2012-'13 Player Preview: #22 Trent Lockett

Seeing as we're taking things in order of minutes played for Marquette in 2011-'12 in the player previews, we're duty-bound to include senior transfer Trent Lockett at this point in the proceedings, even though he really fits in at the end of the series. Unless you've been chained in the crawl space for the last five months (and if you have, God bless you for checking Anonymous Eagle upon your escape), you know that Lockett comes to Marquette by way of Arizona State, where he averaged a whopping 35 minutes, 13 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.5 steals per contest in 2011-'12 for a really, really bad Sun Devil team that played in a really, really bad conference.

How will those numbers carry over to the Best Basketball Conference in the History of Things^TM? I hate to be a weasel about that issue, but it's kinda hard to say: if you're inclined to look on the bright side of things, you'd note Trent's 23-4-5 line against Oregon on January 12, 2012, or his 21-7-5 line against rival Arizona on March 4. If you're more a glass-half-empty kinda guy, you'd note that Lockett was held to single digits in four of 13 conference games; that, despite being the best player on his team, he might've been a bit passive in looking for his own shot (he attempted fewer than 10 field goals fifteen times last year); and that he's a bit careless with the rock (two games with seven turnovers, one with six, one with five, and an average of 3.2 TOs per game for the year).

Minimum Expectations: Add that all together, and combine it with the fact that he's playing in a new system in a new city for a new coach with a bunch of cats he's known for four months, and you've got a bit of a pickle. At the least, then, let's pen Trent in for a 25% reduction in his junior-year numbers. That leaves him right around 10 points, 4.5 boards, and 1.5 assists per game. Again, and for emphasis' sake: that's the floor.

In My Wildest Dreams: Lockett becomes a poor (but not too poor) man's version of Jerel McNeal in 'Rel's senior year, when McNeal added an impressive three-point shot to his offensive arsenal. Lockett hit 41.2% of his triples last year, and he was good on 49.8% of his field goal attempts overall (and that represented a slight decrease from his 51.6% clip in his sophomore year), so -- fingers crossed -- maybe that's not too much of a stretch. If Lockett can put up 15 points a game and average five boards and a couple of helpers, while knocking down the turnovers to, say, two per game, I'd be a very happy boy.

In My Worst Nightmare: He can't make the adjustments he needs to, whether it's struggling with not being the clear alpha dog on the team, to getting overwhelmed by the quality of the competition in the Big East, to going into a funk when he realizes he traded 80-degree January days at ASU for having to take a team of sled dogs to the Al McGuire Center for practice. (Though dude's from Minnesota, so the miserable winters shouldn't come as that much of a surprise to him.)

Now: I don't think that nightmare scenario is all that likely. Things might be rocky for a spell, but I think Lockett's too good, too talented, and too smart (how many other kids would load up on 21 credits per semester to graduate in three years so they could transfer to a program closer to home?) for the doomsday situation to happen.

I think.

Unnecessary Photoshop/GIF-ery, And It Is My Solemn Vow To You That These Will Get Better One Day: