Following our 2019 Recruits

[scoscox]

He's definitely not a three point shooter, but he does have the ability to make them on occasion, which leads me to believe he has the ability to be a good free throw shooter. everything about him is all about his potential

[scoscox]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqiVXTSowPU

pretty good looking stroke from the line and from three here

[Lloyd Braun]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqiVXTSowPU

pretty good looking stroke from the line and from three here

My eye (which has been wrong before) would disagree. A bit jerky jerky with a low release. The release is not a huge deal but somewhat diminishes the advantage of a stretch big. Not trying to be over critical, just temper the expectation that he will stretch the floor.

[Lloyd Braun]

He's definitely not a three point shooter, but he does have the ability to make them on occasion, which leads me to believe he has the ability to be a good free throw shooter. everything about him is all about his potential

This I would agree with... I have not seen him live so my opinion is limited.

[scoscox]

My eye (which has been wrong before) would disagree. A bit jerky jerky with a low release. The release is not a huge deal but somewhat diminishes the advantage of a stretch big. Not trying to be over critical, just temper the expectation that he will stretch the floor.

Like I said I don’t expect him to be a three point shooter or stretch the floor at all. Just saying for a 7 footer he has a very decent shooting stroke

[UCGRAD4X]

A lefty too. That's fun.

I guess if you're that tall you can afford to be a little low on your release.

[joe titan]

A lefty too. That's fun.

I guess if you're that tall you can afford to be a little low on your release.

Not really; low release surrenders all the advantage of being 7'.

[UCGRAD4X]

Sorry, sarcasm font not working.

[XUGRAD80]

Have seen him in person, and he definitely has a low release. He’s also not very strong. He also runs like a deer and has a dencent ability to handle the ball and seems to have decent hands.

He’s also only 17!

Great potential, seems to be well liked by his teammates. Getting good coaching...his coach is the brother of NKU’s had coach. Will benefit from Xavier’s strength coach and the training table.

[UCGRAD4X]

This clip shows him playing away from the basket for most of the time. Must have a decent handle and a little range to do that. Maybe not a representative clip. Rest of the team could get to the basket and made some great circus shots.

[XfansinKy]

This clip shows him playing away from the basket for most of the time. Must have a decent handle and a little range to do that. Maybe not a representative clip. Rest of the team could get to the basket and made some great circus shots.

He made a nice little interior pass from around the 3 point line.

[Xuperman]

Watching the BU DU game.....if we get anything close to a Paul Reed out of Miles it’s a home run!

[scoscox]

Watching the BU DU game.....if we get anything close to a Paul Reed out of Miles it’s a home run!

I like Paul Reed a lot. If he has Paul Reed's motor we are good

[Xuperman]

Yeah, he does get after it on both ends. It’s amazing the leap he made from freshman to sophomore. He looked SO thin and frail last year that he didn’t seem like he belonged in the BE. That’s why the Miles comparison came to mind. We know he’s gonna come in needing some time to develope physically but I see a lot of versatility in his game similar to Reed.

[Juice]

I agree. I haven't been able to figure out how big the opposition was, but his school being in the greater Cincinnati area tells me he has played some good sized kids/young men in open gyms at least. Hard to find a 7 footer like him in an open run, but still that's a good area for athletes.

Barely in the greater Cincinnati area. They played no Cincinnati teams and it looks like one Ohio team (Xenia).

[XfansinKy]

Barely in the greater Cincinnati area. They played no Cincinnati teams and it looks like one Ohio team (Xenia).

Do you not understand what an open gym or open run means?

[joe titan]

Do you not understand what an open gym or open run means?

Walton Verona is not exactly proximate to play open gyms in Cincy vs Cincy area players; at most he may have jumped into some games w/NKY kids.

[XUGRAD80]

Won’t say that he has never ventured across the River and played in Cincinnati, but would be willing to bet that it hasn’t happened all that often. Much more likely that they went over to either Northern Kentucky U or one of the high schools in the NKY area. Same is true with the Ohio kids, they tend to stay on the north side of the river. Summer tourneys will draw kids/teams from all over, but not so much the open gym nights. Thought I read that he had played for a Louisville based AAU team last year, so his playing time may have been just about anywhere they traveled to, and anybody they might have played in tournaments.

[Juice]

Do you not understand what an open gym or open run means?

I slightly misread your post. I still don't think it's as close and has had as many open gyms with Cincy kids as you think. My guess is that most of his competitive match ups in the last year or so was via AAU.

And hell, Cincy isn't exactly producing tons of D1 talent either except for the occasional Moeller kid or Bazely at Princeton last year.

[IM4X]

I think the last two are a pretty good cross for Freemantle... He's not as athletic as Tyrique, but he probably has just as much skill (not the same type of skills necessarily, but the same level) as Sean. More athletic than Sean and more talented (basketball skill-wise) than Tyrique as a freshman. And I think that's a pretty good combination, and he should get more minutes than both of them did as a freshman, pending a grad transfer big commit.

Freemantle continues to look strong and show he is a big with a nice ability to shoot from outside.

He played well and had a nice looking 3 pointer two games ago (link just below)

https://www.northjersey.com/story/sports/high-school/basketball/2019/02/14/nj-boys-basketball-bergen-catholic-pulls-away-defeat-don-bosco/2865320002/

He was the high scorer with 19 points (and 8 rebounds) in this Sunday’s game which helped his Bergen Catholic team to advance to the Finals of the Bergen Jamboree tournament. Should be a good final against Don Bosco on Friday. I am thinking about going to the game since I do not live to far away.

https://www.northjersey.com/story/sports/high-school/basketball/2019/02/17/nj-boys-basketball-bergen-catholic-tops-ramapo-bergen-jamboree/2865989002/

[XUGRAD80]

If you go....we expect a full report! :)

[nuts4xu]

Walton Verona is not exactly proximate to play open gyms in Cincy vs Cincy area players; at most he may have jumped into some games w/NKY kids.

Miles' coach at Walton Verona is the brother of John Brannen, HC of NKU, so there if you are looking for a possible place to play open gyms...my guess is would be most inclined to play over there. But it is inane to guess where the kid plays in open gyms, and irrelevant in terms of the kid's development.

[bleedXblue]

Miles' coach at Walton Verona is the brother of John Brannen, HC of NKU, so there if you are looking for a possible place to play open gyms...my guess is would be most inclined to play over there. But it is inane to guess where the kid plays in open gyms, and irrelevant in terms of the kid's development.

this open gym conversation is silly. The kid is coming here next year and we'll what he has soon enough

[Xuperman]

Actually his talents can be seen sooner than later. Districts start tomorrow for Miles and Company @ Simon Kenton High....I can’t make it but surely someone here might take in the festivities.

[XfansinKy]

In case it's not been mentioned, Dieonte Miles made all 8th region team.

[XUGRAD80]

Actually his talents can be seen sooner than later. Districts start tomorrow for Miles and Company @ Simon Kenton High....I can’t make it but surely someone here might take in the festivities.

I may just go to that...only about 10-15 minutes away.

[Xuperman]

If you go....we expect a full report! :)

Nothing like an eyewitness account!

[X-man]

In case it's not been mentioned, Dieonte Miles made all 8th region team.
Both Miles and Tandy are candidates for Mr. Kentucky Basketball.

[jaxalum]

It's always difficult to ascertain the quality of these players from videos that showcase only their best moments. Yet, watching the below video(plus a few others), and reading whatever I could find on Miles, my 2 cents;

The Good
-He has soft hands and, relative to his size and age, possesses a very good handle, and runs the floor pretty well (1:36 -first Youtube vid, that's a friggin legit 6'10+/probably 16 yr old kid dribbling behind his back and crossing over while running the floor)
-He possesses a developing jump shot reaching out to the arc.
-He gets off the floor FAST.
-He's developing the ability to take his man off the dribble.
-Developing a nice jump hook off of both wings (Massive wingspan)
-I've read that one of his greatest strengths is as a shot blocker/rim protector.
-Again, for his size and age, he looks like an above average to a very good athlete, that has flashes of, "What the $%&# did he just do?"

Needs Work
-He's raw. EVERYTHING needs to continue to develop.
-He needs to develop his skill sets on both sides of the ball.
-He has a "set shot" type of action on his jumper, although his release point isn't to terribly low. I still don't understand why kids, especially coming in at this level, are not taught/provided with the simple fundamentals of a jump shot i.e. download videos of Klay Thompson and Ray Allen shooting, and imitate.

If this kid was still available, I would guess he would have a pile of high major offers by now. Supposedly he was injured and did not play in the high exposure AAU summer programs. The big boys were starting to sniff around as he went on a visit to Louisville shortly before he commited to X. He has all the tools, yet his ability to continue to develop, and whether or not he wants to bust his ass/put in the work will write this narrative.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdTO-8Pf_q4

This site has a large collection of his game highlights up to the present.
-Miami Palmetto/Dec 26, 2017 (shows him doing a little bit of everything)
-Gallatin/Dec 5, 2018 (a close-up of Miles shooting a three)
https://www.nextuprecruits.com/kentucky2019

Some 2019 Kentucky recruit rankings. #4 and #1 ain't bad.
https://www.nextuprecruits.com/kentucky2019

[XfansinKy]

It's always difficult to ascertain the quality of these players from videos that showcase only their best moments. Yet, watching the below video(plus a few others), and reading whatever I could find on Miles, my 2 cents;

The Good
-He has soft hands and, relative to his size and age, possesses a very good handle, and runs the floor pretty well (1:36 -first Youtube vid, that's a friggin legit 6'10+/probably 16 yr old kid dribbling behind his back and crossing over while running the floor)
-He possesses a developing jump shot reaching out to the arc.
-He gets off the floor FAST.
-He's developing the ability to take his man off the dribble.
-Developing a nice jump hook off of both wings (Massive wingspan)
-I've read that one of his greatest strengths is as a shot blocker/rim protector.
-Again, for his size and age, he looks like an above average to a very good athlete, that has flashes of, "What the $%&# did he just do?"

Needs Work
-He's raw. EVERYTHING needs to continue to develop.
-He needs to develop his skill sets on both sides of the ball.
-He has a "set shot" type of action on his jumper, although his release point isn't to terribly low. I still don't understand why kids, especially coming in at this level, are not taught/provided with the simple fundamentals of a jump shot i.e. download videos of Klay Thompson and Ray Allen shooting, and imitate.

If this kid was still available, I would guess he would have a pile of high major offers by now. Supposedly he was injured and did not play in the high exposure AAU summer programs. The big boys were starting to sniff around as he went on a visit to Louisville shortly before he commited to X. He has all the tools, yet his ability to continue to develop, and whether or not he wants to bust his ass/put in the work will write this narrative.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdTO-8Pf_q4

This site has a large collection of his game highlights up to the present.
-Miami Palmetto/Dec 26, 2017 (shows him doing a little bit of everything)
-Gallatin/Dec 5, 2018 (a close-up of Miles shooting a three)
https://www.nextuprecruits.com/kentucky2019

Some 2019 Kentucky recruit rankings. #4 and #1 ain't bad.
https://www.nextuprecruits.com/kentucky2019

That Kentucky high school basketball page is really nice. Thanks.

[IM4X]

If you go....we expect a full report! :)

Fair enough.

Been trying to get to one of his games, but have always had other commitments. This might be the game I can make it happen (crossing fingers).

[Xuperman]

Been trying to get to one of his games, but have always had other commitments. This might be the game I can make it happen (crossing fingers).

The ticket, the mandatory popcorn and cold soda pop should easily come in under a 20 dollar bill. Hope you can make it but if not, surely some local dedicated fan can head down to Independence and scout the next coming of TYRONE HILL...:friends:

[Xuperman]

https://www.yoursportsedge.com/2019/02/20/uha-blasts-falcons-to-reach-8th-district-title-game/

Tandy and UHA meet little resistance in blasting Ft. Campbell....on to the district championship.

[MITTENMUSKIE16]

Bishop led all scorers in Imhotep’s win last night. Had 24. And two massive dunks. He is uber long, pretty bouncy, and has a smooth stroke. Very excited about what we have coming in.

On top of that, Bishop’s length will definitely let him slide to the three when needed, which will help, especially if Harvey comes into the fold.

[Xuperman]

Yeah, Bishop has a lot of weapons in his tool box. I have followed him closely. He has NO problem dunking with style but it seems like he scores over half his points with the 3 ball, so we're getting a much needed shooter this fall. I really like the fact that he and ZFree play on teams that are at the top in their states. They play big time, big city competition on a regular basis, especially come tournament time.

[XUGRAD80]

Didn’t get a chance to see WV and Miles play last night, but the box score shows that he had 14 pts. in a 54-49 win over Grant County. They will play again on Thursday, and I will try to make that game. Not sure who they play yet.

[Xuperman]

They play the host team Simon Kenton. Walton Verona lost to the Pioneers early in the season. They hit a bunch of 3's. One guy dropped 27 on them and another guy had 15.....42 of their 60 pts in the win. However, Miles had one of the best games of his career in the loss.......25 pts 13 boards.

[Xuperman]

https://www.yoursportsedge.com/2019/02/20/uha-blasts-falcons-to-reach-8th-district-title-game/

Tandy and UHA meet little resistance in blasting Ft. Campbell....on to the district championship.

Just noticed that KyKy surpassed the 800 point threshold in the win. Has 805. He's gonna be good. Can't wait to see who has the better career, KyKy or Samari Curtis....I don't think we get Tandy unless Curtis de-commits.

[sirthought]

Just noticed that KyKy surpassed the 800 point threshold in the win. Has 805. He's gonna be good. Can't wait to see who has the better career, KyKy or Samari Curtis....I don't think we get Tandy unless Curtis de-commits.

They should both have similar opportunity to get on the floor in their freshman year. Tandy may have a tad more opportunity with the way the roster is developing. But two point guards leaving UC this season means Curtis and Johnson will be trading minutes and thrown into the fire. That Johnson kid is raw but plays with great energy. The big question for Curtis' minutes is if Cumberland comes back and they start him at the point, which reports are saying that's being discussed.

Tandy will need a year, but he's going to be a huge player for this team. I think Odom will be even better. Like Holloway/Lyons only better!

[Xuperman]

Yeah, Odom is killing it. A TRUE PG. His numbers are sick. Basically accounts for like 50% of his teams scoring on a St. Francis squad that earned a 1 seed in their state tournament. I really fear that people will get in his ear and end up reopening his recruitment.

[UCGRAD4X]

Yeah, Bishop has a lot of weapons in his tool box. I have followed him closely. He has NO problem dunking with style but it seems like he scores over half his points with the 3 ball, so we're getting a much needed shooter this fall. I really like the fact that he and ZFree play on teams that are at the top in their states. They play big time, big city competition on a regular basis, especially come tournament time.

The fact that they can play against that kind of competition in big games is even huger..er. We desperately need players who are not of afraid of the bright hot spotlights.

[Joel]

Yeah, Odom is killing it. A TRUE PG. His numbers are sick. Basically accounts for like 50% of his teams scoring on a St. Francis squad that earned a 1 seed in their state tournament. I really fear that people will get in his ear and end up reopening his recruitment.

For whatever it's worth, Odom has been throwing the X during introductions. It's not quite a signed letter of intent, but I think it's at least an indication he doesn't have one foot out the door just yet.

[Xuperman]

For whatever it's worth, Odom has been throwing the X during introductions. It's not quite a signed letter of intent, but I think it's at least an indication he doesn't have one foot out the door just yet.

Is there any video available?

[Xuperman]

Well, both of our incoming KY recruits are now sporting District Championships......destination Rupp Arena. Anyone take in the Walton Verona game?

[Joel]

Is there any video available?

About 1:15 into this one you can see it. Looks like each dude has a custom handshake and his ends with the X. https://youtu.be/gwuIsV3kbGA

[xavierj]

About 1:15 into this one you can see it. Looks like each dude has a custom handshake and his ends with the X. https://youtu.be/gwuIsV3kbGA

He will be at the Nova game Sunday

[XUGRAD80]

Miles tied for top scorer of the game, with 22 points, as WV defeated Simon Kenton for the 32nd District Championship 62-49. His 22 points included the only 3-pointer that WV had for the game. On to regionals now, where WV should be the #1 seed.

When introduced at games Miles always makes the X sign with his arms.

[Xuperman]

Miles tied for top scorer of the game, with 22 points, as WV defeated Simon Kenton for the 32nd District Championship 62-49. His 22 points included the only 3-pointer that WV had for the game. On to regionals now, where WV should be the #1 seed.

Were you able to find a box score?

[XUGRAD80]

Were you able to find a box score?

Cincinnati.com.

Minimal though....he had 8 baskets (1 for 3 points) and made 5 free throws....22 points. Doesn’t show rebounds, assists, or anything else. There may be more information on Bluegrasspreps.com, but I’ve used up my free access to that site and can’t see that anymore.

[GIMMFD]

The fact that they can play against that kind of competition in big games is even huger..er. We desperately need players who are not of afraid of the bright hot spotlights.

My feelings exactly, get guys who want the shot at the end of the game, who love the competition and let's it raise their level of play, that's how we break down the wall to the Final Four. Our recruiting class coming in looks incredibly promising, a lot of just absolute gamers. Bishop, Freemantle, Odom all on good teams that can make strong post-season runs, that can't do anything but help when we're dancing.

[usfldan]

Miles tied for top scorer of the game, with 22 points, as WV defeated Simon Kenton for the 32nd District Championship 62-49. His 22 points included the only 3-pointer that WV had for the game. On to regionals now, where WV should be the #1 seed.

When introduced at games Miles always makes the X sign with his arms.

Kentucky regionals usually aren't seeded- they do a blind draw of the districts, and then match up the winner from one district with the runner-up from another. That makes the district final the one game you can lose in the postseason in Kentucky- Simon Kenton is in the regional tournament as well.
The Courier-Journal and Enquirer have brief previews I pasted below, although neither one mentions Miles. I don't know why Oldham County is rated so high- it lost four straight games just before the postseason. W-V will play a team with a losing record in the semifinals if it wins its first game, so it does seem to have a nice draw.

Simon Kenton did post stats from its district final against Walton-Verona. They are here:
https://stats.digitalscout.com/basketball/boys/game/10745464


8th Region Previews:

https://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/preps/kentucky/2018/02/26/everything-you-need-know-6th-7th-and-8th-region-boys-basketball-tournaments/372258002/

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/high-school/2018/02/24/regional-basketball-draws-northern-kentucky-teams/369916002/

[Xville]

Kentucky regionals usually aren't seeded- they do a blind draw of the districts, and then match up the winner from one district with the runner-up from another. That makes the district final the one game you can lose in the postseason in Kentucky- Simon Kenton is in the regional tournament as well.
The Courier-Journal and Enquirer have brief previews I pasted below, although neither one mentions Miles. I don't know why Oldham County is rated so high- it lost four straight games just before the postseason. W-V will play a team with a losing record in the semifinals if it wins its first game, so it does seem to have a nice draw.

Simon Kenton did post stats from its district final against Walton-Verona. They are here:
https://stats.digitalscout.com/basketball/boys/game/10745464


8th Region Previews:

https://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/preps/kentucky/2018/02/26/everything-you-need-know-6th-7th-and-8th-region-boys-basketball-tournaments/372258002/

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/high-school/2018/02/24/regional-basketball-draws-northern-kentucky-teams/369916002/

Those previews are from last year. There are still some district championship games tonight...regionals will be set in a few days

[EastCoastXman]

Zach Freemantle update for those back in the Midwest

First, I met Zach at Pru Center on Wednesday night. He also braved the elements to come and support Xavier in a big win over Seton Hall. He brought the entire Bergen Catholic (BC) team.

BC played a very competitive regular season schedule. They played 20 games against NJ teams. 11 games were against Top 20 teams in the state and they went 9-2. Only losses were 1 point to #1 Ranney School (2 D1 players to FL and Nova) and 2 points to #8 Don Bosco Prep. They also lost a game by 6 to NYC powerhouse Cardinal Hayes and won 3 games in FL at Christmas.

This weekend is the end of the regular season for HS hoops. All counties have their tournament finals this weekend. Tonight BC (#4 in NJ and 2 seed in county tournament) faces off in a rubber match with DBP (#1 seed in county and # 8 ranked in state). This should be a great game.

The NJ state tournament starts next week. BC is the #1 ranked team in the North Jersey Non Public Group A (largest schools) division. Should be 2 good weeks of HS hoops in Jersey. I hope the coaching staff also has their eye on Zach's running mate Matt Zona. This big kid has great game.

Zach has had a great senior year against top notch competition and is well prepped to come to Cintas. I expect he will contribute right out of the gate.

[scoscox]

The Ranney kids (scottie lewis and bryan antoine) are freaks. almost knocking them off is impressive

[Xuperman]

Zach Freemantle update for those back in the Midwest

First, I met Zach at Pru Center on Wednesday night. He also braved the elements to come and support Xavier in a big win over Seton Hall. He brought the entire Bergen Catholic (BC) team.

BC played a very competitive regular season schedule. They played 20 games against NJ teams. 11 games were against Top 20 teams in the state and they went 9-2. Only losses were 1 point to #1 Ranney School (2 D1 players to FL and Nova) and 2 points to #8 Don Bosco Prep. They also lost a game by 6 to NYC powerhouse Cardinal Hayes and won 3 games in FL at Christmas.

This weekend is the end of the regular season for HS hoops. All counties have their tournament finals this weekend. Tonight BC (#4 in NJ and 2 seed in county tournament) faces off in a rubber match with DBP (#1 seed in county and # 8 ranked in state). This should be a great game.

The NJ state tournament starts next week. BC is the #1 ranked team in the North Jersey Non Public Group A (largest schools) division. Should be 2 good weeks of HS hoops in Jersey. I hope the coaching staff also has their eye on Zach's running mate Matt Zona. This big kid has great game.

Zach has had a great senior year against top notch competition and is well prepped to come to Cintas. I expect he will contribute right out of the gate.


THANKS for the first hand update. Please keep it coming! ZFree and BC will win the rubber game vs Don Bosco.....re-match with Ranney is inevitable. As far as Matt Zona, offer the guy NOW. He is a 3 star type that is under the radar for now but will be a rising prospect as a senior.

[Xuperman]

The Ranney kids (scottie lewis and bryan antoine) are freaks. almost knocking them off is impressive

Yeah, Antoine is the better of the two......he is a can't miss VOLUME SCORER. Very much a Kris Jenkins type but ready as a freshman. Booth and Paschall are gone so X will get a good dose of him in the future.

[GIMMFD]

I found this pretty interesting when looking at the dates for our next few games:
ESPN has Dieonte Miles as a 4 star, Zach Freemantle as a 4*, and Daniel Ramsey as a 3*, while 247 has Dieonte Miles as a 3* (in their own and composite), Zach Freemantle as a 3* in composite; 4* in their own, and Daniel Ramsey as 3* composite, but 4* in their own. Such a difference between the two services, I know I follow 247 for football as ESPN's football rankings are crap, not sure how good their basketball ones are, but it's interesting to see.

[xu82]

I found this pretty interesting when looking at the dates for our next few games:
ESPN has Dieonte Miles as a 4 star, Zach Freemantle as a 4*, and Daniel Ramsey as a 3*, while 247 has Dieonte Miles as a 3* (in their own and composite), Zach Freemantle as a 3* in composite; 4* in their own, and Daniel Ramsey as 3* composite, but 4* in their own. Such a difference between the two services, I know I follow 247 for football as ESPN's football rankings are crap, not sure how good their basketball ones are, but it's interesting to see.

My son’s puppy is coming off 3 days of explosive diarrhea. I fear they move have let her watch ESPN instead of the Animal Channel while they are away. Having said that, I hope they’re right in this case.

[scoscox]

Yeah, Antoine is the better of the two......he is a can't miss VOLUME SCORER. Very much a Kris Jenkins type but ready as a freshman. Booth and Paschall are gone so X will get a good dose of him in the future.

yeah i think lewis is a little overrated, but antoine is a stud. reminds me of mikal bridges with more athleticism, so yea he's gonna be a problem

[noteggs]

Yea Nova’s recruiting class is very impressive. Probably one of their best classes on paper. Only thing with Antoine is his weight...he’s like dust in the wind at this point.

[EastCoastXman]

BC would not get a second shot at Ranney unless they meet in Tournament of Champions. NJ has 6 Divisions for bball Public groups 1-4 and Non Public A & B. Divide the groups between North and South.

BC is Non Public A North. Seeding based on power points during season and records. BC is #1 seed in NP A North. Tough bracket to get out of since DBP is 4 seed and they would meet a 4th time in semi. There are 2 other Top 20 teams on other side of the bracket. They have 1st round bye and play quarters on 2/28 with possible match with DBP on 3/1. If they win the North A, then they play South A for Non Public A Championship.

Winners of the 6 divisions then face off in the TOC

Non Public B North is the killer with 4 Top 10 teams (Roselle Cath, Gill St Bernard, Patrick School and Montclair Immaculate). 13 of the state's top 20 teams are in the non public divisions.

Will provide any updates on BC and ZFree tonight from NJ.com

[noteggs]

Ok thanks and clear as mud. State tournament’s in all states are so weird and different. Glad we have an insider to pave the way!

Very cool you were able to speak with Zach. Can you imagine what his conversations were like with his teammates at the game. “Dude you’ll be playing with these guys next year.” Zach, “I know, right.”

Can’t but help his decision. Thanks again

[xu82]

Yea Nova’s recruiting class is very impressive. Probably one of their best classes on paper. Only thing with Antoine is his weight...he’s like dust in the wind at this point.

Surprised he didn't end up at Kansas, then.

(Sorry, I’m bored.)

[noteggs]

Surprised he didn't end up at Kansas, then.

(Sorry, I’m bored.)

At our age boredom and old time jokes is all we have.

However, we laugh and relive. Not so bad for us but boring for everyone else. Keep them coming!

[EastCoastXman]

Zach Freemantle and Bergen Catholic romp to a 54-41 win over DBP in the Bergen Jamboree final. 14 points and 12 boards for the future Musketeer.

[IM4X]

So I did end up going to the Bergen Catholic game and I spoke with Zach and his parents after the game.

First the game:

Bergen Catholic and Zach started the game out a little slow, but both heated up by the second quarter. I think what impressed me most about Freemantle’s play was his versatility. He was solid from inside and from outside. Not sure yet if he will be as good as Kanter from 3, but he does have good range and a nice stroke (he made a 3 and looked comfortable shooting free throws). He also had a few nice blocks. I wouldn’t call him lightning quick, but he can move pretty well- and he showed it when he jumped in front of a pass at the top of the key (late in the game) and took it all the way back for a two handed flush.

I was really hoping their opponent (Don Bosco) had a few bigger players so I could see how Zach would do against other true bigs. BC has two 6’8” players (the other one is a junior named Zona). It looked like Don Bisco’s biggest player was maybe 6’6”. While Fremantle didn't have a dominant performance from start to finish (he struggled a little bit inside on offense earlier in the game), he did turn it on enough times to make it quite clear to all that he has some special skills. I would love to see him continue to become a little more physical in the paint on offense. Still, a very solid performance and a very big victory for Freemantle and Bergen Catholic.

Post game meeting:

I spoke with Zach Freemantle briefly after the game and I got to speak with his parents too. They seem like really good people who are excited about joining the X family. Zach’s dad told me that on visit to X (before Zach committed), they ran into major delayed and didn’t get in until really late (I want to say 2am). He said Travis and the entire coaching staff were all still there waiting for them. He told me they were so impresssed by it and by some other things that happened during the trip that by the time they left Xavier there was no question Zach was choosing X. Zach also seemed genuinely excited about taking a picture with my little boy and his friend (both of whom were wearing X caps). A Class act for sure.

[whopper]

great story. Look forward to seeing them all next year. With the recent revival of Naj, Tyrique, Scruggs(who will turn in around) and Q (playing better) PLUS these freshmen next year could be more interesting than we thought 1 month ago.

[GIMMFD]

So I did end up going to the Bergen Catholic game and I spoke with Zach and his parents after the game.
Post game meeting:

I spoke with Zach Freemantle briefly after the game and I got to speak with his parents too. They seem like really good people who are excited about joining the X family. Zach’s dad told me that on visit to X (before Zach committed), they ran into major delayed and didn’t get in until really late (I want to say 2am). He said Travis and the entire coaching staff were all still there waiting for them. He told me they were so impresssed by it and by some other things that happened during the trip that by the time they left Xavier there was no question Zach was choosing X. Zach also seemed genuinely excited about taking a picture with my little boy and his friend (both of whom were wearing X caps). A Class act for sure.

What I take from this is that A. Steele is very personable and comes off genuine. Not recruiting for recruiting sake, but also to show a serious interest in a person and portray good values that makes others comfortable with choosing X, and choosing to play for him. That's a good sign in building relationships with various coaches, families, etc. to improve recruiting, and B. that Freemantle has a great head on his shoulders, to talk to alumni of the school you choose to attend, and be genuine, along with the parents about everything, and being transparently open is awesome. Sounds like he's gonna be a great representative for the brand.

[IM4X]

What I take from this is that A. Steele is very personable and comes off genuine. Not recruiting for recruiting sake, but also to show a serious interest in a person and portray good values that makes others comfortable with choosing X, and choosing to play for him. That's a good sign in building relationships with various coaches, families, etc. to improve recruiting, and B. that Freemantle has a great head on his shoulders, to talk to alumni of the school you choose to attend, and be genuine, along with the parents about everything, and being transparently open is awesome. Sounds like he's gonna be a great representative for the brand.

Yeah, Steele sincerely believes in being there for his recruits and making them feel special. It’s not just lip service with him.

I do think he will be a great representative for the X brand.

[UCGRAD4X]

It is good to hear the emphasis the coaches are putting on the relationships and intangibles like openness, honesty, integrity, family and 'getting the right fit' for the school and for the kids (in addition to the basketball parts).

I like to think this is not a change from the way Xavier has done things in the past.

Then again, you hope SOMETHING is different considering the dysfunction that seamed to permeate the process in the recent past.

[scoscox]

https://www.instagram.com/p/BuUqd7MAnBr/?utm_source=ig_twitter_share&igshid=1he98g25h44vy

pretty cool dahmir bishop video

[DexterBailey84]

yeah well much like our head coach, that doesn't give me a whole lot of confidence.

I'm sorry I said this. I'm an idiot.

[scoscox]

Kyky had 32 points at the half tonight with 8 threes. He was out scoring the other team by himself.

[Xville]

Both kyky (uh) and miles (wv) play in the championship games of their respective regions tomorrow. If they win those, they both go to the state sweet 16.

[GIMMFD]

Kyky had 32 points at the half tonight with 8 threes. He was out scoring the other team by himself.

That's just unreal, gonna be fun seeing what he does at the college level, definitely seems like he has a big time scoring presence.

[XUGRAD80]

Miles had 18 in the regional semifinal win over Spencer County 70-47. They play Oldham County tonight, winner to the state sweet 16.

KyKy ended up with 36, and didn't play much in the 2nd half of a 96-60 win over Caldwell Co. They play Madisonville tonight, winner to state.

[XUGRAD80]

a KyKy highlight reel from the semis..

go to www.yoursportsedge.com

look on the righthand side where is says "trending" and go down a little to where it says "Highlight Reel"

kid has some range and some hops!

[Lloyd Braun]

a KyKy highlight reel from the semis..

go to www.yoursportsedge.com

look on the righthand side where is says "trending" and go down a little to where it says "Highlight Reel"

kid has some range and some hops!

Thanks for sharing. Here (https://www.yoursportsedge.com/video/highlight-reel-kyky-tandy-higlights-in-regional-semis/) is direct link.

He is an Eric Bledsoe carbon copy.

[GIMMFD]

Thanks for sharing. Here (https://www.yoursportsedge.com/video/highlight-reel-kyky-tandy-higlights-in-regional-semis/) is direct link.

He is an Eric Bledsoe carbon copy.

The last shot where the ref was blocking the view, dear God. Guy makes it look effortless, good athleticism, and seems like a great shot from deep. Really excited to see KyKy on campus.

[Olsingledigit]

a KyKy highlight reel from the semis..

go to www.yoursportsedge.com

look on the righthand side where is says "trending" and go down a little to where it says "Highlight Reel"


kid has some range and some hops!
Wow

[Xville]

Dont have the stats but I saw that kyky's team lost and miles' team won.....Walton Verona goes to state

[XUGRAD80]

Dont have the stats but I saw that kyky's team lost and miles' team won.....Walton Verona goes to state

Miles had 15 points on 5 two pointers and 5 free throws.....and SIX blocks! Team won 60-51 and plays Knox County in the Sweet 16 at noon on Wednesday

KyKy team lost to a team that they had beaten by a point earlier this year, but hadn’t lost since. Don’t have any stats on it yet.

[usfldan]

Miles had 15 points on 5 two pointers and 5 free throws.....and SIX blocks! Team won 60-51 and plays Knox County in the Sweet 16 at noon on Wednesday

KyKy team lost to a team that they had beaten by a point earlier this year, but hadn’t lost since. Don’t have any stats on it yet.

The recap on this page says Tandy had 32 points and eight rebounds. The one-point game UHA won earlier was at home, and this game was on the other team's home court.

https://whopam.com/2019/03/02/uha-falls-to-madisonville-north-hopkins-in-region-2-title-game/

[Xuperman]

Tandy can now put his brilliant High School career behind him and prepare to play at the next level. No chance of getting injured playing in a high school game is a plus for us.

[xufan2020]

This is regarding our 2020 class. I was checking out 247 sports and shows dwon Odom fell from 46 in his class to 113. Anybody have any idea how that drastic a fall could’ve happened?
Also Dawson Garcia, do we have any shot at this kid?

[GoMuskies]

Tandy can now put his brilliant High School career behind him and prepare to play at the next level. No chance of getting injured playing in a high school game is a plus for us.

I guess, but it's not like he's going to spend the next 7 months wrapped in a bubble. He's still going to be playing basketball on a daily basis (I sure hope). There's always the possibility of getting hurt.

[XUMIOH12]

This is regarding our 2020 class. I was checking out 247 sports and shows dwon Odom fell from 46 in his class to 113. Anybody have any idea how that drastic a fall could’ve happened?
Also Dawson Garcia, do we have any shot at this kid?

He is ranked 46 by 247 but 113 in their composite rankings. The composite takes in to account the rankings from all the major sites. ESPN (not very reputable for basketball recruiting) does not have him ranked currently and that is probably why his composite ranking is so much lower. Rivals dropped him from 52 to 67 in their last update.

[BMoreX]

This is regarding our 2020 class. I was checking out 247 sports and shows dwon Odom fell from 46 in his class to 113. Anybody have any idea how that drastic a fall could’ve happened?
Also Dawson Garcia, do we have any shot at this kid?

He is ranked 113 in the composite rankings (which I believe includes ESPN - which has him unranked - and Rivals). It makes zero sense to me why 247 would not use their own ranking system as their default option when you look at players.

For the record, Odom is ranked #46 on the 247 rankings.

[Xuperman]

https://www.maxpreps.com/athlete/dwon-odom/JQ4UY6-AEeaAdqA2nzwY6g/default.htm

Well, here are his stats. He is a PURE PG.......an ELITE assist guy that is also a fine scorer/rebounder. He’s an obvious team leader that has St. Francis playing for a state championship tomorrow. Can see ZERO reason his rank has suffered with this resume.

[Xuperman]

I guess, but it's not like he's going to spend the next 7 months wrapped in a bubble. He's still going to be playing basketball on a daily basis (I sure hope). There's always the possibility of getting hurt.

He is the jewel of our incoming class. Do high D1 recruits play AAU or club ball during the spring/summer? I hope not. No doubt KyKy will do the things to stay sharp in preparation for the fall, such as work on any deficiencies in his game and strength/cardio BUT hopefully there will be plenty of people in his ear to keep the injury risk low. Just don’t think he will be going full bore on a playground somewhere, high flying against dudes for fun. I am sure that X has made that crystal clear.

[Xuperman]

https://www.maxpreps.com/athlete/dwon-odom/JQ4UY6-AEeaAdqA2nzwY6g/default.htm

Well, here are his stats. He is a PURE PG.......an ELITE assist guy that is also a fine scorer/rebounder. He’s an obvious team leader that has St. Francis playing for a state championship tomorrow. Can see ZERO reason his rank has suffered with this resume.

Here is a better way to see what a stat-stuffer Dwon really is.....guy is a baller!
https://www.maxpreps.com/athlete/dwon-odom/JQ4UY6-AEeaAdqA2nzwY6g/gendersport/basketball-stats.htm#year=18-19

He doesn’t shoot the 3 ball but he still has scored 671 points to go with 221 assists. He has MORE STEALS THAN TURNOVERS....GTFO!!

[noteggs]

He is the jewel of our incoming class. Do high D1 recruits play AAU or club ball during the spring/summer? I hope not. No doubt KyKy will do the things to stay sharp in preparation for the fall, such as work on any deficiencies in his game and strength/cardio BUT hopefully there will be plenty of people in his ear to keep the injury risk low. Just don’t think he will be going full bore on a playground somewhere, high flying against dudes for fun. I am sure that X has made that crystal clear.

Seniors who sign letter do not play AAU

[Masterofreality]

Seniors who sign letter do not play AAU

They'll be at X for Summer Session to get a head start on school and work outs.
X is going to Spain on a Foreign trip so they get extra practice time to ingratiate into the system.

[GoMuskies]

They'll be at X for Summer Session to get a head start on school and work outs.

And they'll be playing their asses off in open gym every single day.

[xu82]

They'll be at X for Summer Session to get a head start on school and work outs.
X is going to Spain on a Foreign trip so they get extra practice time to ingratiate into the system.

Interesting, do you know when they go to Spain?

[MITTENMUSKIE16]

In related news, Kyky will be coming to X with a decently sized chip on his shoulder. He was bested for Kentucky's Mr. Basketball by UK commit, Dontaie Allen, despite Allen just playing 13 games this season. Looking forward to his XU career.

[XUGRAD80]

In related news, Kyky will be coming to X with a decently sized chip on his shoulder. He was bested for Kentucky's Mr. Basketball by UK commit, Dontaie Allen, despite Allen just playing 13 games this season. Looking forward to his XU career.

Even though I lived in Pendleton County for many years, and my wife is one of their distinguished graduates, I still have to wonder if he would have won it if he wasn’t a UK recruit? I don’t know him, and have only heard great things about him as a person, but I think that most observers of HS BB in KY are very surprised by this announcement.

[bleedXblue]

So imagine if the NFL, NBA or any other major sports league awarded the MVP to an injured player who played less than 1/2 a season.

[CincyXavierFella]

Was with my older brother at Delicio’s for Coach Steele’s Radio Show. Got to chat with him, Joe + Byron.
Coach Said Dahmir Bishop will be the Freshman who will make an Immediate Impact Day 1.

[xavierj]

In the KY sweet 16 today, Miles finished with 19 pts, 7 blocks, 5 boards and 3 assists in a 22 point win.

[Xville]

In the KY sweet 16 today, Miles finished with 19 pts, 7 blocks, 5 boards and 3 assists in a 22 point win.

Not too shabby....most likely they will play undefeated john Hardin on Friday for the final four. John Hardin hasnt faced the hardest competition all year, but undefeated is undefeated.

[xavierj]

Not too shabby....most likely they will play undefeated john Hardin on Friday for the final four. John Hardin hasnt faced the hardest competition all year, but undefeated is undefeated.

The next game is the elite 8. They play the winner of John Hardin vs. Campbell County. I think Campbell takes that one. Walton beat Campbell by 6 at home earlier this year. Campbell has a very good high school basketball player, Reid Jolly, who is also a good football tight end, who averages 23 pts, 10 boards a game, making 46% from 3 and 65% of his shots overall. Kid is a beast on the court.

[XUGRAD80]

KyKy Tandy season stats...

33 games
PPG..26.0
RPG...4.4
FG%..48.0%
3FG%..35.4%
FT%...86.3%

[Xville]

The next game is the elite 8. They play the winner of John Hardin vs. Campbell County. I think Campbell takes that one. Walton beat Campbell by 6 at home earlier this year. Campbell has a very good high school basketball player, Reid Jolly, who is also a good football tight end, who averages 23 pts, 10 boards a game, making 46% from 3 and 65% of his shots overall. Kid is a beast on the court.

Yeah that's why I said for the final four. Admittedly I know nothing about john Hardin or campbell county, but we shall see. All I know is if trinity doesnt make it out of that side of the bracket, it will be an upset.

[Xville]

KyKy Tandy season stats...

33 games
PPG..26.0
RPG...4.4
FG%..48.0%
3FG%..35.4%
FT%...86.3%

My favorite part of this is that ft%. If he can get to the line like tu did and hit them, hes gong to be a good one.

[noteggs]

https://www.maxpreps.com/athlete/dwon-odom/JQ4UY6-AEeaAdqA2nzwY6g/default.htm

Well, here are his stats. He is a PURE PG.......an ELITE assist guy that is also a fine scorer/rebounder. He’s an obvious team leader that has St. Francis playing for a state championship tomorrow. Can see ZERO reason his rank has suffered with this resume.

Looks like St Francis and Dwon just won the state title.

[Xville]

The next game is the elite 8. They play the winner of John Hardin vs. Campbell County. I think Campbell takes that one. Walton beat Campbell by 6 at home earlier this year. Campbell has a very good high school basketball player, Reid Jolly, who is also a good football tight end, who averages 23 pts, 10 boards a game, making 46% from 3 and 65% of his shots overall. Kid is a beast on the court.

Must have been one hell of a game in person...Hardin missed a layup at the buzzer and Campbell county wins 61-60.

[xavierj]

Must have been one hell of a game in person...Hardin missed a layup at the buzzer and Campbell county wins 61-60.

Yes back and forth. Campbell was up 12 in first QTR and Hardin battled back and went up 5 on the 2nd half. With 5 seconds left Hardin scored what appeared to be the go ahead basket but their coach called a timeout right before the guy made the shot. That has to sting. The Jolly kid for Campbell went for 30 and 10.

[Xuperman]

https://www.northjersey.com/story/sports/high-school/basketball/2019/03/06/bergen-catholic-basketball-wins-sectional-title/3064701002/

ZFree and Bergen Catholic wins again! The big guy shows his chops from distance. Maybe we get a bigger/stronger Justin Doelman type guy....WOW!!

[EastCoastXman]

Zfree and BC cruised into the Saturday State Final of Non-Public group A topping the 100 point mark twice so far in the states. They will now face Camden Catholic in the Group Final on Saturday at 2:00 PM. For any of you hoop junkies that are looking to fill some time prior to our game with St John's, you can tune in and watch Zfree. Game is available at www.highschoolsportsvideo.nj.com. I believe a day pass is $9.99. That game is followed by the Non-Public B Championship between Ranney and Roselle Catholic (lots of D1 talent here). But of course we have a more important game to watch at 5.

As for me, I will be at Pru Center at noon for the SHU and Nova game. Based on the 5,978 different options for the BET, we need a Nova win and of course an X win to avoid Wednesday night at MSG. We will be at MSG all 4 nights but don't want to be watching X on Wednesday.

[Xuperman]

Zfree and BC cruised into the Saturday State Final of Non-Public group A topping the 100 point mark twice so far in the states. They will now face Camden Catholic in the Group Final on Saturday at 2:00 PM. For any of you hoop junkies that are looking to fill some time prior to our game with St John's, you can tune in and watch Zfree. Game is available at www.highschoolsportsvideo.nj.com. I believe a day pass is $9.99. That game is followed by the Non-Public B Championship between Ranney and Roselle Catholic (lots of D1 talent here).

Hey EastCoast,
I had mentioned earlier that I would love to see Zach and Co. get another shot at Ranney and their Nova recruit Bryan Antoine. You had mentioned that it would be a long shot BUT possible. Can you lay out what needs to happen to get there?

Also, any word on teams looking at Matt Zona? Is he a high D1 caliber player? He appears to be a carbon copy of Freemantle.

[Xuperman]

https://expo.advance.net/img/a5e44c4224/width960/a35_bcdbpboysbb214258.jpeg

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/e20b43729772be868741a93ca0d680c21520bf0f/c=0-0-4687-2648/local/-/media/2018/08/21/Cincinnati/Cincinnati/636704384819066526-BER1Brd-02-24-2018-HeraldNews-1-S006-2018-02-23-IMG-Bergen-Jamboree-Bask-1-1-2BL941C2-L1186586024-IMG-Bergen-Jamboree-Bask-1-1-2BL941C2.jpg?width=3200&height=1680&fit=crop

https://www.zagsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Zach.jpg

[EastCoastXman]

The State Championship Finals for all groups will be played this weekend (Public Groups 1, 2, 3 and 4) and the Non-Public A & B. A lot of these games are at the RWJ Barnabas Arena in Toms River. After this weekend, there will be 6 Group winners. Committee will then seed the winners in the Tournament of Champions. With top 2 teams getting a bye. TOC would probably start on 3/12.

Non-Public B Final is Ranney vs Roselle Catholic (These are the #1 and #2 ranked teams in the state). Winner of this game will be the TOC #1.
Non-Public A Final is Bergen Catholic vs Camden Catholic (BC is # 4 in state and CC is #12). If BC wins they will be the 2 seed since #3 in state (Gill St Bernard) lost. BC would get the 4/5 winner and Ranney/RC the 3/6 winner.

So BC and Ranney would each have to win 1 game to make the TOC final. Real good chance of that happening because the Public groups are not that strong.

[Xuperman]

Very Cool,
What’s the chance Camden gets the upset?.......So, the TOC will be played during the BE Tournament. What is the location of the TOC?

[EastCoastXman]

Always a chance that CC pulls the upset, but traditionally the Northern NJ schools are stronger. In BC case, they have played a really challenging regular season. ZFree will be "battle tested".

Schedule for the TOC is 3/12 Quarters at RWJ Barnabas Arena in Toms River. Semi's on 3/14 at same location. TOC finals (boys & girls) on 3/17 at the RAC at Rutgers. Hope we won't be too hung over from Garden Party on Saturday night!

[noteggs]

Pretty cool article on Tandy.

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/college/xavier/xaviersports/2019/03/07/get-know-xavier-university-mens-basketball-signee-kyky-tandy/3078422002/

[IM4X]

Pretty cool article on Tandy.

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/college/xavier/xaviersports/2019/03/07/get-know-xavier-university-mens-basketball-signee-kyky-tandy/3078422002/

Nice ideed. Thanks for the link noteggs.

Soooo looking forward to seeing him play in an X uniform next year.

[Xuperman]

Miles and WV play in the opener today vs Campbell Co. It will be interesting to see if he can keep Reid Jolly from going off. His length should be effective in altering some of his shots in the paint. The rebounding battle between the two could be the difference.

[paulxu]

As St Francis wins another State Championship for their division, it's hard not to think of this guy as very similar to Tu:

https://twitter.com/Justin_FOX5/status/1103405814713323520

[XUGRAD80]

Deonte Mills and the Walton-Verona Bearcats lost to the Campbell County Camels in the 1/4 finals of the Kentucky State Basketball Tourney 49-42 today. Deonte had 10 points and 12 BLOCKS in the loss.

Mixed feelings because I live in Campbell County, my granddaughter is in school here, and i’m sorry to see Deonte’s High School career end, but on the other hand he can now begin his Xavier career and I’m excited to watch that happen. I really think he will turn out to be the real sleeper in this class and the sky is the limit for this young man.

[xu82]

Deonte Mills and the Walton-Verona Bearcats lost to the Campbell County Camels in the 1/4 finals of the Kentucky State Basketball Tourney 49-42 today. Deonte had 10 points and 12 BLOCKS in the loss.

Mixed feelings because I live in Campbell County, my granddaughter is in school here, and i’m sorry to see Deonte’s High School career end, but on the other hand he can now begin his Xavier career and I’m excited to watch that happen. I really think he will turn out to be the real sleeper in this class and the sky is the limit for this young man.

WOW! That’s a LOT of blocks!

[Cincypunk.org]

WOW! That’s a LOT of blocks!


Sweet 16 record!

[XfansinKy]

Pretty cool article on Tandy.

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/college/xavier/xaviersports/2019/03/07/get-know-xavier-university-mens-basketball-signee-kyky-tandy/3078422002/
Thanks for sharing that link. Obviously for anybody that lives here in central Ky, it's a small fraternity of high school basketball fans that hear most of the rumors. The biggest thing I've heard on Tandy is confidence is plentiful, and he isn't coming to Xavier to learn how to fit in, and develop into a solid backup that eventually starts. He's coming to Xavier as an avenue to the NBA. That's why his dad n Cal disagreed. I've seen him play in person and he's definitely a high level D1 talent. Idk if he's big enough to have a career in the NBA. Also the thing with his dad and Cal kinda gave his dad a bad rap because he's by all accounts a good dad who cares solely about his son's success.

[XUGRAD80]

Thanks for sharing that link. Obviously for anybody that lives here in central Ky, it's a small fraternity of high school basketball fans that hear most of the rumors. The biggest thing I've heard on Tandy is confidence is plentiful, and he isn't coming to Xavier to learn how to fit in, and develop into a solid backup that eventually starts. He's coming to Xavier as an avenue to the NBA. That's why his dad n Cal disagreed. I've seen him play in person and he's definitely a high level D1 talent. Idk if he's big enough to have a career in the NBA. Also the thing with his dad and Cal kinda gave his dad a bad rap because he's by all accounts a good dad who cares solely about his son's success.

I’ve also heard nothing bad about KyKy himself. I wonder about his dad, but trust that the Xavier coaches have done their homework and that things will work out. How much of the story is related to lots of Ky people not wanting to think anything negative about UK and Coach Cal, is questionable. I do think that he has a chance to start from day one, but from all accounts so does Bishop.

[XfansinKy]

I’ve also heard nothing bad about KyKy himself. I wonder about his dad, but trust that the Xavier coaches have done their homework and that things will work out. How much of the story is related to lots of Ky people not wanting to think anything negative about UK and Coach Cal, is questionable. I do think that he has a chance to start from day one, but from all accounts so does Bishop.

Yep. UK fans will believe whatever Cal tells them without question. I'm just guessing when talking with the family, Cal let them know up front when he recruits top 5 ranked guards that scouts say are future NBA guys, that KyKy will have to be patient and his dad said no. His dad probably said that publicly after knowing his boy wasn't going to UK. I guarantee you he could've been on scholarship if he went along with whatever he was told would happen.Example: Darrius Miller gave up a lot of
playing time to kids who weren't as good as him but did have better NBA potential. So did Dominique Hawkins.

[xukeith]

As St Francis wins another State Championship for their division, it's hard not to think of this guy as very similar to Tu:

https://twitter.com/Justin_FOX5/status/1103405814713323520

Isn't he 6'0?

[Xville]

It's going to be nice to have some depth in the backcourt next year and a real ballhandler in Tandy. I hope that james either makes a big leap next year and/or the team gets a graduate big man. I think zach will be good but I just dont expect bigs to come in and contribute right away like i do guards.

[xukeith]

It's going to be nice to have some depth in the backcourt next year and a real ballhandler in Tandy. I hope that james either makes a big leap next year and/or the team gets a graduate big man. I think zach will be good but I just dont expect bigs to come in and contribute right away like i do guards.

Agree. Bigs take at least 2 years before they make significant contributions. Only exception was West who started as a frosh and maybe, yikes (Frease).

[IM4X]

Agree. Bigs take at least 2 years before they make significant contributions. Only exception was West who started as a frosh and maybe, yikes (Frease).

Tyrone Hill.

https://goxavier.com/hof.aspx?hof=64

[Hill, a four-year starter, helped Xavier average 23.5 wins per seasons during his career as a Musketeer.]

[CincyXavierFella]

Dwon Odom’s Saint Francis high school just earned the State Title in Georgia.

Odom scored 17 of his game-high 28 points in the final period to help St. Francis hold off Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy for a 73-69 win in the Class A Private boys championship game at the Macon Coliseum.

[CincyXavierFella]

Fun To Watch. Dahmir Bishop Hi Lite Reel. This youngster has amazing athleticism.


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dYsIi5mAdlQ

[Cincypunk.org]

Dwon Odom’s Saint Francis high school just earned the State Title in Georgia.

Odom scored 17 of his game-high 28 points in the final period to help St. Francis hold off Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy for a 73-69 win in the Class A Private boys championship game at the Macon Coliseum.

Will Odom be here next year?

[XUGRAD80]

Will Odom be here next year?

Never say never, but I’ve not seen any mention anywhere of him reclassifying and being at X next year.

[paulxu]

Verbal Commits shows us with 5 LOI's for next year, placing us one over at 14.
Assuming that walk-on Leighton Shrand who apparently holds a scholarship, loses it...we'd be at 13.

Of course people come and go all the time.

[xufan02]

Never say never, but I’ve not seen any mention anywhere of him reclassifying and being at X next year.

I would say that Odom reclassifying is doubtful.

[XUGRAD80]

Verbal Commits shows us with 5 LOI's for next year, placing us one over at 14.
Assuming that walk-on Leighton Shrand who apparently holds a scholarship, loses it...we'd be at 13.

Of course people come and go all the time.

Returning

Jones
Marshall
Q
Scruggs
Harden
James
Kennedy

That’s only 7 returners....and a couple of them are possibly iffy....am I missing anyone?

Leaves 6 open schollys for sure and possibly 7-8

5 signed so far

[xufan02]

Verbal Commits shows us with 5 LOI's for next year, placing us one over at 14.
Assuming that walk-on Leighton Shrand who apparently holds a scholarship, loses it...we'd be at 13.

Of course people come and go all the time.

We are definitely not over 13 scholarships for next season. Assuming everyone comes back we still have 2 to give.

Q, Paul, Naji, Tyrique, Elias, and James plus the 5 freshman is 11. Keonte Kennedy is gone, and perhaps another one of the guys not in the rotation leaves too. I honestly see us going into the off-season with 3 spots open.

[paulxu]

I'm damn confused is what I am.

[Xuperman]

Verbal Commits shows us with 5 LOI's for next year, placing us one over at 14.
Assuming that walk-on Leighton Shrand who apparently holds a scholarship, loses it...we'd be at 13.

Not enough factual info for a decent conversation. I believe Coach Steele contradicted Shrand holding a scholly in an early interview. What about Myles Hanson? Was he promised one? Is there any solid info that KK is done here?

As far as Odom re-classifying.....I have no idea what criteria needs to be met to consider this option. I'm thinking he will need to have almost all the credits needed to graduate come spring. Then would need only summer school to graduate early, then enroll at X in the fall.

[paulxu]

I thought Hanson could play next year.
He and Kennedy are both still listed on Xavier's roster.

[Xuperman]

I thought Hanson could play next year.
He and Kennedy are both still listed on Xavier's roster.

Hanson will absolutely be eligible, BUT will he take up a scholarship? I thought I read somewhere last summer he will be on scholarship.

[bleedXblue]

Hanson
Marshall
Scruggs
Q
Jones
Kennedy
James
Hardin

5 incoming: Tandy, Freemantle, Bishop, Ramsey and Miles

Walk on scholarships are given year to year.......pretty sure subject to change

Makes 13 total. Im sure there is going to be some movement with the current roster......we have room right now for at least 1-2 players

[Xuperman]

Hanson plays very hard in practice and has a lot of intensity. Steele actually mentioned it recently in a presser when Shannon Russell asked him about Myles getting a scholarship this year. I think Steele also mentioned he can embarrass guys if they aren't playing hard... but he's still not going to be playing meaningful minutes in games.

When Hanson was brought up earlier in this thread, people were posting the usual speculative insight. Sirthought had stated that he was not promised a scholly but again did not indicate how he knows this.

[Xuperman]

Here's something I've always wanted to know. Why is there always so little first hand info about what goes on in practice and behind the scenes? I know a lot of you here are alumni with close ties with the BBall program. Even if the practices are closed to the public, I would think some of you guys are permitted anyway. What about connections with people inside the athletic department? One would think something like whether Shrand holds a scholarship or not would be a clear yes or no.

[bjf123]

I could certainly see James transferring based on a lack of playing time. No clue what’s going on with Kennedy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bleedXblue]

The whole Kennedy thing is very strange. From decommitting to recommitting to now a leave of absence.........

I think we saw glimpses of kid who has some talent but clearly needs work and development. If I had to guess I wouldn't be surprised to see him closer to home at smaller school next year

[Xuperman]

The whole Kennedy thing is very strange. From decommitting to recommitting to now a leave of absence.........

I think we saw glimpses of kid who has some talent but clearly needs work and development. If I had to guess I wouldn't be surprised to see him closer to home at smaller school next year

I wouldn't be surprised either but this is a good example of lacking first hand info. One can only assume he is still planning to return for next season because nothing has been said publicly by X otherwise. He must have been given the chance to take care of business at home and somehow retain his scholarship.

[bleedXblue]

I wouldn't be surprised either but this is a good example of lacking first hand info. One can only assume he is still planning to return for next season because nothing has been said publicly by X otherwise. He must have been given the chance to take care of business at home and somehow retain his scholarship.

All reports are that he is still in school. You cant leave and not be enrolled in school. Pretty sure that's a of requirement to play D1 athletics.

[bleedXblue]

Here's something I've always wanted to know. Why is there always so little first hand info about what goes on in practice and behind the scenes? I know a lot of you here are alumni with close ties with the BBall program. Even if the practices are closed to the public, I would think some of you guys are permitted anyway. What about connections with people inside the athletic department? One would think something like whether Shrand holds a scholarship or not would be a clear yes or no.

So you want first hand info posted on the internet available to all? As soon as that happens with any kind of sensitive info, those "sources" go away immediately.......Think about it

[paulxu]

Didn't we use to have a poster who had a son that was a team manager?

That'd be some inside information.

[Xuperman]

So you want first hand info posted on the internet available to all? As soon as that happens with any kind of sensitive info, those "sources" go away immediately.......Think about it

To what degree of "sensitivity" any info has is up to the person holding it. Most people (not all) are not interested in personal stuff or gossip material. Having someone describe how effective MH is practicing against our starters is not that. Whether LS is on scholarship or not isn't sensitive. Is Odom seriously considering a reclassification? Again, don't see any harm in that going public.

[UCGRAD4X]

So, it sounds as if there will wore than likely be some flexibility on the scholarship front. I'm still of the opinion we need to pick up another grad transfer big man that can provide some meaningful minuted while our young ones develop. Is there another Hanky McSpanky out there? We should be so lucky. But it doesn't need to be a former DII player of the year, just someone who can spell Tyrique and allow the Freshmen to work in more gradually.

[bleedXblue]

To what degree of "sensitivity" any info has is up to the person holding it. Most people (not all) are not interested in personal stuff or gossip material. Having someone describe how effective MH is practicing against our starters is not that. Whether LS is on scholarship or not isn't sensitive. Is Odom seriously considering a reclassification? Again, don't see any harm in that going public.

There isn't any benefit as a program to sharing this information with the general public. You keep these things close, b/c they are very fluid and change quite a bit. I would love more "inside" info to, but good luck getting to most of it........

[xufan02]

Let's be honest if Myles Hanson and Shrand are getting scholarships we have missed on grad transfers, traditional transfers, and late 2019 recruits. They are both great kids but you don't get to that final 2% with those guys as scholarship players.

Kennedy is gone. He is still enrolled, but he is not going to be a musketeer next season. He couldn't get run and left when it got tough.

[sirthought]

When Hanson was brought up earlier in this thread, people were posting the usual speculative insight. Sirthought had stated that he was not promised a scholly but again did not indicate how he knows this.

Dude, I read the newspaper.

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/college/xavier/2018/06/14/xu-hoops-adds-columbia-transfer-myles-hanson-fill-walk-role/702742002/


Hanson is expected to take a walk-on spot on the Xavier roster and will sit out the 2018-19 season, per NCAA transfer rules.

[Xuperman]

I remember reading that article or one like it. I guess I'm not seeing where no scholarship will be awarded after he becomes eligible. It only states that he was not given one upon transferring. I'm wondering that maybe Steele gave him assurance that he would get every opportunity to earn one after he becomes eligible.

[XUGRAD80]

Only time will tell, just need to patient.

But...according to Verbal Commits and other sites, X has recently made a few offers to players that would be 2019 recruits, and is still listed as “warm” for others that they have been recruiting longer. Leads me to believe that there will still be some roster movement before long. I believe that there is another sighing period coming up real soon (late March?) so we might know something more before the end of the month.

Xavier had at least one 2020 recruit at the game yesterday on an unofficial visit... Keon Ambrose 6’8” and 185 from Canada....and he left with an offer.

[EastCoastXman]

Hey XUPERMAN

Yesterday Bergen Catholic destroyed Camden Catholic 78-61 in the Non Public A State Final. ZFree had 16 points and 7 rebs. He wasn't even game MVP with those #'s. Boy I hope X has his teammate Matt Zona (Jr.) on their radar. Would be a nice 1-2 punch for X and get that talent from the Garden State away from Nova, SHU and St John.

Ranney also took down Roselle Catholic 56-50. So both teams will advance to the Tournament of Champions. They should be seeded 1 and 2 and have byes on Wednesday. Could meet in TOC final next weekend.

[Xuperman]

Hey thanks ECM,
My twins were born in Newton, NJ so I am familiar with the strong competition BC plays against. Gotta see a BC-Ranney rematch!
BTW- Is Zona getting any high D1 consideration? If so, keep us posted!

[RetireFiftyTu]

Hanson and Schrand are both walk-ons. Hanson is a very good walk-on. Xavier had a couple leftover scholarships that would have gone unused this season so they both got one for this year. Next year that probably won't happen. Next year as of now
1. Quentin Goodin (SR.)
2. Tyrique Jones (SR.)
3. Naji Marshall (JR.)
4. Paul Scruggs (JR.)
5. Elias Harden (JR.)
6. Dontarius James (SO.)
7. Keonte Kennedy (SO.)
8. KyKy Tandy (FR.)
9. Dahmir Bishop (FR.)
10. Zach Freemantle (FR.)
11. Daniel Ramsey (FR.)
12. Dieonte Miles (FR.)
13. Open for now

Xavier will probably add one more freshman who will take that 13th scholarship. At least one and probably 2 people will transfer out. Then X might add a grad transfer or a sit out transfer. Hanson and Schrand will be walk-ons with no scholarship. Xavier will have really strong depth next season.

[xukeith]

Only time will tell, just need to patient.

But...according to Verbal Commits and other sites, X has recently made a few offers to players that would be 2019 recruits, and is still listed as “warm” for others that they have been recruiting longer. Leads me to believe that there will still be some roster movement before long. I believe that there is another sighing period coming up real soon (late March?) so we might know something more before the end of the month.

Xavier had at least one 2020 recruit at the game yesterday on an unofficial visit... Keon Ambrose 6’8” and 185 from Canada....and he left with an offer.

He is a big recruit.

[paulxu]

Hanson transferred here from Columbia and sat a year. Why would he necessarily leave and have to sit out another year somewhere else?

[UCGRAD4X]

I don't know anything about Hanson and Strand - sounds like an LLC or INC or even AAL should follow. What can you tell me about them as players? Are either able to put in serious time in the post? If not, a grad transfer big is a must with any scollys left.

[scoscox]

This is only vaguely recruit related, but the big east is gonna be really loaded next year
https://twitter.com/WisBBYearbook/status/1104151109793394689

add that to how well the conference recruited and some of the transfers... whew gonna be a monster

[bleedXblue]

This is only vaguely recruit related, but the big east is gonna be really loaded next year
https://twitter.com/WisBBYearbook/status/1104151109793394689

add that to how well the conference recruited and some of the transfers... whew gonna be a monster

:drinks:

[xukeith]

This is only vaguely recruit related, but the big east is gonna be really loaded next year
https://twitter.com/WisBBYearbook/status/1104151109793394689

add that to how well the conference recruited and some of the transfers... whew gonna be a monster

I doubt if Howard comes back with all his pub. Same with Ponds.

[bleedXblue]

I doubt if Howard comes back with all his pub. Same with Ponds.

Both projected as second rounders.......and i don't see them improving upon that next year.......both very small shooting PG's.

[Xuperman]

Hanson and Schrand are both walk-ons. Hanson is a very good walk-on. Xavier had a couple leftover scholarships that would have gone unused this season so they both got one for this year.
Xavier will probably add one more freshman who will take that 13th scholarship. At least one and probably 2 people will transfer out. Then X might add a grad transfer or a sit out transfer. Hanson and Schrand will be walk-ons with no scholarship. Xavier will have really strong depth next season.

This is exactly the kind of info that can muddy the water. Pure speculation with zero corroboration.

[scoscox]

I doubt if Howard comes back with all his pub. Same with Ponds.

I don't really think either of them will make it in the nba. maybe they leave, but wouldn't be surprised if they stay

[MITTENMUSKIE16]

Shannon Russell asked Steele about Keonte Kennedy’s prospects next year. He flat out said, publicly, that based on everything that has transpired, he doubts Keonte will be around next year.

[MITTENMUSKIE16]

“Steele: "Doubtful. I would say doubtful at this point because of where we're at in the season. Obviously, I would never say no. But again I would say doubtful." 2/2”

[Xuperman]

Shannon Russell asked Steele about Keonte Kennedy’s prospects next year. He flat out said, publicly, that based on everything that has transpired, he doubts Keonte will be around next year.

Now THAT is solid info......so much for keeping things close. Just would like to know what "transpired" in more detail.

[MITTENMUSKIE16]

Now THAT is solid info......so much for keeping things close. Just would like to know what "transpired" in more detail.

Elias Harden started stealing his minutes and he saw the guys coming in.

[noteggs]

Shannon Russell asked Steele about Keonte Kennedy’s prospects next year. He flat out said, publicly, that based on everything that has transpired, he doubts Keonte will be around next year.

Didn’t Shannon ask Steele about this year and not next?

[MITTENMUSKIE16]

Ahh. Going back to the tweet you are correct. Missed her saying “this year” thought it was more open ended as just “do you expect him back” nonetheless, I think the same answer would be given.

[IM4X]

Didn’t Shannon ask Steele about this year and not next?

Makes more sense now that Steele was talking about him returning this year.

I’m think out of respect for all X players, it probably wouldn’t hurt for us not to speculate too much on which players will be coming back next year. I like Kennedy and would like to see him back, if he wants to come back. I also would like to see James back. Most players take some time to get completely comfortable playing at the D1 level.

[XUGRAD80]

I’d certainly like to see all of the players come back, and for all of them to stay 4 years, but that is no longer the reality of college basketball. Every year seems to see a new high in the # of players transferring from one school to another. Part of that is the grad transfer rule, but certainly not all of it. Moving from school to school, or job to job, is pretty common today for many people, not just the athletes.

[noteggs]

I’m think out of respect for all X players, it probably wouldn’t hurt for us not to speculate too much on which players will be coming back next year.

I agree especially during the current season.

[surfxu]

After the coach's show at Delicio, Travis usually walks around to the tables and chat's with attendees, which BTW Mack never did... but that's fine, I'm not saying he should have, I'm just saying there's a difference and it's kinda cool. More than once, we've talked about the incoming class and he's very excited for what they will add to our current returning roster, and he's said "and we're not done yet." Sounds like there's a possibility to add another freshman and potentially one or two grad transfers. He did say that the grad transfer market does dry up really quickly though, at least the ones that can really add valuable minutes.
What I did find amazing is that I believe he said all 3 of the grad transfers this year, Hankins, Castlin and Wellage all committed to X without even an official visit. It was purely based on the reputation of the program and the relationship the built with Travis in a very short period of time. I think Hankins was here his freshman year for an exhibition game, but that was it.

[xukeith]

I bet James will stay and play next year. He will know the system, gain muscle and be a step ahead of the recruits coming in.

[IM4X]

After the coach's show at Delicio, Travis usually walks around to the tables and chat's with attendees, which BTW Mack never did... but that's fine, I'm not saying he should have, I'm just saying there's a difference and it's kinda cool. More than once, we've talked about the incoming class and he's very excited for what they will add to our current returning roster, and he's said "and we're not done yet." Sounds like there's a possibility to add another freshman and potentially one or two grad transfers. He did say that the grad transfer market does dry up really quickly though, at least the ones that can really add valuable minutes.

Great to hear Steele is chatting it up with fans. I love having a coach who is so approachable and willing to have discussions with fans.

Wonder if he is talking about Beverly and Gardner for next season... or others we don’t know about (including a transfer). I think we have an idea of several players he and his staff are hot after for 2020.

[scoscox]

maybe ben roderick from olentangy

[Xuperman]

I bet James will stay and play next year. He will know the system, gain muscle and be a step ahead of the recruits coming in.

I hope he stays also. Met him briefly at the Madness and if anything, the guy is already physically ready. My concern is, he must be a really bad practice player to not see the floor on a team this thin. An effort and/or attitude issue would explain it but I hope he stays and we see a different player in the fall.

[surfxu]

The challenge with D James is grasping "the system"... being in the right place at the right time, switching vs not switching based on the defensive scheme for a particular opponent, going under screens on some guys and over the screen on others etc. Travis has said this on the coach's show, so it's nothing that hasn't been put out there before. Totally agree that he appears to have the physical attributes to play immediately, but not seeing nary a minute lately would be indicative of the mountain that needs to be climbed from an "understanding of the game". It ain't easy... I'm sure I'd be like Jackie Moon out there running around going rogue.

[MHettel]

The challenge with D James is grasping "the system"... being in the right place at the right time, switching vs not switching based on the defensive scheme for a particular opponent, going under screens on some guys and over the screen on others etc. Travis has said this on the coach's show, so it's nothing that hasn't been put out there before. Totally agree that he appears to have the physical attributes to play immediately, but not seeing nary a minute lately would be indicative of the mountain that needs to be climbed from an "understanding of the game". It ain't easy... I'm sure I'd be like Jackie Moon out there running around going rogue.

Wonder why they didnt redshirt him? If I recall correctly, you dont actually have to "declare" a redshirt, right? I mean, you CAN declare a redshirt, but also if a kid is dressed for the games and he doesnt end up playing, then at the end of the year it essentially becomes a redshirt year, and you have 4 years left. i dont get the logic of putting a kid in 5-6 games for 1-2 minutes, essentially depriving yourself of having the kid available as a 5th year senior...

maybe Im wrong about the rule...

[bleedXblue]

Wonder why they didnt redshirt him? If I recall correctly, you dont actually have to "declare" a redshirt, right? I mean, you CAN declare a redshirt, but also if a kid is dressed for the games and he doesnt end up playing, then at the end of the year it essentially becomes a redshirt year, and you have 4 years left. i dont get the logic of putting a kid in 5-6 games for 1-2 minutes, essentially depriving yourself of having the kid available as a 5th year senior...

maybe Im wrong about the rule...

I think you can after the fact try to ask for the red shirt based on playing time. Could be wrong........

[noteggs]

Wonder why they didnt redshirt him? If I recall correctly, you dont actually have to "declare" a redshirt, right? I mean, you CAN declare a redshirt, but also if a kid is dressed for the games and he doesnt end up playing, then at the end of the year it essentially becomes a redshirt year, and you have 4 years left. i dont get the logic of putting a kid in 5-6 games for 1-2 minutes, essentially depriving yourself of having the kid available as a 5th year senior...

maybe Im wrong about the rule...

At this time which might change, college basketball and football have different redshirt rules. Football allows a player to play 4 games to decide if they’re going to redshirt. As for basketball, if you dress first game, you cannot redshirt. NCAA is considering changing the rule for all sports (other sports follow the basketball rules).

As for James, I heard as well he had trouble grasping speed and defense of college game. My guess is Steele had such a depleted bench and decided to role the dice with James to see if things would change.

[UCGRAD4X]

When do we find out about what grad transfers might be available. I assume at least not until the tourney is over. Anybody with Intel on this?

[surfxu]

At this time which might change, college basketball and football have different redshirt rules. Football allows a player to play 4 games to decide if they’re going to redshirt. As for basketball, if you dress first game, you cannot redshirt. NCAA is considering changing the rule for all sports (other sports follow the basketball rules).

Yep, believe this is accurate... as soon as you take the court your 4 years of eligibility starts. Doesn't matter if it's the first game of the season or the last, if you step on the court during the season then that season counts as one of your 4 years. The only exception to that is a medical redshirt. That goes into effect if the student athlete has participated that season in 20% or fewer of the scheduled events have transpired before a season ending injury or illness occurs. So say there's 30 regular season games and a player who has participated in a game is injured in game up to and including game 6, then the player could submit for a medical redshirt if they do not come back to competition the remainder of the season.
You can dress, practice and travel with the team, but as soon as they enter a game then the possibility of a standard redshirt is gone.

[noteggs]

You can dress, practice and travel with the team, but as soon as they enter a game then the possibility of a standard redshirt is gone.

I left off this part to redshirt. Thanks for clarification

[surfxu]

When do we find out about what grad transfers might be available. I assume at least not until the tourney is over. Anybody with Intel on this?

The NCAA has something called a "Transfer portal". Basically an athlete can enter all their information into the transfer portal and that portal can be viewed by athletic administrations so all know who wants to transfer. A coach may contact that athlete once they have received permission from the athlete's current academic institution. There are definitely student athletes in the transfer portal now... there's definitely an awareness by the coaching staff who is interested in transferring at the end of the year... whether the institutions have given permission for a coach or certain coaches to contact the athlete I guess would be up to the schools. An athlete does have the right to appeal if their current school says no... most likely another school w/in the same conference I would guess, like if one of our guys wanted to go to Georgetown or something.

[MHettel]

I left off this part to redshirt. Thanks for clarification

Ok, so again. have him dressed and ready to go in case of a catastrophic need. but to give a guy 2-3 minutes during mop-up duty, which essentially costs a year of eligibility just makes no sense....

[noteggs]

Ok, so again. have him dressed and ready to go in case of a catastrophic need. but to give a guy 2-3 minutes during mop-up duty, which essentially costs a year of eligibility just makes no sense....

I get your point which is totally valid. If James originally redshirted, he probably wouldn’t have gotten any practice time with starters or second team this year (wouldn’t make sense for redshirt to take practice minutes from those in the game plan). For a redshirt freshman to come in mid season and make impact due to injuries is asking a lot. You saw how long it to took the grad transfers to get integrated into our system and they practiced on the first and second teams. Again you bring a up good point and that’s about all my pay grade can come up with.

[UCGRAD4X]

The NCAA has something called a "Transfer portal". Basically an athlete can enter all their information into the transfer portal and that portal can be viewed by athletic administrations so all know who wants to transfer. A coach may contact that athlete once they have received permission from the athlete's current academic institution. There are definitely student athletes in the transfer portal now... there's definitely an awareness by the coaching staff who is interested in transferring at the end of the year... whether the institutions have given permission for a coach or certain coaches to contact the athlete I guess would be up to the schools. An athlete does have the right to appeal if their current school says no... most likely another school w/in the same conference I would guess, like if one of our guys wanted to go to Georgetown or something.

Thanks.

At what point is this information available to the general public?

[XUGRAD80]

Thanks.

At what point is this information available to the general public?

If you go the website www.verbalcommits.com, you will see a link at the top entitled TRANSFERS. It’s a pretty good listing of transfers, where they coming from, who they have committed to (if anyone), what position they play, and their star rating out of HS. Clicking on the player’s name will also take you to information about them.

[noteggs]

maybe ben roderick from olentangy

He was just named Ohio’s Gatorade POY.

We could use a wing like him.

[UCGRAD4X]

If you go the website www.verbalcommits.com (http://www.verbalcommits.com), you will see a link at the top entitled TRANSFERS. It’s a pretty good listing of transfers, where they coming from, who they have committed to (if anyone), what position they play, and their star rating out of HS. Clicking on the player’s name will also take you to information about them.

Thanks but I'm not sure we want someone who has the idea they're entitled :unsure:

[XUGRAD80]

Thanks but I'm not sure we want someone who has the idea they're entitled :unsure:

Spell check!! Should just say “titled” transfers

[xavierj]

Freemantle had 36 pts and 14 rebounds tonight leading his team to the Championship of the TOC on Sunday.

[Xuperman]

WoW, that sounds like a career game for him at just the right time!!

[Xville]

Does anyone know anything about Ramsey? I feel like hes the one recruit I know nothing about.

[Xuperman]

Here's what I do know. He transferred to Norcross for better competition. They were the #4 ranked team in the state going into post season. It looks like they were loaded with returning talent and from what I can tell, Ramsey didn't even start for them. Info is hard to come by but what I have seen is that he is not much of a scorer but an excellent rebounder. Seems to get his share of blocks also. Again, this team evidently was loaded so hard to say how many minutes he had coming off the bench. I think he had a similar role like James had at Huntington prep.

https://www.mdjonline.com/sports/mceachern-overcomes-norcross-in-ot-clinches-championship-berth/article_f5199830-3d4b-11e9-9199-ef8ac7591ebd.html

[Xuperman]

Freemantle had 36 pts and 14 rebounds tonight leading his team to the Championship of the TOC on Sunday.

http://highschoolsports.nj.com/news/article/5948073495300271778/boys-basketball-t-of-c-semifinals-no-2-bergen-catholic-vs-no-6-newark-east-side-mvp-stars-of-the-game/

The highly anticipated rematch with Ranney is on! Hopefully we can get a full report from our Jersey guy EASTCOASTMAN.

https://www.app.com/story/sports/high-school/basketball/2019/03/15/ranney-moorestown-tournament-of-champions-toc-semifinals/3159909002/

Florida commit Scottie Lewis talking a little smack aimed at ZFree...good luck with that! Villanova commit Bryan Antoine will most likely be the difference between who wins or loses. Zach will bring a first hand scouting report on him in the fall. I expect we will see a lot of Antoine in the coming years.

[scoscox]

Is there any way to watch that game?

[noteggs]

Tandy just sent a text that simply said “I can’t wait”. Love it! Twitter pic is now of him in a number 15 X jersey!

[scoscox]

Is Dahmir Bishop still playing?

[Lloyd Braun]

Tandy just sent a text that simply said “I can’t wait”. Love it! Twitter pic is now of him in a number 15 X jersey!

Are you bros? Tell him we can’t wait either! Thx.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Are you bros? Tell him we can’t wait either! Thx.

I think he meant a tweet.

[noteggs]

Are you bros? Tell him we can’t wait either! Thx.

Ha! Sounds like someone’s jealous

Yes I got it

[noteggs]

https://t.co/ErjB1DDcQp?ssr=true

Good interview with Freemante

Reporter: How important was it to get the lead.

High school quote of the year from Freemante: “it’s so important, if you never get the lead you can’t win.”

[paulxu]

#ghostofyogi

[XUGRAD80]

Got to be one of the stupidest questions ever asked.....great answer #captainobvious

[xu82]

https://t.co/ErjB1DDcQp?ssr=true

Good interview with Freemante

Reporter: How important was it to get the lead.

High school quote of the year from Freemante: “it’s so important, if you never get the lead you can’t win.”


Oh, I think I’m going to like him A LOT!

[scoscox]

One thing that would really ease my current pain is a commitment from a zach harvey type player. can't wait for travis to go to work on the trail

[MHettel]

Oh, I think I’m going to like him A LOT!

Yeah.

He's got that nasty chip on his shoulder. The team should have a JP Macura award handed out every year. That should be the goal of EVERY player.

Im thinking Kevin Frey. Physical big with an attitude.

[xu82]

Yeah.

He's got that nasty chip on his shoulder. The team should have a JP Macura award handed out every year. That should be the goal of EVERY player.

Im thinking Kevin Frey. Physical big with an attitude.


Ha! About 20 years ago my youngest used to get super worked up in a hoops rec league. Hyper competitive kid playing against 8-9 year olds when he was 6-7. A HS ref had a kid in the same league and used to ask “what did Alex get today? Probably 15-20?” “No, 32”. Whatever it took to win. But he would literally SOB at the FT line late in games if it was close. Imagine a 7 year old kid trying to time his FT while holding his breath between sobs! He put WAY too much pressure on himself! We were NOT terrible parents!

Anyway, the guy who ran the league (with hundreds of kids for every 8 week session) used to kid him about it. Called him Mr Smiley Face! Now, two decades later we have learned that they have a Mr Smiley Face Award for every team and have for the last two decades. Lol

[xufan02]

Is Dahmir Bishop still playing?

Yes, the are in the state semi-final, win on Friday night.

[GIMMFD]

Yeah.

He's got that nasty chip on his shoulder. The team should have a JP Macura award handed out every year. That should be the goal of EVERY player.

Im thinking Kevin Frey. Physical big with an attitude.

Love those kind of guys, they'll bust their ass every single play, every single opportunity, and that's what you need. Someone that can get under the opponent's skin, but also be enamored to the fan base. Every single team needs a JP Macura, I genuinely believe that.


Yes, the are in the state semi-final, win on Friday night.

Tried to find a box score and couldn't, but did see where they went on a 20-3 run, with Bishop hitting a 3 in the defenders face. I love the praise he's getting from Steele so far, and it'll be interesting to see if we run a 3 guard line-up depending on how ready Bishop and Tandy are, but by all looks of it, those two are phenomenal players.

[scoscox]

Tandy and Bishop both seem to play with pretty big chips

[xufan02]

Bishop article:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.pennlive.com/highschoolsports/basketball/2019/03/imhotep-charter-uses-size-advantage-to-pound-out-piaa-tournament-win-over-bishop-mcdevitt.html%3foutputType=amp

He only had 5 points in the win on Friday. They play Monday evening.

[deepX]

https://t.co/ErjB1DDcQp?ssr=true

Good interview with Freemante

Reporter: How important was it to get the lead.

High school quote of the year from Freemante: “it’s so important, if you never get the lead you can’t win.”

This kid has high D-1 interview skills already. Hopefully he has a lot of opportunities to use them over the next 4 years!

[xukeith]

Yeah.

He's got that nasty chip on his shoulder. The team should have a JP Macura award handed out every year. That should be the goal of EVERY player.

Im thinking Kevin Frey. Physical big with an attitude.

I thought Kevin Frey immediately too.

Steele and coaches probably recruit 2-4 hours a day so Zach Harvey knows all about X.

[Xuperman]

http://highschoolsports.nj.com/news/article/1504912315158192106/boys-basketball-tournament-of-champions-final-no-2-bergen-catholic-vs-no-1-ranney-mvp-stars-of-the-game/

ZFree and BC go down in the championship but he had another great game in the loss. Glad to see he avoided any injury this season and can now set his sights on X in the fall.

[xufan2020]

I think Freemantle’s development over next season could determine how good Xavier will be. If he can pick up high D1 pick and roll/help defense quickly, then Xavier could be playing for a pretty high seed next season. This is also under the assumption Tandy and Bishop can be at least decent threats on offense

[scoscox]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoMv77pRkxw

kyky mix tapes are wonderful

[Xville]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoMv77pRkxw

kyky mix tapes are wonderful

What a stud....absolutely criminal that kyky or david Johnson (Louisville) didn't win Mr. Basketball, but instead went to a UK signee who I'm not saying is a great player but didn't even play half the season. Guarantee had KyKy or Johnson been a UK signee, they would have won it. Another reason to hate UK and their stupid fans.

[MITTENMUSKIE16]

Grad Transfer season is fully upon us. Steele has already been mentioned with two names:

Justin Pierce, 6'7, William & Mary, 16, 9, and 4. 33% from three

Pat Andree, 6'8, Lehigh, 13, 6, and 2. 42% from three.

Another big time grad transfer's name that popped today: Rayjon Tucker from Little Rock. 6'5 freak athlete that averaged 20 ppg and 7 rpg. 41% from three. Somebody that would allow some flexibility on the wing.

All these guys either play the 3 or the 4, which will be the biggest need, I think. Outside of Naji, we don't have a true wing on the roster (though lots of bigger guards alleviate the problem a little).

[xukeith]

I will take the best defender and rebounder of the bunch.

[xukeith]

Justin Pierce has a combined 11 points against all power 6 conference opponents.

[xufan02]

Dahmir Bishop plays in the state championship game on Thursday night.

[XUGRAD80]

Grad Transfer season is fully upon us. Steele has already been mentioned with two names:

Justin Pierce, 6'7, William & Mary, 16, 9, and 4. 33% from three

Pat Andree, 6'8, Lehigh, 13, 6, and 2. 42% from three.

Another big time grad transfer's name that popped today: Rayjon Tucker from Little Rock. 6'5 freak athlete that averaged 20 ppg and 7 rpg. 41% from three. Somebody that would allow some flexibility on the wing.

All these guys either play the 3 or the 4, which will be the biggest need, I think. Outside of Naji, we don't have a true wing on the roster (though lots of bigger guards alleviate the problem a little).

How about Derrick Smits.....7-2 240lb center from Valpo....he was a potential Xavier recruit a few years back and visited the school. Grad transfer with 1 yr of eligibility.

I’d love to have a high quality wing come in too.

[stammina0721]

I'm just going to say this... You guys know way more about recruiting than I do. I just wait for a Twitter comment or press conference saying some kid commited

[D-West & PO-Z]

Anyone else think we need a 3 point shooter? Or someone very competent at hitting the three. Or will our incoming freshman be able to help there enough that it wont be a problem?

[MITTENMUSKIE16]

Anyone else think we need a 3 point shooter? Or someone very competent at hitting the three. Or will our incoming freshman be able to help there enough that it wont be a problem?

I think a 6’6+ wing that can shoot, rebound, and defend is exactly what we need. Some people have talked me out of needing another big, but I’m still not completely sold that Freemantle is a true 5, and definitely not from the get go. This roster really, really needs a true wing, IMO. Naji is the only one we’ve got.

[Xuperman]

How about Derrick Smits.....7-2 240lb center from Valpo....he was a potential Xavier recruit a few years back and visited the school. Grad transfer with 1 yr of eligibility.

Man, Smits would be a perfect fit. We are going to need help matching up with Yurtseven. Seems out of left field though....is he really wanting to transfer?

[scoscox]

Anyone else think we need a 3 point shooter? Or someone very competent at hitting the three. Or will our incoming freshman be able to help there enough that it wont be a problem?

Possibly a hot take and not a cure all, but I think we'll be able to rely on elias a little more next year as a stable 3 and d off the bench

[scoscox]

When speculating on grad transfers it's good to keep in mind that steele sold freemantle and ramsey on the opportunities to play right away, so he might not see getting a big man as important as finding a wing

[Xuperman]

When speculating on grad transfers it's good to keep in mind that steele sold freemantle and ramsey on the opportunities to play right away, so he might not see getting a big man as important as finding a wing

When speculating on how coach Steele “sells” a recruit on our program, it’s good to explain how you know what was said in the process. One can assume that every recruit will be provided “opportunity” to play right away but that is earned not given. Especially in the case of Ramsey. From the few articles I read on Norcross and Ramsey, it appears he didn’t start for them. Discussing a redshirt with him would seem more likely than any discussion of playing right away. Case in point....D James.

[Xuperman]

Dahmir Bishop plays in the state championship game on Thursday night.

https://www.sharonherald.com/sports/hickory-s-spectacular-season-ends-in-semifinals-setback-to-/article_ea02f442-49fc-11e9-bd1f-9b9412cf2e61.html

Last chance for our 5 incoming freshman to arrive as a champion.

[XUGRAD80]

Man, Smits would be a perfect fit. We are going to need help matching up with Yurtseven. Seems out of left field though....is he really wanting to transfer?

Yes...he has announced fed that he is going to transfer for his grad year per his Twitter and per verbalcommits.com/transfers

[MITTENMUSKIE16]

When speculating on grad transfers it's good to keep in mind that steele sold freemantle and ramsey on the opportunities to play right away, so he might not see getting a big man as important as finding a wing

Both of them have also said stuff along the lines of “Coach Steele views me as a 4.” I agree wing is probably higher, but if the right big man comes along I could see Steele taking him.

[Xuperman]

https://www.philly.com/high-school-sports/pennsylvania/imhotep-bonner-prendie-recap-score-state-championship-donta-scott-isaiah-wong-20190322.html

Our boy Dahmir Bishop will arrive at X as a champion!

[scoscox]

Both of them have also said stuff along the lines of “Coach Steele views me as a 4.” I agree wing is probably higher, but if the right big man comes along I could see Steele taking him.

No doubt, but a wing is probably his #1 priority

[sirthought]

When speculating on grad transfers it's good to keep in mind that steele sold freemantle and ramsey on the opportunities to play right away, so he might not see getting a big man as important as finding a wing

It's more likely that he told them they are going to have to earn every amount of floor time they get. Bringing in an experienced post player who can help guide them isn't the worst idea. And with someone being new to the system as well, they'll all have some floor time to earn.

[bleedXblue]

Can't wait to see who we add to this team for next year. Obviously need post help first to allow Freemantle, Miles and Ramsey to get a year under their belt. Would love to see a pure shooter who can play the 2/3 to spell Marshall and Scruggs. I think KyKy will be able to play right away at the 1 to help Q. We have a really solid core of guys for next year to build around.

[Xuperman]

I predict Tandy, Bishop and ZFree will all contribute early and leave the rest of the league in awe.....similar to the 3 Hoyas this year. Any thing we get out of Ramsey and/or Miles is bacon on the burger.

[joe titan]

I predict Tandy, Bishop and ZFree will all contribute early and leave the rest of the league in awe.....similar to the 3 Hoyas this year. Any thing we get out of Ramsey and/or Miles is bacon on the burger.

Mostly agree here but would say Ramsey may contribute by being defender/rebounder/screener not post scorer; and Miles is just bound to redshirt to get physically better.

[usfldan]

Mostly agree here but would say Ramsey may contribute by being defender/rebounder/screener not post scorer; and Miles is just bound to redshirt to get physically better.

Where did this strategy come from of recruiting a big man "project" and then redshirting him come from? We've reportedly tried it the last two years (K.Jones and Walter) and neither one even made it to campus. I know each had situations, but it is also what has left us with pretty much one for-sure big next year. Is there some case from the past that makes us keep going to this well? Jaylen Reynolds is maybe the closest example I can think of, but he was held out due to an issue with his transcript and not as a redshirt as I recall, and he also left early, so it's not like we got en extra year out of it anyway. Are there a number of examples outside of Xavier where this big-man-red-shirt strategy has worked out?

I guess my point is, I'm not sure Miles will be an automatic redshirt.

[XUGRAD80]

I’ve seen Miles play a couple of times, and have watched the reports and his stats pretty closely all year. I think he just might surprise people a little bit by next year. He’s definitely not a bruiser, but he is extremely fluid and athletic looking. Can shot block very well and is not slow footed. Not yet strong enough to play the low post and bang, but is used to being double and triple teamed and being pushed around. Doesn’t shy away from contact. I expect him to put on some weight before next season and possibly even grown another inch or two. His coach is the brother of the NKU coach and he is a good coach, he’s not going to be as raw as some might think. He improved greatly this year and I think he will continue to do so all summer. I’m not that confident that he redshirts. I think he will contribute.

[XfansinKy]

I’ve seen Miles play a couple of times, and have watched the reports and his stats pretty closely all year. I think he just might surprise people a little bit by next year. He’s definitely not a bruiser, but he is extremely fluid and athletic looking. Can shot block very well and is not slow footed. Not yet strong enough to play the low post and bang, but is used to being double and triple teamed and being pushed around. Doesn’t shy away from contact. I expect him to put on some weight before next season and possibly even grown another inch or two. His coach is the brother of the NKU coach and he is a good coach, he’s not going to be as raw as some might think. He improved greatly this year and I think he will continue to do so all summer. I’m not that confident that he redshirts. I think he will contribute.

I saw him play too, and he looks every bit of 7ft with long arms. Good hands, good feet, and if he can put on a little weight by the start of the season, I can see him coming in and getting 5-8 minutes a game. He's not at all clumsy. Underrated imo.