Farewell
On Saturday, Warriors seniors Steve Novak, Joe Chapman, and Chris Grimm will play their final game for Marquette in the Bradley Center. They came in as a heralded recruiting class, and will leave as an accomplished group of seniors. They got to play with the likes of Wade, Diener, and Jackson. They were part of the surprising 2003 Final Four team and last years disapointment that ended with a first round loss in the NIT. It's now time to look back on the four year careers of these three Warriors, before they go into battle for the last time (at home at least).
Chris Grimm
Chris came in as a 6-10 big man from Michigan who had recieved interest from schools such as Stanford, Illinois, and Michigan State. He may not have developed into a big contributor, but he is a rock who comes to work day in and day out, even when game minutes are not guaranteed. He averaged a double-double in high school, and was expected to be a force down low in college. When he signed with Marquette and Tom Crean, he said, "They said I’ll be a center and they need me to come in and shoot the mid-range jumpshot. Kind of like a versatile big guy, not just setting picks but getting involved in the offense.” Things never really worked out that way for Chris, which can be attributed more to the difficulty of playing D-1 college basketball, than Chris' skill level. He has averaged about 1 point and and 1.4 rebounds in his collegiate career, but has never seen much playing time. Last year, as a junior, he got a career high 13.4 minutes per game. He has been getting more playing time recently, and has played well. His defense has given the Warriors a defensive presence in the paint that has been missing all season. His wide open dunk last week against Notre Dame may be the play that Warrior fans remember about the Reaper for a long time.
Joe Chapman
Joe, a 6-4 guard from Chicago Heights, IL, came in as a scorer who could take over a game with his shooting. He never became that scorer for the Warriors, as his career best is 8.1 points per game last year. While he may not have developed into the star that some thought he would. He has become a key role player for Marquette, always ready to come in and knock down a shot in the clutch. While he may only be averaging 6.1 points per game this season, he has hit 43% of his three point attempts. When Wes Matthews went down in January for an unknown period of time, many were worried that the Warriors would suffer without one of their starters. But Joe stepped in and took care of business. His 45% shooting is always welcome on the court. His play has been good enough that he has held on to his starting spot even after Matthews' return. His contributions may not always show up on the stat sheet, but his senior leadership has been key to a team that at one time was starting three freshman. His clutch shooting will be missed next season.
Steve Novak
The big man from Brown Deer came in as a heralded shooter, and he will leave a player that has absolutely fulfilled his potential. He was recruited as a shooter who needed to work on his ball handling and build up his strength. He has done just that, as he has been able to pull down 6 rebounds per game this season and can consistently create his own shot. Over his four years, his scoring average has increased by 10 points per game. He was crucial to the Warriors Final Four run, his clutch shooting in the early rounds propelled the team into the Final Four. Since then he has been the guy you want taking the big shot. This year he has stepped up his game, improving his scoring by three ppg and his rebounding by two rpg. His free throw shooting is the very definition of clutch; on the season, he has missed just twice from the charity stripe. Not surprisingly, the Warriors have lost both games in which he's missed. His game winning shot against Notre Dame in January solidified his place in Marquette basketball history. Legends hit big shots with the game on the line. They give the fans a story about that player that they will tell for years to come when talking about the best Warriors they ever saw. That shot did it for Steve Novak. In that one moment, he went from being a great player to being one of the best.
These three Warriors have toiled on the basketball court for four seasons. They came in as a much talked about recruiting class, and will leave having fulfilled expectations. Perhaps they did not all reach the personal level that they were projected to, but they all found their place in a team. They saw the highest highs and the lowest lows of a storied program. On Saturday they will step onto the Bradley Center floor for the last time. They will never play another home game, but they will be a part of the Warrior family forever.
Chris Grimm
Chris came in as a 6-10 big man from Michigan who had recieved interest from schools such as Stanford, Illinois, and Michigan State. He may not have developed into a big contributor, but he is a rock who comes to work day in and day out, even when game minutes are not guaranteed. He averaged a double-double in high school, and was expected to be a force down low in college. When he signed with Marquette and Tom Crean, he said, "They said I’ll be a center and they need me to come in and shoot the mid-range jumpshot. Kind of like a versatile big guy, not just setting picks but getting involved in the offense.” Things never really worked out that way for Chris, which can be attributed more to the difficulty of playing D-1 college basketball, than Chris' skill level. He has averaged about 1 point and and 1.4 rebounds in his collegiate career, but has never seen much playing time. Last year, as a junior, he got a career high 13.4 minutes per game. He has been getting more playing time recently, and has played well. His defense has given the Warriors a defensive presence in the paint that has been missing all season. His wide open dunk last week against Notre Dame may be the play that Warrior fans remember about the Reaper for a long time.
Joe Chapman
Joe, a 6-4 guard from Chicago Heights, IL, came in as a scorer who could take over a game with his shooting. He never became that scorer for the Warriors, as his career best is 8.1 points per game last year. While he may not have developed into the star that some thought he would. He has become a key role player for Marquette, always ready to come in and knock down a shot in the clutch. While he may only be averaging 6.1 points per game this season, he has hit 43% of his three point attempts. When Wes Matthews went down in January for an unknown period of time, many were worried that the Warriors would suffer without one of their starters. But Joe stepped in and took care of business. His 45% shooting is always welcome on the court. His play has been good enough that he has held on to his starting spot even after Matthews' return. His contributions may not always show up on the stat sheet, but his senior leadership has been key to a team that at one time was starting three freshman. His clutch shooting will be missed next season.
Steve Novak
The big man from Brown Deer came in as a heralded shooter, and he will leave a player that has absolutely fulfilled his potential. He was recruited as a shooter who needed to work on his ball handling and build up his strength. He has done just that, as he has been able to pull down 6 rebounds per game this season and can consistently create his own shot. Over his four years, his scoring average has increased by 10 points per game. He was crucial to the Warriors Final Four run, his clutch shooting in the early rounds propelled the team into the Final Four. Since then he has been the guy you want taking the big shot. This year he has stepped up his game, improving his scoring by three ppg and his rebounding by two rpg. His free throw shooting is the very definition of clutch; on the season, he has missed just twice from the charity stripe. Not surprisingly, the Warriors have lost both games in which he's missed. His game winning shot against Notre Dame in January solidified his place in Marquette basketball history. Legends hit big shots with the game on the line. They give the fans a story about that player that they will tell for years to come when talking about the best Warriors they ever saw. That shot did it for Steve Novak. In that one moment, he went from being a great player to being one of the best.
These three Warriors have toiled on the basketball court for four seasons. They came in as a much talked about recruiting class, and will leave having fulfilled expectations. Perhaps they did not all reach the personal level that they were projected to, but they all found their place in a team. They saw the highest highs and the lowest lows of a storied program. On Saturday they will step onto the Bradley Center floor for the last time. They will never play another home game, but they will be a part of the Warrior family forever.
posted by Rob Stack @ 3:54 PM
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