Marquette guards Deonte Burton and John Dawson will transfer at the end of the fall semester according to the school. Both of the sophomore guards were recruited by former head coach Buzz Williams, who is now the head coach at Virginia Tech. Williams left prior to this season and is probably the reason that both of them are leaving. I don't blame them. A big part of the reason that they may have gone to Marquette is because they wanted to play under Buzz Williams. Steve Wojciechowski is the new coach for Marquette and thus far he has only led them to a 4-4 record. 3 of their losses have been to ranked Big 10 teams, however, they did get upset by Omaha. Marquette has not looked the same as years past. Not to say that Wojciechowski is a bad coach but he has a different system in place now and Burton and Dawson may not want to play in it.
Burton has gotten a good amount of playing time this season, playing in all 8 of their games. He is currently averaging 16.1 MPG, 6.4 PPG and 1.4 RPG this season. While Burton has seen about 4 more minutes this year his production has decreased as he is averaging about half a point less and about a rebound less per game. Burton appeared in 32 games last year, a good amount for a freshman. He is 7th on the team in minutes thus far this year, but has still shown potential. It's a little surprising to see Burton transferring as I thought he had the potential to develop into a starter for this team in the future. I thought he had a nice shot, shooting 47.2% from the field and 40% from behind the arc.
John Dawson transferring was a lot less surprising as he is the only one of the 9 players who have not played in all 8 games. So far this season the only game he has played in was the season opening win over Tennessee-Martin where he did not record any stats. Last year, in 24 games, Dawson averaged 10 MPG but shot poorly from the field and 3-point line. His one strength was at the free throw line as he shot 81.8% from the line. Dawson transferring makes a lot more sense than Burton since he doesn't get a lot of playing time. I think this was a smart move for him. He could go to another school and see a lot more playing time and develop his game. He hasn't shown a ton of potential in his first couple of years but a change of scenery may help him.
Marquette basketball may be losing two but they are also gaining one in center Luke Fischer from Indiana. Fischer is a Wisconsin native so having him come back to a Wisconsin team is not a surprise. He only appeared in 13 games last year for Indiana as a freshman. In those 10 games he averaged 10 MPG, 2.8 PPG and 2.1 RPG. He also shot very well from the field, 55.6%, and from the free throw line as well, 77.8%. It's a positive whenever you get a 6'11" center, especially one who shoots as well as Fischer does. Marquette may have lost Burton and Dawson, but I think Fischer has more potential than them both.
These 2 players aren't big name players so it may not make national news, especially since Marquette is only 4-4. However, this is a big loss for Marquette's basketball program. They are now down to 8 scholarship players and lose an everyday bench player. I don't think this will hurt their team a lot this year but I do think they lose a future starter in Burton and a future bench player in Dawson. Coach Steve Wojciechowski told reporters, ""We appreciate all that Deonte and John have contributed to the program since our staff arrived in April." He also added, "We will do everything we can to help them make the next step in their respective careers and wish them nothing but the best in the future." There is still no news about where either Burton or Dawson are transferring to.
Burton has gotten a good amount of playing time this season, playing in all 8 of their games. He is currently averaging 16.1 MPG, 6.4 PPG and 1.4 RPG this season. While Burton has seen about 4 more minutes this year his production has decreased as he is averaging about half a point less and about a rebound less per game. Burton appeared in 32 games last year, a good amount for a freshman. He is 7th on the team in minutes thus far this year, but has still shown potential. It's a little surprising to see Burton transferring as I thought he had the potential to develop into a starter for this team in the future. I thought he had a nice shot, shooting 47.2% from the field and 40% from behind the arc.
John Dawson transferring was a lot less surprising as he is the only one of the 9 players who have not played in all 8 games. So far this season the only game he has played in was the season opening win over Tennessee-Martin where he did not record any stats. Last year, in 24 games, Dawson averaged 10 MPG but shot poorly from the field and 3-point line. His one strength was at the free throw line as he shot 81.8% from the line. Dawson transferring makes a lot more sense than Burton since he doesn't get a lot of playing time. I think this was a smart move for him. He could go to another school and see a lot more playing time and develop his game. He hasn't shown a ton of potential in his first couple of years but a change of scenery may help him.
Marquette basketball may be losing two but they are also gaining one in center Luke Fischer from Indiana. Fischer is a Wisconsin native so having him come back to a Wisconsin team is not a surprise. He only appeared in 13 games last year for Indiana as a freshman. In those 10 games he averaged 10 MPG, 2.8 PPG and 2.1 RPG. He also shot very well from the field, 55.6%, and from the free throw line as well, 77.8%. It's a positive whenever you get a 6'11" center, especially one who shoots as well as Fischer does. Marquette may have lost Burton and Dawson, but I think Fischer has more potential than them both.
These 2 players aren't big name players so it may not make national news, especially since Marquette is only 4-4. However, this is a big loss for Marquette's basketball program. They are now down to 8 scholarship players and lose an everyday bench player. I don't think this will hurt their team a lot this year but I do think they lose a future starter in Burton and a future bench player in Dawson. Coach Steve Wojciechowski told reporters, ""We appreciate all that Deonte and John have contributed to the program since our staff arrived in April." He also added, "We will do everything we can to help them make the next step in their respective careers and wish them nothing but the best in the future." There is still no news about where either Burton or Dawson are transferring to.
http://www.thesportsbank.net/core/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Marquette-basketball.jpg