Grade Travis first year as coach to this point

[OTRMUSKIE]

I know we arnt happy losing, it doesn’t happen at X.However are any of you really that surprised? We brought in a Div II player, a guy in Jimmy Chitwood that is a glorified Gus Macker MVP (look it up kids) and some Ivy League guy who is going to be successful just not in hoops. Out top returning scorer is Q at 8ppg. Throw in recruits that Mack got who clearly arnt ready to play at this level and you got a team that is .500. Xavier has been in almost every game but the first Marquette game and have had leads for a lot of games only to tire out towards the end against deeper teams. I don’t know about you but I think Travis is doing one hell of a job giving his resources. He has made some rookie mistakes with substitutions but he will learn. With that said what grade would you give him?

[XUGRAD80]

high c to a b.

Not satisfied with where they are at, but I get the feeling that Steele isn't either. That he understands what the problems are. That he has a plan how to fix it, and that he is going to work that plan and not panic. The fact that we have a highly thought of recruiting class coming in already, and that he is working hard at signing even more, makes me say B more than C.

Can't make a cake without all of the ingredients, and right now they don't have all of the ingredients needed to make the body, let alone put some icing on it.

[bleedXblue]

C that can move up or down through the last 10 games or so. Still enough talent to be 15-7 right now and not 11-11. Defense is atrocious.

[slysyl]

I gave him a B.

The season isn't over; he has them playing better; a couple more tweks and who knows, we can still hurt some teams.

[BigMoeMusketeer]

I know we arnt happy losing, it doesn’t happen at X.However are any of you really that surprised? We brought in a Div II player, a guy in Jimmy Chitwood that is a glorified Gus Macker MVP (look it up kids) and some Ivy League guy who is going to be successful just not in hoops. Out top returning scorer is Q at 8ppg. Throw in recruits that Mack got who clearly arnt ready to play at this level and you got a team that is .500. Xavier has been in almost every game but the first Marquette game and have had leads for a lot of games only to tire out towards the end against deeper teams. I don’t know about you but I think Travis is doing one hell of a job giving his resources. He has made some rookie mistakes with substitutions but he will learn. With that said what grade would you give him?

You're the most erratic poster on this site -- honestly, it is crazy. Some examples:

1. 11-20-18, "X will still dance and win 20+ games." M'kay.
2. 12-18-18, "...we suck and we knew we'd suck..." We did? A month ago you thought they would win 20+ games.
3. 1-6-19, "...we suck.."
4. 1-19-19, you start a thread about how they can make the tourney and going 9-3 down the stretch to get in.

Mix in comments about Travis' wife and posting an odd picture of a "Sexy Nun" costume, and you're truly all over the map. I assume you drink a lot while posting.

This team has 4 kids who were four-star kids, all ranked in the Top 100 (32, 70, 92, and 94) in their class, so to act as if we have zero talent is preposterous. Is it a problem when 3 kids in your rotation are from San Jose St., D-II, and the Ivy? Sure. However, 11-11 (and trending hard in the wrong direction) should not be acceptable with this rotation.

The problem, among several, is Travis hasn't been able to find the right buttons for this team, and while I have been dragged on here for calling their play selfish at times (Seton Hall game, lead erodes as we have 5 straight possessions where guys ignore the play call and go no-pass possession, drive for a bad shot), Travis does it (finally) last night and its as if everyone is shocked to hear that. These guys are blowing off curfew, they are blowing off study tables, they are stepping outside the line on the road, in short, he doesn't have their respect. For a number of reasons, you could see that coming, but when Q "MF'd" him in front of the team after the Marquette loss, it clearly has all come to a head.

In terms of projecting the future, I'm most concerned with what I said elsewhere that the staff has too many "great recruiters" and not a single "X and O" guy. That is troubling. I didn't like the staff make-up when he hired them, as fun as it is to have Jackson back on campus, and I don't like it now.

Xavier needs men's basketball to be good in a huge way, it has a huge impact on admissions, so they better hope that Travis finds his way, makes the year-2 tweaks needed, develops his kids, and gets back to winning games. As Bob Kohlhepp once famously said, the difference between Xavier and John Carroll is men's basketball. They can't get a hire wrong, and hopefully for all of us, time will prove that they didn't.

As of now, I don't think this period, since the press conference where he took credit for Xavier's offense, to the presser where he stated how great of a defensive team this would be (umm, WHAT?), to the results through 22 games, could have gone any worse. He is about to coach the worst Xavier team in nearly 25 years (1995-1996 team went 13-15), and he is doing it with a load of missteps along the way.

[MITTENMUSKIE16]

When did Q MF Steele? Serious question. Same thing with blowing off curfew and study tables

[OTRMUSKIE]

Wrong

[xufan2020]

He’s a C.
Anyone care to share as comparison their early thoughts on Skip, Matta, Miller, and Mack?

[UCGRAD4X]

Throw in recruits that Mack got who clearly arnt ready to play at this level and you got a team that is .500.

It is interesting to look at the two freshman o G'town, McClung and Akinjo, and what they contributed compared to X's freshmen ad it really brings this point to light. Hopefully we will get a couple (or three) that can contribute early next year. This is squarely on Mack's shoulders but...




This team has 4 kids who were four-star kids, all ranked in the Top 100 (32, 70, 92, and 94) in their class, so to act as if we have zero talent is preposterous. Is it a problem when 3 kids in your rotation are from San Jose St., D-II, and the Ivy? Sure. However, 11-11 (and trending hard in the wrong direction) should not be acceptable with this rotation.

The problem, among several, is Travis hasn't been able to find the right buttons for this team, and while I have been dragged on here for calling their play selfish at times (Seton Hall game, lead erodes as we have 5 straight possessions where guys ignore the play call and go no-pass possession, drive for a bad shot), Travis does it (finally) last night and its as if everyone is shocked to hear that. These guys are blowing off curfew, they are blowing off study tables, they are stepping outside the line on the road, in short, he doesn't have their respect. For a number of reasons, you could see that coming, but when Q "MF'd" him in front of the team after the Marquette loss, it clearly has all come to a head.

...this is clearly on Travis and hugely concerning, especially the Q comment. Except for the two uber lucky bank shots yesterday, his contribution was pretty near nil. Not sure what he has to get all pissy about, which would suggest that he and Travis are clearly at odds.

I don't recall what the comments were about the hiring of Travis by the players but I recall it being very positive. I would think his style should not be too much of a surprise

[MITTENMUSKIE16]

UCGrad4X, do you know what the Q comment was regarding Steele?

[UCGRAD4X]

UCGrad4X, do you know what the Q comment was regarding Steele?

I should have said, "alleged" or "if this is true", when I referred to the comment Big Moe mentioned. I assume he was a witness to this, but he really didn't say.

[BigMoeMusketeer]

When did Q MF Steele?

In the locker room on 1/6 after the Marquette game.

Talk to players 1 on 1, they'll be happy to give you an earful. There exists neither fear, nor respect, at this point. Not to say it can't be developed over time, especially with players that weren't here when he was "just" an assistant, but this year isn't going to get any better.

I was actually proud of him for finally having enough last night and calling the play what it has been for weeks: selfish. Good for him.

[drudy23]

Hindsight being 20/20, can we really blame Mack for leaving? He was and still is the smartest guy in the room.

In saying that, Steele has to find himself just like Mack and Miller did. On a positive note, Xavier has always been 100% behind their coaches and provides them all resources necessary to be successful. It's a transition, they're not always smooth.

Steady improvement and top notch recruiting are the key.

[MITTENMUSKIE16]

In the locker room on 1/6 after the Marquette game.

Talk to players 1 on 1, they'll be happy to give you an earful. There exists neither fear, nor respect, at this point. Not to say it can't be developed over time, especially with players that weren't here when he was "just" an assistant, but this year isn't going to get any better.

I was actually proud of him for finally having enough last night and calling the play what it has been for weeks: selfish. Good for him.

Unfortunately I don’t have that sort of access to the players. Curious as to what exactly was said. Maybe that’s why he’s playing so poorly, but I doubt it.

[Xville]

In the locker room on 1/6 after the Marquette game.

Talk to players 1 on 1, they'll be happy to give you an earful. There exists neither fear, nor respect, at this point. Not to say it can't be developed over time, especially with players that weren't here when he was "just" an assistant, but this year isn't going to get any better.

I was actually proud of him for finally having enough last night and calling the play what it has been for weeks: selfish. Good for him.

If Q really did this, he can go eff himself because hes a big reason for how putrid this team is. This team has played better when Q wasn't available. If anyone wants to dispute that, they haven't been watching.

[scoscox]

If that's actually true, there's no way i'd let q see the floor again for quite some time. I mean I'd bench him for his play anyway, but that kind of selfish attitude is unacceptable.

[Jumpin_Jamal_Forever]

In the locker room on 1/6 after the Marquette game.

Talk to players 1 on 1, they'll be happy to give you an earful. There exists neither fear, nor respect, at this point. Not to say it can't be developed over time, especially with players that weren't here when he was "just" an assistant, but this year isn't going to get any better.

I was actually proud of him for finally having enough last night and calling the play what it has been for weeks: selfish. Good for him.


That is very hard to believe. I have no basis to say it did not happen, just that, to me, this is really, really hard to take at face value. I can say, with certainty, that if it did happen and I were the coach, it would have taken a team of surgeons a week to extract my foot from his arse. It is really dangerous to speculate but, if true, Q should not even be on the bench. Because anyone who permits such a level of disrespect by one player, will not be respected by the rest.

[D-West & PO-Z]

If that's actually true, there's no way i'd let q see the floor again for quite some time. I mean I'd bench him for his play anyway, but that kind of selfish attitude is unacceptable.

Well he let him play 29 mins yesterday. So its either:
1. Not true
2. True but Travis feels he has no choice but to play Q because he thinks he gives them a better chance to win.
3. True but it has been dealt with and has been squashed.
4. True and Travis has no backbone.

I did hear through the grapevine two things: there is something more to Q's poor play but I did not hear what or have any context and also that there is something Travis isn't really happy with the players doing that Mack was more lax about.

When it is all said and done I would give Travis a C at this point. I'm not discouraged though and there has to be a transition period for a 1st year head coach. If we are in year 3 and things havent turned around we have probably have some problems but I am prepared for this year (obviously) and even next year to have some real growing pains.

[MITTENMUSKIE16]

I’m going to go with slightly true, but mostly just blown out of proportion. Perhaps Q yelled back at Steele when he addressed the team postgame. Or said “but you’re not doing your job either” or something brief along those lines. If he went full-blow”MFer” he should’ve been seriously disciplined for the remainder of the year or quite possibly his career. It’s quite hard for me to imagine Q doing it full go.

[Get Real]

I'm not going to submit a grade for a coach 22 games into his career, but I also am concerned over his control of the team. I have seen players laugh at him during time outs- and this was not a form of levity by any means- while other show no interest in what he is instructing in the huddle. If BMM's observations are correct, Steele had better find a way to assert himself or the next few years will be a matter of frustration.

[Snipe]

I gave him a B.

The season isn't over; he has them playing better; a couple more tweks and who knows, we can still hurt some teams.

Always darkest before the dawn. We are on a rough stretch to give him a grade right now, and the season isn't over. Today is the first day of February. I have seen a lot of things happen in February.

[OTRMUSKIE]

This team can def win 4/4 if they buy into the program. If everything MOE said is right then Steele should have sat Q and Najia long time ago but he didn’t. It’s either blown out of proportion or it’s a lie. And MOE stop stalking my post dog. Don’t worry about what I said 3 months ago. I switch back and forth everyday. Keeps me humble!!!

[XUGRAD80]

Don’t worry about what I said 3 months ago. I switch back and forth everyday. Keeps me humble!!!

“Consistency is the crutch of a weak mind”. :)

[OTRMUSKIE]

Exactly!!!

[UCGRAD4X]

Q "MF'd" him in front of the team after the Marquette loss, it clearly has all come to a head.


I have seen players laugh at him during time outs- and this was not a form of levity by any means- while other show no interest in what he is instructing in the huddle.

If either of these things (or both) turn out to have merit (if)...I would call for walk-ons to replace offending players for the remainder of the year.

Unless, of course it includes the walk-ons...

Who on this board has any eligibility left?

[X Factor]

I'll give him a B- right now. The biggest disappointment has been the defense. He HAS to get that fixed next year.

I like Coach Steele though, and I support him 100%. He will do great things for Xavier basketball.

[SteveSpivery]

Steele is very bad. He has some very quick players. He said before the season this would be one of Xavier's best defensive teams ever. Right. Also, with all their quick players, how come he can never get them open for a shot. I see teams taking all kinds of open shots against X, but X hardly ever gets an open shot - especially in the second half. I am tired of Naji, Q, and Scruggs driving down the lane in with four defenders on them praying someone will bail them out with a foul.

[XU 87]

In the locker room on 1/6 after the Marquette game.

Talk to players 1 on 1, they'll be happy to give you an earful. There exists neither fear, nor respect, at this point. Not to say it can't be developed over time, especially with players that weren't here when he was "just" an assistant, but this year isn't going to get any better.

I was actually proud of him for finally having enough last night and calling the play what it has been for weeks: selfish. Good for him.

How do you know all this?

[xeus]

Who on this board has any eligibility left?

I do. And I wouldn't say I'm "tall" but I can drain from outside, plus I really hustle.

[GIMMFD]

I'm gonna go with C+, I expected some growing pains, but the mental mistakes and preaching we'd be better defensively, and then nothing in game to support that has been a little maddening. This team isn't very good, and it's okay, reinforcements are coming. However, it just seems like Steele hasn't earned his respect yet for whatever reason. I don't feel this team has improved a handful from game one, and some of the same mistakes are costing us games in the home stretch. However, a good recruiting class is coming in, and there's time to right the ship. But not so great as of yet.

[noteggs]

From April to October, his recruits give him an A. The current 2019 class (I think) were not heavily on our radar in April, so to land them in a short period of time was a big success.

For coaching a game situation is about what you would expect for a first year HC with the depth that was left. With that said, will withhold on grading because I don’t know because too early to tell.

[XUBison]

If either of these things (or both) turn out to have merit (if)...I would call for walk-ons to replace offending players for the remainder of the year.

Unless, of course it includes the walk-ons...

Who on this board has any eligibility left?


Yep... if we’re going to suck, it might as well be because Steele is doing whatever is necessary for him to take control. Any player whose attitude is undermining Steele and sabotaging this team can GTFO. Well, unless it’s Scruggs of course... That guy’s game is tits.

In all seriousness, hope this attitude crap is fake news. I blame Mack.

[XUBison]

Steele is very bad. He has some very quick players. He said before the season this would be one of Xavier's best defensive teams ever. Right. Also, with all their quick players, how come he can never get them open for a shot. I see teams taking all kinds of open shots against X, but X hardly ever gets an open shot - especially in the second half. I am tired of Naji, Q, and Scruggs driving down the lane in with four defenders on them praying someone will bail them out with a foul.


So, let’s consider this goofy post on a couple fronts...

1. I suppose if Steele were a good coach, he would have properly assessed the team in the off-season, and his proclamation of its defensive prowess would instead have been that they would suck donkey nuts in this regard. Hmmm... makes a lot of sense.

2. Interesting that you want to see Scruggs, Q, and Naji drive less, while the overwhelming school of thought has been that they should do more of this in lieu of the insane number of horrendous perimeter shots they keep jacking (well, not Scruggs). Really outside-the-box thinking here... Good for you.

[Muskie in dayton]

This team has made zero improvement. I give him a “D” only because we’ve been in most games. This team is not super talented but they have way under performed.

[Muskie]

I can’t agree that this team hasn’t gotten better over the season. It hasn’t translated in the win column but the team is better than the start of the season.


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[whopper]

B-. He relied a little too much that the "core 4" would have residual magic from last year, but what we have found is that they all are good players but they were greatly enhanced last year by the attention to Tre, JP and Karem(even Kaiser and Sean). He gambled that he could pull a Phil Jackson and "play through" trouble spots v Seton Hall, Providence and a few other close games and got burned. I am a fan of Xavier so will continue to follow and root and analyze and home that the tweaks going forward will help. My hope is that we will be playing on Friday at MSG, and maybe pull off a road win at one more Big East game(dream of 2) and hold home court v Depaul, Creighton, St Johns. Villanova at home would seem to be a miracle. I think he has to find some time for Hardin, Kennedy(maybe James) by giving them a total of 10 min/game in lieu of core 4 players.

[Juice]

You're the most erratic poster on this site -- honestly, it is crazy. Some examples:

1. 11-20-18, "X will still dance and win 20+ games." M'kay.
2. 12-18-18, "...we suck and we knew we'd suck..." We did? A month ago you thought they would win 20+ games.
3. 1-6-19, "...we suck.."
4. 1-19-19, you start a thread about how they can make the tourney and going 9-3 down the stretch to get in.

Mix in comments about Travis' wife and posting an odd picture of a "Sexy Nun" costume, and you're truly all over the map. I assume you drink a lot while posting.

This team has 4 kids who were four-star kids, all ranked in the Top 100 (32, 70, 92, and 94) in their class, so to act as if we have zero talent is preposterous. Is it a problem when 3 kids in your rotation are from San Jose St., D-II, and the Ivy? Sure. However, 11-11 (and trending hard in the wrong direction) should not be acceptable with this rotation.

The problem, among several, is Travis hasn't been able to find the right buttons for this team, and while I have been dragged on here for calling their play selfish at times (Seton Hall game, lead erodes as we have 5 straight possessions where guys ignore the play call and go no-pass possession, drive for a bad shot), Travis does it (finally) last night and its as if everyone is shocked to hear that. These guys are blowing off curfew, they are blowing off study tables, they are stepping outside the line on the road, in short, he doesn't have their respect. For a number of reasons, you could see that coming, but when Q "MF'd" him in front of the team after the Marquette loss, it clearly has all come to a head.

In terms of projecting the future, I'm most concerned with what I said elsewhere that the staff has too many "great recruiters" and not a single "X and O" guy. That is troubling. I didn't like the staff make-up when he hired them, as fun as it is to have Jackson back on campus, and I don't like it now.

Xavier needs men's basketball to be good in a huge way, it has a huge impact on admissions, so they better hope that Travis finds his way, makes the year-2 tweaks needed, develops his kids, and gets back to winning games. As Bob Kohlhepp once famously said, the difference between Xavier and John Carroll is men's basketball. They can't get a hire wrong, and hopefully for all of us, time will prove that they didn't.

As of now, I don't think this period, since the press conference where he took credit for Xavier's offense, to the presser where he stated how great of a defensive team this would be (umm, WHAT?), to the results through 22 games, could have gone any worse. He is about to coach the worst Xavier team in nearly 25 years (1995-1996 team went 13-15), and he is doing it with a load of missteps along the way.

I think that x and o guy is Steele. I get that he hasnt shown it yet but I feel like it’s hard to draw up plays with a non shooting team. If you can’t stretch the D then trying to draw up plays is useless.

[UCGRAD4X]

I chose D because it was in italics. It must have been a subliminal thing...like I was SUPPOSED to choose D. I couldn't help myself.

[AviatorX]

B-. He relied a little too much that the "core 4" would have residual magic from last year, but what we have found is that they all are good players but they were greatly enhanced last year by the attention to Tre, JP and Karem(even Kaiser and Sean). He gambled that he could pull a Phil Jackson and "play through" trouble spots v Seton Hall, Providence and a few other close games and got burned. I am a fan of Xavier so will continue to follow and root and analyze and home that the tweaks going forward will help. My hope is that we will be playing on Friday at MSG, and maybe pull off a road win at one more Big East game(dream of 2) and hold home court v Depaul, Creighton, St Johns. Villanova at home would seem to be a miracle. I think he has to find some time for Hardin, Kennedy(maybe James) by giving them a total of 10 min/game in lieu of core 4 players.

Haha what else did he have to rely on other than Marshall/Goodin/Scruggs/Jones being good? Wooden would have had the same approach with this roster.

[bjf123]

C- I don’t think he has the respect of the players yet. They still see him as the nice guy assistant coach. In fairness, he was dealt a shitty hand to start his first year as head coach.


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[OTRMUSKIE]

I want to change my grade to a F now but then I realized he lost Sean, JP, Trey, kanter and Gates. I’m giving him an A. The fact he has won 11 games with this group is impressive

[kellernr]

He gets a C- for this year. Next year is where fans can be hard on him if he doesnt produce wins. I want to see what he can do with his own recruiting classes. I'm pretty confident Q and Naji will bounce back next year and with the addition of the highly ranked recruiting class they will be back towards the top of the conference.

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[markchal]

he gets a pass for this year AND next, but we should at least see a team that plays harder and seems to understand what it's doing better next year. He needs a recruiting home run in the worst way possible.

[Lloyd Braun]

I want to change my grade to a F now but then I realized he lost Sean, JP, Trey, kanter and Gates. I’m giving him an A. The fact he has won 11 games with this group is impressive

I wish I could think and feel this way.... wow. Steele “burner” account watch is officially on.

[RyanblockXU]

I have to go with a D+.


While the cupboard was left with very little depth, it was not left with little talent. We have mutilple highly rated guys that Steele should have been able to motivate and coach up.



Think of it this way.. 247 Sports has a ranking of the top 25 recruits xavier has ever had commit.

3 of the top 10 players from that list are.... on this team.


Xavier's all time #2, #5 & #8 are on this team and start. Tyrique Jones is also on this team and in the top 25 all time.

The Talent is there.


What I find to be the most embarrassing thing: The Defense.


This is the worst Defense a Xavier team has had in the Kenpom Era which dates back to 2001. And it's not just the worst, its the worst by 30 spots or so.


I truly believe there isn't a person on this staff that knows how to coach defense. And Xavier may need to make a coaching change on the assistant side to get some help in that regard.


The big east is not a defensive league and yet, we are dead last. Its about as bad as a high major team can be.



How bad you ask?


Only 7 teams in the power 7 leagues ( I included the American) are worse than Xavier defensively and most are in the Pac 12 and the American. For Example.... EAST CAROLINA has a better defense than Xavier. They have a first year coach with far less talent and yet, they play better defense. Thats a joke.

[bleedXblue]

I have to go with a D+.


While the cupboard was left with very little depth, it was not left with little talent. We have mutilple highly rated guys that Steele should have been able to motivate and coach up.



Think of it this way.. 247 Sports has a ranking of the top 25 recruits xavier has ever had commit.

3 of the top 10 players from that list are.... on this team.


Xavier's all time #2, #5 & #8 are on this team and start. Tyrique Jones is also on this team and in the top 25 all time.

The Talent is there.


What I find to be the most embarrassing thing: The Defense.


This is the worst Defense a Xavier team has had in the Kenpom Era which dates back to 2001. And it's not just the worst, its the worst by 30 spots or so.


I truly believe there isn't a person on this staff that knows how to coach defense. And Xavier may need to make a coaching change on the assistant side to get some help in that regard.


The big east is not a defensive league and yet, we are dead last. Its about as bad as a high major team can be.



How bad you ask?


Only 7 teams in the power 7 leagues ( I included the American) are worse than Xavier defensively and most are in the Pac 12 and the American. For Example.... EAST CAROLINA has a better defense than Xavier. They have a first year coach with far less talent and yet, they play better defense. Thats a joke.

Agree that Steele did not do himself any favors while bringing in a very young staff with him. I thought at the time and still do now that he needs a grizzled vet on his staff.

[RyanblockXU]

I want to change my grade to a F now but then I realized he lost Sean, JP, Trey, kanter and Gates. I’m giving him an A. The fact he has won 11 games with this group is impressive

Impressive?

he's won 3 big east games in a huge down year for the league and then won a bunch of buy games that this Xavier team should be able to win even if they didn't have a coach at all.

Come on dude.



And I firmly believe that Mack would have won more games with this team than Steele would have. LOL Mack took over the cardinals who have less talent than this team does from its big 4 players and yet, they are making the tourney, will be watching at home.

[GoMuskies]

If you’re making staff changes, you start with Dante, no? He’s not exactly been a hot commodity in the past when looking for a job. I wonder if he’s bringing much to the table. Doesn’t seem to be a hot shot recruiter.

[Xville]

Impressive?

he's won 3 big east games in a huge down year for the league and then won a bunch of buy games that this Xavier team should be able to win even if they didn't have a coach at all.

Come on dude.



And I firmly believe that Mack would have won more games with this team than Steele would have. LOL Mack took over the cardinals who have less talent than this team does from its big 4 players and yet, they are making the tourney, will be watching at home.

You lost all credibility with your second paragraph

Vj king McDonalds all american..he has regressed with mack
Malik Williams top 30 recruit
Darius Perry top 75 recruit
Steven enoch top 50 recruit
Jordan nwora top 50 recruit

They also have upper classmen leadership that isnt low d1 or d2 talent in sutton and McMahon.

Mack has done well there this year but there's a lot of talent on that roster.

Any coach would struggle with what mack left Steele....mack left at the perfect time for him.

[OTRMUSKIE]

X has 3 talented guys after that they have nobody. Sure they may have 3 top 25 recruits of all time but they also have 7 guys that suck. So no dude you come on. I was being facetious about being impressed with 11 wins but Steele is going to be a very very good coach. You will see the next two years.

[RyanblockXU]

X has 3 talented guys after that they have nobody. Sure they may have 3 top 25 recruits of all time but they also have 7 guys that suck. So no dude you come on. I was being facetious about being impressed with 11 wins but Steele is going to be a very very good coach. You will see the next two years.


As of today... the only thing we know for sure about coach is that he can recruit.


He has not improved one bit as the season has worn on.


That’s concerning. But I’m not giving up just yet. I’m just saying, you have to take some of the blame when you have a rim protector like Hankins, and 3 on ball defenders like Scruggs, Goodin, & Marshall and yet have the worst defense X has had in at least 18 seasons and it maybe longer if we had more kenpom data.

[Muskie]

I think this team is better than when the season started.


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[XUBison]

I think this team is better than when the season started.


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No doubt... Look no further than Q’s recent mastery of the 3-pt bank-shot.

[paulxu]

There's no question that the last 20 years have spoiled us as a fan base.
We have become use to a higher level of basketball than the days when some of us became fans in the 60's.

It's OK to grade our performance, and we'll suffer a lot a disappointments as we try to right the ship.
It's not going to be easy, but just for a little perspective, note the following:

1 - It took Mike Krzyzewski 5 years at Duke before he had a winning conference record

2 - The year after a national championship in 2009, North Carolina had a 5-11 conference record, did not make the dance, and of its top 8 players, 6 of them were McDonald's All Americans

OK, we're not Duke or UNC. But the Muskies have given us years of great basketball and a extra reason to be proud of our school.
Let's give Travis a little leeway, and see what he can do. I'm hoping for good things, but it may take a while.

[fellahmuskie]

Good post. I don't know if Steele will end up being a great coach or not, I don't know if anyone can know one way or the other yet, but there would be nothing better than watching him grow and thrive in his role after a bumpy start.

This season may be nearly lost, but I am still excited to see what happens. Can Steele finally get these guys to buy in on defense? I sure hope so.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Anyone wanting Travis gone after this year is crazy. There arent a lot of those but some. He is going to get 3 years. The 3rd year needs to be a successful one, especially if year 2 is bad as well. After year 3 I think that is when some real evaluation of where the program is at will be needed. We are going to have an influx of talent next year. Young talent but I cant see not making an improvement next year. They only guy we lose (pending any transfers etc) of any real value in my opinion is Hankins.

[muethibp]

Dude's overwhelmed. Maybe he won't be after some times passes but he sure his now.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Dude's overwhelmed. Maybe he won't be after some times passes but he sure his now.

I think the same could be said for our last couple head coaches in their first year.

Mack had a successful 1st year because he had some serious talent on that team (nice getting Crawford eligible for your first year) but he was overwhelmed a lot and made some very questionable decisions early in his coaching career. Miller almost went no postseason in his first 2 years minus winning 4 in 4 days in his second season.

[Masterofreality]

I have to go with a D+.
While the cupboard was left with very little depth, it was not left with little talent. We have mutilple highly rated guys that Steele should have been able to motivate and coach up.
Think of it this way.. 247 Sports has a ranking of the top 25 recruits xavier has ever had commit.
3 of the top 10 players from that list are.... on this team.
Xavier's all time #2, #5 & #8 are on this team and start. Tyrique Jones is also on this team and in the top 25 all time.
The Talent is there.
What I find to be the most embarrassing thing: The Defense.
This is the worst Defense a Xavier team has had in the Kenpom Era which dates back to 2001. And it's not just the worst, its the worst by 30 spots or so.
I truly believe there isn't a person on this staff that knows how to coach defense. And Xavier may need to make a coaching change on the assistant side to get some help in that regard.
The big east is not a defensive league and yet, we are dead last. Its about as bad as a high major team can be.
How bad you ask?
Only 7 teams in the power 7 leagues ( I included the American) are worse than Xavier defensively and most are in the Pac 12 and the American. For Example.... EAST CAROLINA has a better defense than Xavier. They have a first year coach with far less talent and yet, they play better defense. Thats a joke.

Dude, stop with the double spacing!! (Just kidding)
Sorry, but he gets no more than a D with me. There is high rated talent on this team with Two Top 60's, the proven D2 POY, A strong other big, a solid PG, and a respectable bench player, who for some reason never has had a chance to prove himself in extended minutes. There are also a couple of interchangeable bench guys for O & D. Fact is, Steele misread this roster (Best D team?), has not defined roles well, has been inconsistent in player game management, runs an easily defensible 4 out 1 in offense that does not use his best player's talents (NO shots for Paul Scruggs for the first EIGHTEEN MINUTES yesterday), doesn't have a player cut to the foul line vs a zone, and NEVER runs a back door. On defense, in a zone they don't stay packed in (see lousy outside shooting Providence in that game) and the pack line/hedge is carved up by any experienced coach running a Pick and Roll. And we STILL give up tons of 3's. The constant turnover issues are precisely the result of a lack of defined roles and uncertainty on offense.
Sorry folks. This has been a SheetShow and now Steele is pulling a Mick and blaming the players. Dude, it is your responsibility to figure out a system that puts your guys in their best positions to be successful, and Steele hasn't done it. The team is worse and the effort is slacking.
This may be another Brandon Miller/Butler situation. I sincerely hope not, but there needs to be another voice on the assistant bench next year, cause this stuff ain't working.
No pass here from me with the embarrassments at UC, Mizzou, losing to SD State, and the losses in the Big East, which is the weakest it's ever been. And we'll finish last.

[BandDad]

Dude, stop with the double spacing!! (Just kidding)
Sorry, but he gets no more than a D with me. There is high rated talent on this team with Two Top 60's, the proven D2 POY, A strong other big, a solid PG, and a respectable bench player, who for some reason never has had a chance to prove himself in extended minutes. There are also a couple of interchangeable bench guys for O & D. Fact is, Steele misread this roster (Best D team?), has not defined roles well, has been inconsistent in player game management, runs an easily defensible 4 out 1 in offense that does not use his best player's talents (NO shots for Paul Scruggs for the first EIGHTEEN MINUTES yesterday), doesn't have a player cut to the foul line vs a zone, and NEVER runs a back door. On defense, in a zone they don't stay packed in (see lousy outside shooting Providence in that game) and the pack line/hedge is carved up by any experienced coach running a Pick and Roll. And we STILL give up tons of 3's. The constant turnover issues are precisely the result of a lack of defined roles and uncertainty on offense.
Sorry folks. This has been a SheetShow and now Steele is pulling a Mick and blaming the players. Dude, it is your responsibility to figure out a system that puts your guys in their best positions to be successful, and Steele hasn't done it. The team is worse and the effort is slacking.
This may be another Brandon Miller/Butler situation. I sincerely hope not, but there needs to be another voice on the assistant bench next year, cause this stuff ain't working.
No pass here from me with the embarrassments at UC, Mizzou, losing to SD State, and the losses in the Big East, which is the weakest it's ever been. And we'll finish last.

Are back door cuts still legal?

Seriously though I was yelling at the TV yesterday that Scruggs had not shots for most of the first half yesterday. I recorded it and went back and watched later and they double and triple teamed him every time he touched the ball. He had to be seriously frustrated.

[KFX]

Agree with Moe and MOR. TS gets a D.

The problem with being a promoted assistant coach is that you have to stop being the players’ buddy And some of them only know you as that. It may take him a year or two but on the evidence So far I don’t see a killer instinct in the guy. TS could have laid the groundwork for a demarcation point from Mack as he tried to do by insisting that the Defense would be improved. That hasn’t happened. In fact our defense is atrocious. Steele still talks about four minute wars and plays a packline and is poor on timeouts and cannot protect a lead. He’s Chris Mack lite. Remind me why we hired him. Not one player has progressed under Steele’s tutelage. Not one. He may earn the players’ respect eventually but it’s evident that he doesn’t have it now.

I didn’t like the hire at all. We’ve gone to the well too often on the assistant coach hire. In my judgment and I’m sure some will disagree (it is a freaking messageboard and people will disagree) mack leaving was a chance to clean house and start fresh with a new coaching staff with a successful track record at another college job. Everyone knew Steele would get the job and I’m not sure why. Loyalty? Buy a golden retriever. I don’t know what qualifies him for a top 15-20 job in the country.

Steele talks a good game but is too slick and rehearsed for my liking. I watched him all game long two rows up at The DC Georgetown game and he was lost.

For the guy who earlier said you can’t run a play when you have no shooters... That’s when you need a X and O guy who can get the ball into Jones or Hankins hands or Scruggs hands. Ever see a back screen cut? A two man give and go? Simple stuff that works when you don’t have marksmen? That doesn’t happen.

Another issue is that Steele never changes the tempo of a game. Up 10 12 whatever he never changes tempo and takes the air out of the ball wheln we have these leads. He cannot protect a lead.. That’s a rather important part of the HC job. MOR has it right. It’s Steele’s job to position his team and his players to succeed. Ill disciplined on offense and Ill advised threes for a poor three point shooting team. Memo to Steele: Bluiett and Macura graduated. He’s running an offense for players he doesn’t have.

I will say it again. The biggest flaw is the team lacks discipline. And that is 100% on the head coach.

[OTRMUSKIE]

This year is and always was going to be a wash. I thought best case was PIG . Well barring a huge turnaround that’s not happening. What I think you’re seeing is just how damn good the 5 guys we lost made everybody else around them. People want to blame Steele but honestly other then Scruggs and Naji the talent is not there. I don’t care about ratings. If Mack was still here we would have maybe 14 wins at this point. People need to stop saying Steele is losing control of this team and this team can’t play defense, blah blah blah. No this team just sucks. Next year you can criticize but this year most people knew it could be bad.

[Jumpin_Jamal_Forever]

This year is and always was going to be a wash. I thought best case was PIG . Well barring a huge turnaround that’s not happening. What I think you’re seeing is just how damn good the 5 guys we lost made everybody else around them. People want to blame Steele but honestly other then Scruggs and Naji the talent is not there. I don’t care about ratings. If Mack was still here we would have maybe 14 wins at this point. People need to stop saying Steele is losing control of this team and this team can’t play defense, blah blah blah. No this team just sucks. Next year you can criticize but this year most people knew it could be bad.

I agree this year's talent is over-rated and last year, not only was the talent better but those guys were proven long term vets.

But, not so fast on giving Steele a pass for all of this. And, D. West is right. No matter what, Steele has got three years. It is the right thing to do...."the Xavier Way" so to speak.

But, the last few posts above accurately describe, I think, situations which many of us have observed. The defense really does suck. (To be fair, defense wasn't Mack's strong suit either.) And, although I'm not a coach, I'm a long term observer of college hoops and I do not understand what Steel is trying to do with this team. I don't comprehend how, specifically, he has used players (Q, Welage and Hardin come to mind), I don't understand his substitution patterns. I don't see him try obvious in-game adjustments and I share with other posters the feeling that he just looks lost at times. On this last issue, I understand "looking lost" is quite subjective and others may see him and feel something quite different. But, his coaching moves (or lack thereof) aren't subjective. He isn't managing the game well during the game. In some cases he doesn't even appear to be trying to manage the game.

I think some posters give way too much credence to this goofy idea that somehow the senior assistant is the player's buddy and the head coach is always the ultimate authority. I don't think, for a minute, that Steele's adjustment to head coach is complicated by going from "good cop" to 'bad cop". But, there is an adjustment, a big one, that comes with being the decision maker in chief---the buck now stops with him. Hopefully, Steele makes that adjustment and if he needs to hire his own Dino Gaudio, (an idea to which I've warmed as the season has progressed) I hope he has the budget to so do.

For better or worse, Steele is the guy for the next few years. I hope he grows in his job very quickly or we could see this program back slide dramatically.

[drudy23]

The one thing I always respected about Mack was that he seemed very confident in who he was. He knew he rubbed some people the wrong way over the course of his life/career, and he simply didn't care. He was who he was, and you heard that alot from him that "he can only be himself."

I think it's a great point about him being Mack part II. He can't be Mack part II. What are the imprints that he's going to leave based on who he is? I think he's still figuring that out, as does likely every new coach in the main chair for the first time.

[IM4X]

I think this team is better than when the season started.



Oh how I wish that were true.

Let’s see here... we lost 5 straight... the last one was by 22 points where Naji went 0-4 from 3 and had 6 turnovers in the game.

There was some progress for a stretch of a few games, but this team has slid back down.

We can grade him again at the end of the season, but I currently feel a D is what he deseves.

I had him up to a c+ before this 5 game losing streak. He looked to have the team playing better defense and working the ball around for better shots on offense. Unfortunately, the team has regressed a bit. Hard For Steele not to take ownership of this teams inconsistency. The team hS shown they could play well together. Let’s see where this team is at the end of the season.

[Masterofreality]

QUOTE KFX
"In fact our defense is atrocious. Steele still talks about four minute wars and plays a packline and is poor on timeouts and cannot protect a lead. He’s Chris Mack lite. Remind me why we hired him. Not one player has progressed under Steele’s tutelage. Not one. He may earn the players’ respect eventually but it’s evident that he doesn’t have it now.

I didn’t like the hire at all. We’ve gone to the well too often on the assistant coach hire. In my judgment and I’m sure some will disagree (it is a freaking messageboard and people will disagree) mack leaving was a chance to clean house and start fresh with a new coaching staff with a successful track record at another college job. Everyone knew Steele would get the job and I’m not sure why. Loyalty? Buy a golden retriever. I don’t know what qualifies him for a top 15-20 job in the country. "


This defense is historically bad. Among major conferences, only 4 teams have a worse adjusted defensive efficiency. Xavier's ADE is 104.5 which is 184th in the NCAA. Look people, even below average players, of which Xavier doesn't really have many of, are decent defenders- that is proven by Midget Mick annually...unless of course the system they're playing in is totally wrong for the personnel or just sucks- either because the Coach switches up at the wrong times or with the wrong people. Steele has zero idea of how to adjust based upon who Xavier and the opposition has on the court. McDermott, among others, totally schooled Steele yesterday. This team is, by all statistical measures, the worst in all of Xavier history.

We may have run the string out too long as KFX indicates. Steele was only raised under Mack, and Miller, who ran the same defense and offense. There has been too much inbreeding with a definitive lack of fresh ideas. I'm not saying bring in the Pete Carill Princeton offense, but it seems Steele has zero concept of anything else other than what is father & grandfather taught him, and hasn't bothered to learn anything else from the outside.
Very depressing. :-(

[UCGRAD4X]

I think some posters give way too much credence to this goofy idea that somehow the senior assistant is the player's buddy and the head coach is always the ultimate authority. I don't think, for a minute, that Steele's adjustment to head coach is complicated by going from "good cop" to 'bad cop".

For better or worse, Steele is the guy for the next few years. I hope he grows in his job very quickly or we could see this program back slide dramatically.

This does seem to be a popular notion that I also find hard to embrace. Head coaches are also often described as a 'players' coach. Different coaches have different styles. The players seemed enthusiastic about the hire at the time as I recall. Pat assistants who successfully made the transition did not seem hamstrung by this same phenomenon.

Yes, he is the coach and will be for a few years, at least. I sincerely hope I am wrong, but his early work is extremely discouraging. The worst slate of BE competition and X is at the bottom. Completely unacceptable under any circumstances. The buck stops with Steele.

[bleedXblue]

I'm struggling with Steele too, but we also have been in several close games this year, which tells me that with some minor adjustments and some more talent coming in next year, we should be able to close more of those games out. Add to that Steele is learning about himself as a coach and I think he will eventually start to adjust and learn from his mistakes. I do think that he has stuck too closely to what he watched and helped coach under Mack for the last 8-9 years. Hes going to have to become his own coach and instill his own brand of b-ball. It will be interesting to see where this all goes.......Im not jumping off yet. We ALL should know better than that.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Some various posts on this board early in Mack's tenure:

"I am not ready to call for the firing of Mack yet but if this team cannot get back mentally then it should be considered at seasons end."

"No one is saying fire him, he needs to earn his fat paycheck. His coaching and leadership so far this year has been a C at best. He can do better."

"I'm questioning if Mack can light a fire under people when it's needed. He has some work to do to improve on player development."



You aren't officially the new XU head coach until people are calling for your job.

Not saying criticism at this point isnt warranted but you can just not make an guess on how Travis will shake out as a coach after less than a full season. Once again he gets 3 pretty much guaranteed and then lets see where we are at.

[X Factor]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Wright_(basketball)

I bet Villanova fans are glad they stuck with Jay Wright.

[OTRMUSKIE]

17-13,10-17,11-17

Coach K first 3 years at DUKE.

[X Factor]

I do believe Coach Steele deserves at least three years, but easily, the biggest disappointment this year has been the defense.

To be one of the worst defensive teams of any power conference team in the nation is unacceptable, first year or not.

[OTRMUSKIE]

I personally think you just throw this season out the window. I think we all have been too spoiled and a little humility is good for all of us. Next year your criticism will be warranted.

[XUGRAD80]

I personally think you just throw this season out the window. I think we all have been too spoiled and a little humility is good for all of us. Next year your criticism will be warranted.

:smack:

Stop making sense!

[XfansinKy]

It's hard to grade his coaching when he has such terrible shooters. Maybe a C? IDK.

[American X]

C+

P.S. You'll Shoot Your Eye Out

[X-band '01]

Incomplete. Gonna wait until the season ends before grading.

[Caf]

I personally think you just throw this season out the window. I think we all have been too spoiled and a little humility is good for all of us. Next year your criticism will be warranted.

Spoiled is an enormous understatement. How many times can people possibly write, "I know it's early..." "I know it's a small sample size...", "BUT". No, you either know it's early in his career or you don't.

There's a thread doubting Steele's outlook based on Christopher's hiring history at BOWLING GREEN! Get real people. A down year in the Big East is not the same as a down year in the A10. I'm sure Steele would love a game against Fordham right about now. A coach's record in the Mid-American has no bearing on the outlook for Steele.

The only thing I'm grading Steele on is recruiting. We have a strong group coming in. You're not going to be able to extrapolate anything deeper than that.

[markchal]

The only thing I'm grading Steele on is recruiting. We have a strong group coming in. You're not going to be able to extrapolate anything deeper than that.

do we, though? I know the overall class ranking is good because of the amount of players, but only two seem to be highly ranked and likely to contribute next year. I think he's a good recruiter, but we've had stronger groups come through recently (although in retrospect, the Scruggs/Marshal class is likely to end up being only those two).

[BigMoeMusketeer]

There's a thread doubting Steele's outlook based on Christopher's hiring history at BOWLING GREEN! Get real people.

No, there is a thread wondering aloud if Greg Christopher knows what he is doing when hiring basketball coaches; no more, no less. If you don't find that to be a worthwhile topic, all good. He has NEVER hired a basketball coach who was able to have a .500 record, including in the MAC (caps for your benefit), so if that doesn't trouble you, no problem. Maybe the 4th times a charm....

[Jumpin_Jamal_Forever]

Spoiled is an enormous understatement. How many times can people possibly write, "I know it's early..." "I know it's a small sample size...", "BUT". No, you either know it's early in his career or you don't.

There's a thread doubting Steele's outlook based on Christopher's hiring history at BOWLING GREEN! Get real people. A down year in the Big East is not the same as a down year in the A10. I'm sure Steele would love a game against Fordham right about now. A coach's record in the Mid-American has no bearing on the outlook for Steele.

The only thing I'm grading Steele on is recruiting. We have a strong group coming in. You're not going to be able to extrapolate anything deeper than that.


Actually, Bowling Green State University is a member of the Mid American conference, a conference which has as a member the most outstanding institution of higher education in the entire Midwest, in fact it is often referred to as The Harvard of The Midwest, Miami University.

[noteggs]

Spoiled is an enormous understatement. How many times can people possibly write, "I know it's early..." "I know it's a small sample size...", "BUT". No, you either know it's early in his career or you don't.

There's a thread doubting Steele's outlook based on Christopher's hiring history at BOWLING GREEN! Get real people. A down year in the Big East is not the same as a down year in the A10. I'm sure Steele would love a game against Fordham right about now. A coach's record in the Mid-American has no bearing on the outlook for Steele.

The only thing I'm grading Steele on is recruiting. We have a strong group coming in. You're not going to be able to extrapolate anything deeper than that.

Great post. What’s interesting is we have the second best recruiting class on paper in our history. Some are starting to doubt the incoming class next year because of the performance this year. Appreciate Xuperman for putting 2019 class thread together because they look pretty damn good!

Hard to believe in August this board was singing his praises. Will he be the next Tom Crean, great recruiter and marginal coach, who knows.

[Caf]

do we, though? I know the overall class ranking is good because of the amount of players, but only two seem to be highly ranked and likely to contribute next year. I think he's a good recruiter, but we've had stronger groups come through recently (although in retrospect, the Scruggs/Marshal class is likely to end up being only those two).

I'd love to know how often you could say this about any recruiting class outside of schools like Kansas Kentucky and Duke. By my count it happened once, maybe twice, under Mack.

[Caf]

No, there is a thread wondering aloud if Greg Christopher knows what he is doing when hiring basketball coaches; no more, no less. If you don't find that to be a worthwhile topic, all good. He has NEVER hired a basketball coach who was able to have a .500 record, including in the MAC (caps for your benefit), so if that doesn't trouble you, no problem. Maybe the 4th times a charm....

Wondering aloud versus doubting. Got it.

[Caf]

Actually, Bowling Green State University is a member of the Mid American conference, a conference which has as a member the most outstanding institution of higher education in the entire Midwest, in fact it is often referred to as The Harvard of The Midwest, Miami University.

I'm aware. I should've reversed the A10 and Mid-American sentence order.


A coach's record in the Mid-American has no bearing on the outlook for Steele.

[XUGRAD80]

do we, though? I know the overall class ranking is good because of the amount of players, but only two seem to be highly ranked and likely to contribute next year. I think he's a good recruiter, but we've had stronger groups come through recently (although in retrospect, the Scruggs/Marshal class is likely to end up being only those two).

Rivals has every one of the 5 signed ranked in the top 20-30, by position, in the class. Now that’s not a guarantee and we don’t really know at this point how strong the overall class is, so that might not really mean a thing. However, the real question isn’t how good are they now? It’s how good can they be? Also keep in mind that they still have one open scholarship, and might well end up having another one or two after the season is over. But you don’t get a top 20 class without having more than 1-2 good players. I think that we will see significant contributions from more than just 1 or 2 of the incoming freshman, and would not be at all surprised to see a grad transfer come in and contribute right away too. Xavier should be a much deeper team next year with those additions, and should also be a much better outside shooting team.

[xu82]

Rivals has every one of the 5 signed ranked in the top 20-30, by position, in the class. Now that’s not a guarantee and we don’t really know at this point how strong the overall class is, so that might not really mean a thing. However, the real question isn’t how good are they now? It’s how good can they be? Also keep in mind that they still have one open scholarship, and might well end up having another one or two after the season is over. But you don’t get a top 20 class without having more than 1-2 good players. I think that we will see significant contributions from more than just 1 or 2 of the incoming freshman, and would not be at all surprised to see a grad transfer come in and contribute right away too. Xavier should be a much deeper team next year with those additions, and should also be a much better outside shooting team.

Reps, apparently I used up what little juice I had.

[MHettel]

Rivals has every one of the 5 signed ranked in the top 20-30, by position, in the class. Now that’s not a guarantee and we don’t really know at this point how strong the overall class is, so that might not really mean a thing. However, the real question isn’t how good are they now? It’s how good can they be? Also keep in mind that they still have one open scholarship, and might well end up having another one or two after the season is over. But you don’t get a top 20 class without having more than 1-2 good players. I think that we will see significant contributions from more than just 1 or 2 of the incoming freshman, and would not be at all surprised to see a grad transfer come in and contribute right away too. Xavier should be a much deeper team next year with those additions, and should also be a much better outside shooting team.

Look, I'm excited about next year's class, and hope we can get 3 solid players out of the mix. Think about ANY recruiting class over the last 15 years or so. On paper some of the classes look amazing, and then they hit campus..... Tu was an absolute stud. Lyons was a solid contributor. Frease disappointed, but contributed some. Redford was injured. Walsh Transferred.

Another class: Trevon and JP were both studs. O'Mara was an improved version of Frease. Sumner would have been a legend, but got injured and left early. Austin and London both transferred.

you just never know.

But, there WILL be minutes available for these guys next year. We have ONE big guy on the roster (Jones), and he's got some foul issues and questionable endurance. So plenty of opportunities at the 5. And, I've not been a fan of Naji at the 4, and I'd like to see us get bigger there. We will need a 3rd guard to emerge, and neither Hardin or Kennedy appear to have the handle needed. In addition, with atrocious shooting this year, it's pretty clear that a freshman who can hit from deep will certainly find minutes next year.

In all reality, I see as few as 4 guys coming back next. I'm not sure exactly which 4.

Also, I DONT see a grad transfer coming in next year. For the most part, those guys have had individual success at a lower level, but didnt experience TEAM success. Their motivation to transfer is to give up some personal accomplishments to have a shot at a deep run in the dance. Honestly, we will be far to much of an "unknown" next year and should get ZERO consideration from a grad transfer.

[xudash]

So, if it's about grading Travis Steele as a HC, with particular emphasis on in-game coaching, please allow me to share the following quote from an article in the Cincinnati paper from Q:

"I just gotta be a better leader and a better player I know I'm capable of being," said Goodin. "We just gotta figure out a way to get out of our own way. I feel like our coaches are putting us in great positions to execute we just gotta go out there and do it."

Is this simply player speak?

Is this a cogent observation from a high level athlete who is in his third year of D! basketball at a major conference school (i.e. someone who should and does know what he is talking about)?

One thing you could surmise from his response: there is no disrespect between the player and the HC, unless some of you take the most pessimistic position that this is just microphone-facing bullsh!t.

Thoughts?

[GoMuskies]

Who knows, but I've seen a lot of players defend a lot of really shitty coaches and get pissed when they get fired. And sometimes players really like a coach but dont quite respect them.

[Masterofreality]

Who knows, but I've seen a lot of players defend a lot of really shitty coaches and get pissed when they get fired. And sometimes players really like a coach but dont quite respect them.

Second sentence applies to Hue Jackson. (Eye Roll).

[xukeith]

Rivals has every one of the 5 signed ranked in the top 20-30, by position, in the class. Now that’s not a guarantee and we don’t really know at this point how strong the overall class is, so that might not really mean a thing. However, the real question isn’t how good are they now? It’s how good can they be? Also keep in mind that they still have one open scholarship, and might well end up having another one or two after the season is over. But you don’t get a top 20 class without having more than 1-2 good players. I think that we will see significant contributions from more than just 1 or 2 of the incoming freshman, and would not be at all surprised to see a grad transfer come in and contribute right away too. Xavier should be a much deeper team next year with those additions, and should also be a much better outside shooting team.

No way Miles is a top 30 center. A project is more like it.

[xukeith]

Rivals has every one of the 5 signed ranked in the top 20-30, by position, in the class. Now that’s not a guarantee and we don’t really know at this point how strong the overall class is, so that might not really mean a thing. However, the real question isn’t how good are they now? It’s how good can they be? Also keep in mind that they still have one open scholarship, and might well end up having another one or two after the season is over. But you don’t get a top 20 class without having more than 1-2 good players. I think that we will see significant contributions from more than just 1 or 2 of the incoming freshman, and would not be at all surprised to see a grad transfer come in and contribute right away too. Xavier should be a much deeper team next year with those additions, and should also be a much better outside shooting team.

How much time will you give the 2-4 frosh to learn the system and dominate the competition? 4 months? 6 months? sophomore year? Look at Scruggs, Bluiett, Marshall, West, ... They all took until late sophomore to show awesomeness. Maybe X has a superstar lottery pick... I am just saying it will probably take until 2021 to have a very good team.

[xu82]

No way Miles is a top 30 center. A project is more like it.

Aren’t centers almost ALWAYS projects???

[UCGRAD4X]

Aren’t centers almost ALWAYS projects???

That is almost always true. Steel will almost certainly look to pick up a grad big.

[XUGRAD80]

No way Miles is a top 30 center. A project is more like it.

Ranked 29th just a week or so ago by Rivals. Their ranking, not mine. 24/7 has him at 45. But he has moved up quite a bit this year in the Rivals rankings. I have noticed him scoring more points as of late according to the box scores I’ve seen. He’s still young and missed almost his complete junior season because of injury.

Rivals has Ramsey and Freemantle also ranked as centers. 24/7 has Ramsey listed as a PF. 24/7 has both listed at 26 for their positions. I’m not sure exactly what positions they may play, or how much any of them will play. Jones will still be here to take most of the minutes in the post position. How many minutes the others will get may well depend on their abilities to shot from mid-range, but it’s even more going to based on just how well they can defend. They are both listed at 6-8/6-9 and 215-220 lbs right now. None of them needs to come in and be a superstar right away (although that would be nice), but they are going to needed to at least contribute some minutes, play some defense, get some rebounds, and score a few points.

[xu82]

That is almost always true. Steel will almost certainly look to pick up a grad big.

At least he shouldn’t have to dig up 3 at the last minute to be in the top 7-8 guys in the rotation. I hope he can find another Hankins! (Hairdo optional!)

[noteggs]

Ranked 29th just a week or so ago by Rivals. Their ranking, not mine. 24/7 has him at 45. But he has moved up quite a bit this year in the Rivals rankings. I have noticed him scoring more points as of late according to the box scores I’ve seen.

Last game 37 points, 9 boards, and 6 blocks. Not bad.

[xu82]

Last game 37 points, 9 boards, and 6 blocks. Not bad.

OK, maybe we HAVE our Hankins?

[xudash]

At least he shouldn’t have to dig up 3 at the last minute to be in the top 7-8 guys in the rotation. I hope he can find another Hankins! (Hairdo optional!)

How about new hairdo guidelines mandatory, and his is NOT an option.

[xu82]

How about new hairdo guidelines mandatory, and his is NOT an option.

I wish we could afford to be picky, believe me! It makes me think of the old Bill Walton story at UCLA. Bill was determined to keep his facial hair despite the restriction against it. John Wooden said something along the lines of “I understand and respect your position. And we’re going to miss you.”

[UCGRAD4X]

OK, maybe we HAVE our Hankins?

Eventually, perhaps. To expect HS big's play to translate immediately (or even very soon) to BE is foolhardy. They need to go get a grad.

[XUGRAD80]

Eventually, perhaps. To expect HS big's play to translate immediately (or even very soon) to BE is foolhardy. They need to go get a grad.

Looking from the outside, I agree. But I really have no idea how good Ramsey or Freemamtle are or what to expect them to contribute. I don’t expect that Miles will be much help NEXT year, but give him a couple of years and he might surprise a lot of people. I really expect a JUCO or grad transfer big to be part of the rotations next year. I know that X was recruiting some JUCO players last year, and was expected to be the destination of a couple by many of the “experts”.

[Xavier]

How much time will you give the 2-4 frosh to learn the system and dominate the competition? 4 months? 6 months? sophomore year? Look at Scruggs, Bluiett, Marshall, West, ... They all took until late sophomore to show awesomeness. Maybe X has a superstar lottery pick... I am just saying it will probably take until 2021 to have a very good team.

Really? I would be thrilled if two of the freshman came in and averaged 11 a game like Bluiett did. I think Scruggs showed awesomeness last year at times and would be much further along in that if he didn't need to take a back seat to Bluiett/JP. I do agree though, unless it is near unprecedented success, it will take time for the Freshman to be what X needs them to be.

I expect every X team to make the tournament and next year will be no different. But if everyone stays, Scruggs/Marshal Sr. year is the time to expect a deep run in march.

[Xville]

How much time will you give the 2-4 frosh to learn the system and dominate the competition? 4 months? 6 months? sophomore year? Look at Scruggs, Bluiett, Marshall, West, ... They all took until late sophomore to show awesomeness. Maybe X has a superstar lottery pick... I am just saying it will probably take until 2021 to have a very good team.

I don't think anyone is saying the freshmen are going to come in here and light the world on fire, but I think 2 of them could be solid contributors next year; one of them most likely being KyKy.

Wells, Marshall, Christon, Doellman, Scruggs (by the end of the year) are just a few off the top of my head that were solid to significant contributors freshman year. I believe that other than Doellman, the rest of the aforementioned names were ranked higher than what we have coming in at this point, but just saying it can happen.

Next Year I am just excited to get some players in here that have BE talent that will just need to be developed. We didn't have a whole lot of that this year.

[xu82]

Eventually, perhaps. To expect HS big's play to translate immediately (or even very soon) to BE is foolhardy. They need to go get a grad.

Of course, I was just reacting to an impressive stat line.

[UCGRAD4X]

Of course, I was just reacting to an impressive stat line.

No doubt, and rightly so. I hope they come in and dominate right away (highly unlikely), and maybe they will, at least, be able to give quality minutes right from the start. You just never know, which is exactly my point. I'm sure the coaching staff is not counting on it. It only makes sense....in a season where so little has to this point.

[GIMMFD]

I don't think anyone is saying the freshmen are going to come in here and light the world on fire, but I think 2 of them could be solid contributors next year; one of them most likely being KyKy.

Wells, Marshall, Christon, Doellman, Scruggs (by the end of the year) are just a few off the top of my head that were solid to significant contributors freshman year. I believe that other than Doellman, the rest of the aforementioned names were ranked higher than what we have coming in at this point, but just saying it can happen.

Next Year I am just excited to get some players in here that have BE talent that will just need to be developed. We didn't have a whole lot of that this year.

Semaj - 1st of our all time recruits
Scruggs - 3rd
Naji - 5th
Dez - 6th

For perspective, KyKy would be 12th, Dahmir 22nd, Freemantle 25th, Ramsey 26th. Fo a solid significant contribution it'll be hard, I agrere with you Ville, however there is some good talent there, I see KyKy contributing as well, hopefully the bigs can do enough to spell Tyrique and what not, I'd love to see us back in the tournament next year, but right now we have a lot of problems to sort through.

[XUGRAD80]

Xavier only has two real problems right now that need fixing...

They need to play better defense
They need to have better and more consistent 3 point shooting.

No way of telling how much the freshman will help defensively. Even if they are considered good defensive players, how often are they playing against BE talent in high school or prep school?

I think that the 3-point shooting will be better, but that’s just a guess. Hardin and Kennedy were both supposed to be good here, but we haven’t seen it yet.

SOME improvement can come about because of a change in schemes, but in the end you’ve got to have the players that can execute the scheme that the coaches put in. I don’t expect an immediate improvement in execution, but I suspect there may be an immediate improvement in talent.