Taking the Next Step

[james notsirhc 0]

With our past two decades of success (only 3 seasons without 20+ wins), 5 sweet sixteen's, and 2 elite eight's this program could be on the verge of breaking into the next tier of greatness. Joining the Big East only reinforces this, as it should become significantly easier to lure elite talent to a "power conference". These next couple years could really determine our future prestige. A couple of Big East championships and another elite eight appearance could do wonders for this program.

What must Xavier do next year to start this process?

1. Retain Semaj- Getting him back makes us a top team in the Big East, if not the favorites. Getting Big East championships could be a great selling point to any recruit. All these kids want to be seen on the best team at the biggest stage. That stage doesn't get too much bigger than televised games on FS1 and a conference tourney at MSG. This kid could be really good with some more offensive help around him. At times it feels like he's trying to force plays rather than letting the game come to him, which generally results in a horrible force or turnover.

2. Establish permitter threats- We all saw how frustrating it was to watch this year. I know Myles was supposed to be that guy, but he wasn't. Still, you need more than one to two good shooters on a team. While Semaj is capable of getting to the basket at will, he is not a pure scorer. He could punish teams on the drive and dish with capable shooters surrounding him. This would also prevent teams from doubling down on Stainbrook, seeing as how he is a very capable passer himself. This could be a very competitive team next year if Myles figures it out and Blueitt is as advertised. While Remy is not a pure shooter, he should still be an upgrade.

3- The Bigs- While Stainbrook and Reynolds are a very formidable duo, the development of James Farr is going to be huge. We can't expect both bigs to stay out of foul trouble on a consistent basis. Farr needs to improve his defensive assignments and positioning, which Mack seemingly rode him for all year long (rightfully so). He needs to get tougher on the glass, but luckily these things can all be learned. On a positive note, we could kill two birds with one stone if he's shooting as he was to start the season. I also expect to see some stretch 4 out of JMart as he proved he could be a force on the glass.

If Xavier can do these things I think Xavier could be a top 12-20 team all year long.

What do you think we need to do/improve to make some noise next year?

[xu15]

I'll go with:

1. Semaj comes back and assumes more of a drive and kick role. He is still our stud, but more shooters around him and him developing his shot would do wonders. Opens up a TON more than this past year.

2. One or two of the freshmen are good enough to force Mack to play them. I'd guess Bluiett obviously, but another one having an immediate impact would be huge.

3. Jalen Reynolds or Justin Martin takes a huge leap. Reynolds seems more likely at this point. A big leap for Martin may just be an improvement in consistency and ball security. That would do wonders. With Reynolds, the sky is the limit. A big jump for him would be HUGE.

[james notsirhc 0]

I just assumed Jalen would be a main contributor next year. He's just an animal in the paint. I don't really ever see him developing an awesome post game, but if he does watch out. He reminds me of Adrien Payne his freshman year, but that dude developed a shot and some wicked post moves.

[bleedXblue]

1. Must have more shooters
2. Must play better D
3. Must pay up and give Mack a healthy raise and vote of confidence

[IM4X]

All these kids want to be seen on the best team at the biggest stage. That stage doesn't get too much bigger than televised games on FS1 and a conference tourney at MSG.

I agree with you about the conference tourney being at MSG. Not so much about FS1. They're struggling a bit to get viewers for Big East Games. Hopefully that will improve as FS1 improves.

I'd rather wait until Semaj makes a decision and this talk about Mack going to Wake blows over (and my gut tells me it will blow over with him staying at X) before getting involved in commenting on too many hypotheticals.

I will say that I do feel better and better about the incoming class (and Remy). Knowing that the lowest rated of the 5 recruits coming in just held his own in a championship game against the #1 (ESPN) prospect in the nation (showing good defense, an ability to throw it down, and a nice touch with good range from outside) makes me feel a little better about the future. From what I've seen, it sure looks like we'll have improvement shooting the 3.

X needs to get better at defending the 3.

X players need to move better, have better spacing, and play with tenacity- like every possession matters. The mentality the team had this season of coming out lethargic, letting the opponent build a lead, and waiting until the second half to start playing with any sense of urgency has got to stop. That's on the coach as much (if not more) as it is on the players.

[Masterofreality]

1. Must have more shooters
2. Must play better D
3. Must pay up and give Mack a healthy raise and vote of confidence

The Hat Trick!!!!

[smileyy]

You know XU as a program has "made it" when they're featured in the "Major Conference Meh" section of a Tournament preview article.

I'm not sure if I like "making it".

[94GRAD]

1-Value the ball
2- Shoot better
3- Play with the swagger that you're going to beat everyone by 20

[The_Mack_Pack]

A little bit of three point shooting and some solid defenders off the bench would go a long long way. Our starters are really good, the drop-off in production to a bench player just can't be so dramatic next season. Remy should be able to help immediately in regards to being a defensive stopper from what I've heard. You've also got to believe that at least a couple of the freshman or Myles will be able to come out and hit some shots. I really like our team next season if there are no defections.

[xudash]

1-Value the ball
2- Shoot better
3- Play with the swagger that you're going to beat everyone by 20

Very important throughout the season. Essential during the Tournament. That attitude fuels runs.

Play as a team - - make the opposition have no clue as to the source of our next basket.

Otherwise, absolutely play more intelligently, which includes understanding the importance of each possession: absolutely value the ball.

And then focus on what bleedXblue wrote.

[TUclutch]

3- The Bigs- While Stainbrook and Reynolds are a very formidable duo, the development of James Farr is going to be huge. We can't expect both bigs to stay out of foul trouble on a consistent basis. Farr needs to improve his defensive assignments and positioning, which Mack seemingly rode him for all year long (rightfully so). He needs to get tougher on the glass, but luckily these things can all be learned. On a positive note, we could kill two birds with one stone if he's shooting as he was to start the season. I also expect to see some stretch 4 out of JMart as he proved he could be a force on the glass.

Don't be surprised if James Farr isn't even here. Randolph and Myles Davis have higher ceilings and have better chances to help the team. Farr is not very athletic, very poor defensively, and has no inside game. I wouldn't lose any sleep going in to next season with London and O'Mara as our backup bigs with JMart also getting time at the 4. Would the two freshman have growing pains? yes, but they really wouldn't bring any less production than Farr has

[paulxu]

Off ball constant movement - more/better passing (less dribbling around killing time) - more running in transition.

[james notsirhc 0]

Don't be surprised if James Farr isn't even here. Randolph and Myles Davis have higher ceilings and have better chances to help the team. Farr is not very athletic, very poor defensively, and has no inside game. I wouldn't lose any sleep going in to next season with London and O'Mara as our backup bigs with JMart also getting time at the 4. Would the two freshman have growing pains? yes, but they really wouldn't bring any less production than Farr has

That's a huge chance on two guys who haven't played a second of college ball. Farr has experience at the collegiate level, which means he's safe. We know exactly what we're going to get. I have a feeling Randolph will go back out west. I guess his dad is pretty sick. I hope he doesn't because he definitely has a lot of potential, but that Sumner kid looks pretty impressive and Dee can hold us over for a year. O'Mara probably wouldn't bring much to the table as a frosh. London is a great talent, but probably needs to be polished up a little bit. If Farr is gone, Jalen would really have to watch his bonehead fouls and we would see a lot of Martin at the 4.

[markchal]

Don't be surprised if James Farr isn't even here. Randolph and Myles Davis have higher ceilings and have better chances to help the team. Farr is not very athletic, very poor defensively, and has no inside game. I wouldn't lose any sleep going in to next season with London and O'Mara as our backup bigs with JMart also getting time at the 4. Would the two freshman have growing pains? yes, but they really wouldn't bring any less production than Farr has

I strongly disagree. We have no returning front court reserves and have a glut of players in the back court. I like Myles but to me Randolph is the odd man out. Either that or Sumner backs him up for three years and wasn't as good as advertised. Farr showed some good things for a soph. I think he'll be a pretty important bench player and with any consistency could be a very important piece next year. Neither of the incoming bigs will be able to contribute right away.

[xsteve1]

That's a huge chance on two guys who haven't played a second of college ball. Farr has experience at the collegiate level, which means he's safe. We know exactly what we're going to get. I have a feeling Randolph will go back out west. I guess his dad is pretty sick. I hope he doesn't because he definitely has a lot of potential, but that Sumner kid looks pretty impressive and Dee can hold us over for a year. O'Mara probably wouldn't bring much to the table as a frosh. London is a great talent, but probably needs to be polished up a little bit. If Farr is gone, Jalen would really have to watch his bonehead fouls and we would see a lot of Martin at the 4.

You are going to see a ton of Martin at the 4 with Bluiett at the 3.

[jtmeyer88]

xsteve,

I agree with you, I think Martin will see time at the 4.

On the topic of Farr, I know he didn't see much time late in the season. But you can see that he loves the game and he has a little swagger to him when he was playing consistently. If he can improve his mobility and flexibility to improve his defense, I love his potential. Also, I think Mack and the staff see the need for bodies down low, especially with the amount of fouls that get called in the paint and on rebounds...

As to the topic:

1. Value the ball, as previously posted

2. Buy into the defense.

Watching Virginia and Wisconsin shows how dominant a VERY well played pack line can be. It is a team effort, and I think a larger focus as a team can overcome the player's individual faults on D.

3. Bring the same energy and execution on the road.

Watching them falter and fold in most (not all) of the road and neutral site games was incredibly tough when you would see them take Creighton to the wire in Omaha, etc.

Go X! I can't wait until next season!

[D-West & PO-Z]

Don't be surprised if James Farr isn't even here. Randolph and Myles Davis have higher ceilings and have better chances to help the team. Farr is not very athletic, very poor defensively, and has no inside game. I wouldn't lose any sleep going in to next season with London and O'Mara as our backup bigs with JMart also getting time at the 4. Would the two freshman have growing pains? yes, but they really wouldn't bring any less production than Farr has

You have literally ZERO way of knowing this.

Every year Xavier fans write off some freshman or sophomore who, in their minds, hasnt contributed enough. When will Xavier fans learn to appreciate what has made Xavier basketball so great, the fact that typically the upper classmen lead our teams. Guys comes to Xavier and get better. They make big jumps from Sophomore to Junior year and to senior years. Other than a few players like Semaj and Crawford, we often dont get big time performances out of freshman and sophomores.

People wanted to get rid of Justin Doellman's scholarship, BJ Raymond was a "disappointment", Jason Love no one wanted. More recently Justin Martin had been called terrible and he had a pretty good (although inconsistent) year. I expect him to take a big leap as well.

I will actually be surprised if Farr doesnt make good progress over the off season and make a big contribution to the team next year.

[Muskie]

You have literally ZERO way of knowing this.

Every year Xavier fans write off some freshman or sophomore who, in their minds, hasnt contributed enough. When will Xavier fans learn to appreciate what has made Xavier basketball so great, the fact that typically the upper classmen lead our teams. Guys comes to Xavier and get better. They make big jumps from Sophomore to Junior year and to senior years. Other than a few players like Semaj and Crawford, we often dont get big time performances out of freshman and sophomores.

People wanted to get rid of Justin Doellman's scholarship, BJ Raymond was a "disappointment", Jason Love no one wanted. More recently Justin Martin had been called terrible and he had a pretty good (although inconsistent) year. I expect him to take a big leap as well.

I will actually be surprised if Farr doesnt make good progress over the off season and make a big contribution to the team next year.

Have you heard we've recruited the Fab 5?????? Clearly guys playing Hs ball right now are poised to take over for guys that have had a year in Mack's system. It's that time of year.

[LA Muskie]

You have literally ZERO way of knowing this.

Every year Xavier fans write off some freshman or sophomore who, in their minds, hasnt contributed enough. When will Xavier fans learn to appreciate what has made Xavier basketball so great, the fact that typically the upper classmen lead our teams. Guys comes to Xavier and get better. They make big jumps from Sophomore to Junior year and to senior years. Other than a few players like Semaj and Crawford, we often dont get big time performances out of freshman and sophomores.

People wanted to get rid of Justin Doellman's scholarship, BJ Raymond was a "disappointment", Jason Love no one wanted. More recently Justin Martin had been called terrible and he had a pretty good (although inconsistent) year. I expect him to take a big leap as well.

I will actually be surprised if Farr doesnt make good progress over the off season and make a big contribution to the team next year.
Couldn't agree more. Some people just have no concept of the transition it takes to go from HS/AAU ball to D1 ball. Can some make it seemlessly? Sure. And most of them play about 1-2 years before they move on to the next level. While we've had a few of those, they aren't exactly committing to us in droves like they do at certain basketball factories...

[SemajParlor]

Mack and his staff have a clipboard out taking notes.

[NY44]

Just find out what style of ball you're good at and stick to it. It always seemed like last year's team was trying to be something it wasn't, and by that I mean they kept shooting 3s they couldn't make.

[XUFan09]

Just find out what style of ball you're good at and stick to it. It always seemed like last year's team was trying to be something it wasn't, and by that I mean they kept shooting 3s they couldn't make.

They ranked 309th in the nation in the ratio of three-point attempts to field-goal attempts. #FactCheckingFTW

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[Masterofreality]

They ranked 309th in the nation in the ratio of three-point attempts to field-goal attempts. #FactCheckingFTW


Result.....We......need......more......shooters.

Not that I want to become a Creighton-esque team, but we were too inside oriented. You need inside and out.

[nokoolaid]

You have literally ZERO way of knowing this.

Every year Xavier fans write off some freshman or sophomore who, in their minds, hasnt contributed enough. When will Xavier fans learn to appreciate what has made Xavier basketball so great, the fact that typically the upper classmen lead our teams. Guys comes to Xavier and get better. They make big jumps from Sophomore to Junior year and to senior years. Other than a few players like Semaj and Crawford, we often dont get big time performances out of freshman and sophomores.

People wanted to get rid of Justin Doellman's scholarship, BJ Raymond was a "disappointment", Jason Love no one wanted. More recently Justin Martin had been called terrible and he had a pretty good (although inconsistent) year. I expect him to take a big leap as well.

I will actually be surprised if Farr doesnt make good progress over the off season and make a big contribution to the team next year.

I Like James Farr,but you play with the feet you were born with!

[nokoolaid]

Have you heard we've recruited the Fab 5?????? Clearly guys playing Hs ball right now are poised to take over for guys that have had a year in Mack's system. It's that time of year.

Chris Mack can play the same players except for Christon that laid an EGG in front of the most hated fans in the world or he can play the players who in four years can take X where they have never been. I say let the Freshmen play as a unit,whether they start or sub. Make them live together,eat together and sleep together and play together and in a few years they can take X to the promised land.

[Caveat]

The next step is avoiding extended minutes for non-dynamic players -- guys like Philmore, Stenger and Dee should be role players who spell better athletes or cover for foul trouble.

[TUclutch]

Chris Mack can play the same players except for Christon that laid an EGG in front of the most hated fans in the world or he can play the players who in four years can take X where they have never been. I say let the Freshmen play as a unit,whether they start or sub. Make them live together,eat together and sleep together and play together and in a few years they can take X to the promised land.

They will all get experience but to say they should play as much or more than JMart, Reynolds, Stainbrook, and Remy is crazy. The freshman + Myles and Randolph should play more than Farr and Dee Davis though.

[D-West & PO-Z]

The next step is avoiding extended minutes for non-dynamic players -- guys like Philmore, Stenger and Dee should be role players who spell better athletes or cover for foul trouble.


They will all get experience but to say they should play as much or more than JMart, Reynolds, Stainbrook, and Remy is crazy. The freshman + Myles and Randolph should play more than Farr and Dee Davis though.

Who do you guys want to play PG next year if not Dee? Randolph showed you enough to think he should start at PG?? He showed literally no offensive ability. I guess at times he drove into the lane and had a decent floater but he was not a threat in any other way.

Dee frustrates me a lot but I think he gets a little too much criticism. He averaged a lot of assists and has the ability to knock down outside shots. Is he one of our better PGs ever? No. But I dont think there will be any better options next year. Lets hope he continues to improve.

[TUclutch]

Who do you guys want to play PG next year if not Dee? Randolph showed you enough to think he should start at PG?? He showed literally no offensive ability. I guess at times he drove into the lane and had a decent floater but he was not a threat in any other way.

Dee frustrates me a lot but I think he gets a little too much criticism. He averaged a lot of assists and has the ability to knock down outside shots. Is he one of our better PGs ever? No. But I dont think there will be any better options next year. Lets hope he continues to improve.

Im not saying Dee shouldn't start but he shouldn't play close to 30 minutes. With Randolph and Sumner, Dee should play 20ish minutes. Let the two younger guys gain some experience. Randolph would be better if he got actual consistent PT. His potential is much higher than Dees and he has to play.

[SemajParlor]

Just find out what style of ball you're good at and stick to it. It always seemed like last year's team was trying to be something it wasn't, and by that I mean they kept shooting 3s they couldn't make.



They ranked 309th in the nation in the ratio of three-point attempts to field-goal attempts. #FactCheckingFTW

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Boom. Roasted.