Things are different for Marquette, and that’s no surprise.
Change is always the handmaiden of success, which the Golden Eagles enjoyed last season while winning 26 games, a national ranking and a spot in the NCAA tournament.
“Last year no one expected us to do what we did,” sophomore point guard Travis Diener said.
“This year people see the rankings and bring their best shot every game. Especially when we go on the road. Almost every place we go it’s a full house. The fans are ready. [The opponent] is ready to play. If we’re not mentally prepared to play, we’re going to get exposed, and you don’t ever want that. So we can’t take a night off.
“That’s a totally different mind-set for us and we’re still learning it. No matter who we play, we’ve got to bring it.”
Things are different for Diener too. Cordell Henry, a four-year starter at point guard, has graduated, leaving the job to Diener, a converted shooting guard. He played point some last season as Henry’s backup, so he sees the floor and knows how to move the ball.
“He’s just coming to understand the why of things and putting people into a position to score,” Marquette coach Tom Crean said. “That’s an ongoing thing and it’s getting a lot better for him.”
Diener said “controlling the tempo of the game” is the key to being a point guard.
“You don’t want to rush shots, make tough passes, take unnecessary chances,” he said. “That’s a major step I’ve taken. Another thing I’ve learned: Last year if I missed a couple of shots I’d get down on myself. This year I’ve learned that if my shot’s not falling there’s other things I can do to help. I’m confident on the floor, and if I can bring that to the team it can feed on it.”
He has fed the Golden Eagles well enough that they are 12-3 and ranked No. 20 as they await Saturday’s visit from DePaul. This is about what was expected of them. But as the Conference USA season unfolds, neither the Eagles nor Diener is a finished product.
Last year they had four seniors who contributed greatly. Now forward Robert Jackson is their only senior, and he is a transfer from Mississippi State in his first season with the program.
Last year forwards Scott Merritt and Todd Townsend were part-time starters and role players. Now they are full-time starters and expected to play major roles.
Diener is another who has been asked to assume greater responsibilities, which leaves All-America candidate Dwyane Wade as the only constant and explains early-season losses at Notre Dame, Dayton and East Carolina.
“Every season it takes time to get [winning] habits back, and the more experience you have, the easier they come back and the more you can help others,” Crean said. “But with a team like ours, it takes time.”
In their Dec. 2 game at Notre Dame, which they lost by 21, the Golden Eagles clearly had not regained the habits that drove them a season ago. But last Saturday at Charlotte, where they had lost seven straight, they showed how much they had learned while slipping past the 49ers by three.
“We played pretty well and we guarded very well, but they found a way to win when they weren’t playing their best,” Charlotte coach Bobby Lutz said.
It’s a sign of progress that a team can win without playing its best. The learning process continues.
Crean is not patient by nature, but he’s trying to be.
“It’s still a process, an ongoing process,” he said. “The moment you think you’ve got it figured out, it’ll come back and get you.”
