The early signing period kicked off on Wednesday, and the members of the Marquette Golden Eagles’ class of 2013 were not bashful in putting their names on the dotted line.
Ranked as a top-10 recruiting class by the likes of CBSSports.com (10th), ESPN.com (9th) and FoxSports.com (9th), among others, the newly minted Golden Eagles include Deonte Burton (Milwaukee, Wis.), John Dawson (Clovis, NM), JaJuan Johnson (Memphis, Tenn.), Jameel McKay (Milwaukee, Wis. via Indian Hills Community College) and Duane Wilson (Milwaukee, Wis.).
The 6’4”, 230-pound Burton, who averaged 21.0 points per outing as a junior this past season at Milwaukee Vincent and is ranked as the 42nd overall prospect in his class by ESPN.com, was the first member of the aforementioned recruits to commit to MU.
“Deonte has a spirit about him that is infectious,” cited Marquette head coach Buzz Williams, according to gomarquette.com. “Nothing has ever been given to him, and because of that he has a firm foundation in what he believes in on and off the floor and is very consistent in his approach to how he works on a daily basis…We are very excited to add another Wisconsin native to our roster.”
Dawson, who garnered All-State first team accolades following his junior year at Clovis High School, committed Marquette without having visited the campus prior.
“Within the first 30 minutes of my initial trip to see him, it was evident that he came from a beautiful family and had been extremely well coached in his development at Clovis High School,” cited Williams of the 6’2”, 195-pound Dawson, as reported by gomarquette.com. “He may not be as well-known as others in our class, but as time progresses, he will carve out a distinct role within our program.”
This past season, Dawson put forth per game averages of 18.0 points, 9.0 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals in guiding Clovis High School to the semifinals of the state tournament.
The wiry Johnson, who verbally committed to MU on Nov. 2, is a player who, in the eyes of Williams, is a perfect fit for the program.
“JaJuan is a perfect fit for who we are. He is exactly what we needed and I am thankful to those in his sphere of influence for trusting in who we are and believing in how we go about things,” noted Williams, now in his fifth year on the Marquette sidelines, according to gomarquette.com. “He is able to absorb and execute coaching in an efficient manner. We welcome him with open arms and are excited about the player and teammate he will be.”
A consensus top-100 recruit, the 6’5”, 185-pound Johnson averaged 22.0 points and 4.5 rebounds for Southwind High School a season ago finished second in the state’s Mr. Basketball voting.
McKay, a 2012 first team junior college All-America selection following his freshman campaign at Indian Hills Community College (Ottumwa, Iowa), is the most recent JUCO transfer to migrate to Milwaukee during Williams’ tenure.
“We have had unprecedented success with transfers, and one of the core reasons, is they have a thankful heart for the opportunity, but an unyielding desire to have team success,” said Williams, according to gomarquette.com. “Jameel fits into that category perfectly. We are extremely excited to welcome him back home to finish his career and expect great things during his tenure here.”
The 6’8”, 190-pound McKay, who was tabbed as the City Player of the Year as a senior at Pulaski High School in 2011, will arrive on campus this summer and have two years of eligibility to his name.
An All-State second team selection by the AP following his junior season Milwaukee Dominican High School, the 6’3”, 180-pound Wilson, a consensus top-100 recruit, is a dynamic point guard prospect that comes to Marquette with much fanfare.
“We are extremely excited and thankful with Duane’s signing,” noted Williams, as reported by gomarquette.com. “He is a very diligent worker in every facet of his life and has leadership qualities that are advanced for his age…He represents what we want our student-athletes to be about and I am anxious to have the opportunity to be around him every day.”
Posting averages of 18.8 points, 5.6 assists and 3.1 steals per game for the Knights this past season, Wilson, like Burton, Dawson and Johnson, will arrive on campus this summer and have four years of eligibility.
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