MILWAUKEE (AP) — D.J. Carton is leaving Marquette to pursue a professional career, a move that means the Golden Eagles won't return at least four of their top five scorers from this past season.
The 6-foot-2 guard said in a university release that he was entering his name in the upcoming NBA draft and planned to hire an agent.
“I am thankful for the opportunity and looking forward to the next step in my career,” Carton said.
Marquette announced Carton's departure Tuesday, the same day that school officials revealed the Golden Eagles had added former Oklahoma forward Kur Kuath.
Carton averaged 13 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists in his lone season at Marquette. Carton transferred to Marquette after spending his freshman year at Ohio State, though he played only 20 games for the Buckeyes before stepping away from their program while the 2019-20 season was still going on.
“We fully support D.J.’s decision and wish him all the best as he pursues his professional career,” new Marquette coach Shaka Smart said. “We have enjoyed getting to know him over the past few weeks and we appreciate his contributions to the program.”
The addition of Kuath (pronounced Kweth) and loss of Carton continue the offseason overhaul of Marquette's roster.
Kuath joins former George Mason guard Tyler Kolek and former Clemson forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper as transfers heading to Marquette. The Golden Eagles also are bringing in five freshmen, including three players who initially committed to Texas when Smart was coaching there.
Players leaving Marquette as transfers include Jamal Cain (Oakland), Theo John (Duke), Koby McEwen (Weber State) and Symir Torrence (Syracuse).
Dawson Garcia, who led Marquette in scoring (13.0) and rebounding (6.6) as a freshman,
The 6-foot-10 Kuath averaged 5.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 17.1 minutes for Oklahoma this past season. He played 10.6 minutes per game in the 2019-20 season and averaged 3.4 points, 2.1 and 1.5 blocks.
Kuath played just six games in the 2018-19 season before a back injury knocked him out for the remainder of the year. He played two seasons at Salt Lake Community College before coming to Oklahoma.
“He’s a player who we got to know as an opponent while he was at Oklahoma, and he’s one of the best two-way bigs we played against,” Smart said. “On the defensive end, he has the ability to block shots, defend the pick-and-roll and guard multiple positions. Offensively, he’s a very good mover, finishes well and is terrific in the pick-and-roll game, which is big for our style of play.”
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