The Milwaukee Brewers have kept busy with their public appearances since winning their first World Series title, with the post-championship tour taking them everywhere from a Green Bay Packers game at Lambeau Field to an appearance on "Saturday Night Live."
Their latest stop came Monday night, when Brice Turang and Jackson Chourio attended Marquette basketball's season-opening win over Mercyhurst
at Fiserv Forum.And for Turang, who also recently won his second Gold Glove at second base, that included giving a pregame talk to the Golden Eagles in the locker room.
"It was perfect timing," Marquette coach Shaka Smart said on Turang's impromptu pregame speech as it all came together
just before Smart and his staff spoke to the team before heading out for warmups. "... I said, 'Hey, you talk to them because we've been talking about the Brewers and we've been using all these examples from the Brewers.'"
Smart said Turang, who hit .261 in the postseason for the Brew Crew, did a "great job" in his pregame speech and leaned on the relationships – a pillar of Smart's own program at Marquette – that each player of the Brewers had with each other in the clubhouse to reach the mountaintop.
"He told them about the relationships that the Brewers had, the connectivity they have," Smart said. "He said something really powerful. He said, 'When they get behind, we're behind but we're not losing.' It was a powerful distinction. Hopefully our guys listen carefully."
Following the game, Smart was seen giving a game ball to both Chourio and Turang.
Shaka Smart with the World Champs #mubb pic.twitter.com/yG6si0VB0o
— Trevor Hilson (@hilsontrevor) November 3, 2026
Marquette, picked to finish fourth in the Big East after a disappointing 2025-26 season, had three players finish in double figures in Monday's 78-43 win over Mercyhurst, with sophomore Joshua Clark leading with 18 points off the bench. Nigel James Jr., USA TODAY Sports' No. 27-ranked player in the country, was held to eight points on 3-of-6 shooting.
The Golden Eagles host Detroit Mercy at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, Nov. 6 before their first big test of the season on Wednesday, Nov. 11 on the road in Ann Arbor against No. 20 Michigan, the reigning national champions.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fresh off World Series title, Brewers stars visit Marquette basketball game
