Hey, you wanna talk Marquette men’s basketball recruiting for a second?
On Thursday, top 100 prospect Alex Egbuonu put out his top five list, and yep, YOUR Golden Eagles are on it. Marquette is joined by
Auburn, Stanford, Boston College, and Big East rival Villanova.
That’s certainly an interesting list, seeing as Auburn just had a coaching change with Bruce Pearl suddenly retiring shortly before the season starts and handing the reins over to his son. Heck, Boston College could very easily end up with a coaching change after this season since Earl Grant has had just one winning season in Chestnut Hill, and while Kyle Smith is going into Year Two at Stanford, the Cardinal haven’t been to the NCAA tournament since 2014.
As always, Alex Egbuonu should make the pick that makes him happiest, but from a purely basketball success situation where you ask “hey, what is that team going to look like during my four years there,” Marquette certainly seems to be the program on the most solid standing right this second.
247 Sports lists Alex Egbuonu as a 6’6”, 220 pound small forward out of Lawrence Academy in Massachusetts. They have him at #75 in the country in both their internal rankings and their Composite system. On3’s Industry Ranking is a little bit higher, slotting Egbuonu in at #70. ESPN is much higher on him, ranking Egbuonu at #51 in the country for the Class of 2026.
Can I interest you in a scouting report from 247’s Adam Finkelstein?
What makes Egbuonu almost unique is his overlap of physical strength, length, and basketball skill. He’s built like a football player with a super powerful upper body, long arms, and good hands. He’s capable of going right through contact off the dribble, can navigate the lane with good footwork, but has the high release point to shoot over top of contesting defenders. His range also extends out to the three-point line, making him a three-range threat.
The consistency of his shooting is a major swing-skill and key to opening up a lot of his playmaking opportunities. He shot 27% from behind the arc in 3SSB play and looks more comfortable off a rhythm dribble. He’s a solid vertical athlete, with a second bounce, but not as quick with his first-step or laterally. He’s sometimes best defending opposing fours, but has no problem matching up with bigger guys, and is also a good rebounder (6.4).
Overall, Egbuonu is a combo-forward capable of creating mismatches with his length, strength, and versatile skill, but needs to keep working on his foot speed and the consistency of his shooting.
Phenom Hoops talked to Egbuonu back in January after he took an official visit to Marquette. Here’s what he said about the visit:
The visit to Marquette was really good! I was able to watch their team lift, practice, film sessions, and all the stuff they would do to prepare the day before a game. I was able to spend time with all the players, coaches, and managers as well. My visit fell on what they would call “Marquette Moms Night” where they would bring all the player’s moms to watch their son’s games. It was cool because I was also able to connect with some of the players’ parents and get their feedback. I would say what impressed me was how connected everyone was and they all strived to be better, not just for themselves, but for the team as a whole.
And here’s what he said about his relationship with the staff:
The staff has been very good, and I feel as though we have a good relationship. Either Coach Cody or Coach Smart calls in to check on me at least once a week. I don’t know how Coach Smart does it but he does. I also speak to the rest of the coaching staff too. Because Coach Smart loves to read he often sends me quotes or passages from a book that he is reading, and it has a deep meaning.
Back in early September, 247’s Eric Bossi got a chance to talk to Egbuonu after he averaged 25.5 points and 5.5 rebounds at the Adidas All-American Camp. At the time, the plan was for Egbuonu to visit Auburn, Boston College, Florida State, Georgetown, Providence, and Stanford between then and early November. It’s probably good news for Marquette that Egbuonu appears to have eliminated two Big East rivals from contention, and trimming Florida State off the list can’t be bad news.
And now, the scholarship chart.
As you can see, Marquette has one projected available roster spot for the Class of 2026 with Ethan Johnston and Nash Walker already expected to join the Golden Eagles next summer. The plan is for Sheek Pearson to redshirt this season and join those two in the eligibility class, but since Pearson’s on campus right now and technically available, we’ll leave him as a freshman for this year until proven otherwise.
If Alex Egbuonu commits to Marquette, he jumps to the front of the line as the best ranked prospect in the recruiting class. With MU only projected to lose Ben Gold and Chase Ross to the end of their eligibility at the end of 2025-26, Egbuonu doesn’t particularly fill a void left behind by either one, or at least doesn’t fill it any differently than Johnston or Walker do other than recruiting rankings. Egbuonu has been a Marquette target for a while now, dating back at least to the first day that the coaching staff could initiate contact with Class of 2026 prospects back in June of 2024. It’s safe to say that they’ve got a good idea of exactly how he could fit in with the Golden Eagles and the system that head coach Shaka Smart is trying to run in Milwaukee.
Follow Anonymous Eagle on social media
Facebook: AnonymousEagle
Instagram: AnonymousEagleSBN
Bluesky: AnonymousEagle
