Markus Howard is set for his senior season at Marquette. He has unfinished business.

Markus Howard had a little different experience on Friday in his fourth and final media day for the Marquette men's basketball team. 

Howard was brought to a podium for a formal question-and-answer session instead of the usual free-flowing interviews on the practice court at the Al McGuire Center, though the senior guard made the rounds there, too. 

There's just an overwhelming demand for one of the faces of college basketball. Howard graces the covers of preseason magazines and should be on every All-American list. 

He's come a long way from being a 17-year old freshman who admitted to having some bad haircuts in the 2016-17 season.

"I've changed a lot in four years, it's crazy to think it's my last one," Howard said. "Just really looking forward to getting on the court with this year's team and really showing the country what we can do."

Howard averaged 25 points per game last season and is 30 shy of Jerel McNeal's program scoring record of 1,985. The 5-foot-11 guard could have gotten an early start on a professional playing career, but opted to return to MU for his senior season.

"There was definitely a lot of discussion about what was going to be best for me," Howard said ."But I knew deep down I had to make a decision about what was going to be best for my future. Prayed about it a lot, talked about it with my family and my coaches. And I think what really helped was that they were completely honest with me.

"I knew me coming back to get my degree, first and foremost, was extremely important to me. To make my family proud in terms of finishing school. Completing my commitment to Marquette was something that was really important to me." 

Howard's name is all over the Golden Eagles' record book. He has the top four scoring performances in team history: 53 points in an overtime victory at Creighton last season, 52 in OT at Providence as a sophomore in the 2017-18 season and a pair of 45-point performances last season against Buffalo and Kansas State. He's hit a team record 11 three-pointers in a game twice.

But Howard has loftier goals this season. He has yet to experience a victory in the NCAA Tournament. The Golden Eagles lost to South Carolina, 93-73, in the first round during Howard's freshman season, went to the National Invitation Tournament the next season and were bounced by Murray State, 83-64, in the opening round last year. 

"I want to go farther," Howard said. "I want to win more. At this point, when you're a senior, your last go-round, all that really matters is how you finish, how you win. So I know, not only myself but our whole team's eyes this year are on completing the year and finishing how we want to. We know we have the team to do it. We just have to go out and finish the right way."

Postseason success would only burnish Howard's legend at MU.

"Every year that Markus has been here, we've gotten better and better and he decided to come to our program when we were rebuilding," MU coach Steve Wojciechowski said. "And that's not an easy position to be in because you take some lumps.

"We've hit some peaks and we've had some valleys, too. But through it all Markus has been a constant in terms of who he is as a person and how he approaches improvement and getting better as a player and obviously his performance speaks for itself."

Howard has become the face of the program. 

"Preseason magazines or news articles on preseason national players of the year or guys that young players look to and say, ' Man, that kid's had a special career and had a special opportunity,' " Wojciechowski said. "Those are very important stories for any program but especially one we had to rebuild."

Freshman guard Symir Torrence reclassified to join MU this season. He gets to go up against Howard every day in practice.

"That's going to help me big time," Torrence said. "As a freshman, knowing he's an All-American and Big East player of the year, it's really going to help me through all my years here."

Questions still linger about this season's MU team. Three days after Howard announced he was returning for his senior season, sharp-shooting brothers Sam and Joey Hauser announced they were transferring.

Howard and the Golden Eagles improved dramatically on defense last season. Wojciechowski said early this season the team might have to rely on defense and rebounding while the offense gets figured out. 

That means Howard might be counted on for more transcendent scoring outbursts. But  he wants to be remembered for more than that. 

"I just want to be known more so as a player who gave everything he can," Howard said. "Gave everything he had to the team. I want to be seen as a leader who loves his team. A person who loves his guys. I love each and every person on the team. 

"We've been through a lot in the past offseason. Throughout this preseason we've been through a lot. I want that to be shown on the court. Off the court, I want to be known as just a person who represents his family, the institution in the best light he can."