Nolan Minessale, Marquette’s new 6’5″ junior guard, absolutely blew up last season, jacking his scoring average to 19.8 points per game during his two years at St. Thomas. That kind of offensive surge is exactly what the Golden Eagles are getting from their incoming transfer. The 2026-27 college basketball season is practically here, and fans are buzzing about what this Brookfield, Wisconsin native is bringing home to Marquette.
Minessale’s St. Thomas Numbers Are Eye-Popping
Let’s be real, the guy just knows how to ball. Minessale started every single one of his 68 games for the Tommies, proving he’s a consistent presence on the court. He averaged over 26 minutes per game as a freshman and pushed that to over 31 minutes as a sophomore. He was a double-digit scorer both seasons, but that jump to 19.8 points per game last year as a sophomore is straight-up wild. For his full career with St. Thomas, Minessale put up 15.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. Oh, and here’s a stat for you: he shot just shy of 60% on two-pointers last season. For a guard? That’s efficient scoring right there. He even led the Summit League in blocks per game as a freshman with 1.1 a night, but let’s be honest, we’re not expecting that 6’5″ guard to keep up those block numbers in the Big East. Still, what a talent.
Beyond the Buckets: An All-Around Force
While the scoring is great, Minessale’s game is so much more than just putting the ball in the hoop. His ability to get to the free throw line, his assists, and his steals are what really make him intriguing for Marquette. He led St. Thomas in assists last year, and KenPom.com even ranked him in the top 180 nationally for assist rate. Now, there’s a thought that his assist numbers might have been slightly limited by Austin Herro averaging 3.5 assists per game for St. Thomas, but you gotta wonder how many of those were just Minessale setting up Herro for buckets, right? Then there are the steals: 1.6 per game last year translated to a 3.1% KenPom steal rate, which was good enough for #173 in the entire country. To put that in perspective, Adrien Stevens was #212 at 3.0%. That’s elite defense right there, and it shows you the kind of impact player Marquette is getting.
The 2026-27 college basketball season is right around the corner. Marquette fans, get ready to see what Nolan Minessale can really do with his homecoming to Brookfield, Wisconsin. This kid’s profile is more than just interesting, it’s straight-up exciting.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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