Not what MU needed
Ailments cast doubt over Diener, Mason
By TODD ROSIAK
trosiak@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Jan. 23, 2004
There's never a good time to be missing your top two playmakers.
MU Basketball
Photo/Benny Sieu
Dameon Mason sat out practice Wednesday and Thursday after suffering migraine headaches so severe he had to be taken to the emergency room.
Related Coverage
Preview: Golden Eagles vs. Blue Demons
Eagles Etc.
Eagles: Schedule
Eagles: Stats
Eagles: Roster
C-USA: Scoreboard
C-USA: Standings
NCAA: Scoreboard
Rankings: ESPN/USA Today Top 25 poll
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C-USA Report
Marquette Memphis
Cincinnati S. Florida
UNC-Charlotte UAB
St. Louis S. Miss.
Louisville Houston
E. Carolina Tulane
DePaul TCU
But for the Marquette Golden Eagles - currently in the throes of a three-game losing streak - not having either Travis Diener or Dameon Mason near full capacity the past few days has left them feeling as if they were driving a car badly in need of a tuneup. It'll get you where you need to go, but there are sure to be some nervous moments along the way.
"We're not nearly as smooth," coach Tom Crean said. "You're not nearly as smooth when you take two players like that out of the equation. But (the team's) trying to fight through it, they're trying to get better and it opens up opportunities for other people. You learn more and more about your team: who's capable of stepping up, who's not ready to, where the leadership is, where it's going to come from."
Diener, the leading scorer and assist man for Marquette, has been nursing a neck injury suffered Tuesday.
He did some light shooting Friday at practice, the first time he's taken part in any activity since he was carted off the floor in Charlotte with whiplash, but is still in a good deal of pain. The junior's participation is a game-time decision today against DePaul.
"I'm a little stiff, a little sore but I've made a lot of improvement since Tuesday night," said Diener, who is second in Conference USA in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.97-to-1. "I'm feeling all right. I'll be re-evaluated (this) morning and we'll make a decision based on that."
What threw a wrench into the works was the unexpected absence of Mason, who has become Marquette's other featured player over the course of the last 10 days.
The best alternative to replace Diener in the starting lineup, the freshman was held out of practice Wednesday and Thursday after suffering migraine headaches so severe he had to be taken to the emergency room. Like Diener, Mason returned to limited practice Friday but his effectiveness today remains to be seen considering his condition.
Not being able to count on the availability of either player could be a huge blow to a team that has struggled taking care of the basketball with them thus far in league play.
Marquette has turned the ball over 77 times in five league games, third-most in Conference USA. It is ranked 10th out of 14 teams in turnover margin at minus-3.20 per game, and 11th in assist-to-turnover ratio, having dished out just 54 assists to go along with the 77 turnovers.
The Golden Eagles' 23 turnovers against Cincinnati and 20 against Charlotte figured large in both losses. Full-court pressure, traps and even tough half-court defense at times caused them problems, especially with Diener out of the game.
Until Mason materialized, just about every alternative behind Diener had been ineffective. Sophomores Joe Chapman and Karon Bradley, both natural shooting guards, have struggled both handling the ball as well as running the offense. Freshman Brandon Bell has been a non-factor. Even walk-on Tony Gries got a brief look earlier in the year but didn't deliver.
"It's important that everybody contribute to the progress of not turning the ball over, making the extra pass, understanding what we're trying to get against pressure and the zone and man-to-man defenses," Crean said. "We've just got to do a better job of dealing with pressure. You don't want to handcuff people, but at the same time we can't be making the same mistakes we've been making."
The emergence of the 5-foot-11 Bell would be a huge boon for Marquette. The native of Flint, Mich., came to the program as a highly touted prospect at point guard but struggled from the beginning. The low point came earlier this week when he missed practice and was suspended for the Charlotte game.
He has played in just nine games overall, averaging 1.1 points per game with seven turnovers and just one assist.
"It's one of those things where he didn't improve as much early as he and everybody else would have liked," Crean said. "He really has started to improve of late in practice but minutes are hard to come by. Now Joe is not starting at the 2 and he wants to play and I want him to play. Carlton (Christian) is getting more competitive. But I do have confidence that Brandon can continue to improve and help us as the season goes on."
From the Jan. 24, 2004 editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Ailments cast doubt over Diener, Mason
By TODD ROSIAK
trosiak@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Jan. 23, 2004
There's never a good time to be missing your top two playmakers.
MU Basketball
Photo/Benny Sieu
Dameon Mason sat out practice Wednesday and Thursday after suffering migraine headaches so severe he had to be taken to the emergency room.
Related Coverage
Preview: Golden Eagles vs. Blue Demons
Eagles Etc.
Eagles: Schedule
Eagles: Stats
Eagles: Roster
C-USA: Scoreboard
C-USA: Standings
NCAA: Scoreboard
Rankings: ESPN/USA Today Top 25 poll
Marquette Forum
Got something to get off your chest? Voice your opinion in our interactive Marquette Forum, allowing you to create topics and trade messages in real-time with MU fans. Create your FREE account and join the discussion. Go to Forum
C-USA Report
Marquette Memphis
Cincinnati S. Florida
UNC-Charlotte UAB
St. Louis S. Miss.
Louisville Houston
E. Carolina Tulane
DePaul TCU
But for the Marquette Golden Eagles - currently in the throes of a three-game losing streak - not having either Travis Diener or Dameon Mason near full capacity the past few days has left them feeling as if they were driving a car badly in need of a tuneup. It'll get you where you need to go, but there are sure to be some nervous moments along the way.
"We're not nearly as smooth," coach Tom Crean said. "You're not nearly as smooth when you take two players like that out of the equation. But (the team's) trying to fight through it, they're trying to get better and it opens up opportunities for other people. You learn more and more about your team: who's capable of stepping up, who's not ready to, where the leadership is, where it's going to come from."
Diener, the leading scorer and assist man for Marquette, has been nursing a neck injury suffered Tuesday.
He did some light shooting Friday at practice, the first time he's taken part in any activity since he was carted off the floor in Charlotte with whiplash, but is still in a good deal of pain. The junior's participation is a game-time decision today against DePaul.
"I'm a little stiff, a little sore but I've made a lot of improvement since Tuesday night," said Diener, who is second in Conference USA in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.97-to-1. "I'm feeling all right. I'll be re-evaluated (this) morning and we'll make a decision based on that."
What threw a wrench into the works was the unexpected absence of Mason, who has become Marquette's other featured player over the course of the last 10 days.
The best alternative to replace Diener in the starting lineup, the freshman was held out of practice Wednesday and Thursday after suffering migraine headaches so severe he had to be taken to the emergency room. Like Diener, Mason returned to limited practice Friday but his effectiveness today remains to be seen considering his condition.
Not being able to count on the availability of either player could be a huge blow to a team that has struggled taking care of the basketball with them thus far in league play.
Marquette has turned the ball over 77 times in five league games, third-most in Conference USA. It is ranked 10th out of 14 teams in turnover margin at minus-3.20 per game, and 11th in assist-to-turnover ratio, having dished out just 54 assists to go along with the 77 turnovers.
The Golden Eagles' 23 turnovers against Cincinnati and 20 against Charlotte figured large in both losses. Full-court pressure, traps and even tough half-court defense at times caused them problems, especially with Diener out of the game.
Until Mason materialized, just about every alternative behind Diener had been ineffective. Sophomores Joe Chapman and Karon Bradley, both natural shooting guards, have struggled both handling the ball as well as running the offense. Freshman Brandon Bell has been a non-factor. Even walk-on Tony Gries got a brief look earlier in the year but didn't deliver.
"It's important that everybody contribute to the progress of not turning the ball over, making the extra pass, understanding what we're trying to get against pressure and the zone and man-to-man defenses," Crean said. "We've just got to do a better job of dealing with pressure. You don't want to handcuff people, but at the same time we can't be making the same mistakes we've been making."
The emergence of the 5-foot-11 Bell would be a huge boon for Marquette. The native of Flint, Mich., came to the program as a highly touted prospect at point guard but struggled from the beginning. The low point came earlier this week when he missed practice and was suspended for the Charlotte game.
He has played in just nine games overall, averaging 1.1 points per game with seven turnovers and just one assist.
"It's one of those things where he didn't improve as much early as he and everybody else would have liked," Crean said. "He really has started to improve of late in practice but minutes are hard to come by. Now Joe is not starting at the 2 and he wants to play and I want him to play. Carlton (Christian) is getting more competitive. But I do have confidence that Brandon can continue to improve and help us as the season goes on."
From the Jan. 24, 2004 editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
