Butler Bulldogs

Dustin Dow of the Cincinnati Enquirer posted in his blog today that we have signed a home and home (beginning in the Queen City) with the Butler Bulldogs. That is a good match up. He further reports that we are close to a made for television game against a soon to be named opponent. Bobinski is clearly positioning us in the best of the non BCS class with Gonzaga and Memphis. Good debate on DD's blog as to whether X gets more notice and respect nationally as opposed to here in town. So far our schedule is filling out nicely: Wooden Tradition, at Kansas State, Auburn, Southern Illinois, Butler, Miami (OH), at Cincinnati, a possible 10 year home and home deal with Wake Forest. I am probably leaving out a few games out of conference as well. It could be that the made for television game could be the Demon Deacon matchup which is not yet official to my knowledge. Or could it be West Virginia? Now that would be interesting.

Player Update - Romain Sato

Romain Sato spent three fourths of his career playing second fiddle to David West. That being said the 6'3" guard from the Central African Republic was one the hardest players to say goodbye to on Senior Night in 2004. The number three scorer in XU history with 2,005 career points was also the number eight rebounder overall with 892 caroms. The rebounding stat jumps out to me more than the points. It speaks to the overall atheleticism 'Sat' enjoys. Romain was drafted in 2004 by the San Antonio Spurs and sat out for them the entire 2005 season on injured reserve. He was awarded a championship ring even though he did not play any minutes for the Spurs. With that not quite working out the way he would have hoped Romain joined a team in the Italian Second Division team Sicc Cucine Jesi. He was the leagues second leading scorer in the 05-06 season with 25.5 per contest to go along with 7.5 rebounds a game. After leaving Sicc Cucine Jesi (say that three times fast) he had a short stint in Barcelona. He returned to Italy to play for Montespachi Siena where he helped the team bring home the Italian title. In that game he led the Italian Champions with 14 points, 11 rebounds, four steals, and two assists.

It is easy to root for a guy like Romain and I hope he enjoys continued success. He will always be one of my all time favorite players in Musketeer lore. There is a well told story on campus that during his first workout with then assistant coach Mark Schmidt (who is notoriously a ball buster in these one on one sessions) Romain withstood the punishment and repeatedly said 'thank you coach' over and over again to the point Schmitty had to start laughing. According to azcentral.com, an Arizona media website, the Phoenix Suns have their eye on this former Muskie. Never know, we may see one more Xavier alum in the NBA. If not Romain will enjoy a long career playing basketball overseas because he does not count on teams rosters as an American citizen. Well that won't be the only reason he lasts, but that certainly helps as most foreign leagues have the rule that no more than two Americans can be on their roster. Sato had one of the most fluid, effortless jumpshots I have ever seen anybody have for us and again he is one of my favorites of all time.

Lightning Rod

Forget 'Hammer', Stan Burrell's nickname should be 'Lightning Rod'. It appears many of our conference rivals have chosen Stan as the player 'easiest to hate' in the A10. I think his attitude towards all that is 'just spell my name right'. I must say that if Stan was on another team I might not like him all that much either. I did enjoy his comments after the game Sunday though. If you read Tom Archdeacon's blog from the Dayton Daily News he is quick to point out Stan was pressed by reporters for that comment and for the most part it is a mutual admiration party for both teams. Ultimately I think 'Lightning Rod' is tired of hearing how much better of a player Brian Roberts is than he is. I will give the edge to Roberts on the offensive end of the floor (his jumper is very consistent) but overall game give me Burrell. Burrell is one of the main reasons we are rated #9 in the country. Credit must be given for his maturation into a key defensive stopper. His pro chances are enhanced by what he has shown this season. I think if the Muskies can make a deep run in March all three seniors will have an opportunity with an NBA team and all may very well get drafted.

In reading the Atlantic 10 conference forum which includes comments and thoughts from all teams in the league fans though they all have a favorite Stan story to rehash. It is clear though that some are just jealous of the success we have enjoyed. I do find it funny that some do not think he is a 'team player' which is so far off base it is almost comical. Besides the dedication to team defense this season at the expense of his offensive game Stan is usually the loudest cheerleader on the bench and the first one to offer encouragment to guys who are down or made a bad play. He is a leader and again as a Muskie fan I am damn proud of him and the team.

Champions (Again)

Xavier clinched at least a share of the A10 title with a victory over the Flyers Sunday. With a loss by St. Joseph's later today they will have the outright title. The game against the Flyers wasn't the beat down I had hoped for but we'll take it. The game was an ugly conference rivalry game and the one thing I could point to as to why X won was UD's tepid free throw shooting. Off until Saturday which will give Drew (who played 33 minutes today) time to rest. The three seniors are doing a great job right now and the Muskies are undefeated in February the last two seasons.

Time For A Beat Down

I want X to blow out the cryers in the worst way Sunday. They would drop to 5-8 in the conference and lose some serious ground for an at large opportunity. They currently are on Joe Lunardi's last four out and this would crush their hopes. If the 13,000 plus faithful till the end UD fans can pull their team along and pull the upset their resume takes on a whole new perspective. With their struggles of late they need this win badly. The built in excuse currently is that Chris Wright will absolutely, for really sure not play this weekend. All 'jack @$$' aside that is probably a good thing. That kid does have some real talent and potential and we can only wish him nothing but the best in his recovery. All this sets the stage for some serious drama Sunday at 2:00 PM. Xavier pushing for rarified air as a #2 seed (we are currently at #7 in the RPI and will enjoy a nice boost with a Tennessee win Saturday night) and Dayton needing another quality win added to the fact that we hate each others guts on the floor and I am getting amped for this one.

I still want to crush them and their hopes for any NCAA tournament chances. The folks at Play by Play Cafe on Plainfield Road in Silverton are hosting a viewing party for Xavier fans and that sounds like a great time for yours truly. I want to enjoy a Musketeer massacre of the cryers with fellow 'X'ers' (that one is for you Dastardly) and dream of a deep run in the tournament. I want to crush them for guys like Swampy Meadows and the UD 'Pride' message board jerks. I want a Chris Mack 'ball off the face on the inbounds' type of beat down. I want the kind of beat down worthy of a celebration of earning at least a share of the A10 title with a win. I want to smash them in the mouth with DBrown throwdowns and JDunc threes. I want Drew Lavender to sit this one out completely so we can include that in the legend of what very well maybe the best 'team' in Xavier history. I want BJ Raymond to be remembered as the best player on his high school team. I want the kind of relentless beat down that leads to Sean and Brian having a 'no hand shake' ending. Ok that is going a little far. I would simply settle for a victory and clearly acknowledge that will be no easy task.

Bearcats and the NCAA Tourney

With Micks recent comments about the Bearcats being ignored by the national media despite a damn good Conference record, and His hinting about some attention from the NCAA tourney committee I thought I'd do some research. Here are some interesting numbers and bits of info to be considered. Please note that i am aware that they have a lot of work left to do but if the season ended today I think they deserve some consideration and the numbers explain why.

According to Joe Lunardi's Bracketology site as of today 8 Big East teams are in the field of 64.
1.Georgetown
2.Louiville
3.UCONN
4.Notre Dame
5.Marquette

7.Pitt
8. West Virginia
9.Syracuse

The numbers next to the teams are the current rank they hold in the Big East. Notice anything missing?
.
I wont argue the top 5 teams so lets look at the 3 left

Pitt - lost to UC, has one less win in conf. than UC, has 3 wins in top 50 of RPI

WVU - lost to UC, has one less win in conf. than UC, has 2 wins in top 50 of RPI

Syracuse - lost to UC, has one less win in conf. than UC, has 1 win in top 50 of RPI

Now lets look at the Bearcats

UC - Beat all three teams listed above, has more conf. wins, has 4 wins in the top 50 of RPI

Hmmmm......

a few other things to consider.
UC also beat Louisville and played close games against all but N.D.
Arizona is in as an at large with only a 15-10 record. not much better than UC.
UC has only 2 losses outside the top 100 in the RPI
One of them is NOT Belmont. Who comes in at 97 and according to Lunardi is favored to win the Atlantic Sun and will be a tourney team. Thats right, one of UC's 2 bad losses is currently on the Bracket according to Lunardi.

Distinguished tourney committee members, please take note.

U-G-L-Y

U-G-L-Y is what the whole Indiana situation is dissolving into. Players threatening to quit if Sampson is not the coach really puts Rick Greenspan in a tough spot. Greenspan also asked Sampson to resign which he did not which sets the table for a future lawsuit because Kelvin is holding onto that he did not lie to the NCAA or Indiana investigators. Delicious! This job is becoming more and more unattractive at the moment. They will be punished heavily in my opinion (post season ban, reduction in schollies). The fan base of Hoosier land is calling for either Scott Drew, Sean Miller, or Brad Brownwell to be the guy. I honestly think there is truth to the Scott Skiles rumor too. If Rick Greenspan holds onto his job though my odds on favorite will be Kevin Stallings currently coaching at Vanderbilt. Stallings has a 'clean guy' record and has done well at each of his stops. Greenspan hired him at Vanderbilt. Way to early to speculate because Kelvin may still be the coach next season (seriously doubt it but you never know). The NCAA will due IU no favors either in regards to moving up the scheduled August hearing because they feel IU has misled them. All great drama to keep track of the next several months.

True Fans

I took a friend of mine to a game for the first time tonight. My usual season ticket holder buddy is on vacation and gave me his spare as any good friend will do. Upon picking up the aformentioned first timer he said 'You are a true diehard for going to a game in this weather.' We proceeded to the game and pounded a 100 ounces of draft beer with about 5500 of our closest friends. Very festive atmosphere at the Cintas tonight and all the fans and workers are to be commended for braving the weather and supporting the team. And what a team to support. Lavender only played 14 minutes tonight and we still shredded a team known for it's press by 27?!? Dayton lost to Lasalle in OT?!? Was there a lunar eclipse or something?!? We are seriously picking up some mighty 'mo' heading to March. One of the top point guards in the nation needing a break, no problem our defensive stopper will step in and dish out a career high 12 dimes. 14 blocked shots against us, no problem will keep attacking the basket. Dante Jackson continues to flash from time to time and I think will be a defensive stopper in the future. I expected a much tougher time against the Dukes who did a good job limiting the red hot Duncan. We now proceed to Flyer Land with a four game lead with four conference games to go. After Sunday we will have six days off before George Washington which should give Drew some time to heal. No doubt he would have played more if the game was tight but having options sure is nice. With the Flyers sucking wind he may not need to play much come Sunday either. UD=NIT even with a win against us Sunday (NFW that happens BTW)!

Post USF reaction

Wow. That was an ugly,dirty, hard fought basketball game. Wins like this dont come along often. 33% shooting, out rebounded, about a million chances given to USF in the last few ticks of the clock. This game was won on guts alone and I think that says alot about the guys on the team and about Mick.

With the Big East Tourney just around the corner I think the Cats can view this game very positively. How do the old sayings go? - "defense wins championships", "good guard play will take you far in the post season" - The Cats shutdown one of the best big men in the conference last night and Deonta Vaughn appears to have benefitted greatly from the week off. I think that with a little luck and continued hard D the Bearcats can make some real noise in the Big East Tourney

23

23 points in 23 minutes for Josh Duncan tonight. Great for Josh and great for X. Way to make a statement as a top ten team. Who brings two better offensive options off the bench than X in the country? Duncan and BJ Raymond can be hard to stop. Burrell another great job on a tough scoring guard and Lavender gutted it out tonight. Outstanding team win overall and now to get the Dukes who will be hungry coming off a home loss to Richmond.

Props to Bobo

Mike Bobinski (XU AD) has been appointed to the NCAA men's selection committee. This is a pretty exclusive field (10 members total) to be a part of. I thought the terms were more like three years but all the better that it is five. There is a strong belief Mike will be a candidate to replace Linda Bruno as Commissioner of the A10 also at the end of her term. Since she resigned and will leave her post sometime in the early summer that could be upon us as well. Again congrats to Bobo. His leadership ('up yours rivals.com') should not be overlooked. Xavier was wise to keep him on campus for the Dawn years and he truly loves the institution. Right back at him.

Congrats

To Josh Duncan for sharing the A10 player of the week trophy with Brian Roberts.

Other quick notes:

-Fifty fifty on whether Lavender plays tonight. I would love to win tonight without him playing a minute. More fuel for the UD fire. Keeping it in perspective this is one game we can afford to lose seeing how outside observers feel Rhode Island is the second lock from the A10 and they still have a very high (26) RPI. A road loss to them wouldn't hurt that bad. Matter of fact the only 'loss' that would severly hurt our seeding opportunities is the GW game at home. Never know what can happen in conference play though. I will take 4-2 over the final 6.

-Brad Redford ('08 recruit) set the state record for made three pointers in his last outing. His team lost for the first time this season against an archrival and Brad had his worst game of the season going 8-29 with 21 points. If his team can make some noise in the state he may have a real chance at the Michigan Mr. Basketball award. Besides his gaudy stats he has the three point record and is second in the NATION for the most free throws made in a row.

The Week Ahead

Xavier returns to action Monday night against Rhode Island. Rhode Island enjoys a 20-5 record overall but hasn't played well the last few games. They are still a dangerous team and I believe a lock to make the NCAA tournament. They have a terrific backcourt in Parfait Bitee (former X recruit) and Jimmy Baron who has NBA range on his jumpshot. Baron Jr. is a terrific three point shooter and player overall who will be Stan's assignment. Will Daniels is the leader in the frontcourt and what a leader to have. Xavier's defensive strategies have held frontcourt players in check for the most part but it may be hard to contain him. Kaheim Seawright is another solid frontcourt piece. They are very athletic overall and Lamonte Ulmer, Keith Cothran, and Joe Mbang round out their top 7. Jim Baron is a program builder and Ram fans are fearful he will be in position for the St. John's job should it open in the spring. This will be a tough one to get but I look forward to Burrell rebounding from his last outing and Duncan to continue his high level. Lavender will be up against a good defender in Bitee and his left thumb may be of concern. We need him for the post season to be 100% and along with his thumb he rolled an ankle the last game. If he comes out solid and can push we will be in great shape. They are planning a 'pink out' in support of breast cancer research so by the end of the season we should have the complete rainbow when it comes to these shirt promotions.

Duquesne is coming to town Thursday night and they are enjoying some success for the first time in a loooonnng time. Everhart and company has raised the talent level of the roster remarkably in his first two years. His only holdovers Aaron Jackson and Kieron Achara are key pieces but the most exciting player Shawn James comes off the bench. Achara and James form a nice 6'10" one two punch in the post and both are great defensive players. James recently had a triple double and hit two big three pointers down the stretch against Dayton on their home floor to pull off a victory. He will be Duquesne's first NBA player in a while when the time comes. He also has freshman Damian Saunders on the front line who was denied admission by Marquette or he would be playing for Tom Crean. Bill Clark is a sniper off the bench and Kojo Mensah is one of the most athletic leapers you will find at the guard position and he doesn't start either. They go 8 deep and we will need our 3's to be raining in to be comfortable in this one. Everhart (much like Baron) is a program builder. Our schedule doesn't let up these last 6 outside of GW at home.

Alvin Mitchell Suspended

University of Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin announced, today, that freshman forward Alvin
Mitchell (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./Cardinal Gibbons) is suspended from the men’s basketball team, indefinitely.
“We have standards and expectations for our players on the court, in the classroom, and in their individual behavior,” said Cronin. “Alvin is not meeting those expectations at this time; therefore he is suspended from our team. It is my sincere hope that he chooses to put forth the effort to rejoin his team and be a part of our program.”
Mitchell has played in 21 games for the Bearcats this season and is averaging 3.0 points and 1.4 rebounds.
Cronin will not comment any further at this time.

Tough Win

What a performance by JDunc. Lavender and Burrell had the kind of games that spell 'l-o-s-s' but he steps up late in the game with a charge taken against Goldwire that nullifies his basket and prevents the 49ers from going up with less than two minutes to play. The he drains a 25' three to put it out of reach. Most will say we were 'lucky' to escape with a victory but I feel this team is finding ways to win and refusing to lose. Last year we would have dropped those games at SLU and Charlotte. Another tough one Monday night at Rhode Island but for now X can enjoy their #11 RPI rank. I expect one or both Burrell and Lavender to have huge games Monday and I think Duncan continues to play on another level.

Goldwire joins my all A10 team. We are now up to Christmas, Lisch, and Goldwire. A little guard heavy but those guys kicked our ass and deserve the recognition.

Kelvin Sampson

What is wrong with people? Even when they get caught with their hand in the cookie jar they still do what got them in trouble. He deserves whatever fate the IU administration will hand out and they have already docked him $500,000 in bonuses. Sampson could be at the D2 level or lower for the start of next season. Would they talk to Bob Knight? Did the 'General' know this would happen? I doubt it but you never know.

Did he 'misremember' ala Andy Pettite according to Roger Clemens that the NCAA had him under the microscope? No he just didn't think he would get caught and wanted to ignore his restrictions.

The Johnnies are coming to town.

Tonight our beloved Cats will get a chance for revenge. Revenge against a team that until the last week and a half had only the win against UC in conference play.

If you believe what's being written on the St. Johns blogs then you believe that a surging Red storm is about to roll into Cincinnati tonight, beat the Bearcats ,rape our women, steal our children, and roll all the way to the Big East conference tourney championship and onto the big dance. Apparently if you can beat the other three teams in the Big East cellar you become a world beater. Now, dont get me wrong I understand that the butt-whipping they gave the cats earlier this year gives them reason to believe they can keep the storm rolling. I also understand that they have won a couple road games in a row so they feel confident coming to the Shoe.

Reality check time.

Since the loss to St. Johns the Bearcats have been watching the calendar waiting for this day. Dont be surprised if the rebounding margin is 3 to 1 in the bearcats favor tonight. Offensively The johnnies dont have a single guy that scares me and the only one who comes close(Anthony Mason jr.) might not play. On defense I will givre them some credit. They have been tough even against some of the upper eschelon of the B.E. The Bearcats are a much better team at home and will give the Johnnies all they can handle. If Williamson continues to play well maybe he can take a little pressure off of Vaughn tonight.


My Prediction - UC wins by 10.

No TV tonight?

No television broadcast for our tilt with the 49ers tonight in Charlotte. This sucks and still happens to us (no television) for several games a year. The A10's television deal with CSTV sucks. Period. Previously the deal with Fox Sports on regional televison seemed to add flexibility. CSTV has no such flexibility. This is a game that scares me a bit. I feel more confident about our URI game Monday strangely. Charlotte seems to be the team I know the least about even though they have been in the league for a few years now. It is a tough place to play (CUSA tilts with UC were classic) and they are 'whiting out' the arena tonight. I wonder if Lutz will rock the Ricky P special tonight? Key to the game is not letting Leemire Goldwire go off. Contain him and you give yourself a solid chance to win. Go Muskies!

Random Thoughts

A few random thoughts on the college basketball season thus far:

- What was the reason NC State fans didn't like Herb Sendek again? 2-0 against Arizona this season is something I don't think the Sun Devils have done since WW 2 era.

- Keno Davis should be the coach of the year. Period. He will be on everybody's short list for coaching searches this spring and I hope Drake can find the resources to keep him.

- Loyalty? I guess going to the Final Four only buys you two years, poor John Brady.

- Bob Knight did not retire. He resigned. His antics will be back. He is just doing what every other coach does (and I mean EVERY) and that is looking out for his own best interests.

- I ALMOST feel sad for Dayton. In the span of a week the A10 went from 5 teams in the dance to now just two locks. You can't lose to Gdub when you are holding on. Not this season anyway.

- I was glad Lance McAlister finally recognized some Xavier recruits on his blog. I was also satisfied that he did not leave off Yancy's suspension from his blog either.

- North Carolina needs Ty Lawson back in time for March to make their expected run. If he doesn't return to 100% they will be potential upset victims that first weekend.

- Looking for sleepers in the big dance? I like Purdue and Stanford to make runs.

- When you coach at a Catholic, Jesuit school are you allowed to use words like 'goddamn' and 'sonofabitch' in your post game pressers? I guess if your a Philly guy through and through like Phil Martelli you can do whatever the hell you want. He could coach for me in a minute.

- Louisville is coming on as strong as Pitino's white suit from the game against Georgetown. He had to change at half because the white was showing his blue briefs. What no red/black briefs coach?

- Kentucky has enjoyed some resurgence and could make a run in the SEC tournament. All Wildcat fans can come back from the ledge now.

- Where would UC be without Deonta Vaughn? Where could they be with Hernol Hall and Mike Williams in the lineup?

- For all those expecting the Muskies to take a big step back next year don't hold your breath. Inexperience at point guard is the worse place to have it but the kids they have coming in should be able to handle it. Brown, Anderson, and Raymond could all average 20 a night on lesser teams.

- Final Four projections as of today: Kansas, Duke, Tennessee, and Xavier.

A 10 (14) updated rankings

As of 2/9/08:

1. Xavier (8-1)
2. Rhode Island (6-3)
2. St. Joseph's (6-3)
4. Charlotte (5-3)
4. Temple (5-3)
6. Duquesne (5-4)
6. Richmond (5-4)
8. LaSalle (4-5)
8. St. Louis (4-5)
8. UMASS (4-5)
8. Dayton (4-5)
12. Fordham (2-6)
13. George Washington (2-7)
14. St. Bona (1-7)

Game this Sunday

St. Joes may or may not be without Nivins this Sunday. IF he does play he will be a load to handle. IF not then our chances are that much greater. A couple of interesting promotions going on this weekend. First we are going to wear throwback replica uniforms in honor of the 1958 NIT championship team. I doubt the shorts will be accurate but they will be auctioned off after the game to raise money for charity. Also there is rumor they are giving away a growth chart poster of Drew Lavender. It will be neat to add him to my Doellman and Sato posters. One day when I move to the hills and have a full finished basement I am going to have a 'Hall of Fame' room where alot of this junk and memorabilia I have collected in regards to XU basketball will be on display. That won't be anytime soon so when the day does arrive I will have plenty of 'stuff' to display.

Back to the game St. Joes also features great balance with five players averaging in double figures. With Anderson scoring his 1000th point against SLU our lineup now features four 1000 point scorers. Terrific balance to say the least. Seth Davis has this tabbed as one of his top five for the weekend and in his write up alluded that X could capture a 2 seed with continued strong play. That would be awesome and rarified air for us.

Special Delivery

What can Brown do for you? What a play to escape with a victory in a very exciting finish. Kevin Lisch joins Dionte Christmas on my all A10 first team (based off guys in conference who do very well against the X men) and almost singlehandedly stole one from us. But he didn't and the Muskies move to 19-4, 7-1 in conference with a chance to take a two game lead with a win Sunday against St. Joseph's. The Hawks may be without Ahmad Nivins which would be a tremendous boon to our chances for victory. Coupled with Rhode Island's loss against UMASS a win against St. Joes would give us some breathing room headed into the toughest portion of our A10 schedule. Hats off again to Lisch and the Billikens but somebody needs to tell Pudgie that 5'9" Dwayne Polk is not the guy to be boxing out Brown with the game on the line.

Jesuit Week Pt 2

I found it interesting in today's Cincinnati Enquirer about the St. Louis request to wear blue jerseys for their home game against us this Thursday. They are giving away 10,000 blue tee shirts to 'blue out' the Scottrade Center for our nationally televised game on ESPN Thursday at 9:00 PM. Can somebody tell them are main color is blue also? Sean has said he will not grant the request for the record but it illustrates that we are the marquee team in the conference.

Or other Jesuit foe this week has had a pretty full week already. They destroyed Villanova (who hasn't lately?) in the Philly 'Holy War' game and go on the road to play Duquesne tonight. The Dukes are desperate for a win after having any at large berth attempt destroyed by losing to St. Bona. I am so glad all our remaining A10 games are against squads in the top 100 of the RPI besides GW and since we beat them on the road already I think we will handle them at the 'Tas. Anyway Ron Everhart is back to playing '1040' which could serve to deaden the St. Joe's talented line up legs. The Hawks essentially go 7 deep with their best interior sub (Rockwell Moody) being given an extended leave of absence. They still have one of the best front lines in the country (yes I did say country) in Rob Ferguson, Ahmad Nivins, and Pat Calathes. Two out of those three will play in the 'league' and their guards are just good enough (Carr and Govens) to be given all league consideration. Carr may be the newcomer of the year in the conference.

Enough Already with the Bob Knight Lovefest

Am I the only person who thinks that he quit on his kids? Am I the only one that sees him as a hypocrite for demanding 100% from his kids and then walking away midseason? I have heard every story and seen all the articles that talk about him being a great teacher and character builder. The last time I checked QUITTING was not on the checklist for achieving GREATNESS.

If he coached 10 more games and THEN quit ok. Bob Knight= Best ever, The end. But buy pulling this stunt to get one last round of attention I think he leaves a big asterisk next his name in the Greatness category.

Quitters never win, Winners never quit. Every guy who teaches basketball to 4th graders knows this saying. Why doesnt Bob Knight know it?

A name to remember

Jordan Henriquez (according to the caainsider.com website) has an offer from Xavier. What is interesting about this (if true) is we have no available scholarships for next season. This simply could be us offering with the expectation Jordan attend prep school because as of right now strength is lacking. He has grown two inches to 6'11" but still weighs barely over 200 pounds. Before the season started the Port Chester, NY native was getting attention from CAA schools but with the growth spurt and improving skill set he has hit the radar and generated offers from a host of A10 schools, an SEC team has offered, and even some Big 12 squads are making contact.

I think it should also be noted that Charles Bronson has not scratched in the last 8 games. Given his 'nomadic' journey thus far (prep school, East Carolina, Panola JC, Redlands CC, now X) he could decide he would be better off elsewhere. Who knows, just something to think about and shows the staff continues to leave no option unexplored.

Jesuit Week

In the spirit of 'rivalry week' or 'spirit week' I thought I would term Xavier's upcoming week 'Jesuit'. We play our Jesuit brothers from St. Louis this Thursday at 9:00 PM in the Scottrade Center which should be a good game. The Billikens always give us trouble and they are starting to come around with a 12-9 record. Preseason Lisch and Liddell were my best backcourt in the A10 and they are still dangerous. Hopefully Burrell can add another feather to his defensive cap with the Liddell assignment. Front line is where we should win that game.

Then the following Sunday in the A10 conference feature game we will battle St. Joseph's (another Jesuit institution) for the first time this season. I have much respect and love for Phil Martelli and the Hawk program. I think it is a two man race for conference POY between Brian Roberts and Pat Calathes also. If the voting were to happen today I would give it to Calathes due to his team being in first place. The Hawks will play in the NCAA tournament and remain our toughest roadblock for the league crown. This one will be a war and may be the only conference game we lose at home. I think we find a way but Ahmad Nivins is the best low post player in the conference and they have solid guards. Should be another great game. If we can go 2-0 this week top ten may be on the horizon as well as a regular season A10 crown.

All these guys were drafted before DWEST. SAD.

Not all of these guys are bad ballers not even close. But I do think it shows that NBA scouts might want to revisit the idea of Drafting guys who play 3-4 years of college ball. OH yeah It also should remind them that the COLLEGE PLAYER OF THE YEAR is probably a pretty good player.

2. Detroit(from Memphis)
Darko Milicic
6. LA Clippers
Chris Kaman
7. Chicago
Kirk Hinrich
8. Milwaukee(from Atlanta)
T.J. Ford
9. New York
Michael Sweetney
10. Washington
Jarvis Hayes
11. Golden State
Mickael Pietrus
12. Seattle
Nick Collison
13. Memphis(from Houston)
Marcus Banks(Traded to Boston)
14. Seattle(from Milwaukee)
Luke Ridnour
15. Orlando
Reece Gaines
16. Boston
Troy Bell(Traded to Memphis)
17. Phoenix
Zarko Cabarkapa

Congratulations

Congrats to Mr. David West for being named to the NBA All Star team. I believe he is only the second X grad (Tyrone Hill being the other) to ever receive the honor. I am no NBA fan but Skip has to be proud of Chris Paul (potential league MVP) and David making it in the 'big time'. David remains a class individual and someone we could be very proud of. Just reading his comments about being selected shows his character.

Games to keep an eye on this weekend

Marquette(20) at Cincinnati
Feb 2-12:00 PM ET
Record
MARQ
15-4 (2-3 V)
CIN
10-11 (8-4 H)

Gotta win @ home in the Big East. The Cats confidence should be riding high.

La Salle at Xavier(22)
Feb 2-7:00 PM ET
Record
LASAL
8-11 (5-5 V)
XAVER
17-4 (12-1 H)

I will be in attendance for this one(thank you Deck!) X should win this game but it will be closer than most think.

South Carolina at Mississippi(15)
Feb 2-5:00 PM ET
Record
SOCAR
10-10 (1-3 V)
OLMIS
16-3 (11-0 H)

Downey versus Kennedy. Ahhh the nostalgia.

Drake(23) at Indiana St.
Feb 2-7:00 PM ET
Record
DRAKE
19-1 (6-1 V)
INDST
10-10 (9-0 H)

I only put this up because a friend of Mine is a Sycamore. Go Trees!!! Seriously though Is Drake Really in the Top 25?

One last note for those of you who could care less about the SuperBowl. There are three games featuring top 25 teams early in the day on sunday so you can get your fix. After this week college basketball will own the whole weekend!!!!