Marquette Basketball

After his team's disappointing early exit in the NCAA men's basketball tournament, Texas head coach Shaka Smart is moving on as the new head coach of Marquette, the school announced.

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports first reported the news.

Marquette had an opening at head coach after firing Steve Wojciechowski on March 19 coming off a 13-14 record this season. 

The Golden Eagles have made just two tournament appearances since the 2013-14 season. 

For Smart's Longhorns, expectations were high going into the tournament. They were a No. 3 seed in the East Region, their highest seeding since the 2007-08 season. 

Texas' hopes were quickly dashed when it was upset 53-52 by No. 14 seed Abilene Christian in the round of 64. It marked Smart's fifth consecutive tournament loss dating back to his final two years at VCU. 

Following the loss to Abilene Christian, Smart's future with the Longhorns was up in the air. He still had two years remaining on his contract after signing an extension in August 2016.

Smart is 272-142 in 12 seasons as a head coach between VCU and Texas. He led the Rams to the Final Four in the 2011 tournament. 

Steve Wojciechowski's run as head basketball coach at Marquette has come to an end after seven seasons. 

Per Jeff Goodman of Stadium, the Golden Eagles parted ways with Wojciechowski on Friday coming off a 13-14 record in 2020-21. 

Wojciechowski was hired at Marquette in April 2014 after former head coach Buzz Williams left the program to take over at Virginia Tech. 

Prior to joining the program, Wojciechowski spent 15 seasons as an assistant coach on Mike Krzyzewski's staff at Duke. The 44-year-old played for Coach K with the Blue Devils from 1994-98, winning the National Association of Basketball Coaches Defensive Player of the Year award as a senior in 1997-98. 

After a 33-32 start with no NCAA tournament appearances in his first two seasons, Wojciechowski led the Golden Eagles to the tournament twice in the next three years. They also advanced to the NIT quarterfinals during the 2017-18 season. 

Marquette finished 128-95 overall with Wojciechowski as head coach but never finished higher than second in the Big East standings and failed to win an NCAA tournament game in two appearances. 

The Marquette men's basketball team took a knee prior to its game against UConn on Tuesday and wore black uniforms after Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley declined to file charges against law enforcement officers involved in the Aug. 23 shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Marquette also released a statement:

The shooting sparked nationwide protests amid a year filled with demonstrations advocating for social justice, an end to systemic racism and police reform.

The men's hoops team is one of a few in Wisconsin that have demonstrated following the Blake shooting.

Of note, the Milwaukee Bucks refused to take the court for a playoff game against the Orlando Magic soon after the shooting, sparking a three-day pause in the league's postseason. The Bucks' stand led to other franchises, such as all 12 WNBA teams, to postpone play.

Police officer Rusten Sheskey, who is white, shot Blake shot seven times in the back. Blake survived but is now paralyzed from the waist down.

Todd Richmond and Michael Tarm of the Associated Press relayed comments from Graveley regarding his decision:

"Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley said investigators concluded Blake was carrying a knife when police responded to a report he was trying to steal a car. Officer Rusten Sheskey said he 'feared Jacob Blake was going to stab him with the knife' as he tried to stop Blake from fleeing the scene.

"'I do not believe the state ... would be able to prove that the privilege of self-defense is not available,' Graveley said."

ESPN News Services provided a recounting of the events leading to the shooting of Blake, which was caught on video:

"The shooting occurred as officers were responding to a call from a woman who reported her boyfriend was not supposed to be around. Cellphone video shows Blake walking to the driver-side door of an SUV as officers follow with guns drawn, shouting. As Blake opens the door and leans into the SUV, Sheskey grabs Blake's shirt from behind and opens fire. Sheskey's attorney, Brendan Matthews, said Sheskey fired because Blake started turning toward the officer while holding a knife."

The Bucks also released a statement regarding the DA's decision:

Other athletes spoke out, including Los Angeles Lakers guard/forward LeBron James.

Former Ohio State guard D.J. Carton announced his intention to transfer to Marquette on Wednesday.

Carton left Ohio State in January, citing personal issues, and entered the transfer portal last month.

"We 100 percent support D.J. in this decision and we genuinely wish him all the best moving forward," Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann said in a statement. "We appreciate all he contributed to our program. We will assist him in any way we can."  

Carton averaged 10.4 points, 3.0 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game as a freshman, shooting 47.7 percent from the floor and 40.0 percent from three-point range.

Ohio State previously lost guard Luther Muhammad to an Arizona State transfer. Forward Alonzo Gaffney has also entered the transfer portal.

Carton was the No. 34 overall prospect and No. 4 point guard in the 2019 recruiting class, per 247Sports. He will join a Marquette program that finished sixth in the Big East during the regular season before the conference and NCAA tournaments were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It's possible Carton will take over the lead-guard role occupied by Markus Howard, who was in his final year of eligibility.

As the current NCAA rules stand, Carton would have to sit out the 2020-21 season unless he is granted a hardship waiver. The NCAA is currently considering a one-time transfer rule that would waive the one-year eligibility forfeiture. If the new rule is approved, Carton would be immediately eligible. 

Marquette guard Markus Howard went off for 51 points in a 101-79 win over the USC Trojans in the Orlando Invitational semifinal on Friday:

Howard, who is averaging a Division I-leading 29.3 points per game, shot 14-of-24 from the field. He made nine of 17 three-pointers and 14 of 17 free throws.

As the NCAA March Madness Twitter account noted, he's the first player in Big East men's hoops history to score 40 or more points in back-to-back games. Howard dropped 40 against Davidson in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

Howard isn't a stranger to setting Big East scoring records. His 53 points against Creighton last year broke a single-game conference scoring mark of 52 points set by himself and ex-Friar guard MarShon Brooks.

The senior could have broken his own single-game mark once again, but head coach Steve Wojciechowski took Howard out with 5:35 remaining. The matchup was in hand at that point, with a Howard and-one layup giving Marquette a 92-62 edge before the substitution.

Howard will attempt to continue his scorching-hot stretch against No. 5 Maryland in the Orlando Invitational final on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. ESPN will televise the game.  

The Hauser brothers have officially split up.

Sam Hauser announced his intention to transfer to Virginia and his brother Joey confirmed his transfer commitment to Michigan State on Tuesday.

"I'd like to thank Coach Bennett and his staff for this unbelievable opportunity," Sam Hauser tweeted. "Excited to announce that I have committed to the University of Virginia! Again, thank you to Marquette University for helping me represent them in a positive way the past 3 years. I can't wait to finish my college career in Charlottesville!"

"Proud to announce that I have committed to Michigan State University!" Joey Hauser tweeted. "Thank you to Coach Izzo and his staff for this opportunity. Once again, thank you Marquette University for allowing me to represent them this past season. I can't wait to take this next step in my college career!"

Both brothers will have to sit out the 2019-20 season due to NCAA transfer rules. Sam will have one season of eligibility remaining, while Joey will have two.

Their decision to transfer came as a major surprise in April, given that both were expected to play major roles for Marquette next season.

Sam Hauser averaged 14.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists on 45.9 percent shooting and was named a team co-MVP with Markus Howard. He was named to the All-Big East second team.

Joey Hauser averaged 9.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists on 44.7 percent shooting during his redshirt freshman season. Both brothers started nearly every game for Marquette, which was ousted in the first round of the NCAA tournament but looked to be a potential Big East favorite for 2019-2020.

Both brothers have similar games, flashing an ability to stretch the floor from a big spot and some deft passing ability. It's likely they'll step into starting roles for their respective schools for the 2020-21 season. 

Marquette head coach Steve Wojciechowski has received a contract extension that runs through the 2023-24 season, the team announced Monday. 

The 42-year-old was previously signed through the 2021-22 season after agreeing to an extension in 2015, but he now goes into next season with five years secured under contract.

Wojciechowski is coming off his fifth season with Marquette after a long time at Duke as both a player and assistant coach under Mike Krzyzewski. 

While he is 97-69 overall in his time with the Golden Eagles, he has been even better after a rough first season with the team with at least 19 wins in each of the last four years. The squad reached the NCAA tournament in 2018-19 for the second time under the coach, although the No. 5 seed was eliminated in Round 1 by Ja Morant and Murray State.

Still, Director of Athletics Bill Scholl believes in what the coach is building going forward:

"We are excited about the direction of our program and the progress it has made, both on and off the court, during Steve's tenure. If you look at where the program was when he took over, it's easy to see we are on the right path in terms of competitive success and what our players are accomplishing in the classroom and contributing in the community.

"The basketball program at Marquette is absolutely trending in the right direction, particularly evident the last three seasons as one of the top teams in the Big East, and we are confident that will continue as we begin a new five-year commitment to Steve."

Next season is certainly an important one for the Golden Eagles, as expectations are high with All-American Markus Howard returning for his senior season. 

Jeff Borzello of ESPN ranked the team No. 2 in the country in his early Top 25 for 2019-20.

On the other hand, this was before Sam and Joey Hauser announced their intentions to transfer, taking away two top contributors from the starting lineup.

Despite the question marks, Marquette clearly likes what it has in Wojciechowski and believes he will lead the team where it needs to be.

Marquette forwards Sam and Joey Hauser announced Monday they plan to transfer out of the basketball program:

The school and head coach Steve Wojciechowski released a statement on the transfers, per Matt Norlander of CBS Sports:

Sam Hauser was heading into his senior season after three years with the program, while Joey just completed his freshman year. They plan to leave Marquette at the end of the semester.

This will be a significant loss for a program with high expectations heading into next season.

Jeff Borzello of ESPN.com ranked the Golden Eagles as the No. 2 team in his early Top 25 for 2019-20 behind only Michigan State.

Markus Howard will return after averaging 25 points per game last season, but the Hauser brothers represented the team's second- and third-leading scorers as well as the top two rebounders.

Sam finished the year averaging 14.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, earning him a spot on the All-Big East second team. Joey was named to the conference's All-Freshman team after averaging 9.7 points and 5.3 rebounds.

Losing these impact players will damage Marquette's hopes of building on a 24-10 season. Theo John will need to take on a bigger role in the frontcourt, while incoming transfer Koby McEwen will try to provide some scoring depth behind Howard.

Whichever school lands the Hausers, meanwhile, will get a huge boost when they are eligible.

Coming off his best season at Marquette, Markus Howard will continue his development on and off the court next season by returning to school.

Howard announced on Twitter he would be back with the Golden Eagles for his senior season:

Howard going back to Marquette isn't a huge surprise because his NBA draft prospects didn't appear to be very high. 

Prior to the start of the 2018-19 season, B/R's Jonathan Wasserman cited Howard's 5'11" frame and lack of athleticism as reasons to be skeptical of him as an NBA player. 

"His best chance to make an NBA roster will be as a scoring-spark specialist like Yogi Ferrell," Wasserman wrote.

Wasserman didn't include Howard among the top 75 NBA draft prospects last month. 

Rather than risk the uncertainty of professional basketball, Howard will remain with a team he knows well and is going to have high expectations in 2019-20. Marquette went 24-10 this season and earned a No. 5 seed in the NCAA tournament before being upset by Murray State. 

Howard averaged a career-high 25.0 points, 3.9 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game as a junior. He was named the 2018-19 Big East Player of the Year and is among the 15 finalists for the John R. Wooden Award as the nation's most outstanding player.