Sam Hauser (right) is among a group of shooters playing at Marquette next season that will make the Golden Eagles dangerous on the perimeter. Credit: John Klein / For the Journal Sentinel

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Last season was a big one for Marquette men's basketball, literally.

The Golden Eagles were one of the 35 tallest teams in the country, featuring 6-foot-11 starters in Henry Ellenson and Luke Fischer who gave them frontcourt size few squads could match.

That was the focal point for the team, which was in the second year of a program rebuild under coach Steve Wojciechowski. The result was a 20-13 record, marking a step forward, but not a big enough one to get Marquette back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013.

"We knew it was going to be a year where we had to teach and grow and get better, and I think we did that," Wojciechowski said Thursday. "There's only been 36 20-win teams in Marquette history; next year will be the 100th anniversary.

"We had freshmen play 50% of our minutes in the Big East Conference. Every freshman category in the history of the program one of our freshmen touched on it and a lot of times multiple guys did. I think we gained valuable experience, we did a lot of good things and this is another step to us getting better."

If Marquette is going to demonstrate more growth next season, it's going to come while getting smaller.

Ellenson, the only rotation player who won't return, is headed for the NBA following his stellar freshman season. He was the backbone of Marquette's squad on both ends of the court and his team-high 17.0 points and 9.7 rebounds per game won't be easily replaced.

So far, Marquette hasn't replaced Ellenson on a positional level. The Golden Eagles are due to bring back nine of 10 scholarship players who logged significant minutes last season, but only two traditional post players in Fischer and 6-10 rising sophomore Matt Heldt. Everyone else is 6-6 or shorter.

There are no power forwards among the four incoming players, either, as Marquette stands at the maximum of 13 scholarship players.

UNC Asheville transfer Andrew Rowsey, who sat out this season, and incoming freshman Markus Howard are sub-6-foot sharp-shooting guards. Sam Hauser, a senior at Stevens Point High School, and USC graduate transfer Katin Reinhardt are both versatile 6-6 players who do most of their damage around the perimeter.

"I think shooting in today's day and age is key," Wojciechowski said after a season in which Marquette was the seventh-best three-point shooting team in the Big East.

"It's one of the reasons Henry's going to be really valuable in the NBA. The guys that we added have a chance to be elite-level shooters and that's a good thing. We haven't figured out exactly how all the pieces fit together — we'll do that at another time. We're excited about the direction our program's headed."

With the way the roster is configured, Marquette certainly would play a different brand of basketball next season. In 2015-'16, 54.8% of the Golden Eagles' points came from inside the arc, putting them in the top 50 in the country in that category. Just 23.1% of their points came from long range.

Armed to the hilt with guards, including returning players who combined to shoot 35.0% from three-point range, the Golden Eagles look primed to have shooting depth at multiple positions and a new-found ability to space the floor.

"In college basketball, and basketball in general, guards are incredibly important," Wojciechowski said. "I think we have some real good ones. You can win a lot of different ways in college."

While winning while playing small is certainly doable — national champion Villanova is a prime example of spreading the floor with shooters surrounding one traditional big man — the book isn't fully closed on Marquette's roster staying the same.

Canadian 6-9 power forward Kalif Young, a three-star recruit in the 2016 class, and 6-8 Duquesne grad transfer L.G. Gill reportedly will visit Marquette before the end of the month. Since Marquette is at its maximum scholarship allotment for 2016-'17, one would need to open up — either by a player leaving the program or giving up his scholarship — in order for a new player to claim one.

"We're always recruiting," Wojciechowski said. "In today's day and age you have to. We'll get to what we're doing in the future at another time."