Marquette’s point guard situation is set for at least the next three years

Last weekend, Steve Wojciechowski and his staff were busy. On Friday night, Marquette snagged grad transfer Joseph Chartouny. The 6’3” PG from Fordham was clearly top target for Wojo from the start. Marquette was able to secure Chartouny before he visited Chris Mack at Louisville. To cap off the busy weekend, the Marquette staff added another transfer, Koby McEwan. The 6’4” PG from Utah State will have two years of eligibility left after sitting out the next season.

Chartouny will be expected to start right away. A three-year stater at Fordham, Chartouny averaged 12.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists in his final year. While his shooting percentages dipped last year, his passing ability and his playmaking ability will be much appreciated. However, it is not his offensive game that has Marquette fans most excited. Next year, thanks to Chartouny, the Golden Eagles will actually field a good perimeter defender.

Chartouny is a player many Marquette fans and writers desperately wanted. Fans are optimistic to crack the top 25 next season and his addition to the team brought a new level of hope. Not many are more excited about Chartouny’s addition than Marquette basketball expert and Anonymous Eagle writer Ben Snider. “My big thing is how well he fits with the way the team is built next year. I was worried that Howard being the only point guard could’ve led to a situation where there are great individual scorers but no one to distribute to them. Chartouny is a true point guard who can allow [Markus] Howard to be both a point guard and an off the ball scorer.”

Snider added, “Defensively it looks like he hogs steals but doesn’t have Jajuan Johnson Syndrome where getting steals cripples every other aspect of his defense. Replacing [Andrew] Rowsey’s atrocious defense with legitimately good defense can hopefully be the key to a top 75 team defense, which makes a top 4 seed a reasonable high goal.”

The new addition makes Marquette’s rotation even more interesting next season. Thrusting Chartouny into the starting lineup means someone who was a starter before must be taken out. Does Marquette try to go small ball with a lineup of Chartouny, Howard, Sam Hauser, Joey Hauser, and Ed Morrow? Or does Matt Heldt continue to start? If he can hold off Theo John, I believe Heldt will stay in the starting lineup (with Chartouny, Howard, Sam Hauser and Morrow). But even if he starts I think the talent of the roster forces Heldt outside the top seven in total minutes played.

Before Chartouny, the bench was deep. Marquette already had the potential to have a nine to ten man rotation. Teams don’t typically have eleven man rotations, so Wojo will have tough decisions to make about his bench rotation. How far down the bench does former starter Sacar Anim end up? Do last year’s freshman improve their game to make an impact on next years roster? How good is Brendan Bailey? With multiple players potentially seeing less minutes than last year we can only hope Wojo can end his transfer woes and hold on to his players.

While it’s easy to get lost in all the hype Chartouny brings for next season, don’t forget about Koby McEwan. A two year starter at Utah State, McEwan averaged 15.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists in his sophomore season. At 6’4” it’s clear Wojo is looking to pair Howard with taller PGs. While his defense and three point shot will hopefully improve in his year off, McEwan is an excellent driver and creator. Wojo will continue to look recruit 5 star guards for the 2019 class, but the expectation now is McEwan will start at PG after his year off.

The most exciting news is that it appears Chartouny will wear #12 for the upcoming season. Being that #12 was previously Heldt’s number, this opens up opportunities for a milk pun number for the “Milkman.”