After averaging 16 points per game as a rookie, Wade has averaged 24 and 27 points per game in the last two seasons. He has vaulted into the NBA’s top echelon of young stars, surpassing LeBron James in the eyes of some league observers.
With Wade’s spectacular Finals performance as a backdrop, I’ve assembled my All-NBA Marquette team. The players were selected for their work in the NBA, not at Marquette.
George Thompson is not on this team because he played only one season in the NBA with the Bucks at the end of his career. But it should be remembered that Thompson was an ABA standout, averaging 27 points per game in 1971-’72 for Pittsburgh.
While Marquette has produced some first-round NBA disappointments like Butch Lee and Bo Ellis, there have been some genuine success stories. So, here goes. The team was selected by a combination of statistical averages and a body of work over several years.
DWYANE WADE: I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t think he’d be this good. Certainly not this fast. My concern was his outside shooting. He’s worked hard to improve that part of his game while retaining his uncanny slashing ability. Barring an injury that would cut short his career or lessen his effectiveness, he’s on the way to setting a new standard for former Marquette stars.
MAURICE LUCAS: After two seasons in the ABA, Lucas spent 12 years in the NBA. He averaged over 14 points per game and was a bruising enforcer on the boards. He averaged over 20 points per game twice with Portland and was their leading scorer in 1976-’77 when they won the NBA title. Lucas helped turn the Finals around for the Blazers by standing up to Darryl Dawkins in Game 2.
DOC RIVERS: He was only a 2nd round draft pick, but Rivers lasted 13 years in the NBA and is still the Atlanta Hawks all-time assists leader. Now the head coach of the Boston Celtics, Rivers also spent time as a player with the Clippers, Knicks and Spurs. While he saw plenty of playoff action, he was never able to play for a championship team. His career scoring average was just under 11 point per game, with a peak season of 15.
DON KOJIS: The late Al McGuire once told me that he felt that Marquette really wanted Kojis to be its coach once his NBA career was over. Luckily for everyone involved, Kojis lasted 12 years in the NBA until 1975. He posted a career average of over 12 points per game, with a career-best 22.5 points per game average for the 1968-’69 San Diego Rockets.
JIM CHONES: He left Marquette early and spent his first two years in the ABA. His 8-year NBA career was solid. The former Racine St. Catherine’s star was a quality center for Cleveland and later won a championship as a role player with the 1980 Lakers. Chones averaged 12 points per game over his career with a career-best season of 15.8.
My sixth man would be Jerome Whitehead. He was able to craft a very workmanlike 11-year NBA career, averaging 13.8 points per game in his best season.
Marquette has had its share of outstanding players who have gone on to the NBA. None of them reached the heights of superstardom that Dwayne Wade is already scaling.
Dennis Krause joined OnMilwaukee.com as a contributor on June 16, 2006. He is a two-time Wisconsin Sportscaster of the Year and a regional Emmy-award winner. Dennis has been the color analyst on home games for the Milwaukee Bucks Radio Network for the last 10 years. He has also been involved with the Green Bay Packers Radio Network for 16 years and is currently the host of the "Packers Game Day" pre-game show.
Dennis started his broadcasting career as a radio air personality in the Fox Valley and Milwaukee.
He spent three years as a sportscaster at WMBD radio and television in Peoria, Illinois before joining WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee in 1987 as a weekend sports anchor. Dennis spent 16 years at Channel 4, serving as its Sports Director and 5 and 6 pm sports anchor from 1994-2003.
Dennis grew up in Hartford, Wisconsin and attended UW-Oshkosh. He lives in Thiensville with his wife and two children. He serves as the Community Resource Director for the Mequon-Thiensville School District.
