With Jae Crowder scheduled to make his Milwaukee Bucks’ debut tonight against the Miami Heat, he will be the sixth Bucks’ player in franchise history who played his college basketball at Marquette University.
Bucks’ players who played at Marquette
The previous five Marquette players who suited up and played for the Bucks are: George Thompson, Lloyd Walton, Tony Smith, Steve Novak and current Buck, Wes Matthews.
Here’s a summary of each of the five players, their time at Marquette and their time with the Bucks.
George Thompson: Played three years at Marquette from 1966-69. Scored 1,773 points (20.4ppg). Played one season with the Bucks (1974-75). Played in 73 games scoring 780 points.
Lloyd Walton: Played three years at Marquette from 1973-1976. Scored 1,006 points (11.6 ppg). Played four seasons with the Bucks (1976-77 to 1979-80). Played in 280 games scoring 1,236 points with 1,035 assists and 232 steals.
Tony Smith: Played four years at Marquette from 1986-90. Scored 1,687 points (14.8ppg). He played in seven games with the Bucks in the 1997-98 season. He scored 19 points.
Steve Novak: Played four years at Marquette (2002-06). Scored 1,567 points (12.4ppg). He played in 11 games over two seasons with the Bucks (2016-16 and 2016-17). Scored 12 points in those 11 games.
Wesley Matthews: Played four years at Marquette (2005-2009) Scored 1,673 points (13.2ppg). Currently in his third season with the Bucks. Has played in 155 games with 869 points and 345 rebounds.
So, you might be asking, why does Jae Crowder need to score 17 points in his Bucks’ debut? Well, each of the five Marquette alum had a debut game with the Bucks. Of the five, George Thompson had the highest-scoring debut with 16 points. Wes Matthews was close behind as he had 14 points in his debut with the Bucks.
Bucks debut games from Marquette alum
Following is a look at each of the five Marquette players in their debut game with the Milwaukee Bucks.
George Thompson, October 18, 1974: Played 25 minutes scoring 16 points, one rebound and one assist.
Lloyd Walton, November 3, 1976: Played 11 minutes scoring for points, one assist and one steal.
Tony Smith, December 13, 1997: Played seven seconds. No stats.
Steve Novak, February 22, 2016: Played 1:24. Had a missed there-point attempt and one personal foul.
Wes Matthews, October 24, 2019: Played 30:23 with 14 points, four rebounds, one assist, two steals and one blocked shot.
Will Crowder get 17 points and take the crown from Thompson?
For More Great Wisconsin Sports Content
Follow me on Twitter at @Statsontapp and follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great content.
