Grading out the 2008 Marquette Golden Eagles: Wings

(Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

He will go down as Marquette’s leading scorer and one of the best to ever don the Marquette uniform, and this whole year was the MVP’s One Shining Moment.

GRADE: A

Wesley Matthews, 18.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists

If there was ever an unsung hero of a team, Wesley Matthews described it perfectly. So much of what he did over the course of the year went semi-unnoticed because of the play of McNeal, James, and even Hayward. Still, it always seemed like the last thing Matthews wanted was praise and that flying under the radar suited him perfectly.

Matthews came out of the gates firing to start the year, averaging 26 points in the first three games. This was a preview of what was to come from the 6’4” senior in Buzz’s new offense. He was no longer just a bystander in the offense, going through the motions and taking set jump shots. Rather, he had the freedom to run the fast break and draw fouls, something he did better than anyone on the team.

He definitely played second fiddle to McNeal, but that did not mean he underperformed in any sense of the word. If it weren’t for Dante Cunningham from Villanova, you can bet that Matthews would have taken home Most Improved Player in the Big East.

While he did struggle after the James injury, he still continued to carry on and do his best to make sure the Golden Eagles didn’t break. He was the ultimate competitor, and at the same time was just another kid having fun playing basketball. He never tried to be bigger than the game and always let the flow of the game come to him.

For an example, look no further than the Georgetown game in the Bradley Center. McNeal had been constant the whole game and Hayward had 14 points in the first half. With the game knotted up at 42 coming out of halftime, Matthews found his rhythm and exploded for 23 points in the second half in a huge win for the Golden Eagles.

He didn’t force shots or try to find attempts that weren’t there, but instead he waited for good shots and made them when he had them.

Matthews will be such a memorable face to Marquette’s legacy, and his breakout season this year proved why. He was a force on the glass and played great defense against competition usually bigger than him.

What he did with his opponent was take him off the dribble and draw fouls, which ended up giving him the all-time lead for free throws made in a Marquette jersey. It was a fitting end for him against Missouri, scoring 24 points and throwing down dunks that showed that he wasn’t going to give up until the final buzzer had gone off.

GRADE: A-

Jimmy Butler, 5.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 0.9 assists

Butler was a junior college transfer from the same school as Joe Fulce, and not many people knew what to expect from the 6’6” sophomore. Early on, they thought they were getting a player not ready for the Big East, and one who surely would not crack the rotation when the Golden Eagles got into the dog days of the season.

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