Larry Austin Committed to Xavier

[nkymuskie]

Trevon Blueitt just tweeted that Larry Austin a 2014 PG recruit just committed to X. Haven't seen it anywhere else but here's a screenshot of the tweet.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/11/gypysy7e.jpg

[BMoreX]

Trevon Bluiett ‏@TrevonBluiett 2m

S/O to my boy @_LarryAustin2_ for committing to Xavier! Big things about to happen in the future! Congrats bro!#xaviernation

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/117587/larry-austin
6'1" PG

[The_Mack_Pack]

Wow, what a terrific pick-up!

[Retire33]

Not sure how I feel about a six person class; prefer classes to be more balanced.

Although, He sounds solid from all reports.

[The_Mack_Pack]

Not sure how I feel about a six person class; prefer classes to be more balanced.

Although, He sounds solid from all reports.

I wouldn't be surprised to see a couple of them redshirted to even things out. London and Sumner could definitely use an extra year in the weight room.

[nkymuskie]

7 new players next year. How fast can they build chemistry and get up to speed?

[The_Mack_Pack]

7 new players next year. How fast can they build chemistry and get up to speed?

I think the weaker than normal OOC schedule should help with that.

[Caveat]

This happened pretty quickly, I hadn't even heard he was on the radar.

[Musketeer_15]

I just watched a couple highlight videos and he seems to have some great ball handling skills. Welcome to the family!

[BMoreX]

@slrussell: Fun fact about future Musketeer Larry Austin Jr.: His GPA is 3.75. #Xavier

[drudy23]

I just watched a couple highlight videos and he seems to have some great ball handling skills. Welcome to the family!

Um...he's a PG coming to play college basketball at a high level D-1 program...pretty sure solid handles are a given in that situation.

On another note, NFL CBs seem to be really fast, I think.

[MD Muskie]

i feel like i am missing something here. Where did the extra scholly come from?

[Juice]

i feel like i am missing something here. Where did the extra scholly come from?

Semaj

[XUFan09]

Um...he's a PG coming to play college basketball at a high level D-1 program...pretty sure solid handles are a given in that situation.

On another note, NFL CBs seem to be really fast, I think.

That's by means a guarantee. Obviously, a point guard prospect has to be at least a competent ball-handler, but you will see good prospects for whom ball-handling is one of their weaknesses. For Austin, though, it's one of his strengths, as is his defense.

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[bobbiemcgee]

This Staff's recruiting job just blows me away. They seem to get anybody they want. Between Rivals and Scout, we're up to about 24 stars. Now the work begins.

[nkymuskie]

This happened pretty quickly, I hadn't even heard he was on the radar.

Yeah he visited a weekend or two ago. Snow and Rick had put up some info about him on the scout board a while back too. That board is well worth the money and I will absolutely always recommend signing up if you are a Xavier basketball fan.

[GIMMFD]

The weird thing about this to me is that there were reports that he was supposed to visit Providence today, think he committed on a visiting day, or that he just said sorry Providence, I'm going to Xavier?

Also, man this guy has some solid offers, must be a really good get!

[xufan2020]

Good to know X is going to be VERY deep in the guard position.

[PMI]

Um...he's a PG coming to play college basketball at a high level D-1 program...pretty sure solid handles are a given in that situation.

On another note, NFL CBs seem to be really fast, I think.

Huh? Are you really suggesting that all incoming D1 PGs have great ball handling skills? Apparently you missed the the Odia and Dante Jackson freshmen years, to name a few. And your point doesn't make sense anyway. All CBs in the NFL are fast, but some are faster than others. You're basically implying that ball handling is not a measurable skill, but rather just something a player either has or doesn't, which is ridiculous.

[XUFan09]

Well, Odia was a bust and Dante was a wing, so those aren't really good examples. For a better example, though, look no further than Semaj. He didn't have a left hand, and he dribbled too high. Now, his ball-handling was adequate for the PG position (though he was usually relegated to SG), but it was definitely one of his weaknesses.

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[gladdenguy]

Maybe Dee or Randolph is leaving?
Maybe the 2015 pg class was weak

[Musketeer_15]

Um...he's a PG coming to play college basketball at a high level D-1 program...pretty sure solid handles are a given in that situation.

On another note, NFL CBs seem to be really fast, I think.
Yeah the point of my post was to complement the kid... I thought his handles were better than the highlights I saw of Sumner and the other freshmen.

[KC4X]

Larry discusses his decision:

http://www.channel1450.com/Austin-Jr-Chooses-Xavier-Over-Cal/18984287

[XU-PA]

Larry discusses his decision:

http://www.channel1450.com/Austin-Jr-Chooses-Xavier-Over-Cal/18984287

3 things stand out during that interview,,,,, man he looks happy, Xavier, both of them got it right, and the highlites,,,, Schwing!!!!!

[Xtemporaneous]

Boy what a difference a few months make. In November we were all worried about over signing with five recruits (plus Abell) coming in and now we had an open scholly and a fourth PG.

It's just amazing to me how this has all played out. I'm sure we are the better for having six newcomers this year. And just think how (hopefully) this squad will gel in four years when they're all seniors. Great things in store for the muskies!

[gladdenguy]

It's just amazing to me how this has all played out. I'm sure we are the better for having six newcomers this year. And just think how (hopefully) this squad will gel in four years when they're all seniors. Great things in store for the muskies!

Having six newcomers as freshmen and one newcomer transfer is not ideal.
I love Chris Mack but he must have a better than average year following a poor year two years ago and an average year last year....with at least a couple tourney wins. The last 2 years have been disappointing to say the least. Since Miller's players have left he has 0 tournament wins and one pathetic showing in the only tournament appearance. I give him a pass for Dez but the excuses are running out. Some of these recruits need to pan out quickly or else.
Btw, there is no way all 6 will finish their career in Xavier uniforms. I really hope Makinde, Sumner or both redshirt.
The OOC schedule is not difficult but with this team they better not lose some piss poor games to derail the season.

[XU3232]

This kid reminds me of Mark Lyons a little bit... I hope he can develop his jumper and provide some offense as well.

[Juice]

Maybe Dee or Randolph is leaving?
Maybe the 2015 pg class was weak

The 2015 class is real weak for PG.

[bleedXblue]

Having six newcomers as freshmen and one newcomer transfer is not ideal.
I love Chris Mack but he must have a better than average year following a poor year two years ago and an average year last year....with at least a couple tourney wins. The last 2 years have been disappointing to say the least. Since Miller's players have left he has 0 tournament wins and one pathetic showing in the only tournament appearance. I give him a pass for Dez but the excuses are running out. Some of these recruits need to pan out quickly or else.
Btw, there is no way all 6 will finish their career in Xavier uniforms. I really hope Makinde, Sumner or both redshirt.
The OOC schedule is not difficult but with this team they better not lose some piss poor games to derail the season.

Next year will be very interesting. We really don't have a go to scorer. Not sure where the points are going to come from. Having 6 newcomers will be fun to watch. I don't have really high expectations.

[Thor in 204]

Next year will be very interesting. We really don't have a go to scorer. Not sure where the points are going to come from. Having 6 newcomers will be fun to watch. I don't have really high expectations.


I think Matt Stainbrook will be a go-to scorer and I think Jalen Reynolds will develop into one. We'll have to have improved shooting from returning guards and hopefully some good shooting from some or all of Bluiett, Macura, or Sumner.I get from what has been posted that Larry Austin Jr. is a great passer who has to improve on his outside shooting. I agree with you, a lot of unknowns coming into this season.

[xufan2020]

Well as beloved as Skip Prosser was, at Xavier he only compiled 1 tournament victory in his 7 seasons at X. I mean Mack got 2 in his first season, with Miller players, but the highest returning scorer from the 2008-2009 season was Jason Love who averaged 6.7 points in 2008-2009.

[drudy23]

Huh? Are you really suggesting that all incoming D1 PGs have great ball handling skills? Apparently you missed the the Odia and Dante Jackson freshmen years, to name a few. And your point doesn't make sense anyway. All CBs in the NFL are fast, but some are faster than others. You're basically implying that ball handling is not a measurable skill, but rather just something a player either has or doesn't, which is ridiculous.

All PGs going to high level D-1 college basketball programs have amazing handles, whether or not you choose to write some nonsense about who knows what. They are point guards, they handle the ball. A pre-requisite of being a PG at a high level D-1 program is fantastic handles - so yes, I said what I said.

And I didn't imply anything - you did.

[XUFan09]

All PGs going to high level D-1 college basketball programs have amazing handles, whether or not you choose to write some nonsense about who knows what. They are point guards, they handle the ball. A pre-requisite of being a PG at a high level D-1 program is fantastic handles - so yes, I said what I said.

And I didn't imply anything - you did.

And I gave the example of Semaj, who absolutely did not have amazing handles. He was a PG going to a high-level D1 basketball program. Ball-handling was one of his weaknesses.

Obviously we judge players' abilities by the position they are expected to play. Semaj still had better handles than most small forwards and your average shooting guard. But we're talking point guards. And as a point guard, he did not have good handles. And as a point guard, Larry Austin does have great handles.

[Ole blue eyes]

This kid reminds me of Mark Lyons a little bit... I hope he can develop his jumper and provide some offense as well.

They say Austin is intelligent, has character, and is shut down defender. Doesn't remind me of Lyons at all.

[GoMuskies]

Well as beloved as Skip Prosser was, at Xavier he only compiled 1 tournament victory in his 7 seasons at X.

Skip was generally beloved for things other than his ability to coach basketball.

[XU3232]

They say Austin is intelligent, has character, and is shut down defender. Doesn't remind me of Lyons at all.

He doesn't have to remind you of him... He reminds ME of Lyons after watching several different highlight videos I see similarities in their game. Thanks for your input though.

[bobbiemcgee]

If he is a shut down defender, he will see a lot of minutes.

[XUFan09]

The Lyons comparisons are appropriate. Austin is a pure point guard, whereas Lyons was a combo guard, and Lyons had a better offensive feel (and worse defensive feel), but there are definitely similarities:

Strong, athletic, employs the dribble-drive on offense, and doesn't shoot well from outside.

[mistabeecee41]

Doubt we keep Dee/BR/Sumner/Austin all on the active roster. Definitely think we see Sumner either redshirted or prepped/re-classified.

[PMI]

All PGs going to high level D-1 college basketball programs have amazing handles, whether or not you choose to write some nonsense about who knows what. They are point guards, they handle the ball. A pre-requisite of being a PG at a high level D-1 program is fantastic handles - so yes, I said what I said.

And I didn't imply anything - you did.

Wow. All incoming D1 PGs have amazing handles in roughly the same way that all incoming SGs have amazing shots. You implied PRECISELY that ball handling is simply something you are either good at or not. In fact, you came out and said it. I gave you examples of two Xavier point guards who came in without a good ability to handle the ball, relatively speaking, much less an amazing one. What's amazing is that I need to point out to you that's it's all relative. You say all D1 PGs are amazing ball handlers. By that logic, all D1 players are great at basketball. The problem is, much like how some basketball players are better than others, some points have better handles than others. Drew's ball handling, for example, was a strength of the 2007-08 team, which we greatly missed the following season before Tu came into his own. A pre-requisite of being a PG is having good handles in the same way that the pre-requisite for being a big man is being able to rebound. That doesn't mean it isn't a measurable skill that some players are better at than others. I think the deeper issue is that you like to contribute to this board mainly by dropping snarky little comments that provide no value or insight to the topic at hand. Most of the time, your comments are ignored due to their nugatory contents, but when someone calls out the bullshit, you stick to your guns regardless of how silly it is.

[paulxu]

It's fascinating to me how the last 20 years, or even 15 have built expectations for our program. For anyone who lived through the 60's-90's...these are glory times. I would love to have us make a deep run next year, and will be cheering for this every step of the way.

We have a number of high level recruits, so it would be great to see them perform at a 4-5 star level like some other programs get from their freshmen. But most of CBB success comes from veteran leadership/experience.

So facing a year when over 1/2 of our roster has never played a game in an X uniform, and 6 of the 7 are freshmen, most would say it's a re-building year. It's going to be interesting to see how it all develops. Hope some people can be patient if it takes an extra year to all come to fruition.

[UCGRAD4X]

Trevon Bluiett ‏@TrevonBluiett 2m

S/O to my boy @_LarryAustin2_ for committing to Xavier! Big things about to happen in the future! Congrats bro!#xaviernation

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/117587/larry-austin
6'1" PG

the link that is listed here does not show X as one of the teams offering Austin

[UCGRAD4X]

I'm also curious why we would use this scholarship on a 3 star prospect. Not that stars are the be-all-to-end all, but it seems to me (lacking in scouting acumen as I am) with the recruits we already have coming in, this 'extra' scolly should not better be reserved for that premium recruit that emerges or left for later. It doesn't seem like this kid is a 'can't miss' prospect. I'm not saying the kid is not good, he obviously has some skills, but with the 5 (+Remy) already out there - I can see saying, "We had this opening and this guy was one we could not pass up!" Does this kid really fit that bill?

I'm a little confused by this pick-up to be honest.

[XU 87]

[QUOTE=PMI;4510 All incoming D1 PGs have amazing handles in roughly the same way that all incoming SGs have amazing shots. You implied PRECISELY that ball handling is simply something you are either good at or not. In fact, you came out and said it. I gave you examples of two Xavier point guards who came in without a good ability to handle the ball, relatively speaking, much less an amazing one. What's amazing is that I need to point out to you that's it's all relative. You say all D1 PGs are amazing ball handlers. By that logic, all D1 players are great at basketball. The problem is, much like how some basketball players are better than others, some points have better handles than others. Drew's ball handling, for example, was a strength of the 2007-08 team, which we greatly missed the following season before Tu came into his own. A pre-requisite of being a PG is having good handles in the same way that the pre-requisite for being a big man is being able to rebound. That doesn't mean it isn't a measurable skill that some players are better at than others. [/QUOTE]

Dante Jackson was not recruited as a point guard. He was thrown into that position out of necessity.

Odia was an aberration. I have no clue how the guy got ranked so high when he had such limited skills. And I have no clue what Matta saw in him when choosing him over Lowry, other than Odia was tall.

But I will agree with Drudy to some extent on one thing- it's safe to assume that a guy who is recruited to play D1 point guard at a high major school will have superior ball handling skills. If he didn't, he wouldn't be going high major.

[XU 87]

I'm also curious why we would use this scholarship on a 3 star prospect. Not that stars are the be-all-to-end all, but it seems to me (lacking in scouting acumen as I am) with the recruits we already have coming in, this 'extra' scolly should not better be reserved for that premium recruit that emerges or left for later. It doesn't seem like this kid is a 'can't miss' prospect. I'm not saying the kid is not good, he obviously has some skills, but with the 5 (+Remy) already out there - I can see saying, "We had this opening and this guy was one we could not pass up!" Does this kid really fit that bill?

I'm a little confused by this pick-up to be honest.

He may have only three stars, but there were a lot of big programs recruiting him. I suspect the coaches think he's a better player than some of the recruiting services. If you watch his highlight films, it's clear the guy is athletic and can handle the ball. His outside shot is supposedly not so good. From what little I saw, his shooting form looks ok. So hopefully he can work on that, similar to Lyons and Tu.

[UCGRAD4X]

He may have only three stars, but there were a lot of big programs recruiting him. I suspect the coaches think he's a better player than some of the recruiting services. If you watch his highlight films, it's clear the guy is athletic and can handle the ball. His outside shot is supposedly not so good. From what little I saw, his shooting form looks ok. So hopefully he can work on that, similar to Lyons and Tu.

We so obviously need an outside shooter. Without this on his resume - what does he have that we don't already have?

[XU 87]

We so obviously need an outside shooter. Without this on his resume - what does he have that we don't already have?

He's a pure point guard. I'm not so sure Sumner is a pure point guard.

the way I see it- the guy is a good player that was offered by a lot of very good programs. it's not like X was desperate to fill this recruiting class (see Marcus Mason or Obi Harris.) I assume the staff feels that this guy can come in and contribute.

But I agree with you on the shooting thing. I want guards who can shoot.

[XUFan09]

We so obviously need an outside shooter. Without this on his resume - what does he have that we don't already have?

We don't need him to be a good shooter. This class has four shooters already, plus Remy is a good shooter too.

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[muskienick]

We so obviously need an outside shooter. Without this on his resume - what does he have that we don't already have?
He was rated as the 117th best kid coming out this year by one top rating system. That isn't chopped liver. As I understand it, he is noted as an excellent defensive player and an outstanding guy in running an offense. Although perimeter shooting wasn't listed as one of his outstanding traits, everything I could find about him indicates that he is quite adequate shooting the trey for a point guard.

Can a team ever have too much depth at that position, especially since one of our supposed point guards may actually be growing into a combo guard? One would thing that Dee, Brandon, and Larry will play the point in all situations except when the opposing point is 4-5" taller and consistently posting up against our 6' - 6'2" point guards. At that point, assuming he doesn't redshirt and has adjusted to the D-1 game, Edmond Sumner, now described as 6'4" and growing, would likely get the call.

But there are 4 guys who are far above my pay grade who have judged that Larry Austin deserves a scholarship to play at Xavier. That's good enough for me.

[XU 87]

We don't need him to be a good shooter. This class has four shooters already, plus Remy is a good shooter too.

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I think you want all of your players to be good shooters, especially guards who can shoot threes.

[XUFan09]

I think you want all of your players to be good shooters, especially guards who can shoot threes.

I agree that you want that, but you don't necessarily need it. A pure point guard like Austin is a good complement to a class full of shooters, even if he doesn't shoot well himself.

[XU 87]

I agree that you want that, but you don't necessarily need it. A pure point guard like Austin is a good complement to a class full of shooters, even if he doesn't shoot well himself.

I'll disagree with you on this one. You always need good shooters, especially from the guards. We watched what happened this year when the guards weren't good outside shooters. Even if you have other good shooters out there, there's a pretty big hole in your lineup when your point guard can't shoot threes.

A big man who can shoot threes is a luxury. A point guard who can shoot threes is close to a necessity.

And when I say "close to a necessity", I mean it's pretty important if a program like X wants to be one of the top teams in the country, not just make it to the NCAA and lose in the first round (see this year).

[IM4X]

Originally Posted by XU3232
This kid reminds me of Mark Lyons a little bit... I hope he can develop his jumper and provide some offense as well.


They say Austin is intelligent, has character, and is shut down defender. Doesn't remind me of Lyons at all.

To be fair he did say "a little bit" not "a lot" and the two do seem to have some similar skills.

[XUFan09]

I'll disagree with you on this one. You always need good shooters, especially from the guards. We watched what happened this year when the guards weren't good outside shooters. Even if you have other good shooters out there, there's a pretty big hole in your lineup when your point guard can't shoot threes.

A big man who can shoot threes is a luxury. A point guard who can shoot threes is close to a necessity.

And when I say "close to a necessity", I mean it's pretty important if a program like X wants to be one of the top teams in the country, not just make it to the NCAA and lose in the first round (see this year).

I see your point there, but I think the bigger issue was a lack of shooters, period. Martin was good, Dee was decent, and Myles and Farr, who were originally knockdown shooters, dropped off completely. Because of this, there was usually only one person shooting well on a good day. On bad days, nobody. If Myles and Farr had kept shooting well, I don't think we would have noticed that Semaj couldn't shoot himself.

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[Backyard Champ]

I'll disagree with you on this one. You always need good shooters, especially from the guards. We watched what happened this year when the guards weren't good outside shooters. Even if you have other good shooters out there, there's a pretty big hole in your lineup when your point guard can't shoot threes.

A big man who can shoot threes is a luxury. A point guard who can shoot threes is close to a necessity.

And when I say "close to a necessity", I mean it's pretty important if a program like X wants to be one of the top teams in the country, not just make it to the NCAA and lose in the first round (see this year).


Strongly disagree. You just need solid shooters around the pg- we didn't have anywhere close to that this year, IMO. I know it's a stretch, but if NBA teams can do well without a 3 shooting pg, you certainly don't need one in college.

[xufan2434]

Most of the clips on Austin I read was that he isn't known for his outside shooting, BUT it has vastly improved in the last year. It also mentioned how much upside he has. It did say he's really good at finishing in the lane. I think he's only going to get better. He's bigger than Dee and better at running a team than Randolph. Sumner can definitely slide to the 2 as well.

There's no chance all of these guys finish their careers at X, correct. But does that really matter? I think they have a lot of potential to be really good down the road. The center coming in this year probably won't be good till his junior year which worries me after this year with only Farr, Reynolds, and London. Things might not work out and there will definitely be a lot of growing pains, but the excitement for the future is there which is all you can ask for.

It will be interesting to see how Myles Davis and Randolph end up fitting into this whole situation

[Frambo]

The center coming in this year probably won't be good till his junior year which worries me after this year with only Farr, Reynolds, and London.

My money's on O'Mara helping this year and well before London will be able to, especially after seeing London on TV and reading about O'Mara's play this season.

[nkymuskie]

My money's on O'Mara helping this year and well before London will be able to, especially after seeing London on TV and reading about O'Mara's play this season.

I tend to agree with this. It sounds like he is a grinder and kept getting better towards the end of the season. One of his last games he went against Jalil Okafor (#1 overall for 2014, someone who say is the best high school big man since Tim Duncan) and more than held his own. I think we will get some quality from him this year as our 4th big, contributing some rebounds and tough minutes.

[drudy23]

it's safe to assume that a guy who is recruited to play D1 point guard at a high major school will have superior ball handling skills. If he didn't, he wouldn't be going high major.

Wait, whaaaaat?

That just makes too much sense.

[BandAid]

In regards to the "handles" discussion. I'd say Austin has better handles than Sumner, but as some have mentioned, Sumner is a combo. I also think Austin has better handles than Randolph had coming into school, but that's only based off of mixtapes (which don't really count for anything). So saying that a pg has really good handles make sense to me, although some contextual clues would make even more sense.

[UCGRAD4X]

We don't need him to be a good shooter. This class has four shooters already, plus Remy is a good shooter too.

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So were Myles and Farr…

To me that was the single most glaring weakness of the team this past year (and for a few years). I understand that some recruits' skills don't necessarily translate to D1. I would just have assumed that using our last scholarship - in a year where we really don't need to be using it at all (by some estimations) - it would be a bullit saved and only fired if a real can't miss (if there is such an animal) becomes available that fills an obviously glaring need (outside shooter).

That leaves me less than ecstatic about this recruit.

[kyxu]

Stainbrook had really great love handles at Western Michigan but that didn't help him really.

[BandAid]

So were Myles and Farr…

To me that was the single most glaring weakness of the team this past year (and for a few years). I understand that some recruits' skills don't necessarily translate to D1. I would just have assumed that using our last scholarship - in a year where we really don't need to be using it at all (by some estimations) - it would be a bullit saved and only fired if a real can't miss (if there is such an animal) becomes available that fills an obviously glaring need (outside shooter).

That leaves me less than ecstatic about this recruit.

I like him. I think he'll be a better contributor than Sumner their first couple of years. (After that I expect Sumner to have grown more into his body, so all bets are off.)

Judging by how Randolph completed last year, I think Austin could beat him out too.

Judging totally off of mixtapes (dangerous, I know), O'Mara, Bluiett, Austin, and Macura all have a toughness or swagger about them - I like that.

[Masterofreality]

So were Myles and Farr…

To me that was the single most glaring weakness of the team this past year (and for a few years). I understand that some recruits' skills don't necessarily translate to D1. I would just have assumed that using our last scholarship - in a year where we really don't need to be using it at all (by some estimations) - it would be a bullit saved and only fired if a real can't miss (if there is such an animal) becomes available that fills an obviously glaring need (outside shooter).

That leaves me less than ecstatic about this recruit.

WIth all due respect, 4, Austin had a lot of high D1 interest. I believe the staff is looking at his upside potential. Remember that when Tu Holloway came, no one talked about his shooting. Tu got in the gym and made himself a serviceable shooter.

I would guess that the staff has looked at this kid, saw his motor and his fire to improve, and think that he's one to pull the trigger on.

[paulxu]

Tu got in the gym and made himself a serviceable shooter.

Good point. 6th on the all time Xavier scoring list. That's "serviceable!"

[boozehound]

Next year will be very interesting. We really don't have a go to scorer. Not sure where the points are going to come from. Having 6 newcomers will be fun to watch. I don't have really high expectations.

I agree. I definitely think that if we go into next year hoping for 'a couple' of tourney wins then we are going to be disappointed. We have A LOT of new faces.

I also don't think any of these guys are going to redshirt. It just doesn't seem to happen much anymore that players redshirt at the high D1 level, and our class is loaded with Top 150 recruits who I'm guessing will expect to compete for minutes as Freshmen. I think the more likely scenario is that a few transfer out after this season because they don't see enough playing time. That seems to be the way it works now.

[boozehound]

So were Myles and Farr…

To me that was the single most glaring weakness of the team this past year (and for a few years). I understand that some recruits' skills don't necessarily translate to D1. I would just have assumed that using our last scholarship - in a year where we really don't need to be using it at all (by some estimations) - it would be a bullit saved and only fired if a real can't miss (if there is such an animal) becomes available that fills an obviously glaring need (outside shooter).

That leaves me less than ecstatic about this recruit.

Mack's philosophy seems to be that you can never have enough PG's. I'm sure he plans on (or more) of these guys not making the cut and transferring. Competition is a good thing and I am in favor of using all available scholarships in a given year, particularly with all the transfer activity that seems to be going on of late.

[danaandvictory]

I also don't think any of these guys are going to redshirt. It just doesn't seem to happen much anymore that players redshirt at the high D1 level, and our class is loaded with Top 150 recruits who I'm guessing will expect to compete for minutes as Freshmen.

While this is undoubtedly true, one interesting thing about the 6-man class this year is that only one of them finished at a prep school. Bluiett, Macura, Austin, O'Mara, and Sumner are all coming directly from HS - London did play at Montverde last year but I'm having trouble finding whether he was there for his scheduled senior year or if it was a prep year. I think there's more of a pressure on a kid that comes in at 20 years old to get PT as quickly as possible and raise their pro stock.

Bluiett should be a starter from the word go, Macura and O'Mara seem like logical rotation guys. Austin seems physically ready, regardless of how you assess his game. Sumner and London need to add weight and strength, so it wouldn't surprise me if the coaches encouraged one or both of them to redshirt.

As to your other point, it would be very surprising to me if all 6 of these guys played out their entire careers at Xavier, just from a numbers perspective. But you never know.

[Juice]

So were Myles and Farr…

To me that was the single most glaring weakness of the team this past year (and for a few years). I understand that some recruits' skills don't necessarily translate to D1. I would just have assumed that using our last scholarship - in a year where we really don't need to be using it at all (by some estimations) - it would be a bullit saved and only fired if a real can't miss (if there is such an animal) becomes available that fills an obviously glaring need (outside shooter).

That leaves me less than ecstatic about this recruit.

X needs a PG. The 2015 class is short on them, and X most likely wasn't going to get any as good as Austin. They addressed shooters in this class with Macura and Blueitt.

[PMI]

Dante Jackson was not recruited as a point guard. He was thrown into that position out of necessity.

Odia was an aberration. I have no clue how the guy got ranked so high when he had such limited skills. And I have no clue what Matta saw in him when choosing him over Lowry, other than Odia was tall.

But I will agree with Drudy to some extent on one thing- it's safe to assume that a guy who is recruited to play D1 point guard at a high major school will have superior ball handling skills. If he didn't, he wouldn't be going high major.

Again, it's all relative. Compared to, say, me, all D1 PGs have an incredible handle. Drudy jumped on a poster for saying Austin had great handles (which for the record I wouldn't say he does in the limited tape I've seen.) Anyone who thinks all incoming PGs are on even roughly equal levels when it comes to ball handling view the world as Drudy does... which is very simplistically and with zero attention to detail.

[sirthought]

Lots of great points here. Here are my thoughts on what seems to be a wonderful pickup:

- ESPN's page says Austin had 12 other competitive D1 schools offer. His 3.75 GPA is rare amongst 150 high school athletes. Scout's page shows Harvard and Stanford recruited him. This guy has the smarts coaches are after.

- Quite a few NBA point guards can't score easily. They play for their defense and ability to set up plays and pass. Based on the passing I saw in two videos, Austin has a great feel for placing the ball where he needs it. If he can penetrate and pass, I'd love to see that. Dee Davis struggles with that. If Austin can defend, we'd all love it.

- Who knows how it's going to work with so many guards on the roster, but I applaud Mack for bringing in another highly regarded player. More competitive practices help players improve. Walk ons serve to compete in practice, but they won't help scholarship players improve as quickly as when playing against guys with as good or better.

- Mack has a skilled six-man rotation ready to develop together, which is frigging exciting. Two guards. Two combo wings. Two bigs. Love it!

This team is going to struggle next season, but there could be some bright spots. Stainbrook is going to compete in the same way. I think Reynolds will likely make big strides. I also see Randolph improving. Remy Abell may dominate at times.

But give these freshmen a year to get used to the speed and physicality of the college game and we're going to be a force.

[drudy23]

Again, it's all relative. Compared to, say, me, all D1 PGs have an incredible handle. Drudy jumped on a poster for saying Austin had great handles (which for the record I wouldn't say he does in the limited tape I've seen.) Anyone who thinks all incoming PGs are on even roughly equal levels when it comes to ball handling view the world as Drudy does... which is very simplistically and with zero attention to detail.

How does me saying all high level D-I PGs have great handles imply that their level of ball handedness is the same? You make zero sense.

[Xaveriana]

Slow season. Worst thread in awhile. Trust Mack & Co. Be happy we continue to get great "on paper" players. No one can see the future--some will work out as expected, some will exceed expectations and some will not live up to the billing. Trending in the right direction. Excited for the season to see how it all works out.

[GoMuskies]

If I thought a few roster spots weren't going to open up "unexpectedly" over the next four years, I guess I'd be worried about using this scholarship. Given that the 13 scholarship limit has never in my memory prevented us from getting a player we wanted, I'm just going to be pleased that we're getting someone who appears to be a solid (if not spectacular) prospect.

[XUFan09]

So were Myles and Farr…

To me that was the single most glaring weakness of the team this past year (and for a few years). I understand that some recruits' skills don't necessarily translate to D1. I would just have assumed that using our last scholarship - in a year where we really don't need to be using it at all (by some estimations) - it would be a bullit saved and only fired if a real can't miss (if there is such an animal) becomes available that fills an obviously glaring need (outside shooter).

That leaves me less than ecstatic about this recruit.

Two things:

1) Think about how improbable and unlucky it is that the team's two knockdown shooters just went ice-cold mid-season and couldn't make a shot from deep after that. Do you really think that's an issue that will crop up again any time soon? It seems highly unlikely.

2) That's two guys. This incoming group has five shooters, plus those two will probably regain their form in this off-season. So the team has seven guys that can knock down the three ball with regularity (though 1 or 2 might redshirt for this season).

[XUFan09]

If I thought a few roster spots weren't going to open up "unexpectedly" over the next four years, I guess I'd be worried about using this scholarship. Given that the 13 scholarship limit has never in my memory prevented us from getting a player we wanted, I'm just going to be pleased that we're getting someone who appears to be a solid (if not spectacular) prospect.

That's how I feel about it too. He also fits a need, as the 2015 point guard class is really limited, meaning all the good ones will get heavily recruited, and Xavier was unlikely to land one as good as Austin.

[PMI]

How does me saying all high level D-I PGs have great handles imply that their level of ball handedness is the same? You make zero sense.

You douched out on a poster for him suggesting that the kid has good handles. You DIRECTLY dismissed ball handling as an attribute by saying that everyone has amazing handles. You are just now backtracking by "not disagreeing" that not all point guards have the same level of ability in that regard, which completely negates your original, useless post. Again, the bigger issue is just your inability to come up with anything more than a snarky shot at everyone's opinions, without offering any reasonable insight to the contrary. Your next valuable post on this board will be your first.

[gladdenguy]

Well as beloved as Skip Prosser was, at Xavier he only compiled 1 tournament victory in his 7 seasons at X. I mean Mack got 2 in his first season, with Miller players, but the highest returning scorer from the 2008-2009 season was Jason Love who averaged 6.7 points in 2008-2009.

Skip Prosser would have been fired twice if he compiled those results at Xavier after Matta and Miller.
Things are a lot different at Xavier now then they were when they entered the A-10. Time to grow up as a program.....expectations also.
This class is do or die for Mack.

Even fans of other programs where Mack was a possible suitor were mostly against the hiring because Xavier has been trending down ever since Miller left. Its not that difficult to see.

[XUFan09]

You douched out on a poster for him suggesting that the kid has good handles.

Exactly. A poster says that Austin has great handles, which is not a guarantee for a point guard, and receives an unnecessary asshole response.

[GreatWhiteNorth]

Slow season. Worst thread in awhile. Trust Mack & Co. Be happy we continue to get great "on paper" players. No one can see the future--some will work out as expected, some will exceed expectations and some will not live up to the billing. Trending in the right direction. Excited for the season to see how it all works out.

I am with you.

[Masterofreality]

Good point. 6th on the all time Xavier scoring list. That's "serviceable!"

90% free throw shooting helps that.

[Masterofreality]

Skip Prosser would have been fired twice if he compiled those results at Xavier after Matta and Miller.

Even fans of other programs where Mack was a possible suitor were mostly against the hiring because Xavier has been trending down ever since Miller left. Its not that difficult to see.

"I'm only happy when it rains
I feel good when things are going wrong
I only listen to sad, sad songs
I'm only happy when it rains"

-Shirley Manson

Cheeeesh!

[PMI]

Exactly. A poster says that Austin has great handles, which is not a guarantee for a point guard, and receives an unnecessary asshole response.

Precisely. That is Drudy's sole role around here when he's not busy blowing a load over Xavier basketball shorts.

[gladdenguy]

"I'm only happy when it rains
I feel good when things are going wrong
I only listen to sad, sad songs
I'm only happy when it rains"

-Shirley Manson

Cheeeesh!

So you would be okay with 1 tournament win in 7 years????????????????????????????????????

Other than that I have no idea what you are trying to say with your dumb ass quote.

Please enlighten me.

[BandAid]

So...I'm excited about this signing - welcome to the X family Larry!

[nuts4xu]

This class is do or die for Mack.



It will be a telling year for Mack, for sure. The mood around the program is about as good as it has been in a while. This is an all Chris Mack squad with players that he and his coaches recruited. No more Miller recruits, or bad attitudes from players who only cared to play on certain days.

But they will also have 7 brand new faces, 6 of whom are finishing up their high school years right now. The trip to Brazil should help mold this group, and give them some chemistry. In years past when we had this much new talent, it took a while to jell. Even the Lenny Brown, Darnell Williams, Gary Lumpkin class who went to Ireland, needed a year and James Posey becoming eligible before they really became a cohesive unit.

I am expecting to see this team grow and develop, and I want to see marked progress from beginning until the end. I want to see the players getting better, faster and stronger, and I hope they figure out Division I basketball before January rolls around. I think this group of players will be special. I just hope it doesn't take 3 years to see them come together.

[kyxu]

The flood of new faces doesn't concern me as much; I'm thrilled with what they have to offer. My biggest concern is how long they will actually be at Xavier, considering Mack may be gone when the next solid coaching offer comes around.

[xudash]

So you would be okay with 1 tournament win in 7 years????????????????????????????????????

Other than that I have no idea what you are trying to say with your dumb ass quote.

Please enlighten me.

Well, if we're all allowed to dive in here, then I'd guess the quote has less to do with Skip and more to do with this:

"Even fans of other programs where Mack was a possible suitor were mostly against the hiring because Xavier has been trending down ever since Miller left. Its not that difficult to see."

Some people may apply more context than you with respect to where Xavier has been over the last couple seasons. The year before last, in what was supposed to be nothing but disaster for Xavier basketball, Mack found a way to scratch out a winning season, having "lost" Dez and Mark to other programs. This past season, he managed to get Xavier back to the NCAA Tournament, albeit with a quick exit.

What you see as "trending down" is seen by others as nothing more than an anomaly. Beyond that, I can't imagine there is a person alive who believes that Xavier is going in the wrong direction now, given the recruiting class Mack has coming in. And while others have questioned his coaching and the fact that his better seasons were with Miller's players, he helped recruit those players, and I otherwise recall him having a solid year during his first year as HC.

Finally, unless you know Mike Graham personally, and I mean that experience to include sitting in meetings with him, you should consider letting go your attacks on him. You have no idea how clueless you are when it comes to Mike Graham's leadership and management skills. And I offer that suggestion to you while understanding that he is not infallible.

[drudy23]

Exactly. A poster says that Austin has great handles, which is not a guarantee for a point guard, and receives an unnecessary asshole response.

Being an asshole doesn't equal being wrong.

Different argument if you said "Wow, you're a dick", but you didn't say that.

[paulxu]

This off-season seems unusually contentious. Must be global warming irritating everybody.

[XUFan09]

Being an asshole doesn't equal being wrong.

Different argument if you said "Wow, you're a dick", but you didn't say that.

I did also say that great handles wasn't a guarantee with point guard recruits. Considering that you mocked him/her for complimenting Austin's great handles, that is saying you were wrong. So, you were both an asshole and you were wrong in the process of being asshole.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk

[drudy23]

Please tell me one coach in high level D-I basketball that is going to recruit a PG without solid ball handling skills? They may be forced to develop a SG into a PG based on need where that situation may exist, but there is no high level D-1 coach on their right mind that isn't looking for fantastic handles already developed in their PG.

It's just simply stupid to think otherwise, regardless of what you think.

[xudash]

Love this board. We have great news on Larry Austin. And this is partially where that news has taken us.

[Masterofreality]

Even fans of other programs where Mack was a possible suitor were mostly against the hiring because Xavier has been trending down ever since Miller left. Its not that difficult to see.


So you would be okay with 1 tournament win in 7 years????????????????????????????????????

Other than that I have no idea what you are trying to say with your dumb ass quote.

Please enlighten me.

We sign a recruit that 12 other high major programs want and the first quote above is your reaction.

I repeat. Cheeeeeeeeesh!

[PMI]

Being an asshole doesn't equal being wrong.

Different argument if you said "Wow, you're a dick", but you didn't say that.

In your case, you're both. Pretty cool that you embrace being a dick though. Pretty much all of your posts have this undertone of, "fellow message board posters, I'm totally a cool dude in real life." We're all super impressed.

[NY44]

I have nothing but positive things to say about this recruiting class. I am blown away by the job Mack has done with this class. He has far surpassed my expectations for the Big East jump up in recruiting. Maybe Austin isn't the most polished PG recruit I have ever seen, but that's ok because he's the second best one IN THIS RECRUITING CLASS! That's awesome depth.

None of these guys, besides maybe Bluiett, will have a ton of pressure on them in their freshman season. The rest of them will probably be second string and have time to adjust and develop.

[TUclutch]

Don't be surprised if Macura beats out Bluiett for a starting spot. Dude can ball

[XUFan09]

Please tell me one coach in high level D-I basketball that is going to recruit a PG without solid ball handling skills? They may be forced to develop a SG into a PG based on need where that situation may exist, but there is no high level D-1 coach on their right mind that isn't looking for fantastic handles already developed in their PG.

It's just simply stupid to think otherwise, regardless of what you think.

I love how you change the adjective from "great" to "solid." Completely different meanings, and I've already mentioned "competent" as the minimum (I would equate that to "solid"). And then you use "fantastic" in the same post. Are you sure you know what degrees of quality you're arguing about? Or, are you just trying to move the goalposts back and forth to strawman my position? By the way, if you want a point guard recruit without "fantastic" handles, I've already mentioned him: Semaj. Hell, "fantastic" is such a strong word that I wouldn't even include Dee on the list, even though he has good handles by point guard standards. Drew Lavender would make that list at least.

It's simple. A point guard prospect at the high D1 level needs to be a competent (or solid, to use your term) ball-handler, but he doesn't need to be a great ball-handler. Of course, if he's not a great ball-handler, he needs to be strong in some other categories to not be relegated to mid-major or low-major programs, whether it's speed, athleticism, shooting, court vision, "craftiness," etc.

[XUFan09]

I have nothing but positive things to say about this recruiting class. I am blown away by the job Mack has done with this class. He has far surpassed my expectations for the Big East jump up in recruiting. Maybe Austin isn't the most polished PG recruit I have ever seen, but that's ok because he's the second best one IN THIS RECRUITING CLASS! That's awesome depth.

None of these guys, besides maybe Bluiett, will have a ton of pressure on them in their freshman season. The rest of them will probably be second string and have time to adjust and develop.

Agreed. In this class, we have:

A good-sized true point guard
A big combo guard
A good-sized guard/wing
A wing (with the bulk to play a small 4 in 3-guard lineups)
A finesse stretch forward with great length
A mobile, passing center

The only thing this class lacks is a bruising power forward, which they'll probably focus on getting in the 2015 class.

[drudy23]

In your case, you're both. Pretty cool that you embrace being a dick though. Pretty much all of your posts have this undertone of, "fellow message board posters, I'm totally a cool dude in real life." We're all super impressed.

At least we're moving in the right direction.

[xu82]

Love this board. We have great news on Larry Austin. And this is partially where that news has taken us.

Who? Try to stay focused, would you?

[NY44]

The only thing this class lacks is a bruising power forward, which they'll probably focus on getting in the 2015 class.

Do we want that? This team is going to be loaded with speed and perimeter threats. I'm not exactly hoping for a bruiser to come and slow this team down. After Stainbrook, the entire roster can get out and run well.

[xu82]

Do we want that? This team is going to be loaded with speed and perimeter threats. I'm not exactly hoping for a bruiser to come and slow this team down. After Stainbrook, the entire roster can get out and run well.

I'm not hoping for a slow footed, lumbering giant, but I do hope we can compete against big teams who want to pound it into the paint against us and control the offensive glass. Maybe Jalen fits that role, but we need some depth to bang with the bigger lineups. London isn't there until he gets some time in the gym, a few cheese burgers and all you can eat ice cream! (But he's a blast to watch!)

[XUFan09]

Do we want that? This team is going to be loaded with speed and perimeter threats. I'm not exactly hoping for a bruiser to come and slow this team down. After Stainbrook, the entire roster can get out and run well.

Yeah, I don't want a Philmore-style power forward. Someone who is reasonably mobile but also able to mix it up in the post would be nice though. I don't want a situation where an opponent can bully our bigs around without us having an answer. Reynolds can fill this role (though his post game is still developing), but he's two years ahead of the 2015 class and might not even exhaust his eligibility.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk

[PMI]

Don't be surprised if Macura beats out Bluiett for a starting spot. Dude can ball

I would be surprised if this happened, but if it did, that would probably be a very good thing for this year's team. I do think Macura will be a part of the rotation all year though, unless his defense is brutal.

[bobbiemcgee]

I'm counting more X top 150's than the whole 14 team A-10.

[SemajParlor]

My head hurts from trying to predict who gets what minutes. Can't wait for the season to start ---- I get the feeling there will be some more roster shuffling remaining.

[NY44]

Can't wait for the season to start

I hope this isn't true, because you're going to have to wait. They can't expedite the off season just for you.

[bleedXblue]

I just get the sense that next year is going to be the "rebirth"....(for lack of a better word) of Xavier basketball competing at a high level.

Not expecting much next year, but we should be pretty well positioned for many years to come with the quality and depth of this class.

[boozehound]

Love this board. We have great news on Larry Austin. And this is partially where that news has taken us.

Agreed. This thread is so full of douche that it should be sponsored by Massengill.

Somebody remarks that the kind is reputed to have a good handle and then a douche bomb explodes all over this thread. Crazy.

[bobbiemcgee]

Idea. Ginsburg cut off his nipple on Mad Men Sunday night to relieve the pressure.

[ArizonaXUGrad]

My god, a 2014 top 150 PG comes to Xavier who is known as a distributor and lock down defender commits and we all worry. Competition brings the best out in kids. Having a full roster is not a bad thing. If someone transfers because this kid signed so be it, but I hope not. We have a full boat of kids signed and honestly, I like them all and I think all have good chance to compete for minutes. When was the last time we had a team full of kids in the top 150, well with the exception of Farr but I am almost certain Davis was top 150.

[XU 87]

Do we want that? This team is going to be loaded with speed and perimeter threats. I'm not exactly hoping for a bruiser to come and slow this team down. After Stainbrook, the entire roster can get out and run well.

I want a bruiser who is athletic and can shoot.

[xufan2434]

Whoever brought up earlier about Davis and Farr going cold, and we need more shooters than Blueitt and Macura..

Farr and Davis were never looked at by the likes of UCLA or given an offer for that matter. He's a different breed and completely different level of talent. Macura, surprisingly as it sounds, at least looks to be more athletic than Davis and at least 4 inches taller. And is a gamer, check his high school championship game. I might be wrong with this but Farr wasn't coming into X known as a specialist shooter either. I got the impression that he was a big guy that had a solid mid range game. Not someone who was supposed to be our best 3 point shooter.

[xufan2434]

They are going to have to go big in the next recruiting class.. But I don't think they need bruisers. Guys like Josh Duncan and Derrick Brown weren't bruisers and for the most part they held their own. I know that's asking a ton out of a next recruiting class, but I think everyone's just looking for athletic guys that are also strong enough to compete in the post.

[OH.X.MI]

I hope this isn't true, because you're going to have to wait. They can't expedite the off season just for you.

Hope SemajParlor makes it through the summer okay!

[XUFan09]

Whoever brought up earlier about Davis and Farr going cold, and we need more shooters than Blueitt and Macura..

Farr and Davis were never looked at by the likes of UCLA or given an offer for that matter. He's a different breed and completely different level of talent. Macura, surprisingly as it sounds, at least looks to be more athletic than Davis and at least 4 inches taller. And is a gamer, check his high school championship game. I might be wrong with this but Farr wasn't coming into X known as a specialist shooter either. I got the impression that he was a big guy that had a solid mid range game. Not someone who was supposed to be our best 3 point shooter.

It wasn't highlighted in the recruiting process, but Farr was known for being a good shooter. Maybe not expected to be our best, but 40+% was fairly reasonable. He was actually doing just that until midway through the conference schedule, after which he finishes something like 1 of 12.

Macura is impressively athletic. An athletic knockdown shooter is a really nice combo. London and Sumner are both good shooters. Sumner shot something like 45% his senior season (I remember hearing that, but it's hard to dig up high school stats). One or both of them might redshirt, but the class as it is now has four shooters. Myles and Farr are still here too, and I like I said before, they will probably regain their form this off-season.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk

[PMI]

It's hard to imagine Myles Davis going through that bad of a slump again. Not only was he missing everything, but he was missing badly. He may not be Redford, but he was known as one of the best high school shooters in his class coming in. Also, he hopefully will have his legs under him a little more than he did last season and be a little lighter and in better shape. I still think he'll carve out a nice role as a shooter off the bench. With Farr, it's a little different. He's a good shooter who should be taking open shots, but I'd rather he didn't fall in love with hanging around the perimeter and really work on developing something... anything in the post. He's a capable rebounder and he has some touch, but his footwork makes him look like Georghe Muresan on stilts. He'll never be the most graceful athlete, but he's got to be able to improve somewhat in that regard.

[OH.X.MI]

It's hard to imagine Myles Davis going through that bad of a slump again.

Agreed, I think it was, for whatever reason, a tough transition for Myles to get back into competitive basketball after a year off playing little more than rec basketball down at O'Connor. He seems like a determined kid, I am confident he will get in better shape and get his shot back on point. While it was frustrating at time last season, Mack seems to have a lot of confidence in Myles and I would put my money on that confidence paying off!

[XUFan09]

It's hard to imagine Myles Davis going through that bad of a slump again. Not only was he missing everything, but he was missing badly. He may not be Redford, but he was known as one of the best high school shooters in his class coming in. Also, he hopefully will have his legs under him a little more than he did last season and be a little lighter and in better shape. I still think he'll carve out a nice role as a shooter off the bench. With Farr, it's a little different. He's a good shooter who should be taking open shots, but I'd rather he didn't fall in love with hanging around the perimeter and really work on developing something... anything in the post. He's a capable rebounder and he has some touch, but his footwork makes him look like Georghe Muresan on stilts. He'll never be the most graceful athlete, but he's got to be able to improve somewhat in that regard.

I'd say Farr is much more than an adequate rebounder; the staff said he was the best on the team, better than even Stainbrook (and the numbers generally bear that out). But that just contributes to your contention that he spend more time inside, where he could clean up the offensive glass. He has a nice hook shot, but yeah, his footwork right now leaves something to be desired. If he took one or two threes a game, that would be adequate for stretching the defense while not conceding the glass. The problem with that though is that it can be hard to develop a rhythm when you're shooting so little. That might have contributed to his slump, as he was averaging only an attempt per game near the end of the season.

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[PMI]

I'd say Farr is much more than an adequate rebounder; the staff said he was the best on the team, better than even Stainbrook (and the numbers generally bear that out). But that just contributes to your contention that he spend more time inside, where he could clean up the offensive glass. He has a nice hook shot, but yeah, his footwork right now leaves something to be desired. If he took one or two threes a game, that would be adequate for stretching the defense while not conceding the glass. The problem with that though is that it can be hard to develop a rhythm when you're shooting so little. That might have contributed to his slump, as he was averaging only an attempt per game near the end of the season.

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I'm with you on that. Farr has extremely long arms and has the potential to be a really good rebounder. I'm not sure I think he could be better than Jalen there, but he's enormous and really long. I guess my main wish for Farr is just to see a more comfortable player on his feet who doesn't get too stuck out on the perimeter offensively. He could probably be a really good offensive rebounder and he does have good touch. The ability to stretch out is a great weapon, but I hated when he just camped out around the three point line for long stretches, especially after he seemed to lose some confidence and went cold. I hope they find him a good big man camp that focuses on footwork. He's always going to be a little stiff, but I think there's a lot of room for improvement and his ceiling is high.

[XUFan09]

Agreed, and long-term, I think Jalen will be the better rebounder. It is pretty impressive though how many offensive rebounds Farr pulled down while floating around the perimeter a lot. His rate of 12.9% would have put him around 70th in the nation if he played enough minutes,* and that's when most of those guys ahead of him probably had more opportunities per minute. Against good defensive centers, though, camping out on the three-point line can be very effective, even if he doesn't do much out there. The downside is that he can't work as a passing big in the middle around shooters and cutters, which has been a really good system with Stainbrook and pretty good with Jalen too.

*Jalen's offensive rebounding rate of 15.7% would have put him in the top 10 nationally.

[kyxu]

Not to disrupt the slap fight but it looks like Larry Austin signed his Letter of Intent with Xavier. It's official.

http://www.goxavier.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/051314aaa.html

[XUFan09]

Good to hear!

[UCGRAD4X]

Welcome aboard young man.

Xavier is a special place and now that you are a part of it, you are as well.

Time to start working on that jumping off one foot thing we care so much about here.

[IM4X]

Don't be surprised if Macura beats out Bluiett for a starting spot. Dude can ball

I agree with you that Macura can ball (I've even mentioned it before) and feel fans will be pleasantly surprised with what he brings. Yet, I would be very surprised if he beats out Bluiett for a starting spot. Bluiett is a scoring machine like we've never seen before at X. Macura could very possibly be play lots of minutes his freshman year though.

[XUFan09]

I agree with you that Macura can ball (I've even mentioned it before) and feel fans will be pleasantly surprised with what he brings. Yet, I would be very surprised if he beats out Bluiett for a starting spot. Bluiett is a scoring machine like we've never seen before at X. Macura could very possibly be play lots of minutes his freshman year though.

That's pretty much my position. Bluiett will probably start, but I expect Macura to be a rotation player off the bench. Maybe he'll be good enough to be a 6th man, but he's not alone in contending for that. A resurgent Myles could fill that role, or maybe Farr plays again like he did at the beginning of this last year. Heck, maybe O'Mara will be as college ready as a couple of people have suggested. I'm not inclined to say much about London or Sumner right now simply because I expect at least one of them to redshirt, and I want to just wait and see how that shakes out. Also, they are both so scrawny that I don't imagine them beating out Macura as freshmen.

[IM4X]

Slow season. Worst thread in awhile. Trust Mack & Co. Be happy we continue to get great "on paper" players. No one can see the future--some will work out as expected, some will exceed expectations and some will not live up to the billing. Trending in the right direction. Excited for the season to see how it all works out.

I agree with much of what you say. Yes, we all should be very excited about the impressive incoming group... And Mack and Co. deserve praise for bringing in so many quality recruits.

On the other hand, I am not yet solid on Mack's ability to get the most out of his players. There is a possibility that some of the problem he's had may have stemmed from certain players on the team who were not always team players or not always wanting to follow the coach's way. I am willing to accept the possibility (but I am not saying necessarily it's the case) that Martin (as good as he was) may have been the only player left on the team who Mack had trouble getting to completely buy into his way. Maybe, just maybe, Mack feels having only upperclassmen who have completely "bought in" on the team will set the right example while removing any remaining distractions like inflated egos and unhealthy attitudes.

In any event, we will see one way or the other what Mack is capable of with Stain, Dee, and a bunch of young talented players who appear to be "all in" to his way of doing things and who appear to have good attitudes and work ethics.

But, I do think this is one exciting looking class coming in.

[IM4X]

That's pretty much my position. Bluiett will probably start, but I expect Macura to be a rotation player off the bench. Maybe he'll be good enough to be a 6th man, but he's not alone in contending for that. A resurgent Myles could fill that role, or maybe Farr plays again like he did at the beginning of this last year. Heck, maybe O'Mara will be as college ready as a couple of people have suggested. I'm not inclined to say much about London or Sumner right now simply because I expect at least one of them to redshirt, and I want to just wait and see how that shakes out. Also, they are both so scrawny that I don't imagine them beating out Macura as freshmen.

What is so encouraging with so many potentially good players coming in next season is that we can talk about how all of these different pieces might fit together in the lineup and how player "X" will be there to step in if player "Y" is struggling.

We can all speculate as to who will start and who might redshirt based on a player's tape or their build, but we won't know how good they really will be until they start playing together. London and Sumner may seem a bit "scrawny", but then I remember thinking the same thing about another very slim player who came to X a number of years back. That guy not only ended up surprising me (and probably most other X fans), he went on to play in the NBA. His name... James Posey.

[MADXSTER]

I wanna see a Fab Five lineup on the opening tip of the season. Bring Stain, Reynolds, Dee, and whoever else off the bench.

[Masterofreality]

Probably as a direct result of Larry Austin's commitment, James Bolden committed to Thuggins and WVA today.

[SemajParlor]

I have nothing but positive things to say about this recruiting class. I am blown away by the job Mack has done with this class. He has far surpassed my expectations for the Big East jump up in recruiting. Maybe Austin isn't the most polished PG recruit I have ever seen, but that's ok because he's the second best one IN THIS RECRUITING CLASS! That's awesome depth.

None of these guys, besides maybe Bluiett, will have a ton of pressure on them in their freshman season. The rest of them will probably be second string and have time to adjust and develop.


When have you seen Austin play that you could provide this insight?

[SemajParlor]

Hope SemajParlor makes it through the summer okay!

Writing out okay instead of ok? Squid city, population Oh.X.MI.

[NY44]

When have you seen Austin play that you could provide this insight?

I've only seen Youtube videos, but I'm not claiming to have insight. People were concerned with his ball handling and my point was that even if their concerns are valid (which to your point is hard to know), he's the second rated PG in this class.

[OH.X.MI]

Writing out okay instead of ok? Squid city, population Oh.X.MI.

Correcting my spelling? Go tell your boy John Getz you have become the grammar police, hardo.

[bobbiemcgee]

Austin looked good in Brazil, huh? Hate to break up the horrible news week with some actual X bb insights but I found this interesting:

http://www.bannersontheparkway.com/2014/8/21/6052849/quick-guide-to-xaviers-seven-new-players-part-two

[XfansinKy]

Austin looked good in Brazil, huh? Hate to break up the horrible news week with some actual X bb insights but I found this interesting:

http://www.bannersontheparkway.com/2014/8/21/6052849/quick-guide-to-xaviers-seven-new-players-part-two
I really enjoy looking at different scenarios and how all this new talent will blend in. I don't think it's ever too early to wonder who will and won't have big impact. Can't wait.:logo: