Marquette adds size by signing three recruits
The Marquette men's basketball team added all three of its 2017 commitments on the first day of the early signing period Wednesday.
Jamal Cain, Ikechukwu Eke and Theo John all share two things in common – size and athleticism — which were the main areas of need that the Marquette coaching staff was looking to address during the recruiting season. All three stand 6 foot 7 or more in height, taller than all but two of the players they will share the court with when they join the Golden Eagles in 2017-'18.
"I think you want to have balance," head coach Steve Wojciechowski said on Wednesday at the Al McGuire Center. "I think the guys that we have in our program now, really, a lot of them are young and they'll be in our program for a while. They have great skill, really good basketball IQ, understanding of the game.
"When you add some guys who give us something different in terms of their size and athleticism I think that's the balance that you want to strike. We've tried to do that and we feel great about this class."
Eke, a 6-foot-9, 220-pound power forward from Nigeria who plays at University of Detroit Jesuit in Michigan, was the first player to commit to Marquette, doing so in June. Wojciechowski first saw him play during the 2014-'15 season while recruiting his teammate, Cassius Winston, who now plays at Michigan State.
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At that time, Eke was still very raw after growing up playing mostly soccer. Wojciechowski has been amazed by Eke's improvement over the past two years, which included helping lead the Cubs to their first state title with an undefeated record last season. He averaged 9.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game while shooting 65% from the field as a junior.
"His best basketball is ahead of him," Wojciechowski said. "And when you talk about a guy with a motor who is 6-10, long arms and unbelievable agility and mobility, that generally is a recipe for success. ...
"He's got better feet than anyone in our program right now. He's a guy, who I think his defense and his rebounding and his ability to protect the rim is in front of his offense."
John, a 6-foot-9, 230-pound forward from Champlin Park High School in Minnesota, also visited Marquette in September and committed a week later. That official visit wasn't John's first experience with Marquette as he took an unofficial visit during Wojciechowski's first year in 2014-'15. Since then Wojciechowski has pursued him, including watching a game in January when he faced off against Stevens Point and current Golden Eagles freshman Sam Hauser.
Last season as a junior, John averaged 14.0 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game.
"Theo, like Ike, I think his best basketball ahead of him," Wojciechowski said. "Theo has a college-ready body now, though. ... I think he can defend and rebound at the college level right now and his offense will continue to catch up with him."
Cain, a 6-foot-7, 180-pound forward from Cornerstone Health & Technology High School in Pontiac, Mich., is rated as high as No. 77 in the 2017 recruiting class by Rivals and is expected to play on the wing at Marquette. Over the past two years he has averaged 24.8 points, 15.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.0 blocks per game and in 2015-'16 was named the Michigan Class C player of the year. He committed to Marquette in September while on his official visit to campus.
"What Jamal gives us is unbelievable length on the perimeter," Wojciechowski said. "I mean, he's taller and longer than anybody we have in our program and he's an electric athlete. You try to address needs to the best way you can and I think we did with these three guys."