of charity tosses from freshman forward Henry Ellenson and force overtime (team’s second extra session game in 2015‐16). Of the team’s 11 points in overtime, nine came via the free throw line and Marquette never trailed after regulation concluded. Ellenson finished with a double‐double and junior center Luke Fischer chipped in 18 points and 8 rebounds. MU downed LSU 81‐80 in the semifinals, thanks to 16 points each from Ellenson, guard Duane Wilson and guard Jajuan Johnson. The Golden Eagles are now 31‐9 in multi‐team tournaments since 2004‐05.

Nationally Ranked Bailey, Hauser Join Program

Head coach Steve Wojciechowski announced the signings of nationally rated prep prospects Brendan Bailey (American Fork, UT/American Fork HS) and Sam Hauser (Stevens Point, WI/Stevens Point Area HS) on Nov. 11.
Hauser is ranked the 73rd‐best prospect by Scout.com, 80th on CBSSports.com and 82nd on ESPN.com’s Top 100. He helped lead SPASH (27‐1) to the WIAA Division I state title in 2014‐15 under head coach Scott Anderson, contributing 25 points in the title game against Germantown. He chipped in 18.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game while shooting a state‐best 50.6 percent from behind the 3‐point line.
A nationally ranked prospect, Bailey is currently rated 43rd by Scout.com 48th by Rivals.com, 67th by CBSSports.com and 96th in the ESPN.com Top 100. As a junior at American Fork High School under head coach Doug Meacham, Bailey contributed 15.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game

Wally Ellenson Makes Mark In High Jump

While junior forward Wally Ellenson redshirted in basketball in 2014‐15 after transferring from Minnesota, he made his mark in the high jump with Marquette. Ellenson, a four‐time NCAA First Team All‐American high jumper, shattered the program record in his first‐ever meet in a Marquette uniform with a personal‐best mark of 7 feet, 5.75 inches (highest in NCAA’s at the time) at the Wisconsin Open on Jan. 17, 2015. He went on to sweep both the BIG EAST indoor and outdoor high jump crowns, while earning Most Outstanding Field Performer with a record‐breaking height of 7 feet, 3.25 inches at the indoor championships. The Rice Lake, Wisconsin native followed up a third‐place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships and with a fifth‐place finish at the outdoor meet (his third‐straight All‐American performance at the outdoor championships). He will not compete this indoor season, but will aim for his fourth‐straight All‐American honor at the outdoor national championships next June prior to making a bid for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

STARTERS

21 Traci Carter G 6‐0 175 Fr. Philadelphia, Pa. 

Personal‐best 10 assists vs. GSU; 9th in BIG EAST in assist‐to‐turnover ratio (1.9) 

25 Haanif Cheatham G 6‐5 190 Fr. Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 

One of two freshmen (Henry Ellenson) to start every game 

5 Sandy Cohen F 6‐6 200 So. Seymour, Wis. 

Dished out career‐best eight assists in the win over Maine 

13 Henry Ellenson F 6‐11 245 Fr. Rice Lake, Wis. 

Top‐10 recruit, McDonald’s All‐American & co‐winner of state’s Mr. Basketball 

40 Luke Fischer C 6‐11 245 Jr. Germantown, Wis. 

Ranked among the league leaders in six categories, owns four double‐doubles 

OFF THE BENCH

1 Duane Wilson G 6‐2 185 RSo. Milwaukee, Wis. 

Leads team with 595 career points, BIG EAST All‐Rookie Team in 2014‐15 

12 Matt Heldt C 6‐10 250 Fr. Neenah, Wis. 

Has appeared in 11 games off the bench, scored first‐career basket vs. Jackson St. 

22 Wally Ellenson G 6‐6 210 RJr. Rice Lake, Wis. 

Has appeared in 15 games off the bench, season‐high seven boards vs. GSU 

OTHERS

2 Sacar Anim G/F 6‐5 205 Fr. Minneapolis, Minn. 

Scored four points and had two rebounds in 11 minutes vs. Maine 

52 Cam Marotta * G 5‐10 165 Fr. Mequon, Wis. 

Made MU debut vs. Grambling St. & scored first point with FT vs. Maine

INJURED

23 Jajuan Johnson G 6‐5 195 Jr. Memphis, Tenn. 

Second on the team in steals (22) and ranked among the league leaders 

REDSHIRTED

30 Andrew Rowsey G 5‐10 180 Jr. Lexington, Va. 

Will redshirt in 2015‐16 after transferring from UNC Asheville