Xavier's Most Important Player this Season Is....

[Muskie]

Answer the poll and give us your thoughts.

[MADXSTER]

Jack Nunge gets my vote for this poll.

The weakest part of the team last year was Post Defense and with Zach Freemantle being out for the next month or so, I have to defer to Jack Nunge. He's big and experienced at the high major D1 level. If the Post Defense alone is improved and everything else remains constant(which I think we will see improvements elsewhere), I see this team improving in the win/loss column significantly.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Great question. I voted for Colby Jones because I think if he makes the frosh to soph jump we all think he can, he has the potential to be our best player which would be saying a lot.

I could see a vote for a post player. I could make an argument for Kunkel, bc if he can shoot better from 3 he would be a really dangerous player.

[xukeith]

I voted for Freemantle. His offense will be much depended upon. Other BE bigs will try and guard him outside and in.

[paulxu]

Great question. I voted for Colby Jones because I think if he makes the frosh to soph jump we all think he can, he has the potential to be our best player which would be saying a lot.

Agree, although hard not to vote for Scruggs.

[JTG]

I don't think it's a particular player. It's Steele. He has the horses. He NEEDS to figure out how to use them.

[noteggs]

Great question. I voted for Colby Jones because I think if he makes the frosh to soph jump we all think he can, he has the potential to be our best player which would be saying a lot.

I could see a vote for a post player. I could make an argument for Kunkel, bc if he can shoot better from 3 he would be a really dangerous player.

Went with Colby as well for reasons you described. Could have gone with Nate because being healthy, he might get to the rim more to go along with a great outside shot.

[XUGRAD80]

Great question. I voted for Colby Jones because I think if he makes the frosh to soph jump we all think he can, he has the potential to be our best player which would be saying a lot.

I could see a vote for a post player. I could make an argument for Kunkel, bc if he can shoot better from 3 he would be a really dangerous player.

Agreed, I think the same thing.

However, if I could vote on the most important PERSON I would vote for Steele. He can either get the players playing together as a team or he can totally screw it up. Ultimately, I believe the teams success depends on that more than anything. There’s a lot of potential, but if the coach can’t develop it and utilize it properly they will not be successful.

[Xville]

Agreed, I think the same thing.

However, if I could vote on the most important PERSON I would vote for Steele. He can either get the players playing together as a team or he can totally screw it up. Ultimately, I believe the teams success depends on that more than anything. There’s a lot of potential, but if the coach can’t develop it and utilize it properly they will not be successful.

+1 nail meet head

[sirthought]

Skruggs

He's often been our best, most consistent player. But he's never developed into the player he imagined, or the fans imagined. He has the leadership role once again. Whether or not he's the highest scorer, I expect him to guide these guys on the court and make sure we don't lose leads, and can close out close games.

[Lloyd Braun]

Went with Colby as well for reasons you described. Could have gone with Nate because being healthy, he might get to the rim more to go along with a great outside shot.

Sorry you couldn't have gone for Nate… unless I am blind.

[xuphan]

Sorry you couldn't have gone for Nate… unless I am blind.

I voted for other. I think Steele is the biggest factor to the success of this season. He needs to make better in-game decisions to help this team when they are struggling.

[bobbiemcgee]

Guess I'll have to go with "other" since Nate didn't make the poll. 3 pters and tough defense.

[whopper]

I vote other. Steele and crew have to find a way to thread the needle and get 17 pos 10 Reb 5 assists from Hunter, Stanley Miles, Kunkel ,Tandy(even) combined. I thought that underutilizng players like Welage, Griffin, Miles/Ramsey(even making Tandy a total non factor) were a result of indecisive coaching and playing a losing hand too long over the last few years. We have seen lower bench players kill us over the last couple of years (Horcher, Baddeney, etc) because the other coaches did not try to ride out the storm with known quantities. The players mentioned (except Miles who I think will surprise) have all performed at high level in big situations and should not be wasted. That 17 p 10 Reb may come out of someone else's numbers but so be it.

[noteggs]

Sorry you couldn't have gone for Nate… unless I am blind.

Why not? Nate=other…no?

[xu82]

I am left to wonder….who is “other”?

“He” has the most votes at this point.

The title says player. Are we talking about someone else, because that’s obvious.


.

[Xavier]

Scruggs. All the other pieces fit in nicely but when Scruggs is the leader X is a different team, after the game if you felt like you don’t remember much from Scruggs it generally meant a loss. He is the key

[Muskie]

Apologies. I inadvertently left off Nate Johnson. I could add him in now, but it would throw off the results.

[muskiefan82]

Other. Nate Johnson. X needs a reliable, consistent outside threat.

[drudy23]

Jack Nunge gets my vote for this poll.

The weakest part of the team last year was Post Defense and with Zach Freemantle being out for the next month or so, I have to defer to Jack Nunge. He's big and experienced at the high major D1 level. If the Post Defense alone is improved and everything else remains constant(which I think we will see improvements elsewhere), I see this team improving in the win/loss column significantly.

Agree wholeheartedly with this.

We need an offensive presence in the post to balance the offense. The offense doesn't have to run through the post, but we have to have 1-2 guys that we can throw it into that we can get a bucket. Otherwise, welcome to last year where defenses smothered the perimeter.

[drudy23]

I don't think it's a particular player. It's Steele. He has the horses. He NEEDS to figure out how to use them.

If I had a second vote, it would be this.

[nuts4xu]

I vote for DRUGGS!!!

This team goes as Paul Scruggs goes. No disrespect to Travis Steele, but Scruggs is the real leader of this team.

[xukeith]

I vote for DRUGGS!!!

This team goes as Paul Scruggs goes. No disrespect to Travis Steele, but Scruggs is the real leader of this team.

Scruggs faded away last year in big games. I hope he steps up and makes clutch shots.
I know a healthy Freemantle wants the ball.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Reason I didnt vote Scruggs is because as a 5ht year senior I think he is what he is at this point. Which is great, he is a very good player, best on our team last year, and could be best this year.

I am just so excited for what I hope is a BIG jump from Colby Jones. If he becomes our best player, this team will be way better than any of us expect I think.

Scruggs is definitely the leader though. I think Jones becomes the go to guy when we need a bucket though.

[bleedXblue]

Scruggs faded away last year in big games. I hope he steps up and makes clutch shots.
I know a healthy Freemantle wants the ball.

This is spot on. Scruggs has never been an ALPHA DOG. I don't think its fair to expect him to magically turn into one. If he does, great! If not, then this team sorely needs one. I think Freemantle can be that guy. Maybe Nate Johnson too.

[SkyWalker]

I'm going to take a little different approach. I took Dieonte Miles. He may not be the most important player going into the season but if he is ready to play BIG TIME, he may be the player that puts us over the top.

[D-West & PO-Z]

I'm going to take a little different approach. I took Dieonte Miles. He may not be the most important player going into the season but if he is ready to play BIG TIME, he may be the player that puts us over the top.

He is definitely the most intriguing player to me. I have read he is ready to contribute in a big way, and then I have read (someone recapping musketeer madness I believe) that he still looks too thin and a little lost out there.

I think you are right though, if he is ready to really contribute significantly in the post, he could be a difference maker. I'm just not positive he is.

[MADXSTER]

The first time Miles touched the ball at Musketeer Madness was for a rebound and he promptly threw it out to an open guard for a 3. I was wow'd. After that he was a black hole. I was like oh crap.

[UCGRAD4X]

The first time Miles touched the ball at Musketeer Madness was for a rebound and he promptly threw it out to an open guard for a 3. I was wow'd. After that he was a black hole. I was like oh crap.

The reason I voted for Nunge is partly for this reason. Now that Free is out for an extended period, even more so. Miles is still going to be a work in progress for most if not all season. Nunge has been in the trenches. He needs to step up or a big part of our season is in the crapper. When Free gets back, his contributions are going to be all the more significant since we will be able to play two inside more often.

[Lloyd Braun]

Tonight may give some data on this poll

[paulxu]

Tonight may give some data on this poll

How?

[STL_XUfan]

How?

Because Other put up some big time stats and carried the team to victory.

[slysyl]

Other because Nate is the man. I don't understand why his name was left off the poll.

[paulxu]

Ah...I see you posted that on the 26th. My bad.

[IM4X]

Still not following why Nate is “Other” but that is who got my vote. That being said, I think the most important player will change from game to game. Nunge seems like the most important player in a few games. Nate in a few. Scruggs arguably in the OSU game.

[xuwin]

I say Freemantle is the most important player to our success because we desperately need him and we don't know what we are going to get when he comes back.

[Lloyd Braun]

How bout now?

Team was winless without Nate. Nunge probably MVP for the year but the case for Nate as most important to success can be easily made on a team without anyone else to stretch the floor.

[xavierj]

How bout now?

Team was winless without Nate. Nunge probably MVP for the year but the case for Nate as most important to success can be easily made on a team without anyone else to stretch the floor.

Maybe but I think a case can be made for Colby as well. He was really good in the NIT final 4 and so was Xavier. Actually feel like Nate was too inconsistent and team would have been in the NCAA’s had he been more consistent knocking down shots. From the Butler game through the NIT, Nate was 9 of 37 from three for 24%. A lot of those misses were wide open. In the final game him and Kunkel went 3 of 17 from the floor. Inconsistency cost games and kept many other closer than they should have been.

[UCGRAD4X]

When thinking about the most important player, consider that the Musketeers did not make the NCAA. You could say the most important player is the one that, if they had performed or contributed more (or at all) would have made them a slam dunk tourney team.

If you decide Free seriously underperformed (not a stretch at all) you can determine perhaps that if Miles or Edwards would have been given more of a chance or shown more, that would have been the biggest difference.

If you think a shooter would have made the biggest difference, you might say Johnson or Kunkle so underperformed or that Kyky would have had the biggest effect if he had been given a chance (injury not withstanding) that would have made the biggest difference.