Itejere follows Smart from Texas to Marquette
RALEIGH, N.C. (BVM) — When Marquette University fired former head coach Steve Wojciechowski on March 19, the end of a somber Golden Eagles men’s basketball era came to an end. In Wojo’s seven years at the helm, the school never won an NCAA Tournament game. They were just 59-68 in Big East play, something MU alumni turned NBA stars like Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade would scoff at.
But just seven days after Wojciechowski’s firing, hope was restored within the men’s basketball program. The university was able to lure iconic head coach Shaka Smart away from the Texas Longhorns, making Smart its 18th head coach in team history. And upon his arrival, the Madison, Wisc. native wasted no time getting to work.
Since his time on campus, Smart has corralled a George Mason transfer, a Clemson transfer, and gotten three of his Texas commits to follow him to Milwaukee. One of those names is Keeyan Itejere, the 6-foot-9 raw, but promising, forward from Grace Christian School.
According to 247Sports, Itejere is ranked as just the No. 156 in the Class of 2021, with his only high-major offer coming from Texas, and then of course MU after Smart’s arrival. But his most enticing draw as a prospect comes in the form of his potential. The lanky forward has great bounce and a high motor which he sees Smart maximizing, which is why he followed him to Marquette.
“I know Coach Smart definitely sees what I have in myself and I think in the long run, I have a possibility of really creating a big impact on the team,” Itejere said. “I really want him (Smart) to be part of this next step in life, I know all the plans he has for me.”
Itejere’s physical tools alongside his athleticism are the reasons he’s considered to have untapped potential. At Grace Christian, he averaged 9.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. But on the defensive end, he did it all, showing flashes of eliteness. The future Golden Eagle averaged 1.2 blocks per game and 1.5 steals per game.
With the graduation of long-time big man Theo John, the Golden Eagles will need another high-energy backcourt player, and Itejere fits that mold. The way he describes his game plays perfectly into the upbeat style of basketball that Smart has coined as “havoc.”
“I feel like my kit can definitely prove helpful to Marquette, being able to run up and down the floor constantly,” Itejere said. “Making multiple effort plays, blocking shots and running in transition.”
Itejere has yet to visit the Marquette campus, but his faith in Coach Smart was enough to make him commit there without question. He said that nearly immediately after hearing the news, he knew that following Smart would be best for his personal interest.
Though the Grace Christian product is a basketball player, he’s much more than that, and Smart’s expertise in his understanding of this area is why recruits are often drawn to him.
“His core values that he talks about, I really admire that,” Itejere said. “And of course, it’s not only about basketball. There’s stuff outside of that because the ball is going to stop dribbling and he wants to prepare everyone for when the ball stops bouncing.”
That mentality has proven valuable to Smart as he has a strong recruiting class coming to Marquette for his inaugural season. Itejere will be joined at Marquette by point guard Stevie Mitchell, currently ranked No. 86 in the country and hometown talent David Joplin, amongst others.
“I feel like we will have a great team, a lot of them have a lot of potential,” Itejere said. “Overall, it’s just a pretty good-looking team.”
