Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Report: Marquette forward Chris Otule will be back for sixth year

Syracuse v Marquette

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 30: Rakeem Christmas #25 and James Southerland #43 of the Syracuse Orange fights for position against Chris Otule #42 of the Marquette Golden Eagles during the East Regional Round Final of the 2013 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Verizon Center on March 30, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Chris Otule will reportedly be back for a sixth year at Marquette.

The 6-11, 275-pound center will come back to campus for a fourth full season with the Golden Eagles, according to CBSSports.com’s Jeff Goodman.

Otule has missed most of two seasons with the program. As a freshman in 2008-09, he missed all but nine games with a broken left foot. He then missed a majority of the 2011-12 season after tearing an ACL in a win over Washington in December.

Marquette big man Chris Otule has decided to return for a 6th-year, source told CBSSports. Should be a formality to receive extra year.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanCBS) April 9, 2013


He averaged 5.1 points and 3.5 rebounds this season for coach Buzz Williams’ squad, acting as a reserve behind big man Davante Gardner.

Otule played arguably his best ball at the end of the season, finishing with his lone double-double of the season in an 11-point, 11-rebound performance in Marquette’s 59-58 comeback win over Davidson in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. He also poured in 11 in a 71-61 win over no. 2 seed Miami in the Sweet 16 before the Golden Eagles fell to Syracuse in the Elite Eight.

This keeps Marquette’s post depth in tact for next season. Gardner (11.5 points, 4.8 rebounds) should return for his senior season, along with 6-7 Jamil Wilson (9.7 points, 4.9 rebounds). They’ll need all the depth they can get, as guards Trent Lockett and Junior Cadougan have exhausted their eligibility and there’s the chance that Vander Blue could enter the NBA Draft after the late-season performances he had.

Follow David Harten on Twitter at @David_Harten