Dominic James was ecstatic upon heard that Buzz Williams would be staying at Marquette and replacing Tom Crean.

``I thought everyone was going to leave," the junior point guard said. "I was surprised when Buzz got the job."

``He's a workaholic and let's us know his every move," James added. "He's hungry."

James said he's expecting Williams, who spent one season as the head coach at New Orleans, to keep much of what Crean implemented - with a few changes.

``I know he's defensive-minded," James said. "He's also going to give us more freedom on the offensive end and isn't going to dictate everything He's let the offense be more free-flowing."

The senior trio of James, Wesley Matthews and Jerel McNeal (who has tested the waters) will team with junior Lazar Hayward to form arguably the best group of perimeter guys in the Big East.

However, Williams will need increased production from the Marquette frontcourt. Dwight Burke is a solid big man, but it'll likely fall to sophomore Trevor Mbakwe, an athletic 6-foot-7 forward who missed most of last season due to injury.

Williams has also raved about incoming freshman Chris Otoule out of Texas.

``We need more consistency from our frontcourt," James admitted. "It's been that way since I've been here."

``Trevor is a guy who can definitely help us now that he's healthy," he added. "He's a raw talent, but now that he's healthy we're starting to see him rebound and play above the rim. We didn't really see that last year because of the injury."

RANDOM NOTES: The loss of Doc Rivers' kid, Jeremiah, from Georgetown may not appear to be a significant blow to the Hoyas, but the sophomore combo guard was a lock-down defender on the perimeter and that'll be difficult to replace. ... North Carolina reserve forward Mike Copeland's career may be over after he suffered a torn ACL in a recent pick-up game.