“Around the Big East” Season Preview: Marquette Golden Eagles

What better way to spend Independence Day than to freshen up on the competition?

2025-26 Season Recap:

• 12-20 record, 7-13 in conference play
• Finished in 7th place in the Big East, tied with Providence and Butler
• Lost to Xavier in the Big East Tournament (Opening Round)

Head Coach: Shaka Smart returns for his sixth season at the helm

Departing players:

Chase Ross – Graduation (14.3 PPG)

Zaide Lowery – Dayton (8.1 PPG) Left program midseason

Ben Gold – Graduation (8 PPG)

Sean Jones – Toledo (6.3 PPG)

Tre Norman – UW-Milwaukee (2.2 PPG)

Jonah Lucas – Graduation (0 PPG in four games played)

Casey O’Malley – Graduation (0 PPG in four games played)

Returning Players:

Nigel James Jr. – 6′ sophomore who averaged 16.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.9 steals per game.

Damarius Owens – 6’7″ junior who averaged 4.8 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.

Adrien Stevens – 6’4″ sophomore who averaged 7.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game.

Royce Parham – 6’9″ junior who averaged 12.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.

Caedin Hamilton – 6’9″ junior who averaged 2.9 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.

Michael Phillips II – 6’6″ sophomore who averaged 2.1 points and 1.3 rebounds per game.

Joshua Clark – 7’1″ sophomore who averaged 1.3 points and 1.9 rebounds per game.

Braeden Brenn – 6’8″ sophomore who scored two points in three games played.

Nash Walker – 6’6″ freshman who joined the team late in 2025 and redshirted.

Ian Miletic – 6’7″ freshman who redshirted last season.

New Players:

Sananda Fru – 6’11” senior transfer from Louisville who averaged 9.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game on 75.3% from the field. Fru was generally regarded as one of the best transfers of this cycle.

Nolan Minessale – 6’5″ junior transfer from St. Thomas who averaged 19.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Minnessale scored 24 points in the season opener against Saint Mary’s on 10/19 from the floor.

Alex Egbuonu – 6’7″ freshman who is a four-star recruit on 247Sports (80th overall). Villanova was a finalist for his services.

Ethan Johnston – 6’7″ freshman who is a four-star recruit on 247Sports (24th overall shooting guard)

Colton Crowdis – 6’4″ freshman who is unranked on 247Sports.

Overall thoughts:

Shaka Smart’s retention ideology finally caught up with him this past year, but it looks to be a one-year blip. The Golden Eagles return five of their top nine scorers from a year ago, in addition to both Phillips II and Clark. The gamechanger is with Sananda Fru, who was one of the best transfers available. Fru, in combination with Big East Player of the Year candidate Nigel James Jr. and Royce Parham, will form one of the best trios in the conference. Adrian Stevens should continue to slot in at the shooting guard spot next to James Jr. The fifth starter will likely come down to Damarius Owens and newcomer Nolan Minnesale, who was a high-level scorer at St. Thomas, but that’s quite the jump up in talent.

Regardless of the starting lineup, Marquette projects to have depth and versatility with elite, high-end starters. With the talent in place, the continuity will become more of an x-factor. Returning three out of five starters is better than most of the country. Expect the Golden Eagles to be selected anywhere from that four-to-six range in the preseason polls, similar to Providence. Smart should also have this group back in the NCAA tournament.