Things seem pretty solid with Nigel James, Adrien Stevens and Royce Parham returning to the Marquette men’s basketball team for the 2026-27 season following the Big East Tournament. James was very direct about where he stood on the topic after being named Big East Freshman of the Year, and Adrian Stevens was very clear about where he and Parham stood after New York’s loss to Xavier.
That was a while ago though, and we haven’t seen any other statements of intent from anyone else on the roster since then. That’s notable because head coach Shaka Smart has made it clear he intends to “improve” next season’s roster, and Marquette’s scholarship situation suggests there will definitely be departures.
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As of Monday, it doesn’t look like Damarius Owens will be one of them, at least based on an Instagram video he posted. This appears to be an official team video, edited and captioned “Nowhere to go. 🦅,” and it was also co-posted with the official MU team account.
Owens didn’t make an immediate noticeable impact in two seasons and 60 games with the Golden Eagles. He averaged just 2.6 points and 1.2 rebounds in 9.5 minutes per game after dealing with a toe injury and groin injury throughout the season as a freshman, the latter of which ultimately required offseason surgery. That may have set him back a bit over the summer and preseason, and Owens averaged just 2.6 points and 1.2 rebounds in 8.7 minutes per game in Marquette’s loss to Purdue on Dec. 13 last season, and those averages weren’t affected by his DNP against Oklahoma State in Chicago or missing the Wisconsin game due to illness.
However, once the Zad Lowery situation resolved itself and Marquette suddenly found himself with available playing time, Owens exploded. Over Marquette’s final 21 games, Owens averaged 18.7 minutes, 5.7 points and 3.1 rebounds, even making his first start when MU visited Georgetown because Royce Parham was late due to back spasms.
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It wasn’t all perfect — Owens shot just 27 percent from beyond the arc both against Big East opponents and all season long — and his play had its ups and downs as the season went on. However, if you’re looking at the 12-20 season and saying “hey, what do we have here that could work next season,” then giving Owens a little more runway to try and get a good healthy season on the board is a pretty solid decision.
Of course, he did end the season wearing a mask after the Feb. 18 game against St. John’s, so hopefully there’s nothing there that will require surgery, either.
BTW: I didn’t write a full blog post for them, but we should note that Adrian Stevens and Royce Parham did release their own “I’m Back” videos as well. It feels like they’re pretty locked in, but it’s nice to see them actually making these announcements.
Let’s take a look at the roster chart so everyone is on the same page as we get closer to the transfer portal opening in April.
Marquette men’s basketball roster/scholarship status as of March 13, 2026.
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