Due to the transfer of Jamail Jones and Aaron Durley not coming to Milwaukee next season, Buzz Williams and the Marquette Golden Eagles had two open scholarships for next season. Only one remains now as Arizona State transfer Trent Lockett tweeted that he will be finishing his college career at MU.
Lockett tweeted Saturday afternoon: “I’ve been a sundevil since 16. I love and appreciate the people and experience at ASU. Saying that, I am excited to finish my last yr at MU!”
The decision reportedly came down to Marquette and Iowa State as Lockett was looking for a landing spot close to his hometown of Golden Valley, Minnesota so he could be closer to his ailing mother. Under NCAA transfer rules, Lockett would usually have to sit out a season but due to these circumstances, he is expected to apply for a waiver that would make him eligible at MU for the 2012-2013 season.
This is a huge addition for the program as one of their biggest challenges next season will be replacing the scoring of Darius Johnson-Odom. Lockett averaged 13 points per game and shot 41.2% from downtown during his junior season at ASU. His ability to shoot the rock provides Marquette with a needed proven scorer.
The Golden Eagles do return starting guards Junior Cadougan and Vander Blue but those two combined to shoot less than 25% from distance this past season. Todd Mayo and junior college transfer T.J. Taylor are both capable scorers as well which will give Buzz plenty of options on the wing.
What strikes me as the most interesting aspect of Lockett’s transfer is who will end up starting in the backcourt alongside Cadougan? Lockett’s experience will likely give him an edge but does that bump Blue out of the starting five if Mayo or Taylor raise their game? If so, I’m guessing that will make for an unhappy Vander.
Here’s how I see the MU depth chart stacking up for next season:
C: Chris Otule (Sr)/Davante Gardner (Jr)
F: Jamil Wilson (Jr)/Juan Anderson (So)/Steve Taylor (Fr)
G/F: Trent Lockett (Sr) or Vander Blue (Jr)/Jamal Ferguson (Fr)
SG: Todd Mayo (So) or T.J. Taylor (Jr)/Jake Thomas (Jr)
PG: Junior Cadougan (Sr)/Derrick Wilson (So)
With one scholarship remaining, Buzz could choose to keep it in his pocket for a fairly loaded 2013 class. Marquette already has commitments from Wisconsin natives Deonte Burton and Duane Wilson (who I think is going to be a stud.) There are reports though that Badger transfer forward Jared Uthoff is considering taking a visit to MU though it’s uncertain as to whether the Golden Eagles would be interested in him. (I’m sure the fans would love it as a F-U to their in-state rivals.)
In the end though, Lockett is a welcomed addition for Marquette… even if it will just be a “one-year rental.”
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David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank. He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities. David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Honolulu. He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft on the web.
You can follow him on Twitter at DavidKay_TSB.