Crosstown Shoutout

We've Moved!

2009-10-27T19:19:00.005-04:00

Big news! We are now the official voice of the college basketball fan on cincinnati.com! Check us out at

or through the sports tab on the main page.

This is a huge deal for us. I want to thank all our readers for helping make this happen. Any questions or comments can still be directed to crosstownshoutout@gmail.com or feel free to comment on our posts over on the Enquirer site.

One last thing. This site will remain active as an archive of our past posts and perhaps the occasional post thats "too hot for TV" LOL. Thanks again

Dave & Deck

Congrats to Mazza and Feeney

2009-10-24T11:26:00.003-04:00

Two new additions were recently made to the Xavier men's basketball team for the 2009-2010 season. Junior Kevin Feeney is from Monticello, IL and checks in at 6-3 170. Fellow junior Johnny Mazza was a team manager last year. This year the local product from St. Xavier has a chance to get on the floor.

Stephen Duckett (a walk on for X the last two seasons) transferred to Division 2 Christian Brothers University in the offseason. Former walk on Joe Hughes was awarded with a scholarship for this season. Those changes to the roster gave need for walk on/practice players and Johnny and Kevin earned those roles.

Dez Announces for XU

2009-10-22T08:14:00.003-04:00

Dezmine Wells of Word of God Christian Academy in Raleigh, NC did announce for Xavier today. WoGCA also produced super prospect John Wall for the class of 2009. Playing with that kind of talent could only have been a good thing.

The 6-3 190 junior is currently rated #59 in his class according to Rivals.com. They also denote him as a four star prospect. He is the highest rated recruit to commit to X since Kenny Frease. Dezmine also held offers from Baylor,Illinois, Miami (FL), NC State, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia Tech.

I must give 'mad props' to coach Mack and staff. Before their first game at Xavier they have reeled in 7 recruits, six of which are consensus top 150 players. Great job to say the least. Mack is clearly one of the best recruiters in the A10 and I think he is the best recruiter in 'our city'.

Besides winning, keeping Associate Head Coach Pat Kelsey and assistant coach Travis Steele may be Mack's toughest job. Young kids these days like to relate to their leaders, teachers, and coaches on a very personal level. The staff seem to do a great job of relating to their targets and more importantly identifying early on who the key players in a prospects recruitment are.

This Saturday XU will be hosting 'Musketeer Madness' for their fans. All four 2010 recruits will be in attendance along with Dee Davis. I am not really clear if Dezmine will join that group for the festivities. We should also see who the new walk ons are for this season.

Welcome to the Xavier family Dezmine!

BIg East Preseason rankings and awards

2009-10-21T22:45:00.003-04:00

Big East Media day is in the books and the preseason awards and coaches poll are out. After what I heard on sports talk on the way home from work today I just need to get this off my chest.

HEY BLOWHARD FAN WHO THINKS HE KNOWS IT ALL. YOU DO NOT SIR. YOU DO NOT.GOOD DAY TO YOU. I SAID GOOD DAY!!!!!!

Sorry everybody. Thanks for your patience. Now, The awards for Deonta and Lance are nice.Any recognition in this league is great considering how east coast centric it tends to be. As far as being picked 7th I unlike know it all blowhard guy am ok with that. The host of the show Mo Egger seemed to have it in the proper perspective also. Blowhard guy said that anything less than a Sweet 16 appearance and Mick should be gone. Really? Seventh in the league all but guarantees UC a tournament appearance and I'll dance a jig on selection sunday if UC is announced.

The other thing about overreacting to this is the fact that its a PRESEASON POLL! It has literally no meaning. Its done just so the media(it IS media day after all) has some way to rank everybody. Has a preseason poll ever ended up being accurate? the last few years UC has outperformed its ranking so if they do that again they will end up about where I hope they will. Don't get me wrong a Big East championship would be great I just don't think they are there yet.

So I guess what I'm saying is who cares about this poll. Its almost basketball season!!!

Go Cats!!

John Calipari has the same initials as Jesus

2009-10-21T21:49:00.002-04:00

And in Kentucky just as many believers I think.

Did you catch any of that over the top production known as Big Blue Madness? Holy crap was that awesome! I'm serious. Could UK and Calipari have done anything else outside of a walking on water demonstration(which I'm starting to think he could pull off) to come off any better? That man could convince Israeli's and Muslims to come together AND recruit their kids. Heck I even started to wonder which "Cats" I love. Just....Wow.

I have never been a fan of Calipari and I still think he wears red undies under his white suit to go along with his horns that prop up his halo. I will say this though. That man can speak. I half expected to start chanting "yes we can" before it was over. UK also hit it out of the park with the way the it was all packaged and presented. After it was over I started to wonder. Is there anything bigger in the state of Kentucky than Big Blue Madness?

I came up with a list of 5 things.

1.The Kentucky Derby

2.The 1st day of deer season

3.Rick Pitino's Ego

4.One word....Earnhardt

5. An NCAA Championship

If JC gets #5 he'll be the Savior. Of course once upon a time Tubby won one.....

Good News Coming?

2009-10-20T21:57:00.003-04:00

There is a little buzz going around on the world wide web that Xavier will be getting good news later this week on the recruiting front. Class of 2011 target Dezmine Wells is reportedly the target getting ready to pull the trigger for the Musketeers.

IF TRUE Dez would be the second top 75 recruit for Chris Mack and staff in the class of 2011. He is currently rated #59 on Rivals.com with four star status. A 6-3 small forward/shooting guard he is receiving interest from the hometown NC State WolfPack, Virginia Tech, and Tennessee among others.

Our City = Joke

2009-10-20T07:36:00.002-04:00

You can thump your chest all you want. The fact is when it comes to UC basketball it is settling nicely as the fourth best program in the state. AGAIN the desperation is clear. WHEN you win a game in the Big East tournament you will be taking a step in the right direction. WHEN you can put 10,000+ at 5/3 Arena the program will be taking a step in the right direction. WHEN you can advance to the postseason and win some games (CBI, NIT, NCAA) some momentum can be gained. WHEN the coach can have a press conference with fewer than one excuse the town may be coming back. WHEN the little catholic school across town has LESS television exposure than you, then maybe the UC basketball program could claim it's their city.

Until THEN it is your city because the institution bears the same name? Hardly. But I have beaten a dead horse. The reality is this: for them to even create a marketing campaign like this shows how far they have fallen. In terms of importance in this town UC basketball is at the back of the line. Reds, Bengals, UC Football, High School Football, and XU hoops are all out in front of Mick's merry band of ballers.

But hey, 'Born Ready' is here to take the city by storm. I can't wait for December 13th!

Damn right it's OUR CITY

2009-10-19T20:18:00.003-04:00

I posted that video weeks ago and your just now commenting on it? I guess It took awhile for you to come up with your little rant.

Your Damn right its Our City. Who else could stake that claim? The little program that could? The big fish in the small pond?

It took a collapse of colossal proportions in Clifton for you guys to get a sniff of the coverage in this town REGARDLESS of your programs success. The local sports talk station continues to try every year to make Xavier a topic with no success because nobody outside of Victory Pkwy cares. Every coach you hire leave to go to a bigger program partly because they will always be #2 in this city even when your team is better.

Say whatever you want about records, success, postseason appearances, better halftime entertainment, weird blob guy mascot(actually he's pretty cool).....Whatever you've got you will never have this city.

It Belongs to us. It Belongs to UC. Its well....OUR CITY!!!!!!

GO CATS!!!!!!!

"Our City" - Really? Is It?

2009-10-19T12:34:00.003-04:00

As we countdown days and hours before college basketball teams around the country play their first exhibition games something has come to my attention. I couldn't help but notice the Cincinnati Bearcat basketball season ticket marketing campaign ingeniously titled "Our City".

To be frank: Really? It's your city? The team that averaged about 6,500 fans per night last season? Sorry UC marketers it is a far cry from your city. Television contracts and Cintas Center average attendance dictate it's not.

But I get it.

You have to start some where, some how to get the fan base back. I hear UC's athletic department is considering making folks who want to buy season tickets for football purchase season tickets for basketball. Trips to the College Basketball Invitational and late season swoons just doesn't cut it and neither will this silly little marketing campaign.

As a Xavier fan and alum I take it as a little condenscending. Same way as I took Mick Cronin's comments last year in regards to Syracuse and the A10 as a little condenscending. Taking it even further anything coming out of little Mick's mouth, is well, 'little'. Shut up and prove it on the court Bearcats. Until then quit posturing like your big time. You play in a big time conference for sure, but everything else hasn't added up since Nancy sent Bob Huggins packing. "Our City" is a joke, just like the 'Cats record in the Big East conference tournament.

Bearcat Links week of 10/17

2009-10-17T16:45:00.003-04:00

Stephenson still waiting for Clearance

Vaughn Leads UC

Cronin says fans patience set to pay off

Sporting News College Bball countdown

Programs on the rise

Enjoy!

Practice? We talkin bout practice?

2009-10-17T16:10:00.002-04:00

Yes we are. And yes, I know that is way overused but who doesn't love that clip? Heck a quick search on youtube and you will find tons of videos using, making fun of, responding to, and even re-enacting this wonderful Iverson moment.

Anyway.

Not much to say here just that this is a great day to me. It's better than when pitchers and catchers report(sorry crotchety old baseball guy). Its better than anything to do with Hockey, Pro basketball, Golf or any other sport for that matter and its only the first day of practice. The only "league" that even compares when it comes to sporting events that aren't actually sporting events is the NFL with its combine, draft, and camp activities that get more coverage than most major sports actual games.

Very soon my beloved Bearcats will take the floor with a fresh start and more hope than any year since Mick took over. Regardless of the situation with "Born Ready" I think the Cas are poised to make a big leap up in the conference. Obviously he makes us better but the other additions look good and Gates should make a name for himself this year. More on all that later this month when I preview the Big East saving the Bearcats for last.

Man I can't wait.

GO CATS!!!!!

Hey NCAA! Practice starts friday

2009-10-15T19:42:00.003-04:00

You all remember Adam H? How about John Riek? I know you've heard of Lance Stephenson. What do they all have in common you say? I'll tell you. All had issues getting eligible to play while waiting to play for UC. Some of this falls on Mick Cronin and I'll get to that later but for now I'd like to focus on the old guys in Indy.

With practice starting this weekend The NCAA Clearinghouse has yet to determine whether or not Stephenson is eligible to play because of his so-called amateur status. Apparently if the kid got so much as a piece of bubble yum and a soda from his MTV documentary they'll declare he is the scourge of the earth and burn him at stake using hundred dollar bills as kindling since they make billions in revenue from TV contracts.

TV that features none other than "amateur" kids playing basketball for what amounts to room and board plus a piece of paper in a frame that promises(sorta) they can make 50 grand a year instead of 20.

If the NCAA were smart they would know that Stephenson coming to UC to resurrect a once successful program is a great story and marketing gold. They would finish this type of business before the start of practice with time to spare so teams could put a better "product" on the court. I'm not suggesting they make an exception to the rule. I'm suggesting they change it. With Billions of dollars exchanging hands because of these games its about time the definition of "amateur" was redefined.

The NCAA makes tons of money. The TV networks make tons of money. The Schools make tons of money. Hell even guys like me make a little money from this game we all love.

Using the term "amateur" to describe college basketball is laughable. Its a joke that the NCAA can sit back and take its time deciding a young mans future while its bank account grows by the minute from revenues gained on the backs of student-athletes. It's a joke but its not funny.

Getting Close . . .

2009-10-15T18:25:00.002-04:00

We are getting close to the start of college basketball season with practices officially starting tomorrow. Obviously I am excited for what the new year will hold. Many questions abound for the team in Clifton and the one that sits in Evanston/Norwood. As we near the beginning of the 2009-2010 season here are a few things on my mind of the eve of first official practice:

- Jody Demling (Louisville Courier Journal) is reporting D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera (DSR) will be coming to XU's practice Friday on an unofficial visit. Demling noted many thought he would be in Bloomington for Hoosier Hysteria. DSR in late August skipped IU's elite camp to unofficially visit X, UC, Louisville and Kentucky. I take it as a positive the class of 2012 prospect is coming to Xavier on his own dime again to take in a practice. The 6-3 220 sophomore is considered a top 20 recruit in his class currently.

- Why does it take so long for the NCAA to reach decisions? Dana O'Neill of ESPN.com posted an article on 10/13 that the NCAA will not wrap up their investigation of Lance Stephenson until NEXT week. I know due diligence is very important in these situations - but come on! The article also references then they will make a determination on 'Born Ready' and see if any violations were commited. Let's all hope they have made a decision by the 'Cats first game. They are an NCAA team with Lance on the floor.

- In all the buzz about Stephenson's eligibility, I think Cash Wright and his importance to the overall success of UC is being overlooked. Again I ask Bearcat fans to temper their expectations for Cashmere. Big time college basketball requires an adjustment period for players not named Michael Beasley or Carmelo Anthony.

- Butler declined to have Xavier's game moved on 12/19 to Conseco Fieldhouse. Wooden Traditon organizers wanted the Bulldogs/Muskies to be one of two featured games that day. Event organizers conceded X was a big date on Butler's home schedule.

-Speaking of double headers on January 13th at Madison Square Garden Southwest Ohio squares off against NYC. In the first game St. John's takes on Cincinnati and then Dayton matches up with Fordham. Something tells me SW Ohio goes 2-0 that day. Also, sadly, there will be more Flyer fans than FU fans in the building.

Redford 2nd Best Shooter In Country

2009-10-12T15:03:00.002-04:00

According to Jeff Goodman from FOX Sports.com; Brad Redford is the second best returning shooter in the country. 'Goody' put up a top 50 list and Redford trails only Rotnei Clarke from Arkansas. I say there is a good chance Brad shoots over 50% from trey range this year. I also think having more ballhandlers who like to dribble drive into the paint (Lyons, Crawford) will create more kickout opportunities for #12. IF he has improved his defense to the point of not being a liability Brad could see his minutes go up by 5-7 per night this season over last.

I think Mr. Goodman is a Xavier fan after all the positive press he has afforded X over the last few days. Hopefully the boys make good on all the hype concerning our backcourt. We are still young on the perimeter but talent is talent. Can't wait for the season to get started.

Goodman Likes Xavier's Backcourt

2009-10-10T18:18:00.002-04:00

Jeff Goodman from FOX Sports recently rated XU's backcourt as the 17th best in the nation. Meaning? Nothing really considering Jordan Crawford and Mark Lyons have never played in a real game together yet. That is the duo Jeff feels will be there at season's end. Many more options for the Musketeers this year over last with Crawford, Lyons, Terrell Holloway, Brad Redford, Dante' Jackson, and Brian Walsh to share the ball.

Cautiously Optimistic - A Cincy pro sports fan story

2009-10-07T22:13:00.003-04:00

Ever wonder what its like to cheer without apprehension? Feel the need to qualify the accomplishments of your favorite teams?How about given up? You ever just say "I can't take this anymore!" and quit watching for a while only to come back and throw your arms up when Pittsburgh gets sent home hanging their heads.

You have?

Me too fellow Reds and Bengals fans. You are welcome here and you are not alone.

I have been struggling with this issue my entire adult life. I have these visions of Eric Davis, Jose Rijo, Boomer Esiason, and Ickey Woods bouncing around in my head reminding me of the good times but the memories are getting clouded. Fuzzy are the memories of my brother hanging out of our neighbors sunroof with a broom after the Reds Swept the A's in the World Series. Hazy would describe the pictures in my head of Ickey doing the shuffle and Boomer leading MY Bengals to the playoffs.

Slowly but surely as I get older and the losing seasons continue to pile on top of each other I find that my head is stuffed with sub .500 seasons, favorite players that become malcontents after they realize this is the status quo in the Queen City. I actually don't have hard feelings towards Corey Dillon or Adam Dunn. Why would they want to be here? Hell I don't most of the time.

The latest Bengals "resurgence" is what brought all this out. I'm not sure what to think right now. One part of me says "Hell yeah! The Jungle is back baby!" but the other side says "Put on the brakes dumbass. Mike Brown still owns this team". So here I am.

Stuck.

Cautiously optimistic once again. Biting my nails in between cheers. Oh well.

Two weeks till basketball practice. GO CATS!!!!!!

Notre Dame Stadium

2009-10-05T11:02:00.006-04:00

I had my first opportunity to take in Notre Dame Stadium this past weekend. A lifelong buddy of mine is a huge Irish fan and I was able to come across a couple tickets through a work connection. Needless to say my friend was estatic about the news. Myself I am not a huge college football fan but I do follow it while waiting for the NFL to take the stage on Sunday. I usually follow the Texas Longhorns (born in TX), tOSU Buckeyes, and the Bearcats a little bit. My first college football game ever was UC/Miami last season. The atmosphere was delightful for that one and I was looking forward to see what all the hype was about in South Bend.

The road trip up was uneventful outside of a meeting with the Indiana State Police. The main drag from Indy to South Bend is US-31 and the speed limit is 60. $140- greenbacks later and I understand that.

We had lodgings in Elkhart. Most places in and around South Bend want you to stay for two nights. Best Western did not and the lodgings were comfortable. We enjoyed the food and the bar at the local Applebees for the evening. My compadre was in awe of all the Notre Dame 'love' in the air and on the walls. The only downer for him was the guy decked out in Michigan gear sitting at the bar.

Saturday game day we headed down to the campus around 9 AM. We parked in Mulligans on Edison Road. Across the way was the famous Linebacker Inn. The weather was wet and chilly with periods of rain and sun. The slow stroll around campus was great. They have parking right up against the stadium that is tailgate city. Seeing the band come through in the AM in front of the library and through the rest of campus was very cool. Some guys jumped in the pool in front of Touchdown Jesus in an attempt to get the band to take notice. No dice on that. The ND Band is pure class.

We returned to Mulligans and sat at the bar around 10:30 AM. There we stayed until an hour before kickoff. We met people from Dayton, Toledo, Allentown, PA, Elmira, NY, and a young Washington couple who were attending grad school at Michigan. Most of these folks were there each and every week. When they found out we were from Cincy the appreciation for Kyle Rudolph was apparent. Of course this sparked conversations about the GCL hotbed and inevitably Gerry Faust. I couldn't help but notice in Mulligans there was no room for Gerry's photo amongst all the Lou Holtz memorabilia. Lou is a legend there right along with Knute Rockne and Frank Leahy no doubt about that. We also met some Steelers and Packers fans which was great for chest thumping purposes until the talk of Superbowl's came about which then led to discussions of Joe Montana of course. They played the Notre Dame fight song just about every hour, it seemed like every 15 minutes to me. I can also officially declare I am no fan of Jameson's Whiskey but of course I am not Irish. All in all I appreciated the camraderie and shared brotherhood at Mulligans more than I enjoyed the facilities on campus. The bartenders derrier probably inched my decision to Mulligans for the record.

Once we got in Notre Dame Stadium and took a stroll around the first thing I noticed was the bench seats. The entire game day experience is paired down from the NFL sensory overload events I am used too. The lights at the top of the stadium didn't seem nearly sufficient enough. No video replay board. No luxury box seats, just an old school media press box. Their National Championship displays and All American wall is classic however. Seeing the band come into the stadium is something to take in also. Seeing the players rush onto the field gets the blood flowing. The student interaction between interludes was great as well. The fist pump simulating the Fighting Irish logo is a little goofy to me but hey whatever. What was really cool was seeing the pushups the students do after touchdowns in the crowd. Television doesn't do that justice. We were in section 133 just above the students and that was awesome to behold.

The game started with Washington going right down the field and scoring. There were way more Washington fans than I would have ever anticipated. Their band was in the house also. Hearing the bands and the percussion is a huge part of the college football atmosphere. Notre Dame answered with a field goal. End of first quarter.

About the start of the second quarter is when I let my buddy know he wasn't training for a MMA fight. Shortly after the second field goal I took several solid blows to the back and chest. He lets his emotions take over some time. The Irish went up 9-7 and then Claussen had a bone head play that led to Washington scoring a touchdown on defense. Golden Tate got that touchdown back in less than two minutes of game time to vault ND back on top. He finished the game with an amazing 244 receiving yards. However the Irish defense isn't as stout as some of the legends of the past and they allowed Washington to inch ahead on a field goal as the half expired. The rain really started to come down at this point. It was hot chocolate time at the half.

Returning to a cold wet wooden bench wasn't a highlight I will remember. Notre Dame recaptured the lead on a field goal. At this point it was becoming apparent whoever had the ball last was going to win. This is also about the time the rain really started to come down and the wind was a little cooler. Chris Polk was getting increasingly difficult for Irish defenders to bring down and they went ahead 24-19 on a Jake Locker touchdown pass. The third quarter ended and I discovered no more hot chocolate.

By the start of the fourth quarter the rain eased a bit. Both teams traded field goals to inch the score to 27-22. That set up some late game heroics for our guy Rudolph for a second week in a row. His twelve yard catch from Claussen pushed ND ahead 28-27. Joe Hughes tagged on a two point conversion. Around this time I am thinking the four and half hour ride back to Cincy will be enjoyable due to the heat and my friend being happy with a victory. About a minute later in game time I was having second thoughts. Washington went right down the field and thanks to another goal line stand by the Irish, Washington had to settle for a field goal and tied the game up at 30 all.

Notre Dame got the ball first in OT and scored in short order with Joe Hughes going in on a one yard run. Washington was unable to make it happen on their turn and the game ended with a jarring hit on a Huskie receiver by two Irish safeties. 37-30! Notre Dame wins in overtime!

Just a great experience overall. We plan on returning next season. Plenty of scalpers around on game day. We discovered many more things we can do and places to go before game day during our time there on Saturday.

NCAA gets it wrong again

2009-10-02T14:42:00.004-04:00

I just finished reading an article by Mike Decourcy(one of the smartest and best in the buisness of bball writing btw) on new rules pertaining to National Letters of Intent. Once again the old guys got it wrong.

The days of kids going to Kentucky or Notre Dame because of the lore and history of the program are long gone. We live in an age where playing for a coach who can get you to the pro's is #1 on most kids lists. Hell, history and Lore aren't even #2. National exposure, being THE GUY, staying close to home, getting away from home, Hottest girls, and many other factors seem to be more important than banners from 1962.

Kentucky is a prime example. Do you think the Uber class was coming to Wildcat country if Billy Boozer was still in charge? I don't think so. Do you think OJ Mayo went to USC for tradition? Nope, sandy beaches, being the guy, and size of Media market all factored in ahead of anything else.

Speaking of Kentucky, Coach Cal was able to jump ship with no problem and no governing body telling him where he could go or how to do it. He even brought along his Memphis recruits using the NLI exceptions that are now against the rules. Bob Huggins recruited his only class for K-state before he even had the job.

Kids need more rules but Coaches don't? All the banners being taken down around the country over the last few years tell me otherwise.

Good, bad, or otherwise the players should be able to make choices for themselves. Choices that could, after all directly affect the career path they take for the rest of their lives.

Marquis Teague

2009-10-01T17:32:00.003-04:00

Marquis Teague( younger brother of Wake Forest Standout Jeff Teague) was on campus this past weekend for an unofficial visit. Hopefully he felt the Big Time atmosphere with the football game going on. He should be on his way to Louisville next.

XU Television Schedule Set

2009-10-01T08:11:00.002-04:00

With the announcement yesterday from FOX Sports OHIO Xavier's television schedule is set. All games EXCEPT the Sacred Heart game will be televised. If you have the Time Warner sports package you will be able to catch all networks XU will be on.

From Henry Ford, Senior Vice President & General Manager, FOX Sports OHIO: "FOX Sports OHIO is proud to be the television home of Xavier basketball. Both regionally and nationally, Xavier basketball has become synonymous with excellence."

I couldn't agree more Mr. Ford and thanks for the great coverage your station provides.

X- Gonzaga Ink Deal

2009-09-28T13:36:00.003-04:00

Tom Eiser (XU Sports Information Director) is confirming a home/home series with the Gonzaga Bulldogs. The Muskies travel out to Washington for the first one next season. As good as the 2009-2010 schedule looks, 2010-2011 is even better. I like getting Wake Forest and Florida at home. I also like Xavier playing in season tournaments that feature teams like UCONN and North Carolina.

Can't wait for the season to start. I have decided to write previews of each A10 team in the order they finished last season. That way I don't embarass myself with 'predictions' on where they finish up in March 2010.

Any one else see what Nancy Zimpher did to the Binghamton Bearcats? Does she not like the 'Bearcat' nickname? Actually I think Kevin Broadus has a reputation for renegade recruits. Tiki Mayben getting busted for selling crack cocaine just tore the lid off of everything. Shortly after the Mayben arrest Broadus let 6 other players go (including Rutgers transfer Corey Chandler) without citing a reason. I guess Kev wants to show Nancy he has seen the error of his ways. Too funny and ironic to pass up without commenting on.

Basketball Season is Almost Here

2009-09-25T22:54:00.002-04:00

Hopping around the web today and realized that Midnight Madness and the beginning of practice is just three weeks from today. I can't believe it. This also means that my Big East previews are soon to come. I will have to stop obsessing so much about fantasy football and get to work!

09-10 Bearcat Basketball Commercial

2009-09-25T22:37:00.002-04:00

I just watched this and I'm ready for the season now! I'm calling it now top 5 in the Big East and a tournament run.

Our City

Thats right Deck. Our City!!

This year on the Parkway, Victory is Ours!!

Just playin. Sorta.

Bearcat Links n Stuff

2009-09-23T22:20:00.002-04:00

Born Ready likes it out of the limelight.

Mick Cronin gets a new deal.

More Love for Stephenson. This time from Andy Katz.

I know it was announced over a week ago but I'm a slacker so.....Here's the Schedule.

Another schedule. This time for the Caravan.

Previews, Jakarr Sampson

2009-09-22T13:24:00.003-04:00

I have noticed the annual preview magazines (Athlons, Lindy's, Sporting News, ect) are starting to hit the newsstands. Don't waste your money my friends. If you do not need pretty pictures and want in depth analysis be patient and get yourself a Blue Ribbon Yearbook. Chris Dortch and his team do an excellent job of giving in depth previews of all 341 division 1 basketball teams. It takes a little longer to produce but to a hoops junkie like me it is well worth the wait.

Also I will be doing the A10 previews once official practice kicks off in mid-October. I am hopeful my colleague will do the same for the BEAST. Ours will not be nearly as in depth but give some perspective we hope. For the record my predictions were off by a country mile last year.

Finally Jakarr Sampson was on campus for a visit this past weekend. The highly sought after 2011 prospect has the Cincinnati Bearcats high atop his leader board as well. Michigan State is reportedly in the mix for the Akron star and Izzo has done well recruiting Ohio. Usually guys who are interested in both X and UC will kill two birds with one stone but that wasn't the case with Jakarr this weekend. With the 2010 class secure Xavier's staff now has plenty of time to focus on some 'high major' players in the 2011 class. Dezmine Wells, Robert Goff, and Durand Johnson are some other targets the staff is monitoring.

Rivals.com Updated Team Rankings

2009-09-17T14:22:00.002-04:00

Rivals.com has updated their 2010 team recruiting rankings. With four top 150 level prospects in the eyes of Rivals, XU lands at #14 in the top 20. UD follows closely behind at #15. In the end that is splitting hairs. I am glad to see two Atlantic 10 teams make the rivals.com rankings. I imagine when it is all said and done it will be hard to hold onto those spots as teams are still filling out their classes. There is plenty of talented players left out there which will cause the rankings for teams to shift accordingly.

However it does affirm that Xavier and Dayton did good jobs piecing together their 2010 classes. The Flyers are still holding onto one scholarship which they may roll forward to 2011 if no 'big' that entices them is available. These rankings are hard to crack for teams (like UC) that have only one or two spots available.

Fantasy Football

2009-09-16T17:24:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posts here recently. A little bit of quiet before the storm and a whole lot of fantasy football are the reasons I guess.

Just so everybody knows I handed my boy Dave his hat the first game of the ffl season. The final was 94-62. Would make a nice score for the Crosstown Game this year I think. . .

Unlike the Crosstown Shootout there will be a rubber match between Dave and I a little later this year. I think I pound him again but you never know. How many times will Drew Brees throw for six touchdowns in a game?

Prep Stars Player Evaluations

2009-09-05T08:49:00.002-04:00

Just received my Prepstars Recruiters Handbook 'Exclusive 2009' edition. There are a couple player updates from them I thought I would share. Again Brick Oettinger and Rob Harrington do a great job and you should check them out at Prepstars.com. I like getting another perspective on future players outside of Rivals and ESPN/Scouts Inc.

They evaluated JORDAN LATHAM at the Peach Jam Classic and this is what they had to say: "Competing with Baltimore Elite and battling Meyers Leonard and others, the 6-8 C/BF at Baltimore(MD)City College is a workhorse who dazzles less and hustles more. The biggest knock on Latham is that he lacks the lift or touch to finish consistently in traffic, but that's just one side of the story. Even without the benefit of great low post offense, he works extremely hard for rebounding position and is a very physical defender as well. He isn't a total non-factor offensively, either, as he runs the court hard and does make some short jump hooks. But it's his brute mentality that can take more skilled opponents out of the game mentally, and that's exactly what he'll bring in college." They rate him at the 97th best prospect in the 2010 class currently. I like the sound of his overall game and him and Frease serving as low post enforcers in the 2010-2011 should give us the size, length, and overall nastiness to stay at a high level.

Their scouting capsule on JAY CANTY detailed the following: "This highly aggressive swingman enhanced his national status over the spring and summer, and he recently gave a verbal commitment to Xavier. Our concern with him is his shot selection and overall decision making, as he tries a lot of difficult, unneccessary shots (and hits of few of them), and he also has a tendency to try to force difficult passes through traffic, sometimes resulting in turnovers. To his credit, he has upgraded his jump shot accuracy and range (now 20 feet), his driving is relentless, he rebounds very well for his height, and his athleticism is well above average, though not quite in the elite category. Additionally, his effort on defense is fine and his hustle is constant on both ends. We see him as a good mid major plus prospect for the Musketeers."

I hope the next issue I receive will have scouting capsules listed for both Justin Martin and Griffin McKenzie. Again a great value if you want a second or third opinion on future prospects.

McKenzie a Muskie

2009-09-02T14:39:00.003-04:00

Griffin has announced his decision this afternoon to attend Xavier. The #115th rated prospect in the class of 2010 according to Rivals will further bolster the front line when he arrives on campus. He suffered a back injury last high school season that kept him under wraps a bit as far as scouts go. The Mack-Kelsey GCL connects paid off in a big way on this one. Griffin had a terrific summer and boasted a very impressive offer list. Officially his last four were Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, and X.

My friends I am going to have a celebatory drink or two this evening. Coach Mack is exceeding expectations on the recruiting front. Four top 150 rated recruits: Martin (83), McKenzie (115), Latham (121), and Canty (130) is very impressive for a rookie head coach. Mack knows how to 'sell' the Xavier program as he has seen it from every level. I need to go back and look at the old coach's first recruiting class in '05-'06 but I am certain it doesn't compare to this one as far as potential.

All four players will help on the front line. In 2010 Frease will be a junior, McLean a senior, and Robinson a sophomore so there is plenty of playing time to be had. Canty and Martin reportedly have academic hurdles but no such worries with Latham and McKenzie. IF Canty and Martin are not eligible both players are worth waiting on - see Mark Lyons for this season.

Griffin McKenzie Decision Soon

2009-09-01T14:10:00.002-04:00

Griffin McKenzie is holding a press conference tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon at Moeller High School to announce his collegiate decision. He completed an official visit to Wake Forest this past weekend and cancelled his trip to Vanderbilt this coming weekend. Suffice to say Vandy has been eliminated. Northwestern may have an outside shot but most think it will come down to X and Wake Forest. Let's hope he puts on the blue/white hat with the "X" on it tomorrow around three o'clock. It would be great to keep another GCL kid local. I am not going to get into why a kid should go to X over Wake Forest but I really, really like our chances.

Justin Jackson to UC

2009-08-30T13:07:00.003-04:00

Power forward Justin Jackson has made the oral pledge to the Cincinnati Bearcats. The 6-8 220 pound Jackson is prepping at Montverde Academy in Florida. Jackson is rated as a three star prospect and #140 overall according to Rivals.com. He has been described as a high energy player. He chose the 'Cats over Missouri.

Mick Cronin has stayed involved with Brandon Mobley and according to Jody Demling of the Louisville Courier Journal; UC is in his final 3. On paper Cincinnati has one scholarship left. If Mobley pops for the 'Cats they would find room for near super wing Jelan Kendrick if he would want to matriculate to Clifton as well.

Justin Martin to Xavier

2009-08-24T09:05:00.002-04:00

Chris Mack added a third piece to his 2010 recruiting class Sunday afternoon. Justin Martin from Indianapolis Lawrence North High School made his pledge to the Musketeers. The one time Louisville commit is rated #83 overall by Rivals.com in the 2010 class and boasts 4 stars. He fits the need at the '3' spot very well. He is long and his shooting is exceptional. His relationship with Travis Steele certainly helped seal the deal for Xavier. He joins a class that boasts two other top 150 Rivals players in Jay Canty and Jordan Latham. Welcome to Victory Parkway Justin!

Justin became Mack's second player from Lawrence North HS (Jeff Robinson as well) and Indy is a good place to have a recruiting pipeline set up. Mack has now added his third top 150 level player and this class is starting to stack up favorable against X's 2008 class in terms of pre college rankings.

Hot rumors are Xavier is after one more player for the 2010 class and that is Griffin McKenzie out of Moeller HS. The PF/C recruit recently joined Rivals 150 for 2010 off his strong play earlier this summer. Griff landed at #115 when Rivals updated their rankings and just completed his first official visit to Northwestern. He will take officials in the coming weeks to Vanderbilt and Wake Forest. Xavier is his fourth 'finalist' and the one he obviously knows the most about. IF Mack and staff can get Griffin on board they will have done an excellent job on the recruiting trail this summer. I cannot emphasize enough how happy I am with the job Mack has done in that regard thus far.

Cincinnati 2009-2010 Season Outlook

2009-08-15T08:40:00.004-04:00

The Cincinnati Bearcats basketball team had a very interesting off season. First we seen the departures of Mike Williams and Alvin Mitchell from the team. Williams was not granted a sixth year by the NCAA due to his medical injuries. The UC fans I know are glad Mitchell is not part of the 2009-2010 roster. George Jackson was added to the staff. Coach Jackson will certainly bring strong recruiting acumen to this city and great experience working with Louis Orr at Seton Hall and most recently Bowling Green. John Riek was returning, then he wasn't, instead landing in Starkville, MS. However the BIGGEST news of the offseason was the addition of "Born Ready" Lance Stephenson.

Lance joins a three man recruiting class including Sean Kilpatrick and Jaquon Parker. Redshirt transfers Eddie Tyree (Thomas More) and Ibrahima Thomas (Oklahoma State) also join the returnees. And we finally get a chance to see Cash Wright play the '1' for UC in addition to all the other newcomers. Mick Cronin has done a great job on the recruiting trail in assembling this year's Bearcat team.

Here's a quick look at the roster:

1 Cashmere Wright 6-0 175 Redshirt Fr.: As noted above Cash will finally get a chance to display his talents. After suffering his knee injury last year very early in the season you know he is itching to get out there. Bearcat fans need to temper expectations for Cash, considering he not only is coming off injury but will be a freshmen at the hardest position on the floor. Judging by what I saw in the Deveroes Summer League he is a first class point guard prospect and will help the team sooner rather than later. He has long arms which assist in deflections and steals. Nice halfcourt moves in Cash's aresenal as well give him plenty of ability to score from the point guard spot. He will need to continue to add strength to survive the rigors of the Big East Conference.

2 Eddie Tyree 5-10 175 Redshirt Jr.: First year player in UC program sat out last year as a transfer from Thomas More College. He is a walk on who had moderate success on the NCAA D3 level.

3 Dion Dixon 6-3 195 So.: Dion proved himself a nice scoring option for UC off the bench last season. Dixon averaged 7.3 ppg but has improvement to make in his three point shooting (30%). Still Dion is a strong guard with plenty of scoring tools. With the additions of Kilpatrick, Stephenson, Parker, and Wright minutes may be even harder to come by for Dion this year but he has tons of potential to develop.

5 Deonta Vaughn 6-1 190 Sr.: Vaughn has been Mr. Everything for the Bearcats his first three seasons. Last year he poured in 15.3 ppg, played 36 minutes a night, dished out close to five dimes a game, and snagged four rebounds each time out to boot. He finally has plenty of pieces and options around him to pull opposing defenses off of him. It should be a big year for Deonta again. Last season he garnered all Big East honors for his efforts. No doubt his goal is to make the NCAA tournament and he will certainly do everything he can to make that happen.

10 Alex Eppensteiner 6-3 210 Fr.: I do not know much about Alex. He is from Cincinnati and from Elder high school. He is listed on the roster already so he must be an 'invited' walk on.

11 Larry Davis 6-3 195 Jr.: It seems like Larry has been around longer than two seasons. He started 25 games last year and his key proficiency is three point shooting. He nailed them at a 35% clip last year helping him score 6.8 ppg. Larry essentially split time with Dixon at the off guard position last year. Davis will have to work even harder this year to garner over twenty minutes a night.

15 Darnell Wilks 6-7 205 Jr.: Darnell is the type of player who would thrive in an uptempo get up and down the floor style of play. The trouble is the Big East isn't that type of league. The conference is a grind it out style of play for the most part. He averaged 8.4 mpg and 2.1 ppg in '08-'09 season. I will say this about Darnell: he was always one of the first players there at the Deveroes Summer League this year. With the improved wing depth on the team Wilks will have to do even more in practice to be on the floor.

22 Rashad Bishop 6-6 225 Jr.: Bishop started 29 games for Mick last season. He played a point forward role at times for the 'Cats. Averaging 5.4 ppg he also contributed 2.5 assists a game. His shooting was awful, both from distance and at the charity stripe, 26% and 52% respectively. That will need to improve if he is going to continue to be in the starting line up. His defense is solid and he possesses good size for the '3'.

23 Sean Kilpatrick 6-4 215 Fr.: Dubbed "Killa" by Jamal Walker in Deveroes Summer League for his ability to drain it from deep and it get to the rack off the bounce. Sean comes in with a reputation of being a very streaky scorer. ESPN's scouting report claims he has good, but not outstanding quickness. Their scouts also note he has questionable shot selection. I will say I was impressed with his ability in the DSL and can see him taking time away from others depending on his defense and improvement of shot selection.

30 Anthony McClain 7-0 255 Jr.: "Biggie" had trouble staying on the floor last year. He even had trouble getting on the floor at times. He played in 24 games and averaged under 7 minutes a night. Not something you would expect to see for a prospect that was once wooed by most of the powers in the Big East conference. He didn't stand out to me in summer league, but that style of play is usually not good to true post players. He needs to learn to use his tremendous frame to his advantage. Initiate contact, maintain it, and power his way to the offensive bucket for starters. A little more strength in his lower trunk would benefit Anthony in a big way. He doesn't appear to play the game with very much intensity.

32 Ibrahima Thomas 6-11 230 Jr.: Transfer from Oklahoma State will join the team after the first quarter is over at UC. He is more of a power forward than a true center and can get up and down the floor in a hurry. He was a starter for the Cowboys who fell out of favor with new coach Travis Ford. His length and ability will be a boon to the 'Cats once the Big East season rolls around.

33 Lance Stephenson 6-5 210 Fr.: If "Born Ready" is "NCAA Ready" watch out. He is an elite level prospect that is hard to guard. Rated as a top 15 player prospect by all scouting services in his class many predict he will be one season and done in Clifton. He is a scorer of the highest class. Very aggressive on the offensive end and he will use his strength to overcome smaller players. He will use his handle and deep shooting range to take taller players to school. Defense is most likely an afterthought to Lance right now. Mick and staff will make that a priority this fall without question with Lance. Just having Lance on the floor makes the Bearcats legitimate NCAA tournament contenders.

34 Yancy Gates 6-9 260 So.: Yancy is a "man child" to say the least. His rookie campaign yielded stats of 10.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg, and a team leading 32 blocks. The Withrow High School grad also made 17 starts. The number of starts should go up. IF Yancy plays hard all the time he has a chance to make a whole lot of money playing this game. As big as Stephenson, Vaughn, and Wright are to the team Gates could hold the key to how well they do in the Big East.

42 Steve Toyloy 6-8 255 Sr.: Steve is a very serviceable post player. His stats from last season are not gaudy (3.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg) but he has the requisite size and grit to do battle in the post in the Big East. I see him starting alongside Yancy at the beginning of the season.

44 Jaquon Parker 6-3 210 Fr.: I did not get a chance to see Jaquon play this summer as he arrived on campus late. The Suffolk, VA native originally committed to Old Dominion but received serious interest from Virginia and Georgetown when announcing he would not reclassify to 2010 class. I have read he has a strong basketball IQ and is capable of playing all three perimeter positions. Most scouting services remark he has the makeup of a solid defender.

This should be the year the Bearcats return to the NCAA tournament. If they can avoid the late season swoons that have plagued them the last two years they will be in great shape. In a supposed down year in the Big East the opportunity is there. The roster finally boasts depth at every position and talented depth at that. Anything less than the NCAA will make life hard on Mick Cronin.

Canty Chooses Xavier

2009-08-10T13:26:00.004-04:00

Jay Canty from Jamestown, NC became the second piece to Xavier's 2010 recruiting class on Sunday evening. The small forward is currently rated #124 on Rivals.com top 150 ratings for his class. He joins Jordan Latham (#112) from Baltimore, MD in making the pledge to Xavier. The staff is continuing to recruit at a very high level. Jay originally made a verbal to High Point but backed off of that as he started to blow up on the recruiting trail. I watched with interest when Jay played in the AAU National Tournament in Orlando in late July. He played very well for his team (CP3 All Stars) against some terrific competition. Welcome to Xavier Jay. You made a great choice.

I feel the staff has two more scholarships to award for this class. On paper it appears just one but a couple scenarios could play out opening the fourth. If that is the case I would love to add Griffin McKenzie from Moeller and Justin Martin from Lawrence North in Indianapolis. Griffin seems to be down to X, Wake Forest, and Vanderbilt. J-Mart had X high on his list before his commit to Louisville. I have a strong feeling that McKenzie will end up at Xavier. Justin has supposed academic issues to work out which could delay his final decision until spring. Both receive high marks in regards to shooting the basketball which I put a premium on. Many Xavier fans (such as myself) are also wondering how things with JD Weatherspoon will settle. Should be interesting to see how it all plays out.

Xavier 2009-2010 Season Outlook

2009-08-01T11:37:00.003-04:00

With summer league ball winding down it is a good time to focus on the Musketeers season outlook for next season. Of course the old coach packed up and headed out west for new challenges and opportunities. Derrick Brown also headed off to the NBA and I would argue that loss is just as big as losing the coach. In turn once again Xavier will be breaking in a rookie head coach but this one has seen XU from every level. Coach Mack is receiving his first coaching gig at a place known to develop them. Chris also made excellent choices in selecting his first staff. Pat Kelsey (XU '98) was named associate head coach after turning down the opportunity to replace Shaka Smart on the Florida Gator staff. Orlando 'Bino' Ranson has strong connections in the Baltimore area which is a hotbed for talent. Young Travis Steele brings energy and high basketball IQ to the staff. Not to be overlooked with Steele is all the connections he has in the Hoosier state with high school and AAU coaches. I think this staff will continue to recruit at a high level. There is no doubt they will work hard at it as witnessed by Jeff Goodman's recent blog post. He made mention that Mack had been on the road for 18 of the 20 evaluation days in this July period.

On to the roster:

#3 Brian Walsh 6-4 195 (R)Fr - Brian played in 8 games last year in a very limited role before shutting it down due to injury. He received a medical redshirt and will be considered a freshmen for this season. The western Pennsylvania native is largely an unknown to Xavier fans. He came in with a reputation as a good defender with a nice jumpshot. His development will certainly be a key component to how Xavier does this season. Brian's best opportunity for playing time may come at the small forward spot this year.

#10 Mark Lyons 6-1 185 (R)Fr - "Cheeks" is a high riser and potential impact player for the Muskies this season. He seems to have the skill set to produce points in bunches. He attacks the basket and is very good off the bounce. Lyons can play the point position but I like him better at the "2". He will certainly see minutes at both spots this year. I expect him to have typical freshmen ups and downs but he may be fill the 6th man scorer's role for X. Expectedly how well he plays defense will ultimately determine the amount of minutes he receives.

#12 Brad Redford 6-0 170 So - Brad appears to have added a few pounds of muscle this summer. He looked stronger handling the ball in the two summer league games I watched him in. He was the only freshmen to play in all 35 games last season. He averaged 5.1 ppg in 08-09. Of his 123 field goal attempts, 114 were from behind the arc. Redford hit those at .46% clip. Don't expect those numbers to deviate much this season. His role on the team is clearly defined. Unlike others however I feel Brad can develop into more than a poor man's JJ Redick. It will be hard for him to get much time at point due to other guards on the roster who play there. But as witnessed last year he forces defensive game plans to be altered. He (like Lyons) has the potential to be the first guy off the bench.

#13 Stephen Duckett 6-4 190 Jr - Duckett is a walk on who appeared in 11 games last year. This will be his third season as part of the team and should be valuable to the team as a practice player.

#15 Andy Taylor 6-8 205 Jr - The "Sheriff" battled some injury issues last year and only appeared in 9 games. I wouldn't expect him to play on a regular basis this year barring injury to other frontcourt players. Taylor certainly shows flashes of talent and is a hard worker but not an A10 level player.

#21 Jeff Robinson 6-9 210 Fr - Jeff is the newest member to the roster. He is from Lawrence North high school which is a powerhouse in Indianapolis. They produce talent year after year. Certainly Robinson did not put up great numbers in high school but he played with some of the best talent in the '09 and '10 classes. At the alumni steak fry this year Coach Mack said there was urgency to sign a big man after Derrick Brown stayed in the draft. Purdue backed off his pledge citing academic issues but the truth is Jeff was overrecruited. Heading into his senior season he held offers from Illinois, Butler, and Purdue so the talent is there. I saw him play once this summer and he looked closer to 6-8 200 to me and very timid. However I was impressed by how active he was on the boards and how he ran the floor.

#22 Jamel McLean 6-8 235 Jr - Hard to believe a guy who averaged 4.4 points the previous season will play such a huge role for the Musketeers. That's exactly what Jamel will need to do if Xavier is to continue expected success. He is a live wire and very active body in the low post and around the glass. McLean needs to continue to work on his low post moves. He is very quick and can draw plenty 'and one' calls from officials. BUT he needs to improve the awful .46% from the free throw line as he will be on the floor in many end game situations this season. Or at least you would like to have him out there at the end of games. He played in all 35 games but seemed to hit a wall halfway through before bouncing back in the end. Jamel has plenty of talent and with an improved free throw shot could be a most improved player in the league candidate for the A10 next season.

#25 Dante' Jackson 6-5 205 Jr - Leader. Winner. These are words that come to my mind when thinking of Jackson. I would never say Jackson has the best skill set out there but he is versatile and has a knack for hitting big shots. He also seems to step up in the big games. Refer to the first halves of the Shootout and second game against UD in 08-09. I feel he will not see nearly as much time at the point this season but that experience certainly did not hurt him. Jackson received 22 starts in 35 contests and played around 27 minutes a night. He fills the role of defensive stopper so he should be on the floor even more this season. My best guess is he will start at the '3' spot but that will be determined in fall practices. He is Xavier's second leading returning scorer at 6.6 ppg.

#31 Jason Love 6-9 255 Sr - "Big Lovely" is the lone senior on the roster. He inches out Jackson as the leading returning scorer at 6.7 ppg. Jason started all 35 contests last year. By his own admission he said he played heavier weight wise later in the year which affected his productivity. Seeing him around campus this summer he appears much trimmer. Expect him to be on the floor at times with Kenny Frease this year at the '4' spot depending on matchups and foul issues. Love was the leading rebounder on the team at 5.9 per game and he snatched 84 offensive caroms. It would be beneficial to him and the team if he developed another post move or two for his arsenal.

#32 Kenny Frease 7-0 265 So - Kenny brought some moxy and toughness to the roster last year and should do the same this season. He did not have the impact many thought he would have on the offensive end of the floor in his first season. Frease averaged 5.4 ppg in 34 contests. His size and length made a difference on the defensive end of the floor. His first half in the Sweet 16 game he more than held his own against DeJuan Blair. If he can have more games like that he will assuredly average more than the 14 minutes a night he got last year. He clearly needs to refine his low block moves and improve his free throw shooting from .49%. Ken has a nice touch on his face up jumper so I am hopeful his charity shooting will come around. Frease had a couple "Laimbeer" moments last year against Gates from UC and Olmos from Temple. But I like some nastiness in my seven footers and X won both of those games. I suspect Kenny is another year away from putting it all together at this level but when he does watch out.

#33 Joe Hughes 6-6 200 Jr - Joe is another walk on who has been on the team for three years. He appeared in 11 games last year and averaged 0.6 ppg. To me Hughes could play on scholarship at a low major school but he serves his role well at XU.

#52 Terrell Holloway 6-0 185 So - Terrell had a lot of pressure on him last year as the only true point guard eligible to play. He did lead all freshmen in scoring at 5.5 ppg. He received 13 starts in his 33 appearances and missed some time due to injury. It was revealed Terrell and his family were at odds with the old coach over perceived mistreatment. Hopefully the change at the top will allow "Tutu" to further blossom. Holloway was a big reason XU won two of their more notable non conference victories last season against Memphis and Missouri. With some experience and more options at the lead guard role Terrell has a chance to take a big step up with his productivity and role on the team.

#55 Jordan Crawford 6-4 195 (R)So - Jordan will make his long awaited debut for Xavier this season. Crawford averaged 9.7 ppg on a loaded Indiana roster in 2007-2008. Everybody has heard (if not seen) about the dunk against Lebron. Crawford commented it wasn't that big of a deal (and it wasn't) and he wished people would talk more about his overall play at the camp. I saw him go off in a couple games this summer. He should be the guy who gets his number called when X has to have a bucket. I hope Jordan is ready to be the "man" because that role is open on this team with the loss of Anderson, Brown, and Raymond. I believe the talk of one season and done is very premature but if that happens Xavier will have had a great year.

Clearly this will be a transistion year for the Musketeers. The nonconference schedule is designed to get this team in the NCAA tournament. Games on the road against Wake Forest, Kansas State, Butler, and Florida will be tremendous challenges. Also Xavier will get quality comp in the Old Spice Classic that features Alabama, Baylor, Creighton, Florida St., Marquette and Michigan. Finally home games against LSU and Cincinnati should present opportunities for quality wins. In conference Richmond, LaSalle, Dayton, Charlotte, and Temple all should be tough. I remember the last coach was 17-12 his first year at XU. My hope is Mack will keep the losses under double digits with his first squad.

There are several keys to Xavier returning to the NCAA tournament in 2009-2010. First and foremost Mack's coaching ability. Secondly, and not to be overlooked, is how much improvement happens with the sophomore class. Redford, Holloway, Frease, and Crawford will all need to have impact roles on this team. Also on paper we don't return much scoring statistically but there is plenty of scoring ability on this team. If the Muskies can fare well out of conference it should be a huge lift once conference play starts in terms of confidence. I cannot wait for the second weekend of November to arrive and see how the season plays out over the course of next winter.

Latham - AAU Showcase

2009-07-27T07:04:00.003-04:00

I had a chance to watch Baltimore Elite take on Team Final yesterday on ESPNU. The game was broadcast from Orlando, FL at the Milk House and it is a part of the AAU national tournament there. In the second game I witnessed the CP3 All Stars take on All Ohio Red. Of course those teams feature X targets Jay Canty and JD Weatherspoon respectively.

In terms of watching the actual games ESPN overproduced the show. During gameplay they had a segment called Katz's Korner featuring Andy Katz interviewing three D1 coaches at a time on current developments in the game, their programs, and recruiting in general. While it was interesting to hear the coaches thoughts it made it very difficult to watch the games. The most interesting of those segments to me was when Brian Gregory, Mick Cronin, and Mike Jarvis were on. Katz point blank asked why UD and UC do not meet every year. Gregory was very PC about it while Mickey said they were working on it next year. By the interview you can tell Mick is banking on Lance Stephenson suiting up next year for the 'Cats. He cringed every time Katz mentioned that UD is the top program in Ohio this year. I must admit I cringed too.

All four of the above mentioned AAU teams are loaded with high level talent. Mike Gilchrist is largely considered the best overall player in the 2011 class for Team Final. They ran over Will Barton and Baltimore Elite. There were no less than 7 players from Baltimore area who went to the NBA Top 100 camp so you know this team was loaded. However the kids from Philadelphia and New Jersey area were too much this game.

In regards to Jordan Latham; his frame is bigger than I expected. He showed flashes in this game of his passing ability and mainly played close to the rim. Which if your 6-9 225 is a good idea. Again these teams are loaded and it is hard for individual players to stand out. To give you an idea Tyreek Duren was the game mvp and he is a 6-0 point guard out of Neumann-Goretti in Philadelphia. His current school list included the likes of CAA schools and St. Bonaventure. After a nineteen point outburst and overall solid play for Team Final expect his stock to rise. In the other games, Jay Canty impressed me. He seemed slight of frame but was very active driving and crashing the glass. I saw one nice dunk by JD but when he was in the game it was 'Katz's Korner' on center stage.

There will be more action today at 5 PM on ESPNU. I believe the championship games are today. Even though it is annoying as hell with all the coach interview interruptions (show the games ESPN!) I will be tuning in again to see other potential X targets. Also the Reds have lost 6 straight so there is not a whole lot else to pay attention to on the Cincy sports scene.

Seen the 'Dunk'

2009-07-22T17:49:00.003-04:00

Numerous websites now have video footage (from a cell phone) up of Jordan Crawford's infamous dunk on LeBron James. It can certainly be termed a 'banger' on the King's head. The slow moving fellas in the paint up at Dayton need to beware. I was right in my mind regarding it outliving the hype of not seeing it; but still damn proud to have Jordan on my favorite team.

I have seen Jordan play in the DSL a few times this year with 'Cheeks' and I must say I am believing the hype. With Lyons, McLean, and Crawford getting up and down the court next year with Tutu getting them the ball you can expect some highlights. When does the season start again?

Crosstown Date

2009-07-20T08:41:00.006-04:00

Circle it on your calendar boys Dec. 13 @ Cintas Center(ever notice the display of janitors uni's? I think they belonged to Dedrick Finn. HAAA!) It is also the 1st game Ibrahima Thomas, Big fella transfer from Ok St. will be eligible. Prediction? With no tape on the big man he will dominate on the D side while he is on the floor. Okay just kidding but it sounded good right?

In all seriousness I think with two local guys running the teams this could get back to the level of nasty from years past. I really hope it does. There is nothing like the Crosstown Shootout when bad blood is involved. Don't get me wrong I want hands shook at the end and respect to be shown. I just want a HARDFOUGHT game played. No pregame handshakes or hugs for guys you know from summer league.

Crosstown Date Set

2009-07-18T12:19:00.002-04:00

Sunday December 13th will be the date of the 2009 version of the Crosstown Shootout. I can't say I am real excited about the day. Almost certainly ESPN has something to do with this. Saturday the 12th would seem to be the better date as college football regular season is wrapped up and bowl play is not started in earnest by then. Whatever I guess. My beloved Bengals play on that day at 1 PM so I will be curious as to the time of the Shootout.

With the date being set and the Deveroes Summer League regular season winding down it is getting time to do a 'summer preview' of both teams for next season. There is always plenty of promise and question each and every offseason. Both sides have plenty of questions. First off XU will have a new coach who is unproven as the lead guy. UC fans have to be curious as to what the final roster will look like heading into the season. They do know the Oklahoma State transfer Thomas will be eligible on 12/13 which is good because they are going to need all the help they can get to walk out of the Cintas Center with a victory. <;)

Vacation - XU Steak Fry

2009-07-17T08:33:00.002-04:00

I have been on vacation since this weekend and apologize for lack of updates and other information. I went to Saugatuck, MI with my wife and 22 month old son. Six hours is about all a little guy can handle in the car which made our destination great. This was my first trip to Michigan and seeing the sunset on Oval Beach over Lake Michigan is a pleasant memory I will carry for awhile. Also had the chance to stop by Notre Dame's campus on the way back. South Bend as a city was a little disappointing but the Irish are the main attraction. Beautiful campus the Irish have by the way.

While I was taking it easy, Griffen McKenzie was racking up the offers with Vanderbilt and the Ohio State University being the latest to his list. Many Xavier fans want to compare Griff to Justin Doellman but their games are very different. McKenzie is more of a '5' and has mixed it up down low on the summer circuit. His lower back injury kept him under the radar last season as he did not play until mid January. He is making up for it in a big way. Obviously would love to have this kid and I am hopeful a decision comes soon. IF he wants to leave town look for Wake, Northwestern, or Vandy to have a real shot at him.

If we land Griffen (who will be a four star prospect by the end of July) JD Weatherspoon will be on the outside looking in. X is looking for one more frontcourt player with the 2010 class and a wing. Right now JD projects as an undersized '4'. I would be suprised if it wasn't X or tOSU. Let's hope JD makes a decision soon. I would say the top wing targets for this class include Jamail Jones and Justin Martin.

Speaking of 2010 prospects while I was away my print copy of PrepStars Recruiters Handbook showed up. Their pre July camp rankings had Jordan Latham at #92. After reading their write up on him at the NBA Players Camp he will fall from that spot. Apparently Jordan tried to do many things he is not capable of. However they go on to say with polish on his hook and jump shot he will be a high level player in college basketball. Latham is 6'8" and could help at the center position based on his rebounding prowess and strength. Other sites (including rivals.com) say that he played very, very well at the Peach Jam down in Georgia.

I did return home last night to enjoy my first Alumni Steak Fry on XU's campus. The meal was very, very good to a country boy like me. The highlights of course were hearing the coaches speak. Before I get into the men's basketball highlights let me just say coach Kevin McGuff and his staff have raised the bar very high for our women's program. Ta'shia Phillips brought home gold from the World University Games in Serbia earlier this summer, Amber Harris is returning to form, and the schedule is killer once again. They may reach a final four before the men do.

I was glad I had the opportunity to hear Coach Mack speak. He is direct and to the point, which I appreciate. When asked what the biggest question/surprise for next season will be he deadpanned "My coaching." He gave the updates on the staff and current players which was all expectedly positive. Hearing the opportunities Pat Kelsey passed up to be at X were tremendous. Pat passed on them before he decided to join Chris at X which says even more to me. Kelsey had a firm offer to join Billy Donovan's staff at Florida after Shaka Smart was named the VCU head coach. He also could have been a D1 coach (I am guessing High Point in North Carolina) but passed on that as well.

Of course someone brought up the infamous Jordan Crawford dunk over Lebron. Coach said he hasn't seen it but heard 'a little bit about it'. He went on to say being able to do that on one of the best of the best in the game today would put the rest of the A10 on notice. That is not exactly what Mack said (he asked that stay under the tent) but he left no doubt in my mind he expects to compete at a very high level. He gave some schedule updates: we open at home against Youngstown State, road games at Butler, Wake Forest, Kansas State and Florida. Other home highlights include LSU and Cincinnati. We also will participate in the Old Spice Classic at Disney World around Thanksgiving that will feature Alabama, Creighton, Michigan, and Marquette. Concerning conference play he remarked Richmond will be a contender and that Temple will be tough. He made mention that we get the Owls on the road for our single contest this year and that is always a tough one to win up there. He also feels the team 'up north' will be 'pretty good'. To be honest he had plenty of zingers for the Flyers program; including a line about 'offseason championships'. Sorry Dave he did not bash your beloved Bearcats at all. Overall I am excited that we have two Xavier guys leading our program. Clearly Mack will have some on the job training with the schedule we have set up in the non conference but we all expect (including him) that our strong basketball tradition will carry on.

Derrick Brown, ect.

2009-07-09T15:25:00.002-04:00

Derrick Brown has reportedly signed a two year guaranteed contract with Charlotte. No terms were disclosed. I say good for him. Show the world what you can do. I saw that DB and Josh Duncan are both playing summer league ball together for the Jazz's team. Charlotte does not field a summer league team. I heard mention that their 'summer league' team actually plays during the winter. Take it for what it's worth.

Mike Dyer from the Cincinnati Enquirer had a story up on Griffin McKenzie from Moeller picking up offers from XU, UC, Wake and Tennessee to go along with a litany of mid major offers. I know most schools were in a "wait and see" mode with Griffin and obviously a few liked what they saw at the adidas Take 5ive classic at UC early this week. He is a face up "4" but also has shown a willingness to get in the paint and do the dirty work. I know he attended a team camp at XU last year but not sure of his current level of interest in the Muskies. Both area schools have had their share of prospects come out of Moeller: Xavier with Duncan and Byron Larkin, UC with Bobby Brannen. Should be an interesting recruitment to follow.

Jordan Crawford is still getting all kinds of 'shine' off his dunk. I don't even want to see it now. It would never do the hype justice. Proud as can be for Jordan; it was great to hear "Jordan Crawford, Xavier sophomore" on the sport talk shows yesterday over and over. I would like to think the fotogs signed a waiver before filming at the camp that stated the film was property of Nike. IF NOT then I have real issues with what went down. Not that it matters what my issues are. For the record Lebron is the ONLY player I would pay to see in a NBA game.

Crawfords Dunk on Lebron

2009-07-08T12:11:00.002-04:00

Hey Lebron, You look more like a punk now that everybody knows you had Nike confiscate the tapes of this dunk than you would have if you just left it out there for the world to see.

You get dunked on by a college baller its news for a few days and goes away.

You make it so no one gets to see it because its at your function and now your a toolbox with a big ego. That will stick longer than Crawfords crotch did to your face.

New Strength Coach , ect.

2009-07-07T15:32:00.003-04:00

Xavier has welcomed a new strength coach on board and to the family. His name is Matt Jennings and he is being hired away from High Point in North Carolina. Before his stint there he worked at South Carolina (focusing on basketball and soccer) and before that he was at Wake Forest with the same responsibilities. He has a connection with Coach Mack and Coach Kelsey from their Wake Forest days. In the late '90's he was on staff with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Best of luck to Matt in developing the talent at Xavier physically.

Also I have read numerous blogs and message boards today glorifying Jordan Crawford's throw down over King Lebron James yesterday at his skills camp in Cleveland. Mr. Crawford (aka the 'Green Mamba') excited onlookers with his 'man up' dunk on James. Jared Sullinger (#3 rated player in 2010 class) put it up on his facebook page. When Gary Parrish and Adam Zagoria make mention of something like this it tells me Jordan help put his name out there nationally as well. Xavier fans will be lucky if they get to enjoy this talent on the floor the next two seasons.

Dee Davis has played well at the take 5 classic up at UC. Jerry Meyer from Rivals.com noted he is 'a steal' for the Musketeers. Let's hope so. Hopefully he can help convince some of the other great talent in Indiana they need to come down to the Queen City to play their college ball. Again if you get the chance take in some of the action up in Clifton. I believe tomorrow may be the last day of the tournament.

Speaking of the Lebron James camp I know Jamail Jones will be there. There will be far less kids than at the adidas tournament but I think the quality of play will be much greater. If I had my choice I would take Jones over Weatherspoon but I think there is room for both on the Musketeers roster. If Mack and staff don't land either of those guys I would imagine they would target Jay Canty, Jordan Manuel, and Griffin McKenzie to add to their team. The level of recruiting is staying at a high level for the Musketeers and this staff.

adidas Take 5 Classic - Other Notes

2009-07-06T19:41:00.003-04:00

If you get the opportunity you should check out the adidas Take 5 Classic going on at UC's campus the next few days. It is one of the premiere events during the July evaluation period. I stopped by today in hopes of getting a glance at Jay Canty (XU target) around lunchtime. There are 3 different age groups playing in this tournament from all over the country. It is a great treat if you are into basketball. Just seeing the coaches is almost worth the $15.00. And the conversations you can have with the AAU coaches, college assistants and parents of some of the players you see is great. There is serious basketball being played and I counted no less than five games going on at once on Ed Jucker court.

In case you missed it Lance Stephenson is official to the UC Bearcats. Some of the faithful are ready to hang the final four banner for next season. In all seriousness he is a tremendous talent on the basketball floor. Paired up with Yancey Gates (who is attending the Lebron James Camp as a counselor this week) on the inside and a proven commodity like Vaughn on the perimeter the Bearcats could make some noise in the always tough Big East. My perspective (with the blue colored glasses off) is Lance has hurdles to clear, the biggest being his amateur status questions the NCAA will ask. My biggest question is will he be at the Deveroes Summer League this weekend?

I also hope to see Jeff Robinson in action at the DSL. School will be entering the second summer session on Victory Parkway and if Mr. Robinson is on campus there is a chance he will play. I will have a summer preview up on the Musketeers soon and would like to see him before that is written.

The Dayton Flyers are starting to assemble a nice recruiting haul for 2010. It started with Daytonian Juwan Staten, now rated #41 by Rivals.com, a superb point guard prospect who is going to prep at Oak Hill Academy this fall. Then Ralph Hill, a wing forward out of Columbus, currently underrated by many made the pledge to Brian Gregory. Then this week 6-1 shooting guard Jesse Berry made a verbal to the Flyers. The three star Lafayette, IN product was also picking up interest from the Bearcats among many others. BG and staff will have two more spots to offer for the class of 2010 and look for them to be in business for top 100 Brandon Spearman and of course every Flyer Fanatic Fantasy Adreian Payne. If they can land those last two watch out A10.

Jeff Robinson to X Official

2009-06-29T12:58:00.003-04:00

Xavier received some front line help for the 2009-2010 season today. Jeff Robinson, a 6-9 210 power forward out of Indianapolis, will be a Musketeer next season. Jeff was recently released from his LOI from Purdue and became available. Many thought he was headed to a junior college but obviously that was not the case. He originally gave his pledge to PU in February 2008 and signed last November. He also held offers from Illinois and Butler at that time. Rivals ranks him as a three star prospect and #40 power forward overall in this class.

Jeff has been termed 'soft' by some recruiting analysts. He played on an absolutely loaded Lawrence North squad (Stephen Van Tresse, Dominique Ferguson, Justin Martin among others) and did not put up very impressive numbers. This will be a nice test for Mack and staff and Jeff has potential for significant minutes if he can play hard and with desire. Jeff adds much needed insurance to our front line for next season and is a pure '4', meaning he will not see anytime at center. When he signed with Purdue originally Matt Painter commented he was one of the top rebounding big men in the NBA Top 100 camp in the summer of '08. So obviously he can go to 'war' with some talented big men on the glass. The story was Jeff needed a summer school credit (which he received) but the Boilers decided to move on. Reading in between the lines PU oversigned for this class and did not expect Jeff to be eligible this season.

Congrats to Jeff and his family on making a fine choice in his college destination.

Lance Stephenson spends weekend in Cincy

2009-06-28T17:11:00.002-04:00

The Cincinnati Bearcats have become major players in the recruitment of Lance Stephenson. According to multiple sources the Bearcats could land Stephenson as early as Tuesday. The 6-5 shooting guard is a five star prospect out of NYC. He also comes with five star baggage if he does sign on to spend one year in Clifton. His sexual assault case is to be resolved tomorrow (Monday) and will presumably be a favorable decision for Lance. Others are involved but landing Stephenson for next season will grab major headlines for the Bearcats. They are recent to the Lance sweepstakes which has been one of the stranger recruitments out there this spring due to the legal wranglings. The young man wanted to wait until his name was cleared before committing which is noble, however it caused many schools to back away or put Lance on the backburner. He is a consensus top 15 player on the court and many feel he will only spend one season in college due to pro aspirations. Stay tuned to this one as (again) there have been numerous twists and turns with Stephenson already.

Derrick Brown to Bobcats

2009-06-27T08:24:00.002-04:00

Derrick Brown went #40 in the second round to Charlotte during the NBA Draft Thursday night. As disappointing as it was for me to see him fall out of the first round, it had to be truly humbling for DB #5. He has no guaranteed spot and will have to work hard to make the Bobcats roster. IF he doesn't do that expect to see him play for a high level Euro team making 300-400K per season. I am not in the camp that says he made a 'mistake'. With the way talent is evaluated in the NBA and the drafting of foreign players and keeping them overseas for more development; he may not of even been drafted at all in 2010.

I hope he makes it. The question I will always have is if he didn't sign with an agent and went where he did, would he have come back? Who knows but you can't hold onto yesterday too long. Best of luck again Derrick and I will update your progress in the fall to see where you do eventually end up playing for pay.

A couple quick recruiting notes:

-XU has a real chance for small forward Jamail Jones. The entire SEC is taking a look at this kid and indications are when the new rivals rankings come out he will move even higher than his current #75 ranking. He was at X's elite camp last weekend and made a very positive impression. Jamail seems to favor Marquette and Xavier right now and I like the fact that MU already has three small forwards for the 2010 class. A long way to go on this guy but it would be great to land him. Mack and Kelsey have solid recruiting connections in the south.

-Internet 'buzz' has JD Weatherspoon making a decision this weekend. All indications are it is down to X and tOSU. I will be mildly surprised if he chooses the Musketeers as he is a Columbus kid but we shall see.

Darwin 'Dee' Davis

2009-06-23T07:21:00.003-04:00

Dee Davis became Xavier's first committed recruit for the class of 2011. He is a rising junior and some predict he will be a top 75-100 level player when the 2011 rankings come out. He had confirmed offers from Purdue and Ohio. He was receiving interest from a host of Big 10 schools and Jody Demling reports Tennessee and Cincinnati were having early interest as well. He is a sub 6' lead guard who has emerged as a potential top 15 point guard in his class according to ESPN.

I know alot can happen between this point and when the student athlete signs his letter of intent but I have a great feeling that this kid will be on campus for the 2011-2012 campaign. He is the first recruit the new regime has landed outside of Miller connections and to get one at that high of a level boasts well for Mack and staff. Travis Steele was the lead recruiter on this one. Getting a kid out of Bloomington, Indiana is no easy task. IU already has a highly touted point signed for that class so that could have been a reason no offer was forthcoming from them.

I really started to feel good about Dee after I read he had been on campus several times unofficially for visits and played several pick up games with current players. X clearly made him and landing a point guard a priority for this class. Further good news is he plays on an AAU team (Indiana Elite) that is chock full of XU targets and high major players. Austin Etherington, Jeremiah Davis, and Justin Gant are all on Xavier's radar currently.

Let's hope we get another one soon from the 2010 class to go along with Jordan Latham. I was anticipating seeing some new offers out of the elite camp from this weekend. Who knows we may be receiving some more great news in the next day or two.

DSL Day 1, NBA Draft, Other Stuff

2009-06-22T18:23:00.002-04:00

I did get to see some action on the first day of the Deveroes Summer League. I was there in time for the first game between McCluskey Chevrolet (NKU) and Superior Cars.com. Dante' Jackson and Deonta Vaughn were teammates on the Superior team. Vaughn led the scoring with 21 on 6-16 shooting and Jackson added 17 points on 5-12 and chipped in 5 steals. It was a close game with Superior winning 72-69 in the end. I still think 'athlete' when I see Dante' play as opposed to more of a skilled basketball player. He is a pure winner however making two big steals and converts for his team late in the game. I have seen Dante' hit some big shots in his career starting in the 2007 Ohio/Kentucky All Star game. I have no doubt he will be the team leader next season and that will be a good thing for Coach Mack. Vaughn added four assists and played a very solid game overall for the winners.

I only stayed for the first half of the next game between Camp's Collision and Clovernook Health Care. There were alot more players involved in this one. Looking at the box; Camps won 74-61. Of interest on the Camps team was former X player Johnny Wolf. He played with former UC recruit Danny McElroy who had a very strong first half and finished 7-10 overall from the field for the game. He will be a solid addition for Bowling Green next season. Brian Walsh and Jamel McLean played for Camps as well and both had their moments. I am excited to learn more about Brian's game over this summer. He saw limited time last season before being redshirted. Clovernook featured Brad Redford, Terrell Holloway, and Darnell Wilks. All had pedestrian games and Brad missed all his three point attempts in the first half but finished with 8 points overall. Holloway was very aggressive but it did not translate into a pretty stat line. Wilks went 1-4 overall and I didn't see anything noteworthy from him in the first half. However he is my favorite to win the new Deveroes Slam Dunk contest this season.

The NBA draft is this Thursday and I am excited to see where Derrick Brown ends up. The speculation is rampant as is the case with all major league sports drafts days before they happen. I am not a big fan of the NBA overall but the draft is always cool to watch. My hope is Derrick has a James Posey type career and he is of course the former Musketeer that DB #5 gets compared to the most. I would like to see him end up with the Celtics but who knows. The Cavs would be nice also.

Xavier also held an 'Elite Camp' this weekend and their were several blue chip recruits in attendance. It will be interesting to see what develops on the recruiting front out of that. My hope is X can land one more player before the July evaluation period.

New uniforms are in store for the Musketeers next year. I am a big fan of 'simple' because I like the classic look the best. I am not saying I want to go back to the boxer shorts but I would like to stay away from Marquette and Oregon type ensembles.

Deveroes Summer League

2009-06-18T15:21:00.003-04:00

The DSL kicks off this Sunday at Noon. It will be back at Woodward High School and I am doing my best to get there to see some action. Being that it is Father's Day I may have to take my 21 month old son along so I don't think my stay will be that long depending on his mood. Of course there are no new Xavier recruits but it will be nice to see Brian Walsh and Mark Lyons play some I hope. Also do not count on Jason Love or Jordan Crawford to be there anytime soon. Crawford will be in Deron Williams camp with a hopeful invite to Lebron's camp in early July. Love is back east working at a 'big man' camp and reportedly excited about the possibility of seeing some time at the '4' next season.

I am curious to see Thomas, Kilpatrick, and Parker play this summer as they are new guys for the dark side (UC). They will most likely be playing on the SLATS team with two returning Bearcats from last season. Also Miami-OH has a nice class coming in and it is always nice to see what Charlie has assembled for the Redhawks. Being that they are a Division 2 school, the NKU Norse can have all their guys play on the same team, usually McCluskey Chevrolet. I have noticed the last couple of seasons the UD Flyers on the current roster stay away. I am not sure if Gregory would rather have them play in the summer leagues in C-Bus but it is a little disappointing not to see the Flyers out there.

Finally I would LOVE to see the Elite Camp down at XU on Sunday. However it is closed to the public but I am expecting some decisions to be made by the staff and potential recruits. I would not be surprised to see a commit to the X men late Sunday evening or early Monday.

Cronin Extended

2009-06-15T21:23:00.002-04:00

The University of Cincinnati has extended basketball coach Mick Cronin's contract through 2014. Obviously done for recruiting purposes but AD Mike Thomas mentioned Mick has gotten the team to improve each year in the overall win column. He does not receive any financial increase over what his current deal is.

With this extension it appears to recruits UC is committed to Cronin for the long haul. As a Xavier fan I am glad to see him sign up for another two years. The wars between him and Mack should be great.

Best of Luck Derrick

2009-06-15T13:36:00.002-04:00

It is now OFFICIAL that Derrick Brown will not be returning to Victory Parkway for next season. Per Chris Mack via twitter this was confirmed. He reportedly has been doing well in his workouts for various teams. This gives me a reason to watch the NBA draft. 'Haters' are already flocking to message boards and websites to pull Mr. Brown down but it looks like he is in fact going to be a first round draft choice.

I have been thinking the last few weeks that he was going to stay in anyway. The so called 'experts' say the class of 2010 will have more talent to pick from so this is a good time for Derrick to go. What's the chances he ends up in New Orleans?

Now that this is official I feel safe in saying the roster is 95% set for the Musketeers next year. In the coming weeks (and maybe after a few Deveroes Summer League games) I will have a summer preview up of the Musketeers and maybe the Bearcats and RedHawks as well.

Best of luck again Derrick and thanks for all the memories. You will always be one of my all time favorite Xavier players. You represented the team and the school very well during your time here.

Matt Pilgrim

2009-06-12T18:00:00.002-04:00

Matt Pilgrim's scholarship at Kentucky was not renewed for this upcoming season. He was obviously recruited over by the rat known as John Calipari at UK. It happens. Now he is most likely NOT to return as a walk on I would think for 2009-2010 season. Matt joined the Wildcat program after transferring from Hampton University. Pilgrim was rather ordinary during his time playing for the Pirates. However all last season they were reports out of UK's practices that Pilgrim was developing into a warrior going against Patrick Patterson.

My hope would be the NCAA would grant Matt a waiver to play wherever he chose for next season. I wouldn't bet a quarter that they would because after all we are talking about the NCAA. You know the organization that 'cares' so much about the 'kids'.

Matt is a native Cincinnatian. He attended Withrow High School and has played a few games in the Deveroes Summer League. He is 6-8 235 pounds of man who can rebound. IF he could secure that waiver he would be a very, very welcome addition to the Xavier team in my opinion. I also think the good folks over on 'Bearcat News' are hinting about him being a "summer suprise". Wherever Matt ends up I wish him nothing but the best as I enjoyed watching him and his brother Mike playing the game of basketball. Again the NCAA has a chance to do the right thing by this young man. John Calipari is still a rat.

He's Back

2009-06-11T13:17:00.003-04:00

Finally some good news today for the Xavier Musketeers basketball team. Jordan Latham has renewed his commitment to XU yesterday evening. He becomes coach Mack's first official recruit as coach of the Musketeers. Latham is a Baltimore native. Congrats to Jordan, Bino Ranson, and Chris Mack for sealing this deal. According to rivals.com he is a four star forward prospect and rated #81 overall in the class of 2010. Prepstars rates him higher in their Spring 2009 edition at #53. Those rankings may go up or down depending on how he does in the NBA Players Association Top 100 camp later this month. He is described as physical forward who finishes around the rim. He will make a terrific front line addition to go with Frease and McLean in the 2010-2011 season. Shannon Russell's blog indicates schools such as Boston College and Cincinnati had interest in him. ESPN's recruiting site had other schools listed such as Marquette, Virginia Tech and Arizona expressing interest. From what I have read he seemed set on Xavier and the hiring of Bino Ranson only helped seal the deal.

A couple of quick notes about some other players Xavier has been mentioned with recently:

- Noel Johnson never made it to campus as reported widely earlier this week. The indication is XU cancelled the visit. Not really clear on why. Perhaps Justin Martin (#54 by Prepstars) is nearing a decision? J-Mart fits that 6-6/6-7 wing scorer Mack has alluded to wanting previously.

-Jake O'Brien decided to stay at Boston University. Part of me thinks Jake wanted to feel the recruiting process all over as he was hurt his senior year of high school. I don't like to discredit prospects like many do after they commit elsewhere. He would have been a fine addition as a four who can hit the long range shot.

-JD Weatherspoon is going to take several visits coming up. I think X remains near the top of his list but ACC schools are starting to wade in. He may be tempted to stay in his hometown and play with several of his current AAU team mates for Thad Matta's Buckeyes. Some programs are probably questioning JD's skill development and where he will play position wise at the next level. There is no doubt he has 'high major' athleticism.

-Brandon Spearman is a backcourt player out of Chicago the Musketeers have picked up interest from. It has been some time since the Muskies had a player on the roster from the Chicagoland era. Kevin Frey maybe? Hopefully Spearman turns out a little better than Kenny Harvey if he dons the X uni.

-Jay Canty a talented wing from North Carolina is also strongly considering X due to ties with Pat Kelsey. Most of the high majors seem to be in 'expressing interest' mode with him likely due to his innaccurate jumper.

X Recruiting Updates

2009-06-08T16:12:00.002-04:00

I thought I would post a couple notes on names that Xavier is currently pursuing:

JAKE O'BRIEN: The talented Boston University sophomore to be has not reached a decision if he is in fact transferring or not. He has visited Xavier and was entertained last week by Phil Martelli and the St. Joseph's staff. I was hoping to see something this weekend one way or another but people on the Hawk fan message board seem to think he is taking another visit to Marquette this week. I feel he is one worth waiting for. I like having players in the '4' hole who present matchup problems with strong perimeter shooting and that would fit Jake like an UnderArmour work out shirt. Some feel the longer this carries out the less positive it will be for XU.

NOEL JOHNSON: This 2009 class small forward would be a HUGE get for the Musketeers. With DBrown heading into the NBA Draft getting some frontline help for THIS season would be tremendous. And it is not like Johnson is some ho hum prospect either. He is rated with four stars from Rivals.com and is currently sitting at #53 overall. In other words they have him more highly rated than Kevin Parrom for this class. His father was quoted in Zagsblog that he was looking for a great academic situation and a up and down playing style. Noel was committed to USC but with the gloom and doom that program is facing with the OJ Mayo story he decided to back away. Since his de-commit from the Trojans he has visited Charlotte and UNLV just this past weekend. Word I am getting from somebody in the know at Cintas is he will be on Victory Parkway a little later this week for a visit. He is from Georgia and the home state Bulldogs are expecting a visit as well. Also SEC member Louisiana State is reportedly on Johnson's list.

JD WEATHERSPOON: This phenomenal athlete was in the Queen City this weekend for the Ohio AAU tournament. I have a friend whose son plays for Club Ohio in the rising sophomore division. Orlando Berry sure has some handle for the All Ohio Purple team by the way. Keep an eye on that guy. Anyway I took a chance to go over Sunday to Princeton's HS gym and catch JD and All Ohio Red. I only stayed for a minute and I was focused on JD. I have only seen him play a handful of times but he reminds me of Bill Walker from NCH a couple seasons ago. Right now he is an undersized '4'. It was interesting to me to see Cheeks and Jordan Crawford in attendance watching him play. Hopefully that is a good indication of the relationships he has developed with the guys on the Muskie squad currently.

Bearcat News

2009-06-02T18:31:00.002-04:00

Some interesting things going on over in Clifton the past couple of days:

1.) George Jackson, long time Withrow HS coach, is returning to the Queen City to be a part of Mick Cronin's staff. It is assumed Chris Goggin will take on an administrative role within the program. George has a reputation of working with bigs. He obviously will have ties to the Ohio recruiting scene and will help Mick and company win some more battles locally on that front. He worked under Louis Orr at Seton Hall and Bowling Green so he should be able to help out on the east coast as well. Some more experience on Mick's staff couldn't hurt and many think this is a make or break year for Mr. Cronin.

2.) It was just announced (as expected) Jaquon Parker has signed with the Bearcats. The 6'4" combo is reportedly a strong defensive player and the Suffolk, VA native spent the past year at Fork Union Military Academy. It was widely assumed he would be re-classified to 2010 but obviously that didn't happen. He committed to Old Dominion in the fall but did not sign. Bearcat fans should be rejoicing as he can play some point if necessary and has the tools to contribute on the Big East level with good coaching.

D Brown to stay in the Draft

2009-05-26T16:44:00.002-04:00

I just read Jeff Goodman's blog and it appears 99% likely that Derrick is staying in. We will be down to 10 scholarship players for next season and play four out, one in quite a bit in my opinion. There is nobody worth wasting a scholarship on for next season at this point in the game. Sure we could land a talented D1 transfer still to sit out next season (Jake O'Brien) but in terms of getting frontcourt help that is eligible for next season that ship has sailed.

So now expectations are tempered a bit from my perspective. I am excited for Derrick for sure and there are no guarantees he is a first round pick, but he must be feeling good after some of his individual workouts. He will always be one of my all time favorite X men. But I am not one to hold on to yesterday for too long. It is time to look ahead. The goal remains the NCAA tournament and we have the talent to do so, without Brown, for the 09-10 season.

After the draft I will take an in depth look at our roster and coaching staff as well. There is further change in our coaching ranks with Chris Rounds (strength and conditioning) off to Arizona. One last (and I do mean LAST) note in regards to Sean Miller. For a guy who claims he has a better chance to win a national title in the desert over the Queen City he sure is acting contrarily. If we had no shot here coach Miller why take the staff and the recruits from 'little old Xavier'? It seems to me your taking the 'Buick' parts and adding them to your 'Lexus'. Good luck $ean.

Best of luck to Derrick once again. It will be nice having another player in the 'league'. My money says Jordan Crawford will be there one day as well.

Couple of things

2009-05-18T19:22:00.002-04:00

Jeff Goodman reported on his blog that Boston University's Jake O' Brien will be on campus early this week. The America East Rookie of the Year is a 6-8 PF who averaged over 12 points a game. Goodman's blurb also said he was considering Butler.

Brian Grant has been diagnosed with an early form of Parkinsons Disease. At 37 BGrant is to young to be dealing with that. ESPN will cover this story on their next 'Outside the Lines'.

Will Barton (five star shooting guard) has Xavier on his 'list'. It shows Bino can get 'in' with the highest level prospects in Baltimore. However being on his list and getting him to seriously consider Xavier are two totally different things.

I read in an article dated May 3rd that JD Weatherspoon was leaning towards re-committing to Xavier. This was before tOSU offered but considering he didn't jump all over that offer the Muskies appear to be in great shape with JD.

Derrick Brown Update

2009-05-17T11:51:00.003-04:00

Derrick Brown participated in commencement activities yesterday and received his degree along with CJ Anderson and BJ Raymond. Brown has been invited to the NBA camp in Chicago for May 27 -29th. Reading the other 57 names at that camp I feel like Derrick will have a terrific opportunity to play himself into solid first round consideration. It will be interesting to see which teams invite him for individual workouts leading up to the June 15th early entry withdrawal date. My feeling at this time is he will be drafted in the first round. Nothing scientific here I just agree with many that this year is a weak draft class and his chances are good. To be clear I would be more than happy if he came back for Chris Mack's first season as head coach but life will go on if he does stay in. I would like to see him go first round if he does.

IF HE DOES stay in the NBA draft Xavier will be down to 10 scholarship players. If we were to lose another transfer we would be down to danger time in case of injuries or academic issues. To that end you may see Xavier offer Jamal Olaswere out of Springbrook High School in Maryland. He has been receiving late interest from Georgetown but he has been 'off the radar' of most scouting services. He is a 6'6" post player who has a dominant left hand. I have never seen Jamal play but my take is if he is offered on his visit later this week Mack and staff see the need for insurance. There is some thought on banking the scholarship for next season to give us four for the 2010 class. My dream recruiting class for next year would be Jordan Latham, JD Weatherspoon, Donnie Hale, and Jay Canty. However there are new names popping up every weekend since AAU season is in full swing. My expectation is that we would have two sewn up heading into the July evaluation period but recruiting is a very inexact science to say the least.

Chaney to VA Tech

2009-05-11T17:04:00.003-04:00

Allan Chaney enjoyed his visit with Seth Greenberg and the Hokies enough to commit there this weekend. He never made it to Xavier's campus as he was scheduled to visit later this month. He would have been a nice addition to the team in the 2010-11 season.

Xavier is beginning to offer several prospects from the 2011 class, including Dee Davis from Bloomington, IN. He is a 5-9 point guard and is one of the best in his class at the '1'. Obviously his hometown school would be attractive but the Hoosiers already have a 2011 point guard committed. Davis was on campus for move out weekend. His AAU team mate Austin Etherington made it to campus this weekend as well. They play together for the Indiana Elite AAU team and Travis Steele is using his connections very well to get in on these kids. The battle for both will be tough. There are several high major players on Indiana Elite and it should be interesting to see if Xavier lands any off this team.

I have also heard Weatherspoon and Latham are still very viable options for the Musketeers 2010 class. There is still serious interest from both guys in the XU program. It would be nice to see both these guys be a part of Coach Mack's first class at Xavier.

Quick Recruiting Updates

2009-05-06T19:11:00.004-04:00

Two weeks until the spring signing period ends (5/20) and neither of the local teams have picked up any recruits in this window. Couple of notes:

XU:

-ALLAN CHANEY will be visiting Xavier later this month according to zagsblog. He visited St. Joe's last week and Temple this week and several Big East suitors. Some like our chances with him and some don't. Will Bino and Mack land their first commit for Xavier?

-AUSTIN ETHERINGTON (2011) has picked up XU's first offer for his class. Currently listed at 6-5 and a shooting guard at Hamilton Heights (IN) HS he may not be done growing. My Naptown buddy says think Gordon Hayward from Butler. Should be noted that Austin's dad played basketball at BU.

-JD WEATHERSPOON (2010) picked up an offer from Thad Matta and the Buckeyes this week. If that would have happened this time last year we would have never got started with him. I take the fact that he didn't commit right away as a positive sign for X.

-CHAD JACKSON (2010) according to Jody Demling from the Louisville Courier Journal; Jackson holds offers from Xavier and West Virginia. The shooting guard from Scott County HS has interest from Butler and hearing from Kansas, Florida, and Indiana recently.

-DONNIE HALE (2010) Hale fell off the radar earlier last season when Latham and Weatherspoon verballed. Now that those commits are no longer there currently the New Albany, IN native is once again receiving attention from the Xavier staff.

UC:

-JOHN RIEK was the big story this week in town on the recruiting front. Mick spent plenty of time with this kid to know what the issues were and in the end ultimately did the right thing for the program. Cronin has not had a good history with foreign big men but you can clearly see why he would be interested in JR. At the Lebron James Camp in 2007 he burst onto the scene and was projecting as a lottery pick. He is academically eligible to play for Mississippi State but there are still questions regarding his amateur status with the NCAA because he filed for the NBA draft last year.

-ERIC BLEDSOE at one time in the not so distant past had serious interest in UC. In the end it came down to the Memphis Tigers and Kentucky Wildcats. He chose to join an outstanding class for John Calipari that is starting to get 'Fab 5' type hype. The options are running thin at point guard (always a premium position) in the spring of 2009. Prominent JUCO targets are starting to fall off the board as well.

-CHANE BENAHAN (2011-verbal commit) has looked impressive in spring AAU tournaments besides a bad back. He is working on his jump shot and remains one of the best in his class. Expanding his perimeter game will be key if he stays in the 6-6, 6-7 range to making him even more impressive as a prospect.

-GRIFFIN MCKENZIE (2010) local prospect from Moeller high school may be one to keep an eye on. He had some injury issues last year but the 6-9 forward should be healthy for the spring AAU circuit.

-SEAN KILPATRICK is assuredly joining the UC squad next fall. After committing to UC last season Sean went on to have an impressive prep school season. His scoring capabilities will be a welcome addition to the team next season.

Finally congratulations to Bill Edwards Jr for announcing for Penn State Nittany Lions this week. The Middletown high school first team all state player joins three others in PSU's '09 class. Rivals.com reports his final choice came down to Penn State and Miami (OH).

Parrom to Arizona

2009-05-04T14:20:00.002-04:00

No big suprise here: on his weekend visit to Arizona Kevin Parrom committed to the Wildcats. He obviously wanted to play for Miller and Book and life goes on. I could have done without the whole 'Buick to a Lexus' statement he repeated several times but hey $ean is getting easier not to like with each passing day. In the end he needs to win games in Tuscon and he feels Parrom will help him there. It is funny and ironic to me that he said he thought he had a better chance to win a national title at Arizona than Xavier and then continues to pursue the same recruits he was bringing to X. Always one to look on the bright side at least I won't have to put up with 'coach puncher' comments from Flyer and Bearcat faithful for the next few seasons.

Again I think the only chance we fill a scholarship this spring is with Allen Chaney, the transfer from Florida. We are getting on with the 2010 class and some familiar names may commit to X by the end of the July period again. We have lots of PT to offer frontcourt players and guys want to play right away these days. Also Mack and staff have offered their first 2011 target out of Indiana so never fear Muskie faithful it will be business as usual soon enough on the grassroots scene.

Allan Chaney

2009-04-29T21:00:00.002-04:00

Allan Chaney is transferring from Florida. The 6-8 225 power forward was rated #108 overall by Prepstars in the fall of 2007. Adam Zagoria has posted in his blog that Chaney will be visiting St. Joes tomorrow and then Virginia Tech on Saturday. He has also lined up visits to Temple and Providence within the next two weeks. Xavier, Seton Hall, and Rutgers are vying for his last trip. Working against the Musketeers is Chaney wants to play close to home. However he is from Baltimore, MD originally. Can Bino deliver his first player to Xavier? It looks to be a long shot at this point since we don't even have a confirmed visit. Prepstars scouting write up on him indicated he boasted strong post moves, very good free throw shooter, and would work the glass at both ends.

If Xavier doesn't land Chaney they will most likely bank the scholarship for next season and go into the season with only 11 scholarship players, making four available for the very talented 2010 class. Of course Mack and staff may have other options they want to explore.

Pat Kelsey

2009-04-27T09:43:00.004-04:00

Pat Kelsey today will be announced as the 'Associate Head Coach' and will be the final piece to join Chris Mack's staff. Anytime you can get a guy of this caliber you take him. He just interviewed for Applachian State's head coaching gig and is only 33 years old. He has spent the last nine years on Wake Forest's staff and was promoted to assistant when Mack left Wake Forest to rejoin the Musketeers under Miller. From a recruiting standpoint this is a huge win. He is credited with being the lead man for Wake on the recruitment of Ari Stewart, Tony Woods, Al-Farouq Aminu, Ishmael Smith, James Johnson and Jeff Teague. The team and staff are setting themselves up to hit the ground running for the loaded 2010 class in the fall. Also it appears Mario will be staying in his role and Chris Rounds (strength coach) seems set to stay as well.

In regards to recruiting there is 'buzz' that highly touted Donte Williams (2010) from Georgia will be announcing a decision soon which Xavier fans will be interested in. When you think of Williams think Derrick Brown but only a couple of inches taller. Kelsey really has made a lot of headway in Georgia the last few years. Certainly the ACC is easier to sell than the A10 but we should be in great shape with players from that loaded state for this upcoming class. Of course Kelsey played at XU and graduated in 1998. He may not be here long if he continues to pop up on lower tier schools radar's as a possible Head Coach or he could be the next in line here at Xavier. He becomes only the second Associate Head Coach X has ever had, the first being Sean Miller.

Recruiting Rumors

2009-04-22T19:35:00.003-04:00

The coaches contact period is coming to a close for the spring. This is what I have gathered out there on the 'world wide web' with the usual dose of speculation. Again it is much harder to follow the spring recruiting because things tend to happen quickly for a variety of reasons.

We do know Chris Mack was in Georgia recently. Chris has developed some connections there. He had Xavier involved with 2009 prospects Ari Stewart (Wake Forest), Jeremy Olsen (Utah), and Kammeon Holsey (Georgia Tech) among others. Potentially 'among others' included Daniel Miller a 6-10 235 center from Loganville, GA. He signed with Georgia in the fall and is rated the 28th best center by scout.com in his class. Georgia released him on Monday and he signed with Georgia Tech today. Nice thought but time to move on.

I read courtesy of Shannon Russell that Bino Ranson has not even met the team yet because he has been out on the road recruiting for the Musketeers since accepting the job. I like this guy already. I will reiterate I think Xavier's chances with Jordan Latham remain strong with Bino joining the staff. No doubt he has a guy or two in mind that may still be available to join Xavier this spring.

Also the class of 2011 seems to be deep in Indiana according to Prepstars and possibly even deeper in 2012. Travis Steele will take the lead there on the recruiting trail due to his extensive connections there on the grassroots scene.

In regards to Kevin Parrom X seems to still have a shot from everything I have read. I would put the chances at about 20/80 that he ever comes to Victory Parkway. Schools like Arizona, Rhode Island, South Carolina, UCONN, and Marquette among many others are reported interested. I take exception to posters on the internet belittling Sean for pursuing King Kev. Why wouldn't he? Also what most of us web idiots are forgetting: it should be the kids choice of where he wants to go to school and play for. I have never been too keen on a kid even having to get a release once the head coach leaves; it shouldn't be a question.

My 'friend' across town Mick Cronin is doing a hell of a job this spring. I mean that with all due respect. Re-securing John Riek could pay huge dividends for them in the Big East battles. He is also swinging for the fences for some help for Cash at the point guard spot. Eric Bledsoe is a big time prospect and is currently rated #23 in Rivals.com ratings. Getting him on campus for a visit can only be taken as a positive. Florida remains high on his list as well as Kentucky and Memphis. Many feel he is waiting for John Wall to make a decision among the three schools listed previously as well. IF that is true I think the 'Cats chances diminish on landing him. CJ Vilarno (the one time PG committ to Kentucky) appears headed to Gonzaga and I am not sure if UC was seriously considered by him. I would imagine sans landing Bledsoe the Bearcats will reel in a JUCO point guard to give depth and keep Deonta at the '2'.

Also I would be remiss if I didn't mention Terrell Vinson. The 6-6 forward is a four star recruit from Baltimore and rated #90 on Rivals top 150 list. UC was in a battle right up until the end on Monday when Vinson announced for UMASS. Mick lost to another A10 school. Maryland was also right there for Terrell. Interestingly enough he originally committed to Loyola Marymount out on the left coast but gained his release after a coaching change. It would appear UC has been after Kavon Lytch, a JUCO currently at Midland College in Texas. He is an undersized four (6-6) and some compare him to a poor man's Eric Hicks. The depth of schools interested in him is across the board. Justin Brownlee (another JUCO prospect) is also mentioned as a possibility but is more of a small forward which is a need with Mitchell's dismissal earlier this spring.

Finally the Dayton Flyers had a scholarship open when Stephen Thomas transferred closer to home at IUPUI. Brian Gregory landed a very good division 1 transfer in Josh Parker. Josh is a proven commodity and has been a double figure scorer at Drake. He will be a redshirt junior when fellow point guard Juwan Staten shows up on campus for the 2010-2011 season. Juwan is the real deal by the way. I had a chance to see him play in this years D2 state championship game and was impressed. Gregory is building quite the team there in the Gem City. Staten plays with the absolutely loaded All Ohio AAU team that also features Dayton native Adreian Payne. Every school in a 250 mile radius seems to be listed by AP but Dayton has been in on him for a long time.

To be sure you are going to miss out on targets a lot more than you are going to land one. Given how much time and energy coaches give to most often get rejected in the end is amazing.

Orlando 'Bino' Ranson

2009-04-18T15:13:00.003-04:00

Shannon Russell is confirming the hire of Ranson. Quick research shows he is a 1999 graduate of Southern New Hampshire. He scored over a 1,000 points during his playing days for the Division 2 school. Previous to this past (and only) season at James Madison he worked for head coach Matt Brady at Marist for a total of three seasons. Ironically enough he replaced Emmanuel 'Book' Richardson on that staff. It is believed he has some strong ties to the grassroots scene in Baltimore and worked the AAU circuit there before beginning his college coaching career.

A quick search of scout.com revealed some of the players from the Baltimore, Maryland area for the class of 2010. I would imagine you could see these players show up as targets for Xavier. The best of the bunch is Roscoe Smith. He is a 6-7 small forward who is a consensus top 10 recruit in his class. Will Barton a four star shooting guard is another prospect getting tons of attention from high majors. Of course X fans recognize Jordan Latham and I believe the Muskies chances of retaining him just increased with the hire of Ranson. Other top players from B-More include Eric Atkins, Antonio Barton, Jonathan Graham, Donte Holmes, and Riley Beaumont.

In reading Ranson's bio from the JMU web site he has a young and accomplished family. I am excited about the recruiting prospects he could bring to Victory Parkway.

Staff, Brown; other stuff

2009-04-18T08:18:00.003-04:00

The coaching staff continues to come together. We know Travis Steele (25) and Brian Thornton have filled roles already. Mario Mercurio has also been reported to stay in his current position. Chris Rounds (strength and conditioning coach) has done a terrific job with the team and is pondering a move to Arizona. Also I have information that a James Madison assistant will be joining the staff. I would imagine you will see an official announcement when both candidates have been identified and accepted the offer. With Coach Mack visiting Kevin Parrom today you may not see that until early next week. Shannon Russell from the Enquirer did confirm thru Mack that Pat Kelsey will not be joining his staff.

Regarding Derrick Brown and his early entry status, I can't say that I am suprised. What junior who hasn't completed his academic requirements wouldn't want to stick his toe in the water with the NBA? Couldn't hurt to see where you stand. Brown will be earning two degrees this spring; one in Marketing and the other Entrepenurial Studies. He will make the best business decision for himself. Selfishly I hope he stays, but if he works his way into a first round pick this year through great workouts I will be proud as proud can be. That will be another NBA jersey to hang in the locker room hallway which is impressive to young recruits.

Did anybody see Isiah Thomas is going to coach Florida International? Wow. Apparently Isiah has long been interested in coaching at the college level. I am curious as to how that turns out. Apparently FIU's only candidates to take over for their interim coach were former NBA players.

The spring signing period wraps up on May 20th. The past few seasons you are seeing prospects take longer and longer in the spring to make a decision. The coaching carousel plays a big part in that. Often times the deadline for the spring period passes and players will still show up on campuses in the summer with no formal announcements from schools.

'Feedin' the Machine'

2009-04-15T18:42:00.002-04:00

I like that line. Coach Mack has said it his job to 'keep feedin' the machine'. I think the team should get that printed up for the summer work out t-shirts. After listening to Chris at his presser today I feel even more confident we are heading in the right direction. The team has tremendous talent and another stay past the first weekend of the NCAA tournament seems likely.

As expected Travis Steele has been promoted to an assistant position on the team. His previous three years he worked at Indiana University. Before that from 2001-2006 he was a coach on the Spiece/Indiana Elite AAU team that featured such players as Greg Oden and Mike Conley among others. Recruiting Indiana should be second nature for him.

Also Brian Thornton is going to join the team as Director of Basketball Operations and should make a nice impact on our 'bigs' over the course of the season. BT is a great 'fit' because he values academic excellence. It also looks like Mario Mercurio will stay on in his administrative role with the program.

Apparently Coach Mack is headed to NYC this weekend to talk to Kevin Parrom. Kev is a 6'5" small forward and consensus top 100 level player by all the scouting services I peruse. Keeping him would be a nice start for Mack on the recruiting front. It won't be long before the recruiting momentum picks up for the program at all. Mack has high expectations for the staff he is assembling and I am excited to see who the last two assistants will be.

Feed the machine baby!

John Riek will be a Bearcat

2009-04-15T09:20:00.002-04:00

According to the Sporting News Riek is expected to sign a letter of intent today the 1st day of spring signing. It appears that he has jumped through all the NCAA hoops and rehabbed his knee and is ready to play. This is exciting news to all who thought he was never coming and a great get for Mick. Way to stay on top of him coach!

Boals off the board

2009-04-15T06:52:00.002-04:00

Jeff Boals, associate head coach at Akron, will be joining Thad Matta's staff at the Ohio State University. This move was predicated because Archie Miller will be joining his brother at Arizona. $ean has no recruiting ties to the west so this should be interesting. Rivals.com has also reported that Kyryl will not be eligible this upcoming season due to playing for a university in Ukraine. Bummer.

It has been confirmed that Travis Steele has been promoted to an assistant coach position on the Xavier staff. Brian Thornton will assume the Director of Basketball Operations role for the team. Brian is XU basketball's only Academic All American. He should be a great fit. The other two assistants hopefully will be announced today.

Finally it appears Kevin Parrom is 50/50 as of now on coming to X. Rumors of him taking visits w/o his release from X are erroneous. Rhode Island, Providence, and of course Arizona are all rumored to be interested if he does gain his release. To me King Kev is gone but X won't release him to play for another A10 school. I imagine Chris will fill one of our two available scholarships this spring and may hold onto the last 1 for a Division 1 transfer to sit out next season. That is pure conjecture on my behalf.

Press conference today at 1 PM should be interesting. I feel like after that things will get back to normal in Xavier Nation.

Mack is the choice

2009-04-14T17:47:00.002-04:00

The news is now 'official'. Chris Mack will be the next head coach of the Xavier Musketeers. I am not going to re-hash his resume but I feel the 39 year old is ready for the challenge. He clearly understands the expectations of the program and it's fan base. No doubt he will work hard and will make the most of his opportunity. To be clear I am no 'pollyanna', he has to produce. If not he will feel the heat to be sure.

Now on to the fun stuff. Who will the staff be? All kinds of names are being tossed out there. Pat Kelsey seems to be a popular one. He spent time with Chris at X and on the bench at Wake Forest with him under Skip Prosser. Some feel Pat may be ready to come home. I think Travis Steele is a slam dunk for a promotion. He has been around with Mack as the other guys were packing up. He is John Groce's half brother and was on Indiana's staff three years before arriving on Victory Parkway. A plus for him would be strong recruiting connections in the Hoosier state and a healthy understanding of NCAA phone regulations. Brian Thornton looks to be a candidate for an administrative type position. Joel Cornette is at Iowa currently but is a St. Xavier guy. He wouldn't be the first to flee Todd Lickliter's camp this spring as half the roster has declared they are leaving the Hawkeyes at the end of the semester. Jeff Massey at Bonaventure seems to be another natural fit due to his playing days for the Musketeers. One of the biggest rumors out there is Jeff Boals will be a part of Mack's staff. Who is Jeff Boals? He is the associate head coach at Akron. His recruiting ties are strong in the midwest and he is credited with getting class of 2010 studs like Adriean Payne and JD Weatherspoon to list Akron as schools under consideration. He was also the lead assistant for the Zips recruiting Zeke Marshall this year. Also 2011 blue chippers Markus Crider and Stevie Taylor list the Zips and Boals would certainly bring their phone numbers with him to X.

You could also see Mack go after a coach with head coaching experience at the D1 level. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't. Or you could see him go after a lead dog from the AAU circuit like Curtis Malone. Who is Curtis Malone? He is the director of the DC Assault program in (you guessed it) Washington, DC. I know people around here will remember James White. Seriously most of the players who come through that program end up in the ACC and other power conferences. Someone along those lines (possibly him) could be in the offing.

Great day to be a Xavier fan. The future is bright. One positive in hiring Mack is the talent in the program knows what he is all about. Many our on record (Frease for sure)that they would stay if Mack was given the job. I just don't want to hear any damn KrissKross songs at the Cintas Center next year.

So Who Will It Be?

2009-04-13T10:08:00.002-04:00

It has been one week since Sean made it official with Arizona. In the week since then Sean has taken along James Whitford and Book Richardson as assistants. He also seems to have an offer on the table for Mario Mercurio to be his director of basketball operations for the Wildcats. Finally Kyryl Natazkho made it official Saturday night at the Derby Classic in Louisville and will be joining Sean at Arizona. But enough about $ean. The storm has passed. I think by tomorrow afternoon we will know who the next coach of the Xavier Musketeers will be. With the school being closed today for the Easter holiday no official business will be conducted. Also the season ending basketball banquet is on Wednesday night with the spring signing period also officially getting under way on the 15th. That lends Tuesday as a ideal day for an announcement. Here is my preferences for the job listed in order with the percentage chance they have of getting the nod:

Chris Mack (80%): There is rampant speculation currently that he has been offered the job and they are waiting for the team to all get back from Easter vacation before an announcement is made. I would support Chris getting the job because out of all the candidates nobody would understand Xavier and the current team better. The only drawback to Chris is lack of experience. I take heart that Xavier has done well by calling on guys who were assistants or had only one year experience in the head seat in recent searches.

Brad Brownell (5%): He has done well at basketball only schools UNC-Wilmington and Wright State. His team's are defensive oriented and can struggle to score at times. However you must keep in mind the talent level that he has been able to attract to those schools. I firmly believe having access to the resources Xavier offers it's basketball program Brad would flourish. The down side there is when that happens the big money state schools will come calling.

Keith Dambrot (5%): I am liking the idea of Keith more and more. His connections with Lebron only enhance his reputation. Dambrot landed Zeke Marshall out of McKeesport, PA this past year when he was rated a top 50 prospect by rivals.com. How many 6-11 centers rated that highly end up in the MAC right out of high school? None until now. He also has built up the Zip program to the NIT two years ago and a NCAA appearance this year against Gonzaga. Dan Hipsher was solid as a coach for Akron but no postseasons. The program was never the same after Bob Huggins left in the '80's. Sound familiar?

Darrin Horn (5%): I personally think the Darrin Horn ship has sailed due to money. XU was just getting ready to pay Sean in the 1.1 million range. I believe sources quoted Darrin as expecting a starting salary of 1.25 million to leave South Carolina. I know 'sources' are generally bs but this seems plausible. And he is not lying when he said HE has never contacted Xavier about their coaching search. However I am certain his attorney has spoken to XU officials. Such a tangled web these coaches weave.

John Groce (5%): Yes I know Ohio University finished last in the MAC this year. Yes I know John Groce was a huge Churchill Odia fan. However the man is a hell of a recruiter sans the over sight on Church. He got Kyryl to take a visit to Athens after the Ukranian visited X. His class for next year is very strong and probably the best in the MAC. He runs a system that X players and fans would be very familiar with. His half brother is on the staff currently at Xavier as the DBO. However I think many X faithful and high level donors in AFO have had enough of the Thad Matta coaching tree at this point and time. Nevertheless you never know until an official announcement is made.

In the end I think Mack is the man for X. I could see him retaining Travis Steele (current DBO) as an assistant coach, bringing Pat Kelsey as his lead guy from Wake Forest, and making a offer for Mario to be his DBO. Mario is a St. X grad as well. His final assistant position could possibly be someone with strong ties to the grassroots scene for recruiting purposes. So there you go. IF Mack is the man I think you will see a scenario like that play out. I also think Mack would keep roster turnover to a minimum for the Muskies. Either way tomorrow is a big day for Xavier hoops fans.

Ohio Kentucky All Star Game Review

2009-04-13T09:23:00.002-04:00

I did attend the 18th annual Ohio Kentucky All Star Basketball game Saturday evening. Kentucky ended a five year losing streak against the Ohio boys. However I don't go to watch the outcome of the game, moreso to see the talent in the game and here are my thoughts on a few of the guys on both sides:

Ohio All Stars:

Ryan Borden (Oak Hill): He has not selected a college yet but a Division 1 school should invite him as a walk on. He hits from deep very consistently and hit big time shots from there in the Division 4 state championship game this year.

Darian Cartharn (Canal Winchester): This powerfully built guard is headed to Wright State. He seems to be a combo guard instead of a pure 1 or 2 guard. I didn't see much of his jumpshot but his broad shoulders certainly assist him on drives to the basket.

Bill Edwards (Middletown): First team all state Division 1 player is undecided. From Tom Groeschen in the Enquirer he recently visited Central Florida and also is getting interest from Oklahoma State. It should be noted that Travis Ford also liked Bill when TF was at UMASS. Wright State would love to have him for obvious reasons and I think Miami-OH has been involved for some time. My question is does either UC or XU get involved with him? I know Mick has some open scholarships and my bet is Kevin Parrom never enrolls at Xavier for next season. For this reason I watched Bill very closely. He has nice form on his jumpshot. He is a right handed dribbler. He predominately drives to his right, however I saw him switch to his left hand on a shot from the leftside in mid air and draw the 'and one' call. I am not sure if he is 6-7, appears to be closer to 6-6. He also shed some baby fat from his junior year. From what I saw in this game he plays the game in an even demeanor. Why I certainly don't see him coming in a being a difference maker at a high major program, he would look like he belonged. I think by his junior and senior seasons he could be a solid player at that level.

Matt Kavanaugh (Centerville): Matt is headed to UD next fall. In the first five minutes of the game Matt was the MVP. He has great size and runs the floor very well. He is aggressive and every bit of the 6-9 he is listed at. However in his second rotation and in the final period he was inaccurate on his shots to say the least. He showed nice rotation on a three point shot that was missed. To me he certainly was the best recruit on the floor tonight. To show he belongs at Dayton as a big man he was also in foul trouble (sorry couldn't resist one jab). He is already better than Kurt Huelsman on the offensive end and will join redshirt freshman Josh Benson in bolstering the Flyers front line next season.

Danny McElroy (LaSalle): It is easy to see (from this game) why UC backed off of Danny. He certainly passes the look test but his offensive game isn't fluid at all out on the floor. I imagine Louis Orr and George Jackson will keep him in the paint next year at Bowling Green. He has solid attributes to build off of. Danny runs the floor very well and seems to be very active on the glass.

Allen Roberts (Middletown): Powerfully built guard showed off his athleticism with a monster dunk over some Kentucky All Stars. I didn't see much of his jumpshot. However sitting behind the Ohio bench I got to witness plenty of his attitude. He jawed with the officials too much for my taste. As his team was starting to get back into it he was hit with a costly technical foul. I would hope this was an exception to his behavior on the floor and not the norm. Charlie Coles runs a tight ship in Oxford and I am sure he will get the most out of Allen at Miami.

Jon Smith (Grove City): I kept a close eye on this skinny gazelle because he is headed to play for St. Louis next season. Honestly I see him redshirting to get stronger for Rick Majerus. Jon runs the floor very well, is active on the glass, and shows a knack for timely shot blocking. Ideally you would like to see a player of his size and length to have a consistent jump shot and that may come with time. However if he were to grow another inch or two he could develop into a effective post option in the A10 down the line.

Orlando Williams (Princeton): One of the most active players for the Ohio All Stars all night. He took a lot of trips to the free throw line and showed good form and accuracy. He has a good perimeter jump shot and is also effective driving the ball to score. He gets a little loose on his handle from time to time but I see him playing sooner rather than later at Miami-OH. A little more weight on his frame may be the only thing holding him back from doing that.

Kentucky All Stars:

Devin Adams (Shelby Valley): They must use different measuring sticks down in the hills of Kentucky. Seriously, no way this kid is 6-10, more like 6-8. Thus I think Devin's ultimate destination is at the D2 level or NAIA. He did have a nice block on a shot after running all out from one end to the other to get to it. He also plays like a '5' in all other aspects. Overall though his skill set and physical strength look like they place him out of the D1 category.

Darrin Ballou (Adair County): This Morehead State signee is very solid. He hit a couple from three point land and his stroke looked solid and consistent. Darrin also mixed it up down low and is very effective on the glass. He will be a solid four man in the Ohio Valley Conference before his career is done with the Eagles.

Ethan Faulkner (Elliot County): This co-MVP for the Kentucky All Stars lead the team in floor burns. This kid is just a winner. I know NKU coach Dave Bezold was looking on in satisfaction. What Ethan lacks in foot speed he makes up with desire and leadership. He is reputed a good jumpshooter but he scored most of his ten points off of drives to the basket. He could compete for PT right away at Northern.

Evan Faulkner (Elliot County): Ethan's twin was less impressive too me. On paper he would seem to be the better player because he is going to D1 Radford University to play for Brad Greenberg. However in this game he never got into a good flow.

Eric Mosley (Louisville Moore): This guy is a very heady player and a good scoring point guard. He is no where near the 6'0" they list him at and probably closer to 5'10". That doesn't mean a whole lot to me and I could see Eric doing well at a CUSA or a SUN BELT type school.

Jordan Reves (Jeffersontown): This big fella is a legit 6'10". He has committed to UT-Arlington over limited interest from other programs. Jordan will need to get stronger as it looks like he goes about 210-215 now. He shows good insticts but drifts a little too much away from the paint. Granted this was an all star showcase I was viewing him in but he shows enough upside to warrant his scholarhip at the D1 level.

Ohio/Kentucky HS All Star Game

2009-04-10T10:06:00.002-04:00

The annual Ohio/Kentucky HS all star game is due to be played at Thomas More College tomorrow night at 7:30 PM. High school players are allowed by NCAA rules to participate in two of these all star/post season invitationals. I have attended this event the past several seasons and even had a chance to talk to Clark Kellogg a couple years ago. You will see many D1 assistants, D2 coaches, NAIA coaches, and JUCO coaches dotting the stands and sidelines hoping to land one of the uncommitted players. Generally the talent in Kentucky is less than Ohio (although the 2010 class in KY is loaded!) and not all the best players come. This year Jon Hood (a UK commit) from Kentucky and Garrick Sherman (Michigan State) from Ohio are not participating as an example.

Of interest to me on the Ohio team is Bill Edwards from Middletown. His father was a star at Wright State in the late '80's. He is receiving attention from a wide range of schools including Central Florida and Oklahoma State. He has been listed between 6-5 and 6-7 and was a first team all state Division 1 player this past season. He will be joined by team mate Allen Roberts who is headed to Miami-OH. Other D1 commits on the Ohio team include Damian Carthan (Wright State), Matt Kavanaugh (Dayton), CJ McCollum (Lehigh-2009 Gatorade Ohio POY), Danny McElroy (Bowling Green), Jonathan Smith (St. Louis), and Orlando Williams (Miami-OH). Besides Edwards, Jared Porrini from Canton Timken HS is receiving D1 interest to my knowledge.

On the Kentucky side we have Darren Ballou (Morehead State)and Evan Faulkner (Radford) already committed to D1 schools. Evan's twin brother Ethan is also participating and he is headed to Northern Kentucky. Jody Demling of the Louisville Courier Journal has stated the Faulkner brothers are two of the best shooters in the 2009 class. There are several UK football commits playing in this game including Larod King, Ridge Wilson, and Leonard Macon. There is also several players uncommitted on the blue team that are receiving D1 interest. Included in that group are Chris Dowe from Louisville Eastern HS (Wright State, Southern Illinois, Fairfield, Western Carolina, and Eastern Kentucky), Jacob Jenkins (he battled foot injury early in the season which slowed his recruitment), Steven McFarland out of Boone County HS (Belmont, Bucknell, and Eastern Kentucky), Eric Mosely a dynamic scoring combo guard out of Louisville Moore HS who was getting interest from Billy Gillespie's UK staff but now seems more likely to choose from a school like Louisiana-Monroe or Tulsa. Last but not least is Jordan Reeves. He is a 6-10 center from Jeffersontown HS who has added weight this season. At the beginning of the year he was only receiving D1 interest from Texas-Arlington but that list has grown to include others.

If your a hoops junkie like me I would recommend catching this event. As mentioned previously you can see a lot of local college coaches and luminaries like Byron Larkin over there catching the action.

Portsmouth Invitational/Coach Rumors

2009-04-10T09:57:00.002-04:00

I just wanted to speak on BJ Raymond's outstanding performance last night at the Portsmouth Invitational. His team won and will play again tonight at 9 PM. If they win that game they will be in the championship tomorrow at 8 PM. Portsmouth has long been a camp for senior college players serious about a pro career in basketball. Usually the players that do well here are invited to NBA camps in Orlando and Chicago at the Moody Bible Institute. Mostly scouts from foreign teams occupy the stands. BJ made an impression with 19 points off of 4-5 from three point range in 31 minutes off the bench. I hope he follows up with another strong performance tonight. Raymond has a good chance to make good money playing a game he loves.

Also I wanted to speak quickly on the coaching rumors. Darrin Horn is saying he is not interested and no contact was made. IF I was a South Carolina basketball fan I would be more worried now than ever. That statement of 'no contact, no interest' is usually a harbringer that something is indeed going on. Another name that keeps surfacing that is intriguing to me is Jim Christian from TCU. Also xavierhoops has several interesting names being chatted about including Ron Everhart from Duquesne and Chris Collins at Duke. Hot rumor is Coack K called pumping Chris up. If we are going with an assistant coach the only choice there in my mind is Chris Mack.

Horn in town today

2009-04-09T17:40:00.003-04:00

Multiple media outlets reported Darrin Horn was in town today interviewing for Xavier's head coaching position. Again I think Darrin would be a great choice but I remain excited about Chris Mack as well.

I also have read that Doug Wojick (head coach at Tulsa) may be getting an interview. Gary Waters from Cleveland State is another name that keeps surfacing from guys like Jeff Goodman from FoxSports. I am not that big of fan of Wojick but I wouldn't mind Waters.

Whoever is ultimately hired will be stepping into a nice situation and to a job that is going to pay them well. Basketball is king at Xavier. The players, staff, and administration are supported accordingly. Bobinski will not speak on any candidates other than internal ones. I imagine he will interview another person tomorrow and make a decision sometime this weekend and an offer will be made to whom he decides is the best fit.

Some Other Names

2009-04-07T15:21:00.002-04:00

The interest in the Xavier position is generating quite the internet 'buzz'. There are a couple of other names I heard today that I thought I would share my thoughts on.

KEITH DAMBROT (Akron Head Coach): Believe it or not this guy would bring a hell of a lot of street cred to our program. Far better than anything Book Richardson could accomplish. When your tight with Lebron James young ball players will listen to what you have to say. I have read that he has a 'Bob Huggins type of personality' which may not be an ideal fit for Xavier's administration.

JIM CHRISTIAN (Texas Christian Coach): He built up Kent State to a sustained level over a good period of time before taking the TCU gig. He hasn't been there long and has strong midwest ties. The ceiling for basketball success is quite a bit higher here on Victory Parkway over Fort Worth, TX.

TIM BUCKLEY (Assistant Coach at Indiana): A news station out of Louisville is reporting Tim has an interview lined up later this week. Two years ago he was asked to leave Ball State after an average five year run there. Last season he was at IU and the year before he was at Iowa. My hope is we can do better than this guy but in Bobo I trust.

RON EVERHART (Duquesne Head Coach): This one is getting a lot of play over on the A10 forum. The Dukes are scared as hell we will come calling. In my mind Everhart has been a program builder everywhere he has gone. First he turned around McNeese State, then Northeastern, and now Duquesne. I don't really see Xavier as a program that needs to be 'rebuilt'. You never know, but I just think this is internet jibberish.

BOB KNIGHT (Legend): No 'effin way!

As I type this Sean is having a press conference in Tuscon. If anybody sees the footage tell me his family looks happy to be there because from what I have seen they don't seem too damn happy. Also the state of Arizona does not approve seven year contracts, the max the state will allow is five. Further there will be no chartered flights for PAC 10 games, they view that as a competetive advantage. On top of that the board of regents in Arizona are mad as hell they have to pay a $2 million dollar buyout to Xavier. Sean I hope you aren't real close to the AD there (Jim Livengood) because his arse is about to be run out of town. After the twenty five year streak of consecutive NCAA tournament runs is over for the Wildcats next year I think you will find the 'heat' from the fanbase light years away from anything you felt here. Also the facilites in Tuscon are second rate and Arizona is strapped for cash. I wonder what your impressions were of them today as you seen them for the first time. My point? You shouldn't be feeling 'giddy' about this gig outside of the cash.

Next Coach?

2009-04-06T19:21:00.003-04:00

Who should the next coach be? This decision will be made by Mike Bobinski here the next several days and it wouldn't suprise me if we have another coach in place by this weekend. Who are the candidates?

CHRIS MACK (current Xavier assistant): this hire would certainly be welcomed by many in 'Xavier Nation' including the current players. There is no question our roster turnover would be minimized by hiring Chris. He is also a 'Xavier guy' who graduated from the school in the nineties and is a native Cincinnatian. He may be inclined to make X his lifetime job. The question would be is he ready?

FRAN MCCAFFERY (Siena Head Coach): Fran was in play when Skip Prosser left. Back then he was the coach at UNC-Greensboro. His Saints squad destroyed Vanderbilt in the NCAA tournament two years ago. He also beat Thad Matta's OSU squad in this years NCAA first round. He has been a program builder everywhere he is gone. Questions I would have for Fran would be how long would he stay? Of course that seems to be the question with every Xavier coach but in Fran's case Notre Dame is said to be his dream job. Mike Brey is lucky Charlie Weis is around to take some heat off his seat currently in South Bend.

BRAD STEVENS (Butler Head Coach): He is a fast rising young (32) star in the coaching ranks. He has been at Butler since 2000 and he just signed a contract extension. We know how much those mean to coaches these days. I like his approach on the sidelines and he seems to be solid on the X's and O's. Another plus with Brad is that he plenty of recruiting connections right here in the midwest. I would say he is a 'longshot' to get away from the Bulldogs. A couple more years in Indianapolis like his first two and programs at the highest levels will come calling.

JEFF BATTLE (Wake Forest assistant): Jeff knows Xavier as he was an assistant here during the Skip Prosser years. He is a fabulous recruiter and I will always remember he is the guy that turned Skip onto Mr. David West. His reputation as a recruiter has not been sullied during his time in the ACC. Reportedly he was considered before Sean was hired but his wife had grievous health concerns at that time. The only down side is Skip and that coaching tree has never won much in the NCAA tournament. I don't think most people realize Skip only won one NCAA tournament game in his seven years at X.

BRAD BROWNELL (Wright State Head Coach): Brad was white hot during 'carousel season' last year. A sub par year at WSU cooled him a bit this year. However he is another coach who has several intangibles that would make him attractive to X.

JOHN GROCE (Ohio University Head Coach): John is in his first year at Ohio U. after serving under Thad Matta all the way back to Thad's Butler days. He was not overly successful his first year with the Bobcats, but Miller wasn't overly impressive his first year with X either. Also John is bringing high level recruits to Athens already. He conceivably could bring along a few of those guys if he comes.

MARK SCHMIDT(St. Bonaventure Head Coach): I think 'Schmitty' is a dark horse candidate after being away from campus for 10 years. He left when Skip went to become Wake's head coach. He served 8 years at Robert Morris in a rebuilding project and he has been in Olean only two.

MIKE RICE (Robert Morris Head Coach): This guy deserves a loooonnnnggg look. He was an assistant at Pitt under Jamie Dixon and has done very well with the Colonials the last two seasons. He is an intense, fiery competitor (sound familiar) whose teams are built on defense.

Certainly there are others out there and I heard Jerry Wrainwright from DePaul has called to express interest. I say NFW to that guy and if Bobo hires him he truly is tired of the coaching carousel because that jokester (JW) is past his prime. My preference would be for our new coach to be more defensive minded versus offense because I think defense produces wins in March. I am excited to see what the future of X basketball holds. As always it has been about the program on Victory Parkway and I am sure several guys in the coaching ranks are excited about the opportunity to coach it.

Thanks Sean

2009-04-06T19:12:00.003-04:00

Earlier today I thought this post would be 'thanks' for staying and turning down Arizona. Now it is 'thanks' for the great job you have done the last five years with the Xavier program. Many of us loyal fans are hurting with the news you are indeed leaving for Tuscon. Sincere best of luck resurrecting the program for the Wildcats. You are one of the top 10 college basketball coaches in the country in my opinion and now you are certainly paid like it. Of course this has happened to me before and I knew you wouldn't stay forever. As a matter of fact this morning I thought 'great he turned down Arizona, could UCONN be calling next?'.

Again many 'thanks' and the only thing disappointing to me is how our current players were handled during this whole situation. I am sure that is not how you envisioned that going down. Ten minutes before a press conference -and why in the hell did we do a press conference anyway? - is not the way they should have been told. However things seemed to be happening very fast today and again the point of this post is to say 'thanks'. I hope you and your family nothing but the best. Good luck in the PAC 10.

Famous Visit/Other Updates

2009-04-01T17:47:00.002-04:00

Jarrid Famous is set to visit Xavier on the weekend of April 10th. Adam Zagoria has reported this is in his blog. Famous has already visited Seton Hall, Missouri, and most recently South Florida. He has also 'unofficially' visited UCONN, St. John's, and Villanova. Famous is quoted in zagsblog as saying he will make his decision after the X visit.

NONCONFERENCE SCHEDULE 09-10 SEASON:

This is what we know so far about next year's nonconference schedule:

HOME-
Louisiana State
Cleveland State
Miami (OH)
Kent State
Cincinnati

NEUTRAL-
Old Spice Classic at the Milk House in Disney (Florida State, Marquette, Alabama, Iona, Michigan, Creighton, & Butler)

AWAY-
Kansas State
Butler
Wake Forest

I would imagine you will see a couple more 'guarantee' games added to the home schedule. Also there is a hot rumor that we are working on a series with Billy Donovan's Florida Gators. Big time baby, big time.

RAYMOND NAMED TO NABC ALL STAR TEAM:

BJ Raymond will play in the annual NABC all star game before final four weekend this year. The game will be played this Friday at 4:30 and be televised on CBS College Sports (Time Warner Ch. 176). Bruce Weber will coach his team with Matt Painter assisting.

Monday Morning Musings

2009-03-30T10:14:00.002-04:00

Now that I have had a few days to soak everything in I wanted to put up some thoughts:

- Jarrid Famous has developed into a possible 'Plan B' option for Xavier on the recruiting front. Who is Famous? He is a 6-11 235 JUCO who just finished his season at Westchester Community College in New York. He posted impressive numbers at 24 PPG and 12 RPG. He visited Seton Hall in the fall, and he has recently made visits to South Florida and Missouri. In Adam Zagoria's blog (great resource of information for me) Jarrid is quoting that he is waiting to hear back from XU on lining up a visit. Originally from Bronx, NY and Blessed Sacrament HS he signed with Hartford after his prep playing days were over.

- 'Plan A' on the recruiting front remains Kyryl. IMG Academy website has him listed to visit Arizona State soon. He has already visited X, Ohio University, and Pittsburgh. The OU fans seem to think Pitt is out of scholarships for 09-10 unless DeJuan Blair declares for the NBA draft. The IMG site quoted his coach there saying his last visit is most likely to Miami-FL. As the 64th best prospect according to Rivals he is getting lots of attention. I read even Mick Cronin stopped by to visit him in Florida. Good luck with that one sippin.

- I imagine that if we cannot fill our last scholarship with either Kyryl or Jarrid, Sean will bank it. I think a talented D1 transfer is always an option. For 2010 we have JD Weatherspoon and Jordan Latham from Baltimore on board. The team could conceivably hold that scholarship for another 2010 prospect.

- Speaking of JD Weatherspoon I watched his team (Columbus Northland) win the state title over Cincinnati Princeton Saturday night. Both teams were loaded with talent. Princeton has seniors Orlando Williams headed to Miami-OH, Marquis Horne is going to Ohio, and Jordan Sibert is verbally committed to Thad Matta and OSU for the 2010 class. Sullinger from Northland won the Mr. Basketball award this year and became only the fifth junior to do so in the state. He is also a part of Thad's 2010 class at OSU. However my eyes were on JD. He picked up two quick fouls and played about 3 minutes in the first quarter. He didn't step on the floor again until the second half. I am glad I waited. My first thought was Bill Walker. JD had four monster dunks and a bunch of free throws to score a team high 18 points. Eighteen points in 19 minutes in the state championship game is damn impressive.

- Coaching carousel time is upon us. Today's edition of the Enquirer spoke to supposed interest and lack thereof by Sean and UK for their position. If I was handicapping that race it comes down to: John Calipari, Jay Wright, and Travis Ford. Oklahoma State fans sharply noted that Travis has cancelled all speaking engagements this week. There is no way in hades they are luring Tom Izzo from Michigan State. Tom's goal is to get the Spartans to the 'elite class' in college basketball and he is damn close to doing that. Also Andy Katz from ESPN reported in his blog Saturday night that Arizona and Virginia have already made inquiries. Miller instructed Mike Bobinksi to say 'thanks, but no thanks' to both schools.

- And before you folks who are campaigning for Sean to leave this season, or should I say hoping he leaves let's take a closer look at the Arizona job. They love their hoops in Tuscon. Certainly Sean's name has came up (see above) and Jamie Dixon is also prominently named because he is a west coast guy. However I would look for Arizona to make a run at Mark Few first. If not him guys like Randy Bennett at St. Mary's, Lon Kruger, Reggie Theus, and Scott Drew from Baylor are all potential canidates for that position. I am hoping Dixon is not entertained and by all accounts he loves working in Pittsburgh and was giving a new high dollar contract last season. Never say never in this business.

- Two years ago it was Sean was leaving for Minnesota. That was a hot rumor right up until Tubby Smith had his press conference. Last season Marquette had to be told no. I am not sure if Indiana ever made contact with Sean but he was on the list. I am proud he is on the 'lists' every offseason. As he turns more and more schools down it helps the image of Xavier.

- My final four bracket looks damn good. I have predicted correctly three of the four teams this year. Go back and look at the old posts, it's in there somewhere where I correctly picked Michigan State, UCONN, and North Carolina. My heart got in the way with Xavier.

- The season is winding down quickly and it is time for me to go out and get some fresh air. I will be back to report on recruits and coaching announcements as usual.

Alvin Mitchell Dismissed

2009-03-28T09:28:00.002-04:00

In his official statement Cronin said:

The most unfortunate blah about coaching is blah blah I sincerely hope that Alvin can blah and blah blah blah.

The real deal is this. Mitchell didn't work hard on or off the court and repeatedly had Cronin up his arse about violating team rules. He never lived up to his potential and always looked better playing in the Deveroes Summer league than he did playing organized ball. As far as I'm concerned that just proves how selfish a player he is.

If Alvin gets another chance somewhere I hope he takes it seriously. Something he never seemed to do at UC.

This move ultimately opens up a scholarship for a recruit that will actually appreciate it. Hopefully, And a new recruit means a better chance to improve for next year.

GO CATS!!

Goodbye Alvin.

Mike Williams is Done

2009-03-28T09:07:00.002-04:00

Mick Cronin announced that Senior forward Mike Williams will not seek an additional year of eligibility. According to Cronin UC researched the possibility and came away feeling it was not going to happen.

Athough he never became the inside threat I hoped for when 1st hearing the former McDonalds All-American was tranferring to UC. I still enjoyed watching him play and wish him well on his quest to play pro-ball.

Good Luck Mike!!

Xavier Fails To Advance

2009-03-26T21:47:00.002-04:00

It is always disappointing to lose. It is even more disappointing when the prize is great. Xavier played exceedingly tough and inspired basketball for 59:00 tonight. Pittsburgh played tremendous defense in the second half and won the game 60-55. At one point X was 5-25 from the field; they started the game 3-16. Pitt is a great defensive team and Blair was as good as advertised in the second half. They are not 'sexy' but this team knows how to finish games. When Dante' Jackson hit his drive in the lane to go up 54-52 I felt my team was going back to back to the Elite Eight. It just wasn't to be. Levance Fields was the dagger in the heart scoring 5 straight late in the game. Sam Young did not let the Muskies pull away and seemed to have a timely basket for them all night. Obviously they are as good as expected and I wish them well the rest of the way.

Here are my quick thoughts on all our guys tonight, whom I absolutely enjoyed watching and writing stupidly about all season long:

Jackson: He looked like a point guard to me tonight. I think he has grown tremendously as a team leader this March. He got into some foul trouble but scored some timely buckets for the Musketeers.

Raymond: I am going to miss you. I think you did everything you could tonight. You go out as the winningest player of all time in Xavier's history. Thank you for a glorious four years and memories I will cherish for a life time.

Brown: Man you showed a little bit of everything tonight. My feelings right now are you will be coming back next season and I hope that doesn't change. Fourteen points and nine boards on a big stage showed what you are capable of.

Anderson: Pure winner. It was great to see you mature here in your time at X and I think replacing your grit and toughness next year should not be overlooked. You shared the ball and battled on the boards all night long.

Love: You battled and battled on the glass against Blair, and had some nice boards. He will most likely be the best rebounder you will ever play against in your career. 'Big Lovely' will be a big part of our success next season.

Frease: Great first half from 'Ogre', the four blocks had a lot to do with our first half lead. He showed why people get excited about his 'upside'. This experience in the big dance will help his development arc tremendously.

Holloway: I was proud of how he played tonight. Poor play at the point isn't the reason we lost the game. He too will benefit greatly from three games under the big lights.

McLean: Your first half dunk had me thumping my chest. I think next season your ability to play both the 4 and 5 spots will get you even more court time. Your length around the basket helped the team stay in the game tonight.

Redford: I wish he could have hit one early. Does any other guy playing college basketball who averages 5 points a game get as much defensive attention as he does? I wouldn't mind seeing him add 7-10 pounds this offseason.

Another season in the books. There sure were some highs and lows. The Puerto Rican Tournament, being in the top 25 most of the season, beating Miami-OH, the Shootout victory, the LSU win on the road, smoking UD at Cintas Center, winning the A10 regular season title and advancing to our fourth Sweet 16 appearance are my highlights.

The lowlights? Getting our doors blown off by Duke, not recovering in time to beat Butler (ruined my Christmas), the dismantling UD provided on their home floor, and obviously tonight's loss.

Even though the season on the floor for X is over, the 'offseason' always has plenty of interesting developments to watch and speculate on. The annual coaching carousel is already spinning. Spring signing period will be here soon and Deveroes Summer League will be here before you know it.

Thanks Musketeers. You had a terrific season. Once the sting of the loss subsides you will realize how much you accomplished. I appreciate all the entertainment you gave me this season.

Pitt Preview

2009-03-25T18:24:00.002-04:00

These guys are good. Damn good. One thing I know is this team will be prepared. They are on a mission this season to get to the Final Four and beyond. On paper nothing tells me they don't have a great shot at fulfilling their dreams. Here is a quick look at their projected starting 5 and other rotation players tomorrow night:

1- Levance Fields 5-10 190 Sr #2
He is the straw that stirs the drink with 7.6 assists per game for them on offense. I question his listed weight but make no mistake this guy is one of college basketball's premier point guards this season. Not an outstanding 3 point shooter,33%, but he hits enough to keep teams honest. They are a halfcourt style team but they will run on opportunity and Mr. Fields is stellar on the break. He is a solid defender and is the third leading scorer on the team at 10.6 PPG.

2- Jermaine Dixon 6-3 195 Jr #3
The Pittsburgh Post Gazette reported today that Dixon is a better shooter than BJ Raymond. Ok. He averages 30% from deep but BJ hits 42%. The Post Gazette's reporting should be no slight on Jermaine as he can still score the ball (8.7 PPG) and plays 25 minutes a game. To be getting those kind of minutes for Pitt he is a solid basketball player. Many will remember his brother from Maryland a few years back in Juan Dixon.

3- Sam Young 6-6 220 Sr #23
Everybody knows about his famous shot fakes. He gets many defenders to bite on that one especially on the perimeter. It's effective because he can drill shots from anywhere on the floor if left open. He averages 37% from deep but is also a great finisher around the rim. He is a All American/NBA prospect type player who will be a handful to contain. He scores close to 19 points a game and is coming off a 32 point outburst against Oklahoma State.

4- Tyrell Biggs 6-8 250 Sr #5
This burly player can actually step outside and knock down shots as well. He has hit 19-48 from trey land. He is not as good a rebounder as his size might indicate (4.4 per game) but is there anything to be had with Blair around? He too plays about 25 minutes a game.

5-DeJuan Blair 6-7 265 So #45
Everybody knows about this guy. To me he is a cross between Glen 'Big Baby' Davis and Danny Fortson. He led the nation with 185 offensive rebounds and averages 12.3 RPG. He converted many of those 'o' caroms into points. The teams second leading scorer at 15.8 is a huge key to this game. Ask Hasheem Thabeet how tough DeJuan is. I know from watching several Panther games this season that he can score in a variety of ways besides gimme put backs. He is an All American.

Bench-

G- Brad Wanamaker 6-4 205 So #22
I remember X recruiting this Philly product out of Roman Catholic HS a couple of years ago. He can get it going from outside (40%) and is capable of scoring outbursts. For the season he averaged 5.8 PPG.

G/F- Gilbert Brown 6-6 200 So #11
Gilbert is not a great shooter but is long and lean. He averages the most minutes a night off the bench and scores 5.2 points per game. He has a good all around floor game and is a highly rated prospect waiting his turn behind Young.

G- Ashton Gibbs 6-2 190 Fr #12
Gibbs is a prolific shooter from deep (47%) and can provide sparks off the bench. He averages 4.6 PPG and provides nice backcourt depth for the Panthers.

C- Gary McGhee 6-10 250 So #52
Big fella provides relief to Blair in the post. My hope is he plays triple the 6.8 minutes he usually gets. All hoping aside he is an extra five fouls a night if needed for Pitt. He has not had many opportunities yet to show his entire game.

F- Nasir Robinson 6-5 220 Fr #35
Another highly regarded recruit who saw his minutes decrease once Big East play started. He has proven to be a solid rebounder in his limited minutes.

Obviously to beat Pitt the team is going to have to be on their "A" game. Xavier cannot get behind early and play catchup all night with this team. Their defense is too good. I believe X will have a variety of players match up with Blair including Love, Frease, McLean and Brown. They could front him and you may even see a little zone as a change of pace from the Musketeers. However considering Pitt's rebounding strength that may not be beneficial for long periods of time. Dante' and Tutu have to hold their own against Fields. He is capable of taking over games for them. I also think Derrick, CJ, and BJ all spend time guarding Young and Biggs. We could be in big trouble if one of the Panthers support players score double digits.

I like coach Sean Miller's take on the game:
'We've been in the Elite 8 last year, our opponent wasn't. We have five guys on our team that played in that game. We've won 30, 25, 27 games the last three years. We have 3 straight A10 regular season titles and been on TV before. This is a big game because of our opponent and because they're a great team. The fact that it remains anything more here is irrelevant. Those days ended a long time ago at Xavier.'

Also Dante' is stepping up as a team leader:
'We have a lot of respect for Pitt. We respect them and know what they're capable of and know what they are. But we're going to Boston to advance.'

Go Muskies!

James White Update

2009-03-24T14:24:00.002-04:00

The Houston Rockets signed James White to a multiyear contract.
The Former Bearcat had signed a couple of 10 day deals leading up to his multiyear deal.
White was playing in the NBA's D- league for the Anaheim Arsenal when he got his call up. Congrats to James for making it to the big time.

Open letter to the X fans from a UC fan.

2009-03-24T14:08:00.002-04:00

I don't know If I'm alone in this. I don't know if you care what i think. I don't know if UC fans will think I'm less of a fan(I'm not). but here it goes...

Congratulations.

Congrats on a hell of a year. Congrats on an awesome 1st weekend in the tourney. Good luck and high hopes from me for a lengthy stay.

Back to Back Sweetness

2009-03-23T16:31:00.004-04:00

How sweet it is, how sweet it is. In a supposed rebuilding year X plays their way into the Sweet 16. This is our fourth trip to the 'sweet land' and our first back to back visit. Here are some quick thoughts from the Wisconsin game:

- I am glad we don't play in the B10. That brand of basketball is painful to watch.

- Great team win. Holloway, McLean, and Frease off the bench really impacted the game. Now if we can get Kenny to hit some freebies we will be alright. Nice to see 'ogre' have a positive impact on the outcome.

- Again to reiterate I have much respect and love for Bo Ryan and the Badger basketball team. They have been to the NCAA's 11 years in a row and this was a down year in terms of wins and losses for that program.

- Point guard play has been solid enough to get us this far in the tournament. I hope it continues.

I will have a preview up of Pitt later this week. Needless to say I have seen them play numerous times this year. They don't run away and hide from anybody on the scoreboard. IF we can keep it close we'll have a chance to pull out the win in the end. I take heart in Pitt's much documented failure to move past the round of 16. I will have an in depth preview of them up on Wednesday most likely. They are 'scary good' and have two All Americans (Young and Blair) in their lineup. Levance Fields is the real deal also. I can't wait for Thursday night.

Yes a great day to be a Musketeer fan.

Wisconsin Preview

2009-03-21T11:58:00.002-04:00

The Badgers bear the reputation as a strong defensive team. However for the first time in three seasons they are not ranked in the top 15 overall. This season they landed at 57th. By points per possession their offense is ranked 27th in the nation by Ken Pomeroy measurements. They do not turn the ball over (5th in the nation) but are not proficient offensive rebounders ranking at #182 of 341 teams overall.

They play what is coined the 'swing offense' and Bo Ryan gets credit for developing it after many years at the D3 level with UW-Platteville. The typical low post player will play out high in this system fairly often and the guards will play down low. Most times all five guys on the floor can put up the trey.

Here is the starting 5:

1- #3 Trevon Hughes 6-0 193 Jr
He hit the big shot in OT against Florida State Friday night. He averages 12 points per game and is a tough, tough perimeter defender. His quickness is superb but his decision making skills in running the offense have been questioned in the past.

2- #12 Jason Bohannon 6-2 198 Jr
This junior averages over 10 points a game and is the designated 3 point shooter for the Badgers. He shot them back into the game against FSU. Jason usually matches up with the other teams best perimeter scoring threat. Their fan base seems to think he has had mix results with that.

3- #45 Joe Krabbenhoft 6-7 219 Sr
The protypical 'glue' guy. He gets the opposing teams best player when the Badgers need a stop. He is proficient in all aspects of the game (dribbling, rebounding, defense, shooting)and aveages around 8.5 PPG. He has always stood out to me when watching Badger games and he would be a solid addition to any team. Joe will mix it up.

4- #30 Jon Leuer 6-10 225 So
Jon is a dynamic offensive player outside of free throw shooting were he is below average. He can drive and score, post up and score, and from three land he can score. He averages over 9 a game and if his defense was better he would be on the floor more. Young player who is still developing physically.

5- #1 Marcus Landry 6-7 230 Sr
His brother Carl played at Purdue and is currently on the Houston Rockets. Due to the style of play the Badgers employ he has never scored like his older brother but has received all conference accolades. He averages 12.5 PPG and is a threat from three land. He is a good low post banger on both ends of the floor. He struggles at times with the really tall post players they go up against.

Bench:

G- #11 Jordan Taylor 6-1 190 Fr
This frosh didn't start picking up major minutes until B10 play. He is a solid point guard who has not yet scored like he did on the high school level. Jordan shot 20% from deep and 60% at the line. His minutes increased due to his stellar defensive play. Jordan averages about a point and half per game.

G/F- #24 Tim Jarmusz 6-6 210 So
Heir apparent to Krabbenhoft. This kid will do anything his team needs him to do. Mainly that is to come in and play great defense. He is a decent three point shooter but doesn't do anything else that will stand out on offense. He averages 3.5 PPG.

F- #52 Keaton Nankivil 6-8 240 So
The low post sub was projected as a starter beginning of the season. Very good offensive player who is better when he is aggressive on that end. He is the most pedestrian defender out of the Badgers top 8. He shoots over 50% from the field and is a great 69% from three (9/13) and he nailed two against FSU.

I have nothing but respect for Bo Ryan and his program at Wisconsin. They do not go after the flash and recruit great kids. Bo is an innovator who will present a challenge to Sean and staff. I predict X to win but not by more than a few. This will be a hotly contested game. I see BJ Raymond being an advantage for us. Also I like DBrown against Leuer when we have the ball. Point guard play goes to them but where that has really been exposed for X this year is when they play the uptempo teams. I would expect to see Anderson and Krabbenhoft to scuffle more than once. Should be a great game. Tips on Sunday at 2:20 PM.

Second Day of the NCAA Tournament

2009-03-21T10:09:00.002-04:00

I put in another solid 10 hours Friday watching NCAA tournament basketball. To me there is nothing better and I can't wait for the games to begin today. I think we will see 'parity' a little more this weekend and as always there are some great matchups. Here are my thoughts from the games yesterday:

Marquette/Utah State: I actually picked Stew Morrill's squad to win this one over the Golden Eagles. Two factors in my mind: Dominic James not suiting up at point and Buzz Williams first go round as the head guy in the big show. Utah State made it close (did you know they have AVERAGED 23 wins per season over the last ten years) in the second half but couldn't get over the hump. Lazar Hayward from MU is a great player.

Dayton/West Virginia: Watching this one was a little weird to me. In the end I was happy to see the A10 had the Big East their first tournament loss. Again Chris Wright is the real deal and UD needed this win as a program. A couple of days ago a contract extension (not yet signed) was announced for Brian Gregory. Huggs' team had no offensive flow and you have to credit the Flyers for that. The Mountaineers are a donut in basketball terminology and I think that is where you have to beat Dayton. Huelsman and Searcy from the Flyers are hacks waiting to be had.

Xavier/Portland State: Just wanted to follow up some more on how well the Muskies played. I will have a preview of Wisconsin up later today and this is the matchup I preferred over Florida State. I think we do better in half court style games. The Badgers won in OT late last night in a terrific game. Back to the Muskies everybody contributed and again had a season best 7 turnovers. Like Coach Miller said, look around the final 32 teams and notice how many of those X played this season and beat? We also lost a few but we are a battle tested team that is starting to look 'sweet'.

Ohio State/Siena: The game of the tournament thus far and I called this 'upset'. Usually you wouldn't pick a nine over an eight seed as upset material but when 8 gets to play in it's own backyard well you know. I noticed Mike Bobinski on press row as part of his duties with the Selection Committee. He was close to the OSU end but you can be sure he was taking careful notice of Fran McCaffery of Siena. That guy has 'winner' all over him. Great game again. I wonder why Thad didn't use BJ Mullens a little more late in the game. Ryan Rossitter from Siena is their post player and he goes about 6-8 210 and has a choir boy look about him. Once BJ had that inbounds play in the second overtime I would have just kept calling his number. Oh well. Mullens should be back next season unless he gets some really, really bad advice. He needs to play starter minutes to scratch his full potential. Evan Turner for the Buckeyes is a stud. How big can you be Ronald Moore? The point guard from the Saints went BJ Raymond like in the OT's a hit some big threes, including the game winner.

As mentioned earlier FSU/Wisconsin was another OT game and looked like a classic Big Ten grinder which is what Leonard Hamilton and the 'Noles were hoping to avoid. Toney Douglass was giving me nightmares already. Playing Bo Ryan and the Badgers will take lots of patience but it isn't like their going to press us all over the floor.

Some other games I noticed/watched today included East Tennessee State hanging tough with Pitt. The analysts kept talking about Pitt not being a team to pull away from anybody. Their second round matchup against Oklahoma State will feature some stark contrasts in the way the game is played. OkState wants to run, run, run under Travis Ford. One upset special for me today will be the Hilltoppers of WKU over Gonzaga. Should be another great day of college basketball action.

Portland State Recap

2009-03-20T21:49:00.002-04:00

Nice first round game by Xavier. Portland State went down 77-59. Dante' Jackson gets the game ball mainly for setting the tone early and holding Dominguez down in the second half after the little guy scored 13 on us in the first half. X was very balanced scoring wise tonight: Jackson 13, Anderson 14, Raymond 13, and Brown 13. Our point guard woes were put to rest at least for one game. Great time for the team to have a season low 7 turnovers. The Vikings were one and done on their offensive trips most of the second half. We won the rebounding battle 30-20. Did you know Xavier is 13th in the nation in rebounding margin?

Jackson seems to step up big for us when the lights shine the brightest. Tonight was no different. Good team win overall and I was enthused by the play of Terrell Holloway tonight. He seemed to play free and natural. Let's hope that continues.

Well time to do some celebrating. Hoping to catch Wisconsin and Florida State on CBS College Sports. Siena and Ohio State is starting off nicely as well. Need to give a shout out to the Dayton Flyers for their win today over Huggs' West Virginia squad. Chris Wright is the real deal with 27 and 10 today. Thanks for repping the A10. Good luck against the Jayhawks. Temple bowed out the first game for the second year in a row but James Harden from Arizona State is a terrific talent.

First Day of NCAA Tourney

2009-03-20T08:04:00.004-04:00

No major upsets but still a great day. Here is my rundown on the games I watched today.

LSU/Butler: a good first game to start the tournament with. The Tigers march on after a 75-71 victory. I was actually rooting against Butler. My only reason is my dislike of Lance McCallister. Brad Stevens has a young team that is only going to get better. I think the bright lights made some of their freshmen hesitant early on. Gordon Hayward is one of my favorite freshmen in all the land. In this 'window' we also had CS-Northridge/Memphis and the Matadors kept it interesting for awhile.

Purdue/Northern Iowa: The Boilermakers seem to have the goods to make a nice run. Northern Iowa struggled most of the second half to get it under a six to eight point margin and couldn't make it happen succumbing to a 56-61 final. Eglseder from Northern Iowa was impressive as a big man.

Washington/Mississippi State: Flipped over to CBS College Sports (who needs local news). On second thought the local news might have been more interesting. Mississippi State was gassed. I have noticed over the last few years a team that has to win four conference games in four days like the Bulldogs generally come out flat. The second round game between the Huskies and Boilermakers should be a very good game.

Michigan/Clemson: Oliver Purnell can't win in the NCAA tournament. 0-5 is now his lifetime record in the big show. Hard to believe Michigan is making their first NCAA tournament in over a decade. My high school years they were a dominant team. John Beilein could take your team and beat his team. He is one hell of a coach and Manny Harris is a star. During this 'window' we also got plenty of looks at American University and their upset bid over Villanova. I think if this game was played anywhere other than Philly they may have took their attempt a little later in the game. Is it really fair to let a team play an NCAA tournament game on a floor they have played home games at this season? According to the play by play analyst 'Nova played three games at the Wachovia Center. They use that venue when the Big East heavy hitters come to town. Anyway nice attempt by Garrison Carr, Derrick Mercer, and Brian Gilmore from AU. We also got several looks at Minnesota and Texas and I believe Rick Barnes never gets enough credit for what he has done there. I like his opinions on the tournament belonging to CBS and not the NCAA. So true, so true.

Western Kentucky/Illinois: This was the 12 seed over the five seed upset that really wasn't. With no Chester Frazier, no chance for the Illini. I like the Hilltoppers against the Zags in the second round even though they let Illinois have a chance after being up 68-51 late. Also I had a chance to watch segments of the VCU/UCLA game and Maynor had a chance with a last second shot, but no dice.

Today is obviously a big day for folks in the tri state. UD/WVU at 3, UL/Morehead St. at 7:10, XU/Portland State 7:25, and a night cap with OSU/Siena at around 9:40. I am hoping for no 13 over 4 upsets today. ;)

Speaking of our game I feel confident the Muskies will get it done. That was before I read the press conference notes in the Enquirer's blog. The offense the Vikings like to run is very similar to Butler's and Duquesne's. Two teams that spread us out and beat us from the perimeter. PSU shoots 25 three pointers a game and make close to 10. I hope our length (even on the perimeter we enjoy an advantage), defense, and rebounding acumen are too much for Ken Bone's team. Another great day ahead I am sure.

The Week That Is

2009-03-19T09:42:00.002-04:00

Thursday is finally here. I am looking forward to the LSU/Butler game the most today due to the fact X played both during the regular season. That really is a pick 'em game.

- Monday was a good day. Always need to feel good about cleaning up some junk and donating it to Goodwill. I learned some hard lessons this tax season. I need to donate more. As expected my little guy was terrified of the dinosaurs at the Museum Center. A little over priced for $15 but what they have done is very impressive. Of course he was all about the dinosaurs in the gift shop. No basketball so I suffered a little from withdrawal on Monday.

- Tuesday was a so so day. Started off good with lunch at O'Charley's. Nothing like green beer at 11:30 AM. I knew beforehand there was no live racing at Turfway but no racebook either? Well we packed up and headed to River Downs and no racebook there either. No horse racing on St. Patty's day? Molly Malone's in Pleasant Ridge was happening. I also went to UD Arena (my God do they hate X) and watched the Opening Round game between Morehead State and Alabama State. Chief Kickingstallionsims' game did not live up to the name. Donnie Tyndall should get a call from somebody looking for a coach this offseason.

- Wednesday was a yard work day. I also journeyed down to Cintas to watch some D1 high school hoops. All four teams (Centerville, LaSalle, Princeton, and Aiken) have D1 talent. I think Kavanaugh (Centerville) going to UD will make an impact in college once he is an upperclassmen. I can see why Huggs made a last minute all out effort to get this kid to West Virginia. Think Bobby Brannen. Also Princeton is just flat out loaded with Jordan Sibert (Jr - verbal to OSU), Orlando Williams (Miami-OH), and Marquis Horne (Ohio University). I see them representing Cincinnati at the state tournament. It will be them against LaSalle Saturday AM at 11 again at Cintas Center. I am thinking I can squeeze that one in before the college games tip Saturday. Anyway Aiken has a couple of good ones in Darren Goodson (Bowling Green) and of course Chane Benahan. Not overly impressed with Chane but he didn't get to touch to ball very much at all. Speaking of early commits to the 'Cats I can see why they backed off Danny McElroy (6-6 power forwards don't do well in the Big East generally) but I think he will be a good player for Louis Orr and Bowling Green.

- I DVR'd the VA Tech and Duquesne game in the NIT last night. I am glad I did. It went to 2 overtimes and the final was 114-108. Ron Everhart played for VA Tech and was on their NCAA team in 1985. That was back when they shared the Metro Conference with UC, Southern Mississippi, Louisville, et al. That conference was so mid major. No wait a minute Louisville won the national title in 1981 and 1986 out of that league. That must have been when teams, not conferences, mattered. Anyway Aaron Jackson is my A10 POY hands down after watching him score a career high 44 points after only having 6 at the half. Great, great game. Despite the loss I think the Dukes are a contender in the A10 next year if Everhart returns. He will be a hot commodity.

- Other A10 teams in the post season include Rhode Island who won their NIT game at Niagra on Tuesday and Richmond is in the CBI and won on the road at St. John's last night. The Big East is 1-3 so far in the postseason. Counting the Johnnies loss, GTown went down to Baylor in the NIT, Providence fell hard against Miami (FL) in the NIT as well. Notre Dame is the sole survivor of the minor tournaments with a 70-64 victory over UAB. Will the trend continue in the Big Dance?

- My final four is Xavier, Connecticut, Michigan State, and North Carolina. Like the President I see the Tar Heels winning it all. I also like Pittsburgh and my sleeper final four team is Arizona State. I only fill out one bracket (completed this morning watching Blues Clues with my son FWIW) and my prognostications are usually way off. Still a fun thing to do.

- Time to head to the store and buy ice for the cooler. The beverages included will be Bud Light, Mountain Dew, Coke and Stewarts Grape Soda. That Stewarts is very refreshing ice cold. I will pick up a bottle of water for my kidney this morning also. The food spread is high in sodium (just the way it should be): Scoop Fritos to go in the bean dip, Ruffles and French Onion dip, homemade Texas style chili, left over shrimp fried rice, pepperoni-cheese-crackers, cheesy metts, Almond Cocunut Chip ice cream from Homemade, Doritos, and Armour Vienna sausages. Now keep in mind this is for all weekend and not just today. The main question on my mind though is grill the metts or boil them? Ah yes vacation is nice.

Portland State Vikings

2009-03-17T14:35:00.002-04:00

Location: Portland, Oregon
Conference: Big Sky
Season Record: 23-9, 11-5 conference
Coach: Ken Bone (Seattle Pacific '83)

The Vikings return to the NCAA tournament for the second year in a row. Last year they were waxed by eventual champion Kansas Jayhawks in the first round 85-61. The team and it's fanbase is looking to do a little more this time around. They are a capable team as witnessed by their victory over Gonzaga on the Bulldogs home court and a one point loss at Washington. Portland State averages 9.7 treys a game. That willingness to shoot the long ball make them a threat to win any game on a hot shooting night.

STARTING 5:

10 - Jeremiah Dominguez 5-6 150 SR
He is a former Oregon high school player of the year who began his career at the University of Portland. He transferred across town and Ken Bone and staff couldn't be happier with this young man. More of a scoring point than a distributor he put up 199 three point field goal attempts and hit them at a very good rate of .437%. He led his team in scoring with 12.9 PPG.

3 - Andre Murray 6-2 200 SR
Andre arrived at PSU last year after transferring from the College of the Canyons. He is best described as 'dependable'. Murray rebounds fairly well from the '2' spot at 4.0 RPG. Andre is also one of four Vikings who average double figures, he checks in at 11.0 PPG. He hoisted 120 treys and hit a decent .358% of them.

21 - Phil Nelson 6-7 220 SO
This redshirt sophomore actually began his career at the University of Washington and managed to start nine games for them in 2006-2007. Blue Ribbon magazine described him as the best physical talent in the Big Sky. He was recruited as more of a '2' than a '3' and like most of the Vikings will shoot the trey unabashedly. Phil hit 35% of the 163 long ball shots he took this year. He was the third leading scorer at 11.2 PPG and averaged 3.6 RPG.

14 - Kyle Coston 6-8 210 JR
The Vikings' four man only shot .337% from the field for the season. He too will put up the three point shot but only hit .274% of the 106 he took. He is not overly strong on the glass at 3.5 boards per game and he averaged 6.3 PPG for the year.

44 - Jamie Jones 6-7 215 JR
He too began his career at the University of Portland before heading across town for more playing time. He is the exception for the Vikings in regards to three point shooting; he attempted none for the season. He is an undersized post who will scrap on the boards (5.3 RPG) and did not foul out of any contests. He averaged 8.9 PPG for the season.

BENCH:

11 - Dominic Waters 6-1 170 JR
Dominic plays starter minutes and puts up starter stats. He is the second leading scorer on the team at 11.5 PPG. He began his career at the University of Hawai'i and was named the WAC Freshmen of the Year during his time there. He put up 130 three point shots and hit a remarkable .462% of them. He is also a slasher as witnessed by his 83 free throw attempts which he hit at .807%.

1 - Julius Thomas 6-5 220 JR
This Stockton, CA product will come in with lots of confidence. His slam against Montana won the Big Sky conference tournament title for the Vikings as time expired. He will not shoot the three either (0 attempts) but will get to the free throw line. Julius is not overly productive there .527% but did collect a team leading 73 offensive boards and averaged 5.2 RPG overall. He contributes a solid 7.1 PPG for the Vikings.

13 - Tyrell Mara 6-6 235 JR
This career reserve put up 64 three point shots for PSU this season. He hit 36% of them and averages around 16 minutes per game. Overall he averages 3.7 PPG and 2.8 RPG.

23 - Wendell Wright 6-5 185 FR
This frosh from Lakewood, CA averages around nine minutes per game. He doesn't appear to do much when he is out there and score less than one point per game.

4 - Mickey Polis 5-8 165 SR
Mickey was only used in about half of PSU's games this season. He is a deep sub at best but will look to score as witnessed by his 2.0 PPG in limited playing time.

I think the Musketeers need to be ready to weather a energetic start by the Vikings. We will need to be careful not to get in a three point shooting contest with them and use our inside game to our advantage. I would expect either Love, Anderson, Frease and Brown to have big games in the paint. If that is the case we will do what Las Vegas predicts and win this game by 11. IF the Vikings get hot early it could be a long evening for Xavier. I don't see that happening and actually I am quite confident we can beat either Florida State and Wisconsin most nights also. I can't wait to see what develops.

Monday Morning Thoughts

2009-03-16T09:50:00.002-04:00

'Dancin, dancin, dancin, dancing machine!' How about those Muskies? A four seed off a 5-5 finish tells me respect has been earned. Not overly excited about going to Boise to play a good west coast underdog team in Portland State, but nevertheless a better than expected seeding draw. This is Xavier's 20th NCAA tournament appearance overall, 18th since 1984. Also this is our fourth appearance in a row under Sean Miller. I truly thought we were looking at a five seed and I would much rather be playing the Vikings in the first round than say a Wisconsin Badger team. The Vikings however are dangerous (see their win at Gonzaga) and a team that loves to shoot the three. I will have a in depth look at them up tomorrow. Here are some other things on my mind:

- Dayton against West Virginia has me torn. Huggins keeps creeping back into my life and I am not sure who I am pulling for in this one. Friday is shaping up to be a big day for tri state viewers as UD tips around 3 PM. Part of me wants to see the A10 score one over the Big East but a big part of me hates everything UD, hence the 'torn' scenario for me.

- X finished 22nd in this week's ESPN poll. The Musketeers were seeded as a top 16 team. What does it mean? To me finishing in the top 25 is better than I expected preseason. However late January I had hoped for a top 10 finish.

- Who does the Ohio State University know on the selection committee? The Buckeyes in Dayton with the possibility of facing Louisville on Sunday doesn't seem fair. I think Siena is going to upset that dream. Fran McCaffery along with Brad Stevens are on my short list for potential future coaches of Xavier if necessary. As part of the tristate triple header on Friday they tip around 9:40 PM. Fans on UDPride are already scheming to let a bidding war begin for tickets for the UL/OSU potential matchup. I would take the Buckeyes in that one if they can get past the Saints.

- Kentucky fans miss Tubby? His Golden Gophers at Minnesota are in the 'Big Dance'. Billy Gillespie has been regulated to Memorial Hall to play UNLV in the Not Important Tournament. Rupp Arena has more important things to do with hosting the high school boys basketball state tournament Tuesday night.

- Poor, poor Bearcats didn't even get a call for the Not Important Tournament. Sippin' Mick has too much pride to take another invite to the Crappy Basketball Invitational. As usual his excuses are poor; 'It's a television event' in regards to the NIT tournament passing over his Bearcats for other Big East 'giants' Notre Dame and Georgetown. Really? You mean people would rather watch lowly A10 teams Duquesne and Rhode Island over the 9th best team in the Big East? Man oh man that will be Sports Illustrated's sure sign the apocolaypse is coming in this week's edition.

- Continuing with the Bearcats I didn't know Deonta Vaughn had an injury issue. It was reported today that his big toe will need X rays. That could explain his play down the stretch. The guy had to do too much. I was also disappointed to read about Kenny Belton's playing days being over forever. That will give Mick an extra schollie to get a point guard. There is no way in hell the NCAA gives Mike Williams an extra year of eligibility. They care about kids too much. Insert sarcasm here. My latest edition of Prepstars Recruiters Handbook lists the Bearcats being involved with their #81 prospect overall in Eric Bledsoe. He is a 6-0 point guard out of Birmingham, AL. Ole Miss, Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida, Duke and Memphis are also listed highlighting the paucity of point guards in this class. Bearcat fans should take a look at Juco Junction site by Rivals and see what point guards are available as well. Most would agree the 'Cats need more options at point guard for 2009-2010 season. Also I am curious as to see what develops with the rest of their roster. The Enquirer reported today that Mick was meeting with sophomore Alvin Mitchell to discuss his status.

- I normally wouldn't speak so much on UC but my boy Dave (like the Bearcats) has tanked. He has plenty of excuses (another familiar Bearcat refrain) as to why and they are all very valid. You see Dave (like many Bearcat fans) suffers from what I refer to as 'fairweatherism'. It is very common in the Greater Cincinnati area. Most around here tend to pump their chests in the offseason of their teams whether it be the Bengals, Reds, or Bearcats moreso than during the season. I suffer and rejoice with my teams year round. Although the Bengals are getting harder and harder to get excited for anymore.

- I am on vacation this week (thus the long winded post). Other things to do today: clean out closets for a Goodwill donation trip, take my 18 month old son to see the dinosaurs exhibit at the Museum Center (he loves them), and do some more reading on Portland State. It's great to be on vacation. Tomorrow being St. Patrick's Day includes all day at Turfway Park acting Irish and an evening at UD Arena watching Morehead State v Alabama State in the play in game. Donnie Tyndall and Morehead could give Louisville a run. Also who doesn't want to see Chief Kickingstallionsims play for the Hornets of Alabama State? The late evening will include acting more 'irish' on Tuesday. Wednesday is for recovery and yard work. And then we have the tournament. Yes vacation is very, very good.

Temple v Duquesne

2009-03-14T09:30:00.004-04:00

The A10 will determine it's automatic bid tonight at 6 PM. Duquesne beat Dayton by 11 last night to advance to their first A10 championship since 1981. Temple squeaked by X 55-53. Should be a great game. I am glad I decided to wait until after the conference tournament to pick all conference teams. Aaron Jackson from Duquesne is the POY over Nivins in my opinion. Everhart is obviously the choice for COY. IF he can win tonight this will be his third rebuilding job. First he took McNeese State to the dance, then Northeastern, and now a chance with Duquesne. The guy adapts to his personnel and is a chameleon as a coach.

Xavier may be looking at a quick stay in the big dance. I am eager and excited to see who we match up with. I will have a long preview of who we must face off against. My official prediction is a five seed for us. BJ Raymond and Derrick Brown did all they could last night to see us get to the A10 championship game. It just wasn't meant to be. CJ Anderson going 0-9 and reverting back to his 1 on 5 mentality certainly didn't help. Just watch number 20 when we play in the big dance. If he is dishing off and playing smart X will play on. IF not we could lose our first game. Anyway for now we will settle for being back to back to back regular season A10 champions.

Many conference tournament championships to be decided today. I plan on watching as many as I can:

America East 11 AM: UMBC v Binghamton

CUSA 1130 AM: Tulsa v Memphis

A10 6 PM: Temple v Duquesne

Big 12 6 PM: Baylor v Missouri

Pac 10 6 PM: USC v Arizona State

MEAC 7 PM: Norfolk State v Morgan State

Mountain West 7 PM: San Diego State v Utah

MAC 8 PM: Akron v Buffalo

Big East 9 PM: Syracuse v Louisville

SWAC 9 PM: Jackson State v Alabama State

WAC 10 PM: Nevada v Utah State

Big West 12 AM: Pacific v Cal State Northridge

Should be a great day for college basketball. The A10 finals certainly upset some bubble teams. Also if Baylor wins there is another spot claimed. Finally bubble teams need to be rooting hard for Memphis this morning. I love March.

Semifinals

2009-03-12T20:33:00.002-04:00

Xavier spanked St. Louis 66-47 earlier today. They will meet Temple tomorrow night for a spot in the A10 championship game. CJ Anderson played very good today. I have been critical of him in the past but today he made great decisions with the ball. Fifteen points on 6-8 shooting to go along with five assists and four rebounds for CJ. He apparently has some back pain issues as alluded to on the telecast. This is the time of the year everybody is dealing with some ailment it seems. BJ Raymond led all scorers for X with 18 points.

Seven turnovers for the game is a stat I would like to see for the rest of March. Holloway played with confidence today. The story of the game was rebounding. Xavier won that battle 32-18. Add Majerus to the list of coaches who said 'NIT or nothing'. For the record I don't think they have a chance. I like Rick's reasons however. He proclaimed his team has lost too much class time and is too tired and beat up. Something tells me the CBI and other new post season tournament aren't going to be around long.

Temple beat St. Joes and tomorrow should be a great game. The first matchup at Cintas was very entertaining. Dionte Christmas is a dangerous one. He has led the A10 in scoring for three years in a row. I believe the first ever to do so. I just finished watching Duquesne squelch Rhode Island's chances of an at large bid. The Rams should get an invite to the NIT. It is Duquesne's first trip to the semifinals since 1994. In a few minutes Dayton will take on Richmond to determine the final spot in the semis.

It's the Bills

2009-03-11T15:28:00.002-04:00

St. Louis defeated LaSalle today in OT to advance in the A10 tournament. We handled them early on in the conference season on our floor but you never know what could happen. They have great guard play and a decent coach so it should be lots of fun.

Two more conference championships on tap tonight on ESPN2. The NEC and Big Sky submit their automatic bids to the big dance. The NDSU/Oakland game was a great one to watch last night. Oakland had command the whole game only to lose it at the end. The Bison of North Dakota State just became eligible this year to compete for the postseason at the D1 level. Cleveland State defeated Butler which stole a bubble spot from somebody last night.

Also I am a big believer in 'karma'. I will not play add on with Mighty Mouse but I am glad the Bearcat fan base is coming to their senses about the little guy with a big mouth.

Monday Musings

2009-03-09T16:02:00.002-04:00

It's Monday afternoon again. The loss against Richmond wasn't as damaging as I thought. We dropped to #19 in both polls and finished the regular season with an RPI of #15. X is solidly in the five seed range right now for the NCAA tournament. A run in the A10 tournament and they could move to a four. Again I love my team but I am realistic about their postseason chances. We need to improve point guard play, shoot free throws at 75%, and bring rivalry game type defenisive intensity to play outside the first weekend in the big dance. If we get the right matchups we could make it to the round of 16. We are a good shooting team that could become a great shooting team on any night. Now again I am going to root like hell that happens but I will take the success the season has already bourne:

- A 24-6 record.
- Winning the PR tournament.
- A10 regular season champs.
- 3-1 record in miami valley rivalry games.
- 3 seniors on pace to graduate.

Those are good measurables. It says a lot about changing expectations when you see that and know most of the die hard fans expect more from this team THIS season. I honestly thought 21-22 wins and an appearance in the NCAA's would be lofty goals for X coming off an elite 8.

I have a good solid 4.5 hours of basketball to watch tonight. Four automatic bids to be awarded tonight. 'Championship Week' is the best to me. Now all I have to do is find a way to free up two hours on Thursday at noon to watch our first round A10 tournament game.

A 10 Tournament Set

2009-03-08T09:23:00.002-04:00

The A10 tournament is set to begin Wednesday March 11th in Atlantic City, NJ. The site for the games is once again Boardwalk Hall. I will list the games in the order they are played with a predicted winner for each:

Wed March 11th-

#8 LaSalle -v- #9 St. Louis (St. Louis)
#5 St. Joseph's -v- #12 Charlotte (St. Joseph's)

#7 Duquesne -v- #10 UMASS (Duquesne)
#6 Richmond -v- #11 St. Bona (Richmond)

Thu March 12th-

#1 Xavier -v- #9 St. Louis (Xavier)
#4 Temple -v- #5 St. Joseph's (Temple)

#2 Rhode Island -v- #7 Duquesne (Rhode Island)
#6 Richmond -v- #3 Dayton (Richmond)

Fri March 13th-
#1 Xavier -v- #4 Temple (Temple)
#2 Rhode Island -v- #6 Richmond (Rhode Island)

Sat March 14th-
#2 Rhode Island -v- #4 Temple (Temple)

Of course my preseason predictions were awful and most likely these will turn to be way off base when the actual tournament plays out. In the scenario I laid out it could mean that 4 A10 teams make the tournament. That is very highly unlikely to come to fruition.

For X, it is the Billikens or the Explorers. Both teams are capable of better than their in season showings against us. I think the Muskies rebound off the loss at Richmond to win this one. Next round if were facing Temple I think the Owls get the return matchup. If we end up across St. Joes we advance to the championship on Saturday and most likely win. After the A10 tournament I will put up my version of the A10 postseason accolades.