Shaka Smart had a message for his team. Well, really his younger players.
“We have to continue to build our bench,” the Marquette head coach said after last Saturday’s 80-69 win over Georgia. “We have to continue to build an understanding that when you come off the bench, there has to be a singular focus on helping your team get stops and being, as we say, ‘in the circle.’ Which is when you’re at your best in terms of your mentality and your approach.”
His words were not without its validity, as the second unit finished the 40 minutes having contributed a season-worst six points for the second game in a row.
Fast forward seven days, and that same bench scored the most it has all season — not once, but twice.
First was Wednesday against Stonehill, in which the reserves put up 31, beating the previous best of 21, which was earned in the season-opener against Stony Brook. Then Saturday, in a 94-62 win over Western Carolina, they beat that number with 37.
It’s safe to say those youngsters heard Smart’s message loud and clear — and answered the call.
Before this week, the bench combined for double-digit points in three of the Golden Eagles’ six games on the year: against Stony Brook (21) and Central Michigan (13), and at Maryland (13). Other than that, the brunt of scoring responsibility has fallen almost entirely on the five starters’ shoulders.
But two buy games opened the door for the younger players to get extended playing time and share the workload. These past two games, after turning into laughers, Smart opted to play lineups consisting of only underclassmen, both to give the starters a much-deserved rest and to see what the reserves could do. And they did not disappoint.
Wednesday saw Owens score a career-high 14 — coming in large part thanks to three 3-pointers on back-to-back-to-back possessions — on an efficient 5-of-8 shooting. Hamilton was second with six points, followed by Tre Norman (5), Lowery (4) and Parham (2).
“I thought tonight was the best game that those young guys have had collectively,” Smart said then, “and then almost all of them individually, in terms of impacting the game in a positive way.”
The bench put up such a performance that senior Kam Jones felt obligated to give them their flowers after the game.
Also how about the youngins tonight?!?!??!!! #thefuture
— Kameron Jones (@csgkam) November 28, 2024
Sunday, Hamilton scored a career-high nine, a number Parham also matched, with Lowery chipping in eight, Owens contributing seven and Norman scoring one basket for two points.
“I think our bench squad has really stepped up majorly the last couple games,” junior forward Ben Gold said. “I think they’re really starting to come into it, coming to their own… The young guys, the freshmen, Caedin’s first year actually playing, they’re understanding what it takes to play at a high level, play at Marquette.
“It’s really good seeing those guys thrive and do really well on the court. We’re not surprised when we see them making their shots and playing really well because we go against them every single day, and they push us in practice.”
Lowery, however, left the game with 1:36 remaining after suffering a non-contact injury to his left knee. He stayed on the ground for an extended period of time, and couldn’t put any pressure on his left leg as he was helped off the court. But the injury’s severity is unknown.
“We have to wait until we get imaging,” Smart said. “The trainer seemed optimistic that it’s not as bad as it could be. I think just based on the way he reacted and the way his knee reacted, it’s something that I doubt he’ll be at practice on Monday, out there running around. We’ll get imaging. We’ll make sure we get a full diagnosis of where he is.”
Now the buy games are over though, and Marquette (8-0) has a difficult end to the non-conference portion of the season, starting with its toughest opponent to date at No. 5 Iowa State Wednesday at Hilton Coliseum.
With or without Lowery healthy, the Golden Eagles’ depth is going to be tested. Smart understands that means the bench is going to be required to get more than just points — and thus provided another call to action.
“In the defensive end, there’s still a lot of details that we get more reps for those guys, reps in practice, reps in games,” he said Wednesday.
“But depth can be a real advantage for us if the young guys on our team understand that, hey, it’s not even about statistics or anything individual that I need to be doing beyond helping my team get team stops and team scores.”
This article was written by Jack Albright. He can be reached at jack.albright@marquette.edu or on Twitter/X @JackAlbrightMU.